Chapter 8
The rest of the day went on as usual, but Kludd's head was spinning all the way around from what he had learned that day. Garth, the son of esteemed Pure One commander Purge, was gay? It seemed so strange to Kludd; Garth appeared to be the spitting image of what his father probably was, in strength, cunning, and pure rage. And yet… there was an easygoing air around Garth, a sense of genuine friendliness with everyone he met. Kludd soon began to wonder if Purge ever had the friendly air his son did, and if so, what happened to it?
Kludd's mind was still on what happened when he got up, left the nest after his parents did, and arrived at the fortress the next evening, and it showed. While Garth and Scourge got themselves ready for classes, Cedar made her way over to Kludd and gently thumped her wing on his back. This got Kludd's attention, and he turned around to find Cedar looking intently at him.
"Something troubling ya, Rebel?" She said, although the cheer in her voice was rather forced.
"What makes you think I'm troubled, Cedar?" Kludd replied flatly. "I'm just deep in thought."
Cedar sighed. Might as well get to the point. "It's about Garth, isn't it?"
Kludd jerked his head up, surprised by the question. "How did you –"
"He told Scourge and I yesterday on the way to Fight Class." Cedar said, her voice now carrying a sad note. "He also told us what his father did when he was a Pure One and how close he was to the High Tyto. He was so scared Kludd; he's worried his own father would kill him if he found out."
Kludd stared at Cedar, shocked at what she was telling him now. He knew full well what the Pure Ones thought about owls like Garth – Tytos or otherwise – but he would never wish such a fate on Garth. A hard glint now appeared in Cedar's eyes. "Glaux damnit!" She swore under her breath as tears began to form. "You know what the majority of the recruits here have in common? They've all lost their parents; Scourge lost his to rouges –"
Kludd blinked; this was the first time Cedar hadn't addressed Scourge as Pigwidgeon. Cedar went on. "I lost my parents to Ambala's superstition, and as for you and Garth," she sighed, "Your parents lost you. You're both leading double lives here; ones that your parents would kill you if they find out." She then wiped the tears away from her eyes, and Kludd saw in her the same steely determination he had seen her put in her work. "I had been surviving on my own for most of my life." She continued. "I had almost forgotten what it meant to be in a family until I came here; until I met you guys. You, Garth, even Scourge, have become my family; I'll go against the High Tyto before I lose either of you guys."
With that, Cedar walked away, head held in the same confident manner it usually was, with Kludd following behind, deep in thought. Cedar was right; all of the young owls here had lost their families someway or another. All except for Kludd, who hid this part of his life from his family, and now, Garth, who hid an even bigger secret from his. But these four, these four had banded together and became like the family they had either lost or never truly had in the first place. Glaux had banded them together for life now, and Kludd would be damned if any of these owls were torn from him. He swore upon his scroomsaw that what he, Cedar, Scourge, and Garth knew would be their secret. And that it would stay that way.
Over the next few weeks, life went on as it normally did with Kludd. He would carry on his usual classes with his chambermates, and then go to his private classes with Nyra, which as of recently, had become more of an excuse for them to see each other. Garth had never said a word about the affair to anyone, and Kludd, in turn, never once mentioned Garth's secret; however, when he returned from Nyra's class, he could see the apprehension in Garth's eyes, as if he was worried that someone might find out. Nevertheless, he didn't push the matter, for which Kludd was forever grateful.
Finally, the night of each owls' Purity Test came. For this ceremony, they would attack and maim a non – Tyto owl as proof of their loyalty to the Pure Ones. On this night, Pure One soldiers would go out and find non – Tytos and bring them here specifically for this ceremony. There was much talk among the recruits that night about what kind of owl they might have to face, and Kludd's group was no exception.
"I hope I get an Eagle Owl or a Great Gray!" Cedar said wistfully whilst tearing into a rat that she had killed earlier that day. "Those are some of the biggest owls in all the owl kingdoms. I mean, Great Glaux, have you seen their wingspans?" She then turned to Garth, eyes bright as usual. "What about you, Garth?"
"Oh, I'm not really sure." Garth replied, shrugging his shoulders. "Sometimes I hope for a Great Horned, other times I hope for a Snowy, and then other times I hope for a Long – Eared." He then sighed and shrugged again.
"Well, whatever happens," a voice broke in, "I'll probably end up with something wimpy like an Elf or a Pygmy." Kludd turned around to find Dustin looking at them, a sad look in his eyes. "You four are lucky; us Sooties may be considered Tytos, but we're treated lower than dirt around here. Add the fact that I lost my first fight to someone who's never had any training –" Dustin said, gesturing to Kludd, "and I may as well be just another beak to feed."
