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The Killing Ring
Two barn owls with metal claws are trying to kill each other. The bigger of the two has painted red fathers, while the others is painted gold. The painting is on their heads and on the tips of their wings and tail. Watching the fight are people cheering on the owl they bet on. The owl with the red fathers backs up then flies up to dive down talons out. The owl on the ground tries to move out of the way. But the diving owl strikes down his opponent killing him by slashing open his throat. The doomed owl drops dead in a pool of his blood. The crowd cheers more and the announcer came on and speaks loudly, "That is the match! Your winner and still chief champion is Stoick the Vast!" The crowd cheers more and starts to chante Stoick's name. Stoick stand up tall then he extends his wings and lets out a loud screech. After that a door opens and Stoick goes through the door and is greeted by other fighting owls. Some were saying "Great job!" or, "You are our hero!" and, "You are the strongest chief champion!" Stoick walks around head held high and he looks at his friend with a blond color paint on his feathers. Standing next to him is a small barn owl that still has some grey down. Stoick looks at the hatching with disgust and said, "You will never become a champion. You don't have what it takes to be one." The owlet just hangs her head in shame and moves closer to the older owl. The blond feathered owl's name is Gobber wraps the young owlet with his wing in comfort. Gobber has taken in the young owl and now he takes the youngster away and they head to his perch in front of his nest. The little owl's name is Hicca and now she waits for her father to yell at her for being weak. Stoick pushes Hicca to strengthen her wings and talons but he never gives her a break. Since he tell her that showing any weakness is being called a coward and that shows that you are worthless. Gobber sees Hicca's sad eyes and said trying to cheer her up, "You know he is trying to help you. You know what happens to owls who are considered to be weak." Hicca nod and quietly answers, "I know." Gobber was about to say something else but that is when they heard a shout, "Hicca get over here right now! Your training begins now!" Hicca sighs and jumps from the perch and goes to her father with Gobber watching closely. Hicca now stands in front of her father and he demands, "Start flapping those wings. I want you to be able to fly up and land on that high perch." Hicca looks up to see that the perch is about twelve feet off the ground. "And you will keep going until you reach it. I don't care how long it takes for you to do it." Hicca starts to flap her wings and other owls start to watch for a little bit. Some feel bad while others are jealous that a worthless runt is getting personal training from the champion. Gobber always stays close when ever Hicca is training with her father and so that he can pull her away when it becomes torture for her. After five hours Hicca is in pain and has begged to stop and rest. Her wings are sore that she feels like they will fall off. Hicca wants is a stop so she can rest and get away from her father. However, every time she does stop Stoick would punish her by ripping out a feathers from her wings, tail, or body. There are already a lot of feathers on the ground. Gobber was pulled away for a fight and that was four hours ago and that fight is due to end soon. Stoick makes the tasks harder for Hicca to do were they become almost impossible to do. Stoick never wanted a weak owl for an offspring. He wanted an owl that is a killer from birth and did not get that. Now he is trying to make this weak runt a killer like him by being cruel and harsh. Hicca barely made it two feet off the ground since she is still learning how to fly. Hicca lands on the ground exhausted and that is when Stoick cruelly said, "You can't even fly right! You will never survive one minute in the ring! Why do I keep you around!?" Hicca looks at her father and that is when Gobber lands in front of her with his wings extended then he said lowly, "Enough Stoick! This is abuse! What would Valka say about this?!" Stoick shreecks in his friends face but Gobber holds his ground. All those who heard the exchange all gather to watch the fight unfold. That is when a massive bang on the cage walls is heard and a human's voice comes through, "No