Hunter Owl House Novels & Stories

A glint of excitement passed through his eyes. "At sundown last night I saw a barn owl. You know, the kinds with the white faces? I want to find out where it nests in the forest, so I spent a good hour and a half trying to track it down, but no luck. By the time I gave up I realized I had missed the party." "Barn owl," I said. "I didn't know there were any of those in our forest." "Well, owls are nocturnal, you know, so if the only time you went to the forest was during the day, you'd have to be very lucky to see one," he told me.

In a remote town far away from Krasnoyarsk City, a white horned owl perched on the branch of an ancient oak tree, waiting. The bird was too large for its kind. Almost the size of a two-year-old toddler. Speckled sunbeam framed its body after the large bird had swooped down to the ice-covered earth beneath, gilding its white feathered wings and striking an occasional gleam from its sharp yellow eyes. The owl had been waiting on the same spot since dawn. Every single day and night. And it was prepared to go on waiting until it found the One.

Asher hollowing deep in the back of my mind. “AAHHH!! What the fuck is that!?” Hunter almost falls into me as he backs away from the metal guardrail. I turn and see a large barn owl perched on the metal, completely unaffected by our presents. It was so unusual to see an owl this close up and so random. The colors of the feathers were unusual as well. They vaguely looked familiar for some reason. The owl flapped and preened its autumn color feathers as it continued to stare at each one of us. Its large yellow eyes glow against the moonlight. I breathed in and could faintly smell the most perfect scent in my life. The wonderful smell of spiced cider and orange. My heart raced wildly in my ches

I took one step hesitantly while my eyes scanned the scene in front of me. The narrow yard of the house was covered with thick grass sticking out here and there. An extinguished torch post stood right in the middle of the courtyard. The pillars are supported by six bamboos arranged in such a way that they resemble long spider legs. A bird with blackish gray feathers perched on one of the bamboo legs. The owl stared intently at the house in front of it with round eyes, as if the house was transparent. The bird had a low coo, accompanied by other sounds around the forest. Being alone in the forest makes me a coward. I am scared.

he said. I nodded my head and said, “Ok. Be safe.” “I will,” he told me before walking out of the house. I did as he told me and locked the backdoor behind him. I stood between the living room and the kitchen, watching the area through the windows and listening. I heard the shifting of a wolf and I figured it was Owen letting Jet out to check the area. I stood there and waited to see what would happen. Suddenly, I heard Owen howl loudly close to the house. There was a distant howl that came back, but it was way up north. It must have been on the pack territory. What was going on?

I recognized the ringing voice of the Larni woman right away. A gigantic owl landed very close by, blasting us with an elastic wave of wind from its gigantic gray wings. -Professor! - the disheveled healer rolled down from the back of her companion and stretched out along the line. - I beg your pardon for being late! Couldn't manage at all. The Dean of Hunters grunted contentedly, folding his arms across his chest. You are amazing, Melwes. Where did you find this bird? - At the edge of the forest. It's a foggy owl, professor. She can only be lured out at dusk and with the help of this, - the girl showed some kind of plant with silver-green small leaves.

I glance out the window at trees, so many fucking trees. Not friendly trees. No. These are the kind of trees that whisper in Latin and watch you pee. The paved road gives up after a few feet, dissolving into a narrow dirt track. I squint at the one landmark available; a half-rotted wooden mailbox with faded cartoon paw prints painted on the side. Howl & Growl. The “o” in “Growl” is scratched out. Charming. There’s no visible buildings, no lights or people. Just the buzzing of insects, the caw of a raven doing a great horror-movie impression, and somewhere in the distance…howls.

The butterflies remained on them as they walked. Rita heard the rush of wings and turned to see a blue jay flying toward her. She held out her arm and the jay landed. The bird looked at Rita and Josh then walked up her arm and perched on her shoulder. Another jay flew to Josh's shoulder and landed. A moment later both Rita and Josh knew they should resume walking into the grove. They turned and noticed three raccoons on the trail between them and Arnold and Marilynn. It seemed like the animals of the grove wanted to go with them, and were doing just that. The raccoons followed a few feet behind Arnold and Marilynn.

The safehouse windows stayed open day and night now, letting in crickets, distant thunder, the occasional owl call that sounded almost like a question. Marcus had finished the guest cabin in April. By May he’d added a small porch—wide enough for a single chair and a side table. He sat there most evenings, carving by lantern light. The birds on his shelf had multiplied: five now, each one more precise, wings no longer crooked. The latest—a hawk mid-soar—perched on the windowsill facing the main house, as though watching over the path between the two buildings. Aiden walked that path every evening after dinner. Sometimes Silas joined him. Sometimes he went alone. Tonight he went alone.

Shrubs and vines had popped up from between the burnt slats of the first floor. Multiple little creatures had made a home of the place, too, little birds’ nests dotted along the few rafters that were still standing. Somewhere, I could hear the soft chittering of a family of possums, and an owl was sitting stoically in a tree branch nearby, although it took flight without so much as a rustle of wings when it saw us coming. It was… “Beautiful,” I breathed, looking at the clearing in awe. My mother grabbed my hand and gripped it tightly, and when I glanced over at her, tears were in her eyes—but she was smiling.