Uncle Soren [1/?]

[honou_no_izumi]

Title: Uncle Soren
Characters: Coryn, Soren, Ezylryb
Fandom: Guardians of Ga'Hoole
Rating: G
Summary: His Uncle is indeed an extraordinary owl...

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It was all as he had imagined, and more. His Uncle Soren had been as much as what Mist had told him and of what he had heard—and even more than that. His Uncle Soren was just as legendary as any other legendary owls that he had learned and heard about. And this legendary owl, was related closely to him. If there was something that he could proudly claim as his own, it was the fact that Uncle Soren was his family, part of him.

Of course there was still Aunt Eglantine and Aunt Pellimore, and of course Blythe and Bash and the still unhatched egg that were his cousins. If once before he had yearned to be happy, he wouldn't have imagined then that he would feel so happy as he did now.

"What was that you so deeply thinking... lad?"

Coryn jumped. "Oh... it's you, Ezylryb. No... it's nothing."

Ezyl cast a knowing glance to the young king before looking away towards Soren, who was flying with Pelli taking some of the young owlets to fly for their First Flight Ceremony.

"An extraordinary owl, don't you think lad?" Coryn cast him a curious glance before turning to see who was it that the old ryb had meant.

"I had always known Soren would be an extraordinary owl even from that moment he had lighted down on this tree for the first time. Not just of his gift as a collier, but much more than that. I knew then and there that I would take him under my wing, even if he himself didn't realize his own extraordinary potential." Ezylryb turned towards Coryn, his squinted eye stared piercingly into his gizzard. "It was not his courageous escapades nor he and the Band's journey to this tree that impressed me, it was of the things that one cannot see from his outward appearances."

Ezyl winked at him. "It was because of Soren the Band existed. Without realizing it himself, Soren had drawn owls towards him by just his own personality and gizzard. Soren's a natural leader and much more, and I believe the same thing is also inside you... my lad."

Coryn gasped. He had felt himself a bit awkward still being at this great tree, with him still a stranger owl that had escaped the Pure Ones to become their leader. Compared to his uncle who had known almost everyone in this tree, Coryn felt himself inadequate. What wonder that this old owl could have sensed his insecurities. Perhaps this was why Uncle Soren loved him too. Ezylryb had taken him as his ward after all, Coryn thought.

"Hey Soren, come down here for a bit!"

Soren lighted down almost immediately. "What is it?" Soren asked, though from the spark in his eyes Coryn felt his uncle already knew the reason he had been called.

"Fancy for a bit of fun flying tonight?"

Soren blinked before turning a glance towards the direction of the Broken Talon, where Coryn only now had noticed; a blizzard had started to brew. His eyes brightened. "Should I call out the chaw?" he asked as Ezylryb shook his head.

"No, not tonight. If the older ones wanted to join us, they're free to do so. The young ones could wait another time. I wanted to show young Coryn here how we have some fun."

It finally down on him what Ezylryb had planned in mind and the memory of when he last braved the Shredders with Phillip came to mind.

"Err... is that a bit early for me? I'm not sure if I can fly into this blizzard. Last time when I've tried to go through the Shredder, I got thrown away into Silverveil."

Soren laughed. "Don't worry, you can do it. Besides, if anything wrong happen... you have me and Ezyl to watch your back."

"As well as any other owls that might've flown nearby," Ezylryb added.

Soren turned towards his mentor. "But are you sure Ezyl? It's been a while since the last blizzard. I felt it in tonight's air—"

"Racdrops!" Coryn looked at the old ryb in surprise but noticed his uncle was not offended at the bad word. "I still have it in my good bones for some hurly burlies and merry-making. Come on, I want to catch the winds before Ruby got to it!"

Soren churred. "Ruby really do love the winds, she'd want to fly every single wind that comes her way. Good old Ruby..."

"Hah, it be a while before she can outfly me. Come on Soren, this time I want to hear you sing as loud as you can!"

"Sing?" Coryn asked them, puzzled but Soren and Ezylryb already got off the branch towards the blizzard as he followed. Soren gave him a wink as Ruby and Martin came to join them. Otulissa flew by a few moments later just before the old ryb and his uncle did a most shocking move while flying through the scuppers and baggywrinkles. When the rough-sounding songs finally come out, waves of understanding finally washed over him as Coryn laughed heartily.

It was only after a few hours later when Coryn and the weathering chaw finally returned to the tree, tired but happy.

xxx

"Now off to sleep young'uns—" Soren started to say as Blythe and Bell sleepily hopped into their nest of downs, ushered over by their mother Pellimore. Soren smiled to himself before turning towards Coryn. "The same thing should be for you, my lad."

"I'm not sleepy yet," he started to say but a yawn escaped his beak. Soren smiled.

"Oh really? Aren't you a bit old to still needing some good-light stories before you sleep?"

Soren churred as he noticed the slight ruffle on Coryn's chest plumage. "Not my fault I never experience these things when I'm younger, please Uncle Soren. Some more stories? I wouldn't mind listening to the legends another day, but some more stories at least? I loved to hear you tell stories!"

Soren stared to his nephew with wonder. Despite Coryn's age he now looked as young as either Blythe or Bash. Suddenly he was seeing not the admirable young king who had returned to the tree with the Ember of Hoole but a young hatchling, none the different than any other hatchlings born to this great tree. Pelli churred softly.

