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How long had they been flying? It felt like forever, and as terrified as Leneru was about what these owls might do to them, there was no sleeping to be heard of. She was also worried about her brother. Was he okay? Was he as scared as she was? Over the next half hour it got increasingly colder. Before Leneru knew it, they were swooping downwards. They all landed on a snowy bank of a river, and a little elf owl approached. She had a bandana around her right eye and when she got near the owls that had carried them in, they bowed to eye level, still holding on to them all. "Are these the owlets from the tree I sent you to get?" The elf owl asked. "Yes ma'am. We've brought all we could carry." A masked owl told her. "Wonderful loves. Take them al to their cages I had arranged for them. Pair them up. We wouldn't want any of them getting lonely." She chuckled, and then walked off toward what looked like a big camp. As the owl took her to a cage, Leneru looked around. There were guards everywhere and those her weren't guarding were training or sleeping in nests, or just talking with others. It wasn't as cheerful as it sounds. The place was cold and menacing. Every owl there had a nasty look on his or her face, and all the talk seemed to be attack plans or some other evil thing. She was dropped into a cage that was big enough for two little owlets to move around, but she couldn't imagine a full grown owl living comfortably in one of them. The owl that put her in. She noticed guards all around the place that seemed to be the prison area. Not only owlets, but many full grown owls were imprisoned here too. A lot or them just sat with their heads down, as if they had given up hope all together. A few minutes later another owlet was dropped in beside her. He looked like a great horned owl. He was about as big as Leneru and seemed just about as old as her too. "Are you from the tree?" He asked abruptly. "Yes." Leneru replied. "I am too. My names Tymoon. What's yours?" He asked. "Leneru." She replied. "So…what do you think they want with us?" Tymoon asked. "I'm not sure, but I don't want to stay here. They have my brother too. I don't know where he is. And they killed my Mum…" Leneru explained to Tymoon. He scooted over and cuddled next to her. "I'm sorry. All I can say is they don't seem like the pure ones. There are a lot of different owls here." Tymoon said. "I was thinking the same thing. So it can't be them rebuilding armies. They would only have tytos." Leneru was young, but her Da had told her of the War of the Ember. How the pure ones had been taken down and victory had been won. Of course he'd never told about all the death of guardians and many others that had been on the god side, for they were to small. He always ended with the same line. "Some believe that after that war, the pure ones are finished forever. But then others say they might just be out there still, waiting for their opportunity to rebuild." Leneru herself believed the pure ones were finished forever after Nyra, their leader, had gone yoinks with power and anger towards her son, which had ultimately destroyed her. "No…this is something different." Leneru said quietly. She was beyond her years in wisdom. Her Mum had always believed she could be a great Ga'Hoolegy chaw member. She was still an owlet though. Unfortunately that had now been lost too, after seeing her Mum be killed before her eyes.

Kalub sat in his cage he shared with a little burrowing owl who was tracking chaw leader Digger's daughter. They hadn't spoke at all, and both stayed on opposite sides of the cage. He was more worried about his little sister than this owl here with him. That's when he saw the elf owl from earlier walk up with a few other bigger owls. They opened the cage and grabbed him. When they finally stopped they held him down while the elf owl stood in front of him. "My name is Ikka. I'm the leader of what I like to call the Northern Rebels. I have noticed you are quite a fighter. We could use that. Our goal is to take out all owls that think they're better than others who may not live in the Retreats or an organization or the Great Tree. I'm aware that's where you come from but I'd like you on my side. You're a rebel yourself I've heard." "I…always kind of wished we could be normal. My parents always acted high and mighty because they lived in the tree. But I would never kill over it just to be killing!" Kalub said. "Young Owlet we don't kill to be killing. We only kill those who appose us. That sounds a lot like your Ga'Hoole Tree does it not?" Kalub had to admit it did. Her offer was a persuasive one. He never liked those who picked on the lower ranking. "Alright. I want to join you but…" He paused. "But what? Is there something we can do for you?" Ikka asked. "Yes. The owl that killed my Mum…I want him locked up. And I want you to offer my sister this as well." Kalub wasn't about to let that owl get away with what he'd done and he wasn't about to abandon his little sister. "Done and done. You will soon learn that here you will not be placed lower than anyone but me and that is simply because I am the one who created this wonderful army. You can stand that can't you?" Ikka asked. "Oh yes ma'am. There has to be some kind of authority." He said. The idea of this group was sounding better and better. He'd always been a rebel at heart so this was the perfect place for him. "Would you like to see why all these owls fear me Kalub?" Ikka asked. Kalub nodded. "Bring me a prisoner." She commanded a soldier. He quickly brought her an owl. She removed her bandana and looked at the prisoner. He immediately went yeep and fell to the ground, groaning in pain. "How long does that last?" Kalub asked as Ikka put her bandana back on. "Only a few hours." Ikka said. Kalub nodded. "Okay love you're free to roam about the camp. We'll make a nest out for you and meet your demands as quickly as possible. Just remember if you try to fly away we will catch you.

