Dark Were The Shadows a collab by Voo and Michael Montoya

Dark Were The Shadows

where have you been.....

 all those nights, love...? 

bright were the days

but dark were the shadows

 I  walked across... 

 knowing you were out there..

Voo.... in your silken wonder

 of unfinished poetry

  come touch my face.....

 and watch the Universe

  shudder...

so long I stood beyond the shadows

beyond the kiss of moonglow

     watching you hesitate

and then run

in desperate determination.....

search the dusk and the dawn, Michael

             it's there you'll find my form now

it's there you'll taste the delicacy

that few have ever known......

what if I go mad and am lost

in that search for you, Sweet Flower?

for the face that launched a thousand ships

cannot compare to yours ......

a taste of forbidden dreams

will never satisfy my soul, Voo

only the touch of your fingertips

upon my cheek will ever do...

then wear your madness, Michael

like a cloak to shield your soul

for who's to say

if you find me outside a dream?

reality is a fragile thing

like dreams...like roses....like love

Remember you not

the morn of our meeting?

my whispered warning in your ear?

I am sunlight and shadow

and a face and a flower 

but I have sharp thorns that sometimes pierce

and take my joy in pain.................

collab by

Voo & Michael Montoya

May 28, 2017

8:24 p.m.

                                                       

WARRIORS OF THE WAY EPISODE 11 New Teacher in the School of Life

WARRIORS OF THE WAY

EPISODE ELEVEN

NEW TEACHER IN THE SCHOOL OF LIFE




        Something was happening inside my heart but having no experience with the complexities of love and the way of a man with a maiden, I had no way to judge it or compare it or know what indeed was happening. I just felt alive and fearful and awestruck. Feverish, cautious and awakened all at the same time. Perhaps I was infatuated. Or just lonely and tired of being on my own without a teacher. Maybe the call of my heart had been heard and a new teacher had been provided. I was grateful, uncertain of what tomorrow would bring, but grateful.


     The man gathered fresh garments and cautioned me to stay inside the camp while he bathed but I was not thrilled with the idea. "What about the thing in the forest?" I asked, casting my eyes across the way. "What if it finds me?" I did not want to be alone but didn't know how to make that clear without appearing a coward. These strange emotions were entirely alien to me and my usually level head and stability had abandoned me against my will.  I kept wanting to bite my tongue, but it was too powerful for me and spoke of it's own accord. His blue eyes softening, he said while leading the horses to their arbor, "Then come with me. You can pick berries and fruit while I attend to my hygiene. I feel....a quickening here. A threat in the wind. Perhaps, it would be best not to leave you alone." How relieved I was! I shrugged as though indifferent and went to fetch the pails but as I did, I, too, felt a change in the atmosphere. Almost like the icy wind that had assailed me in the forest but icy in another way. The oasis seemed a far better place to be and I hurried to catch up with my companion.


     As we walked, he told me that he had retrieved all of the things that I had left behind at Starshine's burial place, the things I had parted with so reluctantly but had no choice but to leave them. The packs and blankets, skins, cooking utensils and extra clothing and boots. The books and trinkets that I had collected along the way of my journey. The most important, I had taken with me and carried on my back, like the music box that my nurse had given me when she'd left the Royal court when I was nine. No man nor beast could part me from that treasure! It played my favorite song from childhood and one I sang to myself when I felt most alone: Dancing In My Heart. Cy-nithia had taught me the words when I was two and sang it with me on special occasions. And when she'd gone, she'd left me her precious music box to keep me company. "Why did th.....you not come along before I buried my horse?" I asked, "In fact, where were you at the time I climbed the tree and he was attacked?" The man looked away from me and kept silent for a long time. "I am sorry that I was not there, but I was in another tree on another hilltop at the time. I saw you from a distance but there was a Gorge between us. I wish it had not been so but it was as it was meant to be." I didn't know how to understand that statement so I let it hang between us and the strangeness of it made me feel far from him and lonely.

     Suddenly, he grabbed my hand and shouted, "Let's run!" And we ran through the brown fields to the beautiful green oasis before us. It felt good to run and my heart lightened and I laughed like a child, my long curls flying behind me and whipping into his face. Tying the tail ends of the white shirt around my waist, I challenged the man to a race and sprinted ahead of him like the wind. No one could outrace me. No one ever could. I was as fast as lightning. It had been a long time since I'd raced or run in total freedom but I had never lost a race and I didn't intend to now. Looking back at the shocked expression on his face as he fell far behind, I waved and made for the willow trees. The white bird was not there which felt odd but I collapsed into the soft carpet of grass and caught my breath and waited for the loser to appear. 


