Warrior Woman

The Journey

Steps that are like the sound of thunder,
She looks around in complete wonder,
Wondering where it's coming from,
This warrior woman on the run.

Running through bushes and trees,
She carries her spear hoping not to see,
This mysterious thing that's following her,
As she listens to the sound of distant thunder.

She reaches a boulder,
Taking deep breaths,
Puts up her spear,
In innocent defense.

But her fear is soon short lived,
It's nothing but a mare,
Strong and bold.

Listening for the sound of others steps,
She mounts the mare and on a trek they go,
Hoping that soon she will find her home,
In this land where she does not belong.

Soon the mare goes to a trot,
Ears are pricked she does not stop,
As she runs and so fleet of foot,
The trees and bushes seem like a flash.

They reach a clearing and further on,
seeing a cliff, the mare does not stop,
The woman wondering what happens next.

As it runs it does not stop,
The warrior woman riding on top,
Clutching it's mane and closing her eyes,
She waits for the moment, and to her surprise,
through the clouds they fly,
The woman and the steed.

Other cliffs they do reach,
The steed stops to rests its wings,
With the Warrior Princess on his back,
To Pause to breathe.

She wonders where,
This beast came from,
Surely not in this land,
He is from.

She lies to rest upon,
A solid stone slab,
The Pegasus,
On the ground beside her.

Soon asleep they fall,
As the sky turns dark,
Soon they will wake,
On a journey together,
They will soon embark.

Soon the night time turns to light,
And again these two must ride,
Through the forest and it's trees,
She hears a noise that makes her cringe.

Sounds of barking can be heard,
Soon they are nipping at her heels,
Her spear she raises above her head.

A voice is heard from behind
as she sees a man on a steed of white,
It is the Hunter, but he stopped,
and she knows not why.

Waiting for what seemed like an eternity,
The man and his dogs turn to leave
as the warrior woman lowers her spear,
Another sound she does hear.

Before her she sees a path,
A homely wizard with staff in hand,
standing before her in this strange land.

He beckons to her and she goes,
With apprehension she follows him
where to her surprise her eyes do see,
A valley of sunlight, flowers and great trees.

As the Pegasus grazed in the grass,
The warrior woman asks at last,
What it was that made him stop,
Surely the Hunter had a plot.

The Wizard only spoke one word,
and in a crystal globe he looked at,
Was the warrior woman's answer,
Staring back.

For high above in a mountain peak,
sat a bird with wings so great.

The Hunter knew that this was wrong,
That in this forest, he could not go,
Which was the reason he had stopped.

But why did I she asked the wizard,
Her fighting spirit decreased by wonder,
He told her that he watched her here,
In the globe of crystal clear,
He saw her strength and her fear.

The warrior woman was mesmerized,
For this to her was a complete surprise,
For she thought that she was alone,
In this land where no one knows.

She closed her eyes and saw the scenes,
Where she was taken from her family,
Her mother and father enslaved by those,
Who taught her that her place was this home.

Days and weeks, and years had past,
She could not remember when she saw them last,
She didn't even know if her parents were still alive,
But a feeling in her heart told her that they were,
And on this journey in this world of the unknown,
This is what helped her to escape her tormentors.

As she saw these scenes in her mind,
The wizard spoke and she opened her eyes,
She told him of what she had seen,
And told him her family she must find.
The wizard pondered and for a moment thought,
And soon he gave her a small pendant as a token.

The woman took it and asked him why,
All he said was look to the sky,
Every obstacle you come across,
The gem itself will brightly glow,
Giving you strength beyond your dreams,
On your journey this will help.

The woman took these words and stood to go,
But the wizard told her that time it was not,
For she must learn of the power of the gem,
And must learn to use it for the good of man.

The wizard explained the gems strong power,
As the minutes turned to hours, he told her of,
The secret it held, and why she should use it well.

The gem had belonged to a very old man,
Who used it only for the good of man,
When soon a day had come and then,
An evil monster ravaged the land.

