Creative Corner

@Karika

The world I know is nature. I see trees before me, tall and reaching, sometimes heavy with the weight of the rain beating down on them. Beneath me is the river, it runs deep and cuts through the earth. Even the water here is green, impossible to see through.

Beyond it all, I see others. The people who walk through these mountains and hills are dirt-stained with the blood of the earth, soil buried deep in their clothes. They seek what they have not found before, they wish to explore and travel places others have yet to go. They cross the river with me as their ferryman, for I am the planks that hold them up and the rope that guides their hands along. Their steps on my surface revitalize me, and I watch them pass with a keen observance.

In time, less will come this way. This area has already been explored, these mountains mapped out. What need do the adventurers have to come this way now? There are other forests, other rivers that have never been seen before. My home is nothing to them now.

The weight of time weighs down on me, and I feel no passing of the days. There is nothing to pin me down in this moment, no travelling explorers to remind me that time moves second by second. Nothing changes here, and the trees do not speak.

It is years later, perhaps, when I become aware of time again. My wood is darker, stained with rain and wear. Moss and lichen hang from my ropes, and I am older. The explorer stops at my feet, hands running along the rough wood of the pillar that holds my ropes in place. They peer at the tree beyond my bridge, and there is a familiar gleam of adventure in their eye.

This explorer did not come to find what has not been found. They have come to see what is already there, to step where others have stepped long ago. I see all those explorers now, here, in this one human. They step onto my bridge.

With clarity, I remember my place once more. I am older, yes, but vastly unchanged. This explorer, too, is much the same. A different person, but one whose spirit I know.

They are not the last.

Again, I am met with a flurry of adventurers, those who pass by my river and look once more upon my mountains with passion. The land here is unchanging, the same as it was hundreds of years ago, but their wonder remains the same. It is something I know very well now.

@Karika

“What is this place?” I asked as I tentatively stepped from root to root. The ground about me was strewn with damp leaves. Mist coiled over the ground, carving rivers of grey through the old growth forest. It carried the damp scent of earth and rot, of life and death.

“I don’t know,” Gavin whispered back. “But I think it might be the Isle.”

“Don’t be silly,” I replied, not caring to whisper. My words faded into the fog that surrounded us, casting everything in a dim haze.

“Shh.”

Gavin pressed on ahead, his steps careful and sure as he moved silently between the trees. Tendrils of mist caressed him, making him appear ghostly. Everything felt old and foreign, as though it didn’t belong in our world.

I repressed my inner child that wanted to believe. It was just a humid September morning. The car was only a couple miles behind us at most.

“Look,” Gavin breathed.

My heart fluttered into my throat as I followed his gaze along our path to an old rickety bridge. It hardly looked sturdy in the cold, grey morning, but Gavin pressed on.

“I tell you, it’s the Isle.”

The wonder in his tone, that beautiful hope, made me want even more to believe, to believe that we could find this fabled place, or that it could find us.

Gavin looked back to me, his eyes wide as he reached out to take my hand.

“Let’s cross.”

I glanced uncertainly to the bridge.

“Do you think it will hold us, Gavin?”

“Only one way to find out.”

Before I could protest, he took a step onto the first plank. I released his hand, not wanting to risk the weight of two people so near each other. The bridge lurched briefly under his weight, but the wood did not even groan in protest. Emboldened, he took another step and then another, and soon he was crossing at a slow but steady pace. The water beneath the bridge meandered past, indifferent to the young human who moved above it.

Swallowing my fear and forcing my heart back into my chest, I took the first step onto the bridge. I resisted the desperate urge to close my eyes and, instead, focused on Gavin and the giant tree that stood as a beacon of safety.

Halfway across, I dared a glance into the fetid water below. A scream caught briefly in my throat before escaping as a strangled cry.

“Sarah?!”

I heard Gavin, but couldn’t look at him. The great eyes of a giant serpent stared up at me. The creature shifted, slowly lifting above the surface. Water cascaded down its head and along its body in rivulets, plummeting into the lake below as it rose to tower over me. It was black as my darkest thoughts, tinted in deep indigo streaks. Its eyes were milky white, but the pupils were clear. Spirals of pale grey marked the inside of its hood.

Slowly, it lowered its head towards me, a tongue the length of my arm flicking to catch my scent.

You wicked being, it hissed in my head. Why have you come here?

