Soren had spent months grieving. Months believing that his older brother, his own flesh and blood, had perished. Despite his wrongdoings, he longed for a day when he discovered that Kludd was still alive.

And now, he had that day. But rather than the joy or relief that any creature should feel in the face of reunited family, he only felt apprehension and anxiety as he saw Kludd stare him down, face brewing with bitterness and malice only befitting of a Pure One.

"Surprise, little brother," Kludd hissed.

The Pure One then sprang off his branch and made a charge for Soren, forcing the younger sibling out of his own position. He quickly flew a few feet to another branch as Kludd landed where he had been. Kludd let out a light snarl, upset at the missed blow, before preparing to charge again.

"Kludd, stop!" Soren called out sharply. "I don't want to-"

He was cut off by his brother's second attempt at him. Soren flew off again, but this time Kludd didn't land. Rather, he stayed in flight, changing his path to match that of the Guardian, resulting in a chase between the two. Soren glided and flapped his way through the foliage and between the thick trees, trying to make the path more difficult for his brother. But it barely put any distance between them.

In a daring move, Soren then decided to slow himself down, allowing Kludd to catch up. However, just as he was about to make his attack, the younger Tyto quickly adjusted his flight path to the right, just in time to avoid it. This now placed Kludd in front of him, allowing Soren to abruptly alight himself onto the closest branch available to him.

"Kludd!" Soren barked. "Please, just listen to me!"

As the older sibling landed himself, he turned around and spat back, "Why?! So you can try to trick me?!"

Soren rapidly shook his head and shouted, "I just want to talk! Brother, this isn't who you are! You don't have to do this!"

"Oh, so now you're trying to take this away from me?!"

"I'm trying to save you!" Soren cried back.

Kludd gave no response. Instead, he launched himself into another fitful charge towards the Guardian. Soren was forced to flee as Kludd reached him. In his fury, Kludd had left an opening for a damaging strike against his chest. But Soren refused to take it. He would not harm his own brother.

Instead, he kept flying, and the chase resumed.

"Fleeing from a fight?!" Kludd shouted behind him. "Ha! You're just as weak as you've always been!"

"We don't have to fight!" Soren shouted back.

He didn't receive a response. Only the rapid flapping of wings as Kludd continued his pursuit, right on Soren's tail feathers.

Soren turned around to look at his brother, gazing into his eyes for the first time in what felt like forever. He felt a heavy lump form in his chest at what he saw. Such darkness lurking behind his eyes, such vitriol and blind rage marring the Barn Owl's face. How was this the same owl he'd spent the first days of his life sharing a nest with? How had he been brought down to such a miserable low?

What has happened to you, Kludd?

This distraction, however, turned out to be a critical mistake when it sent Soren's flight path slightly veering. And then suddenly, he found his flight come to a complete stop. He felt his wings catching on something that sent a jolt of a sting through the appendages.

"Agh!" Soren cried as his momentum was abruptly stopped. He felt himself pulled back into a position between two trees.

He had been firmly strung up by two more vine snare traps that the Pure Ones had laid out, his wings now outstretched painfully and cinched between two strong loops of vines.

No! Soren immediately went to tug his wings against the vines, but was quick to learn how effective they were. As he kept pulling, the shadow of his brother consumed his form as Kludd soared in from above. He landed a few feet above him, a sinister smile plastered onto his beak.

To Soren's horror, he was then being joined by what looked like a dozen more Pure Ones, all having converged together just as one of their foes was caught.

Soren gasped and kept pulling, wincing through the pain that surged through his wings. He flailed and kicked his dangling legs out, talons extended, grunting in his efforts as he saw the Pure Ones closing in on him. Through their masks could be seen clear contempt for the ensnared Guardian, along with a burning desire to kill that doubled Soren's efforts.

"Kludd, please! Let me go!" he begged as he twisted his body about. "Let me go!"

Kludd descended down onto the branch on Soren's left, jiggling as it was shifted with the trapped Tyto's movements. As he did so, he let out a victorious chuckle. He was positively thrilled to see his oh-so-wonderful baby brother now helpless, at his mercy, begging for his help. After putting up no fight, trying to take the cowardly peaceful route, it felt only right to see him end up in this position.

"How does it feel, brother?" Kludd asked, dominance carrying in his tone. "To finally be bested? To know what it's like to be at the bottom, to be powerless?"