He had taken the gem as his own,
And used it for his own selfish gain,
It had been used to rid the land,
Of the goodness of man.

A brave man had fought for it to own,
And turned it against the monster so old,
And hid it in this forest of light, so that,
It'd never see the darkness of night.

The wizard told her it had been his Dad,
This old wizard so alone, had kept the gem,
And to him it was revealed that a woman bold,
Would rid the world if it's evil, menacing hold,
And fill the land with the happiness long gone.

What of the Pegasus, the woman asked,
As she and the wizard went to its side,
The Pegasus rose as if it wanted to ride,
But the wizard spoke so soft the Pegasus stood,
And it did not walk; it just stayed where it was.

The wizard said it had just one task,
To take her along and bring her back,
But there would be trouble along the way,
And for that she must be brave.

She understood and mounted the steed,
Thanking the old wizard for his hospitality,
The Pegasus walked and then went to trot,
Soon she was over the meadow treetops.

Riding the clouds and to the sun,
The warrior's journey had begun,
To save all those that she must defend,
All the people in this land.

Thinking about the Hunter and dogs,
She knew she must take care of them,
Before they did more damage to them,
She commanded the steed to go southwest,
To his home where his dogs rest.

All the while the wizard watched,
In his glass he saw a lot, some of which,
He had not told to this woman strong and bold.

He had seen many challenges along the way,
But knew that he must be quiet,
For this woman would surely have left,
If she knew what came next.

As along the clouds they went,
She saw something she did not expect,
For right before her very eyes,
A small white dove joined on this ride,

Soon the winds had grown wild,
And this she knew was the start of a storm,
She and the Pegasus looked for someplace warm.

After what seemed like hours,
Soon the rain turned to showers,
As the Pegasus and the woman,
Searched for shelter from the cold.

In their search they found a clearing,
As the Pegasus started her landing,
They saw a place, a house, so old,
It's only remains were its frame,
Along with some kindling wood.

The woman told the beast to land,
As it did, she started to survey the land.

She jumped off the steed,
As it let down its wings,
The warrior woman in the lead,
They walked around this little plot,
That had once been a family's spot.

She found some remains of dishes,
And a small circle where a fire,
Had once brightly burned,
In what looked like the kitchen room.

Other places she could barely make out,
As the house was all burned out,
Wondering who would live in this solitude,
The warrior woman looked for some more wood.

Soon a fire she had brightly lit,
Under an old canopy she and the Pegasus sat,
It was all they had to keep them dry and warm,
This one small place, a shelter from the storm.

Lightning streaked across the sky,
As the woman closed her eyes,
She remembered a time,
when she was young,
Where she was afraid of a storm.

A crack of thunder woke her up,
And the Pegasus stood right up,
For the fire had gone out,
All alone feeling a little doubt,
The woman stood with spear in hand,
And listened for the Hunters footsteps.

Hearing nothing but the rain,
She lit the fire up again,
As she sat beneath the tarp,
Her body quaked at the start,
For she felt alone in this land,
Though the Pegasus was her Guardian.

Soon she slept and the Pegasus stood guard,
Not once winking or sleeping,
This mighty steed watched her sleeping,
Knowing that it's task was to,
Take her home to her family soon.

Soon the dark turned to light,
A brand new day was at its start,
And as she slept she felt not cold,
As she dreamed of her home.

She soon woke up to a soft nudge,
As the Pegasus lay at her side,
She saw that noontime had arrived,
Though the storm was long gone,
The soft rain lingered on.

As she sat there stroking its mane,
The Pegasus raised her head,
And looking into its eyes she saw,
Something that she had not before.

The Pegasus had shown her a side,
That she never noticed when it arrived,
For it had a tear running down its cheek,
Making the woman's heart feel weak.

She hugged the steed and held it tight,
Telling it that all would be all right,
That soon they'd be able to go back home,
And that she could find a family of her own.

The Pegasus rose as if to walk,
But as she did they heard a squawk,
A huge black bird had gone overhead,
The very same one on the tall mountain.

