The crow had quite forgotten how revitalizing elvish food could be. He had been quite tired when he first came to the stable to find the Ranger. Now he found himself wide awake and thinking about how he might gather information on these so-called Messengers. He supposed he could wait until they made it further East, but knowing hobbits and their ability to be distracted, he would probably be a greying, bedraggled oldster before any of them made it this far.
He sighed. 'Nothing to do, then,' he told himself, 'but to start toward them.' He ruffled his feathers and flapped his wings a few times to stretch them.
He glided silently from the stable and out into the night. The bright half moon was his only companion, as he flew westward, over the Misty Mountains, cold and silent beneath him.
Tired at last, he dropped down lower to spy out a safe place to catch a few hours sleep. A large tree invited him closer, and he made his way to a well hidden branch in the midst of it.
The smell of a campfire, now died down to glowing embers, came to him. He noted the forms of two small figures lying next to it. 'Well!' he said to himself. 'It seems I've found me some hobbits. I'll just wait here til they awaken and then see what they are up to.' He settled himself down on the branch, and was just ready to tuck his head beneath a wing, when an ember from the fire blazed up a little, and the fallen metal tube glinted for just a brief moment in the flame.
One moment was enough to catch the curious crow's eye. 'What's this?' he said, now coming wide awake. 'A pretty thing, if ever I've seen one!'
He glided down toward the ground, making his way toward the tin tube. His attention was wholly engaged by the prize, now easily within his reach.
[ September 14, 2002: Message edited by: piosenniel ]
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Eldest, that’s what I am . . . I knew the dark under the stars when it was fearless - before the Dark Lord came from Outside.
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