A/N: Hello, everyone, I am back with a new chapter of Me and My Shadow, as we rejoin our friends in the aftermath of the wedding crash. In this chapter, prepare for plot elements …as well as dealing with angst and a new character.
REVIEW RESPONSES
Crazybird101: Sadly it was.
Synchronized Harmony: Well, I am glad you liked it, and yes, anger only work for the bad guys.
jjhatter: Thank you. That Aladdin scene really played well in the last chapter.
sonicfighter21354: That question will be answered shortly.
LydeaBlaze: Thanks. Sorry if I forgot to ask to use the Kin Royals (I don't remember if I asked, but I am sorry either way).
sailor-starlight101: Why, thank you. I try to show more of Nyra's goodness. And no, Uglamore is not being controlled, he is being a Pure One of his own free will.
ashthetyto: *blush* Aw, shucks. I'm glad I played to your expectations.
Godzilla Fan 2012: Thank you. You will be quite satisfied with this upcoming ITD.
X1Mobius: Oh, you…*blushes again* I try my best :).
Thekiller10: Well, that was just Digger hallucinating. I don't know whether you telling me I do the most fucking best battle scenes, or if you want to do better battle scenes (hopefully it's the former). I can't guarantee that I will update faster. These chapters take a lot of work.
Nick: It shall be done!
Avery: Right about now.
Wolf'sAura: Well, you are about to get your wish.
DarthAstzelur: I hope you continue to enjoy it.
I do not own Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole and their beloved characters
I do own Harris, Fatal, LaRoche, Pip, and Alice, as well as my interpretation of Shard.
Chapter Five: A Hagsfiend Among Us
INSIGHT INTO THE THEOLOGY OF DARKNESS
DATE: White Rain, Month 1, Day 4, Year 708
SUBJECT: Hagsfiends
Good and evil...such balances had existed for ages ever since the beginning of the age of the owls, and even at the beginning of the Others' reign of the Earth...
But evil did not originally exist...not at first...Glaux had originally created our world to be filled with light and goodness, having his children, what we mortals call 'angels' roam the skies and lived their lives the way Glaux had intended it. No conflict whatsoever...the world was actually a peaceful place...
The peace would not last long, however, as according to the Glauxian legends, there was a select few of Glaux's children that did not believe in his principles, and they thought that the world was only meant for the most perfect of beings, and that they should not have to bend to the will of Glaux himself. It is said that a group of six rallied a group of angels that shared their beliefs and had sought to overthrow Glaux and take control of Glamoura and Earth and ruled it the way they thought fit.
The holy lord did not stand for it however, as he gathered seven of his most loyal children, known as the Sacred Knights of Glaux, whose hearts, dreams, love, sincerity, strength, loyalty, and knowledge were unmatched by any other, and their light was the brightest of all, and with an army of their own, the two sides fought...and after a long, arduous battle, good triumphed. With a heavy heart from Glaux, the six traitors and what was left of their army was casted out of Glaumora and damned to a world far below the surface of Earth...a place known today as Hagsmire. As they were, the six that lead the coup d'état swore vengeance and that they would return to Earth and rule it... and thus darkness was born.
In Hagsmire, darkness reigned supreme, as all the damned angels within it's realm were imprisoned, bounded by the chains that renders them flightless and surge through them all the feeling of suffering and torment. With such a horrid living condition, the owls that were trapped here soon became twisted by their own inner evil and their body began to mutate into what one would pass today as a crow, while maintaining their owl characteristics...and all their eyes became as gold as the moon...and soon, they became the infamous 'Hagsfiends'...
Hagsfiends are true creatures of darkness, as they are considered to be incapable of any real emotions except that of suffering of which they had in Hagsmire, and despite falling from grace with their Glaux, they are still considered immortal.
Unfortunately, not much is known about them, as the place I came from, The Glauxian Brothers' Retreat, declared any subject involving the Hagsfiends spronk, and whenever knowledge about the evil was found, they burned it. Fortunately, I did find a book or two while looking in the Ga'Hoole library, and surprisingly, I learned quite a bit.
The last noted appearance of these Hagsfiends were apparently back in the First War, where the Hagsfiends escaped from Hagsmire and had sought to 'purify' the world of the weak and the broken, attempting to make the world only for the strongest of owls...which was that of the Tyto genus, a genus which was rumored to had been descendants of the Hagsfiends. However, they were defeated and exteriminated by the year 70, thanks to the excellent leadership of great owls such as Hoole and Eve...but this was considered a legend by all the owls today, for there was no proof that a Hagsfiend had existed since then, and since it took place a long time ago, no one could verify whether the story of the First War was actually true.
