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incorrectguardians · 1 year

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On Otulissa, and her similarities to the villains.

I don’t have to go into why she’s such a loved character, I could gush so much about Otulissa just in general, any day of the week, but there’s something curious about her growth and development throughout the series.

Otulissa is a very fun character, because she very much, more often than not, acts as a foil to the major and sometimes minor villains. Most notably to The Striga and Gemma, yet surprisingly, also to Nyra.

While I wouldn’t go so far as to call Otulissa and Nyra foils, they are connected and quite similar, Otulissa is the one who gave Nyra her scar, after all.

Here, so:

Nyra’s a very vengeful and vindictive owl, she’s named after an ancient tradition of Nyrolian Owls, and takes pride in it, reminding everyone of it when she can.

She believes that violence is the only way to achieve what she wants. Violence and conquering, to achieve full and total control of the owl kingdoms.

She loved Kludd cause he was the only one who could match her, they could create a powerful union together, and bring the Pure Ones to a new era. They were perfect for each other, complimented each other.

That sounds a little familiar, doesn’t it? At its core at least.

While I would not call Otulissa a vengeful owl as in that she believes in an “eye for an eye,” but she is vindictive as in, how to put it…

It’s partly due to the fact that Otulissa and the rest were only just ‘grown’ when the first whispers of the Pure Ones arose, they still had so much left to learn. The scar she gave Nyra was during the first official battle she ever fought, and it was out of revenge. Nyra had just killed her beloved mentor, Strix Struma.

Otulissa has a very strong sense of what is right, and what is wrong. When she feels she has been wronged, she’ll do whatever she can to make it right. This does lead to spats, disagreements, this can lead to violence. She's demonstrated moments of rage and anger when she has been wronged, but it’s not because she believes in an eye for an eye.

Otulissa is a very traditional name for a female spotted owl in the Northern Kingdoms, a mark of very distinguished heritage, and she takes a lot of pride in that fact.

But Otulissa is not from the Northern Kingdoms, she knew that her ancestors came from there to the south at some point (evidenced by the discovery of her beloved Strix Emerilla), but she’d barely have an idea of how many generations separate her from that era. Otulissa was born and grew up in the Southern Kingdoms. She was also orphaned very young, like the rest, it’s likely she only knew the tip of the iceberg regarding her family (added to what Audrey may have told her). Everything she knows about them is from her own research. She wanted to be just like her distinguished predecessors.

Nyra, however, is from the Northern Kingdoms, and she’s similarly named after an ancient tradition that spans back centuries, maybe even before the time of the legends. She carries the name of that first, ancient, Nyra. She also takes a lot of pride in that fact, naming her son after the same tradition. Nyra is just like her predecessors, born on the night of an eclipse, but she uses that power for evil. In comparison to Otulissa, she knows her heritage, grew up at her roots. She also describes herself as a very practical owl, much like Otulissa.

Regardless, Nyra thought she was better than everyone else.

But in Otulissa’s case, if her peers only thought that Otulissa thought that she was better than everyone else, it didn’t matter. Because whether or not she, at some point, actually believed so, very soon her and everyone else were going to get a shock that made them stop believing that. You can thank the Pure Ones.

There’s a dangerous slope there, between what is simply just pride in one’s heritage, and the great evil that Nyra was threatening.

Everyone is going through their own struggles, everyone is just like everyone else. Otulissa just needed to learn how to live with it.

Even so, Otulissa puts quite a bit of emphasis on this heritage of hers, something that I cannot accurately claim is unique to her, but is definitely brought to attention more through her than anyone else.

This gives her a contrast to other characters we meet, who are often instead proof that it is not someone’s origin that matters, it’s their actions that count. While Otulissa still knows this, she struggles with it at times, and is shown to be close minded, calling Soren treasonous when he had refused to train Skench and Sproon in The Burning.

When she met Cleve, she grew interested, they were much alike, he was perfect, such a distinguished gentleman, in her eyes. Like Nyra, It certainly felt like another match made in Glaumora (well, Hagsmire for Kludd and Nyra).

Otulissa was shocked to find out that he was a pacifist. Because he was a prince with such an illustrious history! From a long line of warriors! From the same hollow Strix Emerilla came from! For Glaux’s sake!

