So, originally, this chapter was supposed to be updated three days ago, but my internet gave up on me, that's why it's a bit late this time.
But now it's uploaded, and that's really the important point.

I do not own the Guardians of Ga'Hoole series.
I take all characters and organisations that do not belong to Kathryn Lasky as my own characters and creations.

There Are Always Newcomers at Ga'Hoole

Markson's Hollow, Great Ga'Hoole Tree, Southern-Kingdoms

Close to 7:34 p.m.

Markson, ex-TSA

– Good to see that you're up, Markson. Slept well? – Valery's strict, and yet calming voice sounded behind his back, breaking the silent moment of respect Markson paid towards the disappearing Sun.

Averting his eyes from what he could still see from the burning star, the ex-marshal now took a hundred-and-eighty degrees turn, so that he could face the freshly arrived Valery.

Then, he drew a breath, and opened his beak for speech: – Taking the crazy events of the past few days, I, myself, am surprised that I was even capable of sleeping – he smiled, then, borderline confused, asked – What's with the clothes? I haven't seen those on you before.

The Short-eared owl chuckled at this: – The past few days had me extremely occupied; so badly, in fact, that I never found the time to put these on. Only the beret, but nothing else.

– I see – Markson responded, but the slight hint of confusion hasn't yet left his face – I never noticed any other owls in clothes in the past days either.

– Personally, I would imagine that your brain was too busy processing your current situation, rather than paying attention to details like clothes.

Chris shrugged – I guess you're right. Maybe...

Valery let out a sigh of relief: – Anyway, I'm glad to hear that you sanity is still intact.

As a response to this, Markson furrowed his brows; Valery then hurried to explain herself.

– Don't misunderstand, I didn't mean to call you weak-willed, or mentally unstable. In fact, I intended to say quite the opposite! – the Short-eared Owl raised one foot defensively – What I meant is that what you told me, of what happened to you in the previous days... How you got here...

– A quite unbelievable story, isn't it? – Markson asked pensively, then sighed – I don't mean to sound rude, but... why are you here?

– Why am I here? – Valery asked back, not exactly understanding the ex-marshal's question.

– I mean, why are you here, in this hollow? – Markson clarified his previous statement – Are you here to question me about the events of yesterday? Because if you are, I won't apologize for killing that bastard – a grim shadow fell across his face – He wouldn't have told you anything anyway...

– I only came here to check up on you – Valery said simply, then shrugged – Besides, you shouldn't worry about that infiltrator's death. The charges of Byran accusing you of murdering an important suspect were dropped. You acted in self-defense; the Council couldn't have agreed more upon that.

– Good to know – Markson nodded, his words bitter, then looked away, and stayed silent.

The two owls stood like this for a few moments, until Valery tilted her head to the right, and stated her question: – What did you mean by that?

The ex-marshal turned his head back towards the female owl, confused: – What did I mean by what?

– The infiltrator. You said he wouldn't have told us anything, and you seemed to be awfully sure about that. Why? – Valery inquired in a calm voice, and kept her curious eyes on Markson's face.

The ex-marshal glanced at her, then quietly chuckled as he shook his head: – He was obviously from the world where I am from: he proved that with everything he said before he slit his own throat – Markson paused for a moment, then spoke his thoughts out loud – But you wouldn't understand any of it anyway.

To Chris' surprise, Valery laughed, then simply stated: – Humor me!

Reached by these words unprepared, Markson found himself unable reply anything smart to the Short-eared Owl; this hesitation was easily noticed by the female.

– I am not doubting you, of course. I don't know anything about your "world" – she said with a polite smile, but then her face turned more focused, more serious: – But that doesn't mean you should withhold any information that could become useful in the future. And especially not from a member of the GHID. Also, I'm confident that you can give me an explanation if I don't understand something.

For a few seconds, Markson only just stared at Valery, then smiled and shook his head again: – Alright – he spoke with his eyes held firmly on the Short-eared Owl – He said that his name was "Kenneth Zwegger". Any parts of that name sound familiar? Do they use them in this world?

Valery thought for a second: – No, not here, or in the Northern-Kingdoms. But tell me this, Markson – she tilted her head to the side – Why are there two names? The way you pronounced it, it sounded as if "Kenneth" and "Zwegger" are two separate parts of a name. Or am I wrong?

