Prologue[]
Hello, little ones! I am Ullu, majordomo and scout to the Night Pride. This is the story of my lost love, Theluji and my new daughter, Binti, and how they came into my life.
Story[]
It all started on a beautiful night. I was doing my rounds with the Night Pride when all of a sudden, a white figure speeds toward me and knocks me out of the sky! I was regaining my balance when the white figure, which turned out to be another owl, helped me up. "Oh, I'm sorry, little lady. I didn't see you there," he apologized to me. He was so tall and handsome, I fell in love with him at first sight.
"I'm Theluji. What's your name, little lady?" He introduced himself. "Oh, my name's Ullu. I'm the lookout here at the Tree of Life," I answered. "Ullu. I like that name, it's very beautiful. Just like you," Theluji complimented me. I looked away and smiled as I blushed. He then followed me as I finished my rounds and was headed back to my tree.
"You're a wonderful girl, Ullu. And that's why I want to ask you...will you marry me?" Theluji proposed to me. My jaw dropped from shock. Tears of joy filled my eyes as I uttered the word, "Yes,". Theluji then kissed me as I nuzzled him back. That was the moment I knew, life was gonna be amazing with this new guy.
A few days later, I had a strange sensation. I felt a weird kick coming from my tummy. That's when I realized, I would become a mother very soon. I immediately flew off to tell Theluji. "Love, we will become parents to an owl chick very soon," I announced.
Naturally, he was just as shocked as I was, but he was also very excited. We flew around and danced in the sky, overjoyed that we were soon-to-be parents. But, I wanted to keep this a secret from the Night Pride because if they found out, they would never leave me alone. Don't get me wrong, I love hanging out with the pride, but sometimes, I just want to be left alone. But, that day, my life took a turn for the worst.
Theluji had contracted a horrible disease. He was limp, barely moving and could barely see. I regularly talked to him so he could regain his memory, but to no avail. That sunset, he told me he was dying. Naturally, I wept over his body as he rubbed my head with his wing.
"Ullu, my love. I want you to do one thing for me before I go. If our chick is a girl, I want you to name her Binti. It means "daughter", so it will be a perfect name for her," Theluji told me. "Of course, darling. I promise," I answered as I tried desperately to hold my tears back. "You're an amazing girl, Ullu. I love you, forever and always," Theluji whispered into my ear. His wing then hit the ground as his eyes closed and he stopped breathing. Hot tears streamed down my face as I kissed his head for the last time.
Little did I know, the Night Pride heard me crying and were sadly watching me. "Ullu, I'm so sorry," Baliyo lamented. I then broke down in tears again as Surak came over to comfort me. We had his funeral at the Willows that night. I couldn't believe that Theluji was really gone.
But, the next day, our daughter came into the world. She looked just like me, my blue eyes and everything was in my little girl. I then remembered my promise to Theluji before he passed away. "I'm going to name you Binti, in honor of your dad, little one," I cooed to my daughter. The Night Pride then showed up to see me and Binti.
"Well, what do you know? Ullu finally became a mother," Baliyo exclaimed. "Yep. She sure did," Rani replied. The others then gathered around to see the new chick. But, there was only one Night Pride member Binti grew fond of: Surak. She loves him with all her heart now and Surak even babysits her sometimes.
Epilogue[]
In the end, despite dark times, I was finally happy again, thanks to the birth of my beloved daughter, Binti. I still miss Theluji terribly, but I pull through and endure my grief. I had to be strong. For both the Night Pride and my daughter.