Gwendolen
Legacy Name: Gwendolen

Although she was a species of owl known for having a heart-shaped face, she was one barn owl who didn't have any love for herself.

No one had ever told her she was special in any way.

So she believed she wasn't special at all.

That is, until she made her very first friend.

There was an ancient, dilapidated truck that sat nestled in among the undergrowth, wedged in as if it had always been there. Perhaps it had; it was a man's thing, but it seemed to fit there like a great boulder. Gwendolen's friend was trapped in a small, strange box attached to the truck.

Gwendolen had found a perch on the door of the truck where the window used to be when she noticed the other owl trapped in the strange box.

She was a wreck. She looked as though she hadn't taken care of herself in a long time!

"Your feathers are a mess! Here, let me show you how to preen them. It's really easy, I promise." She piped, demonstrating how to properly slide her feathers smoothly between her beak. The other owl caught on very quickly and followed her movements exactly.

When they were done, Gwendolen was stunned to see how beautiful the other owl was. Her feathers were speckled in soft gray and cream tones, her face a brilliant white. "See? Look how pretty you are with your feathers all groomed. You look wonderful!" The other owl seemed to cheer up and was even prettier when she smiled.

Gwendolen spent many evenings with her new friend, just like this. She reminded her to groom herself and they did so together, matching their movements as though they had been friends for years.

Gwendolen brought with her a mouse she had snatched out of a neighboring field and offered it to her friend one evening, but found the other owl already had her dinner dangling from her shiny pink beak. Gwendolen found that her friend was very good at hunting, despite being trapped in the strange box attached to the old truck. Her friend caught mice, voles, and even a rat on one occasion. "Wow! Look at how good you are at hunting! You've got to be one of the best out there!" she gushed, meaning every word.

One night, a particularly grumpy raccoon had made its way into the old truck. Gwendolen was at her usual perch beside her friend when she discovered the unwelcome guest clambering over the cracked leather seats with a deviant hiss. A raccoon can make a very tough adversary for an owl, especially with their sharp teeth and greedy little hands.

Gwendolen's first instinct was to leave the truck and escape the furry monster, but she was worried for her friend in the box. Gwendolen puffed herself up and let out a tremendous screech before teaching that raccoon a thing or two about trying to muscle her off of her perch.

After she sent the raccoon scrambling out of the truck with a few bald spots and a swollen eye, Gwendolen checked on her friend in the box. The other owl was a mess with a few feathers missing from her face, but she held her own in the fight, too. Her friend was incredible.

Gwendolen decided her friend needed to come out of that box.

Gwendolen clumsily went about grasping at the box with her talons and beating the box with her wings to no avail. She then resorted to picking up stones and dropping them on the box from above. Finally, the box came loose from the truck, swung twice, and fell to the earth below with a dull thud and a peculiar crack.

The next few moments in Gwendolen's life would prove to be some of the most confusing she would ever experience.

It was amidst the remains of the strange box and the shattered glass mingled with it that Gwendolen realized she had been spending all this time with a truck's side mirror.

Her friend wasn't real. It had been her reflection the entire time.

Gwendolen had been stupid.

But Gwendolen also realized that her friend was real. The bird staring back at her all this time was real. Those lovely feathers, that smile, those brave and skilled qualities were all real.

They were hers.

Gwendolen was special.

And she had finally come out of her box.