THE YOUNG WARRIOR AN INTRODUCTION Category: Writing and Poetry

EMERGING FROM THE FOREST

THE HOME OF HIS GREAT FATHERS

THE YOUNG WARRIOR CAME UPON

THE TRAIL OF A GREAT BEAST

BEYOND THE TRAILS WIDTH BEFORE HIM

WAS A VAST PLAIN

A VAST PLAIN THAT HAD NOT BEEN THERE BEFORE

THERE SHOULD BE TREES THICK GROWTH

THE FOREST SHOULD HAVE GONE ON

THERE WAS NEVER AN END TO THE FOREST

UNTIL THIS DAY

NOW ONLY DUST AND SPARSE GRASSES REMAINED

HAD THE BEAST DONE THIS - HE THOUGHT

FEAR THREATENED THE YOUNG WARRIOR.

NOW STANDING ATOP THE GREAT BEASTS TRAIL

HE MEASURED IT'S WIDTH

4 MAYBE 5 LENGTHS TALL AS HE

AND THE YOUNG WARRIOR WAS NOT A SHORT MAN AT ALL

BUT THE LENGTH OF THE BEASTS TRAIL

RUNNING PARALLEL TO THE FOREST

OUTMEASURED HIM BY FAR - HE BECAME AFRAID

BUT FEAR WAS NO MATCH FOR HIS CURIOSITY

THE YOUNG WARRIOR HAD TO SEE

THE BEAST THAT MADE THIS ENDLESS TRAIL

FOR IN BOTH DIRECTIONS THERE SEEMED TO BE NO END

HE LISTENED TO THE WIND HEARD THE DISTANT ROAR

FAR AHEAD THERE WAS A GREAT DUST CLOUD

HE FOLLOWED.

THE WIND WHISTLED PAST HIM AS HE RAN

THE BEAST WAS FAST FOR SOMETHING SO LARGE

NEVER SEEMING TO CLOSE THE DISTANCE

EVEN AS THE SUN CREPT TO THE HORIZON

TIRING HE DECIDED TO REST

THE YOUNG WARRIOR MADE A FIRE

TO WARD OFF THE COLD OF THE NIGHT

IN THE SAFETY OF THE FOREST DRIFTING OFF TO SLEEP

CAME THE DREAMS

TO BE CONTINUED

HIS DREAMS WERE GREAT THAT NIGHT

DREAMS OF HIS PEACEFUL VILLAGE

PEACEFUL UNTIL THE GROUND BEGAN TO RUMBLE

LARGE FISSURES OPENED IN THE EARTH

FROM WHICH GIANT BEASTS APPEARED

THE VILLAGERS SCURRIED - TERRIFIED

ONE BY ONE THEY WERE DEVOURED

UNTIL THE YOUNG WARRIOR STOOD ALONE

THE LAND WAS COVERED IN DARKNESS

STAINED WITH BLOOD

BELIEVING IT TO BE THE END

UNTIL THE GODS OF HIS PEOPLE CAME FROM THE SKY

THE GODS BATTLED HARD - THE BATTLE WAS FIERCE

BUT THE GODS TOO WERE DEFEATED

AGAIN- ALONE WITH NO HOPE

NOT EVEN THE GODS TO OFFER SALVATION

HE TURNED TO FLEE OR DIE

AND CAME FACE TO FACE WITH THE LARGEST OF THE BEASTS

ITS MAW OPEN REVEALING MANY ROWS OF SHARP TEETH

TEETH THAT CAME FORWARD AS THE BEAST LUNGED

WITH A EAR SPLITTING ROAR

THE YOUNG WARRIOR WOKE FROM HIS DREAM

COVERED IN SWEAT AND SHAKING

AWAKENING TO AN EVEN GREATER ROAR

THE ROAR OF THE BEAST AS IT FLEW DOWN THE TRAIL

WAS THIS ANOTHER - IT MUST BE ?

HOW MANY COULD THERE BE , HE THOUGHT

BOUNDING FOR THE CREATURE THE CHASE RESUMED

YES THE THING WAS FAST

BUT THE YOUNG WARRIOR WOULD NOT STOP AGAIN

HE RAN AND RAN FOR DAYS

LEGS AND BODY ACHING BUT CONTINUING ON

FOR THE DREAM WAS A PREMONITION

A VISION OF THINGS TO COME

HIS PEOPLE , THE LAND, THE GODS WERE THREATENED

IF THEY COULD COULD NOT SAVE HIM

THEN HE WOULD SAVE THEM.

TO BE CONTINUED

PUSHED BEYOND HIS LIMITS

HE RAN AS SWIFT AS THE WIND

ENTRANCED BY THE SONG

WHISPERED IN THE WIND

HE HARDLY NOTICED THE BARRIER BEFORE HIM

ALMOST RUNNING INTO IT

HE STOPPED

LOOKING BOTH LEFT AND RIGHT

THE BARRIER HAD NO END

AND ABOVE HE COULD ONLY SEE THE CLOUDS

ON HIS SIDE OF THE BARRIER

A LINE TO SPLIT THE SKY.

THERE WAS A OPENING WHERE THE BEAST HAD ENTERED

BUT THE YOUNG WARRIOR WOULD NOT ENTER

THE CAVES MOUTH

SO HE CLIMBED THE WALL

A LONG TORTUROUS JOURNEY

THAT THREATENED DEFEAT

THE COST HIS LIFE

IF HE SHOULD FALL

BUT HE DID NOT THINK OF SUCH MATTERS

THE GODS WERE STILL WITH HIM.

ONCE AT THE TOP HE SAW VAST TOWERS

GREAT STRUCTURES MANY CREATURES

AND MEN

AWED BY THE SIGHT OF THIS HE BECAME DIZZY

FAINT HE FELL INTO THE LAND OF THE BEAST

STRAIGHT TOWARD THE GROUND

FEELING NO PAIN AS GROUND AND MAN MET

WITH A LOUD BOOM

AND ONLY DARKNESS.

WHEN HE OPENED HIS EYES THERE WERE OTHERS

STANDING ABOVE HIM

THEY SPOKE WORDS HE COULD NOT UNDERSTAND

STILL IN THE GRIP OF FEVER

HE UNDERSTOOD THAT THE STRANGERS WERE INTRODUCING THEMSELVES

AND CAME TO THE REALIZATION

HE KNEW NOT WHO HE WAS

JUST THAT EVERYTHING WAS WRONG

BODY MIND AND SPIRIT

THEN THE FEVER AGAIN TOOK HOLD

CONVULSING , SWEPT BACK INTO SLEEP

INTO DARKNESS

INTO A NIGHTMARE.