Warwick

P A R T . O N E

Isle of Man | 1930

Every night at midnight, the purple clouds came out to dance with the blushing sky. Soaring beneath those cold, saffron clouds, high above the Irish Sea, was Warwick - who was anxiously returning home after delivering his final Hogwarts Letter.

His gold, copper and slate blue feathers radiated majesty as he soared the skies with pride. He was the oldest, living Barn Owl still in service to the Ministry of Magic, and today was his last day. After delivering the lucky child their acceptance letter, Warwick finalized his retirement to the head of The Department of Magical Creatures in London, and received a How to Find a Purpose manual for the coming years.

Two centuries of unbroken loyalty, and the successful delivery of countless letters, newspapers, howlers and broomsticks, had ranked Warwick as the top performing bird in the history of courier owls. This level of notoriety had elevated Warwick to fame throughout the magical world. But those were not Warwick’s only talents. He was a gifted transfiguration artist as well as honing the ability to look deep into a human’s soul to see which animal they relished most. He could also read English, Spanish and numerous other languages, as well as the rare ability to sense which humans had magical abilities and which ones did not.

There wasn’t a student, witch or wizard who didn’t know his name and his accomplishments. But when there is fame, there is always jealousy. Many of the older owls had grown to resent Warwick for always occupying the spotlight, while the younger birds were constantly pushing for his early retirement. The choice to retire was Warwick’s and Warwick’s alone. He was still nimble and had the best navigational memory amongst all of the other owls in service. He was quick, efficient and tactical. Unfortunately, all of these merits never filled the ever growing void inside of his heart. He yearned for a deeper purpose.

As the clouds broke, and the sky opened, Warwick spotted his North Star. On the south-western coastline of the island, nestled at the top of a secluded mountain, slept a restless castle. For centuries, these stone walls had been beaten by the waves and battered by harsh winds, allowing the structure to camouflage itself against the gray mountain. Thick rain clouds liked to float low in the sky on this side of the island, which added another layer of security. Here, is where Warwick and the other service, courier owls lived and trained in the art of delivery, continental navigation and aerial combat. Within these walls, rank and age claimed superiority amongst the owls.

Warwick was not the only barn owl to call this castle in the clouds home, it was swarming with various other species of owls as well as hundreds of different species of birds, insects and reptiles. Under the authority of the elder owls and ministry officials, young owls trained day and night until they were deemed worthy to enter a contract of service. Once ready, they would be sorted into a specific department based on their individual specialities. The top performing owls would become personal correspondence couriers, which meant they would be assigned and bound to a particular witch or wizard for life. The mid-level owls became postal service owls, where they would deliver all varieties of mail, including acceptance letters for the lucky boys and girls. And the low-level owls were assigned to government offices, delivering Cabinet and Executive Council dispatches under the watchful eyes of Ministry officials.

When Warwick was a young owl, he was careless yet passionate. Too many mistakes landed him in a low-level government position. Boring and brutal years passed away as he loyally executed his duties. During this time, he learned how to read the words of humans through extensive studying and grueling hours of sound association. His bilingual capabilities quickly drove him up to mid-level owlery, where he would eagerly deliver thousands of magical acceptance letters, all around the world, for the next seventy-five years. During his days off, he would sneak into the enchanted school and acquire novels, auto-biographies and numerous historical documents from the restricted section in the library. He would then sneak the books to his private perch on top one of the castle spires and read for hours. He was quickly able to understand and then discover the amazing powers that were laying dormant within him.

This knew knowledge led him down a path of transfiguration and deep intuition, where he could sense which animal a human loved the most and then turn into that animal to offer the hurting soul comfort and compassion. Warwick had become so valuable to the magical world, he quickly rose to be the highest ranking owl in service. He was then gifted to a pure-blooded wizard who taught at the grand school he frequently visited and secretly sneaked into for years. Once his assigned human passed away, after decades of being an impeccable personal-correspondence owl, he was allowed to choose his next post.

He decided to once again become a postal-service courier, so he could stretch his magical knowledge and abilities to their limits, yet still yearned to eventually create his own department.

