Guardians of Ga'Hoole 05 - The Shattering Read Free Page B

“Well…well, maybe just for a little while,” Eglantine replied. “But I’ll come back early and make that list, don’t worry, Ginger. Yes, we have important things to do.”
    “It will be a relief, Eglantine. I promise.” Then as Primrose and Eglantine were leaving the hollow to join the others for a few flight frolics under the rising moon, Ginger called out, “A real relief, like sleeping.”
    Primrose brimmed with joy to be flying with her best friend through the satiny black night. The air was so smooth and soft, soft as an owl chick’s down. Ruby, a Short-eared Owl and probably the best flier in the tree, was inscribing figure eights just under the paws of the constellation of the Big Raccoon, which was rising in the eastern sky. Primrose, however, was cautious. She didn’t want to get too happy. Things might change. And she certainly didn’t want to think about Eglantine making that stupid list. She was wondering if she should say something, not specifically about the list, but about Eglantine feeling left out. She was sure Soren didn’t mean to leave her out. He didn’t havea choice with this weather experiment thing. And just as she was wondering whether to say something, Eglantine said, “Well, time to get back to the hollow.”
    “What? Are you yoicks? The night is just beginning. The Big Raccoon is hardly up. I can only see two of his paws.”
    “Well, look. Soren and the band are taking off to do their weather experiments already.”
    “That’s different. They have things to do. They can’t mess around out here like we can. You don’t see anyone else taking off for their hollows.”
    “Well, I have things to do, too.”
    “Like what?” Primrose was flying just beneath Eglantine and flipped her head backward and up as only owls can.
    “Just things,” Eglantine answered vaguely. “And sleep. I want to catch a few winks.”
    A few winks? That must be an expression she had picked up from Ginger. “What do you need to sleep for? Owls don’t sleep at night—especially not a night like this.”
    “Well, I’ve been feeling kind of tired lately.” Eglantine tossed this last comment over her shoulder as she flew off in the direction of the great tree.
    Primrose blinked. Maybe there really was something wrong with Eglantine. Maybe she was getting summer flux, or gray scale. They said that owls with gray scale slept a lot. Oh, dear, I hope she isn’t really sick.

CHAPTER FIVE
A Fragment from the Sea
    M eanwhile, as the Big Raccoon climbed higher and higher in the sky, the band of four—Soren, Twilight, Gylfie, and Digger—headed north to a small speck of an island that dripped like the tiniest leak from the peninsula of the Broken Talon; they were flying there to perform their weather experiment for Ezylryb.
    The conditions were perfect for setting out the small floats made from bundles of downy feathers and hollowed-out Ga’Hoole nuts.
    “Now, what’s this all about?” Twilight asked.
    “The idea is to measure the wind drift and current variations in this part of the Sea of Hoolemere,” Soren replied. “So we set out these little floats, then fly back in a few days and see where they are. Make sure the streamers are well attached because that’s how we’re going to find them again.”
    It was fun work, and for a snack when they finished, Soren had brought along some barbecued bat wings left over from tweener.
    “Glaux, this island is so tiny even I feel big on it,” Gylfie said. “Where are we going to light down for a snack?”
    “Look over there.” Digger flipped his head toward the northern tip of the island. There were three rocks that dribbled off the island, not more than a foot or two away from the shore. “That looks nice enough.”
    The four owls lighted down on the rocks, by a small tide pool. As they ate their bat wings in the moonlight they peered into its shallow water.
    “Are starfish good to eat?” Digger asked, spotting one on the bottom.
    “They’re