Earlier on in the day, Kludd had been making his typical rounds of the Pure Ones compound. It was a largely uneventful patrol, as was expected lately with every main threat to their base being trapped back on the besieged island.

But then, as he was passing by the armory, he heard the voice of his mate, speaking to someone. He stopped himself, tilting his head to listen in from a safe distance without being seen himself.

"I'm sure these battle claws would suit you much more than Kludd, wouldn't you agree?" Nyra said.

More than me? Kludd thought.

The other presence, unseen by him, said nothing in response. Though Kludd could hear deep, labored breathing that raised more questions for him.

"They certainly highlight your luminous face ... and those pretty eyes," Nyra continued. Her voice was unambiguously seductive, and the words themselves were no better to the ears of the eavesdropping male. Again, the other party was unresponsive, presumably taken in by her ... advances. There was no other way to interpret them.

But then, it got even worse when she spoke lowly of Kludd himself.

"Much more than my second-rate mate. You are far more worthy, my boy. I only wish you could see what I do."

Kludd's eyes twitched, and his head tilted lightly in shock. His beak was pulled back into a snarl as his feathers bristled up. He could barely even comprehend what he was hearing, feeling as though his heart had been gutted and his sense of reality was blurring as he faded away into death.

How ... h-how, how could she ...

He never thought he could feel so betrayed. His mate, his lover, was turning on him. The very thought haunted him, as he frequently fretted that he would one day let her down and lose her. And now it was real. How could she toss him aside like this?! What had he done wrong?!

But then ... he heard Nyra finally address this stranger by name.

"Queen Nyra and King Soren. How does that not delight you?"

That broke him.

His worst fears were just confirmed.

Kludd had been having some worries that Nyra may have more underhanded reasons for keeping Soren alive than she let on. Especially with how insistent she was, and how often she would opt for alone time with him. But he always pushed them aside as paranoia on his part. He was spending as much time tormenting the captive, after all, and getting just as much pleasure from seeing him squirm. Still, it was hard to deny how suspicious she appeared under the circumstances.

A particularly questionable instance was in one of the very few times Soren's wings were untied. Both he and Nyra were present to see his brother spreading his wings wide the second they were loose, clearly greatly relieved at the new freedom. Kludd, however, managed to catch Nyra staring at him in the process. Soren flapped repeatedly, flexing and stretching, his powerful wingspan on display, and Kludd could very easily make out the unsubtle, suggestive way Nyra was practically ogling the Guardian as he inadvertently showed himself off to her.

The signs were there, but he had refused to admit it. Still, Kludd couldn't have seen this level of treachery coming.

And so, here he was now. In the hollow of his wretched, miserable, back-stabbing brother. He wasted no time, nor wrath, in slamming a talon to his gagged face. Soren did his best to keep on his tightly-wrapped feet, but forced together as they were, they couldn't get a stance stable enough to resist the force.

"Grrph!" he shouted as he fell over onto his side.

"WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE!!?" Kludd roared. His brother flinched and yelped in fear. But it brought Kludd no joy this time. He stomped forward, and growled as Soren tried to wriggle away from him, thrusting himself back.

"AS IF THE APPROVAL OF EVERYONE ELSE WASN'T ENOUGH FOR YOU!!" Kludd kept screaming as he got closer. "YOU TAKE HER FROM ME TOO!!!"

"RRNNMM NRRGNNG RRMMRH?!!" Soren tried to scream, but it only yielded frantic nonsense. He rolled around desperately, kicking his feet out with claws extended. With his legs and wings restrained, this was his most vulnerable possible position, as he was now trapped lying with no way to get up. His eyes were wide with pure terror, sincerely worried that Kludd could finish him off right in this moment.

He kept trying to roll and squirm away, but the grasping ropes kept it in vain. Kludd ultimately pinned him down with a foot pressed painfully against his neck.

"Nnrr!" he grunted.

Kludd brought his face inches from Soren's, and the younger Tyto had no means of distancing himself from the malevolent leer as his head pressed against the floor.

