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When Soren opened up his eyes, feeling Kludd's claws lighten off his neck, hearing a body falling to the floor, the sight he found before him nearly caused his heart to stop.
Nyra, the leader of the Pure Ones and the source of all of Soren's anguish ... was dead. On the floor, head cleanly severed from her body, never to breathe again to torture or destroy another owl's life.
... By Kludd's own doing.
Nyra had hung over his life from such an early age, in too many ways to count. So to now see her vanquished form, this gruesome visual to confirm that she was now forever gone ... as much as he didn't like admitting relief over the death of another individual, it was impossible to deny it here ... once he got over the initial shock, of course.
But still tied up and gagged as he was, Soren could say nothing to Kludd about it. All he could do for those next few moments was wonder what this meant now. Kludd had betrayed Nyra ... but was he betraying the Pure Ones? Did he finally see where his true family lay?
Kludd still kept his gaze on the mask of Metalbeak, breathing slowly as the weight and consequences of his latest action sank in.
Nothing stood between him and this mask any longer. Nevermore did he have to prove himself. Nevermore did he have to climb or claw his way up the ranks, coveting the power that always seemed just out of his reach. The stabbing of his heart inflicted by Nyra would never truly fade, nor would the feeling of disgrace he felt towards and from his original family. But for the first time in what felt like entire lifetime, Kludd could taste freedom. True, uncompromised freedom.
Only one last string to sever, he thought.
Kludd turned back to Soren. The younger Tyto stared back at him, wide-eyed in anticipation of what was going to happen next.
Kludd?
He took his first step in Soren's direction.
However, before he could take another, a series of cries gradually came within earshot from above and around the hollow. More followed suit, these ones coming from what he recognized as his own Pure Ones.
Kludd and Soren's heads both tilted up, eyes narrowed in confusion. The former of the two stepped past Soren and made his way outside, with the gagged Barn Owl trying and failing to get his attention through feeble grunts and moans.
Kludd flew up to the top of the hulking tree, lighting himself down on one of its branches to get a better view of what was causing the commotion.
But when he finally saw it, his face shot up in disbelief.
A massive horde of Guardians was quickly descending down from above, with the Pure Ones coming in to intercept them. Among these Pure Ones were owls that were supposed to be taking part in the siege.
"THEY BROKE OUT!!" a Pure One got his attention with a yell as he flew into combat. "GET OUR FORCES TOGETHER NOW!! ALERT QUEEN NYRA!! WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!!"
Kludd tried to hide his guilt at the mention of his former mate. As more of his comrades engaged in battle, his mind raced in this sudden, urgent mess of a scenario.
His thoughts couldn't get far, though, when one of the Guardians suddenly slammed herself into him.
With a yell, Kludd sought to make as quick work of the opponent as possible. It was a Great Horned Owl, outsizing him as she tossed him further and further away from the tree ... and thus further from his slaughtered mate and captive brother!
No! Get back!!
More Guardians were now down at their level, inadvertently blocking off Kludd from the hollow. He slashed the attacking Great Horned out of his path, turning the other Guardians' attention to him. Kludd charged into the swarm, but they easily beat him back, forcing him to fly away in an attempt to lose them.
He couldn't let them stay on him for long; if Soren was left unguarded, it would be no time until he was found and freed!
After all of this, and so many wasted opportunities to finish him off, his brother might elude him once again!
Gylfie, Twilight, and Digger made sure they stayed together in battle, not only because of how well they worked together but also out of fear of losing another one of their own here. The sight of Cape Glaux made them all feel ill at ease, thanks to their memories of their last visit there. But it also further drove them to power through, win the day, and right their wrongs.
In the midst of the fight as she weaved and attacked as needed, the corner of Gylfie's eye eventually caught sight of something peculiar. Through the opening of an entrance to one of the base tree's many hollows, she could make out what looked like a large mass fervently wriggling and flopping around on the floor. Possibly an owl, but she was too far away to tell.
When she was given a moment of reprieve from incoming foes, she was finally able to fly closer to get a better look.
She could soon make out that it was indeed an owl ...
... A Barn Owl ...
A few meters of flight later, she was close enough to identify its features. A male. A male whose face was partially covered in cloth, but still bore an image of strength, beauty, and purity of heart that she had grown ever-familiar with.
And in that moment, Gylfie felt the hole that she and many others carried in their hearts rapidly begin to fill back in.
It was a sight that she had been forcing herself to believe she would see again, despite all logical probability screaming at her otherwise.
... S-Soren ...
Soren was doing his best to observe the havoc unfolding just outside the hollow.
Despite his view being forced upside-down, it took him little time to realize what everyone else on Cape Glaux had: the Guardians had broken through the siege, now fighting back and seeming to be steadily moving towards victory over the Pure Ones here.
Despite still being trapped and tied down, this lifted an immense amount of weight off of Soren's mind. He still didn't know how many losses, if any, were incurred back home, or even in this current battle for that matter. But knowing that the Pure Ones' efforts were plunging down into failure gave him much greater hope that everyone he cared for was not only alive, but now thriving, after having known practically nothing for so long in his time as a prisoner.
With these renewed spirits and an unprotected hollow, Soren resumed his fight against the ropes. They pulled back and held strong as always, but by Glaux he would do whatever he possibly could in this pivotal hour.
All the while, now that he had allies here who could actually rescue him, Soren screamed out through his gag as loudly as he could. "HRRH!!! HRRRHMMRH!!! PHRRMMRRNN, HRRRH!!!"
His screams barely carried, garbled and captured by the heavy cloth, and what little could get through lost to the commotion of the fighting. Soren grunted angrily with a few deep breaths, before trying again.
"RRRRRRGH!!! RRRRRRGH!!!"
He bucked and threw himself with as much ferocity as he possibly could. If he couldn't break free or be heard, he could hopefully at least make himself easier to spot. He screeched out with admirable power in his lungs, his voice nearly giving out as that Glaux-forsaken fabric kept blocking out so much of the noise.
He kept thrashing. His speckled chest tightened. His lean torso twisted.
He couldn't give up now!
Someone has to see me! Hear me!! HELP!!!
"HRRRRRRMMMMPH!!!"
But then, in the middle of it all, he heard talons touch down on bark.
He paused. He craned his neck back to look to who was now here.
... And never before did he feel so invigorated, and yet so serene, when he saw three owls standing at the hollow entrance. The very same three who had been with him from his very first journey to the Great Ga'hoole Tree, creating an unshakeable bond that only grew stronger each day since. The sunlight behind them bathed the owls in a heavenly glow, yet they were staring back as if he were the angel that had been found.
