Travellers of Mac'Greer is a fanfiction by OdelayOwl loosely based on the Guardians of Ga'hoole series. The story takes place in modern day Britain, following the adventures of a young Barn Owl named Levi and his friends Goth (male Northern Hawk Owl), Aj (male Tawny Owl), Dunn (male Barn Owl, dark morph) and Macall (female Barn Owl).
Locations[]
Inchture[]
The story starts in Levi's birthplace, the Scottish village of Inchture. Inchture is a small village with one small store, one elementary school, a post office and a church, but is notable for being the first place outside of North America where red wood trees have successfully been cultivated. Two rows of red woods grow along what is now a walking path, and Levi's family calls one of these trees home.
Author's Note[]
This was my first large undertaking as far as stories go, (I think I started it in grade 6 or 7, and completed it over a year) so the writing really isn't that stellar. I'd like to re-write it sometime, (what really irks me is the bad pacing and lack of detail) but for the time being, this is the uncut 13-year-old-written edition. I was going through my Beatlemaniac phase, so I attempted to smother as many out-of-place Beatle references in here as possible. (It has a bit of a Happy Feet vibe to it, seeing as I was a huge fan of that too.)
Paragraphs are subject to change and editing. Also, the character Charlie has been called Connor and Cormac in the past. If you see the word Connor or Cormac anywhere, feel free to change it to Charlie.
Story[]
To Venture[]
"Weeeeeeeeee!" Yelled Levi as he flew through the air, soaring up, then spiraling downward to earth again. The sky was painted a soft marmalade colour dappled with pink clouds.
"It's getting bright, dear. You should come in soon." Said his mother from his hollow.
"Awww! But flying is so fun!" The young owl protested.
"Yes. I remember when I first learned to fly." His father churred.
"Oh, you're no better then your Son." Said his Mother.
Levi came swooping in. He thrust his legs out, and dove talon-first toward a thick branch, and latched onto it with a thump. He flapped his wings madly to prevent himself from falling forward.
"You have to aim your talons in at the last second, not go diving in like an Osprey." Said his Father.
The young owl ruffled his feathers, and reluctantly stepped into his hollow.
Levi was a British Barn Owl, who lived in a small Scottish village called Inchture. It was a quite place; not many children or cars, and more rabbits then an owl could swivel their head towards. He lived with his mother Semper, father Audax, and brother Charlie in the Redwood tree they called home.
Levi settled his feathers in the moss and down of the hollow. "Could you tell me a story?" He asked. His father was the best at telling stories, especially the Legend of Ga'hoole, but Levi had a different story in mind. "Could I hear the Land of the Redwood story?"
"All right." Said Audax. "A long, long time ago, in a place far away, there was the land of the Redwoods. It was a nice, warm place with big, colourful flowers and lush forests. Owls called Great Horned Owls lived in these trees and and protected them. One day, a human brought seeds of those trees and planted them here, in two rows along this path, which used to be a road."
"How long ago was that?" Asked Levi.
"Well," Said his father. "I heard this story from my Da, who heard it from his Da, who heard it from his Da...." "Who heard it from his Da, Who heard it from his Da, who heard it from his Da!" Said Levi. Audax chuckled.
The next night, Levi And his brother Charlie went to explore. They flew over a lush field, full of tall grass, thistles, nettles and vetch. The perfect hiding place for prey.
"I think I hear a mouse." Said Charlie, turning his head in all directions. "Be right back." He said as he swooped silently over the field. Levi turned around and flew down the path. It was first black, and the light from street lamps up the path cast shadows over the surrounding woodland. It looked somewhat eerie, but Levi found it comforting. This was home. All of a sudden, Levi heard the strangest bird call. It sounded almost like a war whoop.
"Ulululululululululul!"
The sound resonated through the trees. What the..? Thought Levi. He landed by a tree stump. On the stump was a strange owl. It had dark brown wings covered in white splotches. His face was grey with black streaks at the sides, and he had a beak that was yellow on the top, and black on the bottom. Levi couldn't help but notice that his head was rather square shaped.
"What kind of owl are you?" Asked Levi. The stout owl turned around to face him.
"I'm a Northern Hawk Owl, Surnia ulula." He replied. "... Do you not have any Hawk Owls around these parts?" He appeared to be teenage in owl years. Levi noted the way he talked. He pronounced Northern weird.. His parents pronounced it "Nothen".
"What's up with your voice?" Asked Levi. "Are you from Ireland? I heard owls from Ireland have weird voices. They really pronounce their Rs."
The young owl churred. "Ireland! Oh, I wish. I wish my home was only that far."
Levi cut him off. "But, isn't Ireland a long way away?" He asked.
"Not compared to where I come from... I'm from Canada."
Levi searched through his mental archive of place names. Canada didn't ring a bell.
"Where's Canada?" Asked Levi.
"It's far, far, FAR away. No owl could fly there, not even the strongest owl ever." Replied the Hawk Owl.
"Then how did you get here?" Asked Levi.
"I took a boat." The owl replied.
"A boat?" Levi had heard stories about ships and boats in harbours on the coasts, but he had never seen one.
The Hawk Owl went on. "I perched on the railing to sleep for the day, and when I woke up, I was in the middle of the ocean. I didn't know what to do, so I stayed. It brought me here." He cocked his head. "Where exactly is here?" He asked. "Incture, Scotland." Said Levi.
"Good Glaux, The United Kingdom! Well, that explains the accents." Said the owl.
"My name's Levi." Said Levi, introducing himself.
"Name's Goth." Said the Northern Hawk Owl. Goth looked at the trees around him, and seemed to be filled with intrigue. "These trees... I've only heard of Redwoods growing in California, the ones protected by the Great Horned Owls." He mused.
"The land of the Red Woods! You mean it's real? It's called Calfona!" Said Levi with excitement.
"Cal-a-forn-ya." Said Goth, running his beak through his feathers. He looked back at Levi. "What? Is California a mystical place to you?"
"Yeah, my da tells me the story of the Land of the Redwoods.. It's my favourite story." Levi couldn't believe the land of the Redwoods was real.
The Hawk Owl named Goth looked up from his preening. "It looks pretty nice here. I think I'll stay awhile." Said Goth. "If that's ok with you?" He asked.
"Sure, you can stay here. There's lots of extra hollows around." Said Levi, indicating some trees to the left of the path.
"Thanks.. Levi. See ya around." He said. With that, he flew away into the forest.
That night, when Levi settled in for the day, he told his family.
"Today I met a Hawk Owl named Goth, he was from Canada!" He said excitedly.
"Canananana....from where?" Asked Charlie.
"Canada. Goth said it's so far away that no owl could fly there."
"Sounds to far for me. " Said Charlie, fluffing his feathers.