Odette and the Three Wing-Hugs

Odette the owlet was curled deep in her nest, high in the old oak tree. Her feathers were soft against the moss, and a small breeze drifted in through the window, left open just a crack, the way the grown owls slept. Tonight was Odette's very first night sleeping that way. Mama Owl smoothed the last leaf blanket over her wings and hummed a low, soft note. The night air smelled of pine needles and rain still to come. Odette's eyes grew heavy, and slowly, very slowly, she began to drift toward sleep.

Just as her eyes closed, a loud CRACK burst over the garden. Then a BOOM rattled the leaves outside the window. Odette jumped straight up in the nest, her small body stiff with surprise. Her wings snapped over her ears. Her heart thudded fast, like a woodpecker's knock.