When the crows came together

It was a little past dawn. The sun hadn’t fully risen yet, but there was that soft, golden light beginning to seep over the Attappady Hills. Mist still clung to the trees, and everything felt damp and fresh. We were on one of our road trips — no real destination, just a familiar route winding through the woods. The windows were down, and that earthy, rain-soaked smell drifted in. Somewhere out there, birds were singing — nothing dramatic, just the quiet music of a forest waking up.

I was half-awake, sipping black coffee from a thermos, letting my thoughts wander. The road curved ahead, and then the driver, a local man, slowed down. He pointed towards a massive banyan tree by the side of the road. At first, I did not notice anything unusual — but then I caught a flutter of black wings.

A crow was making quite a scene. It flapped and cawed, darting around the branches like something was wrong. We looked closer — and there it was. A snake. Long, still, and sunlit, curled around a thick branch not far from a fragile little nest. The crow must have been the parent. It kept diving at the snake, trying to drive it away.

We stepped out, careful not to disturb anything, and just stood there watching. The snake did not seem to be in a hurry. It moved slowly, creeping toward the nest, while the crow kept attacking. You could feel the tension build. Then, one by one, more crows showed up. Maybe they had heard the call, or maybe they just knew something was happening. They joined in, attacking from different angles.

It got loud. Wings beating, caws echoing, the snake twisting and striking back — but the crows did not stop. They were fierce. Finally, the snake hesitated. It paused, then slowly began to retreat, slipping back down the tree into the undergrowth. The crows did not chase it far, just hovered above, crying out like victors.

We stood there for a while, not saying much. Just taking it in. There was something powerful in that moment — not just the drama, but the way those birds came together. That tree must have seen countless stories like this one. And for some reason, watching it all unfold made the world feel a little wilder, a little more connected.

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