– No, no; that is the general system used in my world – Chris explained – You have a 'first name', or 'forename', that is usually the name you are called on, and you have your 'last name', or 'surname', that identifies which family you belong to. This is one of the reasons why it's obvious to me that he came from my world.

– I see – Valery nodded thoughtfully – Is there anything else?

– He claimed to have been the part of two organizations - or groups, teams - in the past, which are also from my world – Markson continued – The Navy SEALs, which is a special operations unit of the military in my country...

– "Country"? – Valery stopped Chris in the middle of his sentence – What's a "country", exactly?

– Like a... like a kingdom in this world, I guess – the ex-marshal explained in a short, swift manner, then continued – The other organization he mentioned, the FBI, or Federal Bureau of Investigation, is also from my country – at this point, Markson pointed at the Short-eared Owl with one of his talons, as if it was an index finger – Their job is very similar to your GHID's tasks.

Valery thought for a second, considering everything Markson just told her: – And all that proves that he is from your world, correct? – to this, the ex-marshal nodded – Any idea on why he would kill Bethany? If he indeed was from your world, the logical action for him would've have been to peacefully approach you and her to achieve a form of cooperation. But, instead, he killed Bethany... – said Valery, then she trailed off into her thoughts.

Markson was eager to take over: – And that wasn't just some random hit and run. If he truly was a Navy SEAL once, then he knew exactly what he was doing – Chris clicked with his beak, a thing he wasn't even aware he could do.

But in his mind, right now, there was no time for wondering about the unusual and different capabilities of his new form.

– Bethany was assassinated. Only Zwegger didn't expect one thing – Markson lifted a single talon, as if he just had a revelation – He didn't know that me and Latimer were coming to talk with Bethany. He was caught by surprise, his cover was blown, then he had to improvise – Chris listed – Only the latter didn't worked out for him that well – he added grimly.

– So, let's say that this whole murder was planned – joined in Valery – This Zwegger couldn't have been doing this for his own, personal reasons only; that would be illogical. Ah, for Glaux's sake! – she lightly stomped with a foot, then shook her head – What are we missing here?

– We are missing you, Lance-Corporal, from an event that occurred ten minutes ago! – an unknown voice cut into their conversation, coming from the outside of this hollow, originating somewhere around the interior corridors.

Originally, Markson only thought that this voice sounded familiar: he could've sworn that he heard it in the past twenty-four hours. In fact, he found himself tying this voice to negative feelings - only he couldn't put a face to it.

However, a few seconds later, he didn't have to, because Byran, his face distorted by a smug grin and a pair of gloating eyes, slowly walked into Markson's and Valery's view, taking heavy steps and stopping directly in the middle of the hollow's corridor-side entrance.

The top of his head was covered by a blue beret almost exactly identical to Valery's, a grey, cowled cape occasionally brushing the floor behind him. Similarly to some of the other owls Markson saw around the tree, Byran also had a metal dagger with him, sheathed in a scabbard that was attached to the leather belt tied around his waist.

If there was one thing Chris hated in any of his old colleagues back at the TSA, it was the attitude of some: when a person carried themselves as if they were the champion of the world.

And right now, Byran was doing that: his stance, his tone... they all suggested that he considered himself to be superior over all.

When she saw Horned owl, Valery let out an annoyed groan: – What do you want, Byran? – she questioned, noticeably not pleased by the other bird's presence.

– Well... – the Horned owl raised a foot, and began to lazily study his talons, as if they were more worthy of looking at than Markson or Valery – Captain Bergheise sent me to find you, since it became obvious to her that you forgot about the duty she assigned to you.

– If you are referring to the meeting with the Legionnaires, they will not arrive until later this evening – Valery stated plainly, gesturing with her right wing as if it was an open palm.

– Oh, I'm sorry! – Byran retorted sarcastically – But guess what? Misinformation and inaccurate estimations do come around every now and then! – he continued, but once he saw the honest confusion on the Short-eared Owl's face, he 'rolled his eyes' by motioning with his head, then, in an impatient fashion, said the following – For Glaux's sake, Lance-Corporal, do I have to explain everything to you?!

– With all due respect, Lance-Corporal – Valery reacted with her face still and as cold as steel – Maybe you are the one who isn't speaking too clearly at the moment.

