Guardians of Ga'Hoole 08 - The Outcast

an alliance between the dire wolves of the MacHeath clan, which I know number many, and the Pure Ones.”
    “And what is the purpose of this alliance?” MacHeath asked.
    “To destroy the Guardians of Ga’Hoole and take control of the owl world.”
    “The owl world,” the chieftain growled. “What does that have to do with us?”
    “A lot!” Nyra answered.
    “Please explain.”
    The next part of Nyra’s proposal was based on a mixture of falsehoods coupled with many things she had found out about wolves and their ways in the Beyond. In the short time she had been in Beyond the Beyond, Nyra had visited many clans and had very skillfully ferreted out the dire wolves’ strengths and weaknesses. She had listened to gossip. One rumor in particular had inflamed her gizzard. There was a young Barn Owl new to this desolate region that had somehow impressed the dire wolves with his special powers. She needed to know for certain who he was and, more important—what he was here for. The dire wolves would prove most helpful. She found out their grievances, discovered what was at the bottom of theirendless feuds with one another. She studied their fears and hopes. The MacHeaths, she realized, were the most desperate of the clans and that was exactly what she needed. Desperate wolves, jealous wolves, who felt they had been cheated out of their birthright, their due, their power! She would offer them power even if she had to spin lies to do so. If she did it right, they would be unable to resist the temptation. So she began:
    “As you know, the Ember of Hoole, which is buried in one of the Sacred Volcanoes, has been guarded for the ages by dire wolves of the MacDuncan clan.”
    “We know this all too well.”
    “And you also know that it has been claimed that the MacDuncan clan was chosen for this honor by King Hoole himself when he returned the ember to the volcano.”
    “Has been claimed ?” A light flickered in the green depths of the chieftain’s eyes.
    “Precisely—claimed. In other words, it is hearsay.”
    “How do you know this?”
    “Can you read, Lord MacHeath?”
    “No,” he replied.
    “Well, I can.” This was a lie. Nyra could barely read. Although she intended to learn as soon as she captured the great tree with its magnificent library. “I succeeded in infiltrating the Great Ga’Hoole Tree some years ago andread an ancient document that proposes that it was not the MacDuncans who were chosen by King Hoole but the MacHeaths.”
    “No!” There was a great growling mixed with yips and barks among the wolves in the Gadderheal.
    “If you help me, I shall help restore to you what is rightfully yours.”
    “What is rightfully ours!” The chieftain’s eyes blazed with such intensity, Nyra almost had to look away. “Madame Supreme Leader of the Tytonic Union, if indeed you can restore us to the Sacred Watch of the volcanoes, for this we shall join you and be forever in your debt.”
    Exactly where Nyra wanted them.
    “Now, madame—” he continued.
    “Madame General or General Mam is what I am accustomed to being called.”
    “Yes, Madame General. What information do you seek from us?”
    “I have heard of a Barn Owl in these parts rumored to have unusual powers.”
    “Ahh, yes, the young one. Coryn, I believe, is his name.”
    “Coryn?” Nyra said. “Are you sure it’s not Nyroc?”
    “He was introduced to us as Coryn.”
    “He has been here? You have met him?” Nyra lofted off the ground into the air.
    “The talking bone, Madame General. Mind the talking bone.”
    “Oh, I am so sorry,” Nyra said and placed her talons once more on the bone.
    “Our ways are curious, I know,” Lord MacHeath said, almost apologetically.
    “Can you tell me, Lord MacHeath, what he looked like and why he was here?”
    “Well, I am not really sure why old Duncan MacDuncan brought him along. I suppose to honor us with his presence. You have heard of his connection with the wolves and the bear sharing the spoils of the moose.” Nyra nodded. “Well, Madame General, that has never happened in the history of Beyond the Beyond since the time of Fengo.”
    “Fengo?” Nyra asked.
    “Yes, Fengo was the first dire wolf to come here. Long, long ago he led his pack to Beyond the Beyond to escape the last Ice Age. In that time, they were called wolf packs and not clans. And the head gnaw wolf of the Sacred Watch of the volcanoes has always since been named Fengo to honor him.”
    A creamed-colored