I struggled to take a full breath. I could feel rope cutting into my hands as I tightly gripped the rail.

Your disbelieving heart has no place within this sacred site.

It reared back, its mouth opening to reveal fangs that would easily pierce me through.

“Stop!” I shouted.

To my surprise, it did. It cocked its head inquisitively.

Why?

I forced myself not to look to Gavin. I had to believe that he made it to the other side. Slowly, I forced my hands to release their grip on the bridge. I squared my shoulders and stared straight into the eyes of the snake.

“Why is it a crime to doubt?”

Because it is that doubt that has cast us to this island, the serpent hissed in irritation. Because it is human pride and arrogance that cut so many of our kind down. You cannot begin to understand the devastation.

I considered the words of the serpent and then blew out a breath, not daring to look away.

“You’re trapped here? You’re not here of your free will?”

We hide, it confirmed. If we do not, we die. We are the last survivors of the mightiest races. Few believe any longer, and so slowly, even here, we fade into oblivion.

I lifted a hand towards the serpent, my palm out. All rational thought abandoned me as I pressed against the edge of the bridge.

“Maybe it isn’t lack of belief that is suffocating your souls,” I replied, my voice steady. “Maybe it’s a lack of existing. Maybe this isle is your cage. Rather than remaining secure, you’re slowly rotting away within its walls of fog and mist.”

Everything fell silent. Only the mist moved, swirling endlessly over the brackish water. Intuition urged me on.

“Let me be your vessel. Experience the world through me. I will carry your spirit.”

The serpent stared at me with unblinking eyes, but I was no longer afraid. I awaited its answer. Slowly, it lowered its head, pressing its nose to my hand. A flash of bitter cold shot through my body, leaving me gasping for breath.

The serpent was gone, but I could feel her, definitely her, coiled within me around my soul. I lowered my hand and then turned to look to Gavin before striding along the bridge towards him. He gaped as I passed him onto the island.

“Where are we going?” he asked as he hurried to catch up. “Sarah?”

“We’re going to rescue them.”

“Who?”

“All of them.”

As you carry me, so I will carry you, child, in times of need.

I smiled as I slipped easily past the trees. We would see the creatures trapped here brought whole from their prison and released unto the world. Others would come and together, we would become the Shifters.

There were stars in the water, but none in the sky.

They weren't real stars, of course. Bits of foam drifting on the wet green sky flowing below.

Christopher set a foot on the board, the bridge swaying slightly with his weight. He grasped the rope for balance with both hands.

Another step, and he was in between. He looked at the gentle water beneath, then up across the bridge. Though a light layer of mist softened the edges of the other world, he could see where the bridge seemed to grow out of the tree. It could be that it did. With Them, it was never certain what was illusion and what was real.

Another step. Not that real had any of the meaning it contained on Earth in Their realm. They were capricious, flighty, dangerous. Truth could be twisted like twine, for though never a lie was spoken across the bridge, meaning was fraught with uncertainty. Word-smithing was as "real" a profession as the smithing of a sword, and produced far more deadly results. For what was in a name, but power?

He kept walking, step by step. Looking back, he could see both worlds were hazy. He stopped in the middle of the bridge, looking out across the river. Where did it lead? He would probably never know. He was a coward. The tightly woven hemp under his hand glittered with strands of silver, and he wasn't sure if it was metal or moonlight. His thoughts were drifting away with the water.

He was a coward. The wood of the bridge slowly crept up over his feet, the hemp snared around his fingers. He could not go forward, and he could not go back. He was a criminal in both worlds. How was he to know that the young girl he struck driving home after poker with friends was a changeling? That even though the -They had sent Her into the mortal realm they were still fiercely protective and vengeful?

How was he supposed to know that after only two beers in two hours, the alcohol would affect him so strongly still that when he hit the girl, he would jerk the wheel, running the car into the dip on the side of the road, flipping it, and killing his infant daughter?

That beautiful, loving, perfect Christine would look at him with all the ice-burning wrath of a righteous avenging angel and curse him with the blistering acid and fire of Hell?

That he would be condemned be two queens and a magistrate, but that no entity could damn him more than his own heart?

He wrenched his foot up with a great shrieking cry from the wood, with his dense, corded muscles snapped the ropes around his arms. He stepped forward. There was more than gravity that lent weight and import to every footfall. He was running from punishment, running from his own tiny fears. He did not know what he might face - oblivion, even in the face of his terror, would certainly be merciful, immortality perhaps less so. But here, he knew, knew that he did not know, knew that however terrible the sentence there was the smallest of awful, unforgivable hopes that -

One step left, and he would be in another world. He looked back. Huh, there really were stars in the water.