"... Grrrh ..." he grunted in stunned happiness.
"S-So ... Soren ..." Gylfie gasped. Tears formed in her eyes, shedding down as her emotions overwhelmed her and her legs trembled beneath her. Twilight and Digger weren't too far off, both looking as though they were seeing a loved one brought back from the dead.
But Soren was never dead. He was here. Alive.
Twilight was the first to collect himself and move forward. He extended his battle claws as he headed for Soren's wings. He made efficient work of the ropes taking hold of each wing, and then moved down to free his legs with equal speed.
Soren brought his claws up to rip the gag out of his beak. As he coughed and gasped to finally fill his starving lungs, he rolled over onto his stomach and gently folded in his wings.
As he did so, he stared up at his cherished best friends. Grateful, blissful tears filled up his own eyes, and he found himself nearly unable to speak from the overflow of love and relief flooding his heart.
"Guys ... I-I ... I ..." he began as he rose to his feet, getting choked up in his happiness as well as the dryness in his throat.
Hearing her dear friend's sweet, earnest voice after all this time, raspy as it may be, Gylfie couldn't contain herself anymore. She sprinted over the few feet separating them to wrap her wings emphatically around Soren's leg. Soren brought his face down to nuzzle her, and she eagerly returned the gesture, her tears dampening his radiant white feathers. Twilight and Digger joined in, with Digger embracing his other leg and Twilight wrapping a single wing around the Barn Owl, enclosing his three reunited friends.
"Y-You're alive, Soren ... you're ..." Gylfie could only bring herself to utter these stammering, broken words.
Soren's own wings came around the group, pulling them all in as tightly as possible. No one spoke for several minutes, not even paying any mind to the battle happening outside that the Guardians were handily winning. They instead closed their eyes, allowing themselves to live only in this moment, exhaling their own worlds of hurt away.
It felt like a dream, one that none of them dared try to wake up from.
After such prolonged and uncertain separation, this band was together once more.
Finally, they pulled apart. Soren's head slowly swiveled between each of his friends, his handsome face beaming widely in a way he thought it may never again.
"... I thought ... I thought I might never see you again ..." Gylfie whispered. Her eyes were still glistening, and Soren gingerly used a wingtip to wipe a tear away before it could fall.
"Me too," he admitted somberly. "They told me the Tree would be under siege ... I-I didn't know what they could be doing to you, or ..." Soren couldn't bear to let out the possibilities that had been running through his head all week.
"Heh, they'll have to try harder than that to keep us down," Twilight mused, bumping Soren with a wing.
Soren churred very lightly, but a flicker of the familiar levity all four of them had craved.
"Is Eglantine alright?" he asked as his face grew serious again. "Pelli?"
"They're fine," Digger confirmed. "Worried sick like all of us, but they're safe and haven't been hurt."
Soren sighed out in unparalleled relief. His sweet little sister and beautiful love interest were unharmed. Oh, how he couldn't wait to return to them. He would cuddle Eglantine like she was still that newborn chick back at their old nest. He would tell Pelli how he felt about her, and they would hopefully begin a brand new, wonderful adventure together.
Their bonds would all emerge from this fire, forged stronger than ever.
... Still, however, there were two more owls whose whereabouts continued to elude him. And he couldn't rest until they were found ...
It was only then that Gylfie noticed the presence of one more body in the hollow ... she nearly shrieked when she saw the lifeless, headless Nyra.
Twilight and Digger turned abruptly, and were similarly shocked. All three went over to get a closer look, to make sure that it was indeed the ruthless High Tyto that had put them all through so much hell. Clearly this was not Soren's doing, and he would have been freed had a Guardian been responsible.
"Soren ..." Twilight slowly turned his head back to the Tyto. "... What happened?"
It brought Soren's mind back to the situation with his brother. He still didn't know where his head was at, and was urgent to find out before Kludd became one of the many casualties of the ongoing fight. He went over and unstrapped Nyra's battle claws to wear them for himself, not wishing to wield the same weapons as a fiend like her but not having any alternative.
"It was Kludd ..." Soren began as he tightened the straps. "H-he was going to kill me ... or I thought he was going to ... but then he-"
The flapping of wings and landing of talons cut him off and directed everyone's attention back to the entrance.
And their breaths all hitched when they saw Kludd himself now standing there.
A look of barely-restrained ire marred his rugged features. He sported new scrapes and scars from having to fight off a legion of Guardians, only to now find himself too late to get to Soren before his enemies did.
"Kludd ..." Soren gasped.
The older Tyto remained unmoving, only seething at the sight of his brother freed and armed.
Gylfie, Twilight, and Digger moved forward to attack. But Soren held out a wing to stop them. They stared at him in bewilderment, but he looked back at them, imploring them to hold back at least for now.
Though highly unsure, they obliged, as Soren turned back to his sibling.
"Kludd ... what happened back there? Back with ... this?" His head and wing gestured to the slain Nyra.
Kludd swallowed deeply as his head lowered. The act was still clearly raw for him, and this new defeat only poured further salt in the wound.
"You knew the truth," Soren insisted, stepping a little closer. "She was never faithful to you. From the very beginning, she was using you. But Kludd, I swear on everything, I wanted no part of-"
"I simply took what was mine," Kludd sharply cut him off. "The throne. The position of High Tyto. The might and wrath of the Pure Ones. It was always meant for me."
No ... Soren thought. He can't still think ...
"And with you all here," Kludd's beak curled into a bitter sneer, "Why should no one believe it to be the work of the Guardians?"
Soren's heart plummeted, for what felt like the hundredth time.
Kludd may have realized the misdeeds of Nyra against him, but much to his worst fear, it hadn't turned him away from the Pure Ones themselves. He'd broken free of Nyra's hold ... and yet he still chose, he still insisted, that he continue to embrace this unfathomable evil!
"And this time," Kludd said when Soren kept mute, "No one can take it away from me. Not Nyra ... and certainly not you."
"... Why?"
Soren finally spoke, asking this with shaky, hushed despair dripping through his tender voice. "Why are you doing all of this? How can you so easily hurt and slaughter so many good souls? What do you have to gain? Power? Glory? From this?" He spread his wings in agitation at that last word. All while his friends could only tensely look on at this family continuing to deteriorate.
"Acceptance," Kludd asserted. "Respect. Dominance. Something I never knew until now. Something I can say, unlike your precious morality and heroism, is real."
"How can you say that?!" Soren's voice uttered, desperation boiling over in his words. "Kludd, you're my brother."