"Now, now, Dustin." Said Garth, fixing his black eyes on the Lesser Sooty as he spoke. "Don't think like that. You're still a Tyto, are you not? You still have the remarkable hearing and heart – shaped face of a Tyto, you still talk, walk, and fly like a Tyto, and let's not forget, you were among the Sooties that graduated to this level. I'm sure the Pure Ones will find you an owl worthy of your claws."
At this moment, Kludd could've sworn he saw a riffle pass through Dustin's feathers. "Thank you, Garth." Said Dustin, dipping his head not in obeisance, but in true gratitude. "And I am sure you will have a worthy challenger." Garth swelled up a bit at Dustin's comment, and Kludd couldn't help but wonder if there was something he was missing. Could Garth, a perfect Pure One by most standards, be in love with Dustin?
Why should I care? Kludd thought to himself. They are both Pure Ones through and through. A shree interrupted Kludd's thoughts, and the four owls turned their heads to find Instructor Jade landing in front of them. "The High Tyto and Her Pureness will see you know Kludd." She said, standing at full attention. Garth, Cedar, and Scourge all nodded at him, and all four owls seemed to be thinking the exact same thing: It's time.
"Enter!" Ag's voice boomed through the fortress, and Kludd flew towards his and Nyra's perches and bowed his head. Ag signaled him to raise his head, and then said, staring intently at Kludd. "Are you ready, Mr. Alba, to complete your Purity Test?"
This time, there was no hesitation in Kludd's voice. "Yes, sir." He said, his voice clear and strong. "Very well." Said Ag, before barking, "Bring in the Impure!"
At this, a guard brought forth a tiny Northern Saw –Whet in its talons, the latter owl wilfing to the point that Kludd could see its bones. "This owl," Ag explained, "has been attempting to incite rebellion in Silverveil. Perhaps, Kludd, you could show him what happens to those who resist the Pure Ones."
He believes in me! Thought Kludd to himself, his gizzard trembling with joy, and a smile crept across his face. "With pleasure." Kludd replied before darting towards the Saw – Whet, eyes gleaming with rage; before long, the Saw – Whet lay, gasping for breath, in a pool of his own blood, his starboard wing torn off, while Kludd stood above him. A sick smile spread across Ag's face. "Well done, Kludd." He said, a rare jovial note in his voice. "Loyalty like yours is hard to find these days."
Kludd left the room still basking in the High Tyto's praise as the words rang through his head. Loyalty like yours is hard to find these days. Suddenly, Kludd stopped dead in his tracks; something was wrong, he could feel it in his gizzard. He then raced back towards his chamber in a mad dash, only to find Jade pacing back and forth muttering, "What could I have done wrong?" and Cedar and Scourge staring at Dustin, who was sobbing uncontrollably. "What happened?" Kludd blurted out, even though some part of his gizzard knew.
Cedar then looked up towards Kludd and said, her voice breaking, "Dustin came to visit Garth before his Purity Test, to wish him good luck. They had just exchanged their well wishes when Brutus stormed in with Purge, rage in both their eyes. I don't know how Brutus knew, but he did, and he then pointed a wing at Garth and shreed, 'See that, sir? Your own son is tainting the very name of the Pure Ones!' Garth tried to defend himself and Dustin, tried to reason with his father, but then Purge just flew straight at Garth and… and…"
Dustin then broke in. "I tried to save him, tried to stop Purge, but… it was too late." He then shreed mournfully, "Why, Glaux? What has this owl done wrong?"
It was precisely at this moment that Kludd saw Garth's body lying in a pool of blood, his neck twisted at an odd angle and his face frozen in an expression of horror, and felt his mind grow numb and his gizzard grow cold. Not Garth, who Jade expressed great faith in from night 1. Not Garth, who had helped Kludd hone his strategy and had laughed off the injuries he got as a response. Not Garth, who kept Kludd's biggest secret and trusted him enough to tell him his. Him and Garth were supposed to graduate this ceremony, have their Special, become officers together. It was all so wrong.
And at that moment, Kludd began to cry.
That night, Nyra announced the names of the instructors whose students would go on to prepare for their Specials: Instructor Ash, Instructor Coalbeak, Instructor Mudfeather, Instructor Crowblaze, Instructor Nighthawk, Instructor Gengko, Instructor Katana, Instructor Scorpio, Instructor Cassius, and Instructor Jade. Kludd, however, did not clack his beak in approval as he did after the Nest Maid Ceremony; instead, he glared at Brutus, his eyes turning to stone. I'd kill that owl. He thought to himself. If I could kill him and bring Garth back in his place, I would. He then noticed that Dustin had wilfed considerably and realized he probably hadn't made it through his Purity Test. Either that, or his actions with Garth had disqualified his entire class. Either way, it wasn't fair, but it was probably for the best; if Kludd had to look at Dustin again, all he would ever remember was the friend he lost.
