A Tail of Friends

A Tail of Friends

                                                                                       April 27 2022

Much More than an ‘Unkindness’

Our guiding-circle in the sky was nearly full last night; another three hot-circle journeys and we will reach where my new human friend, Brian wants to meet us. It was a tough sell to get four other ravens to leave the mountains and deserts of New Mexico. Joe and I are from the same unkindness, the others are from different flocks. The memory of our unsuccessful adventure into the east, two full guiding-circles ago, was enough to keep the others in their current nests. The six of us all shared a highly adventurous spirit; we wanted to explore a land with trees, rivers, lakes, and large dead animals that I had seen in the human movies. Along with Brian’s description and convincing words, I knew this long journey would be rewarding. I have to admit, I was worried about finding enough to eat along the way, but between what we found on the roads and along the many rivers we crossed, we had plenty. It was a refreshing change from trying to find a rotting carcass in the desert, settling for dried insects and an occasional vulture egg. We will all miss the baby tortoises though. We looked healthy; our eyes are black and bright. I can sense increasing excitement as we follow the large river toward our destination. Joe was a big help in convincing two members of our newly formed unkindness to start life in a new land. Queek-clik-clik had yet to see two full hot-circle journeys across the sky and crok-clik-clik had seen three; one less than me. I convinced clik-queek-cawk and one female; nuk-clak-wonk, that the land of trees and water described by my human friend Brian, had many ravens, plenty of big animals, and fun things to do. Joe and I have taken human names. I selected my name, Poe, the author of a book I read at a dump last year. I believe Brian was using his bird brain when he told me of the opportunities northern Minnesota. We are all looking forward to a new adventure and meeting some fun, smart tails of a feather.

I soared up with the help of a draft and the others followed me. When we were all together, I started a dive toward an open area next to some large trees. Joe helped keep the others in line as usual. I reminded myself to use the name ‘Joe’ instead of his raven name, clak-clak-wonk, when we meet up with Brian. I will have to figure out how to give human-like names to the rest of us. Perhaps we might be able to teach Brian our language.

I couldn’t resist doing some flips and spins on my way down, watching the wisps of clouds stream off the tips of my wings and moving so fast I had to close my eyes. We were high enough to do several spins and flips. I could see each of us was enjoying their own acrobatics. Large blasts of upward air kept us from colliding with the ground as we streaked toward the earth. After falling far enough, we glided into a field of tall leafy stalks. One by one we landed gracefully. A small group of crows took flight as we disrupted their lunch. They were not happy seeing us and will probably return with huge numbers of their murders to attack us. No matter, we won’t be here long.

I called out to queek-clik-clik, he was walking too far away from our group. He had what looked like a dead mouse in his beak and was heading toward a hole in a tree. No doubt he intends to hide it in the hole. Flying up and landing on a branch next to the hole, he looked back at us; making sure we weren’t watching where he was going to cache his prize. “Quork, quork, clak, queek, quork,” I called to tell him he is stupid to think he would come back here to eat his catch. We are still far away from our final destination. He called back, brkk, clak, clak, quork, quork, after chewing the head off the mouse. He dropped the rest into the hole and flew back to our group.

A sudden movement caught my eye. Crawling along a yellow upright log bound to one of the stalks was a green worm. I flew a short distance and snatched it in flight. Yum, yum. It was very tasty. I landed next to the stalk and holy desert lizard! There were dozens of that green worm’s buddies all over other yellow logs! I called out to the rest; “cawk, cawk, quork, quork, quork, clik!” Everyone picked up their heads and took the short flight to where I was picking off those yummy green worms and swallowing them. We busied ourselves eating the scrumptious little greenies, flapping our wings and calling out in loud “clak clak quork” sounds. That was the biggest meal we had together since we left our desert mountains.

After having our fill of the greenies we walked over to a small pool of water, spread out in a circle and took our time taking sips of the water from the pool. “Quork, quork, cawk, clik, queek, clak”, we uttered to each other in small talk while digesting our meals. We were having a pleasant time but with the hot-circle climbing higher in the sky, we needed to get on with our journey.

“CAW, CAW, CAW, CLIK, CLIK, CAW!”