Warwick desired to use his magical properties to locate orphaned and lost children who had hidden or uncontrolled powers, and guide them via transfiguration to the gates of Schools of Magic across the globe. He promised himself that on the day of his retirement, he would immediately launch his search and rescue division.

Finally finding purchase on his designated section of the stone castle, Warwick enjoyed a hearty dinner of lizards and worms then turned in for the night. The following morning, he set out in search of any owls who would be interested in joining his department. After days and days of aggressive refusals and cruel mockery, Warwick quit his efforts. There were thousands of owls on this island, and none of them wanted anything to do with Warwick and his self-righteous endeavor. All of his emotions, and the weight of his many years of service, along with the pressure of his newfound magical capabilities, finally overwhelmed him. To clear his rambling head, he spread his wings and took to the sky. He was unsure of his destination, but headed south east regardless. He felt a need to fly east, as if he was being summoned by some unseen force.

During his long flight across the Irish Sea, his magical-sensory beacon, which allows Warwick to find magical children who have yet to discover their powers, kept guiding his built in navigational radar eastbound, towards London. Once he was over land, his beacon started to pound in his brain, pulling him wildly towards the outskirt streets of the large city.

P A R T . T W O

Warwick crash landed into a newspaper stand at a solid twenty miles an hour, sending the vendor and all of the newspapers flying into the river behind them. Causing an amusing scene, interested by-standers quickly rushed over. Eager to get away as fast as possible, Warwick fluttered his wings in a panic, wildly taking off from the ground with a newspaper stuck around his head, covering his eyes. Being blind, he flew directly into a low-hanging London Plane, and knocked himself out momentarily. He tumbled down the bank and eventually rolled into the river below.

The cold water was enough to shock him back to life. He tried to take a deep breath but struggled because of the wet newspaper still stuck around his head. Calming his nerves and using his wings, he wiped the paper from his face, freeing himself. He was now well out of sight from the embarrassing scene he had just caused, so he gathered himself. Taking inventory of the situation and his location, he tried to figure out why he had been pulled to this part of the city. His eyes then caught something strange beneath his feet. It was a headline from one of the articles in the newspaper.

Orphanage Collapses. Ten dead. One Survivor

These words struck Warwick to the bone. His deep bond with the children from his years delivering acceptance letters, had melted into his very soul. So the thought of orphaned children perishing, magical or not, crippled him. He continued to read the grim article. Fortunately for his heart, the ten dead souls were adult orphan workers who were prepping the building for the induction of a single, out of control orphan girl. The article went on to say that once she was officially moved into her restrainment room, the building spontaneously erupted, then imploded onto itself. Nothing about this story made any sense to Warwick. The pictures displayed a completely demolished building, making it hard to believe anyone could have survived. This was either one very lucky kid, or something deeper was afoot. The article also mentioned the location of the disaster and quickly realized that it was only two blocks away from where he had crash landed.

Warwick rolled up the wet paper, placed it in his beak then took to the skies. As soon as he tasted altitude, a rock exploded into his belly, thrusting the air from his lungs. Falling back to earth for the second time, he hit the muddy ground hard. With his vision blurred, he couldn’t see the child standing in front of him, but he could hear her. She was giggling and chanting, “Silly, stupid owl,” over and over as she danced around him.

Warwick was starting to regain his bearings when he made the instant connection. The face of this child was the same as the orphan survivor whose picture he had seen plastered across the front page of the newspaper. Warwick’s magical-sensory beacon was now beating inside of him like a mad drummer.

The pieces were starting to fit in the air around him. He analyzed the young girl as she continued to dance, sing and play with a sling-shot clutched to her right hand. He concentrated on her soul as he scanned for hidden magical properties awaiting their overdue acknowledgment. Once that proved obvious after only moments of scanning, he channeled her heart and searched for her most coveted animal. Warwick finally found what he was looking for, then subtly transformed into a four-legged, copper coated, senior retriever with long floppy ears and white scruff covering his nose and mouth. He used the girl’s distracted dancing to change right before her eyes. When she finally focused her fleeting attention back onto the owl, her face went blank, eyes expanded and her mouth hung open. It was a complicated combination of terror, amazement, infatuation and confusion.

