Chapter 8: choices

(Soren's P.O.V.)

As I was waking up, I felt a small bundle of feathers curled up in my wing next to me, and I was starting to remember all the things that had happened yesterday at daylight. I rolled my head to the left and opened my eyes to see Gylfie sleeping next to me, almost engulfed in my feathers as she was leaning into my chest. If I looked out further, I could make out Tyler laying on the ground with one arm sprawled out and the other curled on his other side, but I couldn't see around what. I wanted to get up, but all I would accomplish would be waking up Gylfie… unless I held her in place.

I rolled over above her and curled the wing she was around her tightly, yet snuggly, and used my other wing to stand up. I felt her stir, but she quickly relaxed, since now instead of two sides, she was warm everywhere. As I started to walk towards Tyler, a guardian flew up to me and took notice of Gylfie, and whispered, "If you will go to the dining pavilion and relax, I will keep guard over him and Outillisa." I was slightly stunned, "where's Outillisa?"

"She's right over there with him, on his other side. But I suggest letting them rest." The guard told me after he heard my question. I grinned and started to walk off with Gylfie in my wings, and I was thinking about everything last night, and what would happen today. It seemed as if every day was a new adventure, with a new set of challenges and surprises. I heard a loud flapping noise off to my right and as I turned my head, Twlight landed hard and shouted, "WELL DONE SOREN, GREAT JOB ON FIGHTING THOSE PU-" he stopped as soon as he saw Gylfie.

I looked down and saw her stirring, and then I saw her head lift and her eyes open and she looked at me. I could see her feathers ruffle up and she arched her head as best as she could and looked down. When she looked back she whispered, "Thank you Soren, but could you set me down?" I could feel my own feathers start to rise, and I quickly set Gylfie on the ground and turned to Twlight who had a bemused look on his beak. "T-thanks Twlight, but could we get to the Dining pavilion, we haven't eaten since last light?"

(Tyler's P.O.V.)

I was dreaming that I was an owl soaring above the ocean with a spotted owl next to me. I looked down at my body and saw a white stripe running down my chest to my stomach, and a light brown body with black spots on my back. I looked over at who I was flying with, but all I saw was a green mist surrounding every feature of who it could be, but I could feel that the other owl was a female. When I closed my eyes, I could feel the wind die down and felt something pressing into my side seeking warmth.

As I reopened my eyes, I was back in reality, and was greeted with the face of an owl I had come to like, Outillisa. Her eyes were wide open, and I'm guessing she tried to not wake me when she was moving into my side. She whispered, "Sorry to wake you, but I'm cold." I just nodded and rolled on my side and pulled her to my chest, I had learned long ago that the closer to a blood source you are, and the warmer you will be. I heard Outillisa sigh into my shirt, and I used the arm I was laying on to hold her there and used the other to start rubbing my fingers through her head feathers and down to her back.

I saw her feathers lift up as she looked up into my eyes, "I have watched you owls for a while and discovered that when your feathers ruffle up, it is like a human blush. So why do you feel embarrassed?" I asked. She closed her eyes as I brought my hand near where her facial feathers met the top of her head, and she murmured, "it feels like you are preening my feathers…" and when she opened her eyes, she continued, "and only those that are close preen each other. Sometimes only mates would preen each other."

After hearing that, I stopped and felt my cheeks heat up, all I could muster to say was, "uhh, mm… we-…" I took a breath in, then out and resumed, "that red color on my face is a human blush. And if you want, I will stop, the green sparks are tickling my fingers a little bit already."

I was in the process of taking my hand away when she spoke up, "NO! I-I mean no, please continue."

I smirked and started to do it again, but when I reached her neck, I felt her go limp for a split second, and I think I could feel her heart-rate pick up through my chest. I looked at her and tried to late to stop it, but felt a chuckle escape my throat.

"Are you okay Outillisa?" I asked while I bit my lip to hold back the smile.

"Hmmmm… wh-what? Oh yea, I-I'm fine."

I just smiled, but it slipped away when I heard someone behind me start to speak, and felt Outillisa's feathers start to move up as she stiffened, "Um…Tyler and Outillisa, you have been requested to visit the dining pavilion. I'll go let the King and Queen know that you will arrive shortly."

I felt Outillisa relax, but her feathers remained up, "I don't really feel like moving, but I guess it's not a choice."

As she started to get up, I pushed her back down and when she looked at me with questioning eyes, I said, "You may be a big owl, but I can carry you until we are close enough so you won't get embarrassed. So what do you think?"

I saw her face instantly brighten at the idea, and she nodded. As I picked her up and took the long way around, so that I could avoid having to climb over the roots, I asked Outillisa, "Do you want to lean your bark against my chest so you can see where everything is? And also I want to show you something I learned from my pet bird?"

"Sure, but don't drop me." She playfully said.

As she was readjusting, I was calculating where I would have to touch her chest for this to work, when I used this on my bird, he absolutely went out like a light, but he was also much smaller that Outillisa is. When she got done I told her, "Ok, please don't freak out, but this will feel like preening."

I placed one of my hands in the center of her chest, and moved my fingers down her abdomen until I felt where I think her stomach should be, and slowly moved my hand up her front until I was two inches above her stomach, and I could feel the green sparks moving around in her feathers the whole time, and I started to scratch and rub in that one spot, and I felt her instantly fall limp, I had to stop and hold her to me to prevent her from falling. I rolled her over and looked into her eyes and saw her beak hanging open with a dazed look in her eyes. This time I couldn't help it, and I laughed.

Her eyes focused my mine, and she asked, "What did you do to me? I never felt anything like that." Her voice was shaky and she was still limp, but she was overall really relaxed.