Kludd scoffed. "You keep telling me that, over and over again! What is that supposed to mean to me?"
"It means I love you!" Soren shouted, on the verge of tears now. "It means Eglantine loves you! It means just want you to be part of our family again! To leave this monstrous hatred behind, while you still can! Mom and Dad, they love you too! What would they think of ..."
As soon as Soren mentioned their parents, Kludd's eyes shot up. They held in them something new, something he was clearly trying to hide, from Soren as well as himself, but couldn't.
... Guilt.
Gylfie's body stiffened; she could see it too. As could Twilight and Digger. And while they chose to remain silent, they all could feel the same sickening sensation stirring in their guts. They looked at each other, wary and terrified of what was about to unfold.
"Kludd ..." Soren said, his tone becoming a degree less pleading and more accusatory. "Where are they?"
The older owl gave no response. His face only contorted tensely, as he failed to look his sibling in the eye.
"They flew out here weeks ago and never came back ..." Soren pressed. "The same as everyone else. You've seen them ... you know what happened to them ..."
"What would they think?!" Kludd abruptly opted to give a delayed answer to Soren's earlier question, startling the rest of the owls. "They would turn me away! Condemn me to Hagsmire!"
His voice began wavering. "Th-they looked at me like they never knew me!"
By the time he realized what he'd just said, it was too late. His outburst gave him away.
The two Barn Owls spent the next several seconds in apprehensive, unbearable silence. Each of them waited for the other to make the next move, yet each was left hanging.
Soren's gizzard began trembling, like a sentry sounding the alarm in the face of an incoming onslaught.
Nevertheless, he finally chose to break the silence.
"Where are they?" he repeated in a firmer tone.
"Silence," Kludd growled.
"Kludd, this is madness! Just tell me where they are!"
"It matters not-" Kludd's voice rose.
"WHERE ARE THEY?!!"
"AT THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA WHERE THEY BELONG!!!"
Nyra walked up to Kludd, lifting a wingtip to gently stroke the younger bird's face. "I trust that your mission was a success?"
"Yes dear," Kludd replied, purring internally at the sensation. "I have succeeded in the assassination. The targets ... are no more."
He had to keep his voice from breaking up as he made this announcement. What he did was a necessary act, and one that he hoped would bring him closer to the true power he craved. He would get his claws as bloody as he had to, with whoever's blood was required.
Even his own parents'.
The Pure Ones had been ordered to kill any outsider who crossed their path as they prepared themselves to invade the Great Ga'hoole Tree, be it a Guardian or any owl who could expose their position.
Noctus and Marella were no exception.
They had been beaten to a pulp as soon as they were spotted in the Pure Ones base, as ordered. Kludd ultimately had them at his mercy, with them so injured that they could barely move at all as they lay sprawled out pathetically on the ground.
But then, he was expected to finish the job. The watchful eyes of his fellow soldiers made that more than clear.
He forced himself to think of how they had driven him away in the first place. How he had found a new family, a new home. These were not his parents anymore.
... At least, he continued to tell himself that.
But then, his father tearfully said he was sorry. Sorry that he had failed his son.
Failed him.
So that's all Kludd was in his eyes.
He finished him off before he could calm from his rage.
His mother was sobbing hysterically as he then approached her. She begged for her life, expressing her utmost love for him and how she never thought less of him.
Clearly only trying to save herself, Kludd's warped mind thought.
A failed attempt, as he then ensured.
Soren felt the world around him go mute. Sound twisted and shriveled into a distorted blur, and then nothing. The battle outside blurred into a swirl of meaningless colors, as did the face of his once-beloved brother.
It couldn't be true ... He couldn't believe that it was true ...
And yet, when his vision regained some semblance of coherency again, he could see the obscene, nauseating look of unflinching wrath in Kludd's expression, in his aggressively ruffled feathers. He recalled the emphatic nature of his hideous declaration. He thought back to all of Kludd's past transgressions, the choices he had made in getting to where he was now.
What he saw before him could not be faked.
As he looked straight into Kludd's eyes, Soren knew without a doubt that he was not lying.
He killed their parents.
"... No ..."
That was all he could say. How else could he possibly respond to such a life-shattering revelation? How could he even begin to properly process such an unfathomable reality?
His parents were dead.
His dear mother, whose soft, dulcet voice would sing him and his siblings to sleep when they were so little. His wise father, who told him the stories of good and bravery that inspired him and saved his life in more ways than he could know. How they loved each other so deeply, in a way Soren could only now begin to understand with Pelli. The pride they expressed in him upon receiving his status as a Guardian. The happy, harmonious future they were supposed to all have together.
But now they couldn't. They were gone.
Forever.
What had kept him going was his faith that they were alive, that their mission was not in vain from the start. The same faith that he'd initially held that the Guardians existed at all, that he'd used to brave perilous obstacles, fly through flames, and save countless owls since.
But for the first time in his life, faith had failed him.
"How ..." Soren whimpered, barely able to speak. "H-How could you?"
"They brought it upon themselves, Soren," Kludd hissed. "All of you did."
"Soren ..." Gylfie said timidly, unknowing how to even process any of this herself.
"They did nothing," Soren's voice uttered, strained and broken. "They loved us."
"Don't!" Kludd snapped, taking another step forward. Gylfie, Twilight, and Digger tensed up, ready to protect their friend, whose eyes they could see were twitching with an anger the likes of which they'd never known in him.
Sunlight had been streaming down onto his face, but as the clouds continued to pass by, they began gradually blocking that light out.
"Don't you dare condescend me!" He pointed a feather at him accusingly. "I was forced to make a choice, and I did! But you wouldn't know anything about that, would you?! Too weak to make the needed sacrifices, trying to be the noble, honorable soul, blasting everything I do in the name of your precious love! No more!!"
His breathing got more ragged, less stable, as he committed himself to his own words and his own insanity. He had learned on that day, that he couldn't just leave his past behind to fulfill his destiny. He had to burn it to the ground, leaving it in ashes ... until there was no other path for him but the one he had chosen.
When Soren found himself again unable to respond, Kludd steadied himself before continuing.
"I'm not finished, Soren. I will wipe out all traces of their legacies from these kingdoms, until I have cleansed myself of them forever."
The light continued moving away from him, until there was none left to grace his crazed features, plunging him in shadow.
"Starting with you ... And then, when we take over the Tree ..." He said, ready to cut the last rope that would sever this brotherly bridge once and for all.
"... Dear, sweet little Eglantine."