If Nyra were here, she would have spat at something and called him a coward, yeepish, etc etc.

Otulissa? Otulissa did not say any of those things out loud.

She’s instead just, extremely confused. Because why wouldn’t she be. For one, she’s from The Great Tree, she’s been growing up and learning how to fight. At the moment she met Cleve in The Burning, she’s coming into her own, preparing for a war strategy that she came up with, that she knows is vital to stopping the Pure Ones and vanquishing the evil. She knows that there would be no simply talking to them, that there would be no ‘negotiating for peace’ with the Pure Ones, that war is the only option.

And for another, Cleve is from an aristocratic family that is drenched in a history of warfare. Otulissa herself is very proud of the weathertrixes in her own family. She doesn’t understand why he would still choose to be a pacifist, isn’t he proud?

On the other hand, a Nyrolian owl is always destined for great things. To Nyra’s credit, conquering the owl kingdoms believing it is their Glaux-given right as Barn Owls, is a ‘great’ thing indeed (Even if horrific). In fact, in her eyes, the only great thing worth striving for. As a Nyrolian Owl, shouldn’t her own son agree? Be striving for it as well?

But… back to Otulissa, if there’s one thing she’s been learning to do so far, it’s how to open her mind. So she and Cleve begin to understand one another, even if their differences are vast.

And then when Coryn, the son of Nyra, came to the Beyond and met Otulissa. It was part of a continuous lesson she’s been learning, that heritage doesn’t have to mean anything to you if you don’t want it to, and it dictates nothing.

It’s what you do with it, whether it’s in spite of, or with respect to, or in defiance of it, that matters from start to finish.

Gemma was the creator of the Guardians of the Guardians of the Ember, so otherwise, she’s not a major villain. There’s a bit of foreshadowing at the beginning of The Golden Tree, where she constantly mentioned Ezylryb and how she shares a kinship with him because they were both Whiskered Screeches. Trying to claim things about him that were completely incorrect, of course everyone in the moment who knew him personally had something to say about it. But again, it sounds familiar.

You could say that Gemma started out the same way as Otulissa, not knowing who she was, relying on how others similar to her, who came before her, were like. Gemma never knew her heritage face to face, neither did Otulissa, she likely read about it, just like Otulissa.

Like Otulissa, Gemma has a strong sense of what is right in her eyes, and what is wrong. But Gemma didn’t care whether or not what she was saying was factually correct or not, she was okay with lying as a means to getting her way. Because, according to Gemma, if she’s just like her ancestors, then clearly her ancestors were just like her and believed the same things she did. Otulissa however, all she did was read, read, read, and read, searching for what was fact and separating it from what was false. Otulissa leaves very little to assumptions, and further still has very little patience for what’s fictional.

However, I’m not sure if anyone tried to help Gemma or not, because it’s clear that she’s younger than Otulissa, or at the very least hasn’t been at the Great Tree for as long. But not young in general, because she’s in parliament.

Yet she remained as she did, and the events of The Golden Tree happened as they did. Gemma did not develop an open mind and instead let herself get consumed by her own fear and ignorance, and Otulissa didn’t.

Mostly because Otulissa was sitting in jail the entire time.

In general, Otulissa always hated anything and everything that could be considered flashy, vulgar, and completely unnecessary. Always has and won’t budge. No owl would need to wear clothes, that’s an Others thing. Her hollow only needs what is beneficial to her work, and of course, a perch and nest to sleep on. She’ll pursue her own comfort, evidenced by her keeping a coal grate in her hollow in The Hatchling. But she wouldn’t keep anything solely for its aesthetic value, and, when she was younger, actively scorned others when she saw that they did.

Of course, as an adult, she now mostly begrudges it, accepting that it’s just not for her, and would not deny an owl the right to have them. Even going as far as agreeing to hide Madame Plonk’s teacup for her during The Golden Tree.

Similarly, Otulissa despised joke books because she found them completely vulgar and they taught nothing. She didn’t mind, but could not find herself interested in fiction. She wanted to know what was real and true. But she loved poems and music, because they often reflected things like the writer’s personal life, the state of the world, and the feelings in one's gizzard, and that was real to her.

Once again, despite her reservations, she would never prevent another owl from reading any sort of book.