fighting! Save it for the ring!" Gobber then flaps his wings then goes to pick Hicca up with his talons. Gobber takes Hicca home and there they wait for Gothi. Once inside Hicca starts to cry and puts her head into Gobber's stomach. Gobber places his wings around her and that is when a hundred mice are dropped but Stoick and all of the other champions get big rats as a meal. Gobber shares his rat with Hicca even tearing off pieces of meat and giving it to Hicca so she has an easier time eating. After they finish their meal an old owl named Gothi came by to check Hicca's wings. After she checks them Gothi smiles and said, "Your feathers will grow back. Once they do you will be ready to actually fly." After that short visit Gothi returns to her own nest for the night. Gobber settles in is small nest for the night and goes to sleep with no problem. Hicca remains awake then begins to daydream about being free. Free from this place and free from her father's talons. After a while Hicca starts to drift off to sleep. Dreaming of freedom. When Hicca wakes up the following morning she finds Gobber talking to Gothi outside the nest talking in secret. Hicca leaves the nest and at that moment an owlet her age flys in and says harshly, "Your dad is right." She looks to see Ash Hofferson and he continues, "You will never survive your first fight." Ash has long since lost all of his downy feathers and is able to fly like the adults. He is even the best flyer of his age group. Before Hicca could blink Ash shoves her to the ground and the others young owls are laughing. Ash then leaves as Hicca is picking herself off the ground. But before she can even stand up she is snached by her father. He flys high off the ground then he lets her go. She desperately tries to catch herself to slow down her fall. But she is unable to and she hits the ground hard. Lukiy no bones are broken from her fall. Stoick lands next to her then angrily shouts, "You are weak! You should always be prepared for anything inside the ring or outside the ring! You would already be dead!" Hicca picks herself up off the ground and that is when Stoick shoves her back down then uses his talons to scratch her back. The wound is deep and Hicca screeches out in pain. While on the ground she uses her talons to take a swipe at her father. She does hit him but it is a small scratch. Hicca is able to move away from her father but he lunges at her trying to pin her down and teach her a lesson. Stoick had miss the first time but Hicca collapses and Stoick catches up with her and starts to attack her viciously. Hicca is still on the ground trying to move away. Stoick looks at her then goes, "Pathetic." Then he raises his talons to finish her off but he is then tackled and then thrown away from Hicca. She looks up to see Gobber standing in front with his wings extended and ready to fight. Stoick faces his friend and they begin to fight to the death. Gothi helps Hicca to her feet and together they move away from the fight. But Hicca wants to wait for Gobber to join them. But Gothi knows she has to get Hicca to her nest to help her and to stop her wounds from bleeding. So Gothi uses what strength she had to pick Hicca up in her talons and the last thing Hicca sees is Gobber being struck down and is motionless. The humans see's Gobber's body on the ground and Stoick on top of him. So, the human grabs Stoick and Stoick starts to try to bite the human's hands and even tries to scratch the human as well. While another pair of hands pick Gobber up and remove both of the owls from the cage. Hicca begin to cry out. Seeing that her father figure is dead.
Gothi's nest
Hicca is sitting still so Gothi can heal her injures. While Gothi is wrapping her wounds Hicca then spekes, "I want out of here. I can't stand it anymore." Gothi nods but continues to dress Hicca's wounds then said, "Well your mother wanted the same thing when she was here. She did finally get her wish." Hicca looks at Gothi in shock and she watches the old owl go sit on her perch and that is when Hicca asked, "You knew my mother" Gothi answers, "Everyone here knew your mother. She was the top champion fighter." Hicca is surprised by this and Gothi continues, "Your mother defeated every owl she went up against." Hicca then asked with curiosity, "What happened to her?" Gothi's gaze drops for a moment then looks up at Hicca then answers with a serious tone, "Stoick happened."
