Twilight Night Chapter 23: Son of a General
Third's Person POV
The silverwings were moving on through the night but many of them are beginning to worn out, even some strong ones as well. Mercury flew over by Frieda and spoke through panting.
"Frieda," She turns to see what he needed. "Even the strong ones are getting tired, we need to roost."
She nodded but spoke. "An unknown refuge could smell of certain doom. We will have to wait to roost until we reach the fire towers." Mercury nods his head, understood her cautious about where to roost and the colony flew on above the tall trees. Ariel despite how tired she was, she still looks about to make sure her son and his friend are coming, she will never lose hope for her son. Not yet, she won't abandon her faith for them. She turns over to Chinook, having the same gesture as the rest of silverwings looking tired already. She giving him encourage nod to keep going and he nods back almost smile through panting.
"We're almost there Chinook." She said. He nods his head once more breathing heavily, then he and her continue their way with their colony through the cold evening.
Ashlie's POV
We flew on quickly as we could to find the electric polls that will lead us towards the fire towers. I watch as my legs dangle in the air and see many trees passing by underneath. Like Shade, I can't stop to think what will happen if Goth and Throbb are already there and murder his whole colony. What if they already there? What if they already eat them, and left the others dying. What if..?
"Hey...Ash?" I heard Marina spoke, interrupting my thoughts. I look above and saw her glancing down at me.
"Yes?"
She sighed heavily. "Can you forgive me?"
"For what?"
"For not trusting you," Marina answered.
"Oh," That's all I said and looked down. I heard her sighed more.
"Look I'm sorry I should've asked you more questions about the band but I was afraid you'll answer me the same. That's why I want to ask Zephyr if he knows more of humans like you and wants to know if they are good as you." I didn't say a word still didn't meet her eyes, for being upset still for lack of trust.
"Ashlie please," I hear her begged. "I want your forgiveness and I promise from now on I want to ask you what humans..."
"Don't bother," I said, coldly. She stops and I hear her sighed in lamented. "And Marina, don't call me human, anymore." I finished, still, haven't look up. In corner of my eyes, I saw Shade flying by her and see his expression look dismal don't know if it's her or me. We were all silent for a moment but my thoughts on Goth and Throbb cannibals can't get off my mind, I even can't help to imagine a dead bat in Goth's mouth and that horrific sound he makes while eating.
There has the be a way to help defend his colony, but what a small girl like myself can help defend them from these bloodthirsty giant bats? I sighed heavily feeling a bit overwhelmed with fright and but all of sudden I felt something warm around my neck. I glance down and realized my amulet, the one that Zephyr has given me begin to glow gently. I breathed but then the glow begins to fade fast until it was all done.
"Whoa.."I breathed.
"What Ash?" Shade asked.
" You saw that?"
"Saw what?"
I looked at him astonished. "My amulet, it glowed."
"Your amulet?" He glances at my necklace dumbly. "I think you're imagining it."
I blinked for I was, sure enough, I saw it glowed and I can feel its warmth. "No, it's true! I can show you watch, "I waited for the amulet to glow back but nothing happened. I even tried to think hard to make it glowed but nothing. "What?"
"Ash looks whatever it was it's gone now but we need to focus on finding the towers," Marina spoke above me. I close my eyes, know we need to find it but I was so sure that my amulet glowed. I looked at my amulet once more and expected to glow all sudden but again nothing happened. It really must've been my imagination...
"Maybe I was wrong." I heard Shade speaking and I turn my head over to him to see his doubt look on his face.
"What? You're quitting now?" I give him my serious look. "After all of us came this far? Don't doubt yourself we'll find it, we need to search more down." I look below after I spoke. "They have to be there, I know it's not far." Before I knew it, I was right. Because not too long all of us can see electric poles cutting along the lines.
I grinned. "See, there it is!" But all of sudden we all hear someone screaming, that sounds like squeaking.
"Help! Someone Help!"
"Someone is in trouble!" Marina gasped.
