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tyto-and-tenebricosa · 1 month ago

Text

Family Heirloom - Twoshot

Chapter 1: The Discovery

Summary: While searching for a sheet of paper to write notes on, Nyra found something she had almost forgotten about. Metal Beak's flute. - Part of the "Legacy of the Shadow Twins" Au

Characters: Lord High Tyto Surtr/Metal Beak (mentioned), Queen Nyra, B

Relationship: Metal Beak/Surtr x Nyra X Original Male Character

Word Count: 9,253

Warnings: None yet

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Nyra hardly ever took a day off.

She took her job as the Ablah General and Queen of the Pure Ones seriously, honored that fate had granted her such a high position in life. She knew that it was of upmost importance to actively contribute to the very empire she co-ruled with her beloveds, and rarely had she ever neglected her tasks for the own selfish desires that always lingered in the back of her mind.

However, today, she did. Today she had decided to stay here, in the privacy of the royal quarters, hidden from the world outside to tend to what she loved most. Her plants.

She hummed a song as she gently caressed the pot of a tiny baby rose, a rarity one of her beloveds, B, had gifted her after his most recent mission. Something she was eternally grateful for, given that she had searched for this particular plant for years. That he, despite everything, remembered spoke volumes about his dedication to her and their grumpy, masked leader.

The same grumpy, masked leader who had not been too happy about her sudden vacation, judging by the glare she had received all morning.

Oh well, that was his problem to deal with, not hers.

She was concerned with one thing and one thing only: Her silent friends.

"Oh, you're growing so well.", she whispered at the small flower, gently lifting the terracotta container that was its temporary home until it would outgrow it. She put it onto a shelf, pushing it towards the back to make sure that it would not fall off by accident. If it broke, her heart would follow its example. "I hope to see you thrive soon."

Of course, it gave her no answer, merely dripping with the water she had just poured over it, though that hardly deterred the Alba. She smiled, her delicate-looking beak parting in a content sigh. She, however, had no time to ponder much. She was a busy owl, after all.

"Now…to the poor cactus.", she muttered to herself and trotted towards another plant that stood near the spot the rose had previously rested. Her smile disappeared as she looked at it, the neglect it had suffered apparent by its withered state. It was barely clinging onto life, barely strong enough to even stand upright and its color had long faded.

Every other owl would have discarded it. Nyra, however, was not every other owl. She was the queen of the Pure Ones, mate to Lord High Tyto Surtr – more commonly known as Metal Beak – and King B, and a stubborn Alba whose skull was thicker than a mountain. She refused to give this little life up. This wasn't a slave or one of the birds they used to test the soldiers with. This was a plant. Her plant.

"Alright…let's see if I can do anything to help…" She pulled it closer so she could inspect it, grabbing a glove nearby and slipping it onto her talon to protect it from the many spikes that jutted out of the dying thing's surface. She got to work, carefully beginning to prod around, turning it so she could stare at it from all angles, the gears in her head turning rapidly in a desperate attempt to find a solution.

After a few minutes, she finally set it down again, a low hum coming from her throat as she blinked down at it still. "Well…that is unfortunate.", she muttered with a soft huff following her words, tracing her tongue over the edges of her mouth, tasting the bit of morning tea that clung to her beak. "It seems all that I can do is water you continuously and…hope."

And that was what she did. She reached for a bowl of water that she normally used to cleanse pretty rocks she, her mates or her biggest mate's raven found outside, and poured its content into the earth surrounding the green, prickly flora. She did so slowly, carefully, making sure to interrupt the otherwise steady stream to not accidentally flood the table. Glaux…she had neglected this little thing. She was surprised that it didn't look worse…or that it was alive, for that matter.

Once she was done, she removed the glove, picked the little thing up and put it in a raised, scheduled spot of the table where she normally kept sick or infested plants. A small, well-working system she came up with when she started her hobby of plant keeping. It allowed her to remember which plants required urgent or special care due to disease or – in this case – accidental neglect and had saved many of her little babies in the past. Just maybe, this one was one of them.

"There." She hummed, the corners of her beak stretching into a smile once again. Now, there is one last thing to do... write a note on a page of her notebook dedicated to her hobby, rip it out and attach it to the pod. "Just rest and recover. You'll be fine. Hmm…now…where did I put…"

She turned her head in typical owl fashion, studying her surroundings with her gorgeous blue/golden eyes, her pupils studying every surface they could reach. She searched the table, the visible shelves, the boxes, even the floor, but she did not find what she was looking for. She blinked, narrowing her eyes in confusion. "What the…"

She could have sworn she had left it here yesterday. She rarely ever took it anywhere in the first place…

"How…strange…" Her voice was nothing more than a whisper as she slowly began to move through her workshop. "Did I put it on a high place? In a drawer? Glaux…"

Metal Beak was right. Her domain was a mess. She really should clean up some day. Not that she'd ever admit it out loud…

"In the tool storage, maybe…wouldn't be the first time…" she mused, taking a sharp turn to the right before marching towards a wooden cupboard. She opened it, revealing several tools needed for gardening. She grimaced at the mess, the voice of her husband calling her out ringing in her ears as she began to roam through it, almost causing the hill of equipment to crumble and fall out trice due to her mindlessly tearing them out in a desperate hope of finding what she was looking for. But as she put the last piece aside, leaving behind an empty void of dust and dirt, she realized that it wasn't here either.

"Nothing…" the half-hagsfiend growled lowly, frustration clear in her voice. Ugh… "This is starting to get… irritating."

"Well, it would not be that way if you had just followed my advice." The voice that sounded just like her masked husband laughed in her mind with a thundering echo, and she felt the skin underneath her feathers heat up with rage. "Yes, yes. Shut up.", she hissed, her eyes flashing red for the split of a second before slowly fading back to their normal color.

Ugh, that owl. Yes, she loved him with all her heart and soul, but he had the habit of schooling her in ways that were beyond annoying. He acted as if he was so much older and wiser than her, and despite being older in years, she was pretty sure his age pretty much aligned with hers if it was counted in Tenebricosa years. In other words, he had no business lecturing her.

At least not when she was in a bad mood.

"Okay…this is a waste of time.", she declared as she straightened her back, her feathers ruffled with agitation. "I'll just…get one from B's stash. Or Surtr's studies…depending on whether B has forgotten to take his stash with him…again."

She sincerely hoped he had. Metal Beak's studies were on the other side of the quarters, and she'd hate to walk all the way over there just for a piece of writing material. Plus, if she accidentally messed some paperwork up, she'd get an earful.

Contrary to her and B, the masked Tenebricosa was a freak when it came to his spaces. He had his own place for every single item he owned, each of them placed neatly into its position. This ranged from papers, to books, armor, weapons and even his quill! It was abnormal, worrying almost, but it was just who he was. She knew him no different, and if she was honest with herself, his intense desire to have everything in order was one of the many reasons she fell in love with him.

It was just so…him. So Metal Beak…so Surtr…

Nyra blinked at her own thoughts, rolling her eyes with a smirk at how cheesy they were. It stayed on as she walked towards the door, trotting out of her workshop and into a massive room that was conjoined to it. She stopped in its middle, slowly turning her head in all directions as she studied every visible surface with her gorgeous orb, hoping to find a stash of what she needed or at the very least box containing papers. Her eyes roamed the tables, the drawers, the insides of showcases and even the floor again – sometimes, the things were knocked off by the raven or B himself, given that his tail feathers were a weapon of destruction – but she saw nothing.

Glaux…don't tell her that for once, he had actually not forgotten.

She sighed, slowly walking over to the drawer where she knew he had kept the papers, opening it to peer inside in the hopes that one of her men had maybe put it inside. But her heart sank when she realized that it was empty, and she felt the sensation of utter annoyance well up within her.

"Sprink!" she cursed, snapping her beak closed as she slammed it closed again, lifting a talon to rub the spot where her beak merged with her flesh. "Of ALL days…of course you have to remember today, B! Your timing is…" She found no words to describe how bad it was.

Ugh…this was unfortunate.

"Okay…okay…" the half-hagsfiend muttered again, taking another sigh as she repressed the irritation that boiled in her blood. No need to explode completely. "Let's just…go to Surtr's office. He has an abundance of unused paper in there."

She knew, of course, she was overreacting, but this was her day off! Today was supposed to be smooth and relaxing, and…well, it was everything but that right now. Plus, she was alone. She could act however she pleased!

It was just…she hated it when she was not able to find something. It was one of the few things that truly ticked her off.