Forgetting about the Hunter and dogs,
The Warrior woman wanted to follow,
This great beast in this land unknown,
This very place that she knew was not home.

As she mounted the gentle steed,
She stroked his mane and spoke softly,
Knowing that it was his very own cue,
The Pegasus ran with strength so new.

They rode through the forest,
And headed back to the wizards wood,
But not to stop and talk at all,
She had to get to that mountain,
She could hear its call.

The wizard watched this in his glass,
And with a sigh, to sleep he went at last,
Knowing that she's on her own,
He kept his faith in her alone.

As they reached another cliff,
This time the woman was ready for it,

With all her might, she held on tight,
As the Pegasus spread its wings.

They reached the other side,
Where the Pegasus hit the ground,
Her feet barely making a sound,
In the dirt and gravel where,
They were to travel,
To get to the Bird's Lair.

All the while the Hunter sat,
His three dogs taking a nap.

In his section of the Woods,
He heard the call of the great bird,
Not once did he utter a word.

One of the dogs had walked over to him,
And he couldn't help but let out a grin,
For though the dog was trained to fight,
It was all in fun and silliness,
As the dog gave him a big wet kiss.

The man had thoughts still that day,
But right this moment, they went away,
For his only friends wanted to play,
And he gave them attention without delay.

Back in the outside world,
The warrior woman felt her blood curdle,
As she walked along a dark path,
With the Pegasus at her back.

A great old owl called out to her,
But she would not utter a word,
For she was on a single quest,
And for nothing would she stop,
Till she got to that mountaintop.

As she walked with steed behind,
She looks up and thinks to herself,
Will this be it; will I really,
have to do this myself?

She saw the bird among the treetops,
In her tracks she suddenly stopped,
The Pegasus still close behind,
She mounts the steed so she can ride.

The Pegasus knows that,
Its wings can't spread,
So on the ground she must stay,
Walking along this narrow path,
Not her or the warrior looking back.

The warrior woman keeps looking to the sky,
The bird keeps going but seems to look down,
And from its chest it makes a great sound.

The warrior woman covers her ears,
The sound is like something she's never heard,
All she knows is that it makes her skin crawl,
As she and the Pegasus keep going on.

Soon the bird is out of site,
As the day again turns to night,
The warrior woman wants to go on,
But her steed reminds her that rest must come.

They reach an old tree stump,
The warrior woman walks around,
Trying to find something to eat,
As the Pegasus rests against the tree.

She comes upon a small berry bush,
But before she picks she takes a look,
Someone was here, she is sure,
And she looks around the area more.

Sure enough, someone was here,
As she finds the head of a spear,
A fairly new one laying on the ground,
She kneels and picks it up,
And hears a sound.

Forgetting her spear was at the tree,
The warrior woman has a thought to flee,
But before she can even make it to run,
The sound comes closer than it was before,
Someone is there but who she's unsure.

Knowing that she must be strong and brave,
She picks up a stick and calls who's there?
Not one answer could be heard,
But the warrior woman asks once more.

Before her eyes soon she sees,
It was just a small squirrel looking for nuts,
The warrior woman's takes a breath,
Thanking God it was nothing more than that.

As the Pegasus grazed the grass,
The warrior woman sat and stared,
At the spearhead she held in her hand,
Wondering who had brought it here.

Looking at her own old spear,
She then decided to take it along,
For her spear was getting worn,
It needed replaced for the days to come.

As she sat and watched the sky,
She heard a noise and stood again,
For this very sound made her heart race,
Maybe the Hunter decided to come again.

Then she remembered the Wizards words,
That the Hunter would follow no more,
For on this journey she must go,
And no one was able to do any harm.

But surely the sound had to be someone,
She thought as the Pegasus came back to her,
Pricking her ears as the woman stood.

They both looked and nothing came,
Perhaps the sound was just the wind,
For though the rain had finally died,
The wind was blowing and this time,
There was no place for them to hide.

Back in his home made of wood and stone,
The wizard had some thoughts of his own,
If this woman was to be the only savior,
He had to help her in some way,
He didn't care of the pact he made.

