An Owl Named Ostrix

Part One

Spring erupted in a twist and flurry around the whimsy of Yeshua and Jezaree. The Willy Wagged-tailed tribe of two were the best of friends and everyday their pursuits were full to the brim with adventure in crystal waters and campfire nights.

Jezaree was a fiery beauty, a passionate and sorrowful harpist hailed from the bubbling spring mountain of Bellina.

Yeshua was the towns spiritual guidance councillor having spent 10 000 hours amongst the tribes of Ukee, The Sacred Mens Mountain.

They both bore unusual purple markings on their well fabled wiggly tails. They lived in Yeshuas castle, an oddly rounded and brimmed shaped house much like a UFO, hidden in the turquoise and billowing trees of Ukee village. The tribe whom bestowed that house to them some 9 years ago said the circle is a powerful shape— they say none that live within its walls is the owner, each to share their story equally.

Yeshua and Jezaree had a favourite bush they named “Jupiter” the Juniper bush. They’d planted her long ago at snakehead rock, not a whisp from their colourful and musical abode. It was a well hidden treasure they shared only amongst themselves. They harvested the rotted fruit that befell at the feet of this sacred bush. They crushed, sugared and bottled the decomposed fruit, held four bottles under each wing and flew to high altitudes of Mount Warning to devour the spirit of Jupiter.

Tooing and froing with wind under their breast and Earth far from their feet, Yeshua and Jezaree gliding through tree line to tree line with Jupiters spirit bellowing out of their beaks and wings and eyes. As the rotten berries wobbled circles in their bellies, their bodies would transform, surrounding them with white feathered wings, their heads sprouting fluorescent yellow crests and their voices became loud and ancient.

The eruption of fire within their bellies caused a great change within their spirit, twas as if they could conquer death itself and their voices would hit high frequencies that connected them to their ancestors and past lives and mystical creatures from all dimensions, much to the displeasure of the ears of the Ukee townsfolk.

One fateful night Yeshua and Jezaree knew they had waited long enough for the new harvest to arrive and set out over the rolling hills to brew up their wild potion.

Unusual was the sunset this evening, a Blue horizon shone over the landscape just as the dusk of sun waned below Mount Warning; an eerie sight.

Stranger still as Jezaree streamlined for Jupiter the Juniper bush she realised there was something very wrong with what she saw. Jupiter had a gigantic blossoming ruby red and yellow bulb erupting from the base of her trunk!

It appeared alienesce and towered above the once hidden bush.

“What has becometh of our sacred bush prince Yeshua!” squealed Jezaree.

Just as Yeshua scooped over the canopy to get a closer glance a large shadow collapsed over his body and filled the sky above him. He looked up in wonderment to find a beautiful white orb approaching him at great speed. Larger and larger and larger it grew until SPLAT!

A very small but vastly yolk filled egg landed dead centre on his forehead, covering his beautiful third eye in yellow muck.

Jezaree squealed once more, this time with drive. This caused Yeshua to gracelessly fall betwixt her feet and gooey base of Jupiters tree trunk.

Leaving no time to waste, Yeshua waddled upright, his face encrimsoned. What foul beast has disturbed their garden? He thought, his mind racing in fear and frustration.

Jezaree cocked her neck and brushing the twigs from her ruffled feathers, glared skyward to see who had caused such chaos.

To their astonishment, a most magnificent beast gripped the canopy above them.

A gargantuous snow feathered Barn Owl, with crimson deadly claws and blue sapphire piercing eyes that stared down upon them disapprovingly.

“I have layeth a yoked token egg on your TURD eye! You must awaken an even ancienter spirit if you are to continue ethically as a Spiritual guide YESHUAAAHH!” The barn owls voice boomed and vibrated the jelly-like ground beneath them reverberating through their feet, skin and spine. The willy wag tails were quivering in their bones.

With a slight eye Jezaree cocked her purple tail, flicking the sticky residue from Yeshuas brow and whispered deviously “In some cultures it is seen as good luck.”

“SILENCE! — I am Ostrix!

I hail from the water tribe of Mount Tamborine. As the shapeshifter of this tribe I have hailed here post haste for there is talk of a great disturbance in the air of Mount Warnings!”

Jezarees claws gripping the soft ground puffed out her chest of already ruffled feathered and squeaked bravely “What have you done to our Juniper Bush?”

Ostrix, the mountain God of Tamborine unwavered by her presence shook the giant gumtree on which he was perched and a 1000 shards of snowflakes seemingly created by the owls aura fell around their ankles, locking them in place.

