Chapter Text
“Is something bothering you, Kludd dear? You weren’t nearly as into it this time.”
Kludd stepped off Nyra and reached for his mask, which had fallen off. He turned away and secured the mask back into place, saying nothing. It was a quiet day at The Beaks, and the Pure Ones commanders were alone atop a small rocky plateau near the Mirror Lakes. Silence was the only response Nyra would get.
She got up and shook her tail feathers, annoyed. “I thought you’d be in a better mood after conquering those imbeciles at the Aegolius Canyons.”
“They were nothing,” Kludd responded. “Worth less than the flecks they foolishly hoarded. There’s no satisfaction in victory over such a disgrace to owlkind.”
Nyra sighed and shook her head. “I know you’re still sore about those skirmishes with the Guardians. But you shouldn’t fret over such trivialities, love. You know how pathetic those lesser owls are, and now our forces are now stronger than they’ve ever been. It won’t be long before they’re begging for your mercy. And soon we’ll finally have our Sacred Orb –”
“Take better care of it this time,” Kludd interrupted with heavy disdain. “Is that not your job… mate?”
Nyra struck a claw across Kludd’s face, knocking him from the plateau. The disgruntled owl fell a short distance, crashing headfirst into a patch of moss.
As he got up, a peculiar sight from the Mirror Lakes caught his eye. The lakes were known for their uncanny tranquility, and yet the water stirred and rippled with a bizarre ferocity.
“Don’t ever use that wretched tone with me, Kludd” Nyra exclaimed as she flapped to the ground beside him. “I thought I raised you better than that.” Her voice trailed off as she looked towards what Kludd was staring at.
The lake’s surface bulged upwards, causing the water to overflow onto the owls’ talons. Then the protrusion receded, revealing jagged purple spikes larger than even the tallest of Great Grays. A monstrous reptilian head with dark green skin and piercing yellow eyes surfaced next. Its mouth, lined with irregular ragged teeth, emitted a guttural growl as it shook the water from its face. The creature straightened up, lifting its torso and two sharp claws out of the water as well. A burly tail also came into view, lined with purple spikes similar to those on its back. Then at last the behemoth trudged onto the shore, shaking the ground with each colossal step.
Godzilla’s tremendous appearance had left Kludd and Nyra utterly transfixed. He towered higher than even the largest of The Beaks’ stone spires, with the owls’ stature not even reaching his toes. The monster yawned, having just woken up from a deep slumber that had lasted for millennia. But what was a mere yawn for Godzilla, came out as a mighty roar which reverberated throughout the entire region. The deafening noise at such close proximity snapped Kludd and Nyra out of their trance.
“FALL BACK!” shrieked Nyra as she took to the sky, flapping away from Godzilla as fast as she could. Kludd followed close behind.
“Just what is that horrid monster?” Kludd asked with ragged breaths. “How should I know?” blurted Nyra in response. “Just get away from it!”
“We Tytos are superior to all owls – no, all animals,” declared Kludd. “But THAT is no animal – THAT is an abomination with no place on this Earth. An utter freak of nature, like a storm or hurricane.”
Nyra chuckled at Kludd’s last statement. “Then it won’t be long before those moronic Guardians fly directly into it. Glaux hoping they stumble upon it soon.”
Kludd swiveled his head and looked back at Godzilla. “Are you saying,” he muttered slowly, “that Soren would have confronted the monster?”
Nyra faced Kludd with an alarmed expression. “No! Dearest, I did NOT mention Soren! Not once!”
“Yes you did Nyra!” exclaimed Kludd as he turned around, and started flying back towards Godzilla. “You said the Guardians, and that includes Soren! That idealistic imbecile absolutely would fly directly at the beast! Thinks he’s a better owl than me? I’ll show him!”
Nyra chased after him. “Kludd get back here!” she screamed. “We are not doing this racdrops again! All night with you it’s Soren this and Soren that. For the last time, he is beneath you! I will not have you killing yourself before the Sacred Orb hatches because of some imaginary feud with your brother!”
Kludd was undeterred as he flew up near the kaiju’s head. It was the first time Godzilla was even aware of the owl’s presence. He merely stared back with a puzzled expression as the owl puffed himself up and started making incomprehensible taunts.
Godzilla lazily swung a massive claw towards Kludd. Kludd swerved to the left, barely dodging the attack, but the whoosh from the claw’s motion blew him off balance.
Nyra caught up, entering Godzilla’s view. She turned to face Kludd, cringing at his shameful display. “That’s enough Kludd! This is far beneath your status as the High Tyto. We need to–”
Suddenly Nyra sensed Godzilla’s other massive claw hurtling towards her. In that moment she awkwardly tried to propel herself away, but it did little to change her trajectory. The claw grabbed her, trapping much of the owl’s body between its burly fingers, with only Nyra’s head elevated above the claw’s grip.
Just a light squeeze was all it took to crack the Barn Owl’s hollow bones. Unable to move, she could only gasp in pain as Godzilla’s grip tightened around her. Nyra’s bones shattered further in a series of visceral crunches, with a black oily substance leaking out of her body between the claw’s massive fingers. She gagged on the blood pouring out of her beak until the air had been fully depleted from her crumpled lungs.
Godzilla released his grip, and the mangled corpse of the Pure Ones general plummeted to the ground.
“Nyra!” Kludd exclaimed. He looked back at the behemoth that crushed his mate, peering into Godzilla’s vacant, yet piercing glare. An uneasy, woozy sensation welled up in Kludd’s gizzard. His vision became foggy, wings became heavy. It was a feeling he hadn’t experienced in a long time. “No, no, this can’t be happening…”
Kludd went yeep, falling for several seconds before colliding with the ground. Godzilla simply lumbered away, indifferent to the plights of the owls who were so small in comparison. Instead, Godzilla turned his attention towards the Sea of Hoolemere. He plodded northward, not realizing that he had trampled the High Tyto underfoot.