Legend of the Pure Ones: The Tytos of Ga'Hoole

Chapter 1 - First Branching and First Pellet

Kludd was born into a strong and pure family, just like the law had stated: Those with feathers of Tytos are the natural superiors throughout all owl kingdoms. He truly cared for his family since they believed in purity and order for their kind, but there was always that one member of the family that turned out to be the black sheep.

That member was Noctus and Marella's second eldest and Kludd's younger brother, Soren; he was always going on about equality and tolerance for all owl species, and his parents were constantly disappointed him and trying to remind him that only Tytos should rule the owl kingdoms. But no matter how hard his family tried, they couldn't change Soren's mind.

But while Noctus was out on a quick hunt, and Marella and Mrs. Plithiver were laying the moss and down for bed, Kludd and his youngest sibling and only sister, Eglantine, were playfully reenacting the Battle of the Ice Claws; Kludd wore a fake beak made out of twisted leaves over his own beak, and Eglantine borrowed Soren's homemade leaf helmet. All the while they were playing, Soren simply moped about in a corner of the hollow.

"You ready?" Kludd asked while spreading his wings and crouching down to a lower level, trying to look intimidating like his idol.

"Ok, I'm ready!" Eglantine giggled as she and her older brother circled each other. Noctus finally returned from his hunt, and he chuckled when he thought about how pure and strong his children would grow up to be—well, at least he knew two of them certainly would.

"My fire claws are upon you! Your days of terrorizing the owl kingdoms are over!"

"Not so fast! You're no match for my army of impure owls!"

"Ha-ha! Well, perhaps, but I am Surtr with the Metal Beak!"

As Kludd went on out of pure excitement, Eglantine kept trying to grab his attention, but to no avail, "Kludd, but-!"

"And I've assembled my own army…"

"But-!"

"The Pure Ones!"

"But, Kludd-!"

"We've sworn an oath…"

"Look at-!"

"Only the strong shall rule, the broken are put out of their misery, and honor is for the weak!"

"Oh…"

Kludd finally noticed his sister's struggling, "Oh, Eglantine. What is it?"

"Kludd, this time you said I would be Metal Beak," Eglantine whined.

"Oh, c'mon…look, next go, alright?" Kludd quickly offered with a nod.

"Well, I hope you're not lying—to Lyze of Kiel! Rawr!" Eglantine then charged into Kludd's underbelly, and pushed against him to try and knock him over to win the game. But try as she might, she was still just too small, and Kludd easily pushed her back with a wave of his talons.

"Ow!" Eglantine explained, but gasped when she noticed the tear in her leaf helmet when one of Kludd's talons accidentally caught it.

"My helmet! Da!" Soren cried as he yanked his precious helmet from Eglantine's head; he made it when his Da told him and his siblings the story of the Battle of the Ice Claws, and his favorite part was always when Lyze of Kiel led his fleet of impure owls into a battle against Surtr and his Pure Ones; it is said that he even struck down Surtr and fatally wounded him, giving him the famous name Metal Beak.

"Ok. Enough, young owlets. Time for bed," Noctus chuckled while trying to comfort Soren with a reassuring wing.

"Yes, please. Enough stories about the cruel and intolerant Pure Ones. Besides, there's never been any proof that they actually exist," Soren added with a sneer, as their name rolled off of his tongue like poison.

"Now, Soren, the Pure Ones are a part of our culture and our history. We are one in the same, and we learn from them," Noctus was quick to defend the beliefs of his secretly favored other children.

Soren looked up at his father in disbelief, "Then why can't we be one in the same with the 'impure'?"

"Because, like our history states, Glaux is the purest Tyto Alba of them all, and we are his children. And he created the Pure Ones to keep the kingdoms in order. So, unless you already know all there is to learn of our history, I think you should hold you tongue, Son."

Soren shrank at that, knowing he had once again been disowned by his own father, even if he didn't say it.

"I know the Pure Ones win!" Kludd shouted in ecstasy.

"Kludd, how would one band of Tytos win a battle against the rest of the owl species in the world? It's just not possible!"

"It is, too!"

"Here we go again," Mrs. Plithiver muttered under her breath, as the two brothers started bickering again. The only reason a family like theirs let Mrs. Plithiver live with them because she wasn't anything like those blind nestmaid snakes that impure owl families kept; she may have been sweet in nature like them, but a she was a viper with shimmering green scales and a razor sharp frill atop her head that spread when threatened, and her just a few drops of her poison could kill a dozen grown owls in seconds flat.