He slowly walked along the branch to reach Soren's outstretched wing, and placed a battle-claw-clad talon up to his throat. Soren froze, only slightly twisting his torso, as he craned his head up as far as possible with strained, panicked breaths.

"A taste of your own medicine, wouldn't you say?" Kludd mocked.

Soren carefully turned his head, still craned upward, to look his sibling in the eyes with unfiltered desperation.

"Kludd …" he whispered fearfully. "Please …"

It may have been wishful thinking in Soren's head, but the Barn Owl swore that in that moment, a spark of hesitation burst through his brother's malicious eyes. Soren felt the claw ease up slightly on his neck, so subtly that it may have possibly been involuntary on Kludd's part.

He's still in there, Soren thought. I know it. "Kludd … I-"

"HALT!!"

A new, female voice screeched out, breaking up the moment and causing all heads to swivel in its direction. From between the trees flew in another Tyto Alba, landing deftly and elegantly next to Kludd.

Soren recognized this owl all too well. Beautiful on the outside, but clear ugliness lying beneath. Moreover, she was one of the owls primarily responsible for the turn his life took all those months ago.

"Nyra ..." Soren gasped.

This utterance got the High Tyto looking down at the strung up Guardian, her face all too pleasant given the situation. "Hello, Soren. It's been too long since we last crossed paths," she said, almost crooning. She leaned down to the side of his face to whisper, "I'm so glad you decided to rejoin us."

Soren pulled his head away as far as possible, his body once more tugging at the vines. This only caused Nyra to giggle.

In truth, the new High Tyto had been keenly watching Soren in combat from the moment the fight broke out, hiding out of view and skillfully following along. She marveled at him in action: how capable he was as a fighter, how agile he was in flight, the youthful spirit he possessed. He had many admirable traits that easily rivaled, and in some cases surpassed, those of his brother's. Even now, as she watched this handsome Barn Owl struggle in his vines, she observed the mighty wingspan he possessed, the power in his efforts, the way his newly-firm chest tightened and shifted as he tugged.

As both she and her deceased former mate had suspected, this owl was special, indeed. Too special to just toss aside.

Kludd lifted his talon off of Soren to face his lover directly. Pulling herself out of her fantasizing, she in turn addressed him.

"Well done, my love," Nyra said. "Thanks to your trickery, we have the great Soren right where we want him." In reality, she knew that Kludd mostly got lucky with how it all ended, but nonetheless stroked his ego. She placed a talon gently on his cheek to further show her appreciation.

Kludd was flustered by the intimacy of the female, but responded, "Thank you, dear. It was really quite easy to trick him." Kludd, for his part, chose to make it look like it was all his planning that did the job, unaware that such deception was futile.

My love? Dear? Soren thought as they conversed. He observed the way they interacted with each other, the language they used and gestures they made. It all resembled two owls who were …

…… No … he didn't …

It was bad enough that his brother had been brainwashed to go down this path to begin with, turning against and bringing harm to his own family. But now, to think that he had actually become romantically involved with this … this hag! After all the evil she had done, he somehow fell under another particular spell of hers. And she, in turn, was willing to court him? She was likely three times his age, for Glaux's sake! The entire revelation nearly made Soren sick to his stomach.

Kludd seemed to notice the disgusted look on his sibling's face. He swiftly brought his claw back at the younger Barn Owl's throat, getting a choked gasp out of him. "I take it you don't approve?" Kludd growled. "Hmmph! You wouldn't know the first thing about what's best for me!"

"Finish him!" a nearby Pure One shouted out, her patience wearing thin.

"Death to the impure!" another joined in.

As more began demanding his death, Soren renewed his fight to get free. Nyra seemingly ignored him and addressed her Pure Ones.

"Now, now, not so hasty, my subjects!" Nyra intervened. "Tempting as it may be to be rid of our quarry, I do believe we have stumbled across an opportunity here." All owls remained silent, hanging onto the words of their leader. "I believe we may have reason to keep this Guardian alive."

"Alive?" Kludd narrowed his eyes, removing his talon from Soren once again. "Darling - ahem, General," he protested, "What purpose would that serve? He's worth no more than any other Guardian." His voice was not as confident as he wanted. It shook slightly, and his body language was tense. Almost as if the prospect of keeping Soren alive unnerved him … scared him, even.

