Intergalactic Summit

That's reasonable, Morwen. But by all means, I'm happy to entertain this futility for as long as it prolongs the visibility of my announcement.

Falcon, Heron, Raven, Rook

One bright autumn day, high on the Kaalakiotia, where the trees cling to the rocks, four feathered friends stood on the branch of a bristling Kresh. Falcon sat at the highest point, where his sharp eyes could see best. Heron was next, where his great wings could best catch the wind. Raven sat lower, where his perch was unseen. And rook sat lowest of all, protected in the branches of the Kresh.

The wind was very stiff, and cold that day. Rook called out to his friends, “Falcon, do you see black clouds?” Raven turned his head and looked across the peaks. “Yes, Rook, I see four clouds. If they come close, I’ll peck out their eyes!” But clouds don’t have eyes.

Rook called out to his friends, “Heron, is the blowing wind cold?” Heron stood tall and opened his mighty wings, and was nearly carried away! He quickly closed them again. “Yes, Rook, very cold. Let’s all stay close on the tree where the wind can’t chase us.” But wind never chases.

Rook called out to his friends, “Raven, do you see any eagles?” Eagle peered out from his shadow, where he was very well hidden, and scanned the rocks and low trees. “No, Rook, there are no eagles. The fields are ours to hunt.” But eagles hide, too.

Raven roused and shook his old feathers. “Take to the air, friends! We fly!” His friends did not know where they flew to, but they trusted Rook, who was oldest and wisest amongst them. So they took to the air, following in the wake of Rooks’ wide pinfeathers.

He turned them southwards. They travelled long, and always the dark clouds and winter wind followed behind.

The skies grew darker all around them as night fell. Falcon cried out, “I will lead us, Rook! I will see the storm clouds in the night and drive us away from them!” Rook fell back and let little Falcon lead them. His bright eyes could see clearly in the dark, and he led his friends around the whirling clouds.

But he was a little bird, the smallest of them, and the wind was hard. He tired quickly when the storm grew and rain started to pelt down on them. Heron cried out, “I will lead us, Falcon! My wings are wide, and I am strong! I will shelter us from the worst of the storm!” Falcon fell behind and let great Heron lead them. His wings caught the air like the white sails of the ships in the harbor, and he rode the cold wind that carried them south.

But Heron was large and majestic, and even from very far away he could be seen when he beat his wings against the wind. Tired Falcon cried out, “Rook! The eagles have come! They’ll knock us from the sky and make meals of us!”

Quiet Raven said nothing, but beat his wings and soared upwards as the four golden Eagles circled. He flew beneath a black cloud and hid beneath its shadow, and when their enemies had begun to close in, Raven let out a mighty cry and fell upon them. He broke their backs and sent them scattering, never to threaten his friends again.

So the four feathered friends flew south, until they came to a green place nestled between two great mountains; a place where the Kemijoki cliffs broke the roaring sea, and where tall ships with white sails found shelter in a hidden bay. The people who lived there loved the birds, and the winter was mild, with food enough to weather the cold in comfort.

Falcon said, “Thank you for leading us south, Rook! The winds are light here, and we can play amongst the tall trading ships.”

Heron said, “Thank you for leading us south, Rook! The ocean is plentiful here, with fish enough to last a lifetime!”

Raven said, “Thank you for leading us south, Rook! The hunting is rich here, with hares and badgers all throughout the fields.”

Rook said, “Thank you for leading us south, friends. This plentiful place is not as wealthy as the friendship in our hearts.”