"She is mine," Kludd growled, practically spitting as he spoke. "Mine! I was her choice, I was seen for my true worth!" He wrapped his claws tighter around the bound owl's neck and upper chest, and Soren whined pathetically through the gag.

Who is yours?! Soren thought, squirming weakly in Kludd's grip. Nyra? ... Did he ... Oh, dear Glaux!

He must have overheard Nyra in the armory! She was pulling her usual dirty tricks, and Soren, having caught on that his gagged grunts and wiggles only ever pleased her more, had chosen that instance of all times to remain silent. He only seethed, expressing his disdain through his blazing eyes alone. Kludd must not have actually looked inside, for he would have seen his sibling still bound and gagged, not in her presence through any choice or desire of his own ... Though with Kludd's extremely skewed mindset, would it have really made a difference?

Soren's eyes grew even larger upon this realization. He shook and struggled vehemently in his brother's hold, tugging his bound wings as his heart pounded beneath the ropes. "Rnrnnmmm!! Rrnnrnnrnnhrr!! Grrnn, phrrnnrrmnn rmmmnnrrh!!"

This blasted gag! It stopped him from telling Kludd the truth, from defending himself in any way! His beak stretched and shifted in a dire attempt to dislodge the vile fabric. His head shook fervently, swiftly, trying any way to save himself from his brother's envy-fueled delusions.

"ENOUGH!!" Kludd yelled. But Soren still kicked his legs around, continuing to twist his head and utter stifled screams underneath his sibling. Kludd only grasped tighter as he pressed his forehead against Soren's, forcing him to stare right into the trembling, irate, murderous expression on his face.

Kludd looked Soren dead in his terrified eyes. He thought back on their life in the forest, back when the conflict between them never went above bickering and Kludd's transparent attempts to show off to their parents. He always wanted something more for himself that he never believed he could have. He could never feel like he belonged there, with the starry-eyed Soren remaining oblivious to his loneliness.

And yet now, even with total and complete control of his brother's fate, nearly all ties to his family severed, and a mate who claimed to love him ... so little had changed.

His little brother tried to beg for mercy through a wide-eyed stare.

That look. He knew what that look meant.

"Let me guess. We don't have to be enemies?" Kludd growled. "You just want to help me? It's not what I think?!"

Soren could only respond with a feeble cry, gnawing down on his thick gag.

Kludd could feel himself starting to falter. He could feel his own eyes begin to well up. In that moment, Soren saw more than just anger in his brother's eyes. He saw genuine betrayal. As if a part of him did believe in Soren's good intentions at first, but that part was now was sliced to shreds without remorse.

In a fit, Kludd shoved his bound brother back, so much so that Soren's head ended up slamming against the wall. "Rrnh!" he cried.

Kludd breathed heavily. His body shuddered. His eyes moved in a directionless manner, as he felt everything he thought he could count on fall apart and collapse into nothing. His talons clicked against the floor, his wings tensed up against his back, his head hunched over as his beak contorted in sickening fury and regret.

Behind him, Soren thrashed and tossed himself about on the floor, desperate now more than ever to get free. His limber upper body twisted left and right. His wings thrusted and heaved powerfully against the creaking ropes burying themselves into the limbs. His bound legs flailed and kicked, banging on the wall. He rubbed his putrid gag on the floor, and when it didn't come loose, he shot his head back and doubled his efforts. He fought and struggled to get any knot undone, rolling in place like an insect cocooned in a spider's unbreakable webbing.

"Rrrrgh! Mmmrrrhh!! HRRRMMGH!!!"

Please Kludd, she's only using you! You can't deny it! I know even you can't! Soren begged in his mind, as his nostrils flared rapidly. This had to be his opening ... his one shot to finally get through to his corrupted brother, and allow him to see the error of his path before he went too far.

But how?! What could he do?!

"Grnnh," he mumbled, the hurt and love clear in his stifled voice. "Rrphnnmmr."

It was a faint sound, but it got the older Barn Owl's attention. He slowly, menacingly, turned his head back around, looking at his pathetic sibling lying there defenseless. Soren's heart raced even faster seeing the look on Kludd's face. His hatred was continuing to consume him, twisting his mind to make him believe his loving brother to be his mortal enemy. Soren couldn't hide how much it wounded him. Even now, Kludd couldn't bring himself to trust him.