The willy wags tails had never been so fearful in their lives stood against their will, frozen in place to listen. Ostrix’ voice pierced into their bodies and left them trembling.

“Alas young fuzz pot potentials! I haveth not tampered with the sacred bush.

Furthermore what has becometh of thou from thy bush thouselves?!”

The wagtails jostled uncomfortably together.

“This sedative Juniper plant is the sacred burning bush. Once grown from the gold laden rivers of Yinyan creek; this important shrubbery has been greatly sought after for Eons.

By warping your thinking minds you have opened your bodies to great ancestral lineage and other worldly beings, but this experience bestowed to you has been lost if you only seek whimsy without understanding!” Ostrix thundered, his feathers a metre long each, his towering stance dominated the sky.

He let go of the branch and in a lavish display fell head first toward the barky forest floor. Leaping and jotting his head back he somersaulted through the air and landed but a foot in front of the two shaking friends.

Moving swiftly in place, his body craned and twirled upwards to stand even taller than imagined possible. His head embedded in place still glaring that disapproving stare—the plumage of his coat darkened to burnt umber and began to slink around his bones creating a narrow vortexuesce frame. This terrified Jezaree and Yeshua so much their feathers plumped out to a sizeable amount making them akin to a chicken.

“THIS flower ablossomed to greet the waning new moon last night.”

Ostrix’ held his pointy wings like a cape around his head and edged towards the plant.

“Twas by the wish of my people that I was to come and reveal the hellish realm doorways you have carelessly opened. ALAS! LEND ME YOUR EAR DRUM FROM YOUR HUMDRUM BESOTTED LIVES AND HINDER TO MY WORD!”

Part Two

The demon bird reverberated the tree trunks and opalescent leaves trickled around the skyline, emitting an unearthly glow.

“Alas Jupiter will last only one more year, her death is marked by her vomestious Pheonix spew from DEEP in her belly stew! YET! the greatest illusion is.. DEATH!”

The sky had only a faint flicker of deep ominous blue causing the silhouettes of the trees to only enlivening the rattle of the cicada call. Ostrix unwinded his optical illusory feathers and ruffled them back to their luminous white cape and appeared to stand amongst the two friends while remaining gargantuas in shape.

His eyes flickered, blue, orange and purple as he slicked his head back and forth sizing up Jezaree and Yeshua. By now they had both had the willies wagged from their tails but were so perplexed on this creature and his strange accent and expression, they could not turn away.

“The sacred Junipers death will be an acclamation of the knowledge she wields. You have drunk from her veins and soaked your brains and there is a great difference between knowledge and wisdom.

Through the fire in the belly the ashes will come and paint your world in black only then can you see life what it truely is, a perfect illusion and you the soul barer that is to bring light into being. Share her precious fruits, there a very few left of her kind. The ancient lands of Ukee will manifest a wealth of good health if you are to follow your soul mission, for you are the Pheonix incarnate. Her soul will live on through your village, through the people and through you. Your right of passage has been paved, Intuitively you knew to plant and harvest this plant. Intuitively you knew to drink. Intuitively my tribe knew I must come.

Just as now, you know that what I say rings TRUUUUE!”

His voice rolled slowly over the mountain to a slow hum, seeming to perpetuate forever.

This did not frighten the wagtails, this new knowledge intrigued.

It engulfed and became them.

Part Three

Yeshua and Jezaree never saw Ostrix disappear into that darkened night. He was an omen, this much was true; twas never spoken between the two whether Ostrix had been real or a figment of their combined hallucination. Perhaps more important still is that this Omen was a right of passage for life itself and a health had grown deep into the rivers of their veins and out to crystalline waters that surrounded Mount Warnings landscape.

Prince Yeshuas and Maiden Jezarees Castle still sat atop snake head rock in the turquoise rainforest. They still danced and squawked until their ancient cries rumbled through the red mountain soil. Their rotund house glowed with organic soy candles in bulging art creviced walls, open halls were lit with chandeliers, and enchanted lovers perched upon a round table made from Jarrah and Gemstones.

Song swelled the crooked house, sumptuous truffled cheese platters, strawberry port wines laid scintillating summoning fat, grinning townsfolk and scruffy flamboyant hitchhikers. Laughter bubbled amidst the bellowing band of sitars, wooden flutes, bongos and a silver harp which the finest carveswallow catalysed for Jezaree.

Yeshua flittered and danced exuberantly serving countless guests the finest Pheonix brew the land had ever seen the likes of. The horizon shone fluorescent orange, marking the coming of an age of the Pheonix, her sacred bush berries wouldn't leave for a good half of the year.

THE END