Lost Tales of Ga'Hoole

created a vacuum in the space between them. Whatever was in the middle got sucked along. Flinn was very excited to tell the other kraals of his discovery. He had thought it would be a great way to transport injured owls or fledglings and smaller owls who couldn’t fly through heavy gusts. But the kraals saw it only as a way to transport captives. Typical.
    Flinn wondered who was being brought to the rock cell in the VAT. He saw that the owl in the middle of the formation was very small, even smaller than he was. It must have been an Elf Owl, he decided. An owl that size was in for a bad time in the Pirates’ Lair. Until now, Flinn had been one of the smallest owls in the area. This prisoner’s diminutive size intrigued him.
    From the main room of the Pirates’ Lair, Flinn could see into the stone cell where the Elf Owl was being kept. He chatted with the guards and they gave up all the information like gadfeathers at a grog tree. The prisoner was called Gylfie, and she came from the Southern Kingdoms. The kraals were holding her on behalf of some old Screech Owl who would be coming to question her.
    The most fascinating thing Flinn learned was that the owl came from the Great Ga’Hoole Tree, and was in fact a Guardian of Ga’Hoole. He had heard stories about the Guardians—that they were a group of knightly owls that fought for justice and sought wisdom—but he never thought he would meet one, let alone have one brought to the Pirates’ Lair with his invention.
    For the next two nights, Flinn couldn’t help but think about the little Elf Owl being kept in the rock cell. He wanted to know more about this Gylfie, but he had no business in the whole matter. He wasn’t involved in guarding the prisoner—he was too small. Vlink and Phlinx, two dim-witted Snowies, were selected for that task. He wasn’t involved in questioning the prisoner, either—he was not important or high-ranking enough. One of the Snowy captains was working with that creepy Whiskered Screech, Ifghar, on that task. What were they asking her? he wondered. As much as he tried to keep busy, his thoughts always fell to Gylfie and the Guardians of Ga’Hoole.
    What was it like, he wondered, to live at the Great Ga’Hoole Tree? I bet she’s not left out of raids or missions. And I bet they don’t laugh off her ideas .
    The very next day, Flinn got to know Gylfie a little better. Most of the kraals were out on a raid. Vlink and Phlinx were left behind to guard Gylfie, and Flinn was left behind to…well, Flinn was just plain left behind. He milled about in the main room of the lair hoping to catch bits of the conversation between the prisoner and her guards, or better, speak with the Elf Owl himself. But all he heard was Vlink and Phlinx going on and on about being left out of the raids.
    Suddenly, he heard both Vlink and Phlinx gasp in awe.
    “Look! Look!” said one.
    “It’s coming this way. By my talons, it can’t be!” added the other.
    Flinn tried to see what had caused this reaction, but couldn’t. He tried to position his head so that he could hear as much as possible. But all he could hear was a bit of mumbling in a language he didn’t understand. Glaux? Vlink and Phlinx were saying that Glaux had come to the Pirates’ Lair to anoint them? What rubbish! Just what’s going on?
    Flinn had to see for himself. He left the main room of the lair and snuck around to the front entrance of the rock cell. He got there just in time to see an owl, who had been painted ear slit to talon in gold, cutting the Elf Owl loose. Ah, he suddenly understood. Vlink and Phlinx must have thought this golden owl was Glaux. What imbeciles! This owl was clearly just a regular Short-eared Owl who had found some of the prized golden sedge berries that the kraals were always on the hunt for. Flinn didn’t know where to find the berries or how to make a gold dye himself, but he was smart enough to know that another owl might be able to. It became clear that the Elf Owl and the Short-eared Owl had executed a most cunning plan to trick Vlink and Phlinx into letting them go. Gylfie, clearly out-sized, had no hope of fighting her way to freedom; she used her wits instead. That must be one smart little owl , thought Flinn.
    Gylfie and the golden owl were about to get away. Flinn knew he should try to stop them. The thing was, he didn’t want to. He wanted to see Gylfie get away. He wanted to see if she could really do it.
    Flinn looked to the western sky and