Two Owls, One Heart

Ares and Talia

She was graceful. Her wings allowed her to move swiftly yet delicately through the wind. Gliding in the air, she perched herself on the same old barn as she did every morning around this time, ever since she was a young owlet with her mom. She closed her eyes, feeling the cool spring breeze dance between her feathers. When she opened them, she took in the scenery. She could see new buds forming on the trees and a wide stretch of open field on the edge of a beautiful fluorescent swamp where deer were grazing. The sun, rising on the horizon spilled its’ golden rays across the field. Life, in her eyes, was perfect and safe.

  He was a little rough around the feathers and rarely stayed in one place for long. An outcast, a wanderer. Constantly craving excitement and something new. The small town he was flying above had nothing. Everything was so ordinary and by tomorrow, he would hopefully be some place a little livelier. He looked down at the field and saw some deer grazing, typical. It’s the same thing in nearly every place he’s been to. He wondered if he would ever find the kind of excitement he had been longing for. He craved a heart racing thrill and while he found it occasionally by teasing bigger predators, he still constantly searched for it. He wasn’t sure why he thought there would be any excitement so early in the morning, especially here. Since the night was coming to an end, he decided to find a place to rest for a bit before continuing his search. Noticing an old rustic run-down barn in the distance, he decided to head there for the day before heading out of town that night.

As he drew closer, he noticed something he’d never seen before, which is saying a lot because he has seen almost everything there is to see. Her eyes were like dark amber velvet marbles with gold glitter bursting slightly along the edges. The creamy color of her white feathers in the front faded into the caramel like feathers in the back. She was the most beautiful barn owl he had ever seen. The closer he got, the harder his heart raced. Watching her instilled a type of excitement and fear that he had never felt before. The way she perched on the roof of that old barn, so elegant; not even noticing he was staring as he flew towards her. But she wasn’t the only one not paying attention.

He didn’t realize how close to the barn he actually was until it was too late. The young owl crashed into the side of the barn and through the old broken wood. He landed on some hay inside and didn’t move. The young owl perched on top of the barn heard the commotion and decided to check out what was making that racket this early in the morning. She glided towards the hole in the wall of the barn and sat on it, looking in. She saw him lying in a pile of dirty hay. She stared for a moment to see if he was moving at all. He wasn’t. She decided to swoop down to make sure he wasn’t hurt.

As she approached him, she could see he was breathing but still unconscious. She had never seen an owl like him before. His colors were unconventional compared to the owls where she lived. Instead of gold and white feathers, he had a burnt tinge to them. Charcoal looking feathers covered his back merging into the dark copper feathers in the front. He did have a halo of cream-colored feathers framing his face. A few feet away was a bucket full of rainwater, so she dipped a few feathers in it, dripping it over his face. He opened his eyes, still disoriented. Once he was able to focus his vision, he looked up to see her staring at him. Panic set in as he realized he was in her presence. He was so mesmerized by her beauty that he didn’t realize she was speaking to him.

“I’m sorry what was that?” he asked her with a slightly raspy voice.

“Are you okay?” Her voice was gentle and sweet like honey.

“Oh.” He managed to get to his feet and fluff his feathers back to their original place. “Yeah, yeah I think so.” He replied while clearing his throat and stretching out his wings. “Man, that was a hell of a fall.” He said looking up at the hole roughly 20 feet above them. She chuckled at his flustered appearance. He looked back at her and gave her a broken half smile.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you uh-” She waited for him to respond with his name.

“Oh. Right, I’m Ares.” He said in a low tone.

“Nice to meet you Ares. My name is Talia. My mother named me that because the tree we lived in began blooming right when I was born. In Hebrew, Talia means “to bloom.” She was proud of her given name, he could tell, but he remained quiet. “Well…”

“Well, what?” He hoped if he played dumb that she wouldn’t ask the meaning of his name but as he figured…

“What does your name mean?”

“Well, on one hand you could look at it as the God of war.”

“Is that who you were named after?”

“Not exactly.” His voice trailed off.

“What do you mean?”

“My mother named me Ares because it means “ruin”. I was her only child. When I was born, there was a bad storm. Lightning hit the tree starting a fire. My mother and I were able to escape but my father was stuck under a branch. She tried and tried to move it, but he told her to go save me. She felt that I was the reason he was gone. If she didn’t have to help me, then she might have been able to save him. I ruined her chance to ever be happy again.” Talia lowered her head.

“I’m sure that’s not what she meant-”

“It is. After seeing how loving and nurturing my friends’ mothers were, I wondered why my mother never showed me affection. Sure, she made sure I had my basic needs, food and shelter out of I guess a favor to my father. When I asked why she never acted like that towards me, she said I was the reason my father was dead. If it wasn’t for me, she said ‘I wouldn’t have lost the love of my life. You ruined everything.’ After that, as soon as I could fly, I was out of there and never stopped flying. I’m always on the move, trying to find something to give me purpose; something to give me a thrill.” He looked up at her before turning away. He had never told that story to anyone, why her?

“Doesn’t it get tiring always running?” She tilted her head, and he could see the compassion in her eyes mixed with a bit of empathy. She was so easy to talk to. He felt as if he’d known her his whole life.