"I mean, Da, you know it's not possible, right? Seeing is believing, after all," Soren argued.

Noctus shook his head at his middle child once more, "Soren, just because you can't see something doesn't mean it isn't real. It's like feeling something with your gizzard. You know, through our gizzards, the voices of the ages whisper to us and tell us what's pure and strong." As Noctus began to preach again, Kludd and Eglantine listened in awe as usual, and Soren merely refused to look his father in the eye while rolling his own.

"Now, that's enough for one night, Dear. Tomorrow's a big day. It's First Branching. Now, off to bed," Marella reminded her three owlets.

"Now, come along, Children. I've made the moss and down extra soft for you, Eglantine," Mrs. Plithiver softly demanded, whispering the last part to Eglantine with a poison-coated smile before slithering away. It was quite obvious to everyone that Eglantine was her favorite because of her equally kind nature.

Kludd shared a nest with Eglantine since he was always closest to her, while Soren slept on the other side of the hollow; their nests were divided by a water basin they made out of a large leaf, and a makeshift wall of sticks that Eglantine built while pretending to protect the Pure One Fortress that their Da also told them about in his stories.

"Kludd, do you really think Lyze of Kiel is real?" Eglantine asked as she climbed into the nest and settled down into the warm moss and down.

"You remember. It was the Battle of the Ice Claws, the Pure Ones had far greater numbers. Things looked good for them," Kludd explained while removing his leaf beak, and tried to sound as dramatic as their father did when he told stories, "And then Lyze struck down Surtr, so he now wears a metal mask to hide his missing beak. But he wouldn't give up and kept fighting alongside his Pure One soldiers. They were victorious, and purity was restored to the owl kingdoms once more. And then they returned home to the Pure One Fortress. But some say that before the impure army fled, Metal Beak ripped off one of Lyze's talons and tore out his eye."

"Stop! You're gonna give her daymares!" Soren screeched from across the hollow.

"But this is my favorite part!" Eglantine quickly pointed out.

"I know. We've heard it a thousand times. Look, you're just too gullible, Kludd. You don't actually believe everything Da says, do you?" Soren asked with disappointment.

"I'm not gullible. None of us are. We're on the winning side, like everyone else should be," Kludd protested.

"Well, that's the difference between us, Brother. I believe in what's right for everyone." Before he could allow his brother to argue against that, Soren quickly tucked his head under his wing to sleep.

"Kludd," Eglantine began with a yawn, as she snuggled up against her said older brother, "Da says our purity is who we are."

After Eglantine closed her eyes, Kludd wrapped a wing around her comfortingly; even in their ideal world where weakness is frowned upon, it was always best to put Tytos first. After all, all Tytos are part of one big family, the same family that will hopefully bring order to all of the owl kingdoms.

The next night, Noctus would be the one to teach his boys during their First Branching; Kludd was the first one out on the branches, as he spread his wings proudly while they waited for Soren.

"I'm gonna be the best flier because Tytos are best at everything. Right, Da?" Kludd asked in excitement.

"That's right, Kludd. You have strength, and could even make the best hunter for one reason alone," Noctus replied proudly, about to continue when his son interrupted.

"I know: My silent flight."

Noctus chuckled, "You will do great, Son."

"Da, I'm ready!" Soren called after finally climbing up to meet them, but both Noctus and Kludd grimaced when they saw him wearing his pathetic Lyze of Kiel leaf helmet.

"Soren, how many times do I have to tell you: The impure represent weakness, and wearing the likeness of their impurity certainly won't make you stronger," his father explained in great disappointment, grabbing Soren's helmet and harshly removing it.

"Now, Kludd, you can go first. And don't worry about how much noise you make in the beginning, you just need to stretch your wings." Kludd nodded in confirmation at his father's reassurance, and waited no time in unfolding his wings and aiming for the nearest branch.

He felt weightless when he jumped, feeling as if Surtr himself was watching and cheering him on; that thought alone was enough to give Kludd the confidence he needed to glide down with little to no sound. When he landed, he laughed in ecstasy, and he could hear his father chuckling in great appeasement above.

"Well done!" Noctus complimented.

"My turn now!" Soren exclaimed without thinking twice, and jumped before he could even aim correctly; his movements and flapping were sloppy and far less superior to that of Kludd's first attempt. When he landed next to his older brother, he nearly fell off into the forest below had he not caught a branch with one foot. The small branch easily snapped under his weight and plummeted towards the dark forest floor below, and the two brothers stared down in awe as it fell.