     Breathing loudly, my handsome friend ran at last into view and sought me anxiously then made his way toward me and fell with a thud at my side. Giggling, I waited for him to regain his ability to speak and enjoyed my victory. "H hh.... how...did..you...do...that?" he gasped, lying on his stomach and resting his head on his hands. "I have...never...seen anyone run that fast...in..my life! Thou art a gazelle!" That beast I knew and I felt honored at the comparison, but I just laughed and lay there looking up at him between my fingers. "I can do many things." I informed him confidently and smugly. "I am no mere maiden." His eyes raking over every inch of my face, he declared softly, "That is a fact, Little Flower, that is a stone-cold fact." We lay staring at one another in the silence until we heard the flutter of wings and the white bird made her appearance and set quietly down in the top of a tree to scrutinize us. I don't know how I knew the bird was a "she" but I did and she was beginning to disturb me. "There's my watchful spy." I whispered and turned over on my stomach and away from her piercing dark eyes. The man made no comment, so I approached another subject. 


     "Why didst thou call me Little Flower just now?" Putting a blade of grass between his teeth, he seemed to be weighing the options of answering me or ignoring me until I thumped him on the side of his head and demanded an answer. "Oww!" he complained and rubbed his head, scowling. "Always thou art abusing me! Were you not taught the etiquette of a lady?" Well, I didn't like that but the truth was that I had not been brought up as a proper lady though some had tried.  I hadn't wanted to be feminine and sweet but more of a warrior-in-training but I wasn't sure if I should tell him that or just thump him again. My thoughts scattered, I bit my thumbnail and turned back to see if the bird was still there. "Well, you look like a lady," he observed cautiously, "but you travel and fight like a man and you ..act..like..a spoiled...child."


      And that did it, I threw myself upon him and pummeled him until he caught my furious fists and held them in a strongman's grip. I began to kick him with my feet and he tried in vain to move his legs away from my boots. "You fight with both ends!" he laughed in my face, breathing heavily. "You are a terrifying beast!" I tried to sink my teeth into his cheek but he cleverly dodged away while protecting himself from fist and feet. Finally, I relented and collapsed upon his chest and he let me fall there, still holding my wrists. I was exhausted and knew that it was improper to lay thus but he would not let me go. "Alright," he breathed out noisily and let me drop to my side and away from him. "We both won. I concede partial defeat."


      I lay there in the silence and listened to the brook bubble merrily over it's falls and rocks and into the deep pool before it streamed away down the banks. It was a comforting sound and made me sleepy. Closing my eyes, I had begun to drift away when I felt a strong arm go around my waist and the man snuggled close to me and said very softly into my ear, "I called you Little Flower because the first time I saw you up close, you were lying on a blanket not far from here, sound asleep, with your face on the grass and a yellow flower crushed into your cheek. It was an enchanting sight." And when I started and made to move and speak, he shushed me and held me even tighter, saying "And when you turned away, the imprint of the flower was still there like a tattoo and even later on when you violently attacked me with your deadly sword, the little flower's brand still claimed you. And that's.... why I called you Little Flower ....and will continue to do so." I was deeply touched and didn't know how to respond. However, the thought that he had been so near to me while I slept and having had no clue of it filled me with anxiety. What kind of warrior could make herself that vulnerable? I was ashamed and hid my face in my arms. 

      "You were exhausted beyond endurance and overcome with grief." he murmured, smoothing back my hair and kissing the cheek where the flower's imprint had been. "Be not ashamed. I kept watch over you here during the night. This place...is dangerous. You did not know nor are you now aware of how much danger you, we, are in. Shh! Do not speak! We are being spied upon." And he cuddled against me and pretended to fall asleep as I lay there wildly speculating upon various images and wondering what he was trying to tell me. This place was incredible! A little paradise in the middle of an ugly, desolate land. Everything one could ever ask for on a long journey. I even had it in my mind to stay here for a while, barring rainstorms and creatures from the forest. The white bird was odd, that was certain, but I could run her off with my bow and arrow. I didn't see any danger dwelling here. Still, there was something that gave me shivers, something un-remembered but did an unseen Unknown truly mean to harm me? Every foe and enemy I had encountered until now had been very much human and very visible. Except for the dark wolf. And the panther. But I had defeated them with a warrior's skill and had enjoyed the game. What enemy lay in wait for me in this place? 


      So far, the only other traveler I had met recently, besides the viper and the white bird, had been this man lying beside me in the afternoon shade. His was the only presence, the only footstep, (except in the dark forest) and yet, he had even been there, close by. A paranoia began to overtake me and I tried to pull away from him and in so doing, I grabbed his left wrist, that had been, up until now, encased in a black and silver cuff. He must have removed it in his preparations to bathe. From the look of things, he must have worn it for a long, long time because the outline of the bracelet stood out now in stark relief against his tanned arm and hand. It was clearly visible and struck me as amusing. I felt his eyes open then and he tensed and tried to pull his hand out of my grasp but I held on and in the grappling, flung his hand down on the ground, looked, and cried out in surprise. "It cannot be!"