The Hagsfiends are known to possess supernatural capabilities, rooted to their once-prestige states as angels, called Nachtmagen, dark magic created by the evil beings that were built for two purpose...torture...and murder. Furthermore, despite becoming heinous-looking creatures, they have the ability to shift back into their owl form, their true form only being revealed when they so desired or angered. Other abilities they are known to have are enhanced strength, enhanced speed...and a very deafening screech.
I wish I could tell you more about these beings...but I have no further official sources to tap into. How was it that these immortal beings were slain or even if they existed to begin with is unknown. As far as the world was concerned, the Hagsfiends are dead, back in Hagsmire where they belonged...but who to say that they won't come back?
Entry End
V.
Silence loomed in the tree of Ga'Hoole, as the wedding hall of the said tree was now in ruin, with debris and shattered glasses scattered across the floor of the room, along with feathers from the combatants of the hall and the once beautiful flowers torn to nothing more than petals, There was blood smeared all around the floor, so much that no one can tell which one's blood smear was which (not that they could in the first place, since they lacked technologies that the Others supposedly had).
The couple that was to be married in the said hall were now walking through the mess that was caused, alongside Soren and his friends, examining the damage...
"Sheesh, those bullies really did a number on the place." Digger commented.
"I'll say. Those ruffians were never known to 'keep it clean'..." Twilight muttered, before noting Kludd and Nyra,"No offense to-"
"It's alright, Twilight!" Kludd interrupted, rather tired of owls thinking he cared what is said about the Pure Ones these day, "I just can't believe those bastards had to pick this night of all nights to attack us..." He let out a sigh, "Nyra...I am sorry that this happen..." However, there was no answer, "Nyra?"
He turned to find Nyra, looking at what was left of a white flower, picking it up.
"I don't understand...what did they flee?" Nyra muttered, as she turned to the others, "I mean, I had trained those soldiers myself. They would not simply flee when they had the advantage..."
"Quite right, Nyra."
The others looked to see Ezylryb hobbling over to them as he surveyed the damage himself.
"What do you mean, sir?" Soren asked.
"Well, it seems like disrupting our two friends' wedding was not the sole purpose of their visit here." Ezylryb explained.
"Are you sure, Mr. Lyze?" Otulissa questioned, "I mean, had I not known any better, the whole army (or what's left of it) and the entire hawk brigade was in here.
"Otulissa, I am over 50 years old. If my gizzard said this was a part of a bigger plan, then it was a part of a bigger plan!" The old owl grumbled.
"But what bigger plan?" Gylfie piped, "What could they had wanted more than vengeance?"
"Look, guys, it doesn't matter." Kludd said, catching everyone's attention, "We are all still alive and in one piece. The bad guys are gone...as far as I am concerned, the battle was won."
"Yes...but at what cost?" Nyra muttered sadly.
Before Kludd could ask what she meant, the doors to the hall (or what was left of it when Fatal smashed through it) opened up, and soon, a loud scream echoed through the ruined hall, catching all the Guardians' attention, including Pip, whose vase fell and smashed into the ground, him rolling out unfazed once more.
The origin of the scream came from none other than the newcomer in the room...which was none other than LaRoche...a rather wet and banged up LaRoche, but it was the Elf Owl nonetheless. His face screamed of horror as he looked around the ruined hall, seeing nothing but devastation to the place. He walked further in, taking in more of the wrecked scene, resisting the urge to scream once more at what was left of his 'masterpiece'.
He only stopped in the middle, ignoring the stares he was getting, and yelled, "My Glaux, what the FUCK did you guys do to the place?!"
The owls gasped at his harsh word and accusation, as Boron glared at him, "LaRoche, hold your tongue!"
"I WILL NOT!" LaRoche snapped, not bothering in remembering who he was talking to, "The wedding hall is ruined! Look at all this, look at what you Guardians done!"
"Hey, it was not our fault!" Bubo defended, "Those Pure Ones tried to kill us! And if that wasn't enough, we were being robbed by hawks!"
"And we are all fine, thank you!" Strix snapped, "Honestly, you need to get your priorities straight!"
"Spare me the drabble, woman!" LaRoche roared, as he looked around...and then, he saw Kludd and Nyra (glaring at him as usual), and his anger flared... "You two..." Without any further words, he stomped up to the two, much to their shock, "This...is ALL YOUR DOING!"
"What?!" Nyra screeched.
"Do you honestly think we orchestrated this?!" Kludd asked incredulously, "LaRoche, I had heard you say yoicks things before, but this is a whole new level of yoicks!"