He looked in books and in his papers,
For some spells that could save her,
But alas nothing was there for him to use,
Except there was an idea and he had a choice,
He went to his ball and spoke in low voice:

"Show me the place where a hero dwells,
A silent place that only I know well,
Show me the house where love once stood,
Show me the place, show me in the woods."

With these words an image appeared,
A lone house, dark and dreary,
Stood alone in a place unnerving,
But in that place was a light,
And in his heart he knew this was right.

For in that house there was a man,
All alone and willing to give a hand,
To any stranger who passed his dwelling,
The wizard called on him,
For he knew him well.

The old man in this house so old,
Woke that morning feeling cold,
For it was dark in this house,
His only pet was a small crow.

He walked along the hallways,
Wondering what would go on this day,
Then he heard the voice of man,
And went to his study where he had,
A giant table with crystal old,
Who could that be he thought and looked.

In the glass he saw a face,
One he thought he'd never again,
Then has asked what did you want,
You are the one who woke me up.

The little bird on his shoulder stood,
With this old man in the woods,
He listened close to the Wizards words.

"I need a favor from you old friend,
someone to help her in her task,
She is bold and her heart is good,
but she is alone in this wood.

So thinking of you I thought I'd ask,
Since you love to lend a hand,
Give this woman,
One to help her on her way.

Make this journey safe all the time,
For surely without help,
She will meet fate unkind."

The old man with bird agreed,
and asked his friend wizard,
to explain some things.

When he heard all he could,
The Wizard said,

"This is all well and good,
I will help this Warrior Woman."

And with that he made a vow,
No matter when, or where or how,
He would meet her along her way,
He would help every step of the way.

He held the bird in his hand,
For just for him he had a task,
Though small in stature,
This little critter could help too,
This little bird the friend of good.

Back to the Woman….

The warrior woman stood,
wondering what the sound was,
That was coming from the woods.

The Pegasus beside her,
standing tall and brave,
Spread her wings about her,
Ready to fly away.

Though the rain was falling,
She knew what to do,
To take the warrior from the forest,
Away from the danger in the woods.

As the Woman went to mount,
She then had a thought,
Instead of running away,
She would only look.

Picking up her spear,
She walked to a nearby bush,
Stuck the spear inside it,
A horrible sound was heard.

An animal came out wounded,
The warrior woman beside herself,
She took the ferret in her arms,
While she treated it with care.

She really wouldn't have hurt it,
had she known that's what was there.

The Pegasus lay down,
Against the same old tree,
She watched as the woman
tended to the injured thing,
Still her wings were spread,
and she felt an uneasy dread.

The old man watched this,
Through his glass,
As the little bird,
Looked from his perch.

He jumped from his perch,
To the old man's shoulder,
As he spoke with words of ponder.

"How do we help her,
This woman of soft heart,
How can we saver her;
from the most evil of plots.

For if she's kind then,
She will be deceived.

There must be some way,
To help her to see.

She has the pendant,
All her power inside,
But it can only be used,
When in the battle final.

There must be a way,
To help her in this;
I wonder what if,
I sent you with a message."

The bird cawed,
Making such a scene
the old man pondered,
While watching,
Then he got an idea,
And started writing.

As he wrote, back in the woods,
The warrior woman let the ferret go,
As she did there came another sound,
In the bushes, something prowled.

The Ferret gone, the woman stood,
Grabbing her spear aiming it toward,
The very bush that rattled and shook.

The Pegasus beside her, her wings flared,
She knew something evil, lingered there.

Though she tried to lure the woman away,
There she stood, with her spear in hand,
Shaking inside, but ready to take a stand.

The animal growled, startling the steed,
The woman stood there, ready for anything.

The bush stopped shaking,
The warrior woman relaxed,
It must have been the ferret,
Stuck in the branches,
But the Pegasus remained,
Ready to take action.

As the woman lowered her spear,
The bird could again be heard,
The warrior woman knew,
That somehow this was not good.