"You know, Soren, it helps when I picture where I'm gonna land," Kludd pointed out in suggestion, and then an idea popped into his head, "C'mon, I'll race you!"

"Ok, go!" Soren exclaimed in pure happiness since this is one of the very rare experiences he could enjoy with his own family, and hastily jumped down. Kludd followed close behind and easily caught up, landing smoothly and beating Soren.

"Ha-ha!" Kludd laughed boastfully.

"You had a head start!" Soren whined.

"No, I didn't!" Kludd was in true disbelief. The one time he shows his weak brother kindness, and all he gets in return in doubt and lies.

"Yes, you did! Da, he didn't play fair!"

"Boys!" Marella snapped as she exited the hallow, but then softened her voice, "No more fighting. Noctus, let's get the boys inside, it's time to go."

"Ooh, can we come with you on the hunt?" Kludd inquired quickly with high hopes.

"Not tonight, I'm afraid. But when the time comes, make sure your brother wears his helmet," Noctus grimly answered while putting Soren's leaf helmet back on his head sloppily, two which Kludd and their parents laughed.

"Nice helmet, Lyze!" Kludd mocked while playfully pushing his brother inside.

"Get off!" Soren protested while trying to adjust his helmet. But when the boys were inside, the two parents instantly grew more worrisome for their middle child.

"Noctus, I know Soren's a bit of a dreamer. Do you worry for him?" Marella whispered.

"Oh, I worry for both of them. Seems like yesterday they were hatchlings, and now—well, they'll soon be grown and leaving the hollow. I just want them to be prepared," Noctus admitted in defeat.

Marella smiled, "They'll be fine."

Noctus hummed and nodded at that before Marella added, "Come on."

With that, the two parents unfolded their wings and took off, flying gracefully into the night with their heart-shaped faces, and screeching with pure pride.

Meanwhile, as soon as Kludd and Soren came back inside, the first sight they were greeted to was their younger sister twitching and belching uncontrollably, as her eyes remained wide in a panicked state.

"Eglantine, are you alright?" Soren was first to ask out of concern.

"Oh, it's alright, Dear! If it wants to come out, let it," Mrs. P softly reassured, as Eglantine continued to cough and gurgle with her bothers just staring and their nestmaid cheering from the sidelines. Soon enough, her coughing ceased when a chunk of brown popped out of her beak and landed in front of her; as soon as they all saw it, she was horrified, her brothers were grossed out, and Mrs. P was overjoyed.

"Oh, Eg, that is gross!" Kludd laughed hysterically.

"Quite an achievement," Soren added in surprise.

"W-What is it?" Eglantine quivered, unable to take her gaze away from the bizarre object.

"It's your first pellet," Mrs. P replied while closely examining it.

"First?! Y-You mean there'll be more?"

"Don't you recognize it, Eg? It was the mouse you ate—its fur and bones, anyway. Every owl yarps up pellets. In fact, I think I might have your brothers' first pellets."

Both Soren and Kludd couldn't help but wince and groan in disgust when Mrs. P mentioned that, and they were even more horrified when she asked if Eglantine wanted to see them.

"Oh, Mrs. P, not again! Please!" Kludd begged, but his plead fell upon deaf ears.

"Oh, come on, Dear. Such a big night for this tree. First Branching, First Pellet…" Mrs. P continued to ramble in excitement, as she gently coiled around Eglantine to lead her to her brothers' collect pellets, getting a burp out of her when she squeezed too hard.

"Excuse me!"

"Soren, do you wanna go out and try some more branching?" Kludd whispered to his brother once Mrs. P and Eglantine were out of hearing range.

"What? But it's dangerous to practice without Mum or Da," Soren protested in fear.

Kludd grinned with a devious plan, "Oh, maybe you're right. Maybe we should just—I don't know, stay inside and play Protect the Pure One Fortress again?"

Soren stared at Kludd with wide eyes, sighing and slouching in defeat, knowing he would rather risk falling out of the tree than play one of his siblings' intolerance-teaching games.

So, I got this idea and wondered, "What if the Pure Ones won the Battle of the Ice Claws?" Well, in case you've wondered that, too, now you'll get to find out!

Also, yeah, I know some of the characters sound a little OC-ish, but that's part of the plot. This story is obviously different from the original; for example, Kludd was always angry because he felt his family didn't believe in him as much as they did in Soren, so he was obviously jealous. But in this AU, Kludd is happier because he has all the love and attention he desired. Just thought I'd get that out there so you guys don't complain about that later.

Until the next chapter, I'm TRikiD, bye-bye!