A Guide Book to the Great Tree (12 page)

M
y dear scholars of Ga'Hoole, it is my heartfelt wish that this humble volume has adequately guided you on your journey through the world of Ga'Hoole. This is but a small slice of life at the great tree—there are still stories that remain untold and great owls whom you have barely gotten to know. But I hope that what you have read has endeared you to the principles that make our tree great. May it inspire you all to band together wherever you are and do good and noble deeds in the spirit of the Great Ga'Hoole Tree.

I
must take this opportunity to thank my two most diligent assistants, Calista and Bax. I know I tend to become rather…prolix when it comes to the subjects I love. As such, I have gained the unfortunate reputation of being a tad long-winded. Thankfully, Calista and Bax were there to curb my enthusiasm. They were also indispensable when it came to the wealth of research that this project demanded.

I would also like to thank Rikard, the talented young artist of the tree who has lent the skills of his talon for the illustrations in this volume. He has given the book a most artful touch. Rikard, at the urging of Calista and Bax, painted the portrait of yours truly found at the front of this book. Normally, I would have objected to such a display, but all three of them insisted on it—for posterity, they said. I could not argue.

Finally, I must tell you, dear scholars, that as I wrote this guide book to the great tree, I had the uncanny feeling that I was being guided by a kindred spirit—the spirit of an Other from a distant time and place. Even in sleep this illusion pursued me, and one day after I had worked on this tome long into midday and fell asleep at my scribblings, head on wing, a name came to me in my dreams, a strange, sonorous name. Kathryn Huang. Strange, is it not?

The Band

SOREN: Male Barn Owl (
Tyto alba
). The second son of Noctus and Marella, Soren was hatched in his family's fir tree nest in the Forest Kingdom of Tyto. Before he could fly, Soren was pushed from his nest by his brother, Kludd, as a part of a disturbing initiation ceremony performed by the Pure Ones. Helpless on the forest floor, Soren was snatched by patrolling owls from St. Aegolius Academy for Orphaned Owls. There, he met his best friend, Gylfie, and the two made a desperate attempt for freedom. Soren, along with the rest of the Band, sought out the Great Ga'Hoole Tree. And, indeed, it was Soren's destiny to become a Guardian of Ga'Hoole. With his strong gizzard and natural colliering abilities, Soren was tapped for the colliering and weather-interpretation chaws. Since then, he has flown many missions and fought in many battles.
Most notably, he spearheaded the rescue effort of Ezylryb, his venerated mentor, from a devious trap set by Kludd and his followers. The following winter, he and Gylfie led a group of owls in an undercover mission to infiltrate St. Aggie's. He was also a hero in the Battle of Fire and Ice, when the Guardians attacked the Pure Ones' stronghold.

GYLFIE: Female Elf Owl (
Micranthene whitneyi
). Gylfie is from the Desert Kingdom of Kuneer. At the age of three weeks, she made a mistake that thousands of young owlets have made—she tried to fly before she was ready. Like Soren, she was snatched and imprisoned at St. Aegolius Academy for Orphaned Owls. After she arrived at the tree with the Band, she was tapped for the navigation chaw. Quick-witted and resourceful, she proved to be a great asset to the prestigious elite fighting-and-mission group known as the Chaw of Chaws. Her extensive vocabulary makes her the most eloquent speaker of the group.

TWILIGHT: Male Great Gray Owl (
Strix nebulosa
). Twilight is a free flier—having brought himself up without the civilizing effects of parents, he is very independent and something of a rough character. Hatched in the moments just after the sun dips below the horizon but the darkness has yet to set
in, he has the uncanny ability to see in the murky grayness that is tween time. He is a fearless owl who has a good heart and is an invaluable ally in any fight. His fighting skills are equaled only by his lingual dexterity. He can be your best friend or your worst enemy. Twilight is a member of the search-and-rescue chaw and the Chaw of Chaws. It was he who gave the final death blow to Kludd, sparing his friend Soren from the atrocious act of fratricide.

DIGGER: Male Burrowing Owl (
Athene cunicularia,
formerly
Speotyto cunicularius
). Digger is from the Desert Kingdom of Kuneer. He met the rest of the Band when he was wandering alone, lost in the desert after an attack by a St. Aegolius patrol in which his brother was killed. Quiet and contemplative, Digger is the philosopher of the Band. He is a member of the tracking chaw as well as the Chaw of Chaws.

Owls of the Great Ga'Hoole Tree

CORYN: Male Barn Owl (
Tyto alba
). Born on the night of an eclipse, Nyroc was the much-awaited son of Nyra and Kludd. From birth he was strictly trained, under Nyra, to become High Tyto, leader of the Pure Ones. However, his destiny was to know the paths of both good and evil, and to choose one. At that choosing, he rejected the evil ways
of the Pure Ones and renamed himself Coryn. He went on to retrieve the powerful Ember of Hoole from the Northern Kingdoms and claim his place at the Great Ga'Hoole Tree as its rightful king.

