Chapter 8

She flew to the Beyond as swift as her wings could carry her. All because she didn't usually make useful tools doesn't mean she didn't need to. She had been flying for who knows how long when Dunmore, a volcano that recently became very active, came into view. As she neared it she saw signs of an eruption already occurring. Smoke was billowing out of the immense craterlike a dark storm cloud and the mountain seemed to be shaking. She forced herself to fly faster, though her wings grew heavier by the second. She saw some lava flowing down from the top like a river down the steep side of the volcano; it seemed to glow in colors of orange, yellow, and red. Owls were already circling the crater, preparing to catch the coals that spewed from the top, though very rarely did one succeed. She could hear the distant howls and yelps of the wolves that guarded the volcanoes as they searched the skies for any stray owls. They make sure that no owl tries to dive in and grab the legendary Ember of Hoole. If it fell into the wrong hands who knows what may happen. She tried not to think about that as she arrived above the crater of Dunmore. The molten lava was boiling and rising closer and closer to the top. Eventually some of the lava began to spill out over the top of the crater. She heard a deep rumbling that rang in her ear slits and shook the Earth. She flew to a safe distance and watched in wonder. The rumbling grew louder and louder until it was beyond deafening and following that there was a loud explosion and lava was thrown hundreds of feet in the air and coals whizzed by everywhere. She was trying to focus on catching the coals in her beak and bucket but something about the fire drew her in. It took away her concentration to the coals and she felt completely focused on the lava. What was she seeing in the molten material that drew her so much?

In the midst of the boiling liquid she saw to owls glaring at each other with hate filled eyes. They were barn owls and they resembled one another so much they must've been brothers. She saw something other than hate in their eyes. In one's eyes she saw loss and in the other's she saw fear. Before she could make sense of what she had seen she snapped out of it as a coal landed harshly into her bucket. She shook her head wildly trying to shake off the feeling that she had just seen something she wasn't supposed to. She flew down to the foot of the volcano and picked up fresh coals, filling her bucket to the brim. When she was content she had enough she lifted off and headed the direction of Silverveil. She had heard news that an ancient rogue smith's scroom had once haunted the very forge she worked in but she didn't believe it. It wasn't that she didn't believe in scrooms but she wasn't a complete believer either. As dawn rose upon the horizon and weariness seeped through her she knew she had to rest. She lighted down on a branch of an ancient pine and hopped into a hollow. She felt uncomfortable sleeping in a tree since she lived in a forge on the ground but she settled down and tried to sleep. Then her thoughts drew to the sights she saw in the explosion of lava during the eruption. The eruption had felt so brief. Did she have fire sight or was she just going yoiks? She truthfully had not the slightest idea. She seriously doubted she had fire sight. It must've been from the lack of sleep she had yesterday but she just couldn't shake the feeling that something terrible was about to happen in the owl kingdoms, something was about to erupt.

….

Shaze wasn't about to wait until his wing completely healed to escape the burning hatred of his father. In midday his eyes slowly opened. He blinked several times until his eyes adjusted to the light and he was able to stand up. He quietly unraveled the bandage to reveal his wing. He expected a scar to be stretching like a canyon across his wing but instead he saw an almost perfectly healed wing, ready for flight. It hardly even ached. He hopped out of the hollow and to the edge of the large Branch. He swiveled his head and tuned his sharp ears to search for anyone that might have seen him leave the infirmary but he was the only owl out at the moment. In fear that someone might find him he flew away as fast as he dared with his wing in the direction of Silverveil. He wanted to live like every other owl, not like a king or an officer or any owl that would be known in history. He just wanted to live as a normal owl of Silverveil where the prey is rich and nights are perfect. He was already day dreaming about the life he would lead. He might travel as far as the Northern Kingdoms. He didn't know. It wasn't long before his left wing grew sore and tired and he began to slow down. He just cruised in the light breeze, trying to rely more on his starboard wing then his port. He looked into the distance but he couldn't see any tree line. All he could see was the large sea he had to conquer. He thought his wing was healed enough for large distances but eventually where he had gotten stabbed began to sting. He was able to put up with it for a few hours but eventually the entire wing was encased in terrible pain and the wing began to throb. He thought things couldn't possibly get worse. He was hungry, tired, and in pain but when he looked behind him into the distance he saw a dark cloud.

