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Before either of the tall two-leggeds could reply to Birger's question, there was a horrible racket at the window of the Inn. Snow Owl had perched on a branch that dipped low, one that almost touched the outside of the window. The owl was screeching loudly, deliberately butting his head against the pane to try and get someone to pay attention to him but with little success up till this point. To most of those standing nearby, this merely sounded like a series of raucous hoots, although they had no idea why a large bird of prey should be acting this way.
By this time, the steady hooting of the bird had escalated into a series of piercing and demanding shrieks. To the ears of Mori and Stamo, however, there was meaning behind this escalating racket, since they were adept in understanding the ways of the creatures of the wood and meadow. At their urging, one of the bystanders came over and pushed open the sash an inch or two so the Snow Owl could be heard more clearly.
"Masters, please. I don't mean to interrupt the likes of you, but I must speak. I have two concerns, and I can't simply walk through the front door to voice them as you can do. First, I have been watching Tevildo for some time. I am sure he knows something he's not telling us. He is quaking in his paws, and is slinking about the courtyard with his fur standing on end, looking as if he'd like to take on someone in a fight. I know he has some fairly unusual connections, and am wondering if you might want to question him sometime. Perhaps he knows something useful. To be truthful, I don't totally trust him. I am not always sure whose "side" he is on, or even if he understands the whole idea of "side", but I'm quite sure he doesn't like this shadow thing."
The Owl blinked his round eyes solemnly and then opened his great hooked beak to speak, without waiting for a reply to his first query. "I have another worry. You've asked the animals to stay in the back courtyard and hide themselves. For some creatures, that is easy. But for others it is not in their nature. I believe it would be far safer to send some of these outside the gates of the Inn. The winged ones could fly north of here to try and catch a glimpse of this thing. Even if they can not actually see this shadow wraith, they may spy some damage or havoc it has wrecked in other villages so we can keep track of its progress and guess when it will actually arrive here. The other animals can be told to guard the perimeter of the Inn, fanning out into the orchard and down by the stream. At the very least, it will keep my folk busy. And perhaps someone will see something important and rush back to tell us. What do you think then? Can we help too?"
While most of those nearby could not understanding the meaning of the owl's hoots, it was clear even to these that the bird was quite serious and addressing Mori and Stamo in a very deliberate manner.
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