Kathryn Lasky

"Once upon a very long time ago, in the time of Glaux, there was an order of knightly owls, from a kingdom called GaHoole, who would rise up each night and perform noble deeds. They spoke no words but true ones, their purpose was to right all wrongs, to make strong the weak, mend the broken, vanquish the proud, and make powerless those who abused the frail. With hearts sublime they would take flight..."

"You can do it! You believe! Feel it in your gizzard. You are a creature of flight. Fly, my children. Fly!"

"[After discovering Sorens former home is abandoned] Then Twilight spoke, "Soren, theyre gone. Maybe something happened to them. You shouldnt take it personally. Buck up now, old buddy." "Personally? What do you know, Twilight, that is personal about any family? Youve never had a family. Remember, youre always telling us about how much you learned in your own orphan school of tough learning. You dont know the feel of a mothers down. You dont know what its like to hear stories from a father, or to hear him sing. Do you know what a psalm is, Twilight? I bet you dont. Well, we Barn Owls know about psalms and books and the feeling of down." Twilights feathers had ruffled up, spiky with ice crystals. He looked fearsome. "Ill tell you what I know, you miserable little owl. The whole world is my family. I know the softness of a foxs fur, and the strange green light that comes into their eyes during the spring moons. I know how to fish because I learned from an eagle. And when meat is scarce I know how to find the ripest part of a rotten tree and peck the juiciest bugs from it. I know plenty."

"Bye-bye," Auntie cooed, and waved a tattered wing. "Bye-bye, 12-8, you fool!"

"Gylfie felt that the moment was right. "You are the last owl in the world that I would ever say lacked humility, 12-8. You are for my friend and myself a perfect example of humility. You are beyond humbleness! You are ..." Gylfie was madly searching for a word. Whats she going to say next? Soren couldnt imagine. He had never seen such a demonstration of outrageous fawning. "You are subglaucious." 12-8 blinked at the word as did Soren, who had no idea what subglaucious meant. "We, my friend and I, only wish that we could serve in the eggorium and thus attain such humbleness as yourself." "Your words are kind, 25-2. I shall hope that they might encourage me in my continuing quest for humility while in service to a great cause." She wandered off looking a tad more moon blinked than before, if that was possible. "What in Glauxs name is subglaucious?" Soran said as soon as she was out of earshot. "No idea. I made it up."

"You just hatched out two weeks ago." Kludd turned to Soren, his younger brother. "What do you know about sisters?" Maybe, Soren thought to himself, they would be better than brothers."