#The Peregrine

[fragranceonthefeuille]

“The first bird I searched for was the nightjar, which used to nest in the valley. Its song is like the sound of a stream of wine spilling from a height into a deep and booming cask. It is an odorous sound, with a bouquet that rises to the quiet sky. In the glare of day it would seem thinner and drier, but dusk mellows it and gives it vintage. If a song could smell, this song would smell of crushed grapes and almonds and dark wood. The sound spills out, and none of it is lost. The whole wood brims with it. Then it stops. Suddenly, unexpectedly. But the ear hears it still, a prolonged and fading echo, draining and winding out among the surrounding trees. Into the deep stillness, between the early stars and the long afterglow, the nightjar leaps up joyfully. It glides and flutters, dances and bounces, lightly, silently away. In pictures it seems to have a frog-like despondency, a mournful aura, as though it were sepulchred in twilight, ghostly and disturbing. It is never like that in life. Through the dusk, one sees only its shape and its flight, intangibly light and gay, graceful and nimble as a swallow.” Excerpt from The Peregrine by J.A. Baker

[dare-g]

The Peregrine

[shinraalpha]

i love how Gandalf invested in Hobbits in year one and has been pushing them ever since. Thorin, i hear you need help with a breaking and entering. Can I recommend one of these little cunts? Silent as fuck, trust me. Elrond my dude i know you're skeptical but these four chucklefucks just transported a weapon of mass destruction all the way here. Theoden, you've gotta get yourself a hobbit man, I've got a spare one here. Denathor you big prick, take a hobbit - literally this is the bottom of the range but listen to him sing. Beautiful little bastard.

[thetiredprometheus]

lotr but nobody knows anything about the other races

Pippin thinks Legolas is a woman

Boromir is convinced that the hobbits are all 15 max

Everyone thinks that Merry and Pippin are twins, except for Legolas, who is convinced the hobbits are quadruplets

Sam thinks that Aragorn, Boromir and Legolas don't have to eat to survive

Legolas doesn't mention things he sees or hears because he thinks the others have noticed them too and just assumes they have a plan

Pippin complains that he is hungry and Legolas just gives him a handful of grass. Pippin is so confused that he just takes it, and now Legolas tries to figure out what hobbits can eat by just giving them random shit, like

Things the hobbits have accepted and likely eaten later (a list by legolas)

-Grass - Leaves

-Stones - a hair tie

-A feather - one of Gimli's shoes

The hobbits and Gimli just assume that this is what elves eat

[obimaulartfire]

@nicolabarth !!!!!

~The Peregrine~

Zabrak legend, circa 25 000 BBY.

Translated by Fisher Whitebone

Illustrated by Polaris Fang

This work is part of the “Anthology of Galactic Myths” a non-profit organisation dedicated to making intergalactic stories accessible.

To make a donation, or contribute your own works please contact our editor at [Sorry, this website is currently unavailable in your solar system.]

——-

A note from the translator:

Throughout my travels, it has occurred to me that Zabrak stories tend to be rather grim. And full of lessons.

Aside from the obvious one: don’t kill your brother. It is a cautionary tale about obsession–and the importance of environmental sustainability.

Ancient Zabraks were nomadic, living at the mercy of nature. A powerful force-wielding hunter would have been both a boon and a threat. Such power over the food supply would inevitably lead to abuse. The ancient people put great stock in achieving balance, and to temper strength with humility.

Another common theme is duality. “Good” and “evil” exist within a single person. The Peregrine is both destroyer and saviour. A self-made monster. Horrifying yet pitiful. His crime is great, but his punishment seems disproportionately cruel.

His redemption is uncertain: catching your own shadow or using your tears to fill the ocean both seem like impossible tasks. Yet one is selfish, the other altruistic. So perhaps the choice is more important than outcome. The Peregrine is trapped in a hell of his own design. To escape, he must grow as a person.

I always found this particularly poignant. People are not static beings, they are subject to change and improvement. If there is a way to fall, there will be a way to rise again.

So, I invite you to be introspective. For us, the Peregrine represents an “everyman” character. Aside from the glowing “star-like” eyes, which denote him as a powerful force-wielder, his description is kept deliberately vague. In the unabridged version, his back bore “many stripes”, either tattoos or scars, with skin like the “setting sun”, to be interpreted as a range of colours. (To preserve the ambiguity, Polaris opted to draw in black-and-white, instead of the more traditional red.)

The Peregrine is a mirror. Only through recognising evil within ourselves, can we hope to exorcise it.

I hope you enjoyed our story.

Your friend, 
 -Fisher

[pigeon-princess]

Some unexpected heroes

[peregrinethegryphon]

Mfs who've never owned chickens: "Can you believe chickens are dinosaurs? lol what a downgrade."

Chickens:

[valtsv]

i enjoy comparing the different ways that birds of prey attack. you've got eagles doing the classic lord of the skies, king of the air, death from above pose

and then you've got peregrine falcons who are just like "fuck it. tactical missile strike."

[boromirswife]

Boromir + concern for the Hobbits

[autistook]

Billy Boyd and Dom Monaghan, the Two Towers, Cast Commentary

[iialethi]

[dare-g]

The Peregrine

[velvet4510]

NEW VERSION. :)

[kiwianacat]

Treebeard takes his pet hobbits for a walk.

This was so much fun to draw, really happy with how he looks, I think he turned out just as I imagined him in the series! I based him off an oak tree, I don’t believe he has a given tree in the books but I could be wrong lol.

[rohirriiim]

THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING 2001 | dir. Peter Jackson

[arizuume]

Happy birthday, John and Jane!