OTULISSA: Female Spotted Owl (
Strix occidentalis
). Writer, ryb, collier, weathertrix, and consummate scholar, Otulissa is an owl of all trades. She is a direct descendant of the famous weathertrix Strix Emerilla. She has a strong academic bent and is the repository of much knowledge, not all of it useful. She is a loyal friend to those dear to her, and can be lethal in close combat. Her learning makes her an essential member of the Chaw of Chaws. She also has played a crucial role in the education of young Coryn.

MARTIN: Male Northern Saw-whet Owl (
Aegolius acadicus
). As a young student at the great tree, Martin was double chawed with Soren and Otulissa in weather interpretation and colliering. His small stature belies his prowess in battles and on missions. He is a member of the Chaw of Chaws.

RUBY: Female Short-eared Owl (
Asio flammeus
). Ruby lost her family under mysterious circumstances and was brought to the Great Ga'Hoole Tree at a young age. She is perhaps the best flier of all the owls at the tree, and easily
became an expert weather interpreter and collier. She is also a member of the Chaw of Chaws.

EGLANTINE: Female Barn Owl (
Tyto alba
). Soren and Kludd's younger sister, Eglantine was brought to the tree during the Great Downing. At the tree, she was reunited with Soren and Mrs. Plithiver. As she was recovering, she came under the malign influence of Ginger, a refugee from the Pure Ones, and became shattered. In a courageous attempt to save the tree from danger, she stole, but then accidentally broke, Nyra's first egg.

PRIMROSE: Female Pygmy Owl (
Glaucidium californicum
). Primrose was rescued from a forest fire and brought to the Great Ga'Hoole Tree the same night that Soren and the Band arrived. When Eglantine was rescued in the Great Downing, Primrose quickly became her best friend. Though small in size, she showed great daring and courage as she discovered the reason for Eglantine's strange behavior—and saved Eglantine and the tree.

BORON: (
deceased
) Male Snowy Owl (
Bubo scandiacus,
formerly
Nyctea scandiaca
). Even though many owls referred to Boron as the King of Hoole, he was, in reality, the last steward of the great tree. Boron, along with his mate, Barran, acted as the head of the Hoolian parliament of owls.

BARRAN: (
deceased
) Female Snowy Owl (
Bubo scandiacus,
formerly
Nyctea scandiaca
). Often referred to as the Queen of Hoole, Barran was a kind and wise leader. She was also a distinguished search-and-rescue ryb. She, along with Boron, passed away shortly before the arrival of Coryn, the true king.

EZYLRYB: (
deceased
) Male Whiskered Screech Owl (
Megascops trichopsis,
formerly
Otus trichopsis
). Ezylryb was the wise and intrepid weather-interpretation and colliering ryb at the Great Ga'Hoole Tree. He was born Lyze of Kiel. Before coming to the Great Tree, Ezylryb fought in the War of the Ice Claws in which he was severely wounded and lost his beloved mate, Lil. After the war, he retreated in grief from worldly affairs. He spent many seasons at the Glauxian Brothers' retreat, where he studied weather and colliering extensively, finally leaving to pass on all he had learned to the owls at the great tree. He was Soren's mentor and considered him a son.

STRIX STRUMA: (
deceased
) Female Spotted Owl (
Strix occidentalis
). The dignified navigation ryb at the Great Ga'Hoole Tree, Strix Struma was fierce in battle and led a crack group of fighters known as Struma's Strikers. She had a proud and ancient lineage and was a well-respected
veteran of the Battle of Little Hoole. She was struck down in the ferocious fighting against the Pure Ones during the Battle of the Siege.

SYLVANA: Female Burrowing Owl (
Athene cunicularia,
formerly
Speotyto cunicularius
). Sylvana is the young tracking ryb at the Great Ga'Hoole Tree. By all accounts, she is a very good teacher.

MADAME PLONK: Female Snowy Owl (
Bubo scandiacus,
formerly
Nyctea scandiaca
). Madame Brunwella Plonk is the elegant singer of the Great Ga'Hoole Tree. She comes from a long line of Snowies from the Plonk family who are famous for their beautiful voices. She is an owl in thrall of bright geegaws and enjoys the fineries offered by Trader Mags.

BUBO: Male Great Horned Owl (
Bubo virginianus
). Bubo is the blacksmith and the metals ryb at the Great Ga'Hoole Tree. He is often described as unusually large for a Great Horned Owl. He has been a great friend and confidant to Soren. His greatest invention has been the NAST (Nickel Alloy Super Talons).

Other Friendly Owls

HORTENSE (also known as Mist): Female Spotted Owl (
Strix occidentalis
). Hortense was snatched at an early age from her home in the Kingdom of Ambala by a St. Aegolius patrol. At St. Aggie's, she attempted to subvert the oppressive system by rescuing and restoring stolen eggs, and aiding Soren and Gylfie in their escape. Soren and Gylfie witnessed what they believed to be her death, but later discovered that she did not die, and is one and the same as the mysterious owl called Mist now living with the eagles Streak and Zan.