With a growl, she continued her journey through the quarters, trotting towards the door that she prayed was not locked, for she did not know where the key was. She tested it, finding herself relieved when the metallic structure offered no resistance to being moved, revealing the room and its darkness. Despite the lack of light that was presented to her, however, Nyra's eyes were easily able to make out the chamber's interior, her nature as an owl enabling her to see almost perfectly.

And boy, it was a sight to behold.

Metal Beak's private study of their private quarters was grand in size and well-used judging by the filled-to-the-brim bookshelves that were standing against the walls, stacked with countless amounts of paperwork, books and other objects, including weapons and some skulls of beheaded enemies. Everything was neatly placed, cleaned and organized, not one ounce of preventable dust coating any item. And even though it was so familiar to her, she still felt a sense of awe every single time she stepped inside.

This was truly a place fit for an owl of royal blood…

But that was of no importance right now. She wasn't there to stare at her husband's personal space as if she were in a museum, she was here to get paper. And that was exactly what she would get.

"Hmm…" she hummed after her brief glancing around, slowly walking up to his massive table, her white feathers failing miserably to blend in with the dimply lit surroundings as she did so. She briefly studied the surface before she aimed for the hidden areas, searching through the drawers with care so she would cause no mess.

The first one was filled to the brim with already used sheets that was most likely the most recent paperwork, each one covered in countless letters in either the Common Tongue or Grantish, the language of the Tenebricosa. The second one contained a box with the quill her husband used for work, along with a beautiful, shining dagger, bands, as well as a stamp with the emblem of the Pure Ones. Everything was, of course, neatly ordered, filling out the space of the small storage chamber perfectly.

The third one contained several inkwells, each of them custom-made with different shapes and markings. There were several colors, all of them labeled with her leader's gorgeous handwriting that put many others' to shame, even her own. Black, white, blue, yellow, orange, red, green…she even spotted a purple one, though it had a band around it with the note that spelled out "refilling needed".

Huh…strange. She didn't remember any of the paperwork she had come to view recently being written with that color. Oh well, he probably used it for private notes or something. Or he – which is less likely if she was honest with herself - spilled it.

"It's not like his inkwells are my business anyway…" she grumbled to herself, shaking her head to clear her thoughts. Glaux, she really needed to stop snooping around. She was here for papers and nothing else.

She closed it and opened the fourth, gasping in delight when she finally found what she had been looking for. There, neatly stagged against the bottom right corner, were the empty sheets.

"Glaux above, finally!" she laughed, a triumphant smirk on her beak as she took a few for herself. Once she counted 10, she set them down onto the desk's surface and opened the drawer fully, knowing she had to smoothen out the pages which had been disturbed by her audacity to "steal" their brethren. She didn't want Surtr to become furious with her, after all. It would only result in a fierce argument, and she was less than eager to be the target of her beloved's legendary anger.

That was what B was for, after all.

The half-hagsfiend snickered at her last thought, a mischievous glint in her eyes as she got to work, gently rearranging the leftover papers so it would appear that they had not been touched by anyone but him. It didn't take long, a few seconds at the most, and once she was done, she grabbed the knob and strained her muscles to push, wanting nothing more than to finish up and return to her workshop to continue her project. Before she could do so, though…she froze, her gorgeous gold/blue eyes catching sight of something she had not expected to see in there.

A big, black box, decorated with golden marks made of a sparkling material. It sat there, unassuming, hidden from the world outside. She would never have seen it hadn't she exposed more of the small storage the drawer provided. "Huh…?"

To say that Nyra was stunned was an understatement. The half-hagsfiend stood there, her wings slightly dropped and her pupils wide. Her beak hung open, her chest froze in its place as she stopped breathing, too stunned to do anything but stare. She needed a few moments to regain her bodily functions, her heart jumping in her chest as she blindly grabbed the object, taking it out of its prison. She placed it onto the table after pushing the sheets she had just taken aside, taking a step back to study it with a gaze with the intensity of an erupting volcano.

This was…impossible.

There was…no way…

But alas, here it was. The very object that she had thought Metal Beak had lost a long time ago, given that neither she nor B had seen it in years.

His flute. His family's heirloom. One of the many instruments her masked husband was gifted with.

Glaux...

"Why...why would he...", she broke off, finding herself unable to voice her confusion. Yet, the question was still in the air, now as unspoken as it was unanswered.

Why would he lock it away? Why would he banish something that was so dear to him, his family, to the Pure Ones themselves, into a dark corner of a drawer, a place where it was unlikely to ever be gazed upon ever again, even by him?

This was so...unlike him. Frighteningly so, even. Especially since he took pride in his musical talent like any other Tenebricosa!

The Queen huffed, shaking her head violently to regain her composure, though she was still rigid. Her mind was racing by now, her heart thundering against her ribcage as she began to approach the black beauty once more, eyeing it as if it had the ability to come to life and jump at her at any moment. She studied it closely, forcing herself to remain calm enough to actually take in its appearance and current state, curious if it was dusty, ripped or even broken.

But to her surprise, none of that was the case. The box was as pristine as ever, the leathery surface reflecting the dim light from outside the chamber, its band, which was purely for decorative purposes as it had no visible use, flawless.

Not a single imperfection was visible. It was as if it had just been recently made and/or cleaned.

She closed her talon around it once more, carefully lifting it up, her lashes clashing several times as she began to blink rapidly, a habit of hers when confused. It suddenly felt so much…heavier than before, as if her body just now realized what she was holding in her grasp. She slowly brought it closer, bringing it to her beak to take a deep, experimental whiff. What her senses caught, though, caused her to recoil in discomfort.

Eww...okay…no.

The stench was alcoholic in nature, but surely no beverage, something she knew for sure as Metal Beak was strictly against such things. No, it was most likely something related to cleaning. Maybe a special mixture made for this particular material. It wouldn't be the first time her husband had ordered something like that.

She forcefully pushed out some air out of her nostrils in an attempt to get rid of that wretched scent that felt as if it burned the sensitive flesh of her mucous membrane, putting it down to widen the distance between it and her nose before a headache could form beneath her forehead. The last thing she needed now was a migraine.

That would ruin her day completely.

She took a step back again, resuming her previous activity of staring, trying to make sense of what she had just discovered, which somehow only caused more questions to arise while answering none of those that had already existed. She felt her head spin as she tried to create a logical scenario, but no matter from which direction her brain started out, it always came to a halt, the utter astonishment creating an obstacle, a wall, that it was not able to conquer, no matter how hard she tried.

Despite being highly intelligent, Nyra felt utterly stupid right now. And feeling stupid was something she could not stand in the slightest, as it clashed with her pride.

She thought highly of herself, after all. Rightfully so, as she had earned herself a place in this world through battles, pain and bloodshed.

And yet, this…this was a battle she was losing, as she failed to understand her own husband's actions. The one she loved and cherished with all her heart and soul.

It left her…raw. Pained, almost.

She swallowed thickly as she raised her talon once more, feeling herself hesitate for quite some time before she just grabbed the box once more and removed the lid, exposing the ancient beauty laying beneath, made of silver metal, decorated with gold and gems. She kept the upper part of the leathery container in her grasp for a few seconds before putting it down, finally laying eyes upon the precious artifact, feeling her heart skip a beat at the mere sight of it.

Glaux, it was as beautiful as she remembered, the pale-golden golden mouthpiece fitting perfectly with its long, silver body that was littered with gorgeous marks. The rubies, as red as the Pure-Ones signature color, were merged with the instrument in all the right places, enhancing its beauty even more while keeping it perfectly functional and easy to handle, allowing it to be played without further trouble.

Just like the box, the instrument itself was spotless, resting in a soft, black cushion that kept it from being damaged. Despite it being over two thousand years old – at least from what she knew, she was well aware that it could be much older given that Metal Beak's family history was nothing short of impressive. In fact, she was almost convinced it was. – it was so well-kept that it looked like it had only been recently made. Not a single claw-mark of any battle- or regular claws along the long surface, not a single scratch from a beak on the mouthpiece. There wasn't even any discoloration!

Nyra let out a shaky breath, suddenly feeling weirdly emotional. Something welled up deep from within her, bubbling to the surface, causing her throat muscles to spasm and her eyes to sting. She felt as if she would cry at any moment now.

She…didn't understand why. Maybe it was because she knew how much this instrument meant to her husband and seeing it locked away made her realize just how much Metal Beak still hid from her and their beloved, or maybe because she remembered his eyes when she had seen him play it for the first time.

Glaux, those eyes.