Byran opened his beak for speech, and appeared to be ready to explode into a variety of swearwords and insults, all shouted rather loudly, of course. But he didn't do it.

Instead, he clamped his beak shut, took a deep breath, then, with a hateful look and a voice shaking from anger, spoke the following words: – What I so clearly implied, is that those Legionnaires arrived earlier than originally expected, and have been waiting for you - very impatiently, might I add - for the past ten minutes. What you should do, is go down to the Southern Landing-Platforms, right now, and deal with those two idiots from Ambala. I've sure had enough of them for one night... – he said, finished with a complaint, and was about to swiftly leave the hollow on foot when Valery stopped him.

– Hey! – she raised her voice to get Byran's attention – Could you at least tell me what I'll be walking into down there? Whom did they capture anyway, someone who looks helpful? – Valery asked in a more neutral tone, not being aggressive, but not stepping on friendly terms with the Horned owl either.

– If you ask me, I would say they got the wrong owl – Byran answered in a relatively normal style – To me, she looked more confused and deranged than helpful... Kept babbling on about some visions and murders, I don't know – here, his eyes left Valery's face, and wandered towards Markson – Who knows, maybe it's another crazy owl, just like that... Bethany, or whatever her name was.

– Hey... – Chris started with a tone that immediately alarmed Valery, who stepped between the two before anything could have happened.

– Markson, leave him! – she ordered in a strict voice, but what convinced the ex-marshal were her eyes.

That was because the yellow glint of Valery's quick glance told him everything he had to know: "Leave him, Markson, he is not worth it!", they said.

Knowing that she was probably more than right, Barnes held himself back from saying anything further. If Byran was aiming to get a rise out of him, he was going to stay calm.

– And you, Byran! – Valery turned towards the Horned Owl now, her piercing eyes now narrowed to mere slits – You crossed a line. Get out of here and attend to your duties! – she pointed towards the corridor-side exit with a wing.

– Whatever you say, Corporal – Byran shrugged after a moment of silence, then casually walked out of the hollow.

The echoes of his claws clacking against the wooden floor of the Great Tree's interior were audible for a few seconds, and then finally, to Valery's and Markson's greatest pleasure, they completely fell silent and disappeared.

– I've only known him for two or three days – Chris began – But I already hate that guy.

– Trust me, you're not the only one – Valery noted, then, simply forgetting about the irritating Horned Owl, turned to the ex-marshal – Alright, follow me.

– Wait, what? – Markson stared at the Short-eared Owl with genuine surprise, somewhat taken aback – Where are we going? Also, why?

– To the Southern Landing-Platforms, of course! – Valery looked at Chris like he just asked the most idiotic and illogical question in the world.

– Yes, you are! That, I understand, but why am I coming? – he unfolded his wings in a questioning way.

– Now, despite all the racdrops that just came out of Byran's beak, he did say something important, believe it or not – she spoke – He compared this owl the Legionnaires captured to Bethany, and that may mean that she is a similar case, if not the exact same.

After a moment of thinking, Markson asked: – Are you thinking that this bird may also be a human from my world?

To this, Valery firmly nodded: – That is exactly what I'm thinking. So you should be there, talk with her, ask her questions that could prove my theory correct – then, her beak relaxed into a smile as she continued – Besides, Byran would hate to hear that you were involved in another one of the GHID's investigations – the Short-eared Owl added, then gestured with her head to Chris, requesting him to follow.

And as the ex-marshal walked after Valery, he furrowed his brows, and inquired in a non-serious style: – So, am I coming because you think I can be helpful, or because you want to see Byran annoyed?

Valery came to a halt as she stepped out from the hollow, and, from the outside corridor, turned her gaze towards Markson, and, with a light-hearted look, said: – Both. Now come on; walking takes a lot longer than flying, and it seems that I'm already running late.

– After you! – Chris waved politely with his talons.

Once again, the Short-eared Owl's strictness dissipated from her face as she let go of a light smile, turned to the left, and began to walk towards what the ex-marshal presumed to be their destination.

And Markson followed without delay, deeply hoping inside that this owl they were going to see would be able to answer the questions Bethany never had the time to solve.

Given that she indeed was from Markson's world, of course.

Southern Landing-Platforms, Great Ga'Hoole Tree, Southern-Kingdoms

Close to 8:12 p.m.