"Well, why not?! You two are Pure Ones, aren't you?!" LaRoche rebutted.
"Were Pure Ones." Soren stepped in, "You seem to forget the whole incident that happened six months ago!"
"You stay out of this, boy! You are already on the top of my racdrops list!" LaRoche growled.
"Don't talk to my to-be mate that way, you ruffian!" Otulissa snapped, about ready to slap the stuffing out of him.
"I will talk to any owl any way I like, thank you!" LaRoche growled, returning his glare to Kludd and Nyra, who were just as ready to do the same, "You two make me sick...especially you, Kludd..."
"Oh, yeah, how so?" Kludd rebutted, not at all intimidated by his glare.
LaRoche let out a huff as he listed, "Well, there is three things: one, coming here six months ago asking us for help, two, some 'supernatural' forces giving you a undeserved second chance at life..."
"What do you know?!" Nyra snapped, "Who are you to decide who deserves a second chance?!"
"Nyra, calm yourself..." Ezylryb admonished, already sensing her anger growing again.
Not daunted by Nyra's interruption, LaRoche continued, "And lastly, Kludd...you have the gall to be mates with this...this..." The Elf Owl look at Nyra with fiery eyes that surprised even Nyra, "Hagsfiend..."
Nyra's anger was soon replaced with horror as Kludd and Soren both gaped in mortification and Gylfie and the others just gasped at such an awful word.
"LAROCHE!" Ezylryb snarled.
"What?! You telling me you didn't hear that awful screech a few minutes ago?!" LaRoche defended.
"She's a barn owl, LaRoche!" Bubo stepped up, "Barn Owls are known to make loud screeches!"
"No, they are known for their excellent hearing! And what kind of Barn Owl makes a screech that loud, huh?!" The scarred Elf Owl stated, "Not a normal one, that's what!"
"Calm yourself, Mr. Dursley." Barran stepped forth, "Nyra is not a desirable owl, I shall admit." Nyra wanted to glare at her, but the shock of what LaRoche said to her got to her, "But there is no such things as hagsfiends. They are nothing more than legends made to scare naughty children." Soren and Kludd gave involuntary shudders, knowing all too well that they are real...
"Are you so certain, your highness?" LaRoche asked with venom in his voice, "Had you even seen a hagsfiend?!"
"We had." The two brothers thought, as Kludd continued, "And it was no fun."
"That does not matter, LaRoche!" Boron snapped, "And we seem to be getting off topic here, we should be focused on why those Pure Ones attacked us-"
"And what of her eyes?!" LaRoche added, "I never saw them myself, but I know they go red! Had it not been said that a Pure One with red eyes is a Hagsfiend?!"
"That had never been proven!" Otulissa stepped forth, much to the others' surprise.
"The lass is right!" Strix Struma bellowed, "That was complete speculation made by arrogant, hateful bastards such as yourself!"
However, some of the Guardians actually began to take in what LaRoche had said, as one of them said, "No...the little guy is right! Her eyes does go red!" (A scoff from LaRoche was made in response to being called small)
"Oh my Glaux! She is a Hagsfiend!" Another Guardian screamed in fear.
"Ai, pull yourselves together, lads and lasses!" Bubo demanded.
Nyra felt her heart beating faster, as more and more of the Guardians around her began to mutter in fear and glaring at her, and she could not blame them. She knew she had a vicious temper, and she knew that her eyes went scarlet red (her old subjects and Kludd made it clear)...but to be likened to a Hagsfiend? What if the damn midget of an owl was right for once?
"Listen to yourselves!" Kludd screeched, "You dare accuse my mate of being a monster from a fairytale?!" He knew that part was a lie, but this was his mate on the line here, "Well she is not! And I will not allow any of you to hurt her in any way! You got that?!"
However, his devoted words only hardened the glares of the Guardians, as one of them, a Spotted Owl, stated, "Of course the once king of those bastards would defend his whore!"
In a flash, before Soren or the others could stop him, Kludd, in rage, lunged at the spotted owl and the two began to wrestle, as Kludd screeched, his eyes nearly going red again, "YOU TAKE THAT BACK!"
"MAKE ME!" The spotted owl spat as the two fought.
"Kludd,stop this! Fighting won't solve anything!" Nyra pleaded as she was moments from pulling him away from the fight.
But someone beaten her to it, as none other than Shard suddenly flew the two and pushed them apart, keeping a serious glare on his face.
"THAT IS ENOUGH!" The owl declared loudly, surprising everyone, including the Parliament members, as they instantly recognized the owl, "We should be more focused on why those Pure Ones were here, not whether one is a hagsfiend or not!"