The Bird had circled the trees,
Till with his eyes he did see,
The Pegasus and the woman,
He had found for what he was looking.

He lowered from the air as a diversion,
While the woman still held her spear,
From the bushes came a large rodent.

Though smaller than a wolf,
This creature was no good,
And though she really tried,
She was hurt not once, but twice.

The spear had broken in the fight,
The Pegasus tried to break it up,
But the rodent was not to be outdone,
The Pegasus, too, had been harmed.

As the woman battled the beast,
The pendant she wore glowed brightly,
For in a fight, it would show,
It's power of what the Wizard told.

Shinning brightly, and blinding the beast,
The Pegasus knew now to retreat,
She carried the woman on her back,
As the woman held onto her neck.

The bird had seen this and was sore,
He flew to the skies and followed the two,
The ones that he knew spelled his doom.

He glided down on his large wings,
Aiming for Pegasus and the warrior,
It was then that he noticed the other bird.

Flying high, above the trees,
It's call caused great fear,
As the larger bird retreated,
It seemed, he suddenly bee-lined,
For the crow, that was cawing.

A battle in the sky ensued,
The Pegasus saw this as her cue,
Though wounded and sore
She spread her great wings,
Taking the woman away from more harm.

Still fighting then,
The crow did his best,
To distract the larger beast,
While Pegasus and woman fled.

He poked the mighty beast,
With his beak so sharp,
You swear that you could hear,
The crying of a hawk.

And just for the time being,
The beast had met his match,
But soon he'd be back,
For the next time they met,
He wouldn't be defeated.

As the Pegasus flew,
On the ground below,
Ran a mighty horse,
With his master alone.

Looking to the sky,
The man had seen the creature,
And knew that this was the one,
For which the old man sent the letter.

For he was quietly resting,
When the crow had woke him,
Coming through the open window,
In his home that was hidden from the world.

With the crow a message,
From the old man himself,
Had told him of the woman,
The restorer of good long went.

The warrior woman weak with wounds,
Was finding it hardest to cling to,
The only way she could escape the torment,
With heavy heart she let go of her neck.

The Pegasus felt the weight decreased,
Knowing then, hat she stopped fighting,
The man on horse stood strong and all,
He somehow managed to break her fall.

The horse behind, did what's best,
He carried her to a small quiet place,
Where he cleaned her wounds,
And wiped the tears off her face.

The Pegasus landed,
Content in knowing,
That someone was here,
To help them, on their journey.

The horse wandered,
As the man tended,
To the woman's wounds,
He lay beside Pegasus,
She made no move.

The man saw the pendant,
And went to remove it,
As he did, the woman,
Woke with a start,
Taking his arm,
Wanting to break him apart.

Before he could react,
She had him in such a hold,
That he was sure that,
Her wounds must be healed.

"Who are you?"
She asked, keeping her hold,
She was still weak,
But her spirit was strong.

"What do you want with me?
Where have I been brought?"

The man moved to speak,
And he tried to move around
But the strength of her arms,
Was something he beheld.

For though she was quiet,
And her voice was weak,
He admired her strength,
And admitted defeat.

"Answer my question,
And I'll let you go,
Tell me this now,
Who sent you?"

The warrior woman asked,
Her hold starting to weaken,
She didn't want to let go,
But her body was aching.

"I was sent to aid you,
To help you on your way,
But if you must go alone…

Then do with me,
Whatever you must,
Just remember this,
Defeat comes much quicker,
When someone you distrust."

When he spoke,
His voice sounded kind,
So with a little hesitation,
She let go and let him by.

He walked to his horse,
Who, beside Pegasus lay,
He pulled out a letter,
That he had gotten that day.

Warrior woman looked at the letter,
But her eyes were too tired,
He body was weakened,
From the moments in the fight,
She sat on a stump,
Near where Pegasus lie.

He read what it said,
About a woman needing help,
And when he got to the end,
The warrior woman's tears welled.

While she wept, the man only stared,
Surely there was something bothering her,
He thought as he put the paper away he asked,
What it was that disturbed her so.