She couldn’t stand it when others would mess around and make unprofessional what an important outing with the chaw was going to be, especially when it’s her own teacher perpetuating and encouraging it. It’s very undignified, nothing like her.

So when The Striga was welcomed to the Great Tree and began talking about ‘vanity,’ Otulissa, now grown, found that she could agree, to an extent. But what The Striga was suggesting bordered on dangerous.

At a glance, The Striga assumed that he and Otulissa were very much alike, two birds of a feather, but the feeling was absolutely not mutual.

When he met Otulissa in the library, The Striga claimed that only the practical studies were free of vanity, that anything else was “anti-glaux,” and that he approved of Otulissa’s choice of book at the moment (a book on atmospheric pressure, by Strix Emerilla, of course). But added on that one should never be too prideful, that pride was another vanity.

Otulissa was very proud of her ancestors, but was never one who did something for the approval of someone else. Everyone is different, going through their own struggles, just like everyone else. Due to previous events in her life, Otulissa was also instinctually wary of any owl that attempted to preach an ideal Owl World based on quantities of “purity.” Even if The Striga had tried to call it “true owlness.”

The Striga then attempted to use this encounter to get Otulissa out of the Great Tree, along with the band, but he clearly underestimated her, since she elected to stay behind. The encounter also later gave Otulissa what she needed to make the decision to smuggle books out of the Great Tree, the ones she felt were at risk of disappearing thanks to The Striga.

Then later, when she lost her eye, she went one step further to separate herself just a little bit more from The Striga’s ideals. With Trader Mags’ help, someone who she historically never got along with, she picked out a rather “jaunty” bandana for herself to wear over the injury. Saying that there was nothing wrong with a bit of vanity.

I don’t believe that were Otulissa left to her own devices, she’d grow up to be something evil. Likely only just bitter, snooty, stuck-up, and snobbish and a ryb who was a horrible teacher that everyone hated and would celebrate when she died. Much like Dewlap, who I omitted from this analysis because …. I forgot, my bad, because this is long enough as it is.

But she had friends and rybs who taught her as much as she taught them, and instead she grew up to be a, still a bit snooty, ryb whose a great teacher… despite the mixed opinions of her students.

I just think it’s very interesting that she’s had so many similarities to the villains that seem purposeful.

Because Otulissa was never something to be fixed, there was never anything wrong with her, she didn’t have to get a new personality. Everything she grew into was something she did herself, she just needed someone to see who she truly was, what she could do.

#guardians of ga'hoole #gahoole #ga'hoole #guardians of gahoole #otulissa #nyra #the striga #gemma #analysis #I started crying a little at the end there #mostly because this is an edited version of the one I wrote in a notebook #underneath a nightlight at 3 am #yknow how it is

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guardians-of-gahoole-fanworld · 1 month

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The Lost Quill (Metal Beak/Surtr x Nyra x Unknown)

Summary: Nyra lost her quill and now searches for a solution. Luckily, her husband saves her, though he needed a bit of convincing to do so.

Characters: Lord High Tyto Metal Beak/Surtr, Queen Nyra

Relationship/s: Metal Beak/Surtr X Nyra X Unknown

Warnings: None

Important: I'm not a native English speaker, so please excuse any grammar and spelling mistake.

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Nyra and her quills did not have a good relationship.

She lost them quite often and not rarely, they had disappeared for days and had reappeared in the most absurd areas. The forge, the kitchen, the training hall...heck, she even found one in the dining hall once!

Metal Beak has gotten...used to it.

By now, hearing the question "Where is my quill?" has become a part of his life. When Nyra needed to write something down, which, to her credit, was rare as she excellent memory, he knew that it would be asked the second she got her talon on a piece of paper.

And today, when it was early in the morning, it was no different.

"Surtr, my love. Where is the quill?"

Metal Beak sighed and looked up from where he was waxing his mask while drinking his cup of morning tea, his dominant talon, the right one, halting in its current movement. His seeing eye blinked, his pupil shrinking as it readjusted to the light of the room, which was dim since the sun has yet to rise, and the lit candles were few and far between.

"Again?" he asked, rising his bushy eyebrows. A nice touch on his, for Nyra, still very handsome face.