Nyra knew her courter's words to be false. She was not so blinded by jealousy to not see how much value this Barn Owl truly had, even compared to the rest of his ilk.

And so she retorted, "You are wrong, love. He has risen through the ranks of that wretched tree. The stories of him and those friends of his are spreading throughout the kingdoms like wildfires. When they learn that he's vanished, it will send a swarm of Guardians to try and take us on, all ripe for the slaughter. Or, he may make an invaluable hostage, putting the Tree at the mercy of our every whim."

Kludd stared at her, thinking it over. Ever since he joined the Pure Ones, the brash Tyto fought to wipe away all traces of the life he'd left behind. No matter what he did or how much he proved himself to this new family of his, the lingering thoughts of his old one would continue to prod at his mind, creeping spirts that would not move on. Nyra had told him that the only way to cure this illness was to wipe it out at the source.

And yet now, when they had the chance to be rid of Soren once and for all, she wanted him alive? Risking it slipping through their claws?

Seeing the hesitation in him, Nyra pressed her case further. "Come now, dear," she cooed, bringing her face an inch away from Kludd's. "Don't you want to watch him squirm? To suffer underneath you? All your life, you longed for power, to break free from the shadow of those who neglected you. Well, now you have the chance to do better than that; you can let him live under your shadow. Why let that go to waste, hmm? Drink it in before disposing of him."

As she finished, she brought her beak against his, hoping to add that extra spice to her argument to make him bend to her will as always. Kludd exhaled slowly under her touch, feeling his legs go weak.

"What say you, my love?" Nyra whispered sultrily.

---

"Hyah!"

With vigor, Twilight launched himself at any enemy who dared challenge him, almost daring them to take their shot at the hulking owl. Many came at him in an attempt to take down the much larger Great Gray, but very few of them lasted more than ten seconds against him. He received a few scrapes and cuts, but his endurance, along with the rush of the fight, kept him going strong.

Sometimes he would deliver a critical slash that incapacitated the opponent. Other times he would slam them into whatever hard surface was available, either knocking them out or dizzying them. And many times, he couldn't resist toying with them, his eyes twinkling with mischief as he egged them on.

It was safe to say that this was his favorite part of his role as a Guardian.

As he pinned another Pure One to a tree and disarmed her, another made a charge for his back before he could counter or dodge. Fortunately, Gylfie swooped in to wrap her claws around his head and face, spiraling him off course and shifting his focus onto dislodging her off of him. This gave Twilight the opening he needed to strike against his chest, knocking the wind out of him and sending him spiraling down below.

"Nice one, Gylf!" Twilight shouted.

This was Gylfie's main role in the battle. Unlikely to last in any one-on-one fight, she used her size and intellect to her advantage to both evade attacks and disorient foes by latching onto them long enough for Twilight to take them down. She could even take pride in having subdued one herself, just managing to sneak in a critical hit to the base of one's port wing, rendering him unable to fly.

Unfortunately, despite their skill and teamwork, they were making no progress in lessening the onslaught of foes. On the contrary, they were noticing that the number of enemies was increasing with time. There now seemed to be over twenty soldiers on them, and counting.

And though Twilight was fighting superbly, even he was getting overwhelmed. The sheer number of Pure Ones was soon limiting the number of opportunities he had for a proper takedown. It was becoming harder to keep focused on his surroundings as well; he ended up getting a foot caught in yet another of their snares, but thankfully got it free just in time to avoid what would have been a devastating hit.

"There's too many!" Gylfie shouted.

"Think I don't see that?!" Twilight shouted back, launching another foe off him before needing to swerve away from another.

"We need to get the high ground!" Gylfie said, making for the sky. Twilight heard her, and abandoned his fight to follow suit. Even his notable pride didn't blind him from the reality of the situation. They kept several attackers off of them as they ascended, not trying to beat them down but rather just prevent themselves from being hit or dragged down, as the ceiling of leaves and branches got closer.

Digger, meanwhile, was having no better luck. Once he got separated from Soren, he had no chance against the overpowering assault. And so he fled, dashing swiftly under and around any evil Tyto that took aim at him, trying to both find the Barn Owl and get a reliable opening to break away from the ambush.