     We fought briefly and then he stopped and let me hold the arm outstretched and unrestrained. I bent low and inspected the inside of the wrist closely. There was no mistake. "How can this be?" I asked and met his darkening eyes with mine. "This is the symbol of the Way. Of the Warrior. Just like mine." And I turned my left wrist over and put it next to his. The tattoo, the ancient letterings of the Warriors of the Way were identical. All of the air seemed to leave my lungs and I sat back mystified and trembling. A good five minutes passed before he spoke and then, very quietly. Sitting up and pulling his knees up to his chin, he raked a hand through his dark locks and cleared his throat. I didn't want to look at him and yet I had no choice. Seeing the fury in my face, he cleared his throat again and rubbed his mouth. "It is true. I am a Warrior. I have been since I was ten years old. What can I say? Of course, I saw the mark upon you as you slept and I have held my tongue. I had hoped, perhaps, that you would have recognized a fellow Warrior without being informed." He beseeched me with his eyes and the furrow in his forehead deepened with his pleading.


     "I have met very few Warriors on my journey," I sighed, finally breaking my silence, "And the last one was three years ago or more. I had begun to think myself the last and only one." "No, little one," he said with a half-smile and leaned to pull me toward him in relief. "There are many Warriors out there in the world. Just not so many here in this dark land of Tribul." I stood and stretched my legs and dusted myself off, walking in circles and looking for the white bird who had gone. "Tribul? That is the name of this land? Why have I never heard of it or seen it on my teacher's maps? And why should I believe you?" Standing to his feet, he looked around for the garments he had previously thrown down and gathered them thoughtfully as I headed for the water. I stood on the banks of the stream staring down into it's clear depths looking for something I knew not but searching intently. I saw nothing there but pebbles and water. 

      "Why is it there are no fish here?" I asked puzzled, turning to him as he joined me. "There should be fish." "Yes, I should think so." He acknowledged and looked up and down the stream as though, he too, searched for something hidden there. Seeing nothing, he began to remove his boots and shirt and suggested to me that I find the pails I had flung down and gather us some fruit for our supper. I was reluctant to leave the water's edge and begrudgingly turned and obeyed his words. I heard a splash as I walked away and for a moment, I was tempted to look back but resolutely went forward and got the pails. 


      To my right, there was a very large, very beautiful tree with colorful leaves and wonderful fragrances emanating from it and I stood underneath it's branches and realized to my shock that there were several different kinds of fruit hanging there. Apples, pears, peaches and oranges, I recognized, others, I did not. I rubbed my eyes and looked again and laughed out loud. "A miracle tree!" I exclaimed. "How wonderful!" I began to fill one of the pails with two of each kind of fruit. I had a sudden childish urge to climb the marvelous tree and reached for the lowest branch to pull myself up but shrieked and scampered right back down at the sight of a golden viper coiled around a branch hanging full of apples. "Thou!" I screamed in fury. "Thou murderer!" And I looked around in vain for a stone or broken branch with which to smash it's head. "I hate you!" I railed at the creature. "You killed Starshine! And for that, you will pay!" 


     Making noise enough to wake the dead, I ran looking for a weapon for I had not thought to bring one and was not certain if the man had either. I thought perhaps that there was a dagger in his clothing and ran towards the water but rounding the miracle tree once more, I came face to the face with the man, standing there wearing nothing but a pair of black leather trousers. Alarm was in his eyes and a dagger was indeed in his hand but he stood still and quietly waiting for me to catch my breath."What has happened?" he asked very calmly. "I heard you cry out." I was so amazed to see him standing there beneath the tree that I was speechless and stood there open mouthed, forgetting my enemy above. "How did you get here so quickly?" I gasped and noted the strange and unreadable expression on his face. He barely shrugged and I turned and pointed up to the tree branch and shouted "The viper who killed my horse! The golden viper! He is there! We must kill him! Help me!"

      I was almost hysterical in my anger and tried to grab the dagger from his hand. "Give it to me! I will cut him to ribbons and feed him to the white bird!" He wrestled the knife away from me and put his arm around my shoulders to quiet me. "Look," he said, pointing to the branch full of apples, "There is nothing there. How can we kill what we cannot see?" And I didn't understand him and pulled away and tried to climb the tree again. "Then I will kill him with my bare hands!" I shouted and pulled myself upwards, fearless in my fury. Up, I went to the very top, fruit falling to the ground in my mad climbing. But there was no viper to be found! No trace of the snake!


      I leaned against the tree, my body trembling violently and the breath coming quick and deep from my nostrils. Again the creature had disappeared from my sight and into thin air! I wanted to scream.  And I did. The rage that had overtaken me upon our first meeting enveloped me again but seemed doubled and tripled now and more out of control than anything I had ever felt. My mind seemed to fall into a black abyss and tumble there for endless miles as I sought to understand what had happened, was happening and would happen shortly. I began to hear the man calling to me in a placating voice from the ground. "Come down now, Little Flower." he said, holding his hand up towards me and looking at me tenderly. "It's alright. I promise you. It's alright. You are in no danger. Come down now. Please....." I looked at him for some time, barely recognizing him in my distress and shaking so hard I could barely hold on. Little by little, I began to come back to myself and moved slowly down the branches, keeping my eyes locked onto his and reaching for his hand. And then I fell.