"Yes, again." The female hissed as she walked over to yet another nearby desk, searching through the drawers with hasty movements. "I swear it's around here somewhere. I wrote down some notes last night, so it has to be!"

"Are you certain that you have used your own?" Metal Beak asked, rising his eyebrows further. Nyra stopped in her tracks and shot him a look.

"Yes. Yes, I am." She shot back, beginning to grab the items within the drawer, putting them onto the wooden platform that was covered with a beautiful tablecloth in an attempt to finally find the missing quill. "I hardly doubt that our beloved would use one that is barely the size of MY talon. Let alone HIS!"

Metal Beak hummed, his eyelids lowering. Good argument.

"Very well. Where did you use it last?" He asked, finally setting the tools down, ready to help her to spare her hours upon hours of solo searching. Nyra stopped in her tracks, blinking as she tried to remember the events of yesterday night. It was a bit difficult, given that she had been so tired that she had fallen asleep on her chair. She could barely remember her husband forcing her to get up and go to bed.

"I...believe that I wrote something down at my workstation yesterday." She hummed, squinting her eyes. "That is when I recall last holding it. However, I'm unsure if I used it afterwards." She glanced at him, her golden/blue eyes meeting his golden ones. "Did you see it when you brought me to bed?"

Metal Beak stopped, trying to recall the state of the desk as he had pulled his beloved from her hobby. However, he could only shake his head. "No, my love. I have merely visited your workstation to get you to bed. I have not paid any attentions to the utensils laying on its surface." He answered, blinking when Nyra huffed in annoyance.

"The hagsmire! Where have I put it?" she hissed as she switched drawers, clicking it beak as she opened it to grab the key, her movements growing hastier as her rage grew. "I need it! The notes do not take themselves!"

"Can you not just take one of the hundred other quills that I have had made for you?" the Lord High Tyto asked, watching her storm over to the door that led to her workshop.

"If I could find one that works, yes!" she huffs as she unlocks the door and storms inside. Seconds later, he heard loud noises emitting from the dark room, telling him that she was now at the conjoined wooden desks, tearing through them to find it. Oh his beloved wife, he loved her, no matter how clumsy she was with her quills.

With a small, rare smile on his beak, he turned back to his mask, reaching for his cup to take a sip before reaching for his cloth. He continued to work on it for about 20 minutes before she stormed out of her workshop, still quill-less. The look on her face mirrored the frustration that she felt deep within her core.

"Did you find it?" he asked her, not looking up. He already knew the answer, but he could not help himself.

"No." she said bluntly, shaking her head. She sounded exhausted now, and since his face was hidden from her view, he did not even try to stop the smug grin that spread over his face. She walked over to him and lowered herself onto one of the many seats. "I cannot find anything in that mess."

"So you finally admit that you need to tidy up your workspace." he asked, finally lifting his head to glance at her again, his face back to normal.

"Surtr, it is not always like this." she pointed out, reaching for the teapot to pour herself a cup of tea. She needed it. "I am simply working on a project. Once it is done, I will return it to its clean state. But I simply cannot clean up every single time the night comes and I am in the middle of it. It would take me forever and would cause nothing but inconveniences."

"The illusion of delusion." he said, watching as she blew at the surface of the hot liquid before taking a careful sip.

"Not everyone can be so focused on keeping everything spotless." she shot back, though there was no real heat in her words. "As soon as you get a little bit of blood on any of your weapons or armor, you spend so much time cleaning it. I am surprised that you haven't scrubbed anything out of existence yet."

"I am merely focusing on keeping them presentable. I am the Lord High Tyto, Nyra. Appearance is important." he argued, watching her take another, longer sip. She closed her eyes as the taste, finally letting herself enjoy it. Beautiful. "Additionally, these blades were a gift from our beloved, and I do not want it to be soiled by an unworthy's blood."

Those words brought a genuine smile on her face and for a moment, everything was silent, the two owls mourning the absence of their beloved. While temporary, it still weighed heavily on them. However, it was soon interrupted by Nyra's soft, angelic sigh.

"Well, while I appreciate the small change in subject, it does not change that I require a quill for work today." she began, slurping a bit more of her tea. "And I still cannot find one of mine that works."