She could recall them being so tired, so…so burdened. It had been one of the few moments she had seen everything he had hidden behind that wall of his, one of the few moments she was allowed to glance behind his defenses and see his pain. What she had not been prepared for back then was just how much it was.

She remembered feeling sick when she saw it, downright nauseous even. And that feeling returned now as well, the memory rushing forward and replaying in front of her third eye, causing her other two to become misty and unfocused.

She felt herself get dizzy, her throat growing even tighter, and for a moment, she felt as if she had trouble breathing. This sudden onslaught of feelings started to tear at her own inner barriers, causing them to crumble and expose what lay beneath. She pressed her eyelids closed, trying her best to repress it, pushing back with all her might in order to regain control of herself and rebuild them. But as the seconds passed, she realized she was failing. Miserably so, even.

Thank Glaux, she was alone. Her pride would not have been able to handle it if anyone had witnessed this slip-up. The shame would have been immeasurable. She would have never live it down.

She reopened them after what felt like one or two minutes, clearing her throat before returning her gaze to the gorgeous instrument that almost seemed to mock her. Brushing one of her digits over it, she let out a shaky sigh before letting her tongue dart out to lick the side of her mouth, suddenly feeling like she had to put it back to get out of here.

What she was doing felt so wrong. She felt as if she was breaching her husband's privacy, forcing her way past his walls and snooping around in things he had not yet revealed to them.

She felt like she was shattering his trust with this. Something she had done once, and while it was accidental, his reaction to that had been so beyond the extreme that she had vowed to never do it again.

Especially since it had taken quite a while until he had opened back up to her, which probably also only happened due to B pushing him to do so. Bless that giant bird and his heart so was large and warm. He always knew what to say to calm the spirits, what to do when things went south. Most likely because he had known Metal Beak so much longer than her, which meant that he knew ways to calm him down that were still elusive to her.

Additionally, he was also a Tenebricosa, and that powerful breed was a whole other chapter in itself.

They were different all together. They had their own style of living, their own body language, their own traditions…heck, they even had their own language!

They were truly like no other…

"Nyra?"

The sudden, deep voice frightened the female Alba, her beak parting in a sharp gasp as her head shot up, her eyes flashing red as her feathers ruffled. Her facial expression changed into a snarl, a dangerous-sounding hiss tearing from her throat while she spread her wings and barred her free claws, ready to defend herself and what her husband held dear to his heart. However, as soon as her gaze landed on a gigantic, very familiar form standing in the doorway, she felt the tension leave her body almost immediately, her chest fluttering with relief and shame.

"Glaux damn it…", she huffed, breathless from the sudden adrenaline rush, her wings dropping to her side with a soft thud. She had been caught. Luckily, not by the Tenebricosa she had feared encountering, even though the sight presented to her was nothing short of horrifying.

The monstrosity standing there was gigantic, dwarfing his surroundings in every way possible despite the fact that he was hunched forward, a poor but necessary posture to simply fit. His plumage was purely black, covering equally dark skin with an amount of feathers that could keep him warm in even the coldest of snowstorms, along with two massive, fluffy ear tufts – or ears – that were throning on top of his head, disrupting the tyto appearance severely. The only form of markings he displayed was a bright, unnatural seeming red on his chest and face, the latter running from his forehead down to his beak in interesting patterns, also surrounding his equally otherworldly, crimson eyes, which were turned towards her, fixated, the slitted pupils studying her features closely before trailing all over her visible body, not being able to see the flute as her lower half was hidden from sight due to her standing behind the desk. The box, too, was elusive to him, hidden behind a dagger display,

The creature tilted his heavy skull as he took a thundering, almost ground-shaking step towards her, his ear tufts wiggling softly in what she could only describe in amusement and curiosity. A smirk slowly spread on his massive, void-colored beak, a deep, rumbling chuckle vibrating in the depths of his chest as he took a breath to speak in a tone that was a growl more than anything else.

"Ah, my love.", he hummed, slowly approaching her much smaller form. "Have I startled you?"

Nyra scoffed, giving him a grin of her own, though the marks of her emotional rollercoaster from only seconds before were still very visible.

"Yes. Yes, you did.", she confirmed with a sigh, watching as his amused sneer grew even wider, his long tongue darting out to trace the edges of his upper beak, the fang that grew out of it, and the buccal flap on his right side. Some saliva dripped to the floor, missing the horrendously expensive carpet by merely a few inches.

He puffed air out of his nostrils, clouds of warm breath mixing with the icy air of Metal Beak's private studies. It looked like he was exhaling smoke. "Apologies, my dear. That had not been mine…ah, my intention.", he rumbled as he stopped in his tracks, his eyes flickering downwards to study what was visible of the desk's surface from his position, though again, the box remained elusive. His ear tufts twitched, lifting slightly before falling backwards again, followed by a tilt of his head to the other side. He was curious, Nyra could tell.

"All is well. I was…not expecting you, that is all.", she replied, unconsciously lowering the flute further and as such, shielding it from his view even more. "What are you doing here anyway? Have you already finished your duties?"

B clicked, a sound followed by a growl, his gaze finally meeting hers. It was as intense as always, but not hostile by any means. Quite the opposite actually, though it took a trained eye to see that. "No, not quite. I am merely here to retrieve a few documents for our beloved Lord and Leader. Necessary to correct an oversight that apparently occurred a few days prior." He resumed his approach, leaning over the grand table to nuzzle her with his large head, his beak closing around a few of her neck feathers to drag them through its grasp, cleaning them of any potential grime. "I did not expect to see you. I am most pleased about our encounter, however. I have missed you."

Nyra blinked at his words, the mention of an "oversight" echoing in her mind. However, before she could inquire further, her facial disk was squished by the larger owl's, his actions a mixture of affection and insistent greeting. She grunted at the unexpected sensation, though finally, she reciprocated, rubbing her head against his in return before opening her mouth, catching one of his large feathers between her tongue and upper beak, copying his ministrations from earlier.

After what seemed like a full minute, she finally pulled away, her gaze meeting his once again, smirking a little. "We haven't even been separated for 2 hours, you buffoon.", she chided him gently, though every word oozed with amusement.

"Am I not allowed to miss my mate even if our separation was of short duration?", he hummed, sliding his tongue out to moisten both buccal flaps this time.

"You are. It's just ridiculous.", the Alba pointed out, using her left wing to smoothen some feathers on her neck that the giant avian messed up a little. "Your clingy nature makes it hard to believe you are a beast in battle."

B grunted, lifting his heavy head, his expression one of mock-hurt while his large ear tufts pressed against his skull. "Oh, Nyra. You wound me. What have I done to deserve such cruel treatment?", he asked with a long, extravagated sigh, closing his eyes to make sure that he looked as miserable as possible, though the grin was still plastered all over his beak.

"Oh, shut your mouth, love." Nyra chuckled, shaking her head. "I know you and your games too well by now."

"Hah!" B's guttural laugh was like thunder, his deep voice booming through the chamber. "If you say so, my dearest. Though do not be fooled, I may have a hidden talent or two still."

Nyra snickered, her shoulders shaking as the mini laugh escaped her throat, though there was a certain tightness mixed into it. B didn’t seem to notice yet, and if he did, he thankfully ignored it. "Oh, I'm aware. And I have no doubt that you do not shy away from using said talents, shall it be on me or on our beloved lord." She broke off, her expression softening at the mere thought of her masked husband. The mentioning of his title also seemed to bring B some joy, as she heard a low, almost growl-like sound emitting from him.

It was a purr. A rumbling, vibrating purr.

Well, that was all the confirmation she needed.

However, as beautiful as that moment was, Nyra ended it rather early, remembering B's explanation from earlier. The word "oversight" pushed itself forth again, forcing her to regain her composure. She cleared her throat, her facial expression becoming serious. She straightened her back, met his gaze once again and finally opened her beak to speak, watching as his ear tufts shot up as the first words left her. "What is the oversight? Is it anything to worry about?"

The giant shook his head elegantly, puffing out more air out of his nostrils as he, too, stretched his neck, waiting for a crack before he finally responded. "No, my queen. Merely a small mistake in the logistic department that has barely any weight.", he assured her, his throat still vibrating with a purr as he spoke. The Alba visibly relaxed at his words, letting out a sigh of relief. Phew… "Our beloved lord is already in the process of repairing the damage that has been done."

"Thank Glaux…" the female sighed, her smile returning as most of the tension left her body. "I thought of the worst when you told me that there's a problem."

B chuckled, one of his ears falling to the side while the other one stayed upright. "I have shared that thought myself when I had been summoned to the royal studies, and the displeased expression on what I could see of Surtr’s gorgeous face had not helped that fact."