As the Pure One turned around fully and walked back over to him, Soren thrashed even more, yelling through his gag. "GRRNH, MMRPH!! NRRNNRRNNPH!!"

Kludd scoffed and said, with an ice-cold tone, "How dare you beg for mercy, Soren. You try to claim your precious high ground against me, but in the end, you are nothing but my curse. Following me everywhere, thinking you can take anything I have and do it better."

He stood over the fallen, struggling Soren laying on his back. His words taken from him, his eyes once again begged, at least for Kludd to take the gag off.

But Kludd just hardened himself back up, and growled, "These games have gone on for far too long. Believe me ... I will make sure this is your final mistake."

With one last agonizingly bitter look at his sibling, he couldn't take any more, and stormed out.

This only left Soren to thrust, twist, tug, and struggle in a frenzy of pure chaos. He moaned and groaned loudly, forcing himself to ignore the way the ropes rubbed and dug deeper into his tight muscles and lush feathers. His wings yanked against the painful bonds, his eyes welded shut as the sting coursed through them with each futile attempt. His talons spread and hacked at empty air, trying and failing to reach up and potentially cut the ropes around his torso. He rolled onto his back, sides, stomach, hoping that any position would help. He flopped up and down, like a fish out of water, crying out through the gag as his emotions took over in his utterly worthless state.

"MMMRRMMHH!! HRRRMMNN!! RRRMMRPH!!!"

Soren could do nothing, not even get back onto his tied feet. He could only lay there, continuing his harrowing efforts be rid of these terrible ropes, and silently plead to Glaux as he kept at it.

Get through to him! Please, bring my brother back!

Before it's too late.

---

After her breakdown, and receiving an healthy amount of generous comfort from all of her friends, Gylfie finally gave in to her fatigue, and went off to get some much-needed rest. She was frequently assured that those still working would not let up, giving everything they had with or without her. And it was just enough to convince the Elf Owl to, for once in this ordeal, go easy on herself.

She woke up quick to remember the nightmarish situation, but tried to maintain her calm. She looked outside her hollow, seeing that it was now midday. Since she had gone to sleep a few hours before dawn, this meant she had gotten nearly a full day's worth of sleep ... well past what most owls were granting themselves right now. Gylfie wanted to be mad that her friends allowed her to be out for that long. But comparing how much better she felt physically compared to yesterday, her weary emotions couldn't bring her to commit to that anger.

After stretching her little wings and blinking herself fully awake, Gylfie flew her way down to the dining hollow. She was still fairly unsettled whenever she got a side-glance at the evil army just visible on the horizon, and did her best to keep her gaze straight in front of her.

Usually the dining hollow wouldn't be serving at this hour, as most of the tree's residents would be soundly asleep in their hollows. But with the different shifts most owls were taking came different sleep schedules, and thus different eating hours.

Gylfie arrived in little time, and soon found her table, occupied by Twilight, Otulissa, and to her surprise, Eglantine.

"Good afternoon," Otulissa greeted as Gylfie took her spot.

"Yes," Gylfie said dryly. "Good afternoon."

"Don't look at me!" Twilight defended, pulling his wings up. "It was Digger's idea to let you sleep in."

Gylfie rolled her eyes, though wasn't as annoyed as she made herself appear.

"Personally, I wouldn't have been quite as flexible, but I concur that it likely did you good," Otulissa said.

"... How are you feeling?" Eglantine asked, achingly gently.

Gylfie turned to the younger owl with a slight, somewhat forcibly-cheery look. From how the adolescent Barn Owl looked at her with cautious worry, Gylfie could tell that she'd been told what happened, or at least a version of it. And from the weary tone in her voice and the heaviness of her once-lively eyes, Gylfie could also tell that a major reason she was up at this hour was an inability to sleep. Despite not being on the digging team, Eglantine's state of mind could not have been in a very good place, and Gylfie doubted sleep was coming easy to her given the circumstances for her in particular.

