Owling by lightofthetrees

Chapter 1

Written for the "Naturalist's Guide to Middle-earth" challenge, using the owls prompt.

Loosely inspired by a childhood memory of reading the book Owl Moon by Jane Yolen. 

Read Chapter 1

Celebrían was just about to drift off to sleep when she heard the scream outside. The rasping screech tore through the chilly night air and sent such a powerful shiver up the elfling’s spine that she immediately sat up in bed, clutching the blankets to her chest.

Her pale blue eyes were wide as they turned towards the window. She had never heard anything like that—what kind of monster could have made such a sound? Was it one of the dark creatures from the ancient land that had sunk into the sea? A spirit that had escaped the Halls of Mandos to torment the living?

Another scream made her yelp and pull the covers up over her head. That time, it had been so close she feared that whatever had made it might see her through the window.

As she hid, she tried her best to calm herself and plan her escape. She had to go and find her ada, to warn him!

Once a few minutes had passed without another scream, Celebrían leapt from her bed, pulling the topmost blanket behind her, and bolted to the door of her room before taking off down the hallway towards the column of light coming from her father’s study.

---

 

“Ada, could I stay in here with you? There’s a…something outside my room.”

Celeborn stopped writing and looked up to see a small, silver-haired figure in the doorway, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders and trailing behind her like a long cape. Little Celebrían’s face shone with tears, and her feet were bare. Whatever had frightened her had chased her out of her room without her slippers.

“A something?” Celeborn said, setting down his quill and making his way across the study to her. He knelt, bringing himself down to her height.

Celebrían nodded. “Or maybe a someone. It was screaming, Ada!” She threw her arms around Celeborn and buried her face in his shoulder.

As he returned her hug and kissed the top of her head, he wondered what in Arda it was she could have heard. The poor child was shaking like a leaf in a storm wind!

“You’re safe now, little one,” he assured her, and she seemed to calm a little, though she still sniffled.

“Was it a monster?” Celebrían asked quietly, as if she feared whatever it was would know if she spoke about it aloud. 

“Surely not,” Celeborn said. “Perhaps it was simply the wind whistling through the eaves of the house.” It had been a breezy day—not so unusual for early spring.

Celebrían shook her head and hugged her father tighter. “No! It was screaming louder than anything I’ve ever heard. It has to be a monster!”

Celeborn wondered briefly whether Celebrían had had some strange vision—perhaps she took after her mother in that respect—but then it occurred to him. He’d heard a scream-like sound only a day or two ago, around dusk, and he’d thought little of it except that there must be a barn owl somewhere nearby. But for someone who didn’t know where such a noise had come from, especially a child…

“Ah! I know what you heard,” he said. “And it was no monster. Just an owl.”

Celebrían peered up at him, her tiny brows knitted together in a frown. “Owls are supposed to hoot.”

“You’re right,” Celeborn said. “Some do hoot. But there are many different owl calls. This one was probably a barn owl.”

Her eyes narrowed, suspicious, and for a moment she looked so like her mother that Celeborn nearly laughed. “Are you sure?” she asked.

“I cannot know for certain unless I hear it myself,” Celeborn admitted. “But tomorrow there will be a full moon, and it will be perfect for owling.”

The wariness was replaced by slowly dawning curiosity. “Owling? What’s that?”

“Looking for owls. There could be some nesting nearby—if we go for a walk at night, we might be able to see them.”

Celebrían considered the idea for a moment. “Won’t it be past my bedtime?”

“Yes.”

“But we can go anyway?”

“Yes.”

She gave another sniff and then smiled. “All right.”

---

 

Celebrían was still wary of her own room, so she spent the night curled up in her parents’ bed in a nest she’d made out of her blanket.

The next day, she completed all her lessons and chores without complaint, and it was warm enough that she and Celeborn were able to have lunch in the garden. After they ate, she wandered about, pointing out where she saw pale green shoots and sprouts poking out of the soil. The fear of the night before had been replaced with enthusiasm for the owling adventure she knew was to come that evening. She even agreed to take a nap in the afternoon to prepare.