Nyra hummed, her shoulders twitching upwards in a shrug, her wings rustling as they brushed against the sides of her body. "Well, I would be irritated too, given that it means even more paperwork that has to be done."

"Hmm…true that.", he rumbled, his letting one of his fluffy ear tufts drop to the side while the one that remained standing twitched a little, his gaze wandering to the desk before landing on the floor, clearly lost in thought for a moment before he snapped back to reality, the fluffy additions on his head shooting up once more as he straightened his neck again. Glaux, they were so expressive.

His tongue darted out, brushing over his beak to moisten it a little before letting it slide back in, the side of it dragging along his left buccal flap. His eyes widened a little when that happened, his pupils shrinking in size. He looked like he was having a revelation, one he should have had much earlier.

His head snapped towards her, his gaze burning into hers with curiosity. "Speaking of the reason of my presence…what are you doing here?"

The half-hagsfiend blinked, surprised by the tune of voice he asked this question with. He quickly realized his mistake, however, and quickly added more to his words, his beak clicking nervously as he sought to correct it.

"Ah, poor wording. My apologies.", he said, his feathers ruffling a little. Oh, that big, lovely fool. "Of course you have every right to be here, for these private quarters are yours as much as they are mine or our beloved's. However, you cannot blame me for my surprise, given that neither you nor I are known to linger here on our own during our free time…"

Nyra snorted, lifting her wing to tell him to just stop talking! As adorable as his rants were, especially with those ear tufts twitching relentlessly, there was no need for explaining himself. "All is well, you big buffoon.", she assured him, her beak twitching into a smirk as she saw his shoulders drop in relief. Oh, that owl…

"Ah, yes. Apologies…again." He cleared his throat, shifting on his massive talons before finally meeting her eyes again, waiting for her to answer his questions. Nyra did not do so right away, deciding to let him cook for a little bit. Only when he began to glance around, clearly getting worked up, did she decide to free him from the awkwardness that he brought upon himself. She was feeling merciful today, plus…she would like to share what she had discovered…

"As you know, I have taken today off to continue with the project that I've been working on for around a month now. Surtr wasn't too happy about that, as you might have been able to tell given his poor mood this morning, but that is not the point.", she began, giving her bigger husband a somewhat smug grin at which he snorted. Oh, their legendary mate and his poor temper. It was one of the many reasons why they adored him so. "Anyway, I discovered that one of my plants, a small, rare cactus, was not doing well, and after taking care of it, I wanted to write down some notes and attach them to its pod so I would not forget what kind of treatment is required to bring it back to full health. But just as I wanted to do that, it came to my attention that my notebook was missing, and as such, I had no paper to write."

B blinked, his mind reeling as he processed her words. Then, he realized something, his ear tufts falling backwards again. "Ah, and you wanted to take a few from the those that I have prepared for my own personal studies, but I have taken those with me this morning…"

Nyra nodded, her heart soaring as she realized just how well he knew her. Then again, they have been together for a long time now. "Yes. And as such, I had to snatch some of Surtr's."

"I am surprised that he left the door open.", he chimed in, turning his head towards said movable barrier.

Nyra nodded in agreement. "Yes, me too. He normally always locks it. And I have no idea where he put the key the last time, given that I went to sleep rather early."

"Because of your headache, yes. I remember.", he hummed, turning back to her. "And I left for the night patrol, so I failed to witness it as well. You were beyond fortunate."

"That or he finally feels comfortable enough to leave it unlocked while absent and he simply didn't tell us.", she offered, narrowing her eyes in thought. It sounded weird, but it was likely, given that he had done such things before.

Metal Beak was one of the most paranoid and locked-up creatures she had ever met. His walls were thick, built out of pride, trauma, anger and burning resentment that had accumulated throughout his life. From what she knew of his and B's past, the current Lord High Tyto had needed almost a decade of building trust to let B in, and then even, he had required constant proving of loyalty to reassure him that he was not being played again. That this time, the bond he believed to have was real.

Of course, this has gotten better over the years. Once he realized that he was not being used again, he had begun to ease, opening up bit by bit and letting the giant into his personal life, which B used to act upon his volatile nature, therapying him passively as best as he possibly could and bringing him out of his shell little by little.

Yeah, maybe B was not the best owl to do so, given that he himself had everything but a clean record – proven by some gruesome stories that he had revealed of his own past, his brutal rule and the way he tore through the battlefields – but he still took the time and put the effort in, and Nyra was eternally grateful for that, as she herself was allowed to reap some of the fruits the giant sowed.

It still took years for her to find her way into his heart, but the fact that she had been able to do so at all was mostly due to B and B only. His big heart and thick stubborn personality allowed her to join their union, playing his cards to open paths up to her, and manipulating her in ways to take them. She hadn't realized it until around 2 years into their relationship, but to this day, she could not find it in her to be mad at him, especially since it benefited her in every way possible.

It did sting in her pride when she was reminded of it though.

"My love? Are you well?", a voice suddenly tore her from her thoughts. The barn owl blinked, realizing that she had completely spaced out, staring into nothingness with blank eyes.

She shook her head, glancing upwards to find that B had come closer again, leaning over the table with his beak only inches from hers. He looked concerned, his red orbs studying her intently, most likely worried that something was physically wrong. Especially since the last battle she was in had a more or less severe head injury as one of the consequences she had to deal with.

She had, of course, received treatment for said injury and had gotten green light two weeks ago, but neither B nor Metal Beak let her off the hook yet, calling out any "unusual behavior" on her part to ensure that she was alright.

A little paranoid, sure, but it was not like she behaved any different when one of her men got injured, sooo…she had no ground to argue with here. Unfortunately…

"What? Oh, yes, sorry!" Nyra cleared her throat, giving him a reassuring nudge to ease his worries. "I just…got lost in thought for a moment."

"Are you certain? You seemed quite…out of it.", he inquired, nudging her back insistently before pressing his nostrils into her feathers, taking in her scent, most likely trying to find something that was amiss.

Nyra scoffed, gently pushing his large face away with her wing. "B, please. I'm fine.", she repeated more insistently, giving him a sharp look to tell him that she meant it. "I just have…a lot on my mind right now."

The giant rumbled in the back of his throat, his gaze darting all over her face to study it, searching for any lies. When he found none, he hummed, leaning back to stand as straight as he could, readjusting his position as he did so. She thought he would drop it at first, but he merely cracked his neck before speaking again. "What plagues your mind?", he asked, lowering his head back down so they could see eye to eye.

"I…" she started out, glancing at the window as she thought about how to voice this best. The giant just stood there, patiently waiting for her to speak. When she finally did, she inhaled deeply, as if bracing herself. "B, do you remember Surtr's flute? You know, the one that got passed down to him by his father?"

The red-eyed avian blinked, surprised by that sudden question. However, he quickly overcame his shock, giving her a short but firm nod. "Aye. I remember it well. A noble instrument, passed down from parent to child. His sire's sire received it after death, and then it went to him. A shame that it has been lost.", he muttered, his eyes growing unfocused for the split of a second before snapping back into focus. "Why?"

Nyra swallowed, glancing down at the heirloom in her grasp. She, once again, sought for the right words, glancing back up at him once she believed to have found them. "Well…it...it wasn't…” She broke off, cursing herself for seeming so…weak.

The giant tilted his head, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion. “Wasn’t what?”

“…lost." There. Finally.

B narrowed his eyes in confusion, his head twitching back. "Pardon?"

"It wasn't lost.", she repeated a little louder now, lifting it high enough for him to see. The light emitting from his orbs brightened as soon as it came into his view, his slitted pupils changing into circles as his expression twisted into one of shock.

"By the stars…", he muttered, his claws scraping against the carpeted floor as he hurried directly to her side, his eyes never leaving the gorgeous instrument. As soon as he deemed himself to be close enough, he lowered himself onto the floor fully, his massive form settling onto the soft fabric beneath him as he lowered his head to inspect it even further, clearly mesmerized. "T-this is impossible…", he broke off, clearly at a loss for words. "H-how did you find it? Where has it been all these years?"

He reached out, his talons massive compared to Nyra's as he took it from her, twisting his wrist so it would face him.

"It was with the unused papers in the last drawer.", the queen explained, grabbing it and opening it again, pointing at the now empty spot where the box had been sitting before she had discovered it. "Sorted in neatly, just like everything else. He must have kept it there for years…"

Their eyes locked, and she watched as his pupils slowly returned to slits, the glint in them now thoughtful. "Impossible. We would have noticed. We linger in here regularly.", he rumbled, his head slowly shaking. "Yes, always with his presence, but still…"

"Maybe he hid it somewhere else while we were in here.", the Alba offered. "It would explain why it remained elusive to us while we were with him. But…", she broke off, taking the heirloom back into her own talon. "It still doesn't make sense to why."