"Hey, stay out of this!" The spotted owl sneered, as he clenches his claws, "Who the Hagsmire are you to meddle in other's business?!"
Shard gave a glare as he then declared, holding his battle-claw mounted talons up at the owl, "Shard Grayeth, captain of the Cape Glaux squadron, and senior Guardian, that's who!"
The other Guardians gasped as they recognized the names, including the Spotted Owl, as his anger was replaced with fear, "Captain Grayeth!" He raised his left wing in salute, soon followed by all the other Guardians, "I'm so sorry, sir, I didn't recognize you without the-"
"It is quite fine." Shard shrugged off, "Now, I would like you and all the other Guardians to scour the tree for any stragglers. Look for anything that is missing! Now GO!"
"YES SIR!" The spotted owl shouted, along with the plethora of Guardians, as they left the wedding hall. Soren and the others were left dumbstruck as Shard turned to the crowd, his strict expression softening.
"Well, that ought to keep them occupied for the moment." Shard nodded.
Soren snapped out of his stupor as he asked, "Did you say Shard Grayeth?"
"Why, who is he?" Kludd asked, straightening his feathers from the scuffle.
"Kludd, Shard Grayeth is only the youngest Guardian to ever become captain, and is one of the best there is...next to Ezylryb, of course." Soren added, much to Ezylryb's amusement, "He once led Guardians to battle of the Desert Storm and won within the hour."
"Hmph, I wouldn't say an hour..." Shard chuckled, looking at the barn owl, "It was more like an hour and a half."
"Still, I had read many books about you." Soren stated, obviously excited to have met one of his heroes, "Yet I never thought I would meet you in owl." He then extends his talon, "I am Soren Alba, Guardian for one and a half year."
"Soren, eh? The famous Pure One kingslayer who saved the Guardians? I had heard quite a lot about you. Shard Grayeth, Guardian for ten years." Shard nodded as he shook Soren's talons, as he then looked at Digger, Gylfie, Twilight, and Otulissa, "And I take it these are your friends?"
"Oh yes. These are Gylfie, Digger, and Twilight, my closest friends, and Otulissa, my fiancé." Soren gladly introduced, as his friends and love all have nods in acknowledgement, and then, Soren turn to Kludd and Nyra, "And this is my brother Kludd and his fiancé Nyra."
"Well, it is a pleasure to meet you all," Shard nodded, as he looked at the scarred barn owl, "So, it's Kludd? I had been hearing a lot about you as well. You held your own out there real well, even so for an in-training Guardian."
"Thanks…" Kludd nodded, "But I must confess," He cast a glance at Nyra, "I had a pretty good-"
"LAD!" Bubo burst as he quickly flapped up aside Shard and wrapped his left wing around him, "When the hagsmire did you get back?!" He yelled happily, causing Shard to wince.
"Just this evening actually." Shard replied, trying to ignore the crushing pressure of Bubo's hug.
"How you been, Mr. Grayeth?" Strix Struma chimed, "We hadn't seen you for...what was it, two years? How is Parzival and Bryony?"
"They are just fine, Ms. Struma." Shard nodded.
"Aye, it's been a while, lad." Ezylryb quipped, giving his cocky grin, "Funny that you come back on a night where there is a fight to be had."
"Well, you know me, always up for a-"
"HEY!" LaRoche screamed, luring everyone's attention towards him, "You can catch up on old times later! Right now, we have a bigger problem...namely the fact that THIS WEDDING HALL IS WRECKED BEYOND RECOGNITION!"
Boron sighed, "No, the bigger problem is what those Pure Ones wanted so much that they attack and retreat..."
"Want?" LaRoche repeated, "This tree is nothing but a graveyard for old things! What in blooming Hagsmire would any Glaux forsaken Pure One would want from this f-"
He was immediately interrupted when suddenly, the spotted owl from earlier returned to the hall, landing in front of LaRoche, facing Boron, "Sir, we had just spotted some bats fleeing from the direction of the library."
"Bats?" All the owls repeated in shock.
"What the Hagsmire would bats be doing here?!" Gylfie asked.
"Better yet, why would bats be coming from a library?" Digger followed up, "They can't read."
"You don't suppose that those flying rats came in while we were fighting, do you?" Twilight questioned.
"If that is so...then it stands to reason that those bats were with Nix and Harris." Soren declared, "Right?"
"That does seem like a good theory, lad." Ezylryb nodded, "But first we must find out what they were doing in the library."
"And find out, we shall." Boron nodded, "Shard, you, Soren, Gylfie, Digger, and Twilight, along with Kludd and Nyra go to the library."
