Chapter 2: Mending an Aching Heart

One frosty night in the eleventh moon cycle of the year, Katarina roused. Her lustrous eyes opened, two onyx jewels rimmed by rings of blazing gold.

Stretching her legs and wings, she purged the stiffness from her muscles. She then strolled outside to yarp up a pellet and pass droppings.

"Ahh… much better…"

Fluffing up her ivory feathers to ward off the bitter cold, she proceeded to preen her plumage diligently. Tipping her head back, she peered up into the inky expanse floating above the world.

Devoid of clouds, the stars twinkled calmly in the company of their master, the waxing crescent moon.

"What a fantastic night," she said to herself. "Such a wondrous time to be alive…"

The moisture in her breath condensed into a puff of fog. It hovered in place for a few seconds, then dissipated.

Bringing her one-of-a-kind flute to her beak, she paid homage to the solace all around her with a relaxing chain of notes.

She gave a mellow sigh and released the flute. It swung downwards and silently came to rest against her breast.

Unfurling her glorious wings, she flapped them once, twice, three times and leapt into the air. Pointing her beak to the east, she left her home on the Tridents' central island behind.

In no hurry to go anywhere, she drifted through the chilling air at a leisurely pace.

The Everwinter Sea mirrored the night sky perfectly; her crisp reflection skimmed across its glassy surface, imitating her every movement.

Her destination, a grog tree nestled between the Bay of Fangs and the Pirates' Lair, was quite a significant distance away. She shut her eyes, peeling open her soul to let the solitude flow in.

Emptying her mind, she concentrated on staying airborne and nothing else.

The journey to the Bay lasted nearly forty minutes. Banking to port, she altered her course from easterly to northerly.

A sea not of water, but of snow, rolled on by beneath her. She perched in the first tree she came across to catch her breath.

She did not weigh much, but keeping herself aloft for so long had drained quite a bit of her stamina regardless.

Once the disorienting feeling associated with fatigue faded, she hunted down a lemming and promptly wolfed it down. She then scooped snow into her beak.

It melted in seconds and cool, refreshing water trickled down her throat. She repeated the process two more times, slaking her thirst.

Propelling herself skyward, she navigated the rest of the way to her destination. The unintelligible chatter of a fair number of owls enveloped her as she neared the grog tree in question.

She swooped inside and alighted gracefully on the floor. Glancing around, she counted eighteen owls of a variety of species.

The majority were obviously kraals, judging by the unnatural stripes and blotches of color augmenting their plumage. The remainder were clearly gadfeathers.

None of them seemed familiar, which she preferred.

Excellent, an entirely new crowd of owls to impress.

The various conversations they were holding ceased. Taking note of her species and the instrument dangling from her neck, they began to whisper excitedly amongst themselves.

"C-could it be? Are m-my eyes deceiving me?" muttered one inebriated male.

"Katarina, the legendary musician, here?" inquired a female.

"It appears that tonight won't be so boring after all," another female quipped. "What luck!"

Katarina approached the male long-eared owl at the rear of the cavity. His grizzled appearance and stern countenance indicated that he was the proprietor of the establishment.

Even though his identity was a mystery, he seemed to recognize her.

"Gunden vhagen," he greeted, his tone featuring an unmistakable Krakish burr.

"Gunden vhagen," she answered in a silkier timbre.

Switching to less-aggressive Hoolian, he continued, "It is a pleasure to have you here, Katarina."

"The pleasure is mine. Tuoy bit?"

"Halvar is my name."

"Nice to meet you, Halvar."

"The feeling is mutual."

"Would you mind if I performed for your guests?"

"Nunchat, nynick. Please do."

"Takk."

"Gare heeldvig, frisen," he replied, taking a sip of bingle juice from his nut cup.

She nodded and strolled to the middle of the cavity. The spectators fell silent, their eyes boring into her expectantly.

As usual, she drew a couple deep breaths to compose herself. Pressing the ocarina lightly against her beak, she injected her breath into it.

The air resonated within the instrument's interior, causing ethereal fluty notes to spill forth. Katarina accentuated her expressiveness via swaying body movements.

