There really isn't any excuse for my so very long absence from fanfiction, though if there was, it would be a very long list of things...at first it was just serious writers-block and even if I knew the plot of my story i couldn't write a single complete sentence, then it was school, and then I was just lazy, then busy again. either way I have been absent for MONTHS, and that really is inexcusable, I'm sorry to all the people that PM'd me asking me to update several times, and also I thank you, because finally your messages are what's making me finally start writing again, I had sort of lost my passion for it, but I really do enjoy doing it, and for personal reasons, I really do kinda NEED to write sometimes. anyways, I am really sorry for my long absence, and I'm going to start updating ALL of my stories on a regular basis. Without further ado, please enjoy the next chapter of this story.

Chroma The Haze-Crested Owl

Chapter 9: Could he return...?

By: MRSDRAGONFIRE911

Finally, after a bad hour or two, she had fallen asleep, but only 3 hours into her much needed rest she was awoken by the sound of approaching wing-beats. Not wanting to attract attention to herself, or to her earlier breakdown, she hopped to her claws, ignoring the painful stiffness in her back, stretched her wings, and tried to look energetic and happy. She looked downwards just as her friends flew up joined her on her branch.

Soren had a look of suspicion and concern plastered quite clearly on his young face, while Twilight seemed completely oblivious to anything but preening his left wing. "Sooo…How've you been the last…2 days?" Soren said a little awkwardly. Chroma's gaze was suddenly filled with shock, had it really been that long? "Wait….2 DAYS?! I've been up here for 2 days?!" Chroma basically screeched this right in Soren's face and he cringed from the sharp pain in his ears.

Twilight, who had just now decided that the rest of the world mattered to, at least momentarily, puffed out his chest feathers, and looked at the two of them with a fixed glare "Why don't the two of you eat some seeds and calm the Glaux down, your gonna crack someones beak screeching like that!" Soren glared right back, because really he hadn't done anything, but didn't say anything against Twilight's half accusation, and Chroma had just sat there, her head down, feathers ruffled and just generally looking guilty…and stressed.

This time they both noticed how upset she looked, and Twilight suddenly looked guilty to "Oh…uh, Chroma I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you feel bad, you were just being loud…" Chroma's head snapped up and shock was covering her face for the second time within the half hour she had been awake. "No Twilight, no! It's not you, though I am sorry for screeching like that, that's not what I'm upset about…it's just the past week has been sort of stressful and to active for my liking…and I just need time to adjust…" Chroma let slip a little more then she intended but these owls just seemed so trustworthy, she doubted she really NEEDED to keep up her usual guards against them.

A look of understanding pass over the other two young owls, and then nodded to show her that it was fine, "Chroma…I completely understand how your feeling, I was once in a similar situation, but just know that if you allow yourself to just mope around it's not gonna get better. Though….sleeping in a nest instead of a branch might help you feel better too…" Soren said, cracking a smile at the end as humor leaked into his tone. Chroma let loose a little chuckle, her laugh still a bit strange to Soren and Twilight, but now they at least knew what it was.

Twilight looked a little confused at the mention of sleeping on a branch, clearly having not seen the state Chroma was in right before their arrival, but he didn't question it, probably just deeming it unimportant. A breeze blew by and ruffled some of his just preened feathers and he went back to work, once again becoming near oblivious to the world around him.

Chroma and Soren continued to chatter and croo for a bit longer, before Soren took a glance at the state of her hallow and a little squawk escaped his beak, Chroma looked a little embarrassed, and explained she might need a little help…as the two went in, leaving behind a still self-consumed Twilight behind outside on the brach, they vanished from the sight of the owl that had gone unnoticed while watching them.

A chuckle escaped his beak, a strange and foreign laugh, and the mysterious opened his wings and blasted off into the night, with no moon to light the sky tonight, and the shadows from the great Ga'Hoole tree, it was hard for even an owl to see him make his escape, and he flew off quickly, in the direction of an enemy all had thought defeated…

Hope you enjoyed this one pitiful chapter, I'll see if I can make it a double update, but I am trying to write chapters for all my other stories as well, this was the first one I got to.