"Have you truly misplaced all of them?" Metal Beak asked in disbelief as he himself drank a little more. Nyra sighed and nodded with a troubled expression on his face.

"Yes, sadly I did." she admitted, her words accompanied by a soft nod. "They are...somewhere, spread throughout the entire palace. I wouldn't be surprised if one of them is in the dungeons."

He snorted, shaking his head. "A fortune for so many quills, and you have managed to lose all of them."

"My love, you bought 20, and I am constantly on the move. It is a little easer to lose quills for me than it is for you. Most of yours are here, in your private studies or in the throne room, after all. And if you DO take them with you, you attach them to your body as if they are a part of you." she argued, rolling her eyes as she reminded herself how overly careful her husband was with all of his possessions.

"Nyra, the reason I have rarely ever lost one is because I give each quill a purpose. I have four of them, one for here, one for my private studies, one for the throne room and one for on the move." he explained probably for the hundredth time, enjoying the look of utter annoyance that now became visible in her visible features. They had this conversation more often than she could count. "You, on the other hand, just take one quill, take it with you wherever you go with no order whatsoever. Additionally, you have this infuriating habit of setting them down on the nearest surface instead of strapping them to your body or to the list. This results in you forgetting them."

The look his wife gave him almost made him laugh. She looked downright enraged. "Surtr, you are my leader and my beloved husband, and I adore and respect you to the stars and back, BUT..." she took a deep breath, pressing her wings tightly against her side. "No, just no."

Metal Beak grinned smugly, unable to hide his expression this time. He had known that this reaction would follow his words, it always did. Nyra hated to be reminded of her bad habits, as few as they were. It irritated her, brought her blood to boil. This one in particular, though, angered her the most because it caused direct inconvenience.

"Your denial is exceptional." he snorted, drinking a bit more of his tea before he reached for the cloth again. He continued to work on his mask, listening to his wife's words as she continued to speak.

"And this old lecture annoying." she shot back, but there was no real heat in her words. "Can you not find any other response when we speak about this? Something more original? Or do you have to repeat yourself like the lyrics of an alcoholic's melody."

Metal Beak chuckled roughly, shaking his head, though this time, he did not look up. He had to get this done soon to be able to leave his quarters and get to work. The stacks of paperwork and the responsibility as a leader was not waiting for him, and he had to tackle the tasks before they would stack and become overwhelming. It happened once and he didn't want it to happen again, as this would not only take countless of hours of his already scarce free time but also prevented him to spend time with his beloveds. And that was something that REALLY irked him.

"Same old issue, same old lecture." he replied simply, rubbing off a speck of dirt that he oversaw earlier. "If you want to hear something new, create a new issue."

"You say this as if I purposefully create problems to make our lives harder." she said, giving him another one of those looks. He looked up again and grinned a little.

"Maybe." he teased her, and Nyra reached for a napkin to throw at him. Something she would NEVER do in the open, as she knew that the consequences would be severe then. But this was not public, this was their private life. They were not the Lord High Tyto and the Ablah General right now. They were simply husband and wife who loved and, occasionally, teased each other.

He, of course, caught it and used it to wipe some liquid off of the side of his beak that had managed to escape, something he had to do quite often as the large missing part of upper beak made it quite difficult to drink and eat without slobbering like a hatching that has not yet figured out its body.

It had been embarrassing in the first few years, but by now, he and both of his beloveds were used to it. He just ate and drank with extra napkins.

Nyra rolled her eyes at the causal demonstration of his skills, a love drunk smile on her beak as he folded it and elegantly placed it beside the plate on which his teacup stood. She doesn't comment on it though. Not today at the very least, or else they wouldn't leave these quarters for a few more hours.

A several more minutes of silence followed in which Nyra tried to figure out what to do. She closed her eyes, her brow furrowing as she strained her big, highly intelligent brain in that pretty head. She reopened her eyelids when she came to a conclusion, eyeing her husband as he finished up the last bit of work on his mask. She waited a bit further, watching as he took another sip and wiping his broken beak before leaning back, enjoying the taste of the tea before he would drink a second one.

There were always two morning teas, one to wake up and one to get enough energy to actually start the day. It had been a routine she had ever since she knew him, and it had been consistent, even when he had to switch teas because there was not enough for the second round.