Markson, ex-TSA

– You did what?! – the indignant screech of a female owl could be heard from somewhere that was out of Markson's visual range, two minutes after they left his hollow.

He raised a brow and stole a glance at Valery, but the Short-eared Owl didn't react in any way - she simply kept walking, and, in lack of a better action, the ex-marshal followed her.

A few seconds later, another shout echoed through night air, this time sounding from a somewhat closer vicinity: – Listen, I do not care what you thought she did! How dare you take her into custody without a solid reason?!

At this point, Markson couldn't withhold himself from asking: – Who is that? – he turned inquisitively to Valery.

The Short-eared Owl, as if she took the answer to be obvious, casually replied: – That's Captain Bergheise.

And, before he could ask any other questions, Chris saw what he now presumed to be the so-called 'Landing-Platforms': an outcropping of multiple wooden planks - similar to the ones he previously saw at the 'Grand Terrace' - assembled together into one massive platform. It extended a couple of meters outwards from the base trunk of the tree, it's view towards the night sky and the calm sea unobstructed by any branches.

Without much thinking, the ex-marshal understood the meaning behind the words 'Landing-Platforms': "Essentially, a runway for owls; even for me, that's painfully obvious", he defined the concept in his own head.

As the two have now neared their destination, Markson was able to visually confirm the source of the previously heard, two frustrated shouts.

Somewhere around the edge of the platform stood two owls: one with a blue beret, and one with a green beret; the former twice her own size, and the latter half his own size.

A few steps away from them, there was another pair of owls, although only one of them had a green beret. The other one, not wearing any form of a headress, appeared to be rather distressed.

Chris figured that she was probably the 'prisoner' Byran talked about.

– Well, are you going to come up with another excuse? Or are you just going to stand here? – the owl with the blue beret asked insultingly, her voice revealing her to be Captain Bergheise.

– Ma'am, with all due respect, I don't believe you understand our accusations, and, therefore, you miss the point of why we considered this owl's capture to be the correct action – the bird with the green beret, a Long-eared Owl, despite his intimidated posture, was making a rather cold-headed and desperate attempt to defuse the situation.

However, judging from the reaction of Captain Bergheise, all of it was futile.

– Oh, then by all means, please tell me why the detainment of this owl was necessary? An owl who hasn't been proved guilty of any crime? – she inquired with a tone which made it clear that no answer, no matter how sophisticated or well thought-out, was going to change her approach to the situation.

– As I've mentioned before, we found the dead body of her examiner and personal friend, Doctor Fredrick Finewing, right outside her hollow... – the owl with the green beret began, but shortly, was cut off.

Bergheise didn't even allowed him to reach the end of his sentence: – So if I murder someone right outside your hollow, Sergeant Bartok, I should immediately suspect that you are the murderer?

The owl with the green beret - or Bartok, by name - sighed, then shook his head: – No, Captain, of course not, but the circumstances...

– The circumstances change absolutely nothing, and that is the end of this conversation – Bergheise stated with an unshakable firmness – I hereby take over the custody of this owl, and, just so you know, immediately release her – she added and crossed her wings, signalling that this truly was the end of this discussion.

To this, Bartok's beak dropped open: – You can't do that!

– Of course I can! – Bergheise laughed – This murder may have occurred in Ambala, but the Guardians still have full jurisdiction over the Southern-Kingdoms when it comes to any form of crime. The final say in this case is mine, not yours – she emphasized the last word by gesturing with her head directly at Sergeant Bartok – Now, you may pick up a few travel-rations from the Dining-Hollow, but that's not mandatory. Whatever you do, I want you to leave this island in fifteen minutes. I had enough of both of you for one day. Now get out of my sight – she pointed behind her back with a talon, then waited for Bartok and his companion - an unnamed Burrowing Owl - to take off, leaving their distressed prisoner behind.

Markson, seeing that they weren't heading towards the vast sea, assumed the owls instead decided to go to that other place Bergheise mentioned.

– Good Glaux, some Legionnaires these days! – she shook her head with a disappointed look, then turned towards the freshly arrived Markson and Valery – Lance-Corporal! Nice of you to show up! – she exclaimed, cheerfully; not quite in the way Chris expected.

Apparently, she wasn't angry at Valery for being late from the duty that was originally assigned to her; no, Bergheise was obviously full of joy at the sight of the Short-eared Owl.

