Hello my lovely readers! I appreciate you reading this even though my stories are always short and it takes me FOREVER to update but they are entertaining (apparently) because you come back to read more! I appreciate all of your feedback and ask for more, long detailed ones are especially nice. Now I understand my stories are short but I'm working on it so cut me some slack, this is one of my longer chapters so appreciate it...it always looks longer on word so sorry. I will update ASAP, enjoy!
Chapter 2: Captured…..or not?
With one last burst of speed I swooped down and landed in the giant oak she called home. "Looks like Ma and Da aren't back yet." Her family didn't have a nest maid and hadn't had one for a while, her parent were out on a hunt and wouldn't be back until first black. "What will I do now?" she wondered aloud "Maybe come with me!" a grumbly voice shrieked from behind her. She turned around- or tried to but claws pinned her down before she could escape. "W-what do you want! I'll…..I'll give little Timmy in the pine next-tree that caterpillar I promised and I won't fly without permission anymore, I-I swear!" she shrieked without thinking, but then she remembered what her father would say ("If you find yourself in a dire situation the best thing to do is not lose your head.") She started to calm herself down.
"Eh." He grumbled, looking closer with one large yellow eye "What type of owl are you?" Chroma's eyes widened in shock "You don't know?" One: I wouldn't ask you if I did. Two: Questions aren't allowed!" he crooned leaning even closer and pressing ever harder. "I-I'm a Haze-Crested Owl also known as a Stripe-Masked Owl, scientific name Strix-Kennicotti. I'm 67 days old and was about to leave this hollow tomorrow for my own!" she was feeling embarrassed by how she just spilled info like she did, ("I really need to stop doing that!") she thought.
"Hmmm you might be too old…" he trailed off angrily. "At the very least I know you're too big to carry." He started to pull a long twine-ish object from a sac-like thing on his chest. "W-what is that?!" she crooned shakily "I SAID NO QUESTIONS!" he shrieked, tightening his grip on her even more. "F-fine, just-t please st-stop your choke-king me!" she gasped out. He loosened his talon-hold on her neck and she gasped for air. "Your eyes are blue!" he said with a begrudging wonder. "It's another trait of our species; we start branching at 20 days old and we learn to fly at 50 days old. So we spend over half our lives in the air. The color attracts less sunlight and causes less glare so we can see almost as good as an eagle, the stripes on our face take away all the unnecessary beams of light and clear almost all the other gleam, it is our prideful gem, the diamond of our species, respected in all the southern kingdoms for our special talent!" she said.
"Well I don't rightly care about that, I didn't ask all that, in fat I didn't ask at all! We have to hurry!" he threw the long object around her neck "wh..." but the question died in Chroma's throat. "You learn quick, wet-pooper!" He said sneeringly. Chroma almost cried from the harsh name, she began to flap her wings but was yanked forward and up by the large snowy owl in front of her. "My name is Gurd and I have completed my training, something you will soon begin, when we arrive at the wonderful St. Agie's School for orphaned owls you will receive your designated number and go through sleep correction, we will assign you a post and you will NOT ask any questions, no matter what? Got it?" he said in a matter of fact/knows-it-all way. "Y-yes sir!" she said. "Now I'm not sure how many of your kind we have but we have owls from all over so you most likely won't be alone."
His gravelly voice was starting to get annoying and Chroma's mind was filling with so many questions she felt like if she didn't ask her eyes would pop out and they would pour out. ("Where is St. Aggie's School for orphaned owls, Am I really orphaned, What's that smell-is it me, I think Gurd has wet-poop on his talon, What will I do-I'm gonna go yeep!") Serious and random thoughts poured into her mind in her state of pure terror.
Suddenly her fears came true her wings locked and she fell like a rock, "NO I'm the best young flier, I can't die falling yeep!" She tried to open her wings but couldn't The rope yanked, it was taught and a chaffed part started to tear from the force of Gurd pulling up and Chroma falling down. "You worthless Wet-pooper! Flap those wings!" He screeched, "Racdrops!" he said as his wing beats got more labored, finally it snapped and Chroma fell.
"I'm free? I'm free!" her momentary happiness was screeched to a halt when she realized she was still falling. "Great Glaux!" she hooted, opening her wings and flying away.
Arriving at her hollow she sensed something was wrong, she flew slower. Landing on a branch she looked into the hollow. "AHHH!" she gasped, there was bloody feathers everywhere. Suddenly she remembered the name of the place St. Aggie's School for Orphaned owls. "Oh no…"she breathed "MA, DA? ARE YOU THERE?" she flew higher looking over a greater distance. She searched high and low, even woke the next-tree neighbors and their neighbors, but she didn't find them. She flew back to her hollow and slowly, solemnly walked to the middle.
"I'm sorry" she hooted mournfully. "I should have been here, I should have known what they meant by Orphaned owls! I should have…I should have" but she could talk no more for her tears and sorrow choked her. Never again was she to see her clumsy parents bump into branches and crack jokes a few minutes later as she plucked out the splinters, never again was she to laugh at her Ma's cheesy jokes, or taste her Ma's "Special Squirrel" as she called it, never again was she to see their happy prideful faces when she returned from a flight.
"By Glaux's Great Grey feathers, I swear I'll find who did this! She screeched out of sudden anger. So she took flight into the night sky towards the moon, leaving her old life behind to start anew, seeking vengeance for her parent, and she knew exactly where to go…..