The Eagle and the Wolves

 

She dances alone by the light of her own

Under the gaze of the moon

So far from home in the land where wolves roam

Only she can hear the tune

The mountains around set the background

The dance floor a valley of green

In the dark with no sound she spins herself round

Leaving glitters of gold where she’s been

The dark turns to gray as the sun makes its way

Over the mountains into the dawn

She dances away as the night turns to day

Her dress getting tattered and torn

 

As the birds sing in the daylight a ring

Of wolves surround the dance

The excitement they bring is a wonderful thing

No threats as they advance

They sit and wait for the dance to abate

As the dancer begins to fade

They can relate as it’s a dance of fate

To summon a God to her aid

The leader of the pack had no plans to attack

He sat to watch it all

He’d been taken aback by his Lords feedback

And now waited his Lordships call

 

The dust on the ground started spiralling round

And the dancer fell to her knees

A whirlwind  around but still there was no sound

And only the faintest of breeze

Suddenly a voice from the air came out of nowhere

And the wolves bowed their heads in fear

“Well lady fair, why would you dare

Summon your God to here?”

The dancer replied with tears in her eyes

“I dare because I speak what is true

I hold my God dear but it would appear

That I am abandoned by you”

 

Not being unkind he looked in her mind

And at the sorrow that she did impart

A plan he designed from the things he did find

And the strength he found in her heart

The wolves were called and they were installed

As protectors of his ward

They were enthralled but she was appalled

Fearing death she pulled out a sword

The leader lay on the land and nuzzled her hand

She reached out and stroked his grey mane

She could somehow understand they were hers to command

Her appeal to the Gods not in vain.

 

An Eagle landed close by and opened its eyes

Letting his wings fully unfurl

“You must listen to I” he squawked with a cry

Talking direct to the girl

“The God gives me a voice, not that he gave me a choice

And left it to me to explain

It seems your blood royal, but someone’s not loyal”

He spat “it’s your uncle you have to blame”

He squawked once more and lifted off the floor

Before perching in a nearby bay

“What i is saying is your uncles paying

To get you out of his way”

 

“That can’t be right” she said, “. My uncles all right

He wouldn’t hurt a thing”

The Eagle gave a smirk, “ your uncles a jerk,

He’s plotting on how to be king,

Once the kings gone, you are the only one

Left to stand in his way

So he’s dumped you out here where you can’t interfere

Until he’s made his play”

“Maybe one day I’ll be queen, that remains to be seen

Right now I don’t know where we are

I woke with my head on a log, appealed to a God

It hasn’t got me very far!”

 

 

“Look”, said the bird,” I don’t know if you’ve heard,

But Gods work in mysterious ways.

If I was one, all your troubles would be gone

You’d be feeding my ego with praise”

He gave a little dance at the end of the branch,

Lost his balance and fell on his head.

He screeched in surprise and flew back in the skies

Before returning to his branch instead.

“Princess Kirsten you are, and you are really far

From the place you need to be

Follow me to the gate, we must not be late

The God will be waiting for me.

The wolfs”, he sniffed, “ and they won’t be missed

Will join you in your quest

I tell you true, I’m glad I’m not you

If the God thinks those dogs are the best”

 

An unusual procession as in succession

They all moved through the valley of green

The eagle leading the way in the dying day

Wolves following and the princess in between

Suddenly they stopped and the eagle hopped

Onto the princesses shoulder

“It’s now not to far, the gate is ajar

Just beyond yon boulder”

 

Following his gaze, she could see a faint haze

A shimmering in the air

“walk with your band, you will be back in your land

But you must take care

The wolves of your time, look different from mine

You may have a bit of a shock

I bid you goodbye, I m afraid I must fly”

He jumped to the nearest rock

 

“But eagle”, she cried, “I can’t abide

The thought of missing you so

I need you with me, can’t you just see

I need you wherever I go!”

He flapped and fluttered and finally stuttered

“The God told me to do what you ask

The place where you are go, I don’t really know

But if you order me then that’s my task”

He flew on to her head and bravely said

“Lead the way princess, if it’s not to late”

So the five wolves, a princess, an eagle under duress

Walked into and through the gate.

 

Part two

 

Duke Paul Inverness looked a bit of a mess

His conscience had taken a beating

Because of his neice it would give him no peace

He hoped her discomfort was fleeting

The next stage of his plan he’d already began

His brother the king had to die

The poison he’d sought had now been bought

And would be fed in his food on the sly.

With the king dead the crown on his head

Would rightfully be his for this realm

The Princess had gone and he was the one

That would take this kingdoms helm

He laughed at the thought, all would be taught

To bow in his presence or die

All serving his brother would soon discover

In boiling oil they can fry

Anyone observing would think him deserving

As he face seemed honest and strong

But underneath lived the soul of a thief

wilful, soulless and wrong.

 

 

The Princess emerged where two roads converged

Overlooking her father’s domain

With a happy sigh and a tear in her eye

She