"It sounds like a bird.."Shade frowns, having some thoughts already. I look up at Marina, despite that I was still upset with her, she and I have same thought and we swopped down towards the forest. Shade was taken by surprise and follow us down.
"Hey, wait up!" We scanned through the bottom forest until we reach upon a huge that was connected by two trees and the creature that was in the trap is actually a bird. Not just any bird, but an owl.
Marina landed me on the ground before she flew up with Shade as he and her roosted on a string on each side. When the owl turns his body I realized he was another horned owl but instead he has red hair along his orange mane. The owl looks pretty innocent and small, unlike the other owls that we encounter that were larger. The owl look at each of us with a pleading look in his eyes.
"Help I'm strangling here please! I never hurt a bat in my life, I'm factually a vegetarian!"
Liar!" Shade growled, point his thumb claw at him.
"Shade!" I said, giving him my cold look. "If we leave this poor owl here, he might die." When I spoke the young owl turn to my voice and his eyes went wide.
"My father was right, there is a tiny human in the forest!" He gasped.
I looked at him puzzled. "Wait what? Who's your dad?"
"Who cares!" Shade spat, spoken first before the small owl did. "He's an owl we should just leave him."
Marina who has didn't speak rolled her eyes and cross her wings* Nice to see Zephyr's lesson have an impact on you."
"Lesson?" Shade looked at her dumbly.
"You know, never underestimate the kind act, even the one's enemy." She reminded him. He huffed look defeated. Marina then studies the trap the small owl was in and hums.
"..Hey, this is the same kind of net the humans use when they banded me." She jumps out of her roost and added. "All we need to do is, spread it opened."
"Will that work?" I asked. She nodded.
"It has to, it did before. Come on Shade help me out." He groaned but he helped anyway as I watch them pull one string hard as they can.
The small owl gulped. "A..are you sure you two know what your…" All of sudden both Shade and Marina let go of the trap and the owl went flying out of the trap like a slingshot. "DOOOOOOOOING?!" All of us see him went straight for the tree nearby and make a huge crash. All of us flinch from the crunching noise.
"That has got to hurt," I said. Shade flew above me and we all fly up to where the young owl has clashed. He manages to get me up to where he was and landed me in front of him. I walk to him slowly but Shade grabs my arm.
"Ash be careful he can be dangerous." I shook my head and made him let go.
"Its alright, I don't think he can hurt us," I replied, then gulped silently. I think.. I took a deep breath and went slowly towards him and touch his cheek. "Hey? Are you alright?" I almost jump when he groans. To my relief, he opens his eyes slowly and came face to face with me. I smiled a little friendly, he forms a little return smile but then he gasped in horror. I spun as my friends did and our face turns pale to see an owl glaring down at us. Shade was the one that force to chuckle sheepishly while I swallowed.
We're dead...
Before we get a chance to run, the owl grabbed us in their talons and taken us towards their general. It didn't take too long to reach there as the owl that was gripping us, drop us on the ground like a sack of potatoes in front of their leader. I yelped after I fall on my knees in pain as Shade and Marina did the same. We all looked up and General Brutus look back at us, giving us his original cold look. I turn over and saw the owl we saved was standing beside him little away from him. That's when I notice something's off, he and Brutus have little similarities.
"You again lawbreakers? I see you brought friends," He growled at Shade." You don't quit do you?!"
Shade was the one first to speak. "I didn't do anything we're trying to help this runty owl!
"That runty owl," Brutus corrected. "Is my son Orestes,"
"What? Your son?" I turn to the young owl in shock, he gives me a small nod. A spider appears out of nowhere and he yelped. He doesn't even have his dad's personality, he looks more innocent and wimps to be exact.
"We stopped to help him." Marina tries to speak, "He was caught in a trap.."
"Enough Brightwings!" Brutus silenced her, spreading his wings out. "You will soon regret joining these, two..two troublemakers that cause this war, owl killing barbarian.."
"A BARBARIAN?! Shade glance at him now pissed." You burned down the tree haven!" "And we're not killer owls Goth and Throbb are!"
"They're giant bats from jungle down south!" I added.