The serenade started off placid, then evolved into a dark and ominous tune.

A male boreal owl in the corner seemed distraught. His head hung low, though he glanced up at her every so often.

Have I managed to impact his emotions, or is his suffering the result of an actual crisis? I must find out and try to help…

For the finale, Katarina spawned lighthearted phrases consisting of vibrant, high-pitched notes. The downtrodden boreal owl managed a halfhearted smile.

The kraals and gadfeathers alike lavished Katarina with praise, as did the grog tree's owner. They conducted a toast in her honor.

She dipped her head in humble acceptance of their compliments.

"The rumors are true, you're a marvelous musician," Halvar declared.

"You are too kind," she hooted cheerfully.

"I give credit where credit is due."

"Fair enough, frisen."

Gratification filled Katarina to the brim, yet the upset kraal lingered in her thoughts. Livened up by her spellbinding performance, the owls sparked up animated conversations.

Halvar distributed extra spots of bingle juice to his guests, returning to his station to sip more.

She turned her attention to the kraal who sat all by himself. His plumage featured streaks of rich sapphire.

Meandering between the clusters of owls, she seated herself across from him.

A nut cup lay on its side on the table, harboring a tiny drop of bingle juice.

The boreal owl acknowledged her presence with a fleeting glance.

"You m-make… l-lovely music…" he muttered, his speech slurred.

"Thank you. What is your name?"

"Eskil…"

"If I may ask, Eskil, why are you so forlorn?"

He did not answer for several seconds.

"I am in l-love… with another kraal… n-named Kara. I believe… s-she loves me too… b-but tonight… we h-had an argument… and she flew away…"

He exhaled heavily. A single tear plopped onto the table.

"I made… a m-mistake. I do not k-know… if she loves me… any l-longer. I wanted to… ask h-her… to be… my m-mate. What if… s-she never… wants to… speak t-to me again? I am… so f-foolish…"

Katarina drank in his admission. The wheels in her head started spinning.

"Eskil?"

"Yes?"

Gingerly, she lifted his head with her port wing. Their eyes met and he blinked.

"I am not in a relationship myself, but allow me to offer some advice."

She cleared her throat.

"If you are smitten with her, and she with you, are you going to let her slip through your talons? Drowning your sorrows in bingle juice will not solve your problems. Everyone makes mistakes. I cannot think of anything more foolish than forsaking the one you love."

His third eyelids swept across his eyes, a sign that he'd come to a sudden realization.

"You're right… I can't… t-turn away… from her now. I m-must… make amends… and reveal… my d-desires…"

"That's the spirit, Eskil."

"You… have helped me… s-see sense. You… have my gratitude…"

"Music is not the only way in which I can offer aid to others."

"That is t-true."

He staggered to his feet. Had it not been for Katarina rushing to his side, the tipsy owl would've collapsed.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes… just s-somewhat dizzy…"

"Perhaps you shouldn't leave just yet."

"I can't… afford to wait. I must… speak to Kara… as soon as possible."

"I suppose I can't argue with that."

"Leaving s-so soon?" Halvar asked as they trudged for the exit.

"Yes. This kraal is on a mission, and I must accompany him. His mind is rather foggy at the moment."

"Bingle juice w-will do t-that. Tuoy bim trufynkken. Prinka m'whocki." (He is drunk. Poor owl.)

"Ja, unfortunately."

"Stay safe, wherever y-you're going. Don't be a s-stranger either."

"This won't be the last time we see each other," she said reassuringly.

Halvar nodded.

"Are you sure you can fly?"

"I think so. Only one way… to find out…"

Eskil jumped and fell. Katarina gasped and prepared to dive after him.

Eskil reappeared, beating his wings clumsily. He managed to stay airborne despite his muddied mental state.

Katarina waved goodbye to the crowd. They waved back.

She issued a convivial parting whistle courtesy of her ocarina and took off after him.

"Where are we going?"

"To Kara's home… near the Pirates' Lair. That is where… I believe… she went."

"I see. Lead the way."

The haze shrouding his mind cleared somewhat by the time he arrived at the isolated conifer. The pair of owls entered simultaneously.

