The owl perched high in the trees, watching the forest below below. It struggled to focus, though.
The familiar was tasked with scouting for his wizard’s enemies, but its instincts screamed to hunt prey among the undergrowth. Powerful magic and ancient instincts warred within it’s mind.
The bird froze, sensing movement below. A squirrel scampered onto a fallen log. The owl watched, magic constraining muscles trying to tense for flight.
Suddenly, the squirrel spat a gout of flame into the trees. The owl dodged and dived, descending on the familiar of his wizard’s rival.
Sometimes, desires could be in concert.

“Great Horned Owl” by brendan.lally….away is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

Everyday Drabbles © 2026 by Hugh J. O’Donnell is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

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