The poor thing, Gylfie thought, still pained by how much she was forced to suffer in her own way.

"I'm better," the Elf Owl simply admitted as a response.

Eglantine gave a light smile, and Gylfie couldn't help but widen her own. It seemed that whatever little animosity Eglantine had held for her, hearing of how horribly Gylfie felt for her perceived failure had washed the last of it away. It was times like this that made them realize what was truly important, not allowing to let what-ifs get in the way of the love and friendship between one another.

I'll make this right, Eglantine.

Once their minimal meal was completed, the three adults begrudgingly went back to their work in the tunnels. Otulissa took the one on the north, while Gylfie and Twilight went together on the east tunnel, with Ezylryb leading their group. It was obviously no pleasant return whatsoever; Gylfie and Twilight felt themselves tense up as they entered the dark, confined space once more, feeling as though they were descending back to Hagsmire after having escaped it. Yet whereas yesterday the task seemed beyond insurmountable, now that she was rested, it felt a bit more feasible to her.

We take it little by little, she thought, remembering Digger's words.

On they went, enduring the same tiring grind that this terrible siege had forced upon them. The hours went on just as before, and as usual, the owls lost track of time without the sun to use as a reference. At many points, a new owl would enter the tunnels to give them the time of day or night, and more often than not, dread filled the pits of the diggers' ill-fed stomachs when they realized how much less time had passed than what they had thought ... and how much more was left before their shifts would end.

Gylfie already could feel the same anxiety and fatigue as before coming over her. She steadied herself, taking deep breaths and trying not to let her thoughts go too far. Against her own impulses, she made herself go at a somewhat more relaxed pace when she felt the effort begin to overpower her. Twilight could see her distress, and would often attempt to lighten the mood with a few immature jokes. Many owls scoffed in annoyance, but Gylfie could find herself entertained, if not for the reasons he likely intended.

The Great Gray also took to more sincere, tender measures to comfort her, like simply laying a wing on her back when her stress was notably visible. It was small and minor, but it went a long way for her, especially for the usually lighthearted and wise-cracking Twilight. With how many owls were going through the same experiences as her, even someone like him could see how badly many needed such gestures now.

Gylfie sighed, allowing herself to rest for a few minutes while Ezylryb continued leading most of the group. After a bit of time, she saw a few others do the same. They each exchanged glances of understanding of each other's matching plight, silently vowing to look out for one another should they push themselves too far.

The gaze between them was broken when a glint of light flared its way into Gylfie's eyes. She squinted and held a wing up to shield her face.

... Only to then realize ...

...... Light?

The Elf Owl turned to look, very cautiously slowly, so as to make sure she wasn't still asleep and dreaming. But she was awake. Awake to see but a sliver of golden-orange shining through the dirt ceiling and gently caressing her auburn feathers. The other resting owls saw it as well, and paced their way towards it. They almost appeared hypnotized as they stared into its lovely, blessed glow.

Gylfie saw that up ahead, the group had ceased their forward trajectory, now digging upwards and breaching the surface instead.

... So ... did that mean ...

Ezylryb turned around from his position to face his fellow Guardians. Much as the light now broke through the darkness, the grizzled old Whiskered Screech's face faintly shone with a giddy mirth not seen on him in what felt like forever.

No one could speak. One by one, the full weight and realization of what this meant came to each owl. Every heart rose, every set of eyes shining with the hope that had been slowly, painfully dying. They looked at each other, confirming to one another that this miracle was no fantasy. It was real. What had been but a dream, a long-shot aspiration, for what felt like forever, was finally real.

It was as if Glaumora itself had entered their presence, the same way as how an owl's spirit would reach its perfect haven after the darkness of death.

But they were not dead. They were still alive, together, facing dour odds for their one chance to save what they loved.

Now, they all realized with renewed vigor in their souls ... they finally achieved that chance.

---

"We must end this!" Kludd barked at Nyra. "Soren must die today!"

Right after confronting his captive brother, Kludd had hastily made his way over to Nyra, desperate to convince her to finally be rid of the prisoner she so wanted to keep, for reasons he now sadly knew.

