A huge full moon hanging in the sky high above me, filled my vision as I opened my eyes. I lay there for a few moments, in the absolute stillness of the dark night, wondering where I was, as the last vestiges of smoke, heat and sound dissipated, from my mind. Perhaps it was having been pushed to the boundaries of exhaustion or the absolute stillness and quiet of the surrounding area, but I felt no fear, or worry, only a deep calm, as I slowly sat up and looked about me. I was in a small glade, completely surrounded by maple trees; the full moon high above casting the leaves in silver and shadow. A few steps below me, was a gently sloping hillside dotted in wildflowers and covered in soft grasses bowing their tips towards a small dark pool in the center that enveloped and reflected the silvery moon above. Except for the breath of a wind, that carried the scent of maple trees and wildflowers; all was truly quiet, not a sound of bird or insect could be heard. Peace and tranquility, silver light and shadows, cloaked the glade.
I had sat for long moments, enjoying this quiet place, when I became aware of fleeting shadows in the periphery my eyes, moving silently and stealthily like predators in the brush under the maple trees. Trying to catch sight of these creatures, I soon became aware of a very tall figure standing across the pool from me. This figure, a gathering of darker shadows, a form with no definition, was wearing what appeared to be a horned helm and a cloak of leaves while the shining glint of eyes looked out from under that helm, studying me. I know not how long the figure had been there and as time stretched out, I began to wonder if the figure was just some cleverly made statuary placed by a forgotten artist, to watch over the quiet beauty of the glade. Then with a slight rustle of leaves indicating the statue was indeed a living being, I stood, wary, ready to flee, should this apparition prove to be ill-willed. Long moments again passed as we stood there, each regarding the other.
Then, from the darkness of the helm, a deep and stern voice said, "So you are the one the Derudh have sent as my Huntress." Not knowing how or if I should respond, I remained quiet, as the niggling thought rose to my mind that this was the fabled Spirit called The Hunter.
The Hunter spoke again, musing to himself, "The grandchild of Derudh, and the child of a Dunlending with the weakened blood of the Silvan in your veins. The will and spirit of a hunter and a leader. But none of the grace and maturity needed for the long road ahead...wildfire and instinct..." His voice trailed away.
As he stood there, regarding me again, the intensity of his gaze made me shift uncomfortably. Finally, feeling the need to say or do something, I said hesitantly, "I..I..will do as my teulu wishes." I cast down my eyes, as I resigned myself to the fate the Derudh had imposed on me; having suddenly realized the elder in the tent was right, it was too late. Firming my resolve to do what needed to be done, I looked directly at him and with the idealism of youth, I said, "I can learn. I can be whatever it is the Derudh wish, whatever my people need."
At that, deep laughter swelled from the breast of the Hunter, filling the glade with a sound like the thunder of a far off waterfall. "A doe with no wisdom at all."
His laughter began to subside, as he slowly nodded his head, and in his deep voice said, "Yes, Nevara. You must learn the ways of the Stag and all the clan animals to be the leader the Derudh hope...to be a Huntress of the Hunt." And musing to himself again, he continued; "Yes...that is best I think. You must learn, and learn you shall"
With that, he raised his arm, crooking his elbow like a perch and gave a single high pitched whistle. A piecing cry answered him and with a crisp flap of wings, a huge, silvery white falcon, landed on his arm. As the bird nobly tucked its sharp beaked head towards the Huntsman, he gently stroked the breast feathers of the beautiful bird. Then turning to me, he said sternly; "You will return Nevara Etoyoc, to your lands, with a geis. A blessing...or a curse from me, if you wish to look at it as such. You will take the path of the falcon, soaring high and wandering wide. From this moment on, you will know no peace, you will only know restlessness and wandering. Your heart will search, always yearning. Your peace will be carried by this falcon, who will be your guide, it will lead you on your path of learning. For only the Falcon can catch the Stag. In daylight glimpses and in nighttime dreams, search for this bird. Look for him in the dawning light, look for him in the tasks you will complete, look for him in the eyes of a friend. Your journey will be long and when at last you finally find the falcon waiting for you on one autumn lit day..only then will you find a home and become the leader that your people need."
