My Crow Management RPG

[The Barrow-Wight]

The great Isengard crow horde of Akaaw flew westward like a great stormcloud, climbing ever higher as the mountains below rose to touch the endless sky. The dark trees of Fangorn were now nothing more than a dark smudge in the distance behind them, and every crow pushed forward without a backwards glance. Every crow but Akaaw and, when he thought no one would notice, Mitakaw. A revered creban had been left behind, and his presence was missed very much by everyone, especially those he had been closest to.

Pip’kha floated silently back to Akaaw and waited until the older crow acknowledged him with a throaty croak.

“Mitakaw is too proud to admit the pain of his father’s loss,” said the young bird, “and too proud to fall behind to look for him.”

“Too, true,” hissed Akaaw. “The sparrow is a victim of his own ambition and unwilling to risk his position.”

He gave Pip’kha a long, piercing glance, and asked, “Are you afraid of risk?”

“Craaakaa, no!” answered the bird, forcefully. “Chief, you know I value the murder over feather and beak.”

He waited, but Akaaw remained silent. There was an obvious command in the question, and Pip’kha decided it needed to be out in the open.

“Shall I rescue the honor of the horde, and perhaps the father of the foolish son?”

“Yes,” whispered Akaaw, nodding approval. “I was not able to confirm that Sparrowbane was dead, and I had no chance to return to him. A terrible situation. Please, take a few of your birds back and find him, alive or not. I will slow the murder’s progress and halt early this day.”

He motioned to the west. “ Do you see the gleaming lake far ahead of us?”

Many leagues away, nestled among the high western foothills of the Misty Mountains, lay a long finger of dark water.

“That is where we will be. “Find us there at nightfall.”

“We’ll be there,” said Pip’kha.

[ January 27, 2003: Message edited by: The Barrow-Wight ]