"Dear, where is this coming from?" Nyra asked sweetly. Too sweetly.

Kludd would have been more subdued and influenced under such a seemingly-innocent tone before. But now that he knew of her betrayal, he could, for the first time, see through the veil that it was.

The sight of her, once leaving him transfixed and enamored by her beauty and power, now made him feel low and small. She was someone who had professed her deepest admiration for him, faith in him ... she claimed to love him ... did she still love him? Had she always intended to toss him aside as soon as someone better came along? Kludd didn't know anymore. He didn't know what to believe now, and it was tearing him apart.

But he kept all of that concealed. "He will cause nothing but trouble," Kludd professed. "Tied up as he may be, you never know what he could be planning. What he could do if he does get free ... What if he discovers what I've done?!"

He buried the lump his throat as he said this, not even willing to acknowledge his most recent dark deed.

"What he could do?" Nyra asked, urgently trying to calm her frantic mate without giving away said urgency.

"My love ... you don't fear him, do you?"

She brushed his face with her soft wingtip, and Kludd had to keep himself from pulling away. "He is, after all, your inferior. Whatever he may try, I have no doubts that you will squash him like the rodent he is."

Inferior ... That’s not what I heard.

He knew what she had told Soren. He knew what she really thought of him. And as she blinked her eyelids flirtatiously at him, Kludd could only begin to wonder ... what else was she lying about? Had a single thing she told him ever been the truth? Was ... was her plan from the start to try and replace him with Soren?

Kludd tried to hold himself together. He kept eye contact with her once-alluring orbs, steady in his expression, and keeping firm his stance on the matter.

"No, I don't," he said, perhaps a bit too bitterly. "But he is the Guardians' only chance at escape should he get away. And his will has clearly not broken as we had hoped."

This was a partial lie. While Soren remained impressively resilient and headstrong in many scenarios, Kludd could see how worn down his brother had become, physically and mentally, by the week he'd spent as their bound and gagged prisoner. But he had to provide as many reasons as he could, ensuring that Nyra had no way to justify herself without either admitting the truth or giving in to his demands.

Nyra peered back at him, her eyes slightly narrowed. She took note of every slight, subtle shift in his expression, any hint of some ulterior motive as she tried to read his thoughts. Kludd tried not to crack, although he saw his mate's slight distrust in his intentions (ironically enough). He kept himself from getting too paranoid, but was worried as to whether she suspected that he knew something.

Nonetheless, he persisted. If he couldn't convince her now, he didn't know if he ever could. He couldn't take that risk; Soren couldn't pose a threat to him any longer, or it would be too late.

"My dear, sweet love," he murmured, internally cringing at the term, "I insist." He bravely closed the gap between their white faces, visibly disarming her. "He. Must. Die."

Nyra was very surprised by the boldness of Kludd's demands. As he feared, she was indeed beginning to wonder if he suspected more than he was letting on, that he was catching on to her efforts to seduce and turn his brother. If that were the case, then her talon was forced. She couldn't allow him to confirm any such suspicions.

Which meant that she couldn't take the risk of Soren being alive to tell him the truth. Even if he wasn't believed, the slightest doubt could grow to turn Kludd against her.

However, even more than that, Nyra had been starting to realize that, as hard as she tried, despite so much time of relentless efforts, she had gotten no closer to converting Soren. He had proven himself to be nowhere near as malleable as his brother, even when subjected to far worse conditions that failed to destroy his spirit. He was too entrenched in the drive to do good, the devotion to his friends, to be pulled in any other direction. Any owl selfish enough to care for what she was offering, she forced herself to finally admit, would have at least budged by now.

It disappointed her greatly. But at this point, factoring in both these reasons and Kludd's sudden insistence ... Nyra forced to conclude that the handsome Guardian may not have any use left.

As much as she tried to hide her disappointment, she involuntarily allowed it to briefly creep into her scheming eyes, before being carefully buried once more. However, it was enough for Kludd to catch it. And he felt his insides threatening to fold in on themselves.