The Fae were calling.

@Karika

@Karika

"I don't think this is the right way, Ered" Hathway protested.

"You are welcome to fly ahead and scout a new path, but with Raxe is such bad shape, someone will have to walk with her to get across. we all cannot fly and leave her behind." Ered said calmly as Hathaway groaned in frustration. Her objection was not meant to imply she wanted to leave Raxe behind.

"and the heavy fog hasn't settled down yet, it will be hard to stay together in the sky, there are too many of us now you know that"
She knew he was right, what started off as just the two of them had grown into a sizeable group of dragons in need of a new home.
She looked at the bridge, trying to come up with a reason why she shouldn't have to go across it. Eventually sighing heavily.

"Fine. But if that thing breaks just know I am going to blame you"

Hathaway helped Raxe up, they had recently helped her escape from a previous clan, which abused her strength and put her through great pain, forcing her to train relentlessly for dominance. In the process, she continued to grow stronger, but they broke her. Mentally and physically.
She was weak with fatigue and covered in angry infected wounds from constant battle.
Helping Raxe cross the bridge would be dangerous if it broke she would be unable to fly to safety. Ered was right about the fog though, the group had been grounded for almost a whole day.

"Well, lets just get this over with then" Hathaway cocked her head to the side signalling Raxe to put her wing over Hathaway's shoulder and use her as a crutch.

"You go first though" she smirked.

"I knew you were going to say that" Ered laughed, turning towards the old bridge.

I have been trying to get back into the writing mood, so maybe this will help push me along, at least when there is a prompt that gives me an idea. ^^

Hopefully it is not too terrible, and Warning for it being a bit depressing.

@Karika

The bridge swayed when a young male took his first step onto it, his destination as uncertain as the strength of the wood he now stood on. He was a wanderer, and while he had a home he could go back to, the past weighed heavily on his heart each time he returned. At least out here, away from those who knew who and what he was, he could forget all that had happened.

Taking another step, clumps of dirty hair swayed in front of his face. The once white strands were now the color of the rope that held the bridge together. The rest of his appearance was no better. His clothes hung off his frame in tattered shreds, and his skin was stained with dirt. Worst of all were his eyes. They stared blankly ahead, very little life in their grey depths.

The wood beneath him creaked with the next step. Would it be possible to cross to the other side without the bridge giving up? It was something he wished he could do many times in the past, so he could not fault this bridge if it were to break. Although, he would, like with all things he watched come to an end, be jealous of its last moments. Looking ahead, he could see no final moments to the life he did not wish to continue.

Turning his head to the right and looking down, he watched the water flow lazily along its course. If he were to fall in here, nothing bad would happen, but he knew farther down was different. The peaceful calm of the river would gradually begin to change into something more deadly. The smooth waves would that carried him would become raging torrents that would slam him mercilessly against the rocks that jutted out of the water - a thought that was rather welcoming.

Eyes narrowing as if in deep concentration, his foot came down on the next wooden board, and this time he put more of his weight on it. The rotting wood groaned under the pressure. Now would be the time to turn back, but his head was filled with how it would feel to be shaken like a rag doll by an angry river. Perhaps today, he would find out how to die.

Lifting his other leg, the added weight caused a splintering sound from beneath him, and he was plunged into the murky water below.

@Karika

"Where do we go next?" he asked. They had reached a fork in the road. The left side led deeper into the jungle. The right side led to the shore.

"Right," she answered as she closed the map in her hands. "Then it's just across the bridge."
The ground squished beneath their feet and water sprinkled from above as they followed a path overgrown with plants.

The breezy air left them feeling chilled as they walked through the trees and made their way to an opening. Beyond it was sand and water. To the left, there were trees. To the right, there was water.

All of the islands were connected to the large one they were currently standing on. Multiple bridges started from the shoreline. They all started as docks and transformed into bridges at various states of repair.

"Okay, I know you said it's across a bridge, but which one is it?" he asked as he grew overwhelmed at all the possibilities.

"I will let you know," she said. She tried her best to reassure him with a smile, but he still didn't trust her after weeks of adventuring together. It seemed like they had gone in circles for days and this was the first time they had made any progress. In fact, since she never let him see the map, he was confident they had gone in circles.