              To Be Continued in Episode 12........

https://bluevineyard.blogspot.com/2017/05/warriors-of-way-episode-12-i-am-not.html

WARRIORS OF THE WAY EPISODE TEN Snow in Spring and Other Lovely Things

WARRIORS OF THE WAY

EPISODE TEN

SNOW  IN SPRING
       AND OTHER LOVELY THINGS





     It was love at first sight, there was no doubt. Not that Starshine could ever be replaced in my life or heart but there walked a horse so unbelievably beautiful that my heart gave forth a delighted cry and I looked at the man who held her beside him by a silver bridle and raised my eyebrow. "Thou hast two horses?" He smiled and shook his head and patted the horse on the side of her face. "No, I don't. This is your surprise. I found her wandering in the hills a few days ago. Her rider had fallen to his death in the canyon and she came to me for rescue. I saw you had buried your horse by the tree and I knew you would need another." I was astonished. I viewed the mare from every angle and my heart leapt with joy at her grace and demeanor. She was just slightly smaller than Starshine but not short by any means and in color, the purest white, the snowiest white I had ever seen on an animal. The only touch of color on her body was a  blaze of red on her forehead and I thought immediately to call her Blaze. 


      When I stopped and stood before her to make eye contact, she suddenly moved backwards, jerking the reins out of the man's hands and slowly began to circle me in the same fashion in which I had inspected her! I was even more astonished. The man laughed out loud and said "I do believe that she is looking you over to see if you'll do as her mistress! What an amazing thing to witness! Not even Redemption showed such discretion of taste!" And he reached to pet the silver horse who watched us in silence. The white mare stopped circling and put her mouth into my outstretched hand and made a soft whimpering sound. "Hello, pretty lady." I said to her softly. "Hast thee lost thy master in this lonely place?" Her white head went up into the air and came back down in answer. My eyes went wide in wonder.  I looked at the man and we laughed together at the response. "She talks!" he said and ran his hand over her thick mane. "And I think she likes you." " I like her, too." I murmured and tickled behind her ears. "I've never seen a horse this color before. She is like the.... " 


     "She looks like a Snow Pony." he finished. "What is that?" I asked, turning to him and he nodded knowingly. "Ah....I will have to tell you about the Snow Ponies. And the Water Horses and the Garden that has four seasons." "You jest!" I laughed, "There is no such thing!" "Yes, there is," he smiled back, "In this land, there are wonders such as you have never seen. I will tell you all about them, I promise. The Otherkin, the Shadowlings, the Felines and Weres, the people who are not people and hunt man and beast for prey. Don't look at me like that!" he admonished me, "They are real! Then there are the Surreals and the Wizards and the Wee Folk. This is their land, here, and you are a visitor ignorant of their existence." "But I have crossed no borders." I protested, "When did I cross over into another land?" I was filled with alarm but felt the quickening of truth. "Didst thee not notice when you crossed from green fields to brown?" he asked quietly, rubbing both horses' faces. "You crossed the Great Gorge a few day's back. You did not notice the change in the landscape and even in the very air you breathed?" 

     Frowning, I strove to remember but could not bring forth a memory beyond the tree and the viper and Starshine's murder. Something blocked my mind still like a locked door and it made me tremble with anxiety. The man said, soothingly. "Fear not. It is of no matter. I will tell you everything that you need to know about this land and of it's many inhabitants. But first, you must name this pretty beast." And I pushed away his frightening words and concentrated upon the task at hand. Brushing back the  hair that fell in the mare's face, I touched the blaze of red, and said decidedly, "Her name shall be Blaze." And the horse shook her head in defiance and neighed a loud neigh and we looked at her in amazement once again. "I don't think she likes that name!" the man said, "Perhaps you should try again."


      I must admit my feelings were hurt for I had decided that Blaze was the perfect name and that was the end of the matter but the horse would not agree. "Firebird!" I exclaimed into the white mare's face and once again she shook her head and refused me. "Flame?" I said, not as defiantly now and the great head shook back and forth for the third time. I was getting frustrated  and not a little agitated when the man said hardly above a whisper, " She looks like a Snow....Pony. She's the color of.....Snow." And I meant to defy his contribution when I detected a change in the horse's demeanor and threw up my hands. "Alright then, what about SnowFire?" and could not believe my eyes when the horse snorted and shook her head one way but not the other. The man laughed loudly in pure joy. 


