Author's note: I've only read up to 'The Outcast' (I think that's book 8) so I hope I don't miss some kind of huge detail or event while writing this. If I do, then you're gonna have to live with it. Oh, and the title might end up changing, I'm not too sure right now. And I also don't know where this is going, so I hope it turns out alright.

Chapter 1: Melody

Something wasn't right. Before even opening her eyes, she could tell that. She didn't feel the same she had earlier, and she had a headache. Something was wrong.

It was after those thoughts that she realized she couldn't think of her name. I've got no name. I'm a name-less human. Yes, that was one thing she was sure of. She was a living breathing human.

Look at yourself. The thought thumbed in her head, but she knew she hadn't thought it. Something—or someone—must have put it in her head. Somehow, the voiceless thought sounded male.

Why? She answered in her mind. That doesn't make any sense; I know what I look—

Are you sure? Look at yourself.

But—

Look at yourself! The thing seemed angry.

She could no longer resist. The thing in her mind was too over-powering, to strong. It was almost like it was making her open her eyes.

And so she did. It was the middle of the afternoon. She was in a forest that had a thick blanket of snow on the ground. It so . . . so pretty and peaceful!

Don't look around you. Look at yourself! The voice thundered in her head.

Alright, alright, already! So she shook her head and looked down. But she didn't see the skin of a human, instead she saw feathers. And she panicked. She stretched out what she thought were her arms, and instead found wings. She looked down at what should have been her feet and found talons.

She, still without a name, fainted.

-----

"Is she gonna be alright, Mommy?"

The owl groaned.

"She's waking up!" The owlet said. "Does that mean she's gonna be alright?"

"I hope so, darling, I hope so."

She, the owl they had found last night, opened her eyes to look at them. I can understand owls! She thought. But then she remembered. She was an owl. She tried to move from her sitting position to a standing position, but it just gave her a headache.

"Hey, little one, don't take it too fast." The owl that appeared to be the mother said. "I'd give you something to eat but we don't have anything right now. We've been caring for you so we haven't gotten out to hunt. That's where my mate, Henry, is now."

There was a short pause. "Oh, and I'm Melina and this is—"

The owlet interrupted. "I'm Gina! What's your name?" Gina was jumping up and down, like an energy ball ready to explode.

"I don—" She was going to say that she didn't remember, but a thought entered her head. Your name is Melody. It wasn't the same voice as before; it was a sweeter, softer one. And as soon as the voice said Melody, her head was filled with a dozen different voices all saying Melody. They were vaguely familiar, and it almost seemed as if each one was a memory. It was over as quickly as it had begun, and the only thing she had learned was that her name was Melody.

"Are you alright?" Melina asked, obviously worried that Melody had suddenly stopped talking.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Melody paused, and then answered the other question. "My name is Melody."

"I hope you don't mind me asking this, but. . . How did you turn that colour?" Melina asked.

For the first time, Melody wondered what she actually did look like. She hadn't paid much attention before. "Do you have a mirror?" She asked.

"A mirror? What do you mean? The mirror lakes are outside. . ." Before Melina had finished, Melody had excited the hollow and was outside on a skinny branch limb heading towards the lake. Melina stuck her head out of the hollow and yelled at Melody, worry in her voice. "Don't! Your way to close to the water! If you fall in . . ."

But Melody wasn't paying any attention anymore. She just wanted to see what she looked like. She needed to see what she looked like. And so she dug her talons into the bark and made her way towards the water.

Once she was over it enough to see her reflection, she gasped. She looked like a barn owl, kinda. Her face was heart-shaped like a Barn owl, but her body was pure white. No spots, strips or anything else. Her head . . . while, it was black. Black as the night. Her eyes were pure white, like her body. Oh, she was a very weird looking owl.

"Can you fly?" Melina called out, making Melody forget her thoughts and come back to the present.

"Um . . ." Melody wasn't sure, sense she couldn't remember a thing. "I don't think so."

"You don't think so?" Melina looked at her weird. "I guess we better not chance it. Try and get back over here, slowly." Melina's face was in a tight, worried look, but after a minute or two Melody was back in the hollow, safe and tired. Soon she was asleep again.

-----

Henry was airborne. He really didn't want to go anyplace tonight, but Melina had insisted that he go. She had said that she didn't want to 'care for the poor confused owl' for very long. According to her the funny-coloured barn owl hesitated about her name, and didn't even know whether or not she could fly.

Didn't know whether she could fly? That's what confused Henry. An owl that didn't know if she had ever flown before? It made no sense.

Henry checked his course with the stars. He didn't know much about navigating, but he knew how to get to the Great Tree and back. He'd flown it many times.

It wasn't too much longer until the island and the tree came in view. Henry swooped down to land on the branches, the night slowly turning into day around him.

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Authors note: So, what do you think? I've got the next chapter started already, and I personally think that's its turning out better then this one did. This one was kinda . . . odd.