The female boreal owl did not register their presence, as she was engrossed in the sharpening of her battle claws.

Irritation emanated from her crimson-dyed plumage like tangible smoke.

He twisted his head backwards and stared at Katarina as if to say: "Should I approach her?"

The saw-whet owl gestured with her wings, urging him onward. Eskil tentatively strolled forward, tapping her starboard shoulder with a talon.

She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, pausing her work briefly.

"Oh, it's you," she said flatly.

She looked away and resumed honing the edges of the metal talons.

"What do you want? I'm busy."

Willing himself to speak coherently, he answered, "I've come to say I'm sorry. I… I shouldn't have gotten so angry with you."

"Hmph, that has to count for something."

Kara set the battle claws and whetstone on the floor and turned to face him. She administered a restrained smack to the side of his face with her right wing.

The sudden strike left him stunned.

"That was for losing your temper."

Just as unexpectedly, she kissed the exact same spot on his cheek.

"And that was for apologizing."

"Kara… I…"

"I owe you an apology myself. I shouldn't have repaid hostility with further hostility."

She took a step towards him.

"Is there something you wanted to tell me?"

Eskil swallowed his anxiety and spoke: "Kara, I want nothing more than to journey throughout the N'yrthghar alongside you. I want us to be wingfast forever…"

She eyed him scrupulously for several tense seconds.

With a smirk she remarked, "I've waited an entire moon cycle for your confession. My feelings are no different."

A smile as wide as the crescent moon manifested on his beak. He spontaneously embraced her.

"I love you too. I'm having trouble breathing now."

He sheepishly took a step back. At that point Katarina walked up alongside him.

"Wait… is this the saw-whet owl that the other kraals keep mentioning?"

"Yes, this is Katarina."

"What a coincidence that we should meet."

"Eskil here was, shall we say, under the influence of bingle juice. I chose to tag along and watch over him."

"I see. In that case, you have my thanks."

"Gare heeldvig."

"You speak lovely Krakish, which is to be expected."

Katarina beamed.

"Eskil, follow me to the Pirates' Lair. Our fellow kraals deserve to know of our commitment."

"I agree. I'll be right behind you."

"Would you like to come with us?"

"No thank you, Kara. The Lair is not an environment I'm accustomed to. Not only that, but I wish to visit at least four grog trees tonight."

"That is understandable. Let's meet again sometime then. I am interested in learning more about you."

"How about tomorrow night?" "

Ja. I'll wait patiently for you here."

"Wonderful. Until then, goodbye!"

"Goodbye, frisen!" the female replied jubilantly.

The trio of avian beings filed out of the hollow and went their separate ways. The boreal owls headed east while the saw-whet owl headed west.

In under a minute she spotted the next grog tree, a tall, slender spear jutting up from the snowy plain.

A snowy owl was belting out a sonorous ballad. Katarina claimed an empty seat two pytes away from her.

She sounds almost exactly like Mother. What a glorious voice she has…

When the gadfeather's song ended, she and Katarina swapped places.

Though she commanded the attention of fifteen pairs of eyes, determination, not anxiety, swelled in her gizzard.

As usual, she did not have a specific theme in mind. Improvisation was yet another skill she'd developed over the course of her nightly practice sessions.

"Gunden vhagen. I hope this song touches your hearts and gizzards."

Wrapping her port talons around the ocarina, she held it gently against her beak. Flooding her lungs with air, she brought the stone flute's voice to life.

Needless to say, she elicited the same fervent reactions from the spectators as she did in the previous grog tree.

She stopped by three additional lounges prior to retiring for the night, surpassing her previously-set goal.

Halting at the entrance to her hollow, she relieved herself and trudged inside. Subdued by mental and physical weariness, she toppled into her nest with dramatic flair.

I miss my parents. Perhaps I should pay a visit to them tomorrow evening. Yes, I'll limit myself to one performance, and then I shall seek them out…

Treating herself to a brief, quiet melody, she hastened the onset of unconsciousness. The comforting folds of sleep wrapped around her like a black rose's petals.

Katarina slumbered as peacefully as an owlet, dreaming blissful dreams of her creators.