Riddles

[krynn]

Tarak departed from Ebony's presence at the den site and took off at a run. His paws crunching under the snow, and cloud of snowflakes left behind in his wake displayed to any creature aware that a wolf had passed by. Tarak loved running; he loved it even more at night under a starry sky and a full moon to luminate his way.
The bare and not so bare trees passed on either side of him as he sped down a familiar trail, a trail that lead to the Chinokee River. A black feather lay on the snow ahead and Tarak got an idea. He had a few hours before the hunt began, and he wanted to get some business dealt with.
The river neared and Tarak could hear the rushing water and slowed his pace. A few minutes later he broke through the bush line and stepped onto the pebbles that lined the large river. I need to find those damn vermin. Tarak thought as he walked down the waters edge. He didn't need to go far before he heard the deep throated caww’s of the Ravens.
Tarak walked up to them, ears forward and fangs slightly barred, showing the filthy birds that this was no game.
"Ravens! I need your insight." Tarak barked at him. The Ravens glanced his way and began bickering amongst themselves.
After what felt like ages of waiting, the Ravens finally settled on their perches and acknowledged him down below.
"What could a guardian want of us?" The nearest one jested, and the second nodded his head in agreement.
"The forest has an uneasy feeling, a feeling of danger to come. Ebony says that the trees will no longer speak with her. I fear that something larger then the packs might be coming upon us. What can you tell me about the forest and our future, wise ravens?."
There was a pause of silence well the Ravens thought, and then broke out into clamour again. Tarak waited patiently below, knowing that they were discussing what the price of such information would be. After many minutes of wasted time for Tarak he found his annoyance growing, "WHAT SAY YOU? I have not the time to listen to your petty scheming Ravens."

[Kismet]

One of the ravens, an old ratted thing with a missing eye, hopped about his perch and cawed loudly. "It's little! Oh, so little," the bird gurgled, turning his head so that he could see the wolf clearly with his one and only eye. The others joined him in a loud chorus of jumbled croaks and caws. Another younger, but just as loud raven flapped his wings. "Tyranny! Tyranny!" he chirped, and the others once again responded with broken calls and bleating. By this time the older one, the one without an eye glided down to a branch closer to Tarak, croaking.
"Free is not an option, Fourfoot." she said and his head twitched in his common avian way. "Payment is what we seek." The other agreed in their cracked voices before quieting down once again.

"Meat!"
"Shine!"
"Protect!" The birds all rambled their desires, but only One-eye decided.

"No, no," he chirped, shuffling along the branch he perched. "We will speak, but the dog will owe us a debt. Anything we ask."

[krynn]

Tarak looked up at the Ravens for a long while thinking. The one Raven, who seemed to be the leader, had said that he would give the information, but at the price of anything they asked for.
Those damn smart black piece of... Tarak wanted to yell at him. Tarak knew this was a gamble, but was it one he was willing to make? He could easily go back to Ebony and say the birds didn't know anything yet... But at the same time, what if they did? The Ravens didn't care for the future of the packs. They could just fly to new lands.
Looking down into the snow at his feet he guessed at what the smart Raven might want. Blank = Nothing at all.. Tarak heaves a sigh. He hated to admit it every time, but he was at the mercy of birds.
Craning his head up to meet the sets of judgemental black eyes Tarak barked, "I will pay any price you ask wise one."

[Kismet]

The birds fluttered in excitement, black feathers falling to the ground in their haste. "Yes, yes!" they cawed, and then the floodgate opened. A small bird opened his beak to speak, flapping about."It started with one, two, three!" it said, joined by another. "Replaying itself, it says." "It's little!" "They are joining together!" One-eye cawed loudly, and the birds quited for a moment. The old, ragged bird shuffled it's feet, turning it's head and pecking at it's wing before looking back at Tarak with it's good eye.
"You know of the past?" he asked, cocking his head to the side.

"The size is not mattered!' blurted another, though it was silenced with a bite of a beak from a nearby raven. "True," One-eye said, and he scotched closer to Tarak on the branch.

"Your name half back wards,
The one that likes the bald.
When the two come together,
Past will be reborn.
Lies and slander,
Hate from shells and sand and dust.
It was death, Death, DEATH!"

One-eye cawed loudly in his croaking throat which caused another uproar from the frantic birds above. But the bird wasn't finished, though he didn't bother to quiet the caws and brays from the other ravens.

"He is dead but his tyranny still continues.
Pain is your ally and blood is not your friend.
The past can get you no where, but the present is indeed a present!"

"Your reflection, your reflection!" the birds all cawed at once, and one by one they started to depart. Only a few still remained on the withered branches while the other screeched noisily in the sky above.

[krynn]

Tarak was overwhelmed with what he heard from the ravens, and he needed to know more. "Wait! Don’t all go!" he suddenly pleaded, "Can't you make it any clearer? I don't believe what you say can be true..." Tarak was at a loss for words but the ravens wouldn't provide anything more. Tarak bowed his head in thought....


"Your name half backwards, Past will be reborn.
Lies and slander,

...Your reflection, your reflection!" the birds all cawed at once"




Memories Tarak had tried to forget came back to him, his old pack... Constantine... His twin brother! Could Takar really have something to do with this? He should be far behind running the pack with his father. Tarak couldn't recall having been tracked to these new lands. But Takar... he had always been a master at deception and trickery. It was all too much for him to handle at the moment.

"What would you have your price be? Anything you want, I will do."

[Kismet]

One-eye cocked his head and hopped farther up his perch, his leather like talons curling around the thin branch. "Prices, prices, prices." the bird loitered, snapping his black beak at the air. "What price shall we ask, Fourfoot? Something of consequence or perhaps..." the bird froze in place and then cawed loudly. The others that circled above replied with numerous gurgles and shrills.

"Tssk, tssk, tsssssk," the raven hissed, clucking like a squirrel. "Now is not the time for payment. Later when the past is no longer the future.." he began to ramble, and again he began to speak in riddles. "Tok, tok, the clock is ticking! You wolves, who's howl sounds like the singing of whales; Fenris is among you once again!" And with that one final cry, old One-eye flew from the tree, torn feathers falling into the snow.

"Tok, tok, tok!" they all cried before flying away, just as they did before when Tarak had first chased them away.