Soon, he saw two figures flying upwards, figures that he distinctly recognized as Twilight and Gylfie. Deciding to reunite with them, he gave himself a running start to launch himself off the ground, flapping furiously as he dodged attacks left and right to catch up to them.

"What's the matter? Can't take us all on?!" he heard a Pure One mock Twilight.

"Big talk from a guy who can't beat me himself!" Twilight spat back. Gylfie huffed at his antics, but they all kept flying. After grinding their way through enemy after enemy, the duo were able to break through the treetops, the embrace of an unobscured night sky greeting them once more.

But when they looked around their new surroundings, what they saw nearly scared them stiff.

Where the treetops once appeared devoid of prominent life, dozens of Pure Ones now suddenly burst through them, leaves scattering as they breached the sky. But that was the least of their worries. Moments later, on all sides, many more emerged. Far more than what they thought they'd facing. They almost formed a blanket against the moonlit sky, a blanket slowly converging on the Guardians. This was more than just a faction; it was enough to make up an entire army!

And as Gylfie looked to the coast of Cape Glaux, the situation was revealed to be even worse. She could see a long, orderly wall of Pure Ones lined up neatly in a perimeter, no longer attempting to conceal themselves. They remained unmoving, but were in a perfect position to attack any owl who would pass through the region.

... Such as any owl coming from the Great Ga'hoole Tree.

This isn't an ambush, Gylfie realized. It's a siege!

"Guys!" Digger yelled, finally coming up to join them from behind. "They're everywhere!"

Indeed, above the forest now was a flood of enemies, all of whom continued advancing on the Guardians. No path through Silverveil could provide them any escape. Additionally, even flying along the coast wouldn't work with the legions of soldiers poised to attack should they get too close. Nor would trying to sneak back into the land through another route. It was ominously, frighteningly clear that the Pure Ones had every possible way in covered.

The only direction they could go was over the Sea of Hoolemere. Back to the Tree.

"Digger, where's Soren?" Gylfie called out.

The long pause afterward sent chills up Gylfie's small body. No ... please let him be okay.

"I don't know!" Digger said worriedly. "We got separated in the fight!"

"We can't leave without him!" Gylfie declared.

However, as their enemies now surrounded them on every side, it was clear that going back for him was not possible.

Digger ruefully confirmed this. "I ..." He could barely get the sentence out. "I think we have to." He felt filthy for saying so. They were a band, sworn to never leave one another behind no matter what the cost to themselves. However, as he took a look around for himself, it was unmistakable that they were out of options.

"Are you crazy?!" Gylfie screeched. "He could be getting killed!"

"We have to hope that he found a way out!" Twilight said. "I really hate it, but there's nothing we can do!"

Gylfie, however, refused to accept it. "NO!!" Against their wishes, she swiftly turned back, determined to not let anything stand in the way of finding Soren.

"Gylfie, don't!" Digger shouted as she zipped past him. "They'll get you!"

She ignored his words, blocking out all rational thought. She didn't make it far, however, before she suddenly felt a set of large talons wrapping around her, pinning her wings to her sides and keeping her entire upper body securely in its hold.

"Ahh!" she looked up in fury, and her large eyes flared up at the owl who'd grabbed her. "Twilight, let me go! LET GO!" she screamed.

The Elf Owl kicked and struggled, squirming her tiny form and flailing her legs in a frenzy. But she had no chance of getting free from the Great Gray's hold, and found herself forced further away from the cape.

"I'm sorry!" Twilight yelled. "We can't go back there!"

"We won't be helping Soren if we do," Digger softly insisted, his own pain clear on his face as they flew further and further from land. The Pure Ones seemed to not be gaining on them, the trio making distance and looking more likely to successfully get away.

Gylfie kept struggling, grunting and shouting at her friend to stop and release her. She knew deep down that her friends were right; going back now would only make things worse. But the panicked desire to find and save her best friend kept her going for another minute.

Alas, she soon after gave up, going slack with a sigh in Twilight's talons and letting him carry her away. The Great Gray looked down at her as he felt her movements cease. He was clearly no happier about this mess than she or Digger.

"I'm sorry," he muttered. It was unusual to hear the immature owl sound so somber, but the situation certainly warranted it.

The small female didn't respond to him. She only twisted her head to look back at the mainland. The Pure Ones seemed to realize that their chase would be in vain, because they were now reversing course and flying away from them. It appeared their escape was successful.

