Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole

'Me and My Shadow'

by Shen's General

A/N: Good day (or evening), folks. It is I, the famous general of Gongmen City's true emperor, Shen's General. As you can all see recently, I had finished my first story known as Between Brothers, which had been well-received and loved, and I am back to present to you, the sequel to that story, Me and My Shadow. Starting now, my format for these stories will be like that of what you had seen in Second Chance, where I do review reponses, and listing the voices for my OCs. One thing you might be noticing is that this story will be M-Rated, for this will be the darkest story of the series, for it includes an unhealthy amount of bloodshed, some coarse language (not constant but throughout), and a mating scene towards the end. Before I officially begin, I should mention that I will not be constantly reminding people that this story is based off bluecatcinema's series, for you readers probably already got the hint, and as for the ownership of Nix, I had took great thought in that, and realized, Nix isn't technically an OC, for he appeared in the movie. It's just that FeoranPride, an inactive member of the FanFiction community, developed his character, along with TearfulFriend18. So I really do not see the point in putting up a notice of who developed his persona. So…without further ado, let's begin the second story within the Pure Redemption Saga, and sequel to Between Brothers…Me and My Shadow.

I do not own Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole and their beloved characters

I do own the OCs set to appear in this chapter

Chapter One: Darkness On The Rise

INSIGHT INTO THE THEOLOGY OF DARKNESS

DATE: Silver Rain, Month 1, Day 25, Year 701

SUBJECT: Introduction

Darkness, noun, the partial or total absence of light.

When one says the word darkness, what is the first thought that comes to mind? To the simple-minded, they simply think of the night sky, or when the moon is up. To those of an higher intellect, they say that darkness is a mere cause of a lack of light within an environment or inability to see because all your eyes see is blackness…but to owls such as myself and to bards, raconteurs, and all followers of religion, darkness is seen in a complete yet complex manner. When we think of darkness, many thoughts come to mind, but they all revolved around these words…evil, insanity, chaos, and anarchy. Darkness is not an object per se, but an idea so controversial, there is no one sole universal definition. Some owls fear darkness for its corruption, as many would argue that it would destroy your soul and taint your heart, as well as muddles your mind, turning you into a being that knows no emotion or feelings, such as remorse and guilt. But others owls see it in a completely different way…for they see it as power…power that makes you feared and respected by those weaker than you, pushing you to limits that you thought cannot be reached. But as a whole, many see it as a source of destruction, claiming that it was such a thing that led to the Others' extinction. Because of these different views and ideals, I, like many others before me, had decided to begin research into one of the world's greatest mysteries…over the course of this extensive study, I shall observe the views of owls from opposite ends of the morality scale, see how the influence of darkness truly work…my goal of such a lofty task is to see why there are good owls as well as evil owls in the world, and possibly see how we can finally achieve peace in this war-torn world…

Entry End

V.

The full moon shines bright over the owl kingdoms, illuminating everything within its reach with its heaven-like moonlight. It is by the rule of casting a shadow that its reach doesn't extend everywhere, for objects prevent moonlight from reaching everywhere, casting the sheltered areas into perpetual blackness.

However, there is a phenomenon located within the world where the abovementioned rule is broken, for there is a forest in the far northwestern region of the owl kingdoms, whose name is known as The Shadow Forest. It is an ominous yet cliché name, rest assured, but sure enough, it lives up to it's name, for some reason unknown, it is surrounded by a shroud of black mist year-round, mist so thick yet transparent that no moonlight, no matter it's strength, can pierce it.

No one knows why this is so. There were many rumors and gossip about it, though. One said that it was a result of some environmental abnormality, another say that the place was haunted by less than pleasant scrooms, haunting all that were unfortunate to wander there. A popular belief that owls usually accept is that it once served as nesting grounds for hagsfiends, the owl equivalent of demons, before their global extermination at the talons of the Glauxian angels during the First War. Because of that belief, the woods were deemed cursed, and no one would dare roost here for the sake of their own hides.

But as of tonight, it serves as a meeting place for a group of avians…for a dark purpose…as a shadowy figure makes its way through the forbidden woods, precariously observing the area around the being to assure that it was not being followed by any on-lookers. Eventually, the being approached a peculiar tree that was split open, possibly by a well-aimed lightning or through decay of the dying tree. It landed on a branch of an neighboring tree, keeping within the shade of the dark tree's foliage, keeping the being's figure well-hidden…hidden from what, you may ask…hidden from another being who was perched atop one of the split-open tree's branch, also in the shadows, as it looked at where the other had landed and addressed…

"You're late," The being stated in a masculine voice.

The other being let out a sigh, as it replied, in an older and gruff tone, "My apologies. I had to assure that no one would over hear of this conversation-"

"I don't give a damn about your excuses." The other owl interrupted, his impatience apparent, "You are lucky that I even bother to come to this Glaux-forsaken place to listen to you."