"Odd." He thought. "There is no other storm cloud in the sky. And it is moving quite fast." Then he heard vicious squawks and caws in the distance. His eyes widened in fear and he nearly went yeep. Crows! He ignored the pain in his wing and flew as fast as he could. The wind turned against him and blew the opposite direction, slowing him down. The mob of crows seemed to be drawing nearer and nearer by the minute. Shaze felt completely hopeless as the wind blew stronger and his wing became weaker. He couldn't keep flying this fast much longer. He felt himself losing elevation. Then he saw the tree line. He was so close, so very close.

"All well." He thought. As he closed his eyes and plummeted down to the sea. "All well." Then something seemed to yell at him on the inside. His eyes snapped open and he screeched loudly, flying as fast as he could again, flapping his wings with such force that it surprised even him. The crows weren't coming so fast since the sky was darkening. Shaze was determined to make it to his goal, to Silverveil. He didn't want to be torn to shreds by bloodthirsty crows. He heard it was an awful way to die.

…...

He had flown so much that it felt his wings might fly off. For four nights he had to wake up early and practice his spiral dives until late into dawn. It was his punishment and no matter how hard he tried he was never able to do it perfect enough. His father always found fault with how he performed. He had lost track of how many times he had flown around the canyon.

"All right Shamere you may come down now, I believe you have learned your lesson." His father called out from his perch. Shamere managed to land with grace, despite how weary he was. He couldn't feel his wings, he was sure he had lost half of his feathers. With permission from his father he was able to fly into his nest and rest. He nestled deep into the downy nest and wondered where his mother was. She had been gone all day and he could only wonder what has become of her. His father said she was alright, that she just needed to contact a rogue smith so she had to cross the sea of Hoolemere to get to it and she won't return for a few more days. This discouraged Shamere since his mother was always so loving and kind and his father was cold hearted and dark. There was such a big difference between them; he wondered how they had ever become mates. He knew that they were complete opposites but he sensed love between them. Eventually he fell into a troubled sleep.

…...

She was forging a beautiful piece of artwork in the fire, like a wolf's eye. She seemed so happy and peaceful as she put her work into a jar and set it on a shelf. She seemed about ready to fall asleep when suddenly Aryn flew into the nest, screeching madly. She had grabbed the rogue smith and hit her on the head with her own tongs. She dropped down unconscious. Aryn smirked evilly as she stuffed the smith in a bag and flew off.

….

Shamere woke with a scream, breathing hard. His mother wouldn't do that to any owl! Why had he dreamed such a horrid thing? Then he remembered that his mother had gone to visit a rogue smith. But that was just a nightmare, right?

….

Shaze crash landed on an old, gnarled, pine tree, gasping for breath. He dizzily got to his feet and looked behind him. No crows. The tree had a hollow above him so, using the last of his strength; he hopped a little higher and collapsed into it. As soon as he fell his adrenaline ran out a weariness crashed down on him like a wall. The only thing that matched his tiredness was his pain. He lifted his wing to examine it, wincing from the pain, and saw a steady stream of blood dripping down from the matted feathers. He groaned as he let his wing drop. What was he thinking? He knew his wing wasn't completely healed before he set off. How could he be so stupid? Just like that, he realized the answer. His father. It was all his father's fault in the first place. If his father hadn't treated him like a useless waste of space he wouldn't have run way, Timatsu wouldn't have come looking for him, then he wouldn't be dead and then he wouldn't be banished. He didn't care if his father was the king of the entire world, he hated him and he always would.