Meanwhile, Leneru and Tymoon were trying to think of a way out of their predicament. "I think first we should focus on getting oft of this cage." Tymoon said. "Defiantly. But what I'm focused on most is finding my brother." Leneru said. "That's reasonable. But keep your head in the game." Tymoon said. Leneru nodded. That's when the elf owl approached. "My name is Ikka owlets. I have a proposition for you." She said. Leneru got confused. "Don't look so shocked owlets. it's a good kind of proposition. I want you two to become soldiers. You little great horned owl I could just use and you little snowy, well your brother requested it. He's actually agreed to be a soldier of mine." Leneru became enraged. No matter how bad she wanted to escape she wasn't going to stoop that low. "I would never join you horrible owls! You killed my mother and no amount of kindness from you to me is going to bring her back!" Ikka glared at Leneru. "Suit yourself but remember, your brother has volunteered so it's practically splitting you two up." Leneru said nothing. This owl was lying. She just knew it. "I won't join you either! You guys are unjust and will never amount to nothing but racdrops!" Tymoon screeched. Leneru was surprised. Tymoon was smart but she was seeing he could get vicious when he wanted to. He looked ready to pounce on Ikka. "If you two think these insults will get my feathers ruffled then you're wrong. I'm in control here." Ikka said. Then she walked away. Leneru and Tymoon looked at each other. Who knew what was in store for them now, and who knew if they'd ever get out of this terrible encampment.

A few moons later

Leneru stirred awake at the tapping on her cage. This meant it was time to eat. The guards threw in a vole and left. She wasn't hungry. She hurt all over. Now that she and Tymoon had feathers and fully grown wings, it was harder to move around in the cage. Plus they had gotten much bigger in size over the past few moons. "You can have my half. I'm not hungry. I'm just sore! I have an overwhelming urge to spread my wings and just fly." Leneru said in a frustrated voice. "I know I do too but we both need to eat. We won't be in here for much longer. I've managed to loosen a bar over here so we can slip through. We just need to wait for the right time." Tymoon said. "The question is after that how do we fly?" Leneru asked, eating her half of the vole. "We have to get up somewhere high, like those rock we saw by the water coming in. Then we have to jump like we're branching and let the air catch under our wings. Then it'll be easy." Leneru nodded at Tymoon's explanation, and they waited for day, when everyone slept.

Finally, dawn broke and everyone, including the guards fell asleep. Tymoon and Leneru slipped out of their cage and looked about for Kalub. He wasn't in any of the cages. Leneru panicked. Maybe Ikka had been telling the truth. Then she saw him. He was in a nest by the fire. She ran over, despite Tymoon's debates, and nudged him. "Kalub its me!" She said. He got up and looked at her. "Leneru?" He asked. She nodded. "What are you doing out of your cage?" He asked. "Kalub we escaped. Come on we have to go." He backed up at this. "You escaped? And you want me to leave…never! I love you Leneru but this is where I belong and it's where you belong too." he said and the screeched. Everyone stirred awake and looked at them. They approached. "Leneru we have to run!" Tymoon screeched. And they did. The two friends ran and flapped, attempting to get airborne. But before they knew it talons grabbed them and held them down. Just when things looked bad a voice said, "Stop! Let them go." It was Ikka. The owls did what they were told. Tymoon and Leneru were confused, and looked at the elf owl. Ikka said, "Its not like our group is a secret. Plus I have a job for you two. Go to the wolves of the beyond. Tell them we're taking the beyond next. We would love a challenge. If you neglect to do so the owlets that came here with you will die." She said. Leneru and Tymoon turned and headed for the rocks. Once up, they jumped and wind caught under their wings. It felt wonderful and it would've been a great victory if not for the circumstances. Flying at a speedy pace, they left the terrible camp behind them, and headed to the beyond. Leneru sobbed quietly as they flew. How could Kalub do that? What was he thinking? She put the thought out of her mind and kept flying. The one thing on her mind was getting to the beyond, then getting home and telling the guardians about the evil plan the Northern Rebels had.