"I understand." The older owl nodded, "But I promise you, these meetings are not in vain. There is a path where this gathering is leading…"

"There better be." The raptor atop the mangled tree threatened.

"Of course." The gruff-voiced owl replied, before adopting a mysterious tone, "But I must apologize before-talon about keeping my identity hidden…I was under the impression that we would be having this conversation in privacy."

At first glance, it would seemed like that owl was delusional…but in reality, he was very perceptive, as two lumbering black figures on a branch next to the annoyed owl on the destroyed tree, one with orange eyes, the other with yellow, stepped out of the shadows.

"I told you that he could see us." The yellow-irises owl spat to his fellow branch mate.

"Hey, it's not my fault he's so…so…" The other owl defended before he was silenced by the snarl of their leader.

"SILENCE!" The bitter owl barked at the two, as he turned to face the gruff-voiced owl, "These two are my personal shields, as I do not trust your sprinking tailfeathers to save my life."

"Apparently so, or you wouldn't had dragged those filthy rats along as well." The gruff voice quipped, as suddenly, two more pairs of eyes stepped out of shadows on a branch opposite side of the leader owl.

One of the two beings, a tall yet lean figure, with green eyes, spat in anger, "HEY! I AM NOT A RAT! I AM AS MUCH OF A PREDATOR AS YOUR KIND!"

"Is that so? What says you?" The gruff voice asked, gesturing to the hulking brown-eyed being behind the angry green-eyed character.

The big bird yelled, "I AM STRONG! I AM HANDSOME! I AM-"

"Oh shut your trap!" The smaller bird snapped, silencing him.

"Enough!" The leader owl screamed, as he then glared at the gruff voice, "These are my associates I had been working with for a little while now, and I would greatly appreciate it if you stop wasting your time with your pitiful insults and get on with this Glaux-fucking meeting!"

"Temper, temper…" The gruff voice scolded, "It seems like the hawks had been a bad influence on you…but if you insist…first, I must ask…do you have it?"

Upon the compliance of the gruff voice, the leader owl's expression softened, "Yes. It took a few men to dig it out but you will be pleased to know that we had found it." The owl pulled out from behind him a wrapped object, showing it to the gruff-voiced owl. The said owl took a step forth, only for the leader raptor to hide it.

"Not so fast. Show us one of the pieces first." The owl demanded in a suspicious manner.

"Oh, please be reasonable, Your Pureness, we had been meeting for the last couple months." The gruff-voiced complained.

"No. Like I said, I don't trust you. I want proof that you are not trying to cheat us." The 'Pureness' stated coldly.

The owl let out a heavy sigh as he drawn from behind him a similar cloth bundled object. The five beings on the odd-looking tree looked at it peculiarly, as the mysterious owl then unwrapped a part of it, showing off a light-purplish glow, causing the four birds on the opposite sides of the leader owl to awe at the shine of the object. The mysterious owl quickly covered it as he then asked, "Are you satisfied?"

The leader owl nodded, "Yes." Suddenly, he looked up to a branch higher than him, as he let out a screech.

This confused the mysterious owl, until suddenly, a dark blur dropped from it, quickly snatching the object from the leader owl and tossing it over to him in a quick instant, nearly catching him off guard as he catches it, much to his relief, as he glared at the thing that passed him the apparently important object, as it disappeared before he could see it.

"You brought that…that creature here?! He could have ruined it!" The gruff-voice snarled.

"Relax, you fool. That creature has been beneficial to our operations…and hopefully, with that thing in your possession, you will be just as beneficiary to achieving our ultimate goal…" The leader owl darkly chuckled.

"Right…" The gruff-voice replied, his voice filled with doubt… "That is not entirely true…"

"What are you talking about?" The lead owl questioned, "You said to me that we needed three of them. You said you had two of them and we just gave you the last one!"

"Correction. I said I knew the location of the other two. But in reality, I have only one of them, plus the one you had just forfeited ownership to." He explained.

"Wait, if that is so…then where is the third one, pray tell?" The green-eyed small avian asked, stepping forth to reveal his small hawk-like build.

The gruff voice remained muted, confusing the two other owls on the opposite branch.

"Hey, answer the hawk!" One of them bellowed, over judging his thrust forward, nearly causing him to lose balance, showing off his long-ear tufts, before being caught by his orange-eyed cousin.

"I AM STRONG! I AM HANDSOME!" The big eagle-like figure answered in tandem, as if he was demanding the same thing as the two stumbling owls.

"Well? Don't leave us in suspense!" The leader owl demanded, his tone cold and piercing.

Another deep sigh ensued, as the mysterious owl answered, "It is kept within the archives of the library…within the great tree on the island of Hoole."