I stood speechless. To live a life of adventure, as I, child that I was, had hoped, was one thing, but to be continually searching, to be given a geis such as this, by the Huntsman, was....incomprehensible. As I raised my voice to perhaps, protest or plead, to find understanding, he cut through, a harder edge entering his words, "You must go now, Nevara. Your welcome in my hall, is done. Walk towards the trees and do not look back. Look for the falcon on the wind, and in the morning light."
Dumbstruck from the words of the Hunter, the tone and finality in his voice, I turned and obediently walked toward the trees as he bade me, with never a look back. I wish I had looked back now, if only to catch one last glimpse of the Falcon that would be my guide, leading me into an unknown future.
As I walked under the trees, the shrubs and brushes seemed to grow increasingly thicker. I became more and more entangled, tearing my shift, leaving long scrapes on my skin, and filling my hair with leaves. I thought I could not move further, then suddenly, the shrubs and the trees parted...and I stepped out into the afternoon light, of the moss cushioned clearing of my Grandmothers' Derudh pentref.
Although this was not the pentref I had left. It was empty, with a sense of absence that indicated no presence of people. The Derudh, reclusive even in their own village, appeared to be all gone. The small tent in the center of the clearing was gone, even the moss had been replaced, showing no mark of its former existence. The shelters and tents of the other inhabitants, their animals and weapon stacks, were no longer there. The clearing appeared as if it was just any other clearing one might come across throughout the great forest. I blinked several times, disoriented, as I looked about.
Then the soft whicker of a horse hidden from view, drew my eyes to a tight group of leafless saplings near me and out stepped my Grandmother, walking brusquely as she does, followed by the three Elders with their hard wrinkled faces, stumping along behind her. My Grandmother carried a bundle that appeared to be my clothes, and as she drew nearer, she said, "It is good you finally arrived. "
I opened my mouth to speak a relieved greeting, when her words sank in, "Finally arrived? Grandmother? This is the same village, isn't it? Where is everyone?"
"Yes it is the same village. In the two days you were gone, the rest have moved to the winter shelters, to await the coming cold." My Grandmother said matter-of-factly.
While I absorbed this information, she passed my clothes to me, saying with a hint of her rarely shown gentleness, "Your shift is in tatters and you will need these. The nights are cold." The oldest crone, the one with the drum, touched my Grandmothers arm with her hooked fingers, and whispered something in her ear. My Grandmother turned to me and said, "Beyond your clothes, we can not give you the supplies you may need. Those you must gain on your way as part of your journey."
Having taken the clothes from my Grandmother, I looked up at her and the three crones, each with their own complex expressions making them unreadable. "My journey? To home?" I asked, hopelessly hoping. The dwindling child within me, still denying the role that had been cast upon my young life.
The oldest crone spoke up, "You have failed Nevara Etoyoc. Arassial appeared and told us while you were gone. You must go from here and find a falcon." The Elder mused a moment, tilting her ear almost as if she was listening, then shrugging uncaringly, said."Perhaps one day you will return." And with that she and the other crones turned and walked toward the saplings, leaving my Grandmother behind.
Grandmother watched them leave, then looked at me, her cool grey eyes softening, "You must go child. You have a long journey ahead of you."
"But where am I supposed to go??" As the beginnings of fear and loneliness, crept in. "I have to say good bye to Nhad and Mam, and Fia...I cant just leave them..They will worry."
My Grandmother turning to go, paused and said, "They are gone child. Your Cartref is empty. Your Family will travel with us to the winter lands. You will not find them. "
I stuttered, "B-But..I.." I swallowed back a sudden lump in my throat, refusing to cry, "Where am I supposed to go..?"
Grandmother, stood there watching me, half turned to leave, then unstrapped the dagger at her side and passed it to me, "Follow the dawn, follow the wind. Learn and return to us. Efallai y bydd y ysbrydion yn eich arwain." She nodded once, then said gently, "Be safe child."
At that, the last person I would see of my family, turned and walked from the clearing, without a backward glance. I watched her disappear amongst the thicket of saplings, unable to speak. Holding my clothes and her dagger, wearing my thin tattered shift, I trembled in the cooling air of the descending dusk.