But to my annoyance, Brutus only rolled his eyes smirking, "Oh yes, the giant meat-eating bats."
"Actually their cannibals," Shade said.
"….So now, their cannibals." Are you kidding me?! I frowned of him not believing every word we are saying.
"If we are owl killers we would've saved your son?" Marina asks, points at the young owl.
"Father they did save me.." Orestes confess.
"Quit defending them boy!" His father snapped.
"You never listen to me!"
Brutus ignores him and turns to us and gives us one final warning. "Tell me where Frieda has your colony stopping next."
"We don't know," Shade lied. Brutus huffed
"Very well, lock these bats up!" I gasped when Shade and Marina both being plucked up by the owl's beak and I tried to grab Shade's hand.
"Shade..!" I cried when another owl hit me with his wing, preventing me to help. I watch my friend being taken away helplessly while they struggle to get free from their grasps.
"You." I looked to see Brutus glare down at me. "How can you speak?"
"What?" I tip my head puzzled, despite my heart was beating nervously.
"How can you speak our kind human?" He asks again.
My eyes lit up. "I.. I don't know really."
"LIES!" Brutus squawked. "You have some magic spells your ancestors used to communicate with us in that bag you carry,"
"What? No, I don't have any spells to cast!" I protest, gripping my bag close. "Shade just spoke to me, that's it."
"Spoke to you?" Brutus gives me a deadly look." You know the reason why humans and animals are forbidding to speak one another?" I didn't say a word, not answering and he begins to tell a small tale, spreading his wings out.
"Many seasons ago, there was one time that humans, birds, and the beast will talk on another, understanding each of our languages. " He begins. "We all share secrets and help each other with many difficult obstacles nature has given us. But then we begin to feel your humans will betray us the more secrets we give out because of their the top of everything, powerful beings." He glowed. "And these humans are like bats, they refused to choose which our kinds are superior due your humans are. So that says, we made the law of forbidden to use our tongue to speak the same language as humans. The humans that remember speaking to us were put to justices." I breathed heavily after he finished his story with my both eyes huge. These animals killed my kinds all because we speak to them?!
"So human, this is why its against the law of you speaking to us."
"…That's the dumbest thing I ever heard!" I cried. "And your ancestors killed my people all because of us speaking?!"
"SILENCE!" Brutus growled, then he ruffed his feather. "With your punishment human, you will have your tongue removed, where you will never be able to speak again."
I gasp in horror and cover my mouth with both hands of not want to lose my speak ability. Then my owl captive grabbed my hoodie with his beak and I gag a bit when he dragged me away towards my prison.
Third's Person POV
Shade and Marina were already in their own prison being guarded by an owl. When they hear a quiet owl hooting and cricket singing Shade was the one that growled.
"If we haven't saved that owl this wouldn't happen."
"Shade we did the right thing," Marina look at him, frowning. " If we ignored Orestes he could die, and we both feel terrible." He knew she was right as he closes both eyes. Then he hears her sighed heavily.
"Like how I am after I ask Zephyr about the band when I could've asked her." She turns her head away gloomy. "I tried to ask her forgiveness but she won't accept it."
"Marina, she will. "Shade replied, after seeing she was talking about Ashlie. "She just needs some time."
"But she didn't!" She glances at him sharply. "She even won't let me reason with her that I wanted to see other's opinions."
"Its because you broke her trust," Shade said, he closes his eyes and speaks gently. "Marina you need to understand she has no one but us, my mom, Chinook, and Frieda. She's a human and alone among us and was treated unfairly. She's struggling to fit in with us. You understand that feeling." Marina didn't think of that of how her human friend feels, being all alone for different appearances and many judged her. Just like how she was when humans banded her and her colony banished her.
"I-I never knew she felt that way," She sat on the ground, look at the ground sadly. "What kind of friend am I?" Shade doesn't know what to say to comfort her but instead glance out and pray Nocturna that nothing bad happens to his human friend.
Author's Note: Hope you like where this is going but if not dont read and review it! I dont own any silverwing characters except OC's Enjoy!