This answer prompted a loud outburst of angry screeches as the five screamed, one of them answering in his repetitious phrase, "WHAT/STRONG?!"

"Are you shitting me?!" The green-eyed hawk screamed, "You mean to tell us that the last piece for our plan's success is in their library?!"

"I'm afraid that is correct." The mysterious owl nodded, "But it does you no good to get your feathers ruffled.

The leader owl was more upset however, "I'm with Harris here! Why the hagsmire would you not tell us that the last piece to our ultimate plan to rule these kingdoms is with those owls?! How can you be so sprinking stupid?!"

"YEAH/HANDSOME!" The two long-eared owls and the eagle agreed, just as angry.

These angry outbursts however did not faze the owl however, as he calmly answered, "Do not fret, my liege. I had feared that you would over-react if I were to tell you this truth."

"Of course we would overreact!" The green-eyed hawk named Harris answered, "What, did you just expect us to be able to waltz in there, take the thing we need, and leave?"

"Actually…yes." The gruff-voiced owl nodded, "You all do know how to get to the tree, don't you?"

The five just gaped at the owl's simple answer and question, as the leader answered, "Yes. But in case you had forgotten, there are over hundreds of them Guardians living there! And given how we had busted our way into that place before, we can't simply just sneak in and take it!"

"…Who said anything about sneaking in?" The gruff voice asked, "I was suggesting that you pull an invasive assault upon the tree!"

"WHAT?!" The leader snarled, "That is the stupidest plan I've ever heard! Our numbers are not as much as it was a few months back and even then, to attack them would be suicide!"

"Oh, ye of little fate, I had a hunch you would say that." The mystery owl chuckled, "That is why I had already devised a battle plan for you-"

"FORGET IT!" The leader owl screamed, "I am not going to throw my men into a fight they can't win, just for a measly little thing like that!"

"Are you sure?" The raptor questioned.

"YES! Look, I don't even know if this plan of yours is going to work, and if it doesn't, we would have wasted a bunch of resources for nothing!" The owl growled, swelling a size or two, "This is not worth the trouble or the effort!"

"Really?" The shadowed owl asked, not deterred by the refusal, as he then questioned, pulling out a piece of paper from his talon, "Not even if I showed you this?"

"What is that?!" The leader demanded.

"Oh, nothing much, Your Pureness…" The owl nonchalantly smirked, "I merely intercepted this from the tree. I figured that you would find my plan foolish, so I bring you something to persuade you. Catch."

With a flick of his talon, the folded paper was flung at the owl, which in turn caught it with his talon. The raptor, looking at the mysterious owl in confusion, unfolded the paper as he viewed its content…

"It is once said there are many reasons why an owl would perform such a heinous crime, for remuneration, or for the love of a woman…or in your case, Lord Nix of the Pure Ones…revenge…"

Nix's fiery-orange eyes…or technically, fiery-orange eye, for his left eye was gouged a little while back by a shrapnel of metal held by a certain elderly owl he tried to kill, glowered in fury and madness, his rustic mask, battle-worn and the right side of the visor sliced open, glinting in the little light that managed to peer through the dark unholy mists of the forest, as with a calm and orderly voice, he demanded, "Jatt, Jutt, alert Uglamore and the others, Harris, Fatal, do likewise with the hawks…we are taking to arms."

The gruff-voice gave a hidden smirk, "I knew you would see things my way."

Harris looked at Nix in surprise as he demanded, "Wait a minute, why are we doing this?!"

Nix did not answer immediately, as an evil grin appeared on his face, although it could not be seen under his mask, "Simple, my hawk friend, I am merely giving my condolences to an old friend of mine…" He crumpled and tossed the letter aside, laughing maniacally as it fell to the ground of the forest, and slowly unfolding as sounds of wingflaps ensued…the contents of the paper said this:

'You are cordially invited to the wedding of Kludd Alba and Nyra 'Canner' Camille, being held at First Black within the Great Tree of Ga'Hoole tomorrow.'

A/N: Well, I hope you guys enjoyed the first chapter. I know it is short, but I am trying to keep it that way, so I could update more frequently. As you can see, there is already a dark scheme afoot, starring the return of our old enemies, Nix and Harris. I hope you guys liked that journal like entry in the beginning of the chapter, as it will be that way for the rest of the story. I bet you are all wondering who that gruff-voiced owl was as well as that blur that Nix screeched to…that will be revealed all in due time. READ AND REVIEW!

Voice Cast for OCs

Nix – Jensen Ackles (Dean Winchester from Supernatural)

Harris Hawk – Simon Baker (Patrick Jane from The Mentalist)

Fatal – Jason Segel (Marshal Eriksen from How I Met Your Mother)

Artworks stuff is appreciated, deeply appreciated.