Finally, after supper and a second reading lesson, it was time to get ready. They put on their softest boots—so they wouldn’t scare the owls away, her ada said—and they made sure to wear thick wool tunics and warm cloaks that would keep out the wind.

“We’ll stay close to the house,” Celeborn said as they left through the kitchens. Celebrían followed closely at his heels and out into the moonlit garden. Now that they were really going on their expedition, she began to get nervous again. What if her ada was wrong, and there really was a screeching monster out there, just waiting to draw them into its trap?

“Give your eyes a few moments to adjust,” his calm voice interrupted her fearful imaginings. He enfolded her gloved hands in his own and smiled down at her. “There is nothing to be frightened of. I am right here with you.”

She nodded resolutely.

“Now, since you heard the noise in your room, we’ll go to that side of the house.”

He led the way with confident steps, as if he’d done this a thousand times—and maybe he had. He’d lived for more than a thousand years before she was born. Maybe his own ada had taken him to see owls so he would not be afraid of them. That made her feel a bit better, and she smiled a little as they walked onwards in silence.

The night was cold and quiet so far, but the moonlight cast everything in a muted silver glow that Celebrían realized was quite pretty if she didn’t think about monsters. They stopped when they could see her window and she followed her father’s gaze up towards the peaks of the roof. There was nothing up there that she could see.

“Hm,” Celeborn said softly. “Let’s keep looking.”

They made their way around the rest of the house, searching the eaves and the nearby trees, the rustling of leafless branches the only sound. Still no sign of any owls. And then, just as they passed below Celebrían’s window a second time, that same long scream from the night before echoed through the courtyard and the surrounding forest.

Celebrían’s hands flew to her ears and she let out a small whimper of surprise, but her father’s hand on her shoulder steadied her. Celeborn gestured upwards with his other hand, and Celebrían looked through half-squinting eyes at where he was pointing.

A bird with tawny brown and snow-white feathers floated silently across the courtyard, towards one of the roof’s peaks. Its black eyes stood out against its pale, disc-shaped face in the moonlight. In its talons, it clutched what looked like the limp body of a mouse or vole.

When the owl reached its destination, another eerie-eyed face peeked out from a small hole just below the roof before both owls disappeared inside.

Celebrían inhaled sharply and Celeborn gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “It looks like they’ve already built a nest up there,” he said. “That means there will likely be owlets a bit later in the spring.”

“Owlets? Does that mean they have eggs?” Celebrían asked, recalling what she knew of birds already. “And the nana has to make sure they stay warm, so the ada was bringing her food?”

“That’s right.”

“Will the baby owls scream too, when they’re born?”

Celeborn shook his head. “Not like what you heard last night—at least, they won’t call like that until they’re old enough to leave their nest.”

Celebrían started to say something, but her words turned into a long yawn.

“Perhaps we should return to our own nest,” Celeborn said with a soft laugh.

---

 

Celebrían proudly announced that she would sleep in her own room, and when Celeborn went to bid her good night, she had already tucked herself into bed and was halfway to dreaming.

Celeborn leaned down and kissed her forehead, and she smiled sleepily, nestling further into the pillows and blankets that surrounded her.

“Ada?”

“Yes?”

“Can we go owling again someday?”

“Of course,” Celeborn said, smiling. “Any time you like—as long as you aren’t simply using it as an excuse to stay up late.” He quirked an eyebrow and Celebrían giggled.

“No, Ada. I want to see the little owlets learn to fly!”

“Naturally,” Celeborn replied with a nod. “Your nana will have returned home by then—you can tell her all about our adventure, and perhaps she can come with us next time. But for now, it’s time you got some sleep.”

“Mhm.” The elfling yawned again and closed her eyes.

“Good night, my darling.”

“Good night, Ada.”

That night, Celebrían dreamed of flying over the house on silent feathers.

---

Chapter End Notes

Want to learn more about barn owls and how to spot them in the wild? Here are some of the sources I used when writing this fic! 

https://blogs.massaudubon.org/yourgreatoutdoors/owling-101-how-to-spot-an-owl/

https://www.birdspot.co.uk/bird-watching-for-beginners/how-to-go-owling

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Barn_Owl/overview