Night had settled upon the silent forest as the band of young owls and their older adviser owls traveled swiftly among tall, bushy trees. They had left their temporary camp site in the tall fir trees in the Shadow Forest. Now, they were traveling east towards Silverveil. There, they planned to stop at Cape Glaux for a short while before setting off again, this time to the south, towards the Desert of Kuneer.
As they all reached the border of the Shadow Forest, the trees began to thin and there was much more open space to spread out. "Fly higher, everyone!" The adviser owl in-command hooted. Tylisia flapped her wings and soared higher, until she was just above the tree tops. A cool, pine-scented breeze passed by, and she glided on it in pleasure. The Silverveil always had a strong pine tree scent, and it was colder than many of the other locations around the Southern Kingdoms. Besides the Ice Narrows in the Northern Kingdoms, of course. Nearing winter, the Silverveil was one of the most glorious and beautiful places to go. The trees were always sprinkled with sparkling snow crystals and the air felt fresh and new. The ground was covered in a pure white, fluffy carpet and snowshoe hares were a lot of fun to hunt as they bounded and leaped in the snow. Snowy Owls and Great Grays were often seen spending the winter in this region, and they were known for their great knowledge of surviving in the cold and for their friendly hospitality.
Of course, since it was in the beginning of autumn, there wasn't any thick white carpet of snow covering the ground and the trees were still visibly green, rather than sparkling white. Many of the trees were also becoming gold, red, brown, and yellow; vibrant colors that pleased any owl's eyes, and a sight to behold and enjoy before the snow buried it until spring came again.
Nevertheless, Tylisia planned on flying back to this magnificent place that winter to see its beauty that she had heard about time and time again, spoken of by owls who had experienced many times before.
"Alright, everyone, lets stop straight ahead at that large pine tree on the hill!" The adviser owl in-command screeched, darting ahead so they knew where to go. All the young owls followed, and soon they were all perching on the many branches of the pine tree. They preened their feathers, as they were told to always do in order to keep them in superb condition. Then, it was time to catch their dinner.
"Now that we have made it to the Silverveil," the adviser owl spoke to the group of young owls, once they were all paying close attention, "before we travel on to Cape Glaux, which is not too fair from here, we will hunt for our dinner. A favorite prey to hunt is snowshoe hare. In the winter, when there is snow covering the ground and the snowshoe hare's pelt has transformed into a pure white color that perfectly matches the snow, which they cleverly use as camouflage, they can be difficult, yet fun, to hunt. But as for right now, fortunately for you, they have not yet made that transformation. Many are still brown colored, which is their summer season pelt color, with some white blotches. So, they will be much easier to spot with your keen eyes. Try your best and use all your hunting skills, and if you fail, you will have at least a small vole to eat, which I or one of the other advisers will catch for you, until we reach Cape Glaux, or until you catch your own food. That is how it is in reality; if you cannot catch your own food, you must settle for something easy and small to catch, or you will go hungry. Understand?" The young owls all nodded at once, their eyes bright and attentive. Tylisia listened carefully with her full attention, for she was anxious to get going and catch her first snowshoe hare; she had heard they were delicious and quite filling, and she had never caught or eaten one before, since they didn't live around her kingdom.
As Tylisia's beak watered for the taste of snowshoe hare, she waited anxiously until the adviser owl finally said, "1...2...3...FLY!" and all at once the young owls took flight. They soared over the rolling hills and around the scattered pine trees. They flew over silvery, mirrored lakes and ponds, their hungry eyes open and attentive, their talons aching to grasp the soft fur of a snowshoe hare. Within minutes, several of the young owls had been successful in catching their own snowshoe hares. They flew back to the large pin tree, where they were congratulated and allowed to consume their prizes.
Tylisia soared high above the ground, so she could get a perfect birdseye view of everything below her. Finally, her eyes caught the slightest glimpse of a tiny brown speck leaping from a well-hidden den and making a run for the shelter of a bushy pine tree. Tylisia folded in her wings and nosedived straight down, her sharp beak pointed at the frantic snowshoe hare. Just before impact, she thrust her claws forward and wrapped her talons around the hare, lifting it clean off the ground. She flew upward again, carrying it securely in her talons and back to the large pine tree where she joined everyone else who had been successful so far.
After a while, only several owls had not been successful in catching a snowshoe hare; two Burrowing Owls, three tiny Elf Owls, and a runty, clumsy Screech Owl. This was mainly because of their size; how could one expect a tiny Elf Owl to catch a full-grown snowshoe hare? And so, they settled on catching their own dinners; voles and mice. Which they were fine by, since they were so small that they didn't need much to fill them up.
Tylisia gobbled down her snowshoe hare bit by bit. She was proud of her prize; it was indeed a very filling dinner and the hare was delicious, just as she had been told. When done, she yarped up a good-sized pellet, and sighed with contentment. The moon was a bright waxing gibbous, high up in the clear sky. The stars shone brilliantly, like tiny glowing crystals smiling down at the band of young owls. The air stirred gently, carrying the sweet aroma of pine needles. Everything was so peaceful. Tylisia yearned to take flight and soar above the ground; to just glide on the breeze, without purpose and without a care in the world. She would have, except for the fact that she was completely stuffed from her snowshoe hare dinner. The stuffed feeling made her feel tired, and she decided it was time to settle down for the rest of the night. The aroma of pine needles, the gentle breeze blowing through her feathers, and the distant hooting of a family of Snowy Owls combined to make a sweet, melodious lullaby that soothed her and all the other owls into a peaceful, dreamy sleep.