Slowly, her face consorted into a glare, staring down at the skillfully crafted, ancient and – almost impossibly – spotless flute with disdain, suddenly feeling personally insulted by it. "He has trusted us with this flute before. He played it for us, told us the story behind it…why would he hide it again? What was his motive? What was his logic?!"

The giant blinked, surprised at her sudden switch of emotion. "My love. Please, calm down.”

“Calm down?” Nyra spat, her eyes flashing. “How in Glaux’ name am I supposed to calm down?! How am I supposed to when my husband is hiding something from me?! From US!”

The male winced at the sheer volume of her voice. She was well and truly boiling with rage.

“While your irritation is justified, you must remain calm." B rumbled, reaching out a wing to rest it onto her shoulder. It was unbelievably heavy, but to Nyra, the weight was comforting. She could feel her anger fade a little, now feeling overcome with an emotion she could only describe as confusion mixed with sadness. "Please remember that sometimes, in a certain state of mind, Surtr may not work remotely similar to ours. Sometimes, his thoughts may stray, and his logic twists."

"Yes, yes. I know. But still…" she broke off, her beak twitching as she growled in irritation, her hold tightening on the object while her other talon's claws dug into the ground, almost tearing through the fabric of the carpet beneath her. Her eyes turned red, her pupils shrunk and her entire body began to tremble slightly. She put the flute back onto the table with a slam, her expression faltering as her knuckles collided painfully hard with its surface, her gaze snapping back towards B who just stood there, watching her, awaiting her next move.

"I need answers.", she declared loudly, her voice hard as if she was in the middle of a council meeting and addressing one of the council members. "I need answers and I need them now. I want to understand this. I HAVE to."

Her words caused the giant’s ear tufts to straighten, his eyes widening slightly. "You plan to confront him?"

She nodded, her eyes filled with resolve. "Yes."

B's face twitched. He clearly didn't think of this as a good idea. "I do not think this as wise.", he confessed, putting his thoughts into low, rumbling words. "The situation in which it has been found could cause an…argument."

Argument…was an understatement. Metal Beak would lose his mind. His rage would explode, his would temper burn with a fire that would put any other to shame. He would SCREAM with fury, yell at them with a volume that almost seemed impossible with the damage his vocal cords had sustained over the years.

He would be furious and, which was worse in B's opinion, lose some of his trust in them. Trust that he and Nyra gruesomely earned over the years. It would put all their efforts at risk to be for naught.

And he really, really didn’t want that to happen.

But Nyra was adamant. In her desperation to understand, she failed to see what consequences her actions could bring. And sadly, B knew that once her mind was made up, it was difficult to make her stray from the path she had chosen.

"It's worth it as long as I can finally understand.", she hissed, grabbing the flute's box before putting the instrument back inside, her shaky movements surprisingly slow and controlled despite the overflow of emotions that once again managed to bubble to the surface, breaking through her walls with ease. She didn't want to damage or – Glaux forbid – even break it.

He couldn't blame her, of course. He, too, wanted answers, but by the stars he knew talking to their leader now would be a mistake. And he had made too many in the past to not know better.

"Then at least wait until he returns for the evening. I highly doubt it would be wise to interrupt his day for…this.". He circled her halfway, slipping more of his heavy wing onto her body in an attempt to prevent her from just taking off and running to the royal studies. The queen merely shrugged him off, though, turning to glare at him with boiling rage.

B braced himself, knowing that this discussion would not be pleasant.

"And fester until the evening, not knowing what is going on in that thick head of his?!", she spat, not liking his proposal. She even went as far to push him, though his immense weight made him a living wall. He did not move an inch, and he could see that caused Nyra to seethe even more.

"I just believe it to be unwise to confront him now. He is in a foul mood already, and you…", he broke off for a second, knowing that choosing the false words was tempting fate in a way that it shouldn't be tempted. His wife was a force of nature when enraged, and she was clearly about to explode.

"Yes? What am I?!" she pushed, her brows narrowing dangerously.

B had to hold back a sigh so he would not get slapped in the chest and have to sleep on the floor tonight.

"You are…irritated.", he stammered, trying to put things mildly. And thank Glaux, she seemed not to get insulted. If she had been, he would have faced the consequences as soon as those words left his beak.

She merely scoffed, letting her shoulders slump forward and her wings fall to the ground, her white feathers a stark contrast to the dark red. “Of course I am! How could I NOT be?!”

"But that is the point!” He gestured around with his right talon. “Neither of you is in a state of mind to endure this properly."

“And WHAT, pray tell, do you want me to do then?! Sit here and WAIT?!”, she growled, pushing him a little harder now. Again, he did not move an inch.

B nodded in confirmation. "Yes.”, he confirmed, leaning closer so their faces were mere inches apart. “We shall talk tonight, after a cup of tea, after putting thought into it." He reached out, lifting a talon to brush over her cheek. For a moment she looked like she wanted to slap it away, but the strike never came. "Stay. Please. Let us think of a plan. Let us think of what to say."

She snapped her beak several times, her beak twitching as she battled her inner demons. Glaux, she wanted to scream! To say something! But she couldn't. Her brain fired too many synapses at once, her senses felt overwhelmed, and she just wanted it to STOP.

A long period of silence followed the Tenebricosa words, seconds felt like hours, and Nyra did not know how long she simply stood there. Her eyes snapped around before landing on him once more, her beak twitching again before she eventually spoke.

"Fine!", she spat, finally turning her head towards him again. "I'll stay!"

The enormous owl sighed, clearly a sound of utter relief. He forced himself to hold back a smile, knowing that this gesture would set her off once more. Instead, he merely nodded "Thank you."

"Don't thank me. Just…let me get out of here.", she growled, glancing at the door with a yearning in her eyes that made it clear that she did not want to spend another second in her husband's private studies. She was…too riled up. She needed a break.

He nodded, taking a step back so she could have room to move freely. "Please, rest. I shall make us some tea. Then, we will curl up in front of the fire and plot."

She blinked, pondering on his suggestion for a moment before nodding stiffly. "I…yeah. That is a good idea.", she muttered, storming off as soon as those words left her mouth. B looked after her, watching as she disappeared out of sight, though he could still hear her footsteps. Seconds later, there was the rustling of fabric, the pillows shifting as she climbed her way on top of them, letting herself fall into their softness soon after with a grunt.

Finally, he, too, rose, his pace slow as he exited Metal Beak's private study, pushing the door closed as soon as he passed the doorstep. He walked past her, merely giving her a glance before moving into another chamber that could be considered a kitchen, preparing to set up some tea to calm his wife's nerves. And his own, to some extent.

He worked slowly, his massive talons far too large for the delicate utensils in his grasp, but eventually, he had a teakettle screaming and a cup as well as a jug made of bone – made specially for his size - prepared, putting the tea into the kettle so he could provide a refill whenever it was needed. And once it was done, he put everything onto a tray and closed his beak around the handle on top, slowly lifting it up to carry it over to her.

Hopefully, this would be enough to soothe and bring her back to her senses. She needed to be levelheaded by tonight, for this was only the calm before the storm. And by Glaux, said storm may be the worst they ever had to endure.

Yes, Metal Beak's rage was already legendary, but not a single history book had ever written down what he was truly capable of. B, however, knew better.

He knew better than Nyra or the Pure Ones themselves.

He always did, even though he wished he wouldn't…

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tyto-and-tenebricosa · 2 months ago

Text

Oneshot - Delayed Letter (Metal Beak x Nyra x B)

Summary: Their beloved had to yet send word after two weeks of absence. Nyra was growing more worried by the second, and even Metal Beak was slowly becoming restless. Though luckily, it would not last much longer.

Characters: Lord High Tyto Surtr, Queen Nyra, Unnamed Character

Ships: Surtr/Metal Beak X Nyra X Original Male Character

Warnings: None

Important: This was written on my phone, so there may be more typos than usual. If you see any, feel free to point them out! It is very possible that my phone missed a few.

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During their beloved's absence, both Metal Beak and Nyra felt a deep sense of worry that festered in their minds.

No matter what they were doing, shall it be training, paperwork, eating or sleeping, the legendary leader of the Pure Ones' and his beloved wife's minds were always with him. His health, his safety, and the circumstances he must endure.

All in the name of the Pure Ones.

All in the name for what his mates stood for.