     "Shorten it!" he said, "You're getting close!" By that time, I was very annoyed but secretly delighted that the mare had such a personality and was not afraid to defy her master. She was like me in that way, sadly....or so my teacher would have remarked as he set me upon a stool back in the corner to contemplate my behavior. She would have her way, that was certain. "So, that's the way it is, then?" I asked her softly and rubbed my face against hers, loving her already and knowing that I had found a friend. "Your name is Snow, isn't it?" and she gave a positive sounding neigh and nodded up and down just like a person. The man grabbed me and hugged me, then hugged both horses and we did a crazy kind of dance like two court jesters. The horse was named and that was that and I would not be traveling alone anymore. And though my life had taken a dangerous turn into unknown territory, for the first time in a long time, I felt happy. 


     We took our breakfast to a shady area on the grass but far away from the dark part of the forest with it's black and fearsome trees. The horses grazed contentedly nearby and we watched them quietly as we ate the stew and hard bread, followed by berries freshly picked from the laden bushes. They were delicious but decidedly strange in taste and color. Purple berries, that left no stain upon the lips or fingers. I marveled at the realization and pointed it out to the man. Nodding, he set aside his wooden bowl, picked up a plump berry from mine and crushed it in his hand, then he leaned forward and rubbed his fingers over my right cheek. "Stop it!" I said, slapping his hand away and laughing. "I just had a bath! Now I am dirty again." "No, you're not," he insisted, "There's nothing there like you just said." "How is this possible?" I asked, inspecting his hand and turning it over and over in mine. There was simply no stain. "This is madness!" I proclaimed and continued to hold his hand though there was no longer any reason.


     He lay back against the tree and pulled me with him, the bowl falling from my lap and spilling into the grass. "That it is," he said in a husky voice, "Complete and total madness!" And he lifted my stainless hand to his lips and kissed it. My hand felt burned and I snatched it quickly back and hid it in the tail of the white shirt, lowering my face and wondering what to do next. The horses stopped their munching and looked at us as if they felt the tension in the air. Lifting my face to his in a challenging but gentle way, the man said, whispering, "Twas but a kiss upon a hand." I tried to meet his eyes boldly and answer back with something bold but only managed to utter, "But 'twas my hand....and my first.....kiss."


      He held my eyes with his for long, long seconds, the blue eyes probing deeply into my mind until I could bear it no more, then he cleared his throat and moved away from me and sighed. "I'm sorry. Forgive my impudence. Was an impulsive and foolish thing to do." And he brought his knees up to his chest and covered his face with his arms, shutting me out. I should have known better but when had I ever done what I should and shouldn't do? My ego, bruised now, spoke, and my reason stepped aside and let it. "Perhaps, not....foolish, " I started haltingly, "Perhaps....impulsive but n n..not.. foolish....surely....." and tried again, "It was not foolish, I am sure but perhaps it's this place. It is so strange and...unknown. Maybe it is affecting us in some way. The.....kiss was not so....bad." and trailed off wishing I had kept my mouth shut. 


     After some time, the man began to chuckle, still hiding his face in his arms and then he began to roar in laughter uncontrollably until I timidly joined him, though I did not see what was so funny. Wiping tears from his laughing eyes, he sought to control himself and used the tail end of his shirt to rub his face, still chuckling. "Thou art a funny maiden." he said, "So innocent and yet so bold. I can't remember when last I laughed like this!" "Laughter is medicine, is it not?" I quoted my teacher and he said, "Indeed, it is! Indeed, it is! And thou art a medicine for a lonely heart!" And thinking about what he had said, he sobered quickly and put his hand upon his mouth. "I..I only meant to say......" and I shushed him and smiled at his discomfort. "It's alright. I understand. My own heart has been ill, too." And a kind of bond began to form between us. I felt it and I thought that he did too. I felt my fear of him start to slip away and the need to know him, truly know him and be his friend rushed me and overtook me like rain on a dusty road. 


     We spent several happy hours there beneath the tree, talking and laughing. We savored the sweetness of being able to share the loneliness that lay upon our hearts. He told me many things that he had experienced in his travels and I responded with stories of my own. Episodes that had frightened me at the time but in the retelling, became funny anecdotes and somewhat timid encounters became braggadocios tall tales. I admit I embellished but doubted that he did. He seemed a brave man to me and besides, I assumed that since he could apparently read my mind that he knew that I was exaggerating and not lying. No matter, it was fun, glorious fun and I began to relax in his company and let the real me come out of it's hiding place. We lay there in the grass conversing until we became hungry again and ate the leftover stew and berries while the mud around the campfire became hardened like a stone floor. 


