A Tale of Tails
Dec. 16th, 2012 03:17 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bardiphoukaWritten for ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
brigits_flame
Prompt..tall tales
Genre...fiction
WC...476
Before Raven was a teller of tales, he had a tail.
Well, yes, I know he has a tail, but this was the Tail of Tails. Other birds would bring their hatchlings to look and admire at Raven's tail. Male peacocks would fold their tails and slink sadly away. For Raven's tail was not only extraordinarily long, but it also combined within the feathers all the colours of the rainbow.
What? Well of course Raven is black. A wonderful black full of luster. He wasn't always though. But that is a story with a dragon in it. A dragon with a bad tooth. But that is for a different time.
As it happens, it was on a day much like today, far too warm for the time of the year. Badger had come out to enjoy the warm rain and Raven had taken shelter under a pine tree. They began talking, which to them generally meant they were soon arguing.
Raven was usually one for having the last word, but today he just wanted to get out of the rain and have a nice mug of something warm to drink. So in the middle of the argument he began walking away.
Badger of course , was having nothing to do with that, no not at all. Quick as a. well quick as a badger, he reached out and chomped down on Raven's tail to keep him from leaving.
Needless to say, Raven was rather upset by this turn of events. He tried and tried but he could not pull loose. Finally he twisted and turned and stabbed Badger with his beak so that he would let go. Alas, what happened is that he chomped down again in reflex and bit clean through all of Raven's lovely feathers.
Badger felt ever so guilty about having bitten through Raven's wonderful tale. Raven, on the other hand, was feeling rather odd.
You see, Raven's tale was wonderful , and nigh unto newsworthy in its brilliance. But it did have one drawback Because of its length, it kept Raven earthbound. But now that it was merely handsome, or so thought Raven, he found himself able to fly. He was so enthralled by this that he and Badger became friends, and he learned that sometimes not trying to get the last word in can lead to unexpected results.
It was only natural that people began asking Raven what had happened to his tail of renown. Because he and Badger were now friends, he did not want to give people the wrong idea. So was started the official tale of Raven's tail, which involved a talking mushroom and a ship on the Great Lakes crammed with demon pirates, led by Capt Coyote.
And so it was that Raven lost his tall tail and told his first tall tale on the same day.
A.N. Even though there is a dragon in this story, it is not a story for dragon lovers about to have birthdays. That story would be the one that is not told here.
brigits_flamePrompt..tall tales
Genre...fiction
WC...476
Before Raven was a teller of tales, he had a tail.
Well, yes, I know he has a tail, but this was the Tail of Tails. Other birds would bring their hatchlings to look and admire at Raven's tail. Male peacocks would fold their tails and slink sadly away. For Raven's tail was not only extraordinarily long, but it also combined within the feathers all the colours of the rainbow.
What? Well of course Raven is black. A wonderful black full of luster. He wasn't always though. But that is a story with a dragon in it. A dragon with a bad tooth. But that is for a different time.
As it happens, it was on a day much like today, far too warm for the time of the year. Badger had come out to enjoy the warm rain and Raven had taken shelter under a pine tree. They began talking, which to them generally meant they were soon arguing.
Raven was usually one for having the last word, but today he just wanted to get out of the rain and have a nice mug of something warm to drink. So in the middle of the argument he began walking away.
Badger of course , was having nothing to do with that, no not at all. Quick as a. well quick as a badger, he reached out and chomped down on Raven's tail to keep him from leaving.
Needless to say, Raven was rather upset by this turn of events. He tried and tried but he could not pull loose. Finally he twisted and turned and stabbed Badger with his beak so that he would let go. Alas, what happened is that he chomped down again in reflex and bit clean through all of Raven's lovely feathers.
Badger felt ever so guilty about having bitten through Raven's wonderful tale. Raven, on the other hand, was feeling rather odd.
You see, Raven's tale was wonderful , and nigh unto newsworthy in its brilliance. But it did have one drawback Because of its length, it kept Raven earthbound. But now that it was merely handsome, or so thought Raven, he found himself able to fly. He was so enthralled by this that he and Badger became friends, and he learned that sometimes not trying to get the last word in can lead to unexpected results.
It was only natural that people began asking Raven what had happened to his tail of renown. Because he and Badger were now friends, he did not want to give people the wrong idea. So was started the official tale of Raven's tail, which involved a talking mushroom and a ship on the Great Lakes crammed with demon pirates, led by Capt Coyote.
And so it was that Raven lost his tall tail and told his first tall tale on the same day.
A.N. Even though there is a dragon in this story, it is not a story for dragon lovers about to have birthdays. That story would be the one that is not told here.
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no subject
Date: 2012-12-17 11:48 am (UTC)Dragons' tales?... ah they're for sitting by the fireside with a glass or two of Strongbow beside you.
no subject
Date: 2012-12-19 09:46 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-12-22 05:07 am (UTC)