Soren's world went red. His body trembled like an earthquake from within. Nothing else could be felt. Nothing else, but one single word that entered his thoughts, over and over.
... No ...
"You're insane," Gylfie wailed, her throat quivering.
... No!
"Your blood and hers will stain your precious tree. While mine lives on, as the one true royal bloodline of Ga'hoole!"
"NO!!!"
Soren screeched in rage and lunged at Kludd. Still wearing Nyra's battle claws, he plunged his talons into Kludd's chest and sent them both flying out of the hollow.
"Soren!" Digger shouted.
Soren cried out as he beat on his brother, hitting him wherever he could. He held no regard for any battle tactics; only lashing out like a bloodthirsty wolf gone rabid. But as the brothers continued their descent, Kludd landed as many hits back, including a deep slash across Soren's hip. Soren hissed at the pain, and Kludd was able to follow the strike with a cut against his back, causing Soren to land on his side against the base of the bulky tree.
The rest of the band swiftly plunged down in pursuit. All three pounced on Kludd, forcing his attention onto them. He kicked Digger away handily, stunning him. Gylfie swarmed around him, trying to land a hit, as Twilight took advantage of the distraction she provided and grappled with Kludd.
Kludd and Twilight exchanged blows as the latter slowly started to gain the upper hand. But Kludd sneakily evaded to the side, darted around to behind the Great Grey, and slashed him at the back of the neck.
Twilight spun awkwardly at the hit, but before Kludd could continue his attack, Soren flew back in, fighting off the sting from his injured hip and pinning Kludd to the tree.
Kludd tried to knock his brother off, only to be repeatedly blocked. At one point, just as Soren was aiming for the right half of Kludd's face, the older opponent once again plowed his battle claws deeper into Soren's wound.
It triggered a white-hot flash of pain and piercing yell from the Guardian, and effectively knocked him back.
But in the process, Soren tightened his grasp on Kludd. So, as he was sent flying, so too was the right half of the skin on the new High Tyto's face.
The deafening, overpowering scream that came out of Kludd roared heavily over the multitude of cries from the dying surrounding battle. He spiraled out of control from the sheer, agonizing pain. He landed squarely on the newly-torn-off side of his face, eliciting another screech from the Barn Owl. He could only see out of one eye now, and even that one was squeezed shut as he moaned and screamed, writhing in unbearable agony.
He could move, and could probably get up ... but he was just in too much anguish to have the will to do so.
Three Pure Ones flew down to assist their fallen ally when they heard him. Twilight prepared to fly over and fight them off, but a call from Gylfie halted him.
"Twilight! Soren's hurt bad, we have to get him out of here!"
The Great Grey turned around, seeing that Soren was indeed in poor condition, collapsed and gasping as his injury flared up. He hesitated, having hoped to further incapacitate Kludd. But ultimately, Twilight turned back to help his friend, just as the Pure Ones did the same for their new leader.
The fight was won today; Kludd could wait another.
Twilight worked with his friends to get Soren on his back, not wanting to risk him flying until he could be treated properly. When the smaller, sleeker Barn Owl was able to get safely atop his friend, he wrapped his wings around his torso to stabilize himself and keep from falling off.
Before Twilight took off, Soren turned around and, with his dazed vision, locked his exhausted eyes onto Kludd's. Kludd did the same with his one still-functioning eye.
The two brothers acknowledged one another with cold, seething looks of hatred. Kludd for the sibling that would live on to stand in his way and haunt him by his very existence. Soren for the sibling who had taken away more than he could ever know, and threatened to continue until there was nothing left.
Wearily, energy low, Soren turned away first. He rested his head down on Twilight's back as he, Gylfie, and Digger took off, and as Kludd was similarly carried away by his soldiers.
As the last of the Pure Ones made their forced retreat out of Cape Glaux, most of the Guardians stayed to ensure the territory would remain theirs, while their injured were escorted to a safer location to be tended to en route to the Great Tree.
None of it registered to Soren. Not the land leaving his proximity, as it would any time an owl ascended in glorious lift-off. Not the flapping of Twilight's massive wings, easily carrying the smaller Tyto. Not the cloudy skies that enveloped more and more of the day's sunlight. Not even the pain from his injury as he was jostled lightly on the Great Grey's back.
As he silently wept, only loss registered. The loss of his brother. The loss of his parents. And the loss of whatever had remained of his innocence.
The original Guardians of Ga'hoole series was created by Kathryn Lasky. The film Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'hoole and its versions of the characters belong to Warner Bros.
SPOILERS FOR THE BOOK BELOW.
And now we have a development that's the opposite of the last chapter's: something that could be shocking to those unfamiliar with the books, but not so much to those who have read them. For Soren's parents are killed by Kludd by the third book of the series, but survive happily at the end of the movie. I liked many of the movie's changes to the book, but I wasn't quite a fan of that one, as I felt it removed a lot of the uncertainty and ultimately tragedy of Soren's parents remaining missing and ultimately revealed to have been killed by Kludd. So I worked that in here, again something planned from the start and played with as it went along (the brief flashback starts out with word-for-word part of the first chapter). Whether anyone was predicting their deaths, I don't know, but I'd guess a handful did. Still, what's important is Soren now having to be challenged by a tragedy that something he had fought for was for naught, which I'll explore deeper in the next and final chapter.
This may not have been the longest I've spent on a chapter, but it was the hardest of the story ... which hopefully means it's one of the best, since that's what tends to happen for me. I needed to get everything just right, with enough time and detail to let the tragedy hit hard but not to the point where I'm beating a dead horse (especially since the rest of the emotional aftermath is to come in the finale).
One more part to go, the conclusion! Thanks to everyone who kept up with the story. I'm very interested in hearing what anyone thought of the final big reveal, how well it was done, and all that! By the end of the month, this story will hopefully finally be finished! :D
Soren's gag speech translated:
"HRRH!!! HRRRHMMRH!!! PHRRMMRRNN, HRRRH!!!" - "HELP!!! HELP ME!!! SOMEONE, HELP!!!"
Nyra, the leader of the Pure Ones and the source of all of Soren's anguish ... was dead. On the floor, head cleanly severed from her body, never to breathe again to torture or destroy another owl's life.
... By Kludd's own doing.
Nyra had hung over his life from such an early age, in too many ways to count. So to now see her vanquished form, this gruesome visual to confirm that she was now forever gone ... as much as he didn't like admitting relief over the death of another individual, it was impossible to deny it here ... once he got over the initial shock, of course.