Over and over.

The bridges did not offer the same monotony. He passed bridges that were neglected; they were missing a few dozen wooden planks, and the ropes that bound them together were broken in several places which had caused the bridge to be submerged in dark waters.

Though it was hard to see through the fog, he could tell that those bridges would lead to overgrown islands. The ones that were abandoned, deemed unnecessary for survival, and had too many predators lurking in the trees so Mother Nature took over.

Then there were bridges that were taken care of. Strong ropes that gently swayed in the breeze, all of the planks were there and in good condition, and he could make out buildings in the distance if he squinted. Not that all islands had inhabitants right by the bridge.

The bridges became less and less frequent the further they walked down the shore.

Minutes passed between the last bridge they saw and the next one they reached. Each minute dragged on while raindrops still dropped onto their faces and clothes and he tried to look for an umbrella in his pack, then he remembered he lost it a few days ago.

"I want to see the map. Are we even close?" he said.

"This one," she replied, pointing to the next one they were headed to.

He scoffed and it almost sounded like a laugh, though he was not amused. "You're joking."

"I'm not." She pulled the map out of her pocket, unfolded it, and pointed to his destination along with their location. He was proven wrong.

He stared at the bridge. The space between the boards varied a lot, and the bridge was a long one. It swayed, just slightly, in the breeze, and the boards were wearing down and the ropes that held them together were starting to twist apart in places.

He hesitated before stepping on the planks. The whole bridge rippled. His grip on the rope tightened.

"You can do it," she whispered from behind him.

He breathed, in and out, slowly, as he took it one step at a time. The bridged tilted with every shift of his weight. It was like a balancing beam.

Boards cracked beneath his feet.

A couple of them broke which caused him to fall. He gripped the rope until it hurt, and he struggled to pull a foot out of the water to get back on his feet. She held out a hand, which he took and used to pull himself up out of the water. From the waist down, he was soaked.

She gave him a sympathetic look, but they had to move on.

He moved with extra caution, testing each board before walking forward. More of them cracked and a few more of them broke. They kept on going.

When his feet reached dry land, he exhaled a long breath he had kept bottled up inside. He wanted to collapse down onto the sand, but it would not be long until they had a warm and dry place to stay, so they kept going.

They followed a path of woods, and they stepped over plants and under branches that they could barely see through the fog and the darkness of late afternoon.

Soon, they reached a clearing in the woods. A fire pit rested in the middle, tents surrounded it, and no one came out to greet them.

"Hello!" she shouted.

Nothing.

No response.

Just the sound of rain tapping against the leaves.

A low growl came from our side. They jumped, then they ran into the campsite. They ran straight into a tent and tripped over something invisible at the entrance.

A gas rose throughout the tent, and the two could hear obnoxious laughter from outside before everything went black.

When they woke up, they realized this was not the right place. The people here wore masks, whispered to each other, and had tied the two up. The sun was down.

The fire burned brightly.

For a couple of days, they were left like that. Tied up. Breathing through their noses. Shivering as it rained off and on for those two days. Itchy from bug bites.

They were abandoned.

And no one came looking for them. They were left to die and become one with Mother Nature in her vast and endless forests and jungles.

Sorry for the delay in judging. I get home from work right as rollover ends, and tonight I walked the dog and cooked and ate dinner before I got a chance to get into this :P here we go!

Lots of really good ones this round. Congrats to you all! You've made me a happy reader ^-^ - not to mention that my constructive criticism is coming out with more praise than critique~

One thing is for certain, that was not easy for me to pick a clear winner. (And those of you who know me know that I'm not easily impressed).


@Avanari

This was really well done. I enjoyed the suspense, and the way you used those steps forward made it feel like I was walking over the bridge with you. I also really enjoyed how it left you hanging at the end.

The only thing I would probably suggest would be to add an extra comma here or there, such as "I gripped the vine like rails, waiting for the swaying to stop." But, your meaning is clearly conveyed either way, so well done!


@Annalyn

Wow. I really like the story you have come up with here. It's original and creative and very philosophical. Not only that, but it's uplifting and offers hope to the reader. Well done.

My only critique would be to maybe add some spacing between your lines and paragraphs, so it's a little easier to read. But, that's a personal preference, since there are plenty of good bits of writing that don't.