And lately, their concern has grown a massive amount. Why?

Because their beloved had not yet written them. Something he always did. MUST do. And yet, every time they received a delivery, may it only be paper or otherwise, their desks remained empty of the one envelope they desired.

And tonight, it was no different.

Nyra's heart sank as she took the delivered mail from the messenger, dismissing the owl with a flicker of her talons before retreating back into the safety of her private quarters, closing the metallic structure resembling a door behind her as she did so. Once alone, she, just to make sure her eyes didn't deceive her, just to make sure that she had not overlooked it, began to sort through it, her eyes scanning desperately over everything in her grasp. But sadly, no matter how hard she willed it to be there, it was not.

Again.

She could practically hear her hopes shatter into pieces, clattering to the ground beneath her talons. She let out a sigh, putting the delivery onto the counter before turning to walk deeper into the royals' private quarters, aiming for the comfortable pillows in front of the lit fireplace in the other room.

Once there, she collapsed on top of them, curling up with a low hiss of frustration, her beautiful blue and yellow eyes flashing red for a second as she buried her face into the soft cloth. "Glaux be damned!" she groaned, lifting her head a little so she could at least stare into the flames, her orbs slowly returning to their normal color. "This is a nightmare..."

For a few seconds, there was silence, her thoughts racing as she tried to regain her composure. It was difficult, given that her worries were off the charts. She almost failed, her talons digging into the softness beneath her as she felt herself reach her boiling point, but before she could explode, the low, deep voice of her present mate cut through the storm behind her eyes.

"And?"

She lifted her suddenly very heavy skull, turning to stare at his form in the doorway.

He was as tall and regal as ever, his feathers as dark as the deepest night with his dots intimidating the stars. His mask was in its place, concealing his deep scars that disfigured him - though Nyra as well as their beloved still thought of him as beautiful as ever - and his massive talons were resting snugly in the battle claws he wore almost daily. He, obviously, had just returned himself, probably flew in through the balcony.

He did that from time to time, mostly when he was out there and not in the palace itself. It was quicker.

She continued to stare at him for a few more seconds, her gorgeous eyes meeting his single one, both of them silent as Metal Beak patiently waited for her response. It took her about half a minute, but then, finally, she opened her delicate-looking pink beak.

And what she said was not something he had wanted to hear.

"Nothing." she sighed, averting her gaze again to stare into the flames. "No letter from him once again."

She didn't see his expression, at least what was visible of it, change, but she watched him step closer, the blades of his battle claws clicking against the floor. "Are you certain?"

She nodded, slowly lowering her head back into the softness of the pillow. "Yes. I searched through what was delivered. He still has not contacted us."

"Hmm..." the Tenebricosa hummed lowly, and then, he fell silent again, merely moving to her side fully. Eventually, he stopped, leaning down to remove his battle claws to join her onto the pillows. His wife needed comfort, even if she would never admit it out loud, and what kind of mate would he be if he would not provide it.

Once the weapons were removed, he set them onto the ground to put away later, climbing onto the mountains of pillows before lowering himself next to her, spreading his left wing to invite her for some psychical affection. She didn't hesitate, snuggling up to him as soon as she recognized that he was serious. He lowered it back down onto her, holding her against him while she buried her face into his fluffy neck, huffing out yet another sigh as she closed her eyes, the mere scent of her mate already a balm to her anxious state.

"Thank you..." She muttered, her voice almost inaudible, her pride not quite dying down even in a situation like this.

"I am your mate. As such, there is no need to thank me. This is my duty." he replied, leaning down to press his golden beak against her. He was careful not to hurt her, though, as it was razor-sharp, made to tear into flesh.

"Still." she muttered, adjusting her position to lean completely into his powerful presence.

"Hmm..." Again, the Tenebricosa only hummed, falling silent once again as he copied his wife's actions, staring into the fire. Finally, his blind eye regained its color by reflecting the flames warming them. It was almost as if it could still see.

For a moment, there it was quiet once more, neither of them speaking as Nyra bathed in the comfort of her husband. She felt his powerful muscles ripple under his skin and thick feathers as he breathed the air around him, she heard his powerful heartbeat drum in a calm, steady rhythm, reminding her that he was here, that he was alive.

He would protect her. She was safe.

She sighed again, though this time, the anxious sound was mixed with contentment. Her eyes fluttered open - she hadn't even realized that she had closed them - and she looked up, meeting his gaze as he turned his head towards her.

"Do you think he is safe?" she asked softly, her voice barely above a whisper, as if she was ashamed to voice her worries.

Metal Beak blinked, his expression shifting beneath his mask, but she could not tell to what.

"He must be." he answered, pulling her even closer. Something she appreciated, her head nuzzling back into his thick feathers. "He is powerful, Nyra. There is little that kill, let alone harm him."

"Why is he not writing us, then?" she questioned. "It has been 14 days, and we have yet to receive word from him. This is unlike him."

"You and I both know that he has traveled far and into a region where the weather is known to be volatile. It is possible that he was not yet able to send word." Metal Beak offered, shrugging his shoulders, which caused the wing on Nyra's back to twitch. "It did happen before that letters were lost in storms."

"But at least one or two arrived." she argued, and he could feel her tense again. She was getting worked up...and he could not blame her. He, too, was worried, but he refused to let her be burdened further by his own fears. Nyra was stressed enough as it is, for it was not easy to bear the burden of an absent mate while also having to tolerate young soldiers who sometimes tested the patience of the adults a little bit too much.

Nyra was leader, an exceptional one, but even her endurance has a limit. With the two-week mark of their beloved's departure, young soldiers that drove her to madness every once in a while, the tasks of leadership as well as the toll of the battles she participated in, it was no surprise that she grew more and more agitated.

She was tired. She needed rest. But her fear for him refused to let her get it.

"Nyra. Two out of twenty have arrived, and the other eighteen have been lost out there. Now, he is in a region with even worse weather conditions than what he had to endure back then, farther away, with a mission to complete, which most likely takes most of his time." he continued, pressing his beak against her head again. He could not preen her, at least not normally, but he could rub it against her, creating a soft pressure that Nyra had grown to find comforting. "I am sure that whatever he had written has just been destroyed by the merciless nature of that wretched place, or maybe he has even forgotten to send them. You know how focused he can be when the stakes are high."

"Well...yes." Nyra muttered, contemplating his words. "He does tend to be forgetful from time to time. Especially if so much is at stake."

Metal Beak nodded, his eyelids low as he looked down upon his wife with a look that was just reserved for their private life. "I am sure that he is just facing obstacles when it comes to contacting us. There is nothing that we have to fear."

Nyra was the one to hum this time, deciding to let herself believe what her present husband spoke.

After all, their beloved was a force of nature. He bends to nothing and no one.

He was fine.

He must be.

And if not, Nyra would ensure that the world would pay.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

By now, it was late. The night, cloudless, was beautiful, and the moon shone softly through their windows. Metal Beak and his wife, Queen Nyra, were still in front of the raging fireplace, now a tray of tea in front of them.

Metal Beak was slowly guiding the cup up to his now maskless face, skillfully guiding the liquid to the back of his throat to be swallowed, careful not to spill a single drop. Nyra was setting her own down, staring at the dark brown/blackish surface of her drink, which, in return, showed her reflection. She, still, was anxious, though her present husband's presence had significantly calmed her down. She was painfully tense no longer, and the red flashing of her eyes had stopped as well, dying down to mere glimmers of crimson every now and then.

She glanced at the Tenebricosa, watching as his tongue flickered out to trace the broken edges of his beak, a habit that he had developed after the severe injury had occurred. His working eye was focused on the flames once more while his blind one stared ahead, unseeing.

He seemed...content, at ease. But she knew that the expression of his face and even the glint of his eye rarely mirrored his actual mood.

He was a master of concealing his emotions, his rage and pain often only felt and seen when it exploded. She had always loved this about him, though now, at this very moment, she wished that she could read him better.

She shifted a little, nudging him gently with her wing. "Are you in the mood for some pastries to share, my love?"

He blinked, lowering his head a little as he turned to stare at her. He disliked speaking to someone and not looking them in the eye. "Normally, I would decline." He hummed, his broken beak twitching upwards as she huffed and rolled her eyes. Metal Beak and his stupid, strict diet. She was about to voice her displeasure, but he stopped her by surprising her with what he said next. "But...I suppose it would not hurt to make an exception." A small smile spread on her beak, realizing the grandness of such a small gesture.

