Foreshadowing - N43, B7, N33

[ignoblebard.livejournal.com]

B2MeM Challenge: N43 Weather - Sleet, B7 - All Creatures Foul and Fair: Crebain, N33 - Four Words Drabble: gang, remarkable, blackberry, nicety
Format: Drabble
Rating: General
Summary: Radagast loves birds

Radagast tossed a blackberry into the air, laughing with delight as the bird deftly caught it, acknowledging the nicety with bow. Remarkable creatures were crows, hardy and clever, though these of Dunland were especially so. They roamed the local offal heaps in gangs and flew in flocks several hundred strong through even rain and sleet. With sight almost keen as an eagle, high intelligence, and the ability to recognize and distinguish human faces and voices, they were perfect for the task at hand.

“Gather your flock and fly with all speed to Isengard. Saruman the White has need of you.”

Comments

[huinare.livejournal.com]

Ooh, nice moment to pick for these prompts. Crebain are intriguing creatures, as is Radagast (and Istari in general). I like the detail about recognizing different human faces and voices.

[ignoblebard.livejournal.com]

Thanks huinare, I appreciate your comments. I was reading that crows can recognize individual humans and thought that was fascinating. I'm kind of an unofficial bird watcher. And Radagast is a character with a lot of interesting possibilities.

[ladyelleth.livejournal.com]

Oh, very nice spin! It makes the Crebain as enemy servants even sadder than it already is.

[ignoblebard.livejournal.com]

Thanks ladyelleth. I'm glad you like this. I don't know if it's canon that Radagast sent the birds to Saruman but it's sad they were used the way they were.

[ignoblebard.livejournal.com]

Thanks olorime. You're so sweet. I like Radagast and his relationship with birds and thought it would make a good drabble with the Crebain. Thanks for giving it the once over before I posted it too. :-)

[heartofoshun.livejournal.com]

Oh, nice! But now all I can think of is the ravens in A Game of Thrones. They are an awesome postal service and used to great effect in the filming and then there is one particular raven with a big part.

This is a great short-short.

[ignoblebard.livejournal.com]

Thanks Oshun. Crows and ravens are very smart, and can even be taught to talk, so it's no surprise they would make great messengers. I really appreciate your comments.

[pandemonium-213.livejournal.com]

I really like this, IgBee! Needless to say, the nod to the natural history of crows went over very well with me. Radagast is absolutely right. They are perfect for the task, and I like the implications that Radagast knew more than what Gandalf presumed.

Have you seen this?

A Murder of Crows (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/a-murder-of-crows/full-episode/5977/)

It's a documentary on crows that aired on PBS (Nature) a couple of years ago. It's well worth watching. The crows are called "feathered apes." That's about right. They are wicked smart and demonstrate behaviors similar to ours.

[ignoblebard.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much! I haven't seen that documentary but I was reading crows have more highly developed brains than other birds and they do some incredible things, as one who takes the time to observe them will see. I like Radagast too. He got kind of a raw deal with Tolkien and I think the other wizards underestimated him, including Gandalf. He turned out to be rather important to the story, albeit in an indirect way.

[hhimring]

Rather a sad moment of mutual unintentional betrayal? Or at any rate, that's how it strikes me...
He sends these wonderful birds to Saruman and Saruman sets them against him (even if they don't act against Radagast directly).

[ignoblebard.livejournal.com]

Thanks for your comments himring. Both the birds and Radagast were betrayed in this scenario.

[keiliss.livejournal.com]

Sad and a bit creepy and I can't define why I think Radagast knows exactly what he's doing, but I do. A great short-short description of some wonderful birds.

[ignoblebard.livejournal.com]

Thanks Keiliss. I think Radagast thought he was helping and inadvertently he and the birds caught up in Saruman's evil schemes.

[lindahoyland.livejournal.com]

A very clever drabble

[ignoblebard.livejournal.com]

Thanks Linda. I'm glad you like it.

[blslarner.livejournal.com]

Oh, dear, I suspect he will rue this request one day when he realizes to what use they've been put! Well done!

[ignoblebard.livejournal.com]

Thanks for your comments Larner. It would make an interesting story to see Radagast's reaction when he found out what Saruman was up to.

[engarian.livejournal.com]

Oh dear, Radagast. Poor idea!

- Erulisse (one L)

[ignoblebard.livejournal.com]

Thanks Erulisse. I appreciate your comments.