But it did nothing to ease Gylfie's spirits. As she looked on at the coast getting smaller and smaller, a tear came to her eye, before being blown away by the wind. This was among the worst possible outcomes for them ... for her. They clearly discovered the cause of the disappearances, but possibly at the cost she had feared most of all.

As the land faded from view, the poor owl felt her heart sink.

Please be okay, Soren, she thought. I can't lose you too.

---

Kludd and Nyra were in the respective front and back positions of a group of nine Pure Ones, all soaring their way to their nearest base of operations. They flew in a disciplined and watchful formation, for in their center flew a tenth Barn Owl, one who was not with them by choice.

After a bit more internal debate and further swaying by Nyra, Kludd had agreed to spare Soren's life in favor of holding him prisoner. He still was wary of Nyra's intentions, but nonetheless she made a tempting case that he ultimately couldn't pass up. Thus they cut him out of the snares, stripped him of his battle claws, and forced him into a flying formation that would guide him to whatever dark, despair-ridden location he would come to call his prison.

Soren, meanwhile, felt his heartbeat elevating by the second. Despite wanting nothing more than to make a break for it, he knew that the Pure Ones would successfully block any attempt he made. And so, much to his chagrin, he kept flying, uncomfortably sandwiched between the cavalry of evil owls. He noticed that two of the escorts were holding long coils of brown rope, and Soren dreaded learning what they would likely be used for. Each time he cast a glance over to one of his captors, they either ignored him or shot him a glare of contempt. One barked at him, "Eyes forward, scum!" He swiftly turned his gaze ahead of him as ordered, trying to focus on the sensations of flying rather than how trapped he currently was.

Many more Pure Ones were flying in their direction as well in a separate group, and even more were making their ways in various directions. There were far more of them than Soren could have anticipated, making it clear that their ranks had been revitalized and once again posed a renewed threat to the Guardians, as well as all of the kingdoms.

Despite the obvious threat to his own safety, the captured Tyto was more concerned for his friends. He had no idea what had become of them. Had they been captured as well? These owls seemed all too ready to kill Guardians … what did they do with whomever else they caught?

… Did they have his parents? Strix Struma? Everyone else who had disappeared? Or … or were they-

They're alive! he yelled at himself. The Pure Ones spared me, surely they did so with others!

The reasoning didn't help much. But in his dire situation, Soren had to hold onto faith. Faith that his world hadn't been completely shattered, broken into pieces that could never be put back together. Keep believing, he ordered himself, remembering what he told Eglantine. It does no good to doubt. Mom and Dad are alive.

It didn't take much longer for them to reach their destination. Before them now sat a large, rocky cave overlooking a tall, lush cliff. Vines and scattered plant life flourished on the roof, and a massive tree proudly stood beside it. Its branches hovered over the cave, its trunk the second largest Soren had ever seen after the Great Tree itself. The base looked wide enough to have the circumference of perhaps a hundred Great Grays, at least!

The Barn Owl was then guided by his fellow Tytos to make a dive down. As they made their descent, Soren realized that they were heading for one of the many hollows in the giant tree. He tried to lower his frantic heartbeat as they got closer, gulping in anxiety. Surely enough, the escorts in front of him swooped inside a large hollow about two-thirds up the tree and landed. So too did he, his talons lightly clacking against the bark floor, eerily signaling his arrival to this dreaded place.

There wasn't much to see at this point; few features stood out apart from a few flags that Soren recognized as Pure One décor. However, he did notice an exit leading deeper into the trunk of the tree, presumably into a series of hallways. It also provided a lovely view of Silverveil from the heightened cliffside elevation they were at, one Soren would have appreciated much more under better circumstances.

Once Kludd and Nyra waltzed their way in front of him, the Guardian focused back on them. He forced himself to remain calm, standing tall and staring down the two as firmly as he could. He had been hoping that his time at St. Aggie's would be his only experience in captivity, let alone against the same forces.

But Kludd apparently still noticed his sibling's worried body language. "Scared, little brother?" he asked devilishly.

Soren was, indeed. Not as much as he'd been in his first abduction as an immature, inexperienced owl who couldn't even fly yet, but still fearful of what was to become of him now. But the brave Guardian hid it, knowing that they would only take more power from signs of fear.

"Kludd …" he said as calmly as possible, "Don't do this." He only barely hid the anxiety in his voice, especially as several of the soldiers closed in on him.

