User:DoctorWho42/The Shadow of Wings

"The Shadow of Wings" is a short story by American author Robert Silverberg. It was first published in the July 1963 issue of If.

Publication history
"The Shadow of Wings" was first published in the July 1963 issue of If. It reappeared in The Cube Root of Uncertainty (1970) and Needle in a Timestack (1966).

Plot summary
The children run to Donaldson. Paul pushes the frog in his face. Donaldson asks him to let it go. The direct-wave phone bleeps. Martha tells Donaldson it's Washington. He was on vacation. It was Caldwell from the Bureau of Extraterrestrial Affairs. Donaldson sighs. He sets out for the phone in the bungalow. Donaldson was a professor of linguistics. Caldwell tells him they caught a live Kethlan and wants Donaldson to talk with him. The Kethlani visited long ago and left records in two languages on Mars and Venus. One was translatable because of the Martians. Donaldson tells Martha they have a live alien. He's the only one who could speak its language. Martha smiles faintly and massages his back. He squeezes her hand. The ship was locked in stasis at the Bureau's basement. It looked like a torpedo. He reads "Bringer of Friendship." Donaldson receives a microphone. The inscription was Kethlani "A." He knew A well but he was imperfect on B. Donaldson greets in Kethlani A. The speaker emits harsh sounds. He tells him to speak slowly. The Kethlan asks how he speaks Kethlani. The Kethlan invites him onboard. Caldwell reverses the beams and lowers the ship. Donaldson enters the ship. The inside was dark. A light flickers at the end. He wonders where's the alien but finds the Kethlan on the ceiling. The Kethlan looked like a bat. He stammers. The Kethlan was surprised he understood Kethlani. The Kethlan brings friendship to Earth. Donaldson asks how many worlds they inhabit. The Kethlan counts fifteen. Donaldson quotes a fragment in Kethlani B. The Kethlan asks where he learned it. Donaldson explains he learned it well but Kethlani B less. The Kethlan tells him it is Thygnor, their enemies' language. Donaldson asks why they found them alongside each other. The Kethlan explains the Kethlani and Thygnor worked together but became enemies. They may visit Earth later. Donaldson asks for a description. They sound like giant toads. He remembers the frog Paul caught. Donaldson tells the Kethlan he is ready to affirm the pledge. The Kethlan flutters down. Kethlans pledge by an embrace. The Kethlan embraces him. Donaldson wraps his arms around him. The Kethlan calls him friend. Donaldson exits the ship. Caldwell asks how it went. Donaldson tells him he swore brotherhood and he'll go back to his vacation. He wonders about the Thygnor and how they pledge brotherhood.

Reception
In 1971, SF Commentary's Barry Gillam called it "a funny, deCampish story." In 1972, Vector's John Bowles appraised "potentially, a fine story, was, I felt, undercut by a rather flippant-seeming ending."