The nasty crows returned in large numbers in their murders and were circling us, screaming their calls. I jumped up and called to the others, “quork, quork, brkk, brkk!” We flew together, away from the large crow circle, up over treetops. We managed to outdistance them, but it took many flaps of our wings. Three or four crows, half our size, were dive bombing us, but we got away. One persistent crow followed Joe up and attacked him. Joe was too smart. He quickly flipped upside down while flying and scratched the much smaller black-nasty with his claws. The attacker flew off; Joe righted himself and joined us. Joe understood human-speak from our last journey, so I congratulated him by yelling; “Quick work, Joe!”

He responded, “quork clik!"

That was the end of the battle but not the war between us and crows. We continued our journey on the right side of the hot-circle, hoping there will be fewer of our nasty crow cousins when we get to Brian’s land.

It Has to be Them!

“Brian, you have to tell me what is going on between you and those ravens!” Nina shouted.

The moment of truth has arrived, I have to tell Nina about Poe. “Nina, you promise not to tell anyone, I mean anyone, about what I am about to tell you. Do you promise?”

“YES, of course. We have kept secrets before, please tell me!”

Nana, my VW, was cruising along as we followed the road back to Montapielier, Minnesota. She seemed to be running quieter than her usual growling motor noise, as if she wanted to hear the story too. Nana was with me at the Kansas River Park last June, so she saw what happened. I didn’t tell her any more than what she saw; after all, she is a motor vehicle not a person.

“Nina, do you remember when I was on my southern journey a month or so ago?”

“Of course. You called me from Vicksburg I think.”

“Yes. A few days before I called you, I was staying at a KOA campground in Kansas. I took a day trip to the nearby Kansas River to relax by the river and listen to some tunes on Nana’s 8-track player. I was listening to The Beatles ‘White Album’ and nodding off a bit in my chair by the river. Something startled me so I looked over toward a big rock on my right. A large black bird landed on the rock and sat there looking at me. I stared back at him and figured out it was a raven, too big for a crow. Suddenly, while staring at me, it opened its beak and started talking!”

Nina interrupted, “I knew that ravens are great mimics and can be taught to speak several words.”

“Yes, but this raven didn’t just speak random words. He told me his name was Poe and spoke in complete sentences like we are now. He told me he learned how to speak English by attending outdoor movies with subtitles. He listened to the actors speaking and read the subtitled words.”

“That is amazing, what did Poe talk to you about?”

“He was philosophical and seemed to know what I was seeking on my journey. He told me to make sure I kept all the good features of my character as I tried to eliminate my problems.”

“He knew about your dyslexic spelling problem! How is that possible?”

“No, silly. How would he know that? I didn’t tell him about my spelling problem either. He just seemed to know I was seeking to solve a problem. I must have had a searching look on my face, I don’t really know. I didn’t tell him any specifics. He told me he also had to struggle with his problem or gift of being a very unique raven."

“Poe told me he saw three Brians; one who used to be, one who is, and one who will be. Poe seemed to know my personality and character traits. He cautioned me not to lose those as I went about figuring how to rid myself of problems that I was dealing with. You know the main problem I have.”

“He told you those things after just meeting you? You were a stranger to him. What am I saying? You have me believing a raven was talking to you like we are now!”

“I don’t blame you for thinking that I might be loony. After my conversation with Poe, I felt it could have been a dream for I had fallen out of my chair and was lying on the ground. Poe could be real because our conversation made so much sense. I didn’t care whether it was or wasn’t because his words were in my head; it didn’t matter who put them there.”

“Brian, just by the way you describe your meeting with Poe, I am convinced it really happened! It’s the most amazing tale I have heard since the frog turned into a prince in Cinderella, but your story isn’t a fairy tale.”

“No, Nina. It could be a phairy tale, but it isn’t and there is more. Help me pay attention to Nana’s driving while I tell you. Poe told me he was a member of a group of ten ravens looking for new homes east of Kansas. After wondering if my meeting with him at the Kansas River was a dream or not, I started thinking I might see him again. One night at a drive-in movie near Montgomery, he surprised the heck out of me when his voice came over the car speaker system! He was watching another movie for the hearing impaired on the screen next to mine and noticed my VW van. He said things weren’t going well as far as their new home hunt. I told him I had solved my spelling problem without sacrificing my character and he was very happy for me. We said good-bye after our brief conversation, but he promised he would bring me some roadkill or a shiny object for saving one of his ravens during my trip to Montgomery. That told me he intended to see me some time in the future, I wasn’t sure when or where that would be.”

