Guardians of Ga'Hoole 10 - The Coming of Hoole

have seen that Spotted Owl Hoole is talking about and how she attacked the Great Horned. Right before Theo came in and then a Snowy hurled out of nowhere.”
    “She was here?” Grank spoke in a dazed voice. His gizzard was in a complete twirl.
    “Her name is Elka.” The Snow Rose flew down from the spruce she had been perched in.
    “I don’t care what her name is. She’s my mother and I want her.”
    “Oh, Great Glaux!” Grank tipped his head up and shook it.
    There wasn’t a breeze. The surface of the cove’s water was like a mirror and floating on top—scattered likedead insects—were the bodies of half-hags. Their poison had already begun to contaminate the cove. Fish were floating to the top, gasping for air. But the five owls paid no heed.
    The Snow Rose wondered why Elka has vanished so suddenly.
    Theo stared forlornly at the blood on his battle claws, his gizzard in deep anguish. But had there been a real choice? he wondered.
    Hoole kept blinking his eyes. Why would anyone want to blind me?
    Grank had composed himself. He would say nothing of the true identity of the owl who called herself Elka. His only thoughts were about leaving. They had to leave and leave fast. He turned to Theo, Phineas, and Hoole. “We must all of us fly—fly away from here. Others might be coming. The war is too close now.” Then turning to the Snow Rose he said, “You are welcome to join us, friend.” The Snow Rose dipped her head, abashed and delighted. No owl who was not a gadfeather had ever called her “friend” before. Not even Elka. But she shook her head. “No, I still have some wandering to do. But thank you, thank you ever so much.”
    “Think nothing of it,” Grank replied.
    But she would think much of it. She would rememberthat someone who was not a gadfeather had called her “friend.”
    “But I want my mother to come back,” Hoole said.
    “If she found you here, she will find you again, Hoole. But it is far too dangerous for us to remain here. We must go now. We cannot delay another second.”
    “But where are we going?” Hoole asked
    “To Beyond the Beyond,” Grank replied. He swiveled his head to the south and blinked as if he could see that distant fiery land.
    “To the Beyond!” Theo gasped, hardly disguising his excitement. Grank had told him so much about the Beyond and their fires. Finally, he would be going to that land where Grank had learned to dive into the fires of the volcano and retrieve coals. Grank referred to himself as a collier, or carrier of coals. He was the only owl who could do this. He had promised someday to teach Theo. But he often would say that colliering was a waste of time for Theo, who was so gifted in the art of blacksmithing. “I would hate to see you squander your talents, lad. If I am the first collier in the world of owls, you are certainly the first blacksmith. I shall bring you all the coals you’ll ever need and you shall make tools you have yet to dream of. Not just weapons, Theo.”
    At last, thought Theo, they would be going to thatland of coals. Coals and embers of infinite variety with which they could build fires of all kinds of intensities in which he could smith metal into all sorts of tools. Theo knew that time was of the essence now. Had it really been Queen Siv who had attacked the Great Horned? Had she told Hoole that she was his mother? All these questions raced through Theo’s mind.
    His thoughts were interrupted now by Phineas, who was telling Grank that he, too, must go to the Beyond.
    “Don’t tell me I’m too small to go that far. I can fly as well as any of you.”
    “I want him to come,” Hoole said firmly. “If I can’t have my mother, I want my best friend.”
    Phineas’s eyes sparkled as Hoole said this. “Am I really your best friend, Hoole?”
    “Yes,” Hoole said and then suddenly swiveled his head toward Theo. “Theo, you’re not just a friend, you’re like my big brother. No, not like. You are.” Hoole paused. “And, Grank, if you were not here, I would miss you as much as I am now missing my mother. You are both mother and father to me.” Brother Berwyck was right, he thought. I do have enough love for everyone.
    “But how do you know, young’un, that this Spotted Owl is really your mother?” Grank had expected Hoole to say something like “I just know it” or “I feel it in mygizzard.” But he said neither. “I saw it in the fire, Uncle Grank.” Grank was stunned. He leaned in closer to Hoole.