     "Your bath!" I reminded him pointing to his dirty feet and realizing slowly that I had fallen into his manner of speaking, replacing my thees and thous with yous. He noticed it immediately and said, "In this land, no one speaks the way of the Royal House. You must learn this vernacular so that you will fit in and not stand out...so conspicuously, not that you would ever fit in...but..." and he stumbled over his words and I enjoyed every minute of it, no longer feeling my crushing awkwardness. I let him stumble on, squirming under my accusing look as he tried to explain himself. "What I mean to say is....in this land, they look for odd folk and persecute...uh, I mean, you need to fit in, in order to stay unnoticed, not that anyone could ever not notice you but in order to....." Falling silent, he sighed a loud sigh and tickled my face with a tendril of my own long hair then brushed it against his own and tried to finish the conversation with just his eyes. I thought I knew what he was trying to tell me but I had no idea, really, what lay in store and if I had, I might have run back in the direction from which I had come. But I had no such desire to run anywhere now, especially away from the man with sky colored eyes, with his wonderful stew and his marvelous gift of Snow in the season of Spring.


     I wanted to learn everything I could about him and from him and I wanted to know it all yesterday. At that point, it never even occurred to me that I didn't yet know his name nor he, mine. I was reveling in something I could not fathom or understand and all I knew was that I never wanted that sweet time to end. Thinking back to the rainy night before, I felt amazed that I had ever wanted to run away from him in fear or that I had been convinced that he meant to do me evil.

To be continued in Episode Eleven.............

https://bluevineyard.blogspot.com/2017/05/warriors-of-way-episode-11-new-teacher.html

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WARRIORS OF THE WAY EPISODE 9 Second Greatest Gift

WARRIORS OF THE WAY

EPISODE NINE

SECOND GREATEST GIFT



     I stayed in the water as long as I could. I thought that I might regain my senses as long as I had no contact with the man and the plan seemed to be working until he suddenly appeared in view near the willow trees. He was carrying something, and I slipped into a deeper part of the brook and covered myself as best I could. "I have brought you soap and fresh clothing!" he shouted and threw the soap with steady aim in my direction. I caught it with my right hand, and he laughed approvingly. I did not move further, and he turned his back and spoke to me over his shoulder. "I am going to pick some of these berries and fruit for us to eat. My kill is stewing in the pot and will soon be ready. Take your time and enjoy yourself. I think we are in no danger...now. And just so you know.....your necklace is safe with your other things." Then he retreated and I watched him go with my heart in my throat.

     The mind reader had struck again! Or had he? Was he just a good observer of human nature and of.....females? He seemed so experienced in these things and yet, he looked so young. Surely not more than three or four years older than myself, I thought. His face was unlined and unmarked by years and life though he exhibited a furrow between his brows when he was deep in thought, and he had a definite cleft in his strong chin that I found most attractive. Today he had some growth beginning to sprout on his face and it gave him a rugged appearance though not a fierce one. "When we have eaten, I will take my own bath and spruce up my rugged face!" he shouted upon leaving the area and I blanched again and ducked my head below the water. Egad! I felt exposed and bare before his remarkable ability.

      I waited until I thought it was safe and hurried out of the water and dried myself with towels he had left with the clothing. He certainly is thoughtful, I thought and then looked around to see if I could see two hidden eyes. But I saw nothing and felt nothing watching and I began to dress myself in buckskin breeches and shirt of white linen and pulled on my trusty but stained knee boots. I draped up my wet hair in a towel and went to wash my muddy garments in the stream, beating them against a cropping of rock. By the time I had finished and gathered up my things to head back to camp, my hair was drying and fresh smelling once again and I began to hum a song as I walked. This oasis was so lovely and out of place pitched here in the middle of such a brown and ugly plain. The oddity of it caught my attention as I stood and surveyed the landscape and I wondered how it could be there. Odd sights were becoming normal to me now, I thought. I would have to rethink many of the lessons my teacher had taught me about history and maps and men and life in general.

     "Thou hast been stuck in a rut." I told myself passing the tree in which the white bird still sat. Our eyes met and we stared once more as I walked by. I thought I saw the bird give a tiny nod but was not sure of it. As I left the oasis behind, I made better note of the area in front of me. The fields between the man's encampment and my previous one were broad and barren and brown in color. I saw no life there, no hint of living grass or tree or beast. It was unappealing and discouraging and I hurried on the path to the boulders. There were twelve gray boulders in a semi-circle spaced about two feet apart and rising into the blue sky approximately twelve or thirteen feet high. They were smooth and rounded and exuded a kind of security and royalty that made me purse my lips in wonder. I entered the camp and made my way close to the enclosure that sheltered the man's horse. I wanted to meet him and introduce myself. The man had made the horse a similar arbor as for himself there, incorporating trees and boulders and skins and I wanted to examine it. 

     Before I could step around the shielding boulder, the man stepped out before me leading the silver horse by his bridle. He was without saddle now and ungarbed but magnificent, nonetheless. Very tall, he stood, towering above the man who was of no short personage himself. A beautiful silvery color with tinges of black and big dark eyes and hooves with long tufts of black hair like socks around them. The horse neighed and I stopped and smiled and waited until he gave me his consent to touch him. The man stood back and beckoned me forward in greeting and said, "I want you to meet my closest friend. I know he is huge but do not be afraid. He will not step on you, little one." Then the horse stepped forward and thrust his nose into my hand and snorted in greeting. I rubbed his face against my own and patted him happily, feeling in my heart, the now familiar ache of missing Starshine. "This is Redemption." the man said proudly, caressing the neck of the horse with his left hand and looking into my eyes knowing that I was going to ask the inevitable. "Redemption?" I queried, "What an odd name!" 

