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The Journey



Credits
Author:	Kathryn Lasky
Cover Art:	Richard Cowdrey
Cover Design:	Steve Scott
Details
Publish Date:	First printing: 2003
ISBN Number:	ISBN 978-0-439-40558-4

Summary
	Sorren, Twilight, Glyfie and Digger journeys to find the Mythical Great Ga'Hoole Tree.

The Journey is the second book in the Guardians of Ga'Hoole series.

SummaryEdit

It began as a dream. A quest for the Great Ga'Hoole Tree, a mythic place where each night an order of owls rises to perform noble deeds. There Soren, Gylfie, Twilight, and Digger hope to find inspiration to fight the evil that dwells in the owl kingdom.

The journey is long and harrowing. When Soren and his friends finally arrive at the Great Ga'Hoole Tree, they will be tested in ways they never dreamed and face challenges they never imagined. If they can learn from their leaders and from one another, they will soon become true Guardians Of Ga'Hoole -honest and brave, wise and true'.

Spoiler Warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

PlotEdit

On their way towards the Great Ga'Hoole Tree, the band (Soren, Gylfie, Twilight and Digger) and Mrs. Plithiver were mobbed by crows when they risked flying in daylight. The band managed to drive off the crows, but at the cost of Digger being injured. After landing in a spruce tree for shelter, a neighboring family of Masked Owls came to visit after hearing of the band's feat. Before leaving, the female Masked Owl became skeptical when she heard that the band was on the way to find the Great Ga'Hoole Tree. Mrs. Plithiver retorted by saying that she was a fool for believing that Hoolemere did not exist. Later after their departure from the spruce tree, they stayed in a sycamore with a pair of Sooty Owls named Sweetums and Swatums, who supported the band in their quest to find Ga'Hoole.

In The Beaks, a barren and desolate area, the band ventured into a dark cave where they were attacked by a bobcat. Together, the band managed to kill the bobcat, and upon further investigation they found a dying Barred Owl. When they asked if St. Aggie's had attacked him, his last words were, "You only wish!" After hearing this disturbing news, the band burned the body of the Barred Owl and continued on their quest. However, their progress would be dangerously hindered because of the Mirror Lakes. Their gleaming surfaces hypnotized the band and made them content to stay and put off their quest. Eventually, Mrs. Plithiver recognized the danger and stirred the band into remembrance of their quest.

When they left, they were blown off course straight into the Ice Narrows in the Northern Kingdoms where they were taken in by a family of puffins: the oddest creatures the band had ever seen. Despite all difficulties, the band were escorted to the Island of Hoole by the Snowy Owl monarchs of the tree, Boron and Barran. Upon their arrival at the Great Ga'Hoole Tree, a stuck-up Spotted Owl named Otulissa escorted the band to their new hollow. They learned from her that they could not just go into a battle, but that skills must be learned by becoming members of chaws: specialized groups of owls that dedicate themselves to a certain skill.

Despite finding Ga'Hoole, the band sought a meeting with the parliament because they felt that their knowledge of St. Aggie's would be valuable to the Guardians. However, Boron informed the band that they needed to wait a bit longer and that nobility wasn't garnered instantly but through unwavering resolution and stalwartness. He also informed them that their journey had not ended when they arrived at the tree but it had only just begun and that they would begin their training the next day. During the day, Soren found Twilight thinking about leaving the Guardians because the band would be broken up as they would be seperated into chaws. Soren reassured Twilight that no matter what happened, they would always be a band. Upon hearing these words, Twilight agreed to stay.

As time passed, the band learned many skills and became more accustomed to life at the Great Tree. However, Soren was still haunted by the thought of his sister Eglantine and her well-being. Eventually, the band were placed into their respective chaws; Soren was placed into the colliering and weather interpretation chaws. This was a disaster for Soren because of the Whiskered Screech Owl Ezylryb's intimidating missing talon and because he was double-chawed with Otulissa, whose talkitive attitude proved to be hard to bear. However, the chief smith of the Great Ga'Hoole Tree, Bubo (a Great Horned Owl) was confident that Soren would be all that he could be because Ezylryb had recognized Soren's potential. Later, the band discovered that the roots under the parliament chamber were prone to transmitting any sound created in the chamber. This allowed them to discover that the Guardians were addressing the topic concerning the dead Barred Owl. They found out that he was a slipgizzle: an owl spy that worked for the Guardians. Eventually Soren's fears and problems began to subside. Ezylryb proved to be much more than every owl in his weather chaw ever thought him to be. Soren was even able to help Mrs. Plithiver get a spot in the harp guild with Madame Plonk, the tree's beloved Snowy Owl singer. He also managed to catch a burning coal in his beak and earned Ezylryb's rare approval.

Despite the turn of events, the tranquility of life at the tree was shaken when owlets of the Tyto species were found dropped all over babbling nonsense about Tyto purity. Digger and Twilight, who were part of the search and rescue chaw, found Eglantine who was one of the owlets dropped in the event that came to be known as the Great Downing. Soren was shocked when he was shown Eglantine but disappointed that she wasn't her true self. Eventually, Trader Mags came to trade goods at the Great Ga'Hoole Tree and Eglantine went into a panic when shown a piece of isinglass. This panic, however, proved to be effective because Eglantine broke out of her strange condition and became normal once again. For now, Soren felt content but only to an extent since Ezylryb, the ryb Soren had come to truly cherish, had not yet returned from his investigations of the Great Downing.

End of Spoiler Warning