– Captain – Valery quickly saluted with her wing – I apologize for being late, but the note said... – she began apologetically, but Bergheise just waved her down.

– I know, I know. Don't worry about it, you know how our scouts never get their estimations right – she frowned, then, with an interested facial expression, looked at the ex-marshal – Is this him? The Silverbeak I've been hearing so many news about?

– One and the same – Valery smiled, barely able to withhold a chuckle.

– Captain Bergheise, GHID – the bird, whom Chris only now noticed to be a Snowy Owl, politely and officially extended her right set of talons.

– Silverbeak, although I personally prefer the name 'Markson' – the ex-marshal nodded, and shook Bergheise's talons.

The Snowy Owl in front of him was dressed in almost the exact same garments as Valery: the only differences were in the colours, and that Bergheise wasn't wearing a scarf.

Nonetheless, the clothes were of the same type and material: blue beret with a silver leaf-badge, white undershirt, and a cape of the same colour.

– I see, Markson – she tried out the word, then, a few seconds later, turned back to Valery – Let's get to the point, shall we?

– I agree – the Short-eared Owl nodded – What's the situation?

Bergheise signaled to Chris and Valery to follow her, and she began to walk towards the distressed owl: – Her name is Sylvya, Glaucidium passerinum, barely a year old – she pointed with a wing towards the bird by the name of 'Sylvya' – The two idiots you just saw leave found her personal doctor's dead body outside of her hollow, and, as smart as they were, instantly assumed that she was the murderer. They entered her hollow shortly before nightfall, restrained her, sprained her wing rather badly, and brought her here for official questioning – at the last portion of her sentence, Bergheise shook her head – Needless to say, that's not going to happen. We will take her to the infirmary, have a healer check on her injured wing, maybe even keep her here for a few days if the sprain is that bad.

Chris looked at Valery expectantly, who replied with a knowing glance, then spoke: – I brought Markson along so that he could ask a few questions from Sylvya. He believes that her case might be similar to Bethany's.

Bergheise gave this a thought, and stayed in silence for the next few seconds; her eyes, although trusting towards the ex-marshal and Valery, showed some concern: – Very well – she said, then lowered her voice – But do mind that this poor owl has already been through a lot today. I give you the permission to ask her some of your questions, but do not overwhelm her! – the Snowy Owl emphasized, her voice serious, but also full with honest caring towards the injured Pygmy Owl – She deserves a rest.

Then, as Bergheise finished with these words, she stepped over to Sylvya, slowly leaned down, and, with an almost uncharacteristically soothing voice, spoke to the both physically and emotionally damaged owl.

– Sylvya, my name is Captain Bergheise, I'm with the Ga'Hoole Investigatory Division. You aren't in any trouble, we are not accusing you of anything. The two owls from the Ambalan Legion are gone now, you don't have to worry about them anymore – she smiled in a warm and reassuring way, then pointed with her wing towards Chris and the Lance-Corporal – These two owls are Valery and Markson. They will take you to the Infirmary, so the healers there can take a look at your wing. Will that be okay with you? – she stated the question, then patiently waited for a response.

A few moments later, Sylvya, her whole body shaking, weakly raised her head, and, barely audibly, whispered: – Yes.

– Good, good – the Snowy Owl nodded encouragingly – We know you've been through quite an ordeal today. Go with these two, and I will arrange for someone to bring you a hot meal to the Infirmary, along with some milkberry tea.

Instead of answering with a word, this time, Sylvya just rapidly nodded.

Absolutely satisfied with this response, Bergheise now turned back to Valery: – You two know what to do. In the meantime, I will send a parchment to Colonel Barclay in Ambala, and ask him to educate his Legionnaires about the proper handling of suspects – and with this, she jumped off from the edge of the platform, caught the wind with her wings, then circled around the main body of the tree, eventually disappearing from their sight.

– Alright, Sylvya, we will have to walk, but that shouldn't take more than ten minutes – Valery was the first one to speak, putting a supporting wing around the Pygmy Owl's shoulder, keeping her quivering body steady – You will be able to get some rest soon.

– Thank you – Sylvya whispered gratefully, then stayed silent for the time they walked.

Markson stayed just a step or two behind, now truly wondering if this owl was also a human who crossed-over from his world.

Presently, he had no clear opinion on this question: but soon enough, he should be able to find out.