     I walked around the horse admiring his height and width and obvious strength. "But perfectly definitive!" the man said smiling, meeting me beneath the neck of the animal. "He saved my life. On more than one occasion." "Oh." I said in understanding and admired the horse even more. "Thou art fortunate. My own horse was such a hero. But he is......gone now." Feeling tears well up in my eyes, I blinked to clear them away and coughed an un-needed cough. "Yes, I know." the man said then and caught my arm and swung me round to face him. "Dost thou remember my promise of last night?" I wasn't sure what he referred to and shook my head in puzzlement. "I told you I had a surprise for you this morning." he murmured. "And so, I do. Wait here." He put the reins of the horse's bridle in my hands and walked swiftly away behind the boulder. Redemption and I eyed one another in silence and then he rubbed his face against me, a horse's equivalent of a hug. I laughed and planted kisses all over his face and ran around him, under him and wondered how I might get up on him, he was so high, but those thoughts were interrupted by the man's return and the appearance of another horse, so unexpected, so wonderful and so incredible that I stood stock still in shock.

To be continued in Episode Ten...................

https://bluevineyard.blogspot.com/2017/05/warriors-of-way-episode-ten-snow-in.html

WARRIORS OF THE WAY EPISODE 8 Becoming Someone Else

      
WARRIORS OF THE WAY

EPISODE EIGHT

BECOMING SOMEONE ELSE



     I let him have his fun and took my humiliation silently though inside I was not as angry as I pretended. It was quite the humorous scene all in all and though I wished that it was not me there drowning in the mud and looking ridiculous, I carried on in some sort of dignified degradation. Ignoring my appearance, I looked into his eyes and said as seriously as I could, "There was something in the forest.....running. There was...it was breathing...I heard...something coming. Perhaps we should.......run." And my heart began to race again as I remembered the terror.

     The man stood looking at the wood thoughtfully and then back down at me on the ground. "It was probably one of the Weremen. They will not venture out of their dark fortress of trees. At least not in daylight. They will lure you in but you cannot lure them out while the sun is full." "Weremen?" I exclaimed, "Pray tell, what art Weremen? I recall a fable from my childhood....but...... ." and I stopped my words at his expression. We looked in unison at the forest and then back at one another and he said quietly, "It is no fable, that, it is...the truth. I wish it were not so but so it is. Half man, half beast, they are and ravenous. With great teeth and shaggy fur and fleet of foot. In the full moon, they are strong beyond comprehension and unstoppable save by skill and cunning. I have grappled with the beast men and only barely escaped with my life." "I have no doubt," I said, doubtfully,  "But I should like to know how thou.......

      And at that, the man reached down and grabbed my muddy hand and pulled me quickly to my feet. "You will revisit the brook but first you must wait by the fire until I return. Here is water and a bite of bread. While you bathe I shall prepare breakfast. Thank you for finding the pot and spoon. They have long been companions of mine." I hunkered by the campfire munching on hard bread and sipping long sips of the water, holding bread and flask in my filthy hands and wondering why the man had left me thus. He had walked out of my sight beyond the boulders, turning once to see if I had obeyed his wishes. With good reason, for I had at first hesitated to wait there alone, wondering if I should trust his counsel about the thing in the forest and doubting that the story was true. Only in fables and old wives tales had I heard of such a thing. No one believed these things existed, did they? No evil thing lived within the borders of my father's kingdom, only on the outskirts and then only in lands you could not cross and in shadows you could not see through. But still, only stories, surely...............


      True, there existed many strange people in the kingdom and many races, cultures and with many shades of color. Some huge, some small, some tall and fair and some short and squat. But all with brown eyes and all speaking in the same tongue. Some had come talking in different languages but all had come to learn the manner of speaking of the Royal House. Though there arose the occasional squabble in the village, we had all existed  peacefully on my father's grounds. I had been gone so many years now, I wondered if it were still so in that place. There had been a breath of change in the air when last I had visited there. An excitement, an expectation.


     Upon receiving word of the passing of my teacher,  I  had traveled back home with a grief and a joy in my heart that only he could understand. He had left us in his sleep some years after I'd set out to journey throughout the kingdom, the quest given to me by my father after my own insistence. "Thou hast learned well," were the last words my teacher had said to me, "Thou hast learned well." And his eyes had shone with pride and tears as he embraced me and watched me mount Starshine and ride away on my mission. "I will never forget thy words!" I called back to him over my shoulder, not wanting him to see the tears flowing down my own cheeks or the aching in my eyes at our parting. He had been a true friend. He had been...........everything I needed.


