Summary: Perhaps the unique gift of communicating with animals is not so rare after all. Just think Kronk and Celegorm. Main characters are three sons of Feanor and one loquacious squirrel. Definitely silly, please enjoy!
Disclaimer: I own nothing either from Disney or the Tolkien estate, so never fear my profiting from it.
Author's Note: This is an idea that came to me very randomly one night while I was talking with my sister, and we both agreed it was just too perfect to ignore. Conceived, written, and posted all in less than twenty-four hours. I hope you all can have as much fun with this amusing little coincidence as we did. Enjoy!
Squirrel Talk
"Are you talking to that squirrel?"
"I was a Jr. Chipmunk – I had to be versed in all the woodland creatures."
~ Yzma & Kronk from "The Emperor's New Groove"
"But Celegorm…got great knowledge of birds and beasts, and all their tongues he knew."
~ J.R.R. Tolkien, "The Silmarillion"
It was a time of peace after the Dagor Aglareb, and travel throughout the wide realms of Beleriand was safer and more convenient than it had been since the days before Morgoth's return to Angband. It only made sense, therefore, that Celegorm the Fair should take his favorite horse and hound on a journey southward to visit his two youngest brothers – the twins, Amrod and Amras. Without question, the favorite pastime of all three siblings was hunting, and Celegorm quite relished the opportunity to do so with those who equally shared his passion. The three of them used to hunt together all the time, back in Aman when the woods were ripe for exploration, and the days were more carefree.
But right now, their current hunt was stalled.
"What's taking him so long?" Amrod called brusquely from his horse. "Even Huan is getting restless!"
It was true, the huge grey hound had uncharacteristically left his master's side and was sniffing about the dense undergrowth, seeking some new scent to track.
But Amras, having absolutely no consolation for his impatient twin, could only shake his head. "I don't know, Pityo," he confessed. "He just keeps talking to that squirrel up there on the oak branch; they seem to be having quite the conversation."
Indeed, even from where they stood some distance apart from their older brother, the identical red-heads could clearly tell that the various "squeaks" and "squeakens" were becoming rather animated.
"What do they have to talk about?" demanded Amrod. "Even Tyelko can't have that much in common with a squirrel."
At long last, Celegorm bid farewell to the furry forest inhabitant and rejoined his hunting companions.
"Are you done?" Amrod pestered him at once. "I've seen you flirt with many a lady over the years, Tyelkormo, but even that never took so long. Please don't tell me you found the squirrel more interesting!"
"More interesting than the company of a beautiful woman? I should think not." Surprisingly, Celegorm's normally hasty temper had chosen not to rise to the challenge on this occasion. "Nevertheless, he was a charming little creature – most agreeable. And informative, too. He was quite anxious to warn me about a talking llama with a bad attitude that he had the misfortune of encountering some time ago."
"A llama?" Amrod repeated dubiously. "Tyelko, what in all of Arda is a llama?"
"I…have no idea. But I'm sure it's not supposed to talk! Or at least not supposed to talk so rudely."
Amras ignored their bickering, frowning as he peered over to examine the strange blue object in his brother's hand. "What's that he gave you? I've never seen anything like it before."
The youngest son of Feanor winced internally to realize that he had actually referred to the squirrel as "he" rather than "it." By Varda's stars, Celegorm really was beginning to rub off on him! Perhaps it would be best for all if this fraternal visit was concluded a tad sooner than originally intended, and Celegorm returned early to his own lands in Himlad. Besides, surely Curufin would be missing his favorite sibling by now…
"That, Telvo, is his parting gift," Celegorm himself went on to explain, as though there were nothing at all unusual about the present. "It appears to be some sort of thin, expandable cylinder that he inflated with air and then skillfully shaped into the form of a dog – in honor of Huan, I'm sure." He reached down from his horse to affectionately scratch the massive hound behind the ears.
"And in another generous gesture of our new friendship, he also bestowed upon me this matchless specimen of an acorn. I shall keep it, as it seemed to be of great importance to him."
Amrod rolled his star-grey eyes, sharing an exasperated glance with Amras as they finally began to ride again. Watching his brother make friends with a common woodland creature was only impressive the first half a dozen times they'd witnessed it!
But either blissfully unaware or blatantly uncaring toward his brothers' sentiments, Celegorm continued to ramble on. "He actually spoke very highly of a mortal named Kronk, who was also able to converse with him easily. Loath as I am to admit it of any human, especially one with such an odd name, that man must be brilliant – a veritable genius, I tell you!"
Unbeknownst to the three brothers, far away in the heart of a South American empire, the man named Kronk was in the process of teaching a group of small children and one surly silver kitten how to debate about stolen acorns in the language of a common squirrel.
A veritable genius, indeed.
Tyelko = Tyelkormo = Celegorm
Pityo = Pityafinwe = Amrod
Telvo = Telufinwe = Amras
Author's End Note: See what I mean - fun, right? Thanks for reading!