His thoughts were soon interrupted by a beak going through his shoulder feathers, and Kludd turned around to find Jade and Nyra standing behind him. "I've just talked to Her Pureness." Jade said, her voice sounding as though she had been crying. "She has agreed to allow you, Scourge, Cedar, and Dustin to pay your final respects to Garth, on the condition that you do so away from the fortress." She then flew off to relay the message to Cedar and Scourge, while Nyra and Kludd stayed behind.
"I'm sorry." Nyra said, her voice soft and sympathetic. "There is nothing I can do about our policies, but he did not deserve to have this happen to him."
Kludd shook his head. "Why?" he choked out through sobs. "Why did they do this? Garth was as loyal to the Pure Ones as an owl can be! Why did who he love make any difference? That changes nothing, I tell you, NOTHING!" He then collapsed into Nyra's embrace, sobs wracking his body.
"I know, Kludd," she replied, her wings wrapped around him. "I know." She then looked into his black eyes, her own shining with love and understanding. "May I go with you?"
Kludd was about to object, but he realized there was no point in blaming Nyra; there's no way she could've known. "Of course." He replied. "Of course you can come."
As the celebrations dragged on that night, Kludd, Nyra, Cedar, Dustin, and Scourge flew towards Silverveil, Dustin carrying Garth's body. Silverveil had been Cedar's idea, since this was where Garth had hatched. After they landed, they created a pyre to lay Garth's body upon and, after laying him upon it, Scourge then went to find a rouge smith, while Kludd began Garth's Final Ceremony.
"Today," began Kludd, eyes shining solemnly, "we have come to Silverveil to honour a dear friend and a treasured colleague in a manner befitting to all fallen warriors. For while he had not been fully recognized as a warrior, he was a fighter in his heart, his mind, and his gizzard. May his spirit forever rest in glaumora." At this moment, Scourge and a rogue smith arrived with a bucket full of embers, while Cedar sang a special song to honour their friend:
This is a story that I have never told
I gotta get this off my chest to let it go
I need to take back the light inside you stole
You're a criminal
And you steal like you're a pro
All the pain and the truth
I wear like a battle wound
So ashamed, so confused
I was broken and bruised
Now I'm a warrior
Now I've got thicker skin
I'm a warrior
I'm stronger than I've ever been
And my armor, is made of steel, you can't get in
I'm a warrior
And you can never hurt me again
Out of the ashes, I'm burning like a fire
You can save your apologies, you're nothing but a liar
I've got shame, I've got scars
That I will never show
I'm a survivor
In more ways than you know
Cause all the pain and the truth
I wear like a battle wound
So ashamed, so confused
I'm not broken or bruised
'Cause now I'm a warrior
Now I've got thicker skin
I'm a warrior
I'm stronger than I've ever been
And my armor, is made of steel, you can't get in
I'm a warrior
And you can never hurt me
There's a part of me I can't get back
A little owl grew up too fast
All it took was once, I'll never be the same
Now I'm taking back my life today
Nothing left that you can say
Cause you are never gonna take the blame anyway
Now I'm a warrior
I've got thicker skin
I'm a warrior
I'm stronger than I've ever been
And my armor, is made of steel, you can't get in
I'm a warrior
And you can never hurt me again
No oh, yeah, yeah
You can never hurt me again
As she sang, Scourge dropped an ember onto the pyre, and as the flames grew hotter and hotter, Kludd felt his rage burning alongside it – rage at the High Tyto, rage at Brutus, rage at Purge. But there was one owl in particular whom Kludd hated most of all; one Kludd felt was responsible for his friend's death. And after Cedar had finished singing, Kludd shreed that owl's name into the night:
"SSSSSSSSSSSOOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRRREEEEEEEEENNNNNNNN!"
A/N: And the tension mounts... OMG, I feel so bad for Kludd now; I can't believe I put him through that. All the same, Garth was doomed from the start. What did you guys think? That was definitely a long chapter; the words just... came out. Should I have broken that down into smaller parts? Oh, well. Oh, and the song Cedar sings is "Warrior" by Demi Lovato (although, I did modify one of the lyrics). As always, show some love and review!
Disclaimer: I do not own Guardians of Ga'Hoole or "Warrior"; all credit goes to their respective writers.