Chapter 6: -"Stop Mesmo, stop!"-

-"How about this moss?"- I called telepathically to Silvaria.

-"No, that's not soft enough"- She replied as she alighted next to me. My mate Silvaria and I were searching for the softest moss for our hollow just outside Tele Town where the supplest mosses grew. It was a first for me as it was the furthest from my home town I had ever been and it was our first moss ceremony.

"I think I see some really good moss over there!" Silvaria had swiveled her head around as only an owl can and exclaimed it aloud as she was exited. I too felt a tingle in my gizzard.

"This moss is even softer than the moss I had my hollow with my parents." Silvaria was rubbing a bunch that she had scooped up against her cheek feathers. Teleglaux, she looked cute doing that.

"What do you think Mes?" She asked me.

I picked up a clump in my starboard talons and rubbed it together. It was indeed the softest moss I had ever felt. "It's perfect." I looked up at her and smiled. "Let's grab all that we can carry and head back to the hollow."

So we did. I gathered a large bundle of it and made my way toward our hollow. I looked back to make sure my mate was okay. Silvaria had done the same and was following behind me with a slightly smaller heap.

A few minutes later we arrived at the hollow. It was now fully furnished with our dawn on the floor, pictures on the walls we had carved with a sharp stick, perches, candles, curtains, shells, plush owls we had made together, a hanging mobile made of things we had found together, a shelf with a few books and a snack jar. All it was missing was a nest. We gathered all the moss together and begun neatly constructing the nest, layering the soft moss we had found with our own downy feathers. Silvaria's feathers seemed to me to be of a better quality than mine.

"Wow, I running out of downy feathers." Silvaria churred when we were finished with the nest.

"Don't worry, we won't be needing pluck them out anymore. So that'll give them a chance to grow back." I churred also.

Then Silvaria seemed distracted and looked out the hollow to see the moon.

-"Is something wrong?"- I asked her telepathically.

-"The Telepath Academy is about to start their lessons for the night"- She turned to me.

-"Oh yes. I almost forgot"- I replied.

-"How could you forget Mes? You were so excited about going to the Academy."-

-"I guess I was just having so much fun with you."-

She smiled and then said, -"Well we'd better make haste if we don't want to be late."-

I nodded and we spread our wings took off for the Telepath Academy.

Tele Town's own Telepath Academy was located in the most southern point of the establishment. It consisted of six large oak trees each with seven to eight hollows acting as classes for different ranks of students. Silvaria and I began our first lesson at the highest hollow in Oak Tree #1 in the Mind reader hollow. We were the only two owls only in a 'progressive group' or class of owls. As a new rank was earned such as telepathic intermediate or mind-controlling puppet master, the class would move down the Oak Trees until they reached the end of that Oak Tree and moved on to the next one and so on until they received the ranking Telepathic Grand Master. Once this rank was received the telepathic owl could then pick a job. The jobs in Tele Town were Tele Teacher at the Academy, Mental Medic, Telepathic Researcher, Tele Engineer, Builder and Cortex Silencer. Of course there were couple who did almost nothing like the retired and the hollow wives, but everyone understood. I thought it might take forever to earn the highest rank in the Academy become a Cortex Silencer, which took even more training. But being with my mate and knowing that we'd do it all together made it a great deal more bearable. Silvaria's dream was to become a Telepathic Researcher and find new and innovative ways to use our abilities.

-"That was great! I learned so many new things, how did you find it Silvaria?"- I said telepathically as we arrived back at our hollow from our lesson.

-"Yes, it was very insightful..." My mate replied bleakly and wilfed.

-"Is something wrong dear?"- I stepped closer to her.

She sighed, -"Well Mes, all that mind reading stuff is fantastic... But when are we going to get to memory reading?"-

-"Memory reading?" The mere mention of it made my gizzard twinge. "When we reach the second Oak Tree I think."-

-"That's too long for me to wait."- She paused, -"Do you want to try some now?"-

-"I'm sorry, but are you yoicks? We don't know the first thing about it."-

-"I know, but maybe you can figure and tell me about something from my past that I can't remember very well and now scares me a lot. Everyone in Tele was always saying how that Mesmo owl was so gifted. I never imagined I would become his mate. I believe in you Mesmo."- At this she touched the feathers above my heart.

I hugged her and over her shoulder I said out loud, "I love you Silvaria, you know I would do anything for you."

Awhile later I was staring into her gorgeous dark hazel eyes which had a tinge of purple in them.

-"Are you sure you want me to do this?"- I asked before I went ahead with it.

-"Positive"- She replied.

-"What am I looking for?"-

-"Well, I'm not really sure of it and that's why I want you to read my memory. A week after I was hatched I saw a barn owl with the strangest things on his head and talons, but I got such a fright I don't remember it very well and I'm not sure if I imagined it."

I nodded. It all sounded very peculiar. Could it have been a non-telepath like the ones my da told me about and what was it doing in Tele Town?

I closed my eyes and locked on to her mind. I could see and hear her thoughts, I went deeper. I could now feel her brain function, her bodily awareness, then I found her memory organ. I focused on it. "I found your memories!" I said out loud, not being able to focus on them and speak telepathically at the same time. I waited for a reply as I began trying to understand her memories. As the first thoughts came to my head I realized I couldn't see or hear, in fact I couldn't feel anything. Had something gone wrong? I shrugged it off. It was probably just a side effect I thought. I experienced vibrant and stunning memories of Silvaria and I through her eyes and it was all so wonderful. Wait, I had to snap out of it and find that memory. I focused on what she had described to me and there was the Tyto as clear as nightime, she had not imagined it. But hold on, was he wearing battle armour? I had never seen such things before. This owl was not a telepath, he was too masculine, his eyes were red and he looked fearsome. I had to get out of this trance and tell my mate. I couldn't, I was lost in her mind. I thought I found a way out, but I was just going deeper and deeper and deeper. I concentrated and strained as hard as I could. Suddenly a familier voice shot through my head like thunder. -"STOP MESMO, STOP!"-

An immense pain in my head instantly ripped me from her mind and I slammed against the floor unconscious.