@Mypilot

Ooh. I never would have thought to write a story from the POV of the bridge itself. Amazing! I really enjoyed reading it, and got a good feel of the passing of time. I liked that the bridge was content as an observer, and didn't grow frustrated even when there were no people to cross it.

I have no suggestions to change anything. I liked it as it was.


@Chrisondra

Once again your stories make me feel like they are simply the start of a larger novel. You leave me wanting more, and that frustrates me, but you write beautifully, and know how to ensnare your audience, so for that you should be proud. One day, I'd like to see some of your imagination turned into a proper novel.

As with Pilot's, I have no suggestions for you.


@lessthan3

Your opening line paints really nice imagery, and sets the scene for me without needing any further detail. I like the way that you've twined fantasy with some harsh aspects of reality, and made the bridge a balance between two lives.

There are some parts that I feel could benefit from a little less detail, for instance, when you describe Christine's look filled with 'ice-burning wrath of a righteous avenging angel'. It seems just a little overboard, but still works with the story~


@petaargh

This is cute. I like reading about Ered and Hathaway and their adventures together. This is just another wonderful insight into the way they run things.

There's a couple of little things that need fixing, a spelling error or two, and a comma should be added here and there, because you've got a few sentences running into each other. But I also know that you wrote this late at night and in a rush, so I'll let it slide this time. Heh.

The way you describe where they'd help Raxe escape from could be reworded somewhat though, so it flows more smoothly, and perhaps putting it more firmly in past tense, eg: "she had continued to grow stronger, but they had broken her..."

Still, it was a good effort~ well done.


@Icystorm

You have great description in this story, I can picture everything easily as I'm reading through. Depressing is not always a bad thing. I really enjoyed reading this.

I have no criticism to make. Good job!


@humanityxpeople

"The ground squished beneath their feet" is one of my favourite things to read. I don't even know why, but it just sounds like all the happy things about childhood in a few short words.

Uh. What. What happened? Omg. I was not expecting that ending hahaha. Here I was enjoying their search, feeling like they were on some nice treasure hunt, and then that goes and happens. Well, you built up the suspense nicely, even if the ending was a bit too abrupt for my tastes.

Up until the ending, the story had nice flow going. It was a good effort :D

---

and now, without further ado. The winners!

winner: Mypilot - because that POV wow'd me muchly.

runner up: Annalyn - I really enjoyed your one.


That was such a tough round. Many of you 'wow'd' me, but unfortunately not all of you could win. Keep up the good work!

[center][url=https://twitter.com/o10fu/status/817673073356718080][img]http://68.media.tumblr.com/11009e87183e2dcf884f024a2434bc2c/tumblr_oji3dnVQq91s3sz4ho1_1280.png[/img][/url] [size=1][size=1][size=1][size=1][size=1][size=1][size=1]@Chrisondra @TidalMoonrise @Mypilot @PixieKnight3264 @Karika @SamIamLuvDov @Lightshadow101 @humanityxpeople @coyearth @Avanari @demonslayr62 @ladylilitu @acorn781 @Endernil @Arithelia @Sillywinter @inthestars @Annalynn @meddlesomedragon[/center] [i]Suggested word count:[/i] Go crazy. [i]Deadline:[/i] August 17th, 23:59 FR time. [center][b]Want to join this? Self editing pinglist is [url=https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dBM6-s4AYOSpYMqzHtyyTD2IGu27hQDf6MlYMGa76uA/edit]here[/url].[/b][/center]

@Mypilot ((It's currently 7:30 and too early. I saw the image on Imgur a day ago haha.))

"Hell of a tea party you have going on here." I muttered sarcastically, reaching up to nervously fumble with my mask. I could feel the smooth plastic press further into the flesh of my face. A soft collective coo fluttered throughout the branches of the trees, as if the owls were laughing at my remark. It was beyond uncomfortable, to have thousands of eyes trained on you. No wonder they called her the Owl Queen. When I first heard such a name, I thought it was a joke, but like they say, don't judge a book by it's cover.

"Thank you..." Her voice was wispy, quiet. I almost missed what she said, the chittering of her friends close to drowning her out. "Last minute effort really. It's nothing too impressive." Raising her cup, she took a sip of her tea, before setting it daintily on it's platter and raising a hand to hush the noisy birds. The silence was disturbing. "Why don't you take a seat? We have important matters to discuss."