Description
How long had they been flying? It felt like forever, and as terrified as Leneru was about what these owls might do to them, there was no sleeping to be heard of. She was also worried about her brother. Was he okay? Was he as scared as she was? Over the next half hour it got increasingly colder. Before Leneru knew it, they were swooping downwards. They all landed on a snowy bank of a river, and a little elf owl approached. She had a bandana around her right eye and when she got near the owls that had carried them in, they bowed to eye level, still holding on to them all. "Are these the owlets from the tree I sent you to get?" The elf owl asked. "Yes ma'am. We've brought all we could carry." A masked owl told her. "Wonderful loves. Take them al to their cages I had arranged for them. Pair them up. We wouldn't want any of them getting lonely." She chuckled, and then walked off toward what looked like a big camp. As the owl took her to a cage, Leneru looked around. There were guards everywhere and those her weren't guarding were training or sleeping in nests, or just talking with others. It wasn't as cheerful as it sounds. The place was cold and menacing. Every owl there had a nasty look on his or her face, and all the talk seemed to be attack plans or some other evil thing. She was dropped into a cage that was big enough for two little owlets to move around, but she couldn't imagine a full grown owl living comfortably in one of them. The owl that put her in. She noticed guards all around the place that seemed to be the prison area. Not only owlets, but many full grown owls were imprisoned here too. A lot or them just sat with their heads down, as if they had given up hope all together. A few minutes later another owlet was dropped in beside her. He looked like a great horned owl. He was about as big as Leneru and seemed just about as old as her too. "Are you from the tree?" He asked abruptly. "Yes." Leneru replied. "I am too. My names Tymoon. What's yours?" He asked. "Leneru." She replied. "So…what do you think they want with us?" Tymoon asked. "I'm not sure, but I don't want to stay here. They have my brother too. I don't know where he is. And they killed my Mum…" Leneru explained to Tymoon. He scooted over and cuddled next to her. "I'm sorry. All I can say is they don't seem like the pure ones. There are a lot of different owls here." Tymoon said. "I was thinking the same thing. So it can't be them rebuilding armies. They would only have tytos." Leneru was young, but her Da had told her of the War of the Ember. How the pure ones had been taken down and victory had been won. Of course he'd never told about all the death of guardians and many others that had been on the god side, for they were to small. He always ended with the same line. "Some believe that after that war, the pure ones are finished forever. But then others say they might just be out there still, waiting for their opportunity to rebuild." Leneru herself believed the pure ones were finished forever after Nyra, their leader, had gone yoinks with power and anger towards her son, which had ultimately destroyed her. "No…this is something different." Leneru said quietly. She was beyond her years in wisdom. Her Mum had always believed she could be a great Ga'Hoolegy chaw member. She was still an owlet though. Unfortunately that had now been lost too, after seeing her Mum be killed before her eyes.

Kalub sat in his cage he shared with a little burrowing owl who was tracking chaw leader Digger's daughter. They hadn't spoke at all, and both stayed on opposite sides of the cage. He was more worried about his little sister than this owl here with him. That's when he saw the elf owl from earlier walk up with a few other bigger owls. They opened the cage and grabbed him. When they finally stopped they held him down while the elf owl stood in front of him. "My name is Ikka. I'm the leader of what I like to call the Northern Rebels. I have noticed you are quite a fighter. We could use that. Our goal is to take out all owls that think they're better than others who may not live in the Retreats or an organization or the Great Tree. I'm aware that's where you come from but I'd like you on my side. You're a rebel yourself I've heard." "I…always kind of wished we could be normal. My parents always acted high and mighty because they lived in the tree. But I would never kill over it just to be killing!" Kalub said. "Young Owlet we don't kill to be killing. We only kill those who appose us. That sounds a lot like your Ga'Hoole Tree does it not?" Kalub had to admit it did. Her offer was a persuasive one. He never liked those who picked on the lower ranking. "Alright. I want to join you but…" He paused. "But what? Is there something we can do for you?" Ikka asked. "Yes. The owl that killed my Mum…I want him locked up. And I want you to offer my sister this as well." Kalub wasn't about to let that owl get away with what he'd done and he wasn't about to abandon his little sister. "Done and done. You will soon learn that here you will not be placed lower than anyone but me and that is simply because I am the one who created this wonderful army. You can stand that can't you?" Ikka asked. "Oh yes ma'am. There has to be some kind of authority." He said. The idea of this group was sounding better and better. He'd always been a rebel at heart so this was the perfect place for him. "Would you like to see why all these owls fear me Kalub?" Ikka asked. Kalub nodded. "Bring me a prisoner." She commanded a soldier. He quickly brought her an owl. She removed her bandana and looked at the prisoner. He immediately went yeep and fell to the ground, groaning in pain. "How long does that last?" Kalub asked as Ikka put her bandana back on. "Only a few hours." Ikka said. Kalub nodded. "Okay love you're free to roam about the camp. We'll make a nest out for you and meet your demands as quickly as possible. Just remember if you try to fly away we will catch you.

