The Owl Realms (Discontinued)

Chapter 21 (pt 2)

 Akeela's P.O.V

I flutter out of my hollow as a roll of thunder echoes across the sky. Tiny droplets of rain spatter to the ground as I dive down towards the platform in the Cental Hollow. Basmah, Callum, Ghali and Father are already down there, waiting for me to arrive so we can set off on a hunting patrol. The golden perch appears dull as I land on the splintery wood. Father peers over at me and smiles, ushering me over to the patrol.

    I giddily hop over and bump into Basmah in the process. Her silvery feathers are fluffed up from the cold, and her amber eyes are grumpy and squinted. “Akeela,” she hoots formally, “so, your first hunting patrol, eh?” I nod eagerly and stare up at the thick grey clouds.

    “So, where will we be going?” I ask Callum. He folds in his massive white wings as he points to a small island in the distance. “Mouse Bushes,” he replies curtly. I wriggle with anticipation. I’ve always wanted to visit that island, ever since Mother had told me about it. Suddenly, all my joy disappears as I think back to our long morning of story-telling. The butterflies in my chest are replaced with aching pains as I recall her description of the island. 

    Ghali clearly notices my blankness, because he reaches out with his wing and drapes it around my shoulder. “You alright there, 'Keela?” I shake the depressing thoughts out of my mind and plaster on a fake smile. “Yes Ghali.” I hoot, probably not very convincingly. He nods his head as Father begins to speak. “As you all know,” he hoots loudly, “The season of Autumn is approaching, which means that the prey is going to become scarce. We must stalk up while we can.”

    I peer around at the group as we nod in sinc. “Mouse Bushes will quickly run out of prey as they begin to hibernate beneath the earth, and you all know what that means.” he continues. Ghali and Callum groan, while Basmah places a wing over her forehead and sighs. I frown in confusion and peer up at Father. “What?” I ask.

    Father chuckles and preens the rain away from his white feathers. “We’re going to have to attend the weekly Digging patrols. It’s like hunting, except we will be digging for prey instead.” I nod my head as the other members of the group straighten up and extend their wings. I do the same as we prepare to lift off. Father leaps up onto the golden perch and shouts, “To Mouse Bushes!” He rockets into the sky, and Basmah, Ghali, and Callum do the same. I perk up and flutter after them, the rain letting up slightly. 

    They ascend higher to gain threshold as I struggle to keep up with their experienced flying pace. I close my eyes and flap as hard as I can, my breath coming out in labored puffs from the effort. Suddenly, I crash into another owl and gasp slightly. My eyes snap open to see that I have caught up with the patrol, and we are now flying towards Mouse Bushes. The waves below us crash into the shore of the Sky Tree as the small land mass grows as we approach. I squint to get a better look, and note small trees and plants dotting the area, with thicker undergrowth here and there. A tiny cave looms on the far side of the island, nearly completely covered in stringy vines. Tall boulders scatter parts of the shore, and near the center of the island, more slightly smaller rocks can be seen.

    I feel drawn to the lonely island as we begin to descend. “Akeela,” Father shouts over his shoulder as the waves grow louder, “I will teach you how to hunt, and Callum will aid me.” Callum smiles back at me and hesitates a little so that he’s flying next to me. “Once the trainees go hunting as a class,” he begins, “you will be able to explain the techniques.” I grin widely and turn my beak up with deserved pride. I’m very lucky that Callum himself decided to bring me along. I still don’t understand what he meant by 'you have promise,’ though.

    Once we’re within landing distance of the island, I open my talons and flutter onto the soft damp sand of the shore. Callum arrives next to me, followed by Basmah, Ghali and Father. I peer around and gaze into the darkness of the undergrowth. The bushes seemed so much smaller from a distance, but now they seem to tower over me by a good four or five wing-lengths.

    My feet sink in the squishy sediments as I follow the patrol into the thicket. The first thing I notice is the amount of skittering creatures that are racing back and forth in front of us. My mouth begins to water as plump mice run away from our talons. Father suddenly spins around and holds a wing out in front of me while Basmah, Callum and Ghali spread out in search of prey. “Okay Akeela,” he hoots quietly, “watch and learn.” 

    I observe Father intently as he tip-toes forward and locks his eyes on a small mouse. “What you need to do,” he breathes, “is allow your feet to absorb the earth with each step. A mouse will be able to feel the rumblings in the earth as you walk.” I nod my head eagerly as he inches closer and closer to the un-suspecting morsel. “Make sure to take your time,” he whispers again, “and wait until you’re in striking distance. Just a little closer.... and...”

     Suddenly, he leaps up and careens down onto the mouse, locking his talons around the creature as it lets out tiny squeaks of protest. I grin and wobble up and down eagerly. “That was so cool.” I hoot, “can I try now?” Father chuckles and points his wing the the direction of a large stone. “Check over there,” he mumbles as he draws blood from the newly dead mouse, “that’s where I always find the juiciest prey.” I nod and scurry towards the rock as Father heads in the opposite direction.

    I’m surrounded by new sights and sounds as moles and gophers scuttle around the small clearing. I giggle and leap forward, just missing a snake as it slithers into it’s den beneath the rock. I sigh and pick at a loose caramel feather. “This is going to be harder than I thought it was going to be,” I murmer to myself. Another vole comes skittering out from it’s hole. I gasp and crouch down. I remember Father’s instructions as I creep forward and gently place one foot in front of the other. The vole remains clueless as I continue to stalk it silently. And then, just as I approach pouncing distance, a large rustle in the bushes causes me to jump.

    The mouse lifts it’s head and sprints under the rock before I have time to react. I groan and tilt my head in the direction of the rustling. It gets louder as I stagger forward. Is it just me.. or do I hear whispering around me? I inch forward as the rustling becomes more profound. It’s definitely not prey... too big. More whispering voices swirl around me as I hold in my breath. I let out a shaky “Who’s there?” as the bushes in front of me begin to quiver. I get no answer as the whispers grow with intensity.

    I frantically shake my head to get rid of the voices, but they merely get louder and louder as I freeze completely. Everything goes silent as all traces of prey disappear. “Who goes there?” I mumble, a little louder this time. Still no answer. Suddenly, before I can ask anymore questions, a large animal bursts out of the bracken. I hold back a shriek of surprise as I jump into the air and blast myself back against the rock. My breath wheezes out of my lungs from the collision, and I struggle up onto my feet. My heart nearly stops in my chest as I take in the sight before me.

    An un-familiar brown owl stands in front of me, his blue eyes peering at me questioningly from behind a metal mask.