As they all reached the border of the Shadow Forest, the trees began to thin and there was much more open space to spread out. "Fly higher, everyone!" The adviser owl in-command hooted. Tylisia flapped her wings and soared higher, until she was just above the tree tops. A cool, pine-scented breeze passed by, and she glided on it in pleasure. The Silverveil always had a strong pine tree scent, and it was colder than many of the other locations around the Southern Kingdoms. Besides the Ice Narrows in the Northern Kingdoms, of course. Nearing winter, the Silverveil was one of the most glorious and beautiful places to go. The trees were always sprinkled with sparkling snow crystals and the air felt fresh and new. The ground was covered in a pure white, fluffy carpet and snowshoe hares were a lot of fun to hunt as they bounded and leaped in the snow. Snowy Owls and Great Grays were often seen spending the winter in this region, and they were known for their great knowledge of surviving in the cold and for their friendly hospitality.
Of course, since it was in the beginning of autumn, there wasn't any thick white carpet of snow covering the ground and the trees were still visibly green, rather than sparkling white. Many of the trees were also becoming gold, red, brown, and yellow; vibrant colors that pleased any owl's eyes, and a sight to behold and enjoy before the snow buried it until spring came again.
Nevertheless, Tylisia planned on flying back to this magnificent place that winter to see its beauty that she had heard about time and time again, spoken of by owls who had experienced many times before.
"Alright, everyone, lets stop straight ahead at that large pine tree on the hill!" The adviser owl in-command screeched, darting ahead so they knew where to go. All the young owls followed, and soon they were all perching on the many branches of the pine tree. They preened their feathers, as they were told to always do in order to keep them in superb condition. Then, it was time to catch their dinner.
"Now that we have made it to the Silverveil," the adviser owl spoke to the group of young owls, once they were all paying close attention, "before we travel on to Cape Glaux, which is not too fair from here, we will hunt for our dinner. A favorite prey to hunt is snowshoe hare. In the winter, when there is snow covering the ground and the snowshoe hare's pelt has transformed into a pure white color that perfectly matches the snow, which they cleverly use as camouflage, they can be difficult, yet fun, to hunt. But as for right now, fortunately for you, they have not yet made that transformation. Many are still brown colored, which is their summer season pelt color, with some white blotches. So, they will be much easier to spot with your keen eyes. Try your best and use all your hunting skills, and if you fail, you will have at least a small vole to eat, which I or one of the other advisers will catch for you, until we reach Cape Glaux, or until you catch your own food. That is how it is in reality; if you cannot catch your own food, you must settle for something easy and small to catch, or you will go hungry. Understand?" The young owls all nodded at once, their eyes bright and attentive. Tylisia listened carefully with her full attention, for she was anxious to get going and catch her first snowshoe hare; she had heard they were delicious and quite filling, and she had never caught or eaten one before, since they didn't live around her kingdom.
As Tylisia's beak watered for the taste of snowshoe hare, she waited anxiously until the adviser owl finally said, "1...2...3...FLY!" and all at once the young owls took flight. They soared over the rolling hills and around the scattered pine trees. They flew over silvery, mirrored lakes and ponds, their hungry eyes open and attentive, their talons aching to grasp the soft fur of a snowshoe hare. Within minutes, several of the young owls had been successful in catching their own snowshoe hares. They flew back to the large pin tree, where they were congratulated and allowed to consume their prizes.
Tylisia soared high above the ground, so she could get a perfect birdseye view of everything below her. Finally, her eyes caught the slightest glimpse of a tiny brown speck leaping from a well-hidden den and making a run for the shelter of a bushy pine tree. Tylisia folded in her wings and nosedived straight down, her sharp beak pointed at the frantic snowshoe hare. Just before impact, she thrust her claws forward and wrapped her talons around the hare, lifting it clean off the ground. She flew upward again, carrying it securely in her talons and back to the large pine tree where she joined everyone else who had been successful so far.
After a while, only several owls had not been successful in catching a snowshoe hare; two Burrowing Owls, three tiny Elf Owls, and a runty, clumsy Screech Owl. This was mainly because of their size; how could one expect a tiny Elf Owl to catch a full-grown snowshoe hare? And so, they settled on catching their own dinners; voles and mice. Which they were fine by, since they were so small that they didn't need much to fill them up.
Tylisia gobbled down her snowshoe hare bit by bit. She was proud of her prize; it was indeed a very filling dinner and the hare was delicious, just as she had been told. When done, she yarped up a good-sized pellet, and sighed with contentment. The moon was a bright waxing gibbous, high up in the clear sky. The stars shone brilliantly, like tiny glowing crystals smiling down at the band of young owls. The air stirred gently, carrying the sweet aroma of pine needles. Everything was so peaceful. Tylisia yearned to take flight and soar above the ground; to just glide on the breeze, without purpose and without a care in the world. She would have, except for the fact that she was completely stuffed from her snowshoe hare dinner. The stuffed feeling made her feel tired, and she decided it was time to settle down for the rest of the night. The aroma of pine needles, the gentle breeze blowing through her feathers, and the distant hooting of a family of Snowy Owls combined to make a sweet, melodious lullaby that soothed her and all the other owls into a peaceful, dreamy sleep.