"I'm just gonna say this, the sparks helped." Indeed the sparks had helped me do that, I had also done it so I was somewhere near her heart area, so they must have went through her to do that. She looked at me slyly and said, "Yea, okay…"

I looked up and said, "I think that's the dining pavilion, are you okay to fly or walk?"

"Yes, I am, let me just…" she tried to move, but she couldn't since her muscles faintly reacted to her will to do anything but twitch, "…you little… fine, I guess you will just have to carry me into the dining area, hopefully not many owls notice."

(Outillisa's P.O.V.)

As we entered the pavilion, I felt my feathers all stand up, and it felt like every owl in the great tree was staring at me, I tightened my claws around Tyler's arm and I felt his chest rumble and heard him chuckling. I saw an owl beckoning us over and recognized it as Soren, "Tyler, Soren is over in that direction, and I would point… but you did something to me." I enjoyed it when he did that preening to my chest area, but it relaxed me so much I was barely recovering from it now.

As Tyler started to walk towards Soren, I could see them all smiling, their eyes would flicker between me, and I'm guessing Tyler. Just as we reached the group of friends, Tyler lowered me next to Gylfie and Soren and said, "Hey, can you guys watch her, she can't really move, and also, do you want to feel something?" I instantly gasped and spoke up, "NO he doesn't, and he needs to be able to fly… Tyler."

Soren and Gylfie looked at me with confused expressions, and then looked at Tyler with accusing looks, but Soren spoke up, "What were you going to do if it Outillisa hadn't answer for me?"

I looked at Soren and said, "You don't want to know…"

Just then, we all looked over to see a Rainbow circle start to grow near the open area of the pavilion where no one was, and Tyler walked towards it. I had barely managed to reach out and touch his hand, and the sparks managed to draw his attention to me. "Please, don't go yet." I surprised myself with such a tender voice. I was surprised when he kneeled down and leaned forward until he was extremely close to me that anything he said only I would hear him, "I know Gluax is your god, and in my world, our gods don't show themselves like yours, so I'm guessing that whatever he has to say will involve me, and it will probably be something important."

He stood back up and started to walk towards the portal which an owl had just flown through. And when he landed, 2 more portals opened up to show something none of have ever dreamed to see, the world of Tyler; there were metal structures everywhere, and metal shapes where moving around on the ground. A world of Others' was showing them living and breathing, and more than the whole entire kingdom. I heard Gluax say, "It is time Tyler for you to make a Decision on how your life continues from here. Will you stay to live with these owls that you have saved? Or will you go back to your own realm and continue your life there. You know many hardships you will have to overcome in both realms, but you have come to love in this realm a certain owl," I saw Gluax turn to face me, and I felt like he was staring into my soul, and when he turned back to Tyler, he had turned to face the portal back into his world, and all I could mutter was, "no…"

"The choice is yours, but decide quickly…"

I saw Tyler reach out to his own realm, but he hesitantly pulled his fist back and turned his head to look at me. It felt like my heart skipped a beat, and I saw him reach down to his metallic box…

(Tyler's P.O.V.)

I grabbed my radio and clicked the send while I was still looking at Outillisa, what Gluax had said was true, I had to come to love an owl in this life. I opened my mouth and spoke, "This is Tyler of the special Air Force division, and does anyone copy, over?"

"Sssszzzz- Tyler, is that really you, where are you, you have been gone a week now."

I saw many owls gasp, and I saw many of them look fearfully at me, "I am in another realm, that Bermuda triangle stuff is real, it does things. But cancel your search, I will not be returning home, I will be remaining where I am at, over and out…" with that said, I looked at my radio and heard someone start to speak, but I ignored it and chucked it into the Portal with my realm. I looked at Gluax and nodded, and he held a wing up to the other portal.

As I walked in, I was engulfed by black and I felt my body changing. I then felt my mind slipping, and knew what was happening…

(Outillisa's P.O.V.)

I saw Tyler do something that made me smile, he had chosen to stay here with us… with me, but then my smile dropped, he stepped into the other Portal and disappeared from my view. I felt my eyes watering up, but the heard Gluax say, "Outillisa, come over here and receive a gift and a new friend." I couldn't believe what I had heard, but I took off with renewed strength and landed next to Gluax, he seemed to radiate a certain power and mystery. I suddenly looked at the portal and felt my heart skip and beat, I saw that owl from my dreams.

I ran over to it, and turned it over so I could see its face, and was breathless, the owl was immensely handsome. I heard Gluax say, "That is Tyler, take care of him, enjoy him, and over all, be happy for him, he has chosen to live a new life, you will need to teach him new things that you will soon discover why…"

I heard him fly away and saw all the portals disappear from view, but my attention was focused on Tyler. I started to trace my feathers up his white stripe with sparks following the entire time, but stopped when his eyes started to flutter open, and he looked into my eyes with confusion, "Outillisa…?"

A.N.: and…. Cut… this is my longest chapter by far, I have broken 2,600 words including this AN and I would like to say I couldn't stop, I had intended to stop and leave a cliffy at when Gluax arrived, but I couldn't make myself stop. And to anyone out their thinking this story was almost unreal like, too bad, that massaging stuff will work; I'm quite good at it so I know. I once knocked a friend out cold in 5 mins and she was sleeping. Lol. And to anyone that thinks that my next chapter will be a lil odd, don't review it, since I won't want to deal with spam on my phone, romance makes everything so much easier to make jokes with.

Airmen0007: I agree, Kludd must have some form of good, but I never found any LOTG books, and BORDERS went bankrupt since no one likes to read anymore, but if you know where I can buy them cheap, please tell me, because I'm saving most my money for my Europe trip, and I would like to read them also. Even if I would have to read all 20.

Tic: sorry about shortening your name, but I was running out of time when I came to edit my story for your review, but thanks for all your reviews also, and you have a good night/day also.