The Warrior Woman just wiped her tears,
Concealing her doubts, and her fears,
She told him of what the Wizard had said,
About her journey in this land.

That alone she must do this,
And now she felt as if it was a trick,
For she was only a day or two in this journey.

Something about this did strike him odd,
And he was wondering if someone had a plot.

But who might it be,
Could it be the Hunter?
That she told him about.

They would find out,
During the journey in this land,
This journey to free the people,
And Find her Mom and Dad.

The woman stood,
As the Pegasus rose,
The Gem about her,
Neck began to glow.

Danger comes very close,
She said in half whisper,
She looked for her spear.

Finding it near the old tree,
Where horse and Pegasus lay,
She picked it up and a sight she did see.

For off in the distance,
Behind and beyond the tree,
There was a waterfall,
It's foam rising to the highest peak.

There, we must hide,
For surely it's the Hunter,
On yet another ride,
The woman said as she took,
Her spear in hand.

The man and horse followed close,
Though in his mind, he thought this odd.

The Pegasus walked,
As Warrior Woman rode.

They raced to the falls,
With the dust at their backs,
A bark could be heard,
And then another in back.

The Hunter! She cried,
As in the distance,
She saw his steed,
Three dogs followed,
Barking and mean.

How did they find us?
The woman thought,
As she and the man,
Went to the falls.

As they did so,
The man had a thought,
For they were to far,
From the Hunter's trail,
He was on the other side,
And told the woman of,
The thought he had in mind.

Staring at him with disbelief,
She looked at the necklace,
And noticed something.

The sun had gleamed,
As her mind did race,
For when the light reflected,
It caused her to see,
And also hear something,
That may not even be there.

"What is it then", she asked.

Looking at her necklace,
The woman started to wonder,
What has happened to her?
For she was never this uptight.

Maybe the bird,
When it attacked,
Had scared her enough,
That whatever she saw,
Was something that it was not.

And the sun shinning,
On the gem around her neck,
Just triggered her thoughts,
Of an impending attack.

"What of that crow?"
She asked as she looked up,
"Where has it gone?
I didn't see it when you showed up."

"Probably gone,"
The man said to her,
"Probably just the messenger,
Gone back to his home,
Back to his master,
To tell him his deed had been done."

Just as he said this,
Back at the old house,
The old man and the crow,
Were walking around.

The crow on the floor,
Limping with wounds,
Had crashed through the window,
And the old man thought doom.

But when he looked in his ball,
He saw what he'd expected.

The man got the message,
And started on this journey.

The old man called on the wizard and told,
Of the actions of the man he sent to help,
And when he heard this, he was content.

But in the back of his mind,
Something was not right.
The gem had caused a reaction,
he'd not expected.

What of its power,
is she soon to find out,
What is in it, that he,
may not know about.

Was it still evil,
just waiting for someone,
To continue to use it,
to unleash the evil one?

He did not know,
but the old man he asked,
If there was something they could do,
To counter another phantom attack.

The old man pondered,
But no idea did come,
He only told the wizard that,
The time would soon come.

When they finally meet the beast,
On the mountain so high,
A place where only,
Pegasus was able to ride.

Upon thinking this,
The wizard had a thought,
How could the man help her,
When his horse, could not come.

He thought for a while,
And called on the old man,
Asking him if there was a way,
That he could help without his steed,
Surely there was something,
up the old man's sleeve.

No tricks no, no magic,
Could be used at this time,
They had to figure a way,
To get to the Mountain top.

Back at the Hunters lair,
He came up with a plan,
To catch up with Warrior Woman,
As ti seemed her ideas were changed,
Her mind no longer on him.

He took this time,
to prepare for the Hunt,
To find the Warrior Woman,
before she reached the Mountain top.

He wanted that Gem, and wanted it bad,
He had ideas, he had a plan.

He knew of the Journey,
And knew she was the one,
To take the land from the Evil One.

To be continued…….

Danielle N Calhoun
© February 19, 2003