But still tied up and gagged as he was, Soren could say nothing to Kludd about it. All he could do for those next few moments was wonder what this meant now. Kludd had betrayed Nyra ... but was he betraying the Pure Ones? Did he finally see where his true family lay?
Kludd still kept his gaze on the mask of Metalbeak, breathing slowly as the weight and consequences of his latest action sank in.
Nothing stood between him and this mask any longer. Nevermore did he have to prove himself. Nevermore did he have to climb or claw his way up the ranks, coveting the power that always seemed just out of his reach. The stabbing of his heart inflicted by Nyra would never truly fade, nor would the feeling of disgrace he felt towards and from his original family. But for the first time in what felt like entire lifetime, Kludd could taste freedom. True, uncompromised freedom.
Only one last string to sever, he thought.
Kludd turned back to Soren. The younger Tyto stared back at him, wide-eyed in anticipation of what was going to happen next.
Kludd?
He took his first step in Soren's direction.
However, before he could take another, a series of cries gradually came within earshot from above and around the hollow. More followed suit, these ones coming from what he recognized as his own Pure Ones.
Kludd and Soren's heads both tilted up, eyes narrowed in confusion. The former of the two stepped past Soren and made his way outside, with the gagged Barn Owl trying and failing to get his attention through feeble grunts and moans.
Kludd flew up to the top of the hulking tree, lighting himself down on one of its branches to get a better view of what was causing the commotion.
But when he finally saw it, his face shot up in disbelief.
A massive horde of Guardians was quickly descending down from above, with the Pure Ones coming in to intercept them. Among these Pure Ones were owls that were supposed to be taking part in the siege.
"THEY BROKE OUT!!" a Pure One got his attention with a yell as he flew into combat. "GET OUR FORCES TOGETHER NOW!! ALERT QUEEN NYRA!! WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!!"
Kludd tried to hide his guilt at the mention of his former mate. As more of his comrades engaged in battle, his mind raced in this sudden, urgent mess of a scenario.
His thoughts couldn't get far, though, when one of the Guardians suddenly slammed herself into him.
With a yell, Kludd sought to make as quick work of the opponent as possible. It was a Great Horned Owl, outsizing him as she tossed him further and further away from the tree ... and thus further from his slaughtered mate and captive brother!
No! Get back!!
More Guardians were now down at their level, inadvertently blocking off Kludd from the hollow. He slashed the attacking Great Horned out of his path, turning the other Guardians' attention to him. Kludd charged into the swarm, but they easily beat him back, forcing him to fly away in an attempt to lose them.
He couldn't let them stay on him for long; if Soren was left unguarded, it would be no time until he was found and freed!
After all of this, and so many wasted opportunities to finish him off, his brother might elude him once again!
Gylfie, Twilight, and Digger made sure they stayed together in battle, not only because of how well they worked together but also out of fear of losing another one of their own here. The sight of Cape Glaux made them all feel ill at ease, thanks to their memories of their last visit there. But it also further drove them to power through, win the day, and right their wrongs.
In the midst of the fight as she weaved and attacked as needed, the corner of Gylfie's eye eventually caught sight of something peculiar. Through the opening of an entrance to one of the base tree's many hollows, she could make out what looked like a large mass fervently wriggling and flopping around on the floor. Possibly an owl, but she was too far away to tell.
When she was given a moment of reprieve from incoming foes, she was finally able to fly closer to get a better look.
She could soon make out that it was indeed an owl ...
... A Barn Owl ...
A few meters of flight later, she was close enough to identify its features. A male. A male whose face was partially covered in cloth, but still bore an image of strength, beauty, and purity of heart that she had grown ever-familiar with.
And in that moment, Gylfie felt the hole that she and many others carried in their hearts rapidly begin to fill back in.
It was a sight that she had been forcing herself to believe she would see again, despite all logical probability screaming at her otherwise.
... S-Soren ...
Soren was doing his best to observe the havoc unfolding just outside the hollow.
Despite his view being forced upside-down, it took him little time to realize what everyone else on Cape Glaux had: the Guardians had broken through the siege, now fighting back and seeming to be steadily moving towards victory over the Pure Ones here.
Despite still being trapped and tied down, this lifted an immense amount of weight off of Soren's mind. He still didn't know how many losses, if any, were incurred back home, or even in this current battle for that matter. But knowing that the Pure Ones' efforts were plunging down into failure gave him much greater hope that everyone he cared for was not only alive, but now thriving, after having known practically nothing for so long in his time as a prisoner.
With these renewed spirits and an unprotected hollow, Soren resumed his fight against the ropes. They pulled back and held strong as always, but by Glaux he would do whatever he possibly could in this pivotal hour.
All the while, now that he had allies here who could actually rescue him, Soren screamed out through his gag as loudly as he could. "HRRH!!! HRRRHMMRH!!! PHRRMMRRNN, HRRRH!!!"
His screams barely carried, garbled and captured by the heavy cloth, and what little could get through lost to the commotion of the fighting. Soren grunted angrily with a few deep breaths, before trying again.
"RRRRRRGH!!! RRRRRRGH!!!"
He bucked and threw himself with as much ferocity as he possibly could. If he couldn't break free or be heard, he could hopefully at least make himself easier to spot. He screeched out with admirable power in his lungs, his voice nearly giving out as that Glaux-forsaken fabric kept blocking out so much of the noise.
He kept thrashing. His speckled chest tightened. His lean torso twisted.
He couldn't give up now!
Someone has to see me! Hear me!! HELP!!!
"HRRRRRRMMMMPH!!!"
But then, in the middle of it all, he heard talons touch down on bark.
He paused. He craned his neck back to look to who was now here.
... And never before did he feel so invigorated, and yet so serene, when he saw three owls standing at the hollow entrance. The very same three who had been with him from his very first journey to the Great Ga'hoole Tree, creating an unshakeable bond that only grew stronger each day since. The sunlight behind them bathed the owls in a heavenly glow, yet they were staring back as if he were the angel that had been found.
"... Grrrh ..." he grunted in stunned happiness.
"S-So ... Soren ..." Gylfie gasped. Tears formed in her eyes, shedding down as her emotions overwhelmed her and her legs trembled beneath her. Twilight and Digger weren't too far off, both looking as though they were seeing a loved one brought back from the dead.
But Soren was never dead. He was here. Alive.
Twilight was the first to collect himself and move forward. He extended his battle claws as he headed for Soren's wings. He made efficient work of the ropes taking hold of each wing, and then moved down to free his legs with equal speed.
Soren brought his claws up to rip the gag out of his beak. As he coughed and gasped to finally fill his starving lungs, he rolled over onto his stomach and gently folded in his wings.
