New Recruit

“I don’t like it,” said the first raven.

“I know. But you’ll do it, nonetheless,” the second raven said. “We’ve got orders.”

“Orders, aye. But I don’t have to like them.”

“You seldom like our orders, Huginn. The Allfather knows it.”

“And I know he knows,” Huginn said. “But I still don’t like them.”

“Well, that’s what you get when the prophecies are all wrong: a lot of work for everybody, and some people who have to think of their retirement.”

“Ha!” Huginn crowed. “Failed Ragnarök was fun, hey, Muninn? Remember when Surtr fell so easily?”

“Yes, the look in Loki’s eyes!” Muninn said. “I laugh whenever I remember it!”

“Oh, I still think Baldr even wanted to apologize!”

Muninn and Huggin cawed together with mirth. They regained their composure when they saw a third raven approaching.

“Here he is,” Huginn said. “Who’s this one? Looks too young to me.”

Even though he knew Huginn already knew the answer, Muninn decided to humour his companion and stared at the newcomer, feigning an effort to recognize him.

“He’s at least six hundred, you grouch. That’s Stan.”

“Stan?” Huginn managed to sound scandalized. “Odin’s beard, since when is that an appropriate name for a raven? Stan! I tell you, I’m leaving right this moment!”

“You’re going nowhere and you know it. He’s landing. Now behave!”

Stan flapped his wings and landed smoothly in the branch directly below that where Huginn and Muninn were perched. He actually curtseyed, which was no small feat for a raven.

“I salute you, my Elders,” Stan said.

“At least he knows his manners,” Huggin mumbled. Muninn’s stare silenced him.

“Greetings, Stan,” Muninn said. “We appreciate your effort for being here. Are you ready for your evaluation?”

“I am, Elder.”

“Here’s your task, then,” Muninn said.

“Go to the mere ten minutes to the North,” Huginn took over, now all business. “Observe. Then come back.”

Stan bowed, and left without a single word.

“He didn’t ask for how long, did he?” Muninn said.

Hugin only grunted.

***

“He’s back,” Muninn said.

Huginn stopped picking at the fig he was eating and gazed in the distance. He also recognized the small spot as Stan’s characteristic flight. He snorted, “Hrmph. I still don’t understand why we have to step down. I can distinguish that’s Stan as if it was our first day in the field.”

“Because the Allfather is retiring, that’s why. And new blood needs new blood. And you already know all this.”

Huggin jumped from one leg to the other and angrily kicked the fig down the tree, but he said nothing more.

The spot continued approaching and slowly resolved into the raven form of Stan, who extended his wings to gently glide down and land once more before Huginn and Muninn.

“I salute you, my Elders,” he said again with another bow.

Without preamble, Muninn asked:

“What did you see?”

“I saw the water surface, and the trees by the mere, and an abandoned human abode. I saw no animal or person, no Aesir or creature. I waited, and finally something stirred the surface, for a circular wave was forming, like the one when a drop falls on water, but there had been no drop.”

“What happened?” Huginn said.

“Nothing, Elder. I waited and watched, and the surface slowly calmed and smoothed back.”

“You may go now,” Huginn said.

***

“I like him,” Huginn said. “Only observations, no speculations. No frustration because of the fact that nothing happened. He’s good, and you know it.”

“I know!” Muninn squawked in frustration. “But Stan? Odin’s beard, Stan?”

~~~~

This is my entry for the Weekly Writing Exercise: August 17–23, 2015 at theWriter’s Discussion Group in Google+.

I am very happy with how this entry turned out. It was one of those rare instances when the prompt immediately gave me the seed of the idea, and it all developed smoothly from there.

The rest of the entries this week, however, where brilliant! Check them out, the link is up there.