Settling on infatuation, the young child dropped her slingshot and ran over wildly to where Warwick was sitting. She nearly knocked him over with her torpedoing embrace. She was so excited that she was screaming nonsense rather than speaking words that made any sense. With her excitement, came mystery. The dirt beneath his paws began to roil and his fur began to singe against her skin. He barked in protest then let out a low, deep growl which spooked the child to let go. As her eyes began to glisten with tears, Warwick rushed to her side and began licking her face and the salty tears that were soaking them. Her mood was quick to turn from miserable to jovial.

Warwick then proceeded to use his powers to stare his puppy-dog eyes deep into the orphans, navigating the mysteries of her magical abilities when he accidentally connected with her on a telepathic level. This was all happening by accident. Warwick didn’t know he could connect telepathically, but it was miraculously working with her because he knew her name.

This was Mina.

Without uttering a single bark, whine or growl, the orphan girl began telling her story. She began to explain how she never meant to destroy the building and kill the orphan workers. She had been abandoned by her parents at the age of seven when they started noticing strange and terrible things happening when she got over emotional.

She explained how each emotion had a devastating corresponding reaction. For the past five years, she had been cruelly bullied at her previous orphanage by the same three, older orphan girls. Then one day after a freak fire, that almost claimed the lives of her bullies, was mysteriously set when Mina wouldn't stop crying. She was then transferred to a separate facility where she could be left alone yet constantly monitored by a team of professionals. But fear and anxiety were her more formidable and dangerous emotions. Together they lead to an uncontrollable unleashing of aggressive energy which implodes any physical objects around her, all while providing her with a protective barrier.

Processing Mina’s life story, Warwick tried to convey his understanding. It is received when he hears a familiar voice and giggle ringing in his head, “You can understand me?”

Warwick could hear the orphan girl’s thoughts clearer than if she was physically speaking them. With each passing moment, their connection grew stronger. Desperately wanting to communicate, Warwick responded to the orphan with his thoughts.

“I can understand you. There is much you need to learn. About the world around you, and of you. You must learn to understand yourself.”

The two continued conversing for hours, telepathically, about the unbelievable mysteries of the magical world. Warwick lost himself in telling her stories of his time as a postal-courier and his long days, reading and studying witchcraft and wizardry at the most prestigious and enchanted school in Europe. Mina was in awe of the life Warwick had lived. She had never met another human who could give her any explanation in regards to her explosive emotions. Then came Warwick, a transfiguring barn owl who was giving her detailed illustrations about who she really was and why.

Being desperate for answers, she absorbed herself in his thoughts. She was starting to become excited about this mysterious school the retriever was describing. An entire community where she could be with other kids who were as unique as she was, made her heart pound in her chest. She had always wanted a place where she could call home and feel safe. But she didn’t receive a letter of acceptance, which depressed her because according to Warwick, that's the only way you get to attend. Before Mina’s thoughts could derail into chaos, the retriever interrupted her with reassurance.

“I have made some very valuable connections during my years as a postal-courier. I have a friend who can get you in to be evaluated by the right people who will allow you to attend the school. You just have to trust me.”

After a long moment of silence and deep, desperate stares, Warwick heard the familiar voice giggle in excitement.

“I trust you, silly owl.”

P A R T . T H R E E

After a grueling day-long trek, hitching dangerous rides on trains, Warwick and Mina had finally arrived at the famous Kings Cross station in the heart of London. Mina had never been to the city, which gave Warwick a hard time of keeping her focused on the goal ahead. She was easily distracted, but the owl stayed focused and sneaked them in through an underground, un-monitored section of the rail station. Leading the way, Warwick led them up a flight of dark stairs and out into the bustling belly of Kings Cross. They were a girl and her dog, no one thought twice, which made it easy for them to accomplish their goal. Weaving through strangers and off-limit corridors, they finally found the train station’s boarding platform. Warwick, knowing tickets were needed for riding the train, made sure not to cross paths with the grumpy station guard.

Thanks to an animated verbal altercation between two other, impatient riders, their path presented itself. Warwick nudged Mina’s left hand with his wet nose, stared deep into her eyes, and instructed her to trust him. She responded by placing her hand behind his ears, giving them through rubs, indicating her trust was strong.