As he did so, he stared up at his cherished best friends. Grateful, blissful tears filled up his own eyes, and he found himself nearly unable to speak from the overflow of love and relief flooding his heart.
"Guys ... I-I ... I ..." he began as he rose to his feet, getting choked up in his happiness as well as the dryness in his throat.
Hearing her dear friend's sweet, earnest voice after all this time, raspy as it may be, Gylfie couldn't contain herself anymore. She sprinted over the few feet separating them to wrap her wings emphatically around Soren's leg. Soren brought his face down to nuzzle her, and she eagerly returned the gesture, her tears dampening his radiant white feathers. Twilight and Digger joined in, with Digger embracing his other leg and Twilight wrapping a single wing around the Barn Owl, enclosing his three reunited friends.
"Y-You're alive, Soren ... you're ..." Gylfie could only bring herself to utter these stammering, broken words.
Soren's own wings came around the group, pulling them all in as tightly as possible. No one spoke for several minutes, not even paying any mind to the battle happening outside that the Guardians were handily winning. They instead closed their eyes, allowing themselves to live only in this moment, exhaling their own worlds of hurt away.
It felt like a dream, one that none of them dared try to wake up from.
After such prolonged and uncertain separation, this band was together once more.
Finally, they pulled apart. Soren's head slowly swiveled between each of his friends, his handsome face beaming widely in a way he thought it may never again.
"... I thought ... I thought I might never see you again ..." Gylfie whispered. Her eyes were still glistening, and Soren gingerly used a wingtip to wipe a tear away before it could fall.
"Me too," he admitted somberly. "They told me the Tree would be under siege ... I-I didn't know what they could be doing to you, or ..." Soren couldn't bear to let out the possibilities that had been running through his head all week.
"Heh, they'll have to try harder than that to keep us down," Twilight mused, bumping Soren with a wing.
Soren churred very lightly, but a flicker of the familiar levity all four of them had craved.
"Is Eglantine alright?" he asked as his face grew serious again. "Pelli?"
"They're fine," Digger confirmed. "Worried sick like all of us, but they're safe and haven't been hurt."
Soren sighed out in unparalleled relief. His sweet little sister and beautiful love interest were unharmed. Oh, how he couldn't wait to return to them. He would cuddle Eglantine like she was still that newborn chick back at their old nest. He would tell Pelli how he felt about her, and they would hopefully begin a brand new, wonderful adventure together.
Their bonds would all emerge from this fire, forged stronger than ever.
... Still, however, there were two more owls whose whereabouts continued to elude him. And he couldn't rest until they were found ...
It was only then that Gylfie noticed the presence of one more body in the hollow ... she nearly shrieked when she saw the lifeless, headless Nyra.
Twilight and Digger turned abruptly, and were similarly shocked. All three went over to get a closer look, to make sure that it was indeed the ruthless High Tyto that had put them all through so much hell. Clearly this was not Soren's doing, and he would have been freed had a Guardian been responsible.
"Soren ..." Twilight slowly turned his head back to the Tyto. "... What happened?"
It brought Soren's mind back to the situation with his brother. He still didn't know where his head was at, and was urgent to find out before Kludd became one of the many casualties of the ongoing fight. He went over and unstrapped Nyra's battle claws to wear them for himself, not wishing to wield the same weapons as a fiend like her but not having any alternative.
"It was Kludd ..." Soren began as he tightened the straps. "H-he was going to kill me ... or I thought he was going to ... but then he-"
The flapping of wings and landing of talons cut him off and directed everyone's attention back to the entrance.
And their breaths all hitched when they saw Kludd himself now standing there.
A look of barely-restrained ire marred his rugged features. He sported new scrapes and scars from having to fight off a legion of Guardians, only to now find himself too late to get to Soren before his enemies did.
"Kludd ..." Soren gasped.
The older Tyto remained unmoving, only seething at the sight of his brother freed and armed.
Gylfie, Twilight, and Digger moved forward to attack. But Soren held out a wing to stop them. They stared at him in bewilderment, but he looked back at them, imploring them to hold back at least for now.
Though highly unsure, they obliged, as Soren turned back to his sibling.
"Kludd ... what happened back there? Back with ... this?" His head and wing gestured to the slain Nyra.
Kludd swallowed deeply as his head lowered. The act was still clearly raw for him, and this new defeat only poured further salt in the wound.
"You knew the truth," Soren insisted, stepping a little closer. "She was never faithful to you. From the very beginning, she was using you. But Kludd, I swear on everything, I wanted no part of-"
"I simply took what was mine," Kludd sharply cut him off. "The throne. The position of High Tyto. The might and wrath of the Pure Ones. It was always meant for me."
No ... Soren thought. He can't still think ...
"And with you all here," Kludd's beak curled into a bitter sneer, "Why should no one believe it to be the work of the Guardians?"
Soren's heart plummeted, for what felt like the hundredth time.
Kludd may have realized the misdeeds of Nyra against him, but much to his worst fear, it hadn't turned him away from the Pure Ones themselves. He'd broken free of Nyra's hold ... and yet he still chose, he still insisted, that he continue to embrace this unfathomable evil!
"And this time," Kludd said when Soren kept mute, "No one can take it away from me. Not Nyra ... and certainly not you."
"... Why?"
Soren finally spoke, asking this with shaky, hushed despair dripping through his tender voice. "Why are you doing all of this? How can you so easily hurt and slaughter so many good souls? What do you have to gain? Power? Glory? From this?" He spread his wings in agitation at that last word. All while his friends could only tensely look on at this family continuing to deteriorate.
"Acceptance," Kludd asserted. "Respect. Dominance. Something I never knew until now. Something I can say, unlike your precious morality and heroism, is real."
"How can you say that?!" Soren's voice uttered, desperation boiling over in his words. "Kludd, you're my brother."
Kludd scoffed. "You keep telling me that, over and over again! What is that supposed to mean to me?"
"It means I love you!" Soren shouted, on the verge of tears now. "It means Eglantine loves you! It means just want you to be part of our family again! To leave this monstrous hatred behind, while you still can! Mom and Dad, they love you too! What would they think of ..."
As soon as Soren mentioned their parents, Kludd's eyes shot up. They held in them something new, something he was clearly trying to hide, from Soren as well as himself, but couldn't.
... Guilt.
Gylfie's body stiffened; she could see it too. As could Twilight and Digger. And while they chose to remain silent, they all could feel the same sickening sensation stirring in their guts. They looked at each other, wary and terrified of what was about to unfold.
