Saar

> *"There is nothing left for me here. I have nothing to lose. But then again, I probably never have."*
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> - Saar, *Homebound*
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**Saar**, often referred to by his Heddven alias **Ultimate Spinach**, is a young Short-eared Owl. He appears in the fanfiction *Travellers of Mac'Greer*. Although his story appearances are few and far between, he appears in the majority of the chapters and is pivotal to various plot points.

Saar was created by user Odelayowl.

## Description

Saar has the appearance of a normal short-eared owl, but his black right eye marking appears to droop down a bit. He still bares some of his old Heddven dye, and has a spinach green streak down his chest. He also has ear tufts that are unusually long for a short-eared owl, which became more noticeable later in the story. His claws are mere stubs on his talons, and he's often wearing battle claws over them.

In one drawing he's depicted with some blue dye on the sides of his face, and in another has a long tail and torn brow feathers.

## Etymology

Saar is a name of Hebrew origin, meaning storm. The surname Saar took on later in life, *Novak*, is of German origin and means *newcomer.* Like many of the Heddvens, Saar's hedd name was the moniker of a 60's band: Ultimate Spinach was a psychedelic rock band from Boston.

## History

### **Prequel**

Little is known about Saar's upbringing. He was the oldest son of his mother, Yeumi,  and father, Badru. He had a younger brother named Bedros. Bedros attempted to fly before he was ready, landing on a nearby road. Yeumi flew to his rescue, but both were killed by a car. Badru abandoned Saar, who was barely fledged. Saar ate the mice stored in the hollow, living in isolation for several days, until a band of Heddvens came along and convinced Saar to join them. Saar was dyed in the colours of the Heddvens, and his talons were filed off to show that he was nonviolent. The practise of talon filing stopped after several owls permanently damaged their talons and severed blood vessels. In Saar's case, his talons never fully grew back. Saar was given the Heddven name Ultimate Spinach.

### **London**

Ultimate Spinach is with Fenwyk and his friends when they find Levi, Goth, Aj, Dunn, and Macall, and bring them to the Heddven convention. Levi and his gang stay to the back of the crowd making small talk with Ultimate Spinach, who says he is about as old as Aj. He says that the Heddvens often drink bingle juice and get out of hand. When Goth suddenly attacks Yoshi, the mate of an owl they had met briefly a few days before, Levi yells for his band and Ultimate Spinach to fly away, feeling that Ultimate Spinach felt endangered as well. During the melee, Ultimate Spinach yelled out that his true name was Saar.

Near the end of the chapter, Saar is seen in the forge of Furcata, a female barn owl blacksmith who lived in the celler of an abandoned stone building in London. She is making his special battle claws with needles to emulate his missing claws.

### **War Borne**

Levi and his friends discuss rumours about the ominous owl Jack the Ripper having a son, and about a cult started by Yoshi. They go to a grog bridge to listen to gossip, and hear some owls talking about how the Heddvens "crashed", and that their downfall was caused by "some little bloke named Saar."

Saar, now calling himself Saar Novak, eavesdrops on Roy (a male barn owl) and his mate Yoshi (a female bay owl) talking. Roy tells their son Thaddeus to go and play, inquiring about Yoshi's depressed mood. Saar flies at them, revealing Yoshi has founded a cult where she moonblinks her followers. He also reveals that Yoshi's stepson Jules plans to assassinate both of them with the help of a hireclaw named Goren Ristic.

Powasheek, a distant friend of Yoshi, flies to the south London trading post, warning of a war started by Saar.

### **The Battle of Heddwch**

Saar initiates the battle by slashing at Goren Ristic, and a fight rages between the Heddvens, the Deva Aura Phodilla cult, and Levi's friends. Not much is seen of Saar during the battle, but when Levi meets up with Fenwyk again, Fenwyk points out that Saar's ear tufts, once short like a Short-eared Owl's, have grown out almost as long as those of a Long-eared Owl, and Fenwyk claims that is a sign of gallgrot.

## Gallery

One of the first drawings of SaarUltimate Spinach, the band Saar's hedd name came from