     Thinking back to my childhood, I realized now that indeed I had had two companions, Starshine and he. One a playmate and horse and one a stern faced scholar obsessed with books and learning and given the task of turning a wild, impulsive girl full of spirit into a warrior full of knowledge and wisdom. He had been like a father to me and had treated me like a daughter. My nurse had been as close to a mother as she could have been despite the fact that I had often pushed her away in resentment, longing to have my real mother at my side. Perhaps my childhood had not been as bad as I'd thought it was. Perhaps I had just not seen what I should have seen because I was selfish and childish and blind. I needed to re-think the matter at length, and I did as I waited for the man's return. 


     Once or twice I heard noises coming from the forest and I started and looked around for some weapon I might use. I refused to look at the long cooking spoon and thought how stupid I must have looked brandishing the thing at my unseen foe. I wiped at the mud dried hair around my eyes and picked at the caked mud on my arms and legs. If I could not plunge myself into water soon, I would surely turn to stone! A petrified being standing there for all eternity surrounded by Weremen dancing in the moonlight! While I mused on these images and lost myself in imagination (as I had always done), I suddenly felt the prickling of fear again and though they could not, the hairs on my arms valiantly tried to stand up. Something had it's eyes on me, I was sure of it. It was devouring me. The sensation was overwhelming and so alarming that I thought to run in the direction of the boulders for safety when at last the man strode back into view and hurried to the campfire. He was wet and breathless, carrying his vest and shirt. And the black cooking pot. I gasped at the sight of his unclothed chest and looked away but then settled myself and rose to meet him.


      "What has alarmed you?" he asked, drying his hands with the shirt and setting the pot full of water upon the flame. I watched him in wary silence, my eyes taking in the sight of him standing there on the muddy ground, fast drying now in the sun's warmth. His shirt he had thrown on the grass, and wore the vest hanging out of his breeches like an apron. With his dark hair curling all around his head, he threw more wood on the fire and repeated the question. "Why? Dost thou not know?" I finally responded and watched him. "Always, thou seemeth to know..... everything." And he looked puzzled and shook his head, droplets of water flying into my face. "I don't know everything," he said softly, "I don't know half of what I should." Long moments passed as we stood there trying to read each other, then I sighed, using his words, "You know much more than I do." And the moment passed and I turned deliberately away from him.


      I did not understand the feelings that came over me when I looked at this man. It was almost like a spell had been cast over me. It was frightening. And.......wonderful and.....frightening. My teacher would not approve! I told myself. He would tell me to be on my way and to fend for myself and to not be afraid, of course. But I was afraid! Of the thing in the forest and the thing I could not remember and this strange land in which I found myself. But most of all, I feared the eyes of this man! Whether he looked at me or whether he did not. I wanted him to look at me but trembled when he looked. I did not understand this. A thousand mad thoughts raced through my mind and I tried to reign them in as I remembered that he, the owner of those beautiful frightening eyes had read my thoughts out loud already so many times and I especially did not want him to read them now.


      "Everything will be alright." he murmured and turned me to face him. "I will not let you be harmed." He ran his thumb down my dirty cheek in vain to clean it and left it there upon my lips. My knees buckled and my heart raced, now, not so much in fright as reveling in his touch. I fought to control my emotions and could not win the battle so I turned and ran towards the boulders. Glancing back, I saw him standing there at the fire watching me run with an unreadable expression on his face. The very air seemed full of feeling. I was running in the wrong direction, I wanted to go back but I dared not! I briefly glimpsed the silver colored horse on my left as he stared at me in surprise but it barely registered in my brain. I only wanted to reach the water, plunge in and let it wash my muddy, feverish body and mind back to sanity. So many changes had come into my life of late, maybe I was mad. I didn't know myself anymore. 


     Running out of the encampment, I was disoriented for a moment and then realized that the lush oasis was some distance away. I made for the willow trees and bushes hanging full of berries and the sparkling brook as fast as my legs could carry me. As I neared it, I noticed the same white bird that had waved to me, sitting in the top of a tree watching my approach with intelligent eyes. I stared as I ran past and found the place of my previous camp and the shores of the deep clear stream. As I peeled away my clothing, I noticed that my necklace was gone. I felt a chill rush through me and I gasped at the way it took my breath. A flash of memory came to me then and I saw the huge door and my own small hand upon it and the sparkle of something indescribable and then it was gone. Gone and would not come back no matter how hard I implored it. Then the chill was gone and the sun was warm and the water inviting and I waded out into the deepest depths and washed away my garment of mud. I felt reborn when all trace of dirt was gone and I swam for a great length of the brook, feeling no fear and seeing no trace of anything magical or evil. I felt, for a few moments, like the child I had always been. Like me. Again.

To be continued in Episode Nine.......

https://bluevineyard.blogspot.com/2017/05/warriors-of-way-episode-9-second.html