Owls

Owls appear in the story through Trudy, an owl shapeshifter at Clearwater High. Her flight over the school near midnight establishes an owl’s place in the school’s night-active community, while her apparent infatuation with Jeffrey and her close aerial contest with Wing bring her into the story’s social tensions and student trials.

Identity and Nighttime Presence

Trudy is identified as an owl shapeshifter and is seen flying above Carag as he reaches Clearwater High shortly before midnight. The school permits students to remain awake as long as they arrive punctually for class the next day, accommodating classmates who are active at night or need little sleep. Trudy does not greet Carag as she passes; in his distressed state, he is relieved not to have to talk.

Connection to Jeffrey and the Wolves

Trudy’s attention to Jeffrey becomes notable when Dorian reports that Jeffrey smiled at her while Carag, Holly, and Brandon were away. Trudy blushed and seemed very happy. Holly suspects that Trudy has done everything Jeffrey asked of her, and Carag wonders whether she had been watching them for Jeffrey for some time. The scene raises the possibility that she helped the wolf students keep watch, but it presents this as a suspicion rather than a confirmed account of her actions.

Aerial Contest and Exam Outcome

During the combat examinations, Trudy fights Wing in an aerial bout and loses by a narrow margin. Afterward, she gives Jeffrey an openly admiring look with her round eyes, while he looks elsewhere with apparent boredom. Her brief part in the examination thus combines a competitive showing of her flight with a one-sided gesture of affection: she comes close to victory in the air, but Jeffrey does not return her attention.