As they got closer, his wings started emerging a bit from his sides, instincts telling him to prepare to defend himself.

Unfortunately, Kludd took notice and hastily reacted. "Don't even think about trying to fly away, coward!" he snapped. "Guards! Subdue him, quickly!"

"What …" Soren backed up slowly. "No, no, I wasn't …"

His defense fizzled out when he felt his back brush up against two of the large Tyto soldiers, the same two who were still carrying the coils of rope. His body stiffened as one of them spoke up.

"Press your wings against your sides and keep them there."

The captive owl took in several deep breaths, knowing why they were demanding this. Knowing he had no choice, he very, very reluctantly obliged. But the guard then told him to tuck them in even more. And then even more, ordering him to have them as tightly against his sides as possible. Soren managed to do so, but strained to keep them in the unnatural position.

Only then did the two owls begin to wind the rope around his torso, working together to keep the coil steady. After five loops around the Barn Owl, they proceeded to pull the rope tight and tie an expertly-done knot at his back, causing Soren to let out a hushed gasp at the sudden pressure. When they were done, not only did these ropes now dig themselves into his body, but they bound his wings horribly tightly against his sides. They were unable to do anything more than lightly twitch, and as he twisted his upper body experimentally they remained securely lodged into place.

"Try making a daring escape now," Nyra taunted. Soren could only scowl at her, to which Nyra's smirk widened, her eyes lighting up with a gaze that Soren almost interpreted as suggestive.

Kludd, apparently also wary of the look she gave his brother, butted in with a cough. "Now then, I suppose we should bring you to your new home." He smiled mockingly and stretched out his wings to their full width, clearly taunting Soren's newfound lack of ability to do so. The tied up owl couldn't help but fidget a bit as a result.

Soren was then promptly shoved by a guard and forced to move along, accompanied by Kludd and the two guards who tied him up.

He was sent out of the hollow and into the hall. As they walked along, he could subsequently confirm that the tree was indeed host to an elaborate array of pathways and rooms, through which several Pure Ones would occasionally pass. It made for a suitable lair, worthy of an organization so vast, if only not so despicable.

"Impressed, brother?" Kludd asked as they kept walking. "Not as complex as your precious Great Tree, but it'll stand tall above it when we burn it to ashes."

The younger sibling chose not to fire back, keeping calm and breathing steadily, his chest rising and falling above the stinging ropes. Kludd wanted to get a rise out of him, and Soren knew that it would do no good to give it to him. But he couldn't deny the fury that burned within him at the mention of Kludd's evil intentions. Nor could he deny how small he felt at the moment. These bonds came with more than just physical anguish. To fly was part of an owl's very essence, something that they couldn't possibly dream living without. To have that ability robbed from Soren felt like a part of his soul was stripped away. Which, again, was surely what Kludd wanted.

After rounding a corner, Soren was greeted by more long hallway, with additional hollows on both sides.

His three captors then stopped, however, and looked at Soren to do the same. A guard then came up right behind him and spat out, "Legs together. Now."

Soren turned his head to the guard, who was a full head taller than him, making him feel even smaller. His face pleaded with him to not do what he knew was coming, but the guard brought his face to his and growled. And so the tied-up Tyto submitted again. He apprehensively placed his slender legs together and kept them there, leg feathers brushing up against one another. And like before, the two guards went to work, looping the effective rope tightly around both legs, from his talons to a bit above his hock joints, where the knot was securely tied off.

Soren's gasp was this time accompanied by him wobbling on his newly-tied feet. He now not only felt discomfort in his legs as well, but he had to be careful not to tip over, especially with his wings unable to help with his balance. Standing like this was extremely awkward and uncomfortable, made even worse with the sensations of the ropes pressed into his body. His claws had almost no room to spread and help stabilize him either, with how his legs were now so bunched together.

All the while, Kludd watched his captive squirm and shift with undisguised glee. He walked up to him and made a quick fake-out shove with his foot towards Soren's chest, causing the younger brother to jump back with a startle. Kludd laughed mockingly, while Soren now felt a tinge of embarrassment on top of everything else.

"Kludd, I'm your brother!" Soren pleaded as he fidgeted. "I would never want to go against you! Please, stop this and listen to-rrrrrghmmph!!"