Once he leaned back forward again and grabbed the teapot, pouring the still boiling hot tea into his cup, she finally decided to speak, knowing that this conversation could become a little difficult now. Welp, she hoped she learned how to handle him in the last few years.

"Surtr, my love, my dear husband, I may have a solution to my problem." she began, eyeing him as his facial features twisted into one of interest. He lifted his head, now directly looking at her, the pupil of his non-blind eye focusing on her own.

"Oh? Speak then, my dearest wife." he asked as he tilted his head, his blind eye blinking rapidly. She loved when he did that, even if it was involuntarily. It was...almost cute. And she also loved to tease him about it.

"I want to borrow yours." she said, watching as his expression fell. Those were words he did not want to hear, and she knew it. However, she still continued.

"Nyra, don't." he said, almost immediately, his voice hard and cold. She could see him tensing in rage, ready to argue if he had to. It was always like this when someone mentioned "quill" as his mind always automatically assumed someone meant a very specific one. One that was maybe used once or twice a year, one that was special. One that Metal Beak protected with his life and soul.

"I don't mean the sacred one!" she huffed, trying to clear the air before he could become enraged. A reaction that might have seemed extreme to others who don't know the history, but she did, and as such, she did not blame him. "I have no interest in that! I don't want to be skinned alive by you and hung out there for the bats to eat me during the last hours of my life when I lose it! I'm talking about the one you use in your studies here!"

Those words immediately calmed him, and while he still didn't look particularly happy, the anger in his seeing eye faded. He straightened his back, prepared to listen to her. Nyra had to repress the huff of victory that wanted to escape her. "Go on." he demanded, taking the teacup and lifting it to his beak, taking a good sip while he waited for her to continue. She didn't waste any time.

"Okay, so." she shifted in her seat a little, taking a sip of her own tea. "My plan is borrow your quill that is here, in the studies of our private quarters, for today only. As soon as I'm done with my duties, you'll get it back and I'll continue to search for one of mine that actually works." She leaned back, watching as his eyes narrowed in thought. "It's only a temporary solution, but it's he only one I can think of that does not delay me in my duties. Plus, you don't need it today, as far as I am concerned."

"You are correct about the latter. I am planning to finish this week's paperwork today in the royal studies." the Greater Sooty Owl grunted, taking yet another sip of his still steaming cup. "However, I am...not pleased with knowing that it is you who is in possession of one of my precious, desperately needed quills."

"Surtr, it is only for a day. How likely is it for me to lose a quill in a day?" Nyra huffed, though she knew that she kind of played herself with that question. She only realized after he gave her a certain look, though.

"Very likely, my love. Very, very likely." he pointed out, ready to remind her of a particular incident. "Who lost three quills in the course of 20 hours two weeks ago and broke a fourth in the evening? I do recall it being you who..."

"Okay, okay! Fair point." the white barn owl huffed, taking a sip of her tea with a grumpy expression. She hated being called out like that. Metal Beak smirked. Ugh! That man...

"I just need it for one day. If it helps, I'll wear one of my necklaces and attach it to it to make sure that I won't lose it." Nyra continued, and it irked her that she was almost begging for it, but she didn't have any other choice. She really, really needed a quill today, she couldn't find one, and she had to leave in 30 minutes. Additionally, she still had to make herself presentable. Her feathers were a mess from sleeping and she had to redo some eyeliner. She was a mess, even though her husband would beg to differ.

She was as beautiful as ever.

Metal Beak sat in silence for a few seconds, clearly thinking about it. He wasn't a good sharer, mostly because almost every single thing he owned had sentimental value - the special quill is one of the most important ones - but he did let his spouses take a thing or two from him if they promised to return it as soon as possible. If they would lose something, all hagsmire would break lose. Metal Beak got angry quickly but it was hard to reach a point of absolute rage. Losing his things was one way to do it.

"Come on, Surtr. Please." There, she finally said it. It was surprising, even to herself. Metal Beak's eye widened and he lifted his head to stare at her intently once again, a spark of worry in his orb now.

Wow...his wife was truly desperate, wasn't she? Well, in that case, he couldn't say no. He didn't want her to be stressed out. Their days were stressful enough, especially due to the absence of their beloved. With a final sigh, he nodded, adjusting his position in his seat before he spoke.

