"Darken Wood"
(originally compound in a story version in Hunter's Destiny in Love and War, Tales Trilogy III)

by: Nick O'Donohoe
Edited by: David Sean Manners

There was a proud and noble stag,
In shadow wood was born.
And there he grew, and there he met
And loved a unicorn. 

He served her long, he served her well,
He served her, whole and part
Until one night in Shadow Glade
He told her all his heart.

She did not mock, she did not laugh,
But softly told him nay;
He did not grieve, but chose to leave
And plotted to betray. 

He sought out then king Peris's men;
His words were cold and blunt,
"Oh, sentry hosts, desert your posts;
I offer you a hunt. 

King Peris's men were duty bound,
To guard the wood from fear,
The king, in pride, set sword aside,
To bargain with the deer. 

"There is no hunt for me," said he,
Of any creature born,
Unless I could in shadow wood
Hunt down the unicorn!" 

"None knows so well where she may dwell
As I who did her will,
If you will heed, then I shall lead,
And you may have your kill."
But one lone guard forewarned the king:
This hunt is evil-starred;
"For those with charms and potent arms
Against whom which we must keep still.
No more will wait with eyes of hate
And souls and hearts of gall,
But purge the wood of light and good,
And gods forgive us shall." 

Still Peris boasts,
"step down, my hosts,
And hear the hunting-horn,
Let men invade both wood and glade,
We hunt the unicorn!" 

The stag led on from night to dawn,
From sunrise till morn,
And in the shade of Shadow Glade,
Betrayed the unicorn. 

Then she spoke to him; her voice was grim and shy:
What' have you done for such mere lack of pride?
You know and see your destiny
And yet you turn aside.
You would betray me to my death
And quite forsake your vow?
Then service lent without consent is all you do me now." 

She touched him once, she touched him twice
And three times with her horn,
And there he fell, and where he fell,
He rose a unicorn. 

The guards have fled; their trusting land All undefended lies;
And through the wood invaders ride
With darkness in their eyes. 
Without alarms they practice charms
That drive away the light
And shadow into darken wood Is made that evil night. 

And afterward, with sword and spear
And horse and horn and hound
They hunted down king Peris's men
And ran them to the ground. 

The king was slain, his body lain
Among his dying men,
But they were told ere they were cold
To rise and hunt again. 

For every wraith who breaks his faith
Must now wonder without cease
And, cold, perform what he did, warm,
And never rest in peace. 

So every night the stag betrays
The love he could not keep
And king and host desert their post
To hunt and never sleep. 

And so they shall betray and hunt,
Until the day they show
That they somehow fulfill their bow
They broke so long ago!

Hey, if you have anything you think might be appropriate to fit on this page i'll be more than happy to see it and probably post it if you wish so, so plz e-mail me your opinions at Dragonbane_11@Yahoo.com, you may return now to the comfort of the inn of the last home. ENJOY THE REST OF YOUR STAY!