"A west wind..."

A Knight Of Ghosts And Shadows, XVII.

I will close for the day and the month by quoting in full an evocative descriptive passage to which I have alluded twice before (see here):

"A west wind skirled against the sun, whose blaze seemed paled in a pale heaven. Clouds were brighter; they scudded in flocks, blinding white, their shadows sweeping chill across the world, off, on, off, on. Winged animals wheeled and thinly cried. Trees around the lot and along the street that ran from it - mostly Terran, oak, elm, beech, maple - cast their outer branches about, creaked, soughed Delphic utterances though tongue after fire-tongue ripped loose to scrittle off over the pavement. Rainpuddles wandered and wandered. All nature was saying farewell." (p. 552)

We recognize perennial images:

skirling wind;
cloud shadows;
imported Terrestrial trees;
nature reflecting feelings;
the suggestion that trees speak in an unknown language - did this happen once with Manse Everard?

"Winged animals" remind us that we are not on Earth.