"Us, sir?" Kludd asked, surprised that the king signed him and Nyra up, the white barn owl herself surprised.
"Yes. There is strength in numbers and you two are Guardians-in-Training." Boron replied.
"What about me, your majesty?" Otulissa asked, noting that their name wasn't mentioned.
"You shall accompany us to calm the citizens. To mitigate the damage those owls caused." The king sagely answered.
"But what about-"
"Aye, lassie, Soren can take care of himself." Strix nodded, wrapping her wings around the fellow short-eared owl, as she pushed her along towards the exit, much to her protest, "Now let's get cracking!"
"Meet us back at the Parliament Chamber once you find what those bats were up to!" Ezylryb exclaimed as the other Parliament members followed Strix and Otulissa, with the exception of LaRoche and Pip (who had remained by LaRoche, to act as comfort for him), as LaRoche was mourning the wedding hall...only for Ezylryb to snap, "You too, LaRoche!"
"Fine...come on, Pip..." LaRoche growled as he gave Kludd and Nyra one last glare before flapping off to join the other members.
Shard looked at his entourage and give a nod, "Okay, owls, follow my lead!" With that, he took to the air and flew through the broken doors of the hall.
Embracing the fact that he was following another of his heroes, Soren turned to his friends, "Come on, you heard him, let's go!" His friends all gave a nod as the Band took off after Shard towards the library.
Kludd himself was about to follow suit…but before he did, he looked back to Nyra, who hadn't even moved from her spot, her expression stuck in a sad, pondering state. It did not take intellect like Gylfie's and Otulissa's to figure out what was bothering her.
"Nyra…don't let what LaRoche and the others said get to you…" Kludd stated, "They don't know you like I do…"
"I realize that, Kludd…" Nyra sighed, "But…I am not sure if I know myself like I do…"
"Nyra…"
"When Nix insulted Surtr and Maurice…I just lost it. I never felt so angry in my life…not even since the Ice Claws…and it just…scares me." Nyra quivered, a bit of tears striking her eyes, "LaRoche was the first owl to have ever called me a hagsfiend right to my beak. I mean, I know all the rumors there were about me…but to have someone say it to me like it was the truth…"
Suddenly, the white owl felt wings on her shoulders as she look at Kludd, his slightly bruised face looking at her with sympathetic eyes.
"Look, Nyra…you are not a hagsfiend. Hagsfiends are cruel, evil, and heartless, and don't know love. I may not be smart, but I do know that you have a heart and I do know you are one of the kindest owls I ever know…" Kludd stated.
"Oh, you are just saying that…"
"Maybe I am…but it doesn't make it any less true. Besides, would a hagsfiend be able to enjoy this?"
Before Nyra could inquire, Kludd put his beak up to Nyra's, surprising her for a moment, before she melted into the kiss as well. The kiss lasted for a brief five seconds as Kludd pulled away. Nyra felt blood rush to her cheeks as Kludd gave her his cocky smirk, one that she had fallen in love with.
"Did you enjoy that?"
"Yes…yes I did." Nyra said solemnly.
"You are many things to me, Nyra. A hagsfiend is not one of them. I agreed to be your mate because I love you for you. Never forget that."
"Kludd…" Nyra began, quite speechless, "I…"
"HEY!"
Kludd and Nyra quickly looked at the broken doors and saw Digger.
"Are you two lovebirds coming or not?!" Digger yelled.
The couple merely rolled their eyes as they took to the air and followed Digger out of the hall…and as soon as they were gone, the wedding hall's ceiling collapsed, caused by all the structural damage dealt to the place. Needless to say, LaRoche would suffer a heart attack later on.
It took the group of owls about three minutes to get to the library. It would had taken them less time, but Shard got a bit turned around.
"Geez, this tree is a lot more labyrinth than I remember." Shard remarked as he led the group to the library.
"Tell me about it." Digger quipped, "I have to literally think up a song just to find the Tracking chaw classes."
"Focus!" Gylfie admonished, "There's no telling what may still be in the library."
"Typical Gylfie." Twilight chortled, "Still shaken up by the battle? The bats are gone, Gylfie, and even if they weren't, what harm can a bunch of flying rats do to a fine owl establish-"
"Uh, big guy?" Shard spoke up, as he stop at the entrance, "You might want to see this."
"What? Did they shi-oh racdrops." Twilight was about to quip as the entire group looked in shock of they saw.
If there was a contest for amount of devastation caused, the damages to the wedding hall was nothing compared to what happened to the library, as the entire place was a total wreck. Books, most of them torn to shreds, littered the floors along with bunch of papers. Bookshelves were toppled, and even holes in the walls were made.
