The height of winter, and still the Seraph's Eye kept Flyght Haven warm. As was customary, Ezra and his new 'favorite', Tauro the black kite, were out patrolling the borders alone.
"What of the owl?" Ezra asked casually, though 'casual' was far from the right word seeing as this was the leader of at least a hundred birds.
"She is a hard worker," Tauro replied. Unlike most times, here he spoke in a low, deep voice rather than his artificial falsetto. "I think she'll be next in line for the Phoenix's Eye."
"Cardinal is getting old," Ezra considered, a strange shadow crossing his eyes. "Wait, what is that?"
Tauro steadied himself and squinted through the harsh light provided by the star above. "I think... It's some kind of...owl."
But it was much bigger than any owl the two had ever seen. And worst of all, it looked almost as big as Ezra, who considered himself a large male. Female birds are actually twice as large as males, but that's besides the point.
"What's that in its talons?" the harpy eagle demanded, pointing one talon the size of a tiger's claws.
"I think...." Tauro squinted again. Suddenly, his eyes widened in disgust and fear. "By the Star! It's Cardinal!"
Sure enough the aforementioned, a very charismatic blue jay, was laying limp in the thing's grasp.
"WHAT?" Ezra roared, extending his wings to their full breadth of two metres. "RELEASE THE BLUE JAY!" he flew at the intruder with the force of a charging bull and a temper to match.