“Brian, if I didn’t know you well, I would jump out of this van the next time we stop and hitchhike my way back to Montapielier. It is simply amazing! No wonder you were so excited when you saw the ravens flying over our picnic spot. If those are Poe’s group, what are they doing up in Minnesota?”

“Well, hang on Little Miss Muffet!”

“I returned to the KOA campground on my way back to Montapielier and spent a few days at the river where Poe and I first met. I hoped for a chance to see him again and tell him about an idea I had. On the third day at the river, I was ready to give up when late in the afternoon, suddenly there he was in the treetop! I was ecstatic! He brought me a shiny object – a gold bracelet – that he swiped from a flea market vendor. I was glad he didn’t get me a roadkill; his other choice as a gift for saving one of his ravens several days before. I have the bracelet in my bedroom right now. We talked a while about our experiences since we had seen each other at the Sel-Mar drive in. Since Poe told me he decided not to relocate his unkindness east of the Kansas River, I suggested that he and other ravens come up to Minnesota. I told him of the large forests, lakes and rivers which put a shine into his eyes. Poe was excited. He would speak with his unkindness in New Mexico when he, and what was left of his eastern scouting party, returned home from Kansas. It would be a complex thirty-day trip to Minnesota, but I suggested a way they could navigate by the moon and the rivers.

I believe what you and I saw at the park an hour ago was his flock heading up to Grand Rapids to rendezvous with me on July 29. July 29 will have a full moon and Grand Rapids is near the head of the Mississippi River. The river and the moon have guided their journey. It has to be them!!!”

A Raven Reunion

The moon was breaking over the smaller trees as I parked Nana in a small turn-off area inside of the Reserve. The Mississippi River was a stone’s throw away and flowing toward the rising moon. The sun had not yet set but its light reflecting off the moon began to dominate the sky.

I left Nana with my flashlight and folding chair. After struggling through a patch of tall grass and stirring up biting insects, I set up the chair close to the river and waited for the sun to turn the sky completely over to the moon.

The music of the night was warming up, like orchestral instruments tuning before a concert. Birds squawking, owls hooting, frogs croaking, crickets singing, and what seemed like dogs barking were all part of the show. I sat watching as the bright full moon rose higher. Against the other night noises, I heard a familiar series of calls.

“Quork, quork, queek, clik, clik, clik.”

I listened closely; “quork, quork, queek, kek, kek.”

Those are raven calls! Where are they? Could they be from Poe and his gang? I got up from my chair and walked toward the sounds. The calls started again; “quork, quork queek, quonk.” They were coming from tall pine trees.

Suddenly a huge silhouette of a bird flew into the face of the white full moon, its wings wider than the moon’s circle. Flapping its wings several times, the giant black bird glided right toward me! I could see its magnificent moonlit black, sleek feathery head and fully outstretched wings. Its eyes appeared as white round circles, disappearing as it turned away from the moon. About ten feet away it suddenly pushed its wings backwards as if to put on its brakes.

“Quork, quork, queek, Brian, it’s me, Poe!”

Poe came at me with his claws outstretched, looking to land somewhere on me or maybe the ground. I raised my arm to protect my face; Poe took the opportunity to land on my forearm.

“Ow, ow!” I yelped. Poe brought in his wings after he landed on my arm.

“Sorry, Brian. There was nowhere else to land.”

I was so excited to see him that I had tears in my eyes. Poe was large for a raven, with sleek black feathery tufts on his neck and black shiny eyes. I stroked his head and scratched his neck, “so so glad to see you and thanks for making that long journey, my feathery friend.”

I kissed him on his beak while we just stared at each other. As Poe sat on my arm, I noticed his tail feathers were swishing back and forth. I figured that was a happy sign, like my dog’s tail wagging. Poe jumped off from my arm onto my shoulder.

“Is that better, Brian?”

“Yes, much.”

“Six of us had a fantastic journey, Brian. We followed the rivers and the guiding- circle just like you told us to. Only one brief run in with some crows. We have only been here one day and love it, exactly as you described. The others are in the trees around here, watching us no doubt. We are a wary bunch. Once you get to know us though, you will find we are friendly and fun to be around. Probably like you humans, we have some nasty behaviors and a few altogether nasty birds. None of us here are like that so you don’t have to worry, I wing-picked our whole bunch. Wait here, I will coax the others to come down and meet you.”

Poe jumped off from my shoulder and flew into the trees. I had the feeling it was going to be a terribly exciting night!