"Alright..." I mumbled, looking around and spotting a tree stump. With the sweep of my black robes, I sat hesitantly. My nerves were erratic, I knew exactly what she was going to say. But I wasn't prepared when she spoke the words.

"The Kingdom is banishing you."

My blood ran cold. Suddenly, my tongue was too dry and swollen to form words, my mind drawing a cloudy blank. Eventually I mustered, "On what grounds?"

"Attempted murder. Violation of the First, Third, Fourth and Sixth Governing Rules." She had to hush her owls once again. “Blatant disrespect to the Governing Collective, Animalia Crowns-“

“Alright, I get it now.” I cut in sharply. Was that a visible flinch? “Who will replace me?”

“Draxx, of the Third Crown.”

Fury began to boil in my chest. “A wolf replace a rabbit? He’ll tear my kingdom apart for the benefit of his own!”

“He’s the only reliable candidate. Maybe if you would have considered the consequences of your actions, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”

“Reliable? You have to be kidding. We all know you can’t rely on a wolf.”

“Consider this as apart of your punishment then.”

“So you’re acknowledging that the Governing Collective chose poorly?”

“It wasn’t their choice.”

“Excuse me?”

“It was my own.”

Words died in my throat. I glared up at the hooded figure, and as my blue eyes connected with green hidden behind a mask of feathers, the feeling of betrayal worsened. She was quick to toss away years of friendship over a few broken rules, wasn’t she?

“Look, I had no choice. I spoke for you in the gathering, for your sake. Because I did so, they decided that I make up my own punishment. Believe me, banishment is the best you can get. You’re lucky I managed to save your head-“

“Save?” My tone was dry, bitter. I could feel my eyes burning.

“Please don’t do this…”

I stood, adjusted my mask. It was the face of a black rabbit, rimmed with gold and two mirror’s for eyes, hiding the eerie color of my blue. No words could describe the wrath and hurt I was currently experiencing. Never once in my life had I felt such pain.

“Banished or not, I still reign control over my Animalia.”

Rabbits are the filthy pests of the world. Weak, insufferable and constantly leeching off the other Animalia crowns.

I was going to prove them wrong.

Like the fool I was, I decided that I was going to drag them down with me, straight into the pits of hell.

“Cheers.” I muttered, raising an imaginary cup and taking a sip. Throwing it to the ground beneath her feet, I watched it shatter, before spinning on my heel in a swirl of silk and seething hatred.

I did not look back.

@Mypilot

It had been a long time since some poor soul had stumbled into my woods. Of course, that wasn't including those who died at the entrance. The screech owls were very picky about who they let through and who they cleaned for dinner.
These three children though, seemed determined to push through the woods. I stroked the soft newborn feathers of the orphaned eagle owl next to me as the sounds of my forest changed. There was fear in the soft hoots of my snowy owls; a barn owl was screeching while his mate rushed their brood into the hole in the ancient tree. The children were causing trouble and I could not allow that.
I lifted the eagle owl into a pocket of my cloak, cooing when she started to panic. She would be safe with me. I was the queen after all.
Silently, I least from my perch, my cloak catching the dense air and slowing my descent. The moment I left my perch, every owl in the woods fell silent, waiting to see the fate of the strangers.
I could see them now. The leader of the group was tall and, to anyone else, intimidating, as he strode through the forest, swinging his blade and hacking my trees. He would die. Behind him, a young woman was tossing a dagger between her hands as they walked. Occasionally, she would mumble something that would make the others chuckle but mostly she was silent.
It was the last member of the group that caught my eye. I couldn't tell the gender because of it's oversized cloak and cropped hair. The eyes were a brilliant green, flickering as they caught the dim light of the woods. It's face, though, was full of awe. The human flinched whenever it's leaders sword would snick through the undergrowth and it was careful with each step.
"We should have gone around," the woman spoke up. The leader paused in his destruction.
"Because your scared of a myth?" He sneered. "The evil Owl Queen. Come to replace humanity with owls."
"That's not why," she snapped. "I'm not scared of the Owl Queen because I am not a threat to her. You should be though, considering you killed those eagle owls." In my pocket the orphaned eagle owl quivered. Yes, the leader wouldn't make it from my woods alive.
"What BS," the guy laughed and strode away from the group. After a moment, I hooted softly, and the owls dived.

((I apologise for the disjointed writing. I got my wisdom teeth out and am still on hydrocodone. So basically, I'm still high and my writing has suffered.))