The Epic Souls (On Hold)

Chapter 6~ To Be Named

Silence was the only that could be heard in the still, deserted forest in which there was no obvious signs of life. No birds signing in the trees. No rabbit grazing on the ground. No squirrels scurrying in the trees. Not a creature could be seen for miles in the early autumn morning, that was until a lone dark brown eagle soared above the trees, it's dark brown eyes scanning the forest below as if it were searching for some poor, unsuspecting rabbit which it could snatch up for a meal. The lustrous feathers on the back of its neck and head seamed to gleam in the early light which managed to shine through the clouds above from the earlier storm which had struck the forest, making them appear a lighters shade of gold then they were, for this was not a Bald Eagle which was commonly seen in the eastern part of Canada even though it's size was similar to that of the mighty bird. This eagle had powerful beak and talons which were larger than those of the Bald Eagle demonstrated its hunting prowess and it's broad wings helped it to stay steady wherever it were flying or diving at great speeds and it's long tail that projected further behind the bird when it was flying than the head stuck out in front of the eagle only helped it to do this. This was a Golden eagle. The largest eagle that could be found in North America and in this region of Canada, it also came close to being the largest, coming in just behind its larger cousin. The Bald Eagle. Despite this fact though, it was still a fearsome predator, perhaps even more fearsome than the prior due to its sharp,black talons that protruded from its bright yellow feet and the shear speeds at which it was able to dive that could be in excess of 150 miles per hour. At this current time, you could be forgiven for thinking that this fine bird were hunting for its next meal, but in fact, he was hunting for something else. Hunting for something that he would only speak of to a select few. Something that he had been searching for since the beginning of autumn which signalled the fast approaching winter along with the approaching migration towards the south for many species of birds that could not cope with the fierce Canadian winter. And then he saw it. There, in the distance, perched on a thin, bear branch, stood a single, ghostly shape which resembled that of an owl. Its wings were loosely tucked by its sides as its intelligent, golden eyes scanned the forest floor where the soil was crumbly and loose due to the growing ferns and shrubs that were growing from the forest floor. As the eagle landed on a broad branch that would conceal him from the other bird's view. To him, the white plumage of the bird was unmistakable for he had seen many birds of this particular species before, most of who had an almost completely white plumage. This bird, however this owl had multiple narrow, sparse brown spots and bars that were spread across her wings, tail and her chest but the feathers around her head and the area around her stomach and legs were as white as freshly fallen snow which told the eagle that this was a female Snowy Owl which were always darker in colour than the male of their species as well as being larger and heavier. Although as the eagle watched the magnificent owl which had locked onto a single spot of the ground leaning forwards and partially extending its wings before silently leaping from the branch, giving were slight flaps of its wings as it descended through the air noiselessly, which the eagle presumed was due to the thick layer of down under their many layers of light feathers which provided them with warmth in their cold, Arctic climate. Not a second later, the owl stretched her legs out in front of her, extending her long, black claws before punching them into the soft ground below and lifting her head to look around as she landed to ensure that the area was safe before extending her wings and taking flight,revealing a small, brown lemming in her claws as she flew in the opposite direction to the Golden Eagle towards the nest which she had been starting in since she had migrated here from the Arctic in the Northern part of Canada to escape the bitter winter like so many of her kind did. As he watched her leaving, a satisfied and cunning, yet slightly doubtful look entered the eagles eyes before the larger, brown bird also spread this wings, setting course for a valley surrounded by charred trees *The wolf will be pleased to hear about this and everything else that I have learned over the past days.* the eagle thought contentedly as he soared above the forest, flapping his wings to maintain his speed as he flew. A moment later, the eagle let out a screech as he spotted a black wolf nearby who pricked his ears as he turned to look towards the eagle who glided down towards him, landing on a nearby rock "Greeting, Arnbjorg,it has been a while." The black wolf said in the same growling voice that the eagle had become accustomed to since they had met around a year ago after the black wolf had left his pack "Indeed it has, Shadow, but I have news that I am sure that you will like." Arnbjorg stated confidently, ruffling his feathers as he folded his wings so that they were in their usual resting position by his sides as he watched the wolf in front of him. "And what news would that be?" the black wolf questioned as he sat in front of the eagle, his jet black tail resting by his side as the white patch of fur on the wolf's chest shone very slightly in the dim light like the eagles golden feathers had done. "Well, my friend, I have located the she wolf that youre quested I find. The black and white one and it appears that your suspicion about her was correct." The eagle began, proudly raising his golden head in turn making his sharp beak stand out against his dark plumage more so than it had done only a moment ago. "You mean she has Diliges, just as I thought she did?" the black asked, his ears pricked towards Arnbjorg, his cunning eyes becoming bright for a mere second before returning to his usual, eerily dark look. "It appears so. I watched nearby a pair ravens mocked her for failing a hunt, and when she growled at them, the ground where she lay became covered in ice." The eagle clarified, seeing a small, sinister smile forming on the alpha's lips as he looked towards the bottom of the rock, no doubt forming another of his plans as they spoke. "But there is more, my friend.I also just spotted a female Snowy Owl nearby. I do not know if this is in anyway linked to this legend that both our kinds share or not but what I do know is that it is rather early in the season for birds of her kind to be this far south." The large, brown bird concluded, his razor sharp talons releasing this grip of the rock as he hopped down to the ground as Shadow gave a nod of agreement"It is strange, I'll give you that, although it is always possible that she was drawn here by the legend." The black wolf stated as he got to his paws"Well done Arnbjorg, this will be very useful to us. Now all we had to do is wait until the two find one another and then we move onto phase two of our plan."