"Oh my Glaux…did the bats do all this?" Soren asked.
"You gotta give them props." Shard admitted, "I never seen bats get this destructive."
"Whatever they were looking for must have been very important to do all this damage…" Nyra declared, as she surveyed the mess.
"Or those bats are so reckless that they don't care how they find 'it'." Kludd added, "Those bats were never the brightest flyers."
"But what is the thing they were looking for?" Gylfie asked.
"Only one way to find out, Gylfie. Spread out and look for anything out of the ordinary." Shard ordered. Digger was about to quip, but Shard beat him to it, "Besides all the torn up books and papers." Digger drooped as they began their search.
The owls began to look around the destroyed library, trying to find clues as to what the bat's purpose was here tonight. Digger, being an expert burrower he was, quickly dug through the clutters of destroyed books to see if anything was buried, Twilight, using his strength, picked up the bookshelves and looked under them, Gylfie, with her small stature, looked through all the holes the bats made, seeing if they left anything behind.
Shard and the three barn owls simply took after Digger and shifted through the mess of books that littered the floors in silence, hoping they would find something…however, Shard broke the silence.
"Okay, did anyone find anything?"
"Nope, nothing in the walls." Gylfie admitted.
"I got nothing from the shelves." Twilight stated.
"I found a flint!" Digger cheered, as he held up a piece of black rock for everyone to see, only to earn groans from Shard and the others.
"Unbelievable. If it was not books these bats were looking for, then what could they had wanted?" Shard moaned.
"I'm afraid we are all at a lost here, sir." Gylfie explained, "I had been to this library many times, and I doubt they keep anything else besides books in here."
Kludd just growled, "Then what would they-"
Suddenly, a low but rather loud sound was made, causing everyone to freeze.
"What was that?" Soren asked, rather perturbed.
Kludd, trying to listen to the sound, only shrugged, "I don't know, but if I didn't know any better…that was a-"
The sound was made again, except much louder, and to the point that Shard managed to pinpoint the location.
"It's coming from over there!" Shard pointed to a lone bookshelf atop a pile of spilt books, "Come on, let's go!"
Quickly, the group of owls rushed over to the shelf, as Shard issued another order, "Twilight! Throw the shelf off!"
"Right on it!" Twilight saluted as he clutched the shelf with his talons, and with a major heave of his legs, the heavy shelf was off the pile.
"Digger!"
"On it!" Digger nodded, as he quickly dug through the piles of books, till he saw something, an owl, "I found someone!" The burrowing owl exclaimed, as he looked down at the owl, "Don't worry, good sir, good ol' Digger is here to-"
SMACK!
A stubby talon burst out and punched Digger right in the face, knocking him backwards as the burrowing owl clutch his bleeding beak, much to the others' shock,
"OW! Glux dam it!" Digger growled as he held his beak.
"Are you alright, Digger?" Gylfie asked her boyfriend.
"No! Some idjit hit me in the beak!" The burrowing owl barked.
Suddenly, a groan was heard, as an owl crawled out of the pile. Judging by his height, being slightly taller than Soren and Kludd, but smaller than Nyra, he was a Tropical Screech Owl. His feathers were brown with his underbelly white with black streaks running up it, and his eyes were yellow. He had an apologetic expression on his face.
"Oh dear, oh dear, I am so sorry, sir." The owl apologized, as he stood in front of the group, "I thought for a moment that you were one of them pesky bats. And the fact I had been stuck under the books for nearly an hour, and the fear of suffocating…well, I kinda-"
"It's alright, sir." Shard soothed, patting the owl's shoulder, "The bats are gone and everything is okay."
"Speak for yourself." Digger muttered as he tried to stop the bleeding of his beak.
"Oh, thank goodness." The Screech Owl sighed.
"Excuse me for asking this, but who are you?" Soren asked, "I never saw you around the tree before…"
"Yes, he's right. I never seen you here before either." Gylfie nodded.
"Glaux, where are my manners?" The Screech Owl stammered as he cleared his throat, "I am Professor Donatello, expert on theology. But you all may call me Donatello."
"Donatello? What were you doing here in the library?" Twilight asked.
"Well, I was busy looking for a book when those bats came in and swarm the place. Before I knew it, I was thrown into a bookcase and the whole thing fell atop of me. Hurt like hagsmire." Donatello admitted.
"You mean you were here the whole time?" Kludd asked in disbelief, "Unbelievable."
"What? Did I miss something?"
Twilight scoffed. "Yeah. Only a bloody battle with those dastardly hawks and rotten Pure Ones-"
"Wait, what did you say?" Donatello asked, his expression turn to horror.