"A little I suppose. But when I find thrill and excitement, it replaces the tiring feeling.” He changed his tone so as to not seem so miserable then changed the subject. “So, are you from around here?”

“Hatched and raised. I grew up across the field in this big red maple tree. When my siblings and I were old enough, our mother had us practice flying by bringing us here every morning. My mother died by an oncoming car last year.” She lowered her head again but quickly regained composure. “My siblings all have families of their own, but we still see each other every now and then. Sometimes they’ll come with me here but most of the time it’s just me.”

“What about you?” Ares asked.

“What about me?”

“You don’t have a family of your own yet?”

“Not quite.” She gave a little chuckle. “To be honest, while I love how peaceful life is, I’m a bit bored. All the other owls around here don’t have a need for excitement and want to settle down but I’m not so sure if I want to give up my dreams of wanting something a little more.” Once they made sure his wings were fine enough to fly, they both perched up on top of the barn.

Talia told him stories of her childhood and he told her the exciting adventures he had been on as well as the adventures yet to come for him. She always looked at him with a twinkle in her eye wondering what adventures she would go on. While she was telling her stories, he was imagining having a place he could call home and someone who loved him. For some strange reason, in both of their visions, they saw one another by their side. After talking for hours, they fell asleep in the rafters of the old barn; feathers entangled.

That night, she took him to meet her 3 siblings and to see her home in that same big red maple tree she had told him about. She explained how she kept it after her mother had passed and no other place had felt like home. The entrance was roughly 40 feet above the ground. Going inside, the tree was very spacious, more spacious than any tree Ares had ever seen. He suddenly had a vision of the two of them with their own family snuggled inside. He hesitated before sharing this vision as he was supposed to be on his way to the next town, but this hesitation lasted a mere second before he told her what he was thinking.

After hearing this, she looked into his deep, obsidian-like, mysterious but kind eyes. She could see the two of them raising a family, hunting at night together, and finding countless adventures throughout their lifetime. He stared back at her, wondering if he had made a mistake in telling her. What if she didn’t feel the same? Suddenly, she leaned in and kissed him. It was a feeling like no other. This is what it felt like to love and be loved.

Not long after their confessions of love, they started their own family. Five eggs nestled in the big red maple tree. Every night, Ares would go out and hunt to bring back food for him and Talia. He was never gone for long just in case she needed something. They were so excited to meet their little ones. While this wasn’t exactly the adventure the two had always dreamed of, it was much better in their opinion.  

It was day 29 and the eggs were beginning to hatch. Three girls and two boys. They named them Asher, Miles, Luna, Maple, and Olivia. They couldn’t be more thrilled. As the days went on and their babies grew, almost all of them had their mother’s beautiful colors. All except one. Within a month, Luna was identical to Ares, except for the lighter copper color on her stomach and a few golden speckles around her eyes.

It was dusk and Ares was getting ready to go out hunting for his little family. The air was warm, and the wind was calm, though they could see storm clouds in the distance. He was reluctant to leave his little family alone but knew they needed food. After promising Talia he wouldn’t be long, he took off in the night sky.

Shortly after he left, the winds picked up. Talia could sense this was going to be a rough storm and she told her babies to prepare themselves. Flashes of lightning lit up the night sky as Ares maneuvered between the trees, battling the wind and rain. He heard a continuous roar coming from the distance. He found a tree that wasn’t swaying too bad from the wind and perched on a branch. Turning his head to find the direction the loud roar was coming from, he then focused in to see what it was. He had pretty good vision and could see about a mile away in all directions at night, though he wasn’t seeing anything. He could tell it was getting closer however, because the roaring was intensifying. After a few minutes of really focusing in front of him, he saw the old red barn where he and Talia first met. The roar was originating from behind that barn, but he still couldn’t see what it was, especially through the rain. When the rain eased up a little, a flash of lightning allowed him to see past the barn. Panic immediately set in as hail began to fall. Ares could feel the wind pick back up as he raced back to the big red maple tree.

He could feel the tornado closing in as he finally reached his little family. The 6 of them were huddled up, Talia shielding their children from the wind and hail.

“We have to find some place safe!” She yelled to Ares.

“There’s no time! It’s too close, we’ll be sucked up into it!” He looked out at the black lightning infused tunnel of wind. He could see pieces of the old barn swirling around in it. As sad as that made him, he had to focus on protecting his family. They all moved further back as far as they could go away from the opening of their little home. He positioned himself over top of them, making sure he was facing the opening of the tree, and not Talia or his little owlets.

The tornado hit with a massive roar. The winds nearly ripping Ares from his family, but he was hanging on as tight as he possibly could, anchoring himself into the tree with his talons. The winds became too strong, and he was pulled from them. Losing his grip in the tree, he tumbled towards the hole. He stretched his wings out to prevent himself from being pulled out of the nest and was able to anchor his talons back into the tree.

Talia watched in horror as the love of her life was on the verge of disappearing forever. “I love you!” He yelled to her. “All of you.”

“Don’t do that. Do not say goodbye.”

