“Ipzitch! We’re losing ground!” Nicholas screeches.

Ipzitch looks around. Owls implode and explode around him, blood splattering out and hitting owls, frogs and wolves alike. The owl next to him glowed red, and with a heart-rending scream, exploded.

Blood splatters his face.

“What do we do?” Nicholas screeches. “Death Flier is right there!”

Ipzitch considers his options. He relates his new plan to Nicholas.

“Are you daft? The orbs are the reason we are defeating them!”

“No! The orbs are only hindering us. The reason why we are losing is because combined, we have the force of ten thousand orbs! Lord Toto’s found a way to corrupt our orbs.”

Nicholas pays heed to this, and commands his troops to drop their orbs. Immediately, the tide of the battle surged in their favor. Ipzitch and Nicholas lead the United Forces of the Forest to the throne room.

“Ipzitch. The legendary Arboc Owl. What a pleasure it is to meet you.” Death Flier hisses.

“The same cannot be said for me, Lord Toto. What has happened to you and your grand state in 5 years?” Ipzitch replies.

“Purification,” he spits. “Death to those who are not pure Southerlings. Death to those who are not loyal to the throne.”

An owl lands next to Ipzitch and hisses. It throws itself onto him, blade drawn.

The owl falls, a gash in its chest.

“Loyal until the point of death?” he asks, covered in blood.

“More than you, brother.” he hisses and strikes hard, catching Ipzitch by surprise.

Ipzitch stands back up.

“Hmmm. You're… weaker than before,” Toto taunts.

Another swing. Another strike.

“Missing something, Ipzitch?” he taunts. “Perhaps an orb?”

Cackling he glows red and teleports behind Ipzitch, knocking him down.

“Old fool. The orbs are the only way to power! I would have thought 5 years of suffering would have bought that.”

But his next slam with his claws is blocked easily.

“In those 5 years, I learned something different.” he replies, striking hard with his blade, swiping Toto’s wing.

“Power comes not from orbs, but from your heart.”

Toto cackles and strikes once, twice and again and again with more fury and hatred with each strike, clawing and slashing, striking and blowing. But with every hit, came more precise blocks, and finally a counter attack.

Ipzitch swipes his wing, knocking Toto off his feet.

Grumbling as he got up, he took to flying up, but Ipzitch tailed him like a hawk.

Meanwhile, around them chaos ensued. Spys started betraying, and suddenly, there was more of the enemy than good. That was until the doors burst down and wolves and frogs fighting joined the mix. It was impossible to tell enemy from foe.

Striking down Northern Owls as he flew, Toto dived and sideswiped, gliding in between rocks. Ipzitch was catching up.

“You time is done old man!” Toto suddenly screeched, going into a vertical dive and jumping onto Ipzitch, biting him and clawing his wings into a mess. Ipzitch turned around and fell to the ground.

Looking behind him to see if anyone followed him, Toto dived down and headed straight for Ipzitch, claws down. Ipzitch looked around and held up a sword, closing his eyes.

He closed his eyes.

The blade of Toto flushed down upon Ipzitch and he stuck his sword up stabbing him in the wing. He stood up and pushed him down into a ravine.

Immediately, with the death of their leader, the Southern Owls fled. In place of his brother's deathbed, Ipzitch picks up the orb of his dead brother. Glowing blue.