Meanwhile, Leneru and Tymoon were trying to think of a way out of their predicament. "I think first we should focus on getting oft of this cage." Tymoon said. "Defiantly. But what I'm focused on most is finding my brother." Leneru said. "That's reasonable. But keep your head in the game." Tymoon said. Leneru nodded. That's when the elf owl approached. "My name is Ikka owlets. I have a proposition for you." She said. Leneru got confused. "Don't look so shocked owlets. it's a good kind of proposition. I want you two to become soldiers. You little great horned owl I could just use and you little snowy, well your brother requested it. He's actually agreed to be a soldier of mine." Leneru became enraged. No matter how bad she wanted to escape she wasn't going to stoop that low. "I would never join you horrible owls! You killed my mother and no amount of kindness from you to me is going to bring her back!" Ikka glared at Leneru. "Suit yourself but remember, your brother has volunteered so it's practically splitting you two up." Leneru said nothing. This owl was lying. She just knew it. "I won't join you either! You guys are unjust and will never amount to nothing but racdrops!" Tymoon screeched. Leneru was surprised. Tymoon was smart but she was seeing he could get vicious when he wanted to. He looked ready to pounce on Ikka. "If you two think these insults will get my feathers ruffled then you're wrong. I'm in control here." Ikka said. Then she walked away. Leneru and Tymoon looked at each other. Who knew what was in store for them now, and who knew if they'd ever get out of this terrible encampment.

A few moons later

Leneru stirred awake at the tapping on her cage. This meant it was time to eat. The guards threw in a vole and left. She wasn't hungry. She hurt all over. Now that she and Tymoon had feathers and fully grown wings, it was harder to move around in the cage. Plus they had gotten much bigger in size over the past few moons. "You can have my half. I'm not hungry. I'm just sore! I have an overwhelming urge to spread my wings and just fly." Leneru said in a frustrated voice. "I know I do too but we both need to eat. We won't be in here for much longer. I've managed to loosen a bar over here so we can slip through. We just need to wait for the right time." Tymoon said. "The question is after that how do we fly?" Leneru asked, eating her half of the vole. "We have to get up somewhere high, like those rock we saw by the water coming in. Then we have to jump like we're branching and let the air catch under our wings. Then it'll be easy." Leneru nodded at Tymoon's explanation, and they waited for day, when everyone slept.

Finally, dawn broke and everyone, including the guards fell asleep. Tymoon and Leneru slipped out of their cage and looked about for Kalub. He wasn't in any of the cages. Leneru panicked. Maybe Ikka had been telling the truth. Then she saw him. He was in a nest by the fire. She ran over, despite Tymoon's debates, and nudged him. "Kalub its me!" She said. He got up and looked at her. "Leneru?" He asked. She nodded. "What are you doing out of your cage?" He asked. "Kalub we escaped. Come on we have to go." He backed up at this. "You escaped? And you want me to leave…never! I love you Leneru but this is where I belong and it's where you belong too." he said and the screeched. Everyone stirred awake and looked at them. They approached. "Leneru we have to run!" Tymoon screeched. And they did. The two friends ran and flapped, attempting to get airborne. But before they knew it talons grabbed them and held them down. Just when things looked bad a voice said, "Stop! Let them go." It was Ikka. The owls did what they were told. Tymoon and Leneru were confused, and looked at the elf owl. Ikka said, "Its not like our group is a secret. Plus I have a job for you two. Go to the wolves of the beyond. Tell them we're taking the beyond next. We would love a challenge. If you neglect to do so the owlets that came here with you will die." She said. Leneru and Tymoon turned and headed for the rocks. Once up, they jumped and wind caught under their wings. It felt wonderful and it would've been a great victory if not for the circumstances. Flying at a speedy pace, they left the terrible camp behind them, and headed to the beyond. Leneru sobbed quietly as they flew. How could Kalub do that? What was he thinking? She put the thought out of her mind and kept flying. The one thing on her mind was getting to the beyond, then getting home and telling the guardians about the evil plan the Northern Rebels had.