Four and Twenty Blackbirds

Mist lingered along the ground of the mangroves. The sun had yet to break but already the horizon was lightening. As always, Éldi was up and about procuring breakfast. Well, that had been the plan but one distraction after another led him well out of his way into a lovely mangrove forest. He loved the way the water caressed the roots of the trees and found the process of walking along the roots to be good practice for ones balance.

He was maneuvering around a particularly large tree when rustling and chattering caught his attention. Éldi looked up and was stunned into silence. The tree appeared to be alive! It's leaves rustled, the branches shifted and thousands of eyes appeared to the be peeking through the leaves. His fur stood straight on end. What had he just run into? He swiftly tipped back his head and called for Valkyrie, hoping she was still in ear shot. Surely he'd know what this was. The sudden noise of the howl sent the birds scattering. Thousands of them burst forth from the tree and into the sky.