The Tale of the Barn Owl

The last snow flake of the harsh blizzard fell on top of Lalia’s blushed nose. She had been walking for the past hour in the storm of icy horror to follow up on an attack against old man Higgins. Someone or something had taken out the village where he lived. She was uncertain to the extent of his injuries. But, from what the attached note on the eagle read, he was in bad shape. She wanted to bring him some healing potions she had made earlier that day.

She reflected back to the time when they first met. Lalia was very good with animals. Brilliant in fact, but an encounter with a Pegasus went sour. Not only did Lalia get attacked, but she also got trampled, and even though she broke many bones in the process, she still sat by the side of the Pegasus and sang it a lullaby till it passed away. Old man Higgins had helped her to subdue the animal and then held her tight when the Pegasus died. He nursed her back to health both physically and mentally. Higgins brought her on as an apprentice and taught her many things about life and death. After so many years of Higgins being there, it was now her turn to be there for him.

As she crunched through the white blanket of snow, with the click clack of potion bottles in her banana leaf satchel, she heard a familiar sound. High elves like her can hear a sound so small even a fly can be sought out. Lalia’s pointed ears perked up to pick up the faint sound of a flap and soar of a bird. Lalia looked around, her keen perception eyeing a nearby oak tree.

“There you are,” she whispered to herself, as she saw the quiet creature on the perch of the oak tree. She called out to the owl, “Hello there beautiful. I hope I didn’t frighten you.”

Lalia looked to the horizon and saw that night was approaching. She then heard a howl from a dire wolf one of which sounded very hungry. Lalia debated for a bit on whether she should keep going or to sleep, for she was exhausted from the trip so far.

She looked back into the piercing eyes of the owl and asked, “Is there shelter nearby that I may stay for the night?” The owl’s yellow eyes widened and looked to the East, as if telling Lalia it was over there.

She had no time to figure out if she could befriend the howling dire wolf or if it had company. A fire also sounded nice since the cold was getting unbearable. Lalia bowed to the owl and, with a swift movement, bolted in that direction. On approach she realized it was an old, run-down wooden barn, its faded red panels were overrun by vines and surrounding trees. There was a door-less opening and she politely knocked on the side just to make sure she was alone.

“Hello?” She said guardedly. There was no answer. She relaxed a bit, walked in, and looked around. To her surprise the barn on the inside was well intact and had little to no damage. She gathered a small pile of twigs and hay to make herself comfortable. Then she reached inside her satchel and grabbed one of the potion bottles. With a quick motion she threw it onto the mix of flammable matter. The pile set ablaze instantly, lighting up the room.

The barn was colored with shades of brown and red. The top deck was filled with what appeared to be worn out, discarded belongings. As she pondered their purpose, an owl soared through the opening of the barn and landed on a peg of a tipped-over three legged chair.

“Oh it’s you again,” she spoke, recognizing the owls color and size. “Is this your home?” She asked, but did not expect a reply.

The owl looked deep into her eyes as it opened its mouth. “Well of course it is, why else would I be here?” The owl scolded her.

Lalia jumped back in shock. Usually she had to use a spell to be able to communicate with animals, so this was a first for her. “Oh I am terribly sorry to intrude, please forgive me.” She reached into her satchel to pull out a chunk of elven bread to offer it.

The owl, with its keen sense of smell, appeared to notice what it was. “Please do not give me a hand out. I am perfectly capable of getting my own food.” Feeling rejected, Lalia put the bread back into the bag.

The owl ruffled its feathers and said, “Many of the boorish high elves mistakenly think I am overwhelming. However, my gracious heart showed you my kingdom,” the owl spread its wings in acknowledgment of the wooden surroundings, “because I wanted some company.”

Lalia thought the owl wasn’t wrong in the sense it was overwhelming, but in a strange way, still a helpful creature. To stroke its ego she offered, “Well I can certainly do that!” Lalia sat down and patted the spot next to her. The owl, seeing the offer, flew across the room and landed next to her.

As the fire crackled and smoked, the owl looked at Lalia. “I’m sure you want to know my name. I have yet to introduce myself. I am King Igrocy and this is my castle.” He stretched out his brown and black spotted wing to again show Lalia his home as if she hadn’t already seen it.

“I am Lalia, a Druid of Nature.” She expanded her arm and mimicked the same motion as the owl. Igrocy glared at her for a moment before squinting and chuckling. “I may be a ferocious bird to some, but I still have a sense of humor. That was amusing.”

Lalia grinned with pleasure. “I have more jokes and mockeries up my sleeve.”

This made Igrocy curious. “What kind of jokes?”

“Well there is one about a bee hive. I forget how the main part goes, but the punch line is bee-lieve me!” Lalia started to chuckle, but the owl was not laughing at all.

“For someone good with nature you really don’t know how to make a king laugh. I was considering you as a court jester, but I think your talents lie at the meat wagon.”

Lalia stopped giggling. “Am I really that bad?”

Igrocy looked up with his head at her. “Can a barn owl turn his head 360 degrees?” Lalia considered it and didn’t see how. Igrocy proceeded to turn his head 180 degrees to the right, and then 360 degrees to the left.

“Well if we are here to scare each other, I do have this.” Lalia cast one of her minor spells and began to transform. Her nails grew long and sharp, along with her canine teeth. She looked at Igrocy, “It’s called primal savagery. How do I look?”

“Magnificent! I could make you my black knight!” They both laughed and Lalia undid her spell.

For the next few hours they both talked of majestic tales and sang songs of their loved ones. The warm fire danced and almost seemed pleased with their conversation. Igrocy turned his head up to look at Lalia. “So why are you out here in the first place?” Lalia looked to the floor and hugged her legs.

“My friend, who I’ve known for 35 years, he’s in trouble. I must help him and the village that got attacked. They need me. They all need me. And I can’t fail. Not like I did with my family...” she trailed off. A single tear fell from her brown eye and rolled onto her cheek, then onto the floor.

“I succeed all the time!” The barn’s king boasted. Lalia hugged herself tighter, putting her head into her knees. Igrocy wrapped his wing around her. “But, I may know a thing or two about failing. The most important step is to forgive yourself for what’s in the past. You can’t change the past, you can only change what you can do now.” Lalia looked at Igrocy, tears now streaming from her face. “Thank you, I needed to hear that.” She attempted to give him a hug, but the height difference was quite awkward. He started to sing a small song which was very out of tune.

Suddenly a burst of cold wind blew out the fire and a huge figure stumbled into the now darkened room and fell onto their knees. The figure pulled down his hood to show a bloodied gruff face and smirk. “Oh Lalia why do I always find you in a spot like this?” said the rugged man.

He finished his fall into a pile of hay. Lalia rushed over to the man and turned him over. It was old man Higgins. Lalia looked into his eyes. She couldn’t see the life in them. The life he had shared with her, the tales and adventures they shared together, now all of it was gone. And this, this was all she had left. His corpse still in her hands. She sang a lullaby to him. The same one she had sang to the Pegasus, but now to a dead mentor. She held him tight thinking about the times he had cared for her, taught her, and sung her to sleep. Lalia knew she failed and there was nothing she could do. The wise words of the owl, that had comforted her only moments before, now rang hollow. She ran her fingers through his dandruff filled black hair and sobbed.

“Goodbye my dearest friend. Till we meet again.”