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"No", Nyroc thought, "I will never call him Dustytuft again. He is Phillip. Together Phillip and I will find the truth."
―Nyroc's thoughts, The Hatchling, page 80

Phillip, formerly Dustytuft, was a Greater Sooty Owl, or Tyto tenebricosa. He was a former member of the Pure Ones and Nyroc's childhood best friend. Phillip was later cruelly killed by Nyra after Nyroc refused to kill him for his Special Ceremony.

History[]

Before the Books[]

Phillip hatched in Silverveil. When he was an owlet, his mother and siblings were killed in a forest fire, but he escaped with his father. They began to starve, so his father picked off a baby fox, breaking the rule of grosnik: to not kill parents with offspring, or the offspring themselves, so as to ensure the survival of the next generation. It was during this time that Phillip noticed the change in his da's behavior, how he would either strike or curse his own son for no reason.

Soon after, they met two Pure Ones named Wortmore and Stryker, who were getting new recruits. His father liked their ideas, so they joined. However, it turned out that Sooty Owls were one of the lowest ranks, and Phillip's life became miserable.

The Rescue[]

Phillip's father was killed in his very first battle by Ruby of the Great Tree in a rescue mission to save Ezylryb from the Pure Ones. According to Phillip, he was even more miserable than before and was nothing more than another mouth to feed to the Pure Ones. Around this time, the Pure Ones renamed him "Dustytuft".

The Burning[]

Dustytuft was patrolling the border of St. Aegolius Canyons before the Battle of the Burning, complaining to himself of being such a low rank, and that nobody listened to him. It was almost too late when he saw the first line of Ga'Hoolians, and nearly went yeep. However, he recovered at the last second, and shouted the alarm. He was one of the few Pure One survivors of the battle that followed.

The Hatchling[]

After the death of Kludd, Nyra made Dustytuft the constant companion of the young prince, Nyroc. He praised the owlet for his swoops and dives at his First Flight Ceremony, and was even allowed to attend Kludd's Final Ceremony. Nyroc and Dustytuft were best friends, and Nyroc even asked his mother to give him a promotion. When he once told Nyroc that Dustytuft wasn't his real name and that he remembered having another name before that, Nyroc began to call him Phillip when no one was looking.

Nyroc, after learning the truth about his murderous parents in the flames, asked Phillip if he could join him on a "quest for truth". Phillip agreed, but they soon encountered crows, and Nyroc tricked them into giving them a free pass through their territory. Phillip looked back and realized that a search party from the Pure Ones was after them, so they hid in a cave. Nyroc asked Phillip about the Great Ga'Hoole Tree, and Phillip told him the truth about it, for the Pure Ones had been feeding Nyroc lies. He then told Nyroc, at his inquiry, the sad tale of his past.

They fell asleep in the cave, and woke up in the morning, even though owls were supposed to sleep in the daytime. They flew away, but realized that they were being followed, so circled back. However, Nyroc was molting, and the feathers led the Pure Ones to them, so they threw themselves in the violent winds called the Shredders to escape the pursuit. Unfortunately, they were thrown out by the Shredders and easily recaptured.

Nyroc confronted his mother in an argument, which resulted in Nyra slashing him across his face and giving him a scar similar to her own, except that it was on the left side. Nyra apologized that she wounded him and told him that he was her world. Nyroc asked her if she loved him, but she wouldn't say the word love, and Nyra wondered where her son learned the word love.

Nyra asked Nyroc if he remembered about her promise to show him a real live tree if he did well on his Tupsi. She revealed captured Phillip tied to a tree and ordered her son to kill him for his initiation ceremony, which requires a prospective Pure One to kill an owl who is close to them. However, Nyroc refused, so in her fury Nyra ripped Phillip's heart out herself. With his dying breath, Phillip told Nyroc to fly away, and grief-struck Nyroc escaped, telling his mother that she "knew nothing".

Family tree[]

 
Phillip's father
 
Dustytuft's Mother
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Phillip
 
Unnamed Brothers
 
Unnamed Sisters

    = Male

    = Female

    = Gender Unknown



Quotes[]

"Fly, Nyroc... fly..."

- Phillip's last words before Nyra kills him, The Hatchling

Trivia[]

  • Phillip couldn't remember his exact name before he joined the Pure Ones, so it's unknown whether Phillip is his original name.
    • Similarly, his father's name is never mentioned.
  • In the movie, one of the Pure Ones training along with Kludd is a Sooty Owl. Some fans believe this character to be Phillip, but this is just a speculation.
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