Prolouge
Meet the Family
In a dark land, somewhere far away where not many live, there was a valley. There was a valley for the poor, and a mountain for the rich. This valley was called Death Falls, seeing as many rich ones who have slaves tie their slaves' wings to the body and throw them off of the mountain. The inhabitants of the valley do all they can to try and save the slaves, but they never can. Since the children there are so used to death, they do not care for others who die. The mountain, called Pain Cliffs, is named for the harsh rule and stuck-up birds of the castle. This story is about a young owlet who discovers that all this is not what it seems. Now, this owlet's mother is the princess, her father is the king. Yes, weird, but not. The queen is the princess's mother, who's husband died, making the prince the princess married into a king. Here's the family:
Strix-The queen, mother of Gaea. Wife to the late King Cloud-Wing
Gaea-The princess, wife to King Dominic
Dominic-The King, husband to Princess Gaea
Shira-The secondary princess, child of King Dominic and Princess Gaea
Now, as you can see that was only part of the family. Onto the story.
Chapter 1
A Kind-of Regular Day.
A small grey and brown owlet was perched on her bed, big eyes closed as she snored away. Her soft feathers rose and fell as she breathed in and out. Her bed was a beautiful gold stand with pretty carvings of owls from the past. The claw-hold was covered in a soft, cushiony velvet that molded to the owlet's claws for comfort. The owlet was the prettiest shade of grey, with brown speckles on the top of her head, on her wings, and down to her tail. She had the loveliest green eyes, the shade of a dew-covered leaf in full bloom in the springtime. Her room had a beautiful window that always had light shining through in the daytime. Her name was etched into the wall over the door. It said in fancy writing;Shira
Daughter of Dominic and Gaea
There were toys all around, but Shira rarely played with them because she always had 'princess duties' she had to attend to. The grey speckled owlet finally rose from her sleep, big green eyes blinking a few times. She shuffled her wings, leaning forward and standing on one claw as she stretched. She shook her tail feathers and looked at her wings. They were useless, Shira would never be able to fly if she didn't work harder to make her wings more muscly and stuff like all the other owlets in class. She hopped off of her perch, fluttering clumsily as she landed on the polished wooden floor. She walked over to the closet, taking a talon and opening the door. Picking out a regular dress, she pulled it on and put her wings through the short sleeves. She groomed her feathers, washed her claws, and headed out of the room. Shira trotted quickly to the classroom, leaping in and scrambling onto a perch. Her perch. It had her name on it, and it was made of gold like her bed perch. Except there was no velvet, just some cheap silk.
Shira gasped, letting out a big sigh as the school bell rang. She hated class. Now it was time to head over to her mother. She blinked her green eyes, looking around the classroom. She hadn't left because she was still lost in thought. The owlets here are so stuck up...Maybe that's because they think they are so cool. I believe that even slaves are as equal as us.. Shira thought, hopping off of her perch. She absentmindedly walked to her mother's room, knocking on the door with her beak. The diamond handle turned and a beautiful grey owl showed up at the door. Her blue eyes were looking straight ahead, and she was wondering what owl had the motive to knock on her door and just leave. Then she looked down.
"Shira!" She squawked, ruffling her feathers and giving her daughter a warm hug, wings wrapped around her daughter's soft feathers.
Shira smiled, feeling the warmth of her mother pressed against her. She clacked her beak. "I missed you!" She cried, looking up at Gaea.
"Yes, because I was only thirty claws away." She clacked her beak with a chuckle. "Now, onto your duties. Remember to wash your claws and comb your feathers." She instructed, waving her daughter away with her grey wing.
Shira hesitated, then turned. She fluttered down the spiral staircase. Maybe a little walk wouldn't hurt... She strutted over to the entrance hall, slipping out. The Golden Eagle guards were stationed there, and they saw everything that went on. When one asked her what she was doing, Shira clearly told the guard she was instructed by the queen to go there. She clacked her beak, heading down the three-hundred forty-two steps to the ground. The owlet was already panting, but she continued on.
The hard pebbles rustled under her talons, and she gradually got to the grassy fields where the 'peasants' lived. She spotted two of her classmates, the rich twins. Their names, Rich and Rick. Blizzard spotted a younger owlet and her friends. Rich and Rick were throwing gold at them, laughing and sneering as the younger owls desperately grabbed the gold coins.
"Ah the poor ones!" One of the twins sneered. The other one laughed hysterically. Shira exploded with anger. She stiffly walked over, spreading her wings to block the little owlets.
"You, I would have you banished if I were queen!" She said, almost hissing like a cat. She narrowed her eyes, watching the shocked brothers.
"Well at least I can use a sword!" Rich cried, taking one out of his belt and holding the carved handle in his talons. He lifted it, slashing at Shira. Rick stepped back, knowing that his brother had gone too far.
Shira ducked, having the feathers at the top of her head trimmed. They twirled in the air as the owlets danced, locked in battle. Shira used her claws to stab Rich's stomach, making him clench his stomach with his other claw. He fell to the ground, and Shira took the chance to grab his sword. Feeling that she could not stand on her one leg, she tried to fly. Flapping her wings as hard as she could, Shira grabbed a slight wind and was up in the air...For a moment. She landed on a rooftop and checked out the sword she was holding. It was the pretty blue Aqua Blade. It's curved blade was shiny and new, and the handle had a merbird carved around it. On the flat side of the blade there were spikes. This was her blade! Shira recognized it from her room. In the frame, it matched her blue painted walls. She admired the gold flecks, but saw something in the reflection of the blade. Rich was diving at her, full speed. Being a hawk, they had extremely well diving skills from a hatchling to a dead bird.
The owlet whipped around, ducking as quick as she could, but Rich was faster. He knocked her off of the building and she slammed against the floor. Clutching the sword tightly, she ran as fast as her legs would carry her, trotting quickly to the unknown. She tried to fly a few times, but she was having some trouble because she hadn't become a full fledgling yet. Once she made it to the forest, Shira looked around. She shrank into her feathers, knowing she was lost.Chapter 2
[Insert Title Here]
Shira's sides were heaving as she waddled on, tired from her journey. It was almost night time, which meant she was out for...How long? She decided to make a Sun Dial. "But from what.." She thought out loud, looking around. Her forest-green eyes matched the pretty leaves. She fluffed up her feathers, deciding to draw it in the ground with her talons. Her dress was torn and now destroyed. She ripped it off, now only dressed in a belt and a small crown. Which was not a problem. Only the rich had actual clothes.
The grey and brown owlet drew a circle in the ground, marking the numbers. 1Have to eat dinner. Finish in a few :3
TBC (To be continued...)