"A bloody battle with those dastardly hawks?" Twilight repeated.
"The other part!" The professor snarled, surprising everyone.
"And rotten Pure Ones?" The Gray Owl nervously continued.
"Wait…if the Pure Ones were here…then…" Donatello's eyes widen, "Oh no…" Suddenly, he pushed past the owls as he approached a hole in one of the walls, as his voice kept muttering, "No, no, no…"
"Uh, Professor, is something wrong?" Nyra questioned.
The owl ignores the white owl as he quickly peeked inside the hole, and just like LaRoche before, he let out a horrified scream, "Oh SHIT!" He about-faces, grasping his head, "This is bad! This is awful!"
"What? What's wrong?!" Soren asked, approaching the professor to calm him down.
"It's gone!" Donatello bellowed, grasping Soren, catching him by surprise, "It is gone! Gone, I tell you! GONE!" He was shaking the barn owl at this point.
"Professor, calm yourself!" Shard ordered, as he pried Donatello off Soren, "What is gone?!"
"The artifact…the artifact…oh, Glaux, I can't breathe!" Donatello gasped, as he began to wheeze.
"Artifact? Shard, could that be the reason the bats were here?" Kludd asked Shard.
"Well, judging from the loony owl's reaction, I think that is pretty much it." Twilight quipped, before being silenced by Shard's glare.
"Take a deep breath, sir." The Great Horned Owl ordered, as the Screech Owl did as such, "Now…start at the beginning. What exactly is gone?"
Donatello gave the group a grim stare as he answered, "Only an artifact that will contribute to the end of the owl kingdoms as we know it!"
Suddenly, a loud dramatic musical sound (Dun-dun-dunnn!) was made, as all the owls looked at Twilight, who had his lute handy.
"Sorry. I couldn't resist."
"What do you mean, end of the owl kingdoms?!" Digger asked, "I happen to like the owl kingdoms as we know it!"
"Calm down, Digger. I am sure the professor is just over-exaggerating." Shard assured.
"Oh no, I am dead serious!" Donatello rebutted, "What the bats just took is a key piece necessary to unleash something far worse than any owl can imagine!"
"Key piece? Professor, you are making less sense!" Nyra stated, "What is this artifact exactly?"
"Oh, right…I guess you owls should know…" Donatello began, "But in order to explain, I would need to show you a book. Maybe it's around here somewhere…" The Screech Owl trailed off as he looked at the ground.
Kludd scoffed, "Well, good luck, Professor. With all these books all over the place, you would be lucky to find-"
"Ah, there it is!" Donatello cheered, much to Kludd's surprise, as he held up a book, "A Theologist's Guide To The Legendary Artifacts! And still in one piece!"
"Wow, this owl is…well, all over the place." Soren whispered to Kludd.
"Yeah. He makes LaRoche seems like a sane owl." Kludd muttered back, prompting a small chuckle from both of them.
"Now, before I tell you all of what I am about to tell you, do any of you know what theology is?"
"Simple, it's the study of religion." Gylfie answered, prompting a stare from everyone else, "What?"
"Correct, my child." Donatello smiled, "As you all know now, I am a professor of said topic. It is my duty to study the ins and outs of everything there is to know about religion."
"You mean, like Glaux?" Nyra asked.
"That's just a minor step in such a field. I study everything. Glaux. Angels. Glaumora. But I take a mighty interest in their counterparts…the Hagsfiends."
Nyra, Kludd, and Soren all froze at the mention of Hagsfiends. Shard, however, only scoffed.
"Hagsfiends? Oh come now, they are just myths."
"Oh how little do you know, sir…" Kludd thought to himself fearfully.
"They are more than myths, sir…what's your name?"
"Grayeth." The Northern Great Horned Owl answered.
"Sir Grayeth…they are real." Donatello replied, "Not only are they real…they are among us…"
"How can you be so certain, sir?" Gylfie asked, "I had read all the books in this library about them, and if they are to be believed, they existed a long time ago…but they are extinct. Dead."
"You are correct…in a way." Donatello said, "Hagsfiends had been absent for over six hundred years and it can be said that they are not a part of the living…but they are far from dead."
"What nonsense are you spewing about?" Shard asked.
"Resurrection, Grayeth. That is what I am 'spewing' about. When a Hagsfiend dies, it is only their body that dies. Their souls are immortal, incapable of fading away. After they die, they go back to Hagsmire to recuperate…but when they are back at full strength, their souls can easily claim a soul-less body and reanimate their corpse to continue their life-cycle!"
