Guardians of Ga'Hoole 05 - The Shattering

measure the wind drift and current variations in this part of the Sea of Hoolemere,” Soren replied. “So we set out these little floats, then fly back in a few days and see where they are. Make sure the streamers are well attached because that’s how we’re going to find them again.”
    It was fun work, and for a snack when they finished, Soren had brought along some barbecued bat wings left over from tweener.
    “Glaux, this island is so tiny even I feel big on it,” Gylfie said. “Where are we going to light down for a snack?”
    “Look over there.” Digger flipped his head toward the northern tip of the island. There were three rocks that dribbled off the island, not more than a foot or two away from the shore. “That looks nice enough.”
    The four owls lighted down on the rocks, by a small tide pool. As they ate their bat wings in the moonlight they peered into its shallow water.
    “Are starfish good to eat?” Digger asked, spotting one on the bottom.
    “They’re fish, aren’t they?” growled Twilight.
    “They don’t look like fish,” Digger said.
    “I wouldn’t risk it,” said Soren. “Remember how that Brown Fish Owl’s hollow smelled last fall in Ambala?”
    “Hmmm.” Digger looked at the starfish and seemed to think twice about eating it.
    “I don’t think it would be good for your gizzard,” Gylfie said. “I mean bones and fur, that’s one thing, but Glaux knows what these creatures are made from. I’d steer clear of it.”
    “Pretty though, aren’t they?” Digger said.
    Twilight now bent closer to look at the starfish. “S’pose you could take it back for decoration. They dry out, you know. Might be able to trade it for something with Mags.”
    “TWILIGHT!” they all shrieked.
    “It’s alive,” Soren said. “You kill things to eat, not for decoration.”
    “Barely alive, I’d say. Doesn’t have a brain, doesn’t have a gizzard.”
    “Still,” Gylfie said, “it’s alive in its own way.”
    “S’pose you’re right,” Twilight said and looked up from his examination of the starfish. “Hey! What’s that over there caught in the rocks?”
    Something was fluttering between two rocks in the next tide pool. Soren lofted into the air to fly-hop the short distance. “It’s a piece of paper.” He poked at the piece with his talon. “Or a piece of a piece of paper.” And then more slowly, “Or a piece of a page of maybe what had been a book.” He blinked at the smeared letters. “Great Glaux…Fleckasia! It’s part of that book that Dewlap confiscated from Otulissa.”
    “No!” Gylfie said in a stunned voice.
    Soon they were all crowded around Soren and peering at the fragment of the page. Then Digger spoke: “Otulissa will flip her gizzard when she sees this. Can you make out any of the writing? She was just talking about this thing called shattering, which fleckasia can cause. It’s worse than moon blinking. But she never got to finish the chapter because Dewlap came in and took the book.”
    “Then Dewlap must have thrown it away,” Soren said.“What a complete creep that owl is. Imagine destroying a book like this.”
    “How did this piece of it ever get this far without completely dissolving?” Gylfie wondered.
    “Maybe a seagull picked it up, then dropped it here. You know they’ll try to eat anything. And it was caught in this little crack where it kept pretty dry,” Soren said. “In any case, we have to take this back to Otulissa. Maybe she can make something of it.”
    When they returned to the great tree, the first pink streaks of dawn were just showing. After a quick breaklight, Soren, Digger, and Gylfie went to their hollow. Otulissa had completed her experiment for Ezylryb on the far beach but had not yet returned from a special errand for Barran and Boron. She was flying to a slipgizzle who it was thought might have information about the Northern Kingdoms. Soren felt that Boron and Barran were trying to placate Otulissa, who had been plotting a very complex attack on the Pure Ones in which she envisioned enlisting recruits from the Kielian League. Soren and Gylfie had discussed this plan, and both thought it was probably never going to happen. But Boron and Barran seemed to have decided to let Otulissa explore where things stood in the Northern Kingdoms. Ever since Strix Struma had been killed inbattle, Otulissa had been obsessed with her plan. In any case, the owls of the band would wait until the next night to show Otulissa