The younger sibling's pleas were halted when a tannish-brown strip of cloth was suddenly jammed into his beak by the two guards. Soren frantically shook his head and shouted into the fabric, but the owls responsible brought the ends to the back of the Barn Owl's head and neck and tied an extra-tight knot there. The result was Soren's beak cruelly forced open as the cloth filled it up, gagging him effectively.

"Yes, thank you. I was getting sick of his preaching," Kludd said dryly.

"Rrrrgh rrrrmph!!" Soren's attempts to speak were now reduced to stifled grunts barely seeping past the cloth. Few different sounds could be made since his beak was unable to move almost at all, locked in this uncomfortable position as it pointlessly bit down on the gag.

Soren was then forced to hop his way further down the hall. Each hop he took was a precarious test of balance, almost all landings matched with light teetering and feeble grunts from the gagged owl. He was directed to the third hollow from the end of the hall, and subsequently hopped inside.

Once he was well near the center of the hollow, Soren turned around with difficulty to face his captors at the entrance. The two guards looked at him with general indifference, whereas Kludd couldn't be happier to see his supposedly superior sibling reduced to such a pitiful state.

His fun was ended, however, when one of the guards informed him that Nyra wanted his presence as soon as possible. Kludd huffed audibly, but agreed to be there promptly. He ordered both guards to stand watch at both ends of the hallway, ensuring they would see if Soren attempted to leave.

As they left to their posts, Kludd gave one last tormenting smile at his captive sibling from the entryway. Soren's eyes said all the words that he could not, shimmering with sadness and fear as he tried desperately to speak through his gagged beak.

"Nnnnngh rrrrgh hnnnnph!! Lrrrnngrr!!"

"You were always the clear favorite in our family," Kludd scolded. "All because of those big dreams of yours. But look where that got you ... and look where I am."

"Nrrrrh ..." Soren whimpered.

Kludd paused to let the words sink in, spreading his wings once more. He happily watched Soren then struggle and pull his wings in the ropes, his legs involuntarily tugging at their own bonds.

"And now," Kludd concluded, "We'll show all of your friends where those dreams get them."

The Pure One smiled one last time, eyes filled with resentful satisfaction, before walking away and out of view.

---

The original Guardians of Ga'hoole series was created by Kathryn Lasky. The film Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'hoole and its versions of the characters belong to Warner Bros.

Originally uploaded on March 6, 2020.

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So ... yeah, this part's loooooong. When the revision was finished, I thought about ending it after the Band flees and putting the rest in Part 4, but 1) I had kept the bondage fans waiting long enough for it to arrive, and 2) doing so would have resulted in a chapter where not much plot progression is made. Sure, I've done many chapters like that before, but I feel now isn't the time for that in this case. But at the same time, I didn't want it to go on even longer. So, rather than having Soren struggle and contemplate on his own here, I decided to have that be at the beginning of Part 4. Don't worry, I didn’t rob you guys of any quality time with the poor bird!

I tell you, it's the passion that keeps me going with these stories more than anything. Passion to make my thoughts reality, to get a finished product made, and share it with all you fine people willing to read.

As for the chapter itself, things are looking rather grim for everyone. Soren is in the clutches of the Pure Ones, much to his brother's delight, and his friends are forced away without knowing what happened to him. Plus, as the title and source material indicate, a siege is underway on the Great Ga'hoole Tree! And what's more, I can tell you now that the worst for these heroes is yet to come, so read on for what ensues.

And Soren is finally bound and gagged as promised! A few people had been wondering how I was going to do it, and while it was fun to watch them guess, I would've thought it'd be pretty simple and straightforward. Simply bind his wings to his sides, legs together, and beak essentially cleave-gagged with cloth. Elaborate or fancy? No, but I think most know that it's the simple-yet-effective methods that are often my favorites. And hey, I even threw in a second sort-of bondage scene with him trapped in those snares! It's inspired by Soren's dream in the book, of course, right down to the "taste of your own medicine" line (except now with a different meaning). Hopefully those who get a kick out of this sort of thing on a bird character will be pleased with this, and even those who don't can enjoy the storytelling of the scenes.

Like I said, Part 4 starts by resuming our time with Soren. But then it cuts back to the rest of his friends returning to the tree, and how the Guardians react to and deal with this news.

Thanks to all who read through this lengthy chapter! Hope you all enjoyed!