All seven of the Guardians just looked at the professor in confusion, not getting an ounce of what he had just said.
"To put simply, Hagsfiend minus Hagsfiend's body equals Hagsfiend's soul. Hagsfiend soul plus dead/soul-less owl equals Hagsfiend in said owl's body!" Donatello reiterated.
Soren and Kludd stifled a gasp as they thought back to the battle they had with Skarmoris. The dark owl had lost everything when the Pillar of Supremacy (the Pure Ones' old base) collapsed and obliterated his legion of super-powerful owls. Skarmoris was drained both physically and emotionally, and that final loss of his broke him…or as Donatello just simplified for them: obliterate his soul. Could it be that that's what allowed the Deathbringer to come back? And if that is so…then could the Deathbringer still be alive, just licking his wounds in Hagsmire?
"Sir, what does any of this have to do with what the bats stole?" Twilight asked.
"Everything, my giant owl friend." Donatello answered, as he opened the book to a doggy-eared page. All of the owls zoomed in on the page and were quite perplexed. The page had a picture of what seemed to be a crystal, in a color of a light-purple, and all around it seems to be scribbles that only a genius could understand.
"Uh…a rock?" Digger asked, "What's so special about a rock?"
"Actually, Digger, I think the term is a crystal." Gylfie corrected.
"Not just any crystal, Gylfie." Donatello explained, "This crystal is the very thing that those bats took. It is a very rare, if not considered legendary, artifact known as 'The Hell's Auracite'."
"Aura-what?" Kludd asked, not familiar with the term.
"Auracite. Crystals imbued with magical properties." Donatello sagely explained.
"What is so special about 'Hell's Auracite' though?" Soren asked, "I mean, magical properties aside, it's just a crystal, isn't it?"
"I'm afraid it is not. Hell's Auracite, contains a high concentration of Nachtmagen." Soren and Kludd both froze in remembrance of the word and power Deathbringer used in the infamous fight.
"Nutmeg?" Digger repeated, albeit wrong.
"Nacht-magen." Donatello repeated, "It is very powerful dark magic used by Hagsfiends. Pretty nasty if you are a target of such powers."
"Wait, you said the Auracite was a 'key piece'." Nyra stated, "Is there more than one of these in existence?"
"Ooh, good deduction." Donatello smiled, "Indeed, there is not one, but three of these powerful artifacts in existence."
"I don't understand, though. What makes these artifacts powerful?" Shard asked, "Because all I am getting is that these crystals have…'Nachtmagen'. I fail to see how they can 'end the owl kingdoms'."
"That is because it is not the Auracites that can do it…it is this." Donatello stated, as he turned the page. The following page showed a picture much similar to the Hell's Auracite…except it was much bigger. "The 'Hell's Auralith'. Many say it's a myth, other say it's an old wive's tale…but to everyone…it's an ultimate legend."
"So…a bigger rock?" Digger questioned.
"Crystal." Gylfie corrected once more, "But what does the…'Auralith' have to do with anything?
"Well, as I said before, the Auracite is a key piece to the Auralith. With three Auracites in wing, you can use them to power the 'Auralith', when the Auralith is powered by the Nachtmagen within the three Auracites, you can harness it's power and do the 'unthinkable'…"
"Oh yeah? Like what?" Shard challenged.
Donatello remained silent, as he looked Shard, and then all the other owls, and then said in the gravest of tones.
"To bring Hagsfiends back into this world."
In an instant reaction, Kludd and the others' beaks drop in horror…and then, once more, a loud dramatic music flare occurred. Everyone glared at Twilight, as he held up his lute again.
"What? I thought it was necessary."
A/N: Hey, people, I am back from the dead and with a new chapter! I hoped you guys enjoyed this chapter…and sorry if this chapter wasn't up to par. READ AND REVIEW!
Voice Cast for OCs
Bubo Craggs – Craig Ferguson (Gobber from How To Train Your Dragon/Owl from Winnie the Pooh (2011))
Dewlap Petale – Imelda Staunton (Dolores Umbridge from The Harry Potter series)
Madame Plonk – Maggie Smith (Professor Minerva McGonagall from The Harry Potter series)
Shard Grayeth – David Boreanaz (Seeley Booth from Bones) (Note: I do not know who's Shard's actor in the game, so this will have to do)
LaRoche Dursley – Rob Riggle (Aloysius O'Hare from The Lorax (2012))
Pip Swann – Matt Stone (Pip from South Park)
Professor Donatello – Jared Harris (Professor James Moriarty from Sherlock Holmes II: Game of Shadows)
Artworks stuff is appreciated, deeply appreciated.