"I'll get them." She said before he could even offer, sliding out of his grasp before rising to her talons, shaking herself a little. She immediately began to trot into the personal kitchen of their private quarters, not even staying around long enough to see her husband fold his wing back against his side.

She grabbed yet another tray, along with two plates, reaching for the freshly baked biscuits that she had left on the counter. A delicacy she had created this morning as she had some spare time before the training with the soldiers, which had been postponed to noon due to the horrendous weather in the early hours. She began to sort them to make them look presentable, making sure to add some delicious berries to the mix just to enhance the taste a little bit.

She did so quickly, eager to return to her husband and to spend some more time with him to further comfort her soul further, but before she could finish them...there was suddenly a knock on the metallic structure, which separated their quarters from the outside world.

Her head snapped up with a soft gasp, her body tensing.

Who would dare to disturb them at such a late hour?

However, before she could rush over to open it, Metal Beak had already risen and put on his mask, slowly making his way there. Nyra relaxed slightly, watching from the kitchen as he opened it, revealing a small, young Masked Owl.

The poor thing was shaking, almost wilfing at the mere sight of her beloved. Despite this, however, the little male still fulfilled his job.

"A-a l-letter has ar-arrived for you, L-Lord High Tyto..." he winced, reaching into his pouch before pulling out an envelope, presenting it to him.

"From whom?" the Tyto Tenebricosa asked, rising an eyebrow at this late, unusual delivery.

The owl swallowed, taking the letter from his beak to be able to speak properly. It was well-known that Metal Beak did not like to be spoken to by muffled voices. "N-no name was s-stated, m-my Lord. O-only one l-letter." He said, turning it around.

And there, he saw it. The letter B.

Swung beautifully, with a talonwriting the tyto would recognize even when facing thousands.

He felt his cold heart soar with utter joy and relief, suddenly feeling the urge to rip it out of his servant's grasp. However, he still had his pride to uphold. As such, he elegantly took it from him, giving him a nod.

"Thank you. You may leave." He rumbled, already retreating back into his quarters. He, of course, did hear the sigh of relief coming from the younger owl, but he decided to ignore it. He had more important things to tend to. He slid the letter into the fold of his right wing and kicked the door closed as he turned around, slowly walking back towards the living room.

And there she was, his beloved Nyra, already back on top of the pillows. The pastry tray was now resting beside the tea tray. She must have sneaked back when her husband's massive form had blocked off the view of the quarters.

"Who was this?" she asked as he approached, yet to notice the letter.

"A messenger." He replied, taking off his mask to put it back onto the free pillows, climbing on top of them before lowering himself beside her.

Nyra's eyes widened at his answer. "A Messenger? At this hour?" she asked, her voice laced with worry once more. This... was never a good sign. "What did he want?"

"He brought us something we have been waiting for." He said, finally reaching into the fold of his wings. "Here..." He held it up, a smile appearing on his face as he watched his love's eyes light up with utter happiness, massive relief, and unfiltered joy.

"He wrote!" she nearly squealed in excitement, ripping it from his grasp and opening it, minding her claws as she did so as not to damage the sheet beyond the envelope.

And there it was...his letter.

She unfolded it, preparing to read it out loud. Meanwhile, Metal Beak reached for his cup of tea, taking a sip as he listened to the words that flowed out of his wife's mouth, dictated by the words written by their beloved.

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My beloved S, my lovely N

First and foremost, I must apologize for my silence. Soon, 14 moons will have passed, and thou - no - you were yet to receive word. By the time this letter arrives, I most likely have already passed this mark.

I am aware that you two must worry about me, and you are most likely vexed as well, especially you - my beloved wife - but you two can rest assured, for I am hale and well, and I dwell now in the palace of the kingdom that now serves our empire loyally, for the bargain we did put forth has been accepted by its king.

The weather here is as tempestuous as it can be. The sun is scarce here, and storms are very common to plague the land. I have ceased counting the number of times I was surprised by one whilst out hunting or simply overlooking the construction of the local flex trap. It is tiring, I tell you, but despite this, we are making excellent progress.

Excellent enough for me to be able to assure thee - no - you that I - shall nothing unforeseen happen - shall return to your sides ere the end of this week. I yearn deeply for your voices, your touch, our evenings, and mornings. How greatly I miss thee - no - you both, and I look forward to the moment I will hold you in my embrace once more. I pray to Glaux and every other god that may be out there that this is soon.

With as much love as my heart can muster, B.

PS: N, my love, please take care of S. I just know that he will overwork himself again in my absence. We cannot let history repeat itself, can we now? Also, make sure that he eats properly.

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"He is well..." Nyra breathed, her voice thick with relief. "Thank Glaux, he is alright."

"He is indeed..." Metal Beak purred lowly in his throat, his eyes fluttering closed as if his doubt never existed. However, Nyra knew him too well. She could feel the sudden, immense relaxation of his muscles, saw how his wings dropped slightly, and heard the almost soundless sigh escaping his beak. He, too, had a heavy burden lifted from his heart and soul. "Well enough to worry for us. And to think of his lessons. Not a single thee or thou used without correction."

Nyra chuckled, a little out of breath from the sudden ambush of emotions that came crashing down upon her. She struggled to keep her pride and composure, failing as her shell began to crack. Something that would have been shameful if it had happened anywhere else.

But they were in their private quarters, their luxurious hollow - though it could barely be called such - their home. Here, hidden from the public, the judging eyes of society, it was alright.

Shame was scarce, and they would not be judged.

A few more seconds of silence followed, and Nyra and Metal Beak let the realization and relief sink in. Nyra swallowed heavily, clearing her throat as she tried to regain control over herself while she began to neatly fold the letter, placing it onto the empty space beside them that would normally have been occupied by the third of their wonderful trio. She pressed it down onto the soft fabric, her mind wandering for the split of a second before she spoke once more.

"Do you think he speaks the truth?", she asked, turning to face her husband, who had already returned his attention to the delicious treats they were indulging in, already taking a sip of his tea to was down some of the pastries he had just taken a bite off.

"Hmm? Whatever do you mean?", he asked as he set his cup down, raising an eyebrow at her sudden and, in his mind, unreasonable doubt. "Why should he not be?"

Nyra huffed, clicking her beak as she narrowed her eyes in thought. "I-I don't know...I just...", she broke off with a sigh, closing her eyes as she leaned into him, her shoulders slacking as soon as she felt his warmth seeping through her feathers and into her skin. "I'm still worried."

"Nyra, darling." Metal Beak started, his heavy wing slowly wrapping around her as he pulled her closer into his embrace. She re-lifted her lids, blinking up at him with her gorgeous blue and golden eyes. "We must not doubt our beloved's words. He has assured all is well, that the mission is progressing and that he is healthy and strong. If there were any complications, he would have informed us in this letter."

He leaned down, making sure to be on the same level as she was. Their eyes locked, and the half-hagsfiend found herself staring into the dangerous, predatory eyes of her beast of a husband. Though instead of fear, she felt a sense of contentment, knowing that these orbs, the nightmares of many and the last things countless souls saw before death came to claim them, belonged to a being that would protect her with his life. He had done so before, and she knew he'd do it again. "Mark my words: He will be here as soon as the moon is full once again."

Nyra blinked softly, leaning forward to press her forehead against his, their facial disks and markings meeting. She let out a huff, studying what she could see of his face from this position. "And why should I believe you?", she asked, though now, a little bit of teasing slipped into her words.

Metal Beak huffed, pulled back and straightened his neck to stare down at her as if she had just insulted him. "What reason do you have not to?", he asked, his head tilting left. "Have I ever given you reason to doubt my words?"

Nyra snorted, having expected this reaction from him. He loathed to be accused of lying, even more so by his mates. Nyra knew this and normally, she would refer from doing so. However, every once in a while, she could not help but push his buttons and enjoy the reaction she got out of him. So, she decided to take it a little bit further. Most likely because this was a good distraction for her anxiousness that still lingered.

"Yes, my love. You have. Multiple times.", she hummed, watching as the Lord High Tyto narrowed his eyes in confusion. It lasted for about 30 seconds and then, finally, realization hit him.

He let out a powerful huff, giving her a sharp glare. "Ha. Ha. Very funny.", he growled, his blind eye twitching. "Your humor is excellent. You are a true performer for the people."

"Well, you did lie." Nyra pointed out, shrugging softly as she leaned against him once more. Despite his agitation however, the Tenebricosa did not push her away. "It was a small lie, but a lie nonetheless."

The black and white owl growled, letting out another huff. "This has nothing to do with this situation!" He believed his argument to be strong, but his wife had the perfect retaliation.