THE ROGUE SMITH OF SILVERVEIL: (
deceased
) Female Snowy Owl (
Bubo scandiacus,
formerly
Nyctea scandiaca
). Sister of the very refined Madame Plonk, and one of many scattered blacksmiths not attached to any kingdom in the owl world, she lived and worked alone in Silverveil. She became a valuable ally to the Guardians when she provided them with information about the Pure Ones.

SIMON: (
deceased
) Male Brown Fish Owl (
Bubo zeylonensis,
formerly
Ketupa zeylonensis
). A pilgrim owl of the Glauxian Brothers of the Northern Kingdoms, and sworn to help all those in need, Simon unwittingly nursed Kludd back to health after he was badly injured. An ungrateful and diabolical Kludd then turned on his caregiver and murdered the kindly Simon.

CLEVE OF FIRTHMORE: Male Spotted Owl (
Strix occidentalis
). Cleve is a member of the noble family of Krakor and a student of medicine at the Glauxian Brothers' retreat in the Northern Kingdoms. Upon meeting Cleve, Otulissa felt her gizzard go a-twittering. She was quite taken with the dashing, noble Cleve—until she learned he was a pacifist.

DUSTYTUFT: (
deceased
). Male Greater Sooty Owl (
Tyto tene-bricosa
). Dustytuft, like all Sooties, was a low caste member of the Pure Ones. He bemoaned his fate of always being given the worst, dirtiest chores to do, until he was singled out by Nyra, and chosen to become the special friend of Nyroc, future High Tyto. He learned too late the horrifying purpose of this special friendship that was encouraged by Nyra. Dustytuft is also known, by Phillip.

GRIMBLE: (
deceased
). Male Boreal Owl (
Aegolius funerus
). Grimble was captured as an adult by the St. Aggie's patrols. He did not want to cooperate with their oppressive regime, but the leaders of St. Aggie's threatened his family with capture—or worse—if he did not lend his considerable muscle and fighting skills to their schemes. He rose to heroism when he aided Soren and Gylfie in their escape by teaching them how to fly.

TWILLA: Female Short-eared Owl (
Asio flammeus
). Once a skog, Twilla lost her entire clan during the War of the Ice Claws, and became a Glauxian Sister. She was acting as an attendant for Ifghar when she met Gylfie and Otulissa at the Glauxian Brothers' retreat. She rescued Gylfie from kraals in the Northern Kingdoms when they had captured the Elf Owl to gather information about the Guardians' planned invasion of the Pure Ones' stronghold.

GWYNDOR: Male Masked Owl (
Tyto novaehollandiae
). Gwyndor was a Rogue Smith summoned by the Pure Ones for the Marking Ceremony over Kludd's bones. Upon meeting Nyroc, the wise Rogue Smith suspected the young owl had firesight, and was destined for a future much different than that planned for him by his mother.

Snakes and Other Birds

MRS. PLITHIVER: A blind snake, “Mrs. P.,” as Soren calls her, was formerly the nest-maid for Soren's family. When Soren made the journey to the great tree, he brought Mrs. Plithiver with him. She is now a member of the harp guild there and has attained the rarefied position of sliptween.

OCTAVIA: A Kielian snake, Octavia is the nest-maid for Madame Plonk, and was for Ezylryb when he was alive.
She came to the tree with Ezylryb after the War of the Ice Claws in which she was blinded. She knew Ezylryb and his difficult history better than anyone else. She is also a member of the prestigious harp guild.

HOKE OF HOCK: A Kielian snake, Hoke of Hock is the retired supreme commander of the stealth unit of the fighting snakes of the Kielian League. He flew with Lil, Ezylryb's mate, during the War of the Ice Claws. He proved to be a great ally to the Guardians as they prepared for their invasion of the Pure Ones' stronghold.

TRADER MAGS: Trader Mags is a Magpie and a traveling merchant—part tramp, part collector, and all original. She gathers and trades scraps of fabric, bits of broken crockery, crystals from broken chandeliers, books (whole or in part), bright pieces of stained glass—in short, anything pretty—from the ruins of the mysterious vanished race known only as the Others.

STREAK and ZAN: Hortense could not have saved all those eggs from St. Aggie's had it not been for the help of a pair of bald eagles named Streak and Zan. After Hortense's fall from the cliffs of St. Aggie's, it was Streak who caught her. He and Zan then nursed her back to health.

Known Enemies

IFGHAR: Male Whiskered Screech Owl (
Megascops trichopsis,
formerly
Otus trichopsis
). Ifghar is the younger brother of Ezylryb. During the War of the Ice Claws, he betrayed the Kielian League and became a turnfeather. Ifghar was hounded for his traitorous behavior, and long after his brother's departure was accepted as a refugee at the Glauxian Retreat. He is accompanied by Gragg, a Kielian snake, who is bound in service by loyalty to him.

DEWLAP: Female Burrowing Owl (
Athene cunicularia,
formerly
Speotyto cunicularius
). Once the Ga'Hoolology ryb at the Great Ga'Hoole Tree, Dewlap had deep respect for the history of the great tree and would have done anything to preserve it. Unfortunately, she made a traitorous choice that imperiled the tree and all the owls in it. Consequently, she was exiled to the Glauxian Sisters' retreat.