"Very well. You can have it for today." he grunted, his heart skipping a beat when he saw the relieved smile on her beautiful Barn Owl face. Oh, how gorgeous she was. How had he gotten so lucky twice? He didn't know, and he didn't dare to ask in case this was just a tumble of fate. "But I expect it back by tonight!"

"You WILL get it back then!" Nyra laughed as she drowned the last bit of tea, jumped up, walked around the table to grab his face into one of her talons and pulled him close, pressing a long, hard kiss onto his broken beak. A jolt of pain shot through Metal Beak's scarred side as she accidentally brushed against exposed nerve strings, but instead of pushing her away, he pulled her closer and kissed her back, enjoying those few seconds of affection before she pulled back.

"I have to get ready too." she said, nuzzling against him. "I trust that I will see you tonight? At dinner?"

"Yes." the Lord High Tyto confirmed. "I shall send you a message as soon as I am done so we can meet. I am curious what you will prepare for us tonight."

"Oh, it'll be a pleasant surprise." the Queen chuckled as she walked towards another room, ready to make herself presentable for the hours to come. "I know that tonight, you will eat! It's too good to miss out! Even for you!"

"Those are powerful words coming from a powerful being." the Tenebricosa huffed, but there was a smile in his voice. There always was. "I hope that they align with the truth. It would be a shame if I would believe a lie."

Nyra laughed, and her melodic voice echoed through the private quarters of the High Tyto and his mate. Metal Beak's smile widened. "They do, my love. They do." she purred, glancing through the doorway before she winked at him.

The Lord High Tyto chuckled roughly before he took the last sip of his tea as well, swallowing the now cooled liquid before he hoisted himself up with a grunt. He grabbed his mask, carefully putting it on and securing it before reaching for his battle claws, putting them on as well, flexing his digits afterwards before setting his talons back down. "We will see." he hummed, walking over to her so she would not have to break off her morning routine. He had already finished his, long before the tea had been prepared. He pressed another kiss to her beak, picking a stray feather out of her neck. "However, now, I have to leave. I shall see you tonight."

"Very well. I will see you then. I trust the quill is on the table?" she asked, unwilling to pull away, though she knew she had to.

"Yes." he agreed, taking a step back as son as he was free of her grasp. "When you return, just put it back there. I trust you, Nyra, don't disappoint me."

"I won't." The response was immediate, hard, stern. She meant it. She wouldn't disappoint him. This quill would be back by tonight.

He gave her a nod, his beak stretching to the edges of his face. Then, finally, he turned around and left, disappearing out of the entrance and walking past the two guards on duty, who bowed their heads upon the sight of their powerful leader. Metal Beak nodded at them, then, he continued his way down the hallway, making his way to the royal studies.

Meanwhile, Nyra continued with her morning routine, cleaning herself before grabbing the eyeliner, applying it in front of the elegant mirror. Then, she redid her markings, cleaned and sharpened her claws and slickened back the unruly feathers on her head, picking out the few that were lose. It didn't take long for her to be done, and once she was, she took one last glance into the mirror. She let out a pleasant hum at the sight of her beautiful form, a smirk of pride coming to her face before she turned and made her way towards the private studies of Metal Beak's private quarters.

She opened the door and stepped inside, walking to the other side of the room and pushing the curtains open so the light of the early morning sun could brighten the usually dark room. Once she did that, she walked over to the desk and grabbed the quill that was neatly kept in a small holder that had been handmade by their beloved.

She put it into her beak, holding it carefully before she left the room as well. She grabbed her clipboard which she had left on the drawer yesterday and attached it to it, putting it underneath her wing and securing it there before, too, approaching the entrance, opening the door before closing it behind her, locking it. Upon the sight of their queen, the guards bowed to greet her as well, who caused her to copy her husband's movement. She began to walk away, aiming for the yard where the soldiers were most likely already waiting for her.

And so, the day of the Lord High Tyto and his beloved began. Hours of work were to be done, and they were carrying their own responsibility each. However, they knew that tonight, they would be reunited, and then, they would be able to spend time together.

And maybe, their beloved would take part too, even though right now, he was only able to do so through letters.

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