Guardians of Ga'Hoole 05 - The Shattering

get up and pat her, and it seems to calm her down a little.”
    “That’s kind of you, Ginger,” Primrose said. I really must be nicer to this owl, she thought. She’s not so bad. And soon it will be Nimsy night . Everyone always feels better once the earth turns and chases away the sun and lets the nights grow longer. She listened to the end of the beautiful song. The lovely ting of Madame Plonk’s voice now hung like silver chimes in the morning as she sang the next verse.

We thank thee for our nights
’Neath the moon and stars so bright
We are home in our tree
We are owls, we are free
As we go, this we know, Glaux is nigh.

    Soon, Primrose was asleep. Late in the afternoon she heard a stirring and sleepily opened one eye. Ginger was bent over Eglantine. Oh, dear. She must be having one of those dreams and Ginger is patting her. Then Primrose yawned and sunk back into sleep.
    Eglantine was having a dream. She had finally poked her beak through the strands of moss. From behind, the female owl looked exactly like her mother. She was about to say “Mum” when the owl turned around. She did look like her mum! Almost, but not quite. Her face seemed whiter, and there was a seam across it where the feathers parted a bit.
    “I’ve been waiting for you all this time!”
    “You have?!”
    “Yes, darling one!”
    Something seemed to jolt Eglantine in her sleep. Darling. That word sounded odd coming from her mum. It wasn’t a word she used. But still she was drawn in.
    “Who are you?”
    “Why, you know who I am! And no need to wait until so long after Nimsy night. You’ll be ready much sooner, darling…”
    The jolt coursed through her again. And then her eyes blinked open. The soft lavender of twilight had seeped into the hollow. She looked over to Primrose’s corner. The Pygmy Owl was already up and out of the hollow, but Ginger was still sleeping. The dream Eglantine had just experienced was more real than ever. Her mum had said that she would be ready soon! Ready to go soon after Nimsy night. This was so exciting. Oh, she just had to tell someone. She looked over at Ginger again. She was beginningto stir. What would Ginger say if she told her about the dream? Would she think that she was just plain yoicks? Ginger’s eyes blinked open now and Eglantine hopped over to where she slept.
    “Ginger, I have to tell you something.” The Barn Owl was instantly alert. “Promise you won’t think I’ve gone yoicks.”
    “Why would I ever think that? You are one of the most sensible owls I have ever met,” Ginger replied.
    “Promise on your gizzard not to tell?”
    Ginger touched the feathers on her belly and said, “On my gizzard. Now, what is it?”
    “All right.” Eglantine took a deep breath. “Well, I have been having these dreams, you know.”
    Ginger nodded.
    “And well, I think they are actually more than just dreams. They are very real in a way. They are telling me something.”
    “What are they telling you, Eglantine?” Ginger said in a very soft voice.
    “My mum is alive, and I think my da is, too. And I think I know where they are.” She paused. “The Beaks.”
    “I believe you, Eglantine. Why wouldn’t I believe you? They say that your brother Soren has starsight. Whyshouldn’t you, too, dream about things before they happen?”
    “You’re right! Ginger, I never thought of that. It must run in the family. Oh, my goodness. I am so glad I told you. And you know what else?”
    “No, what?” Ginger said eagerly.
    “Well, I just know I can find that hollow in The Beaks and my mum wants me to come. I had already decided to go maybe a month or so after Nimsy night because the darkness will hold longer then, and I would have more time to get there. But Mum, I mean my dream mum, says that I’ll be ready before that. She says I’ll soon be strong enough for the flight.”
    “Oh, that’s wonderful and, of course, who knows you better than your own mum? Mums know best.”
    Eglantine blinked. How does Ginger always know exactly the right thing to say? Eglantine thought. Ginger was the most wonderful hollowmate.

CHAPTER EIGHT
Mum Waits for Me
    N imsy night had come and gone and as the day’s light dissolved minute by minute earlier and earlier, and the nights grew longer, the owls of the Great Ga’Hoole Tree grew happier because night was indeed their element. The long hot days pressed thickly upon them as they slept, the time passing so slowly, creeping by at the pace of a sluggish