And by the looks of the smile she gave him, she knew that. "Oh, but you did ask me if you ever gave me a reason to not believe your words. This would be one of them."

He grumbled, adjusting his wings to get more comfortable. "You are impossible.", he complained, rolling his eye while reaching for his tea.

"It is one of the many reasons you love me.", she teased, her voice growing warmer now. Metal Beak grumbled into the porcelain, but none of his words were denial. It was the exact opposite even.

"Unfortunately, I do.", he admitted after he took the sip from the delicate container, putting it down to refill it with more. "It is damaging my health and sanity, but so does every drug. You are no exception."

Nyra smirked as he compared her to drugs. She had heard these words more often than she could count, and yet she never grew tired of them. She chuckled, snuggling upward and under his chin, gently preening the soft feathers there. "You say that, yet right now, you are only getting half of your usual dose." She nipped against the dark skin under all of this softness, hearing him grunt as she did so. "Surely, you are already suffering withdrawal." She pulled back, licking her beak. "I know I do."

"Even if I did, I would know better than to admit it to you.", he muttered, refusing to meet her gaze.

"No matter.", she hummed, finally pulling away, though not without one last nip at his skin which caused him to hiss and pull away. Nyra only smirked as she reached for her own nearly half-empty cup, taking a sip before continuing. "If his words are true, you, very soon, will have your full dosage again. Whether you like it or not."

Metal Beak snorted, reaching for the pastries once more. "I will say it again: His words are truthful, Nyra. I will soon have to deal with his shenanigans as well."

"You say it like you don't love every second of it.", she sighed, setting her cup down again before settling her head onto his shoulders, half of her facial disk disappearing into the fluffy mane that was his neck.

Metal Beak scoffed, rolling his eyes as he brought the cup to his beak again. "I merely tolerate your both's antics.", he argued. "Barely, I might add."

"Liar.", Nyra muttered, her reply muffled by his feathers. "You would succumb without them."

"Succumb to relaxation, maybe." The Lord High Tyto set his cup down after yet another sip. "I might have a quiet evening for once in my life."

Nyra pulled her head from her husband's warmth to look at him, one of her eyebrows raised with a knowing smirk on her beautiful, pink beak. "You and I both know that you would grow tired of that soon enough. What would you do with us both absent? Clean your mask until you scrub it out of existence?"

"Read the book that I have wanted to read for more than 30 moons now.", he shot back, casting an almost yearning glance at said literature that was laying on a table next to display of daggers, neatly put on top of a bunch of finished paperwork.

"You could have done this ages ago.", Nyra argued half heartily, following his gaze. "There was nothing stopping you from doing so."

"Was there now? Because I could have sworn that there were certain owls demanding my attention and pestering me to put the book down to give it to them. It even went so far with a certain giant putting half of his entire body weight on top of me to keep me stationary.", he reminded her, causing the Alba to look away sheepishly. "Do you also recall this?"

"You could have freed yourself and read it when we fell asleep.", Nyra huffed, sounding not apologetic at all. "We mostly only get to bond with you and enjoy your company without any military obligations in the morning or evening. It is only fair that you give and receive."

Metal Beak scoffed once again, but much to her surprise, he did not argue. Nyra could not help but smirk triumphantly.

"Hah! Seems like I caught you off guard with that one!", she smirked, leaning against him once more.

The male Tenebricosa hummed, refusing to look at her. He hated it when he lost an argument, even one as small as this one. "I am simply in no mood to argue, that is all."

Nyra chuckled, pressing her face into the softness of his plumage. "Of course." She caught a few feathers between her beak, gently smoothing them out. "Of course you can't admit defeat."

He blinked at her wording, finally lowering his head again to look at her properly. "This is no defeat, my dear."

She snorted, though she decided to drop it. This could go on for hours, after all, and it was late. She felt herself grow tired already, the relief and welcomed distraction accompanied by the scent of her husband and the warmth of the tea slowly causing her adrenaline to die down.

"If it helps you sleep at night.", she hummed, nuzzling against his chest again, taking more feathers to clean them of any leftover grime.

Metal Beak opened his beak for a snarky remark, but sensing his wife's rapidly deteriorating energy, he decided against it. This "argument" could be postponed, after all. No need to sour this wonderful evening.

"It does.", he admitted, angling his wing in a way that covered her almost completely now.

"You're an arrogant..."

"Cloaca licker. I am aware."

Nyra chuckled as he finished the sentence or her. Oh, this nickname. She would be forever thankful for her beloved and his creative insults.

He, too cracked a grin at her amusement. "But you love me for it."

"That I do.", the smaller tyto admitted. Without a single regret in her voice. She reached for her tea, drowning the remaining liquid in one motion. Once done, she set the empty cup aside and shoved it to the edge of the tray. A clear sign that she was done. "And so does he."

"And I the both of you.", the male added, pouring the last bit of the teapot into his own cup, lifting it to his beak as his wife shifted to settle her head back onto his broad back." "Tired?"

A stupid question with an obvious answer. Despite that, the Queen still smiled.

"Yes...very.", she muttered into his dark feathers. "I failed to realize how exhausted I truly am."

Metal Beak hummed, rubbing his wing over her back. He felt her soft feathers and powerful muscles while doing so, the latter relaxing under his surprisingly gentle touch. "I'm not surprised. You barely slept lately."

She sighed, her face sinking deeper into his softness. "Neither did you."

"But I am used to it. You need your sleep.", he hummed, drowning the tea in his cup before copying Nyra's action with the entire tea tray. Since the pastry one still had some delicious pieces on it, it stayed where it was. "No need for you to risk another migraine."

"It's been over 30 moons since my last one.", she huffed, but he could hear her already slipping. She was falling asleep rapidly, and the slurring of her words gave it away. The poor Alba sounded almost drunk.

He chuckled, adjusting his body a little before he lowered his own head onto her, feeling the soft rise and fall of her upper body under his chin. "Even more reason not to provoke one now. I would hate to see you suffer under this unbearable condition, especially since you are to train the young soldiers tomorrow."

"Do not remind me.", she muttered with a soft groan, giving a heavy sigh. She was not looking forward to said training. "If anyone could cause my migraines to flare up, it is them. The last session was a disaster, so I doubt this one is any better."

The smirk on his beak returned, and a low chuckle vibrated in his throat. "Your patience is wearing thin, I see."

The Alba yawned, her delicate beak opening wide. "It is. Yet another reason why I yearn for his return. His patience is legendary."

"So is yours. You just have been tested for too long." He hummed, closing his eyes as he began to relax into their shared embrace even more. "But I do agree, it is time for normalcy to return."

"Yeah..." the white owl muttered, taking a deep breath. "... the sooner ... the ... better ..."

Metal Beak chuckled but no longer replied, merely cracking his eyes open to look down upon her form that had finally slipped into a state of rest, her powerful yet lean chest rising and falling with slow, steady and utterly relaxed breaths.

A soft smile - a gesture he finally allowed now that there was truly no one who could witness it - came to his broken beak, a soft laugh rumbling in his chest and escaping through his nostrils in the form of quick puffs. Glaux...she really must have been exhausted to fall asleep mid-sentence.

He simply listened for a little while, enjoying the cracking flames of the lit fireplace and the softest, quietest snores known to owlkind. It was...relaxing, soothing the leftover stress of the day and the fear for his beloved that had plagued his mind for so long now. It lulled him into a state of utter relaxation, pulled him closer and closer to the world of dreams also.

He took a deep breath, taking in the scent of the fire, his wife, and his private quarters, the place he could actually call home. He released it through his mouth, letting his eyes fall closed again as he snuggled deeper into the softness of his mate's plumage, letting himself be pulled into the rapidly approaching, welcoming darkness that took him into its warm embrace.

"Rest well, Nyra...", he muttered, his voice low, sluggish. "And you too...my absent beloved. May we be reunited soon so you can join us once more..."

And with that, he surrendered, his mind slipping into the blissful silence of sleep. His loud snores, deep and throaty, much like his voice, and so much more audible ever since his beak had been shattered, echoing through the quiet chambers.

The Lord High Tyto and Queen were resting, their bodies and minds regaining the energy needed to conquer the day to come. But as they slept, both of their slumbers devoid of dreams, far, far away, a dark figure spread his wings and took off, gliding through the night sky.

His glowing eyes were focused on the path ahead, his black feathers ruffled slightly in excitement. He had been absent for far too long...and now...he could finally return.

Back to the palace, the place he called home.

Back to the Pure Ones, whom he had grown to see as some sort of twisted family.

Back to his mates, those who meant more to him than his own life.

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