"Kludd ..." Soren said, his tone becoming a degree less pleading and more accusatory. "Where are they?"
The older owl gave no response. His face only contorted tensely, as he failed to look his sibling in the eye.
"They flew out here weeks ago and never came back ..." Soren pressed. "The same as everyone else. You've seen them ... you know what happened to them ..."
"What would they think?!" Kludd abruptly opted to give a delayed answer to Soren's earlier question, startling the rest of the owls. "They would turn me away! Condemn me to Hagsmire!"
His voice began wavering. "Th-they looked at me like they never knew me!"
By the time he realized what he'd just said, it was too late. His outburst gave him away.
The two Barn Owls spent the next several seconds in apprehensive, unbearable silence. Each of them waited for the other to make the next move, yet each was left hanging.
Soren's gizzard began trembling, like a sentry sounding the alarm in the face of an incoming onslaught.
Nevertheless, he finally chose to break the silence.
"Where are they?" he repeated in a firmer tone.
"Silence," Kludd growled.
"Kludd, this is madness! Just tell me where they are!"
"It matters not-" Kludd's voice rose.
"WHERE ARE THEY?!!"
"AT THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA WHERE THEY BELONG!!!"
Nyra walked up to Kludd, lifting a wingtip to gently stroke the younger bird's face. "I trust that your mission was a success?"
"Yes dear," Kludd replied, purring internally at the sensation. "I have succeeded in the assassination. The targets ... are no more."
He had to keep his voice from breaking up as he made this announcement. What he did was a necessary act, and one that he hoped would bring him closer to the true power he craved. He would get his claws as bloody as he had to, with whoever's blood was required.
Even his own parents'.
The Pure Ones had been ordered to kill any outsider who crossed their path as they prepared themselves to invade the Great Ga'hoole Tree, be it a Guardian or any owl who could expose their position.
Noctus and Marella were no exception.
They had been beaten to a pulp as soon as they were spotted in the Pure Ones base, as ordered. Kludd ultimately had them at his mercy, with them so injured that they could barely move at all as they lay sprawled out pathetically on the ground.
But then, he was expected to finish the job. The watchful eyes of his fellow soldiers made that more than clear.
He forced himself to think of how they had driven him away in the first place. How he had found a new family, a new home. These were not his parents anymore.
... At least, he continued to tell himself that.
But then, his father tearfully said he was sorry. Sorry that he had failed his son.
Failed him.
So that's all Kludd was in his eyes.
He finished him off before he could calm from his rage.
His mother was sobbing hysterically as he then approached her. She begged for her life, expressing her utmost love for him and how she never thought less of him.
Clearly only trying to save herself, Kludd's warped mind thought.
A failed attempt, as he then ensured.
Soren felt the world around him go mute. Sound twisted and shriveled into a distorted blur, and then nothing. The battle outside blurred into a swirl of meaningless colors, as did the face of his once-beloved brother.
It couldn't be true ... He couldn't believe that it was true ...
And yet, when his vision regained some semblance of coherency again, he could see the obscene, nauseating look of unflinching wrath in Kludd's expression, in his aggressively ruffled feathers. He recalled the emphatic nature of his hideous declaration. He thought back to all of Kludd's past transgressions, the choices he had made in getting to where he was now.
What he saw before him could not be faked.
As he looked straight into Kludd's eyes, Soren knew without a doubt that he was not lying.
He killed their parents.
"... No ..."
That was all he could say. How else could he possibly respond to such a life-shattering revelation? How could he even begin to properly process such an unfathomable reality?
His parents were dead.
His dear mother, whose soft, dulcet voice would sing him and his siblings to sleep when they were so little. His wise father, who told him the stories of good and bravery that inspired him and saved his life in more ways than he could know. How they loved each other so deeply, in a way Soren could only now begin to understand with Pelli. The pride they expressed in him upon receiving his status as a Guardian. The happy, harmonious future they were supposed to all have together.
But now they couldn't. They were gone.
Forever.
What had kept him going was his faith that they were alive, that their mission was not in vain from the start. The same faith that he'd initially held that the Guardians existed at all, that he'd used to brave perilous obstacles, fly through flames, and save countless owls since.
But for the first time in his life, faith had failed him.
"How ..." Soren whimpered, barely able to speak. "H-How could you?"
"They brought it upon themselves, Soren," Kludd hissed. "All of you did."
"Soren ..." Gylfie said timidly, unknowing how to even process any of this herself.
"They did nothing," Soren's voice uttered, strained and broken. "They loved us."
"Don't!" Kludd snapped, taking another step forward. Gylfie, Twilight, and Digger tensed up, ready to protect their friend, whose eyes they could see were twitching with an anger the likes of which they'd never known in him.
Sunlight had been streaming down onto his face, but as the clouds continued to pass by, they began gradually blocking that light out.
"Don't you dare condescend me!" He pointed a feather at him accusingly. "I was forced to make a choice, and I did! But you wouldn't know anything about that, would you?! Too weak to make the needed sacrifices, trying to be the noble, honorable soul, blasting everything I do in the name of your precious love! No more!!"
His breathing got more ragged, less stable, as he committed himself to his own words and his own insanity. He had learned on that day, that he couldn't just leave his past behind to fulfill his destiny. He had to burn it to the ground, leaving it in ashes ... until there was no other path for him but the one he had chosen.
When Soren found himself again unable to respond, Kludd steadied himself before continuing.
"I'm not finished, Soren. I will wipe out all traces of their legacies from these kingdoms, until I have cleansed myself of them forever."
The light continued moving away from him, until there was none left to grace his crazed features, plunging him in shadow.
"Starting with you ... And then, when we take over the Tree ..." He said, ready to cut the last rope that would sever this brotherly bridge once and for all.
"... Dear, sweet little Eglantine."
Soren's world went red. His body trembled like an earthquake from within. Nothing else could be felt. Nothing else, but one single word that entered his thoughts, over and over.
... No ...
"You're insane," Gylfie wailed, her throat quivering.
... No!
"Your blood and hers will stain your precious tree. While mine lives on, as the one true royal bloodline of Ga'hoole!"
"NO!!!"
Soren screeched in rage and lunged at Kludd. Still wearing Nyra's battle claws, he plunged his talons into Kludd's chest and sent them both flying out of the hollow.
"Soren!" Digger shouted.
Soren cried out as he beat on his brother, hitting him wherever he could. He held no regard for any battle tactics; only lashing out like a bloodthirsty wolf gone rabid. But as the brothers continued their descent, Kludd landed as many hits back, including a deep slash across Soren's hip. Soren hissed at the pain, and Kludd was able to follow the strike with a cut against his back, causing Soren to land on his side against the base of the bulky tree.