Understanding each other, the owl gave an encouraging bark and lifted his tail to Mina. She grasped it firmly with both her hands, then Warwick took off running. She was running as fast she could, heading straight for a cement wall in the middle of the platform. She was confused and wanted to use her powers to dig her heels in, but she resisted the urge and simply closed her eyes, trusting the retriever.

When they finally stopped running, Mina opened her eyes to the sight of a giant, black and red steam engine, basking in clouds of its own hot mist. Upon their arrival to Kings Cross, Warwick had informed her that the new school year had yet to begin, so there wouldn’t be any students to try and dodge. This made it easy for the pair to stow away inside of one of the rear end maintenance cars. The horn boomed, sending needles down Mina’s spine, indicating that the train was finally leaving the station. The cars began to rumble as the steel wheels began churning on the old rails. They were off.

After hours of non-stop chugging, a new horn began screaming from the front of the train. Soon after, their speed began to decrease, which sent alarm bells off inside of Warwick’s mind. These anxious thoughts overflowed into Mina’s mind and she asked him what was happening.

“Intruder alert. They know we’re here. We have to get off of the train. We can continue on foot. Trust me.”

Mina responded with more rubs and stern smiles. She was ready. Warwick again raised his tail, letting Mina grasp on to it. They leaped from the train, landing in a soft path of overgrown grass and began to sprint towards the encroaching forest. The sun was setting and the woods were darkening. Warwick seemed anxious to enter, and Mina was able to sense it. But they both knew what they had to do and where they needed to go. So they entered the forest.

Warwick had been to these woods before, and he knew what horrors lurked behind the shadows. It was easier to traverse these woods as an owl, the ability of flight was the best form of self-defense. But he couldn’t risk leaving Mina exposed, so he remained a retriever, ready to protect her with his life from all harm.

An hour in, the pair had encountered all manners of cross-bred creatures, nightmarish winged beasts and endless shifting shadows and menacing voices. Then came the spiders. Mina was terrified of spiders and was adamant about avoiding them at all costs, but Warwick informed her that the spiders meant that they were getting close to the school, insisting that they follow the arachnid procession. Mina protested, but swallowed her fears and obliged. She kept her eyes shut at first, but she couldn’t bear to allow herself to be controlled by her fears. So she opened her eyes.

The procession had grown, and there were now larger spiders dangling from the branches above. But they continued to power through. After what felt like an eternity, they finally reached the forest’s tree line. The spider’s had indeed led them to freedom, Mina was in awe of the owl’s resourcefulness.

Towering over the two companions, a massive, multi-spire castle commanded the skyline. Mina never imagined that the school in the wild stories Warwick had told her would actually be as majestic as they sounded. Her emotions began to overflow, but nothing happened. She was learning how to stay in control. She continued to follow the retriever to a wide, rustic hut nestled along the outskirts of the school. As they approached the rugged cabin, a giant, thick bearded man blossomed out from behind the front door. His steps were heavy, sending mini shock-waves through the earth. Warwick growled and signaled Mina to wait as he went to talk with the giant.

Warwick closed his eyes then used his transfiguration ability to change back into his natural form. He stretched out his wings, and flew over to embrace his old friend.

Warwick used his newly found telepathy skills to communicate his situation. The giant responded with a heavy pet to the head and responded aloud for both of them to hear.

“She will be safe here. Welcome home child. Come. I will bring you to the castle.”

Warwick looked deep into Mina’s soul and encouraged her that if she followed the large man, all of her dreams and yearnings would come true. Her desperate search for purpose, meaning and answers will all be revealed. Mina rushed over to the two old friends and embraced them both with all of the love she could muster.

“I am ready. Thank you Warwick. You saved my life and I owe you everything.”

Warwick flapped his wings and spoke four words to her via telepathy.

“No. You saved me.”

As Mina faded from view, Warwick realized that he had finally fulfilled his purpose. Mina was one of millions, and it was now up to him to guide them all home.

But he would need a lot more help.

So he faced the wind, stretched out his copper and gold wings, soaked up the sun, then disappeared into the magical clouds in the sky.

Warwick will return.