Vixin watched with wonder creaping every so closely to the wiggling egg in front of her, it was round and white. White as newly fallen snow during the winter. Inside this egg was her new sibling and she felt great joy as another tremure shake the egg
"Look!" Her mother hooted "Its hatching! Great Celestial!"
Her father hooted a happy caw and went to stand next to her mother "Look at it Vixin. This is what we felt when you were hatched."
She looked at her mother and father. They were kind hearted owls to admit that, there white feathers mixed with deep tan like her own brushed aganist each other as they watched the first crack appear on the white egg. This was the same place she had been born in, a large red barn abandoned by any living human. They were huddled near the back of it in the loft where her parents had made the nest for the egg. The egg that would change Vixin's life.
Vixin even closer to the egg and watched it with wonder, this was how she had hatched and her whole world was about the change as soon as the egg-
"Crack!" The egg shuddered again, an egg piece broke off from the egg and a tiny blob went splat on the ground.
"Look Mason!" Her mother cried out to her father and hopped forward to look at the tiny blob "It's a male."
Her father walked forward with a click clack of his talons aganist the wood of the barn and took a look at the blob "By day and night my first son!"
Vixin pushed past her parents to look at her new brother. The chick was covered in slime from head to toe but as she had learned this was normal it would grow feathers that were soft and white then molt into the unquie feathers of a barn owl.
"Look Prilla." Her father called to her mother "We have vistor's."
Vixin looked away from her brother and saw two huge Great Gray winging their way toward them. There graceful movements with those huge wings of their's were memorizing. She heard a caw of surprise from her father when one of the great grays outstretched his talons and grabbed her mother by the throat giving it a quick sickening crack. She saw her mother drop the ground, limp as a mouse her beak open wide in a silent battle cry. She stood still paralized with grief and fear.
"Vixin!" Her father cried "Get out of here! Take your brother and go!" he was skillfully fighting one of the gray's his small body made him agile in battle.
To late. One of the Great Gray's rocketed for her brother outstretching her talons. Vixin hurled herself in the owls way locking talons with her. The Great gray was thrown off balance and hit a side of the barn with a thud. She quickly got up and Vixin felt talons pin her to the ground while the female went over to her brother and raised a talons slitting the Owlet's throat. Blood pured from the wound, the owlet's eyes weren't even open, Vixin felt tears come to her eyes as she watched her brother fall to the ground, dead. She let out a sob as she watched her new brother die in front of her. Her mother way dead to. Talons gripped her throat cutting off her air supply, she fought to keep her eyes open feeling panicked but eventually she felt herself grow limp and closed her eyes.
Marlin carried a mouse heading back to his hollow. His black wings with white bars on the end rode the wind easily. He passed over a large red abadoned barn, he didn't think much of it untill he thought he heard a short and painful Owl cry. He stopped to hover, the mouse dangling in his talons.
"Craw!" He cried back listening. There it was again! His whole body shook with worry it sounded like it was in pain
He dove through the air quickly. The air rushed past him, he caught the wind and came to a graceful stop on the ground, he poked his head into the barn and the first thing he saw was a male barn owl, his feather's were drenched in blood, No doubt he had been protecting a nest. Most Barn Owl's would have fled at the sight of danger they were to small to take on a bigger owl. He heard another soft cry from above in the loft. He looked up and fluttered up there with horror he saw a newly just hatched owlet with its throat slit open and an older female owl dead with it neck cracked. He felt pity for this family, it didn't seem like they had survived. He then saw movement at the corner of his eye. It was a female barn owl who had just begun to fledge her adult feathers. She looked at him and fear filled her eyes. He calmy walked forward with the clicking of his talons.
"Hey its alright." He soothed the frightended owlet "I'm not going to hurt you."
She seemed to shed some of the fear but it was still there deep within her gaze. Without thinking he lofted himself into the air and picked her up with his talons with a firm grip. She let out a frightended hoot but soon she sensed her wasnt going to to hurt her. He had to leave the mouse behind but it was worth it to help this poor family, they had been attacked by a band of Great gray's known as The Thevings. They attacked familys just for fun to porve their strength in the owl world. It hurt but it was true. Marlin had left at least seven nice hollow as soon as the theving band got near to it. He didn't have a mate nor did he have a family but he didn't want to be helping every family that was attacked. He felt the soft breathing of the young owlet in her talons. She had fallen asleep. He felt pity and sorrow for this young'in. She didn't deserve it, no family deserved it. Something had to be done, but no one was strong enough to do so. he caught a warm updraft the carried him along faster to his hollow. All he could feel was pity and sorrow.
"I say this know." He thought "You will be my Owlet. I will treat you as my own. And nothing will hurt you at all."