Hey! Halloween is just around the corner. And that reminds us of Eragon’s time in Vroengard, where he meets giant man-eating snails and creatures such as angler frogs and burrow grubs that were twisted by magics released during a catastrophic battle . . . and sundavrblaka, the wraithlike shadow birds that fade in and out of view.
Add these spooky shadow owls to your decorations with this fine-art print of these mysterious birds and let their ghostly eyes watch over your festivities! Simple click through to our Etsy store.
“A loud chattering rang forth over the stream as he wiped the last few droplets from his neck . . . Thirty feet up, four shadows sat on a branch. The shadows had large barbed plumes that extended in every direction from the black ovals of their heads. A pair of white eyes, slanted and slit-like, glowed within the middle of each oval, and the blankness of their gaze made it impossible to determine where they were looking. Most disconcerting yet, the shadows, like all shadows, had no depth. When they turned to the side, they disappeared . . . The leftmost shadow ruffled its plumes and then uttered the same shrieking chatter he had mistaken for a squirrel. Two more of the wraiths did likewise, and the forest echoed with the strident clamor of their cries . . . The shadows seemed to fix their glowing eyes upon him, and for a moment, all was silent, save the gentle murmuring of the brook. Then they began to chatter again, and their eyes increased in brightness until they were like pieces of white-hot iron . . . Eragon rose to his feet and carefully reached out with one foot toward the stone behind him. The motion seemed to alarm the wraiths; they shrieked in unison. Then they shrugged and shook themselves, and in their place appeared four large owls, with the same barbed plumes surrounding their mottled faces. They opened their yellow beaks and chattered at him, scolding him even as squirrels might; then they took wing and flew silently off into the trees and soon vanished behind a screen of heavy boughs.” (Narrative, Inheritance Deluxe, pages 509-510)