There it was. The disappointment. The disappointment that he thought he had escaped. The disappointment that he saw in his parents' eyes, always making him believe that he was not what they wanted him to be. That he wasn't enough.

And now, in the eyes of the very being who had promised him that he was enough, that he was more than what anyone else would allow him to be ... clearly saw him as a failure. Just like everyone else.

After everything he had done, all the sacrifices he had made, giving her everything he had ... he was not good enough for her.

... No ... he thought. You're wrong, Nyra. And I'll prove it.

He would make her see. Once and for all.

And the corpse of the owl who plagued him all this time would prove it.

---

Wortmore stood proudly among his Pure One brethren, as yet another night of their siege came to its conclusion.

For the Pure Ones, they still had all of the freedom to go wherever and do whatever they pleased, so long as the siege wasn't compromised as a result. If enough owls left, the rest of them had to stay until their return, and no position could be left completely unattended. Nonetheless, food was plentiful across the sea, with owls going regularly to collect some for their designated groups.

The biggest problem they faced was boredom, living on this rock with little to no activity on the Guardians' parts. Wortmore had expected them to eventually realize that they were trapped, but he also had expected at least more resilience from them than this. At least a few more vain attempts to free themselves, only to be rightfully beaten down and further weakened.

And yet, no such thing occurred.

I can't help but be disappointed, he thought. All of their legendary might, and this is what they have for us.

He was getting ready to turn in, leaving his day watch to their usual duties and fully anticipating another period of inactivity. He brushed aside his own impatience. As eager as they were to yield results from this siege, everyone knew not only that they had planned to be in this for the long haul, but that compared to their enemies, they were in pure paradise.

However, as he looked out to the glistening ocean before him, illuminated a deep orange from the rising sun, he saw a handful of birds flying their way towards him. He initially didn't think anything of it, assuming it was his own soldiers returning from a hunt.

But then, more showed up, more than the amount that was allowed to leave the island at a single time. Even more prevalent, these were clearly not all the superior Tytos they were fighting to let dominate. Rather, they were owls of varying forms, sizes, and features, their silhouettes highly pronounced against the water and fiery morning sky.

"Commander!" one of Wortmore's subordinates shouted out, clearly distressed.

Wortmore shot his head around, but his face only grew more shocked, and his beak fell open.

Guardians were now emerging from the Great Ga'hoole Tree in hordes, flying towards his army at an alarming rate. His head swiveled back to the sea, where more birds were joining in.

He nearly fell off his branch when he made out the familiar battle claws and helmets worn by these "newcomers", matching those on the approaching Guardians. They all soared with strength and pride, not looking like the decaying victims they thought they were creating, but refreshed, triumphant souls ready to take back what was theirs.

As his head nearly spiraled, Wortmore could barely breathe from the shock.

... No ... i-impossible ...

---

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.

---

Things are quite eventful now, with our Guardians finally breaking through the siege and launching their attack. While on the other side, we get the most focus on Kludd we've gotten in this fic so far, which is appropriate considering what he's learned and what he's taken from his brother's captivity. Two storylines coming to a head, yet there could still be a few more surprises left in store. ;)

Not much more to say here. Again, the situation at home made the writing process for this one go on longer than it otherwise would have, not helped by college starting back up for me. Thankfully having a weekend to get most of it done, as well as not having to move any stuff up to a dorm (one of the few good things about remote schooling), helped move it along. Things are alright, by the way. The folks are slowly but surely getting back to health, and I imagine that by this time next week, the one who underwent surgery will be close to their full capabilities. :)

---

Soren's gag speech translated:

"RRNNMM NRRGNNG RRMMRH?!" - "WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!"

"Rnrnnmmm!! Rrnnrnnrnnhrr!! Grrnn, phrrnnrrmnn rmmmnnrrh!!" - "It wasn't me! I didn't want her! Kludd, she's trying to replace you!"

"GRRNH, MMRPH!! NRRNNRRNNPH!!" - "KLUDD, PLEASE!! DON'T DO THIS!!"

"Grnnh. Rrphnnmmr." - "Kludd. This isn’t you."