“Talia, I don’t know how long I can hang on!” He yelled as one talon was pulled from gripping the tree. A tear fell from her cheek watching him struggle.

“I’m sorry.” She said almost too low for him to hear over the rumbling winds.

“For what?!”

“For taking away your chance to have a huge adventure like you had always dreamt.”

“Talia, my adventure with you has been bigger than any other adventure I could’ve ever dreamt of. I’m just sorry you ended up settling for the conventional boring life that you said you didn’t want!” Two more talons lost their grip and now he was hanging on with only one talon on one foot and the other four talons being pulled out of anchor. A tear slid down Talia’s face.

“This life with anyone else would be boring and conventional. With you, it’s a life full of spontaneity and excitement. I wouldn’t trade this for the world!” There was no end in sight to the tornado as it must’ve been about a mile wide. Suddenly, the wind let up and an eerie calm flooded the tree. Ares went over to his family hugging them.

“Is it over?” Luna asked Ares with her siblings looking on with wide eyes. He could see the fear in them.

Looking outside, it was hard to tell. Dust was still consuming the air making it difficult to see. After quickly hugging his family, he investigated outside. Looking up, he could see the circular opening of the tornado and once the dust cleared a bit, he could see the wall of the tornado closing in. Realizing they were in the eye of the tornado, he quickly regained his grip and anchored himself once again covering his family.

“It isn’t over yet!” He yelled as the winds began picking back up. “We’re in the eye of it!” And just like that the tornado was back in full force. For some reason, the winds felt even stronger than before. Ares was almost immediately pulled from his family. He tried to block the door the best he could, but the winds were too powerful. He gave one last look at his family. Talia knew what he was thinking, and her eyes widened as she saw him be sucked out of their tree. She screeched at the top of her lungs, covering her babies the best she could.

The tornado eventually continued on in its path of destruction, leaving the strong red maple tree standing alone amongst debris and uprooted trees. Once Talia was certain the storm had passed, she told her babies to stay put as she left the nest in search of Ares. She knew she couldn’t travel far as she had young ones to protect still. As she circled her home, she noticed a few charcoal feathers about 100 feet from the tree. Looking back to make sure her babies were still safe; she swiftly flew over to check it out. As she got closer, she realized it was more than just a few feathers. It was a severed wing. Ares’ wing. When she noticed it was lying in a small pool of blood, she turned away sobbing. After a few minutes, she regained her composure. She couldn’t’ let her babies see her weakness. She couldn’t allow predators to see her weak. She must be strong if the 6 of them were going to survive.

She returned to them, and they could tell it wasn’t good news by seeing the bleak look in her eyes. She held the five owlets as they mourned their father, lost in the storm that night. She silently cried for her Ares when they finally fell asleep, careful not to wake them. Life had to go on. Talia wanted her babies to know that life, while ever changing and sometimes unfair, is one big adventure that can lead to unexpected happiness. As long as they had each other, they would be just fine.

The days came and went in a sort of blur. Her babies grew bigger and stronger and before she knew it, they were flying. In a months’ time, she took them to visit the place where she met their father. The barn was only partially standing as the tornado did a bit of damage. She told them the stories he told her about all the adventures he had been on. The look on their faces as they relished the thought that their father was a hero. He not only saved them from the storm that night by shielding the door to their home, but he went out for food for them knowing they were about to have that horrible storm. He always put their wants and needs in front of himself. That’s who they wanted to become when they were fully grown.

In a matter of weeks, they would leave their mother and their nest to go start their own adventures. Most of them wanted to stick around and nest close to their mother. However, Luna was just like her father, and she wanted to find the thrill of an adventure. She was so excited to go out on her own and see where life took her.

Talia did her best to give her owlets the skills and tools they needed to survive on their own. The day they left the nest would be hard as she could see Ares in all of them, especially Luna. She knew she may never see Luna again considering she wanted to travel; so, she said an extra long goodbye to her. Wrapping her little one in her wings, she didn’t want to let go.

“Mom. I’m ready. I’ll be okay. I have you and father in my blood. You’ve taught me all I need. Now, you have to let me go.”

“I know.” Talia softly said holding back her tears. “Promise me you’ll try to visit when you can?”

Luna smiled as she headed towards the opening of the red maple tree. “I definitely promise. I’m going to miss you too much to be apart for too long. This isn’t goodbye. This is ‘I’ll see you soon.’” She gave one last smile to her mother before taking flight. Talia watched as her daughter glided through the sweet summer breeze and into the night.

  Talia was alone again. She wasn’t as sad as she thought she would be. The thought of her little ones having their own adventures actually warmed her heart as she thought about Ares. Still drained from such a big night, she wasn’t up for hunting, so she simply stayed in and watched the night pass by. As she sat there, she reminisced on her time with Ares and all the adventures they had in their short time together. She wondered what her and Ares would be doing right now, now that the kids were out of the nest. The quiet and reminiscing didn’t last long though as she saw Luna frantically flying back towards her. Luna nearly crashed into their home she was flying so fast. She tried speaking but was too out of breath.

“Luna! What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

“Yes.” She said between breaths. “I’m fine. It’s father. I found him. He’s alive!” Talia’s heart sank. Ares is alive?!