Crow

Crow
Dog Terms	Crow
Human Terms	Crow
Book Appearances	The Empty City, A Hidden Enemy, Darkness Falls

A crow is an animal featured in the original series. A recurring crow known as the no-sun crow is hinted to be a messenger of The Forest-Dog.

Description

Crows are black-feathered birds that are usually found in groups called murders.

History

In the Original Series

The Empty City

Lucky and Sweet encounter a crowd of crows eating from garbage. The crows are chased off by the two starving dogs. One bird decides to go back to the food but is chased off by Lucky.

Throughout the book, Lucky encounters a crow several times.

The first time a crow appears in The Empty City, it dives from a tree, warning Lucky of the Fierce Dog that almost had him in their jaws.

The second time is when Lucky comes out of a loudcage after sleeping and sees a perched crow. It eyes Lucky directly and he recognizes it as the same crow that warned him to be careful. Lucky then insists on himself that it can't be the same crow, as all crows look alike. Still, Lucky gives the bird a respectful yip and watches it tilt its head and flap away lazily.

Later on, when Lucky is with the Leashed Pack, he is with a patrol of Bella, Daisy, and Alfie. After being left alone outside the fence of the Fierce Dog home, Lucky jumps with alarm when a crow flaps into the air with a caw.

When the Leashed Dogs are captured by Blade and Lucky gives them a diversion to escape, he is trapped by the Fierce Dogs. Lucky almost submits to his doom while he is surrounded by Fierce Dogs, he hears a distant clatter of wings. A crow had flapped from the tangled bushes of the wood and circled in the sky, cawing. Lucky is confused about why a crow had appeared at no-sun. He immediately thinks it is the same crow from the city, calling to him for a kick of courage. Lucky does not give up and manages to escape the Fierce Dog Pack.

Finally, after he is free and beyond the Fierce Dog fence, he sees a perched crow ahead of him just as dawn breaks. It sounds as though the crow is cawing to him like a greeting to an old friend. It flaps away and Lucky does not see the same city-crow again until A Hidden Enemy.

A Hidden Enemy

Lucky does spot the crow, whom he soon calls the no-sun crow, several times in the book. Some crow references are acknowledged by the dogs.

When Alfie dies, the dogs express worry about burying the body for fear of foxes and crows disrupting his peace.

Later, Lucky is awoken by a piercing caw. Lucky did not know crows were so fond of no-sun. When he is alone in the forest away from the others, he feels his lone-dog pull again. All of the sudden, the no-sun crow caws again, drawing his attention.

Finally, Lucky makes the connection of the no-sun crow to the crow he used to know. He is positive the no-sun crow is a messenger from the Forest-Dog but wished its messages were more clear.

Later on, the only crow reference made is when the dogs drag the foxes bodies out in a hunting meadow for the crows to eat.

Darkness Falls

In Darkness Falls, a crow's screech makes Lucky jump. He looks around, thinking of the no-sun crow. He looks up to find his gaze drawn to a poison cloud.

When Mickey is explaining the death of their mother to Grunt, Wiggle, and Lick, a lone crow's call causes him to flinch and he notes that it is getting late.

When Lucky and Mickey think back to the Dog-Garden, they are positive something awful had happened there. Crows swooped down to the high trees surrounding the camp.

The Fierce Dog pups and the two dogs run into coyotes, and upon escaping, Lucky thanks the Forest-Dog for saving them and providing a meal. Lucky feels more at ease when the crows stopped cawing in the forest.