"Go on, dear. There still be a while before the sun would come up. It should be enough time for at least one more story." she said before Soren and Coryn flew out towards Coryn's own hollow.

"So what story do you want to hear?" he asked as they lighted in the hollow. Soren eyed the ember at the center of the hollow before turning towards Coryn.

"I want to hear stories about you!"

Soren blinked in amazement as Coryn explained. "My mother used to tell very horrid things about you when I was little, as well as many other lies about the world. When I found out the truth from the flames, the truth that my mother and her Pure Ones owls had hid from me; I yearned to know a lot of things about Ga'Hoole. Most of all I wanted to know more about you, the things you do and not the lies they made to tarnish you on my eyes. I want to know many things about you, your family—my family—everything! I want to know all!"

Soren churred again. "But Coryn my lad, I don't really know that much myself about our own owl family. I had been taken away to St. Aggies when I had been so young—" Soren saw the look of disappointment in Coryn's black eyes as he sighed, "But I did remember something." Coryn eyes brightened again as Soren laughed.

"I remembered how my Da—your Grand-Da—and your Grandmother used to fly so silently whenever they went out hunting. I was even surprised to note your wingbeats were as similar as theirs when you first appeared!" Coryn looked mystified at that knowledge, considering he never had a chance to know his grandparents.

"Your Grand-Da also loved telling stories too, I guess you could say I learnt to be a good storyteller from him. Your Grandmother had a sweet voice and she always sang little songs or ditties to us during our First Ceremonies. She always loved weaving the moss in our hollow into long braids as your Grand-Da tells his stories."

"What kinds of stories did Grand-Da used to tell?"

Soren shrugged. "I only ever hear him tell the Legends or about the Guardians, but your father used to say that Da also told about some other owl histories. Sadly, I never had a chance to hear it myself and Kludd never liked to share stories and the likes. He hated those stories as much as he hated to be preened. Glaux knows why."

It was the first time Coryn ever heard his uncle talk about his Da, since he had been careful not to touch that topic whenever he was with his uncle. Somehow he felt it would pain his uncle to think about that as much as it pained him whenever he thinks about Nyra.

Suddenly Soren cheered a bit. "But you know Coryn, some time before I had been reading about the old wars from the past; since Ezyl insisted that I come and read it again with him. He said something about remembering an owl, a Barn owl during the Battle of Little Hoole. An owl that bears a resemblance to me."

"Really?" Coryn's eyes widened.

Soren nodded. "I at first dismissed it, because if by any chance any of my great-grandparents or relatives had ever fought in that battle—and I never had a chance to know any other of our relatives—my Da should have known about the existence of the Great Tree for real and he never told me that before. But then I read more and learnt that that Barn owl had left for Tyto after the war and never returned, adamant to live in peace away from wars and battles. And then it dawn on me that it could have possibly be a relative and considering that I myself was a gizzard-resister, it's a possibility that my Da was the same. And that my Da knew about Ga'Hoole but kept it to himself. He was always adamant about living peacefully, that he did."

Noticing the hints of sunlight slipping into the hollow. Soren stopped himself. "Oh my... I seemed to forget myself! It's already twixt time! And I haven't even tell you a proper story!"

Coryn laughed. "But you are!" he said as Soren shook his head.

"I'm just talking nonsense..." said Soren before closing his eyes to collect his thoughts. "Perhaps next time I'll tell you a real proper story of the things I used to do when I was young."

"It's alright, uncle. I don't really mind it. I liked being with you." The words just flew out of his beaks before Coryn realised that he had said too much. Soren now was staring at him closely.

"Don't you want to try mixing around with the other owls in this tree? My lad, just because you're now the new king of this tree doesn't mean that you cannot act like any other owl. You're still young. Or is it, you're scared to mingle around because of your lineage? My dear Coryn, despite your parents... as I blindly beaked off just now, you are born of a family of good owls. Even if your parents had been Kludd and Nyra, you are not them."

Coryn blinked at him as Soren smiled. "Did you think I not notice? Ezyl wasn't the only perceptive owl in this tree." he said before slightly preening Coryn's feathers with his talons. He noticed how his nephew liked it to be preened so gently.

"I'm sorry Uncle Soren, to have made you worry," said Coryn as Soren shrugged at him as an owl would.

"I love you," said Coryn again, to Soren's surprise before he replied similarly. He noticed how the young king suddenly shivered in excitement the moment he said those words. Soren smiled. My, did I looked like that, that time dear Ezylryb told me that he decided to take me as his ward?, he thought in amusement.

xxx

"Good light, now. We'll save the other stories for another day then. Good light, my lad."

Coryn watched his uncle flew back towards his own hollow before he himself hopped back into his nest of downs. His uncle Soren was really an extraordinary owl and this extraordinary owl loved him dearly. Coryn turned to look towards the cask of metal that held the Ember of Hoole.

It was a different kind of warmth, that was swelling inside of him right now. Coryn thought of the apparition of the horrid mask that used to shake his gizzard.

You're wrong, he thought to himself as he finally closed his eyes. I have Uncle Soren with me. I am loved. This is where I belonged.