Two years earlier, the cage
A young female barn owl is walking around after a fight. She then goes to see her friend Gothi who is a bit younger than said bluntly, "I am going to find a way to be free." Gothi smiles and said, "I know you will find a way. I want to be free myself. The only way out is-" Before Gothi could finish the cage door is opened and a dead owl is being removed. The pair watch then continue on with there walk. They run into Stoick and Valka gives him a cold stare and keeps going. Stoick looks at Valka and then said with confidence, "Valka you are the perfect mate. I want you and only you." Valka turns back to him with anger in her eyes and she says with anger in her voice, "You are no worth my time Stoick. I don't want to have an owlet with a male who is so cruel and only cares for himself." Valka then flies away with Gothi close behind her. They fly to Gothi's nest and relax for a few hours. Meanwhile, Stoick is making planes to make Valka his mate weather she likes it or not. Later that evening Valka was taken to ring for her last fight of the day. Gothi is waiting for her friend to come home. After an hour Gothi see's Valka flying home but she is coming in for a crash landing. Gothi knows that something is wrong. As Valka lands in their shared home Gothi goes to Val's side and that is when she can tell that her friend has been crying. Gothi then asked with worry, "What is wrong Valka? Please tell me?" Valka answers while sobbing, "I have been match to Stoick! The humans want us to have owlet's! I won't have a choose.!" It is at that point that Valka is then grabbed by a pair of human hands and she starts to try to fight them off. Gothi can only watch as her friend is being taken away. Gothi watches Valka helplessly but at the last moment then tries to help but Gothi gets hit and hits the ground hard causing her to break a wing. Now all she can do is watch Valka struggle to get free. After that Valka was forced to live in Stoick's nest. He doesn't see the problem with her living with him. Since she has refused to be his mate the humans forced her to stay still so Stoick could get her pregnant. When Valka layed her only egg she has no bond to it. In fact she wants nothing to do with the egg. Even though she didn't want the egg she did kept it safe from Stoick since he has tried numerous times to get rid of it. After the egg hatched Stoick demands that Valka give him another owlet that is strong and not weak. So in the middle of the night Valka takes her owlet to Gothi's nest and asked her to raise the owlet. Gothi nods and from that day on both Gothi and Gobber look after the youngster. And in the morning Valka plays dead and the human's come in and take her 'body' away. Stoick watches her body being taken and he refuse to mate with another female. But on that day Stoick has tried to do everything to get rid of Hicca.
Present time
Hicca looks at Gothi and says with a broken heart, "So my mother abandoned me because of what dad did to her." Gothi nods sadly and then said, "When she was leaving you with me she looked like she regrets doing what she was doing." She pauses for a moment before continuing, "Your mother never loved your father. After your mother's supposed death Stoick started to looking for another mate so he can have the owlet he has always wanted. But the humans nevered matched him with another female. I knew your mother wanted to be free. And I know that you would want to be free as well." Hicca looks down then a voice comes through, "Your mother didn't want to leave you she wanted to take you with her. But had no choice but to leave without you." Hicca looks up at the entrance to see Gobber alive. She gets up and gives him a hug. Gobber wraps his only wing around Hicca and the young owl says through her tiers, "I thought you were dead." Gobber just laughs while shaking her head and said, "It takes more than a death match with your father to get rid of me." Gobber had lost his wing and his leg in the fight with Stoick. He has bandages to help keep his wound clean. Gothi came up and said, "We will help you escape. We will help you leave this place and your father." Hicca look's at Gobber and Gothi then said happily, "So, we all can leave this place together." Gobber sadly shakes his head then said, "I can't lass. I lost my wing in the fight. I can no longer fly." Hicca looks at Gobber then turns to Gothi and said with sadness, "Will you be able to come with me Gothi?" Gothi shakes her head no then said, "I am too old to fly for a long time and I would only be slowing you down." Hicca starts to cry for a bit. Then Gobber says in a determined voice, "Hicca you know myself and Gothi will be alright. We both are veteran fighters. Both myself and Gothi will only be training new owls to fight." Hicca nods then Gothi says, "Right now we both agree that you will be the one to leave. You have the best chance to leaving and surviving." Hicca cries and then hugs both Gothi and Gobber and they hug her back. At that moment they see humans taking owlets and putting them into a transfer cage. Hicca takes a step back and Gothi says to Hicca with hurry in her voice, "The humans are going to take you to the training ring. There you will learn to fight." Hicca looks back and she can see that the humans are looking for her. So, Gobber steps up and gives her a pep talk, "Look Hicca you will not be killing anyone and they won't be killing you. You must go. You can learn a few tricks and try to find other owlets who will leave with you. All you have to do is learn fast." Hicca looks at Gobber and Gothi again and then she nods her head then jumps down so the humans will see her. As soon as she jumped down she is taken by a human and placed in the cage. She watches her father figure and mother figure from a distance. Behind her she can hear the other owlets talking about being able to kill their first opponent. Now the group is being taken to to training ring to learn how to fight, fly, and kill.
Authors notes: I have been wanting to post this story for a while now and I am now happy that I am sharing this with
you guys. I will be posting more chapters for this story I don't know when I will be posting each chapter but my goal
is to post once a week. But anyways hope you guys enjoyed reading the first chapter to "Fighting for Freedom".