The rest of the band swiftly plunged down in pursuit. All three pounced on Kludd, forcing his attention onto them. He kicked Digger away handily, stunning him. Gylfie swarmed around him, trying to land a hit, as Twilight took advantage of the distraction she provided and grappled with Kludd.
Kludd and Twilight exchanged blows as the latter slowly started to gain the upper hand. But Kludd sneakily evaded to the side, darted around to behind the Great Grey, and slashed him at the back of the neck.
Twilight spun awkwardly at the hit, but before Kludd could continue his attack, Soren flew back in, fighting off the sting from his injured hip and pinning Kludd to the tree.
Kludd tried to knock his brother off, only to be repeatedly blocked. At one point, just as Soren was aiming for the right half of Kludd's face, the older opponent once again plowed his battle claws deeper into Soren's wound.
It triggered a white-hot flash of pain and piercing yell from the Guardian, and effectively knocked him back.
But in the process, Soren tightened his grasp on Kludd. So, as he was sent flying, so too was the right half of the skin on the new High Tyto's face.
The deafening, overpowering scream that came out of Kludd roared heavily over the multitude of cries from the dying surrounding battle. He spiraled out of control from the sheer, agonizing pain. He landed squarely on the newly-torn-off side of his face, eliciting another screech from the Barn Owl. He could only see out of one eye now, and even that one was squeezed shut as he moaned and screamed, writhing in unbearable agony.
He could move, and could probably get up ... but he was just in too much anguish to have the will to do so.
Three Pure Ones flew down to assist their fallen ally when they heard him. Twilight prepared to fly over and fight them off, but a call from Gylfie halted him.
"Twilight! Soren's hurt bad, we have to get him out of here!"
The Great Grey turned around, seeing that Soren was indeed in poor condition, collapsed and gasping as his injury flared up. He hesitated, having hoped to further incapacitate Kludd. But ultimately, Twilight turned back to help his friend, just as the Pure Ones did the same for their new leader.
The fight was won today; Kludd could wait another.
Twilight worked with his friends to get Soren on his back, not wanting to risk him flying until he could be treated properly. When the smaller, sleeker Barn Owl was able to get safely atop his friend, he wrapped his wings around his torso to stabilize himself and keep from falling off.
Before Twilight took off, Soren turned around and, with his dazed vision, locked his exhausted eyes onto Kludd's. Kludd did the same with his one still-functioning eye.
The two brothers acknowledged one another with cold, seething looks of hatred. Kludd for the sibling that would live on to stand in his way and haunt him by his very existence. Soren for the sibling who had taken away more than he could ever know, and threatened to continue until there was nothing left.
Wearily, energy low, Soren turned away first. He rested his head down on Twilight's back as he, Gylfie, and Digger took off, and as Kludd was similarly carried away by his soldiers.
As the last of the Pure Ones made their forced retreat out of Cape Glaux, most of the Guardians stayed to ensure the territory would remain theirs, while their injured were escorted to a safer location to be tended to en route to the Great Tree.
None of it registered to Soren. Not the land leaving his proximity, as it would any time an owl ascended in glorious lift-off. Not the flapping of Twilight's massive wings, easily carrying the smaller Tyto. Not the cloudy skies that enveloped more and more of the day's sunlight. Not even the pain from his injury as he was jostled lightly on the Great Grey's back.
As he silently wept, only loss registered. The loss of his brother. The loss of his parents. And the loss of whatever had remained of his innocence.
The original Guardians of Ga'hoole series was created by Kathryn Lasky. The film Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'hoole and its versions of the characters belong to Warner Bros.
SPOILERS FOR THE BOOK BELOW.
And now we have a development that's the opposite of the last chapter's: something that could be shocking to those unfamiliar with the books, but not so much to those who have read them. For Soren's parents are killed by Kludd by the third book of the series, but survive happily at the end of the movie. I liked many of the movie's changes to the book, but I wasn't quite a fan of that one, as I felt it removed a lot of the uncertainty and ultimately tragedy of Soren's parents remaining missing and ultimately revealed to have been killed by Kludd. So I worked that in here, again something planned from the start and played with as it went along (the brief flashback starts out with word-for-word part of the first chapter). Whether anyone was predicting their deaths, I don't know, but I'd guess a handful did. Still, what's important is Soren now having to be challenged by a tragedy that something he had fought for was for naught, which I'll explore deeper in the next and final chapter.
This may not have been the longest I've spent on a chapter, but it was the hardest of the story ... which hopefully means it's one of the best, since that's what tends to happen for me. I needed to get everything just right, with enough time and detail to let the tragedy hit hard but not to the point where I'm beating a dead horse (especially since the rest of the emotional aftermath is to come in the finale).
One more part to go, the conclusion! Thanks to everyone who kept up with the story. I'm very interested in hearing what anyone thought of the final big reveal, how well it was done, and all that! By the end of the month, this story will hopefully finally be finished! :D
Soren's gag speech translated:
"HRRH!!! HRRRHMMRH!!! PHRRMMRRNN, HRRRH!!!" - "HELP!!! HELP ME!!! SOMEONE, HELP!!!"
Category Story / All
Species Owl
Gender Male
Size 707 x 936px
File Size 591.4 kB
Listed in Folders
Loved this chapter! It was definitely an awesome final battle between Soren and Kludd, especially with all of the emotions that were involved and after Soren having been Kludd's captive for a long time. It was sad to hear what happened to their parents :(. I think you did a good job with keeping the emotional scenes balanced, like you said. Not too much of it but not too little either! Everything flowed just right IMO!
And Soren is finally free! One of my favorite things is when the rescuers finally find the captive and have to untie/ungag them. Glad I got to see that! I like the gag speech translation too, and how he was in a full panic and screaming during all of that craziness XD
Can't wait for the last chapter!
And Soren is finally free! One of my favorite things is when the rescuers finally find the captive and have to untie/ungag them. Glad I got to see that! I like the gag speech translation too, and how he was in a full panic and screaming during all of that craziness XD
Can't wait for the last chapter!
That's great! I've been getting such assuring comments like that, so I feel great relief that the hardest part of the fic has been a success!
It's a great moment in any bondage situation, I agree. And Soren was desperate to get out of there, he wasn't holding anything back! XD
It's a great moment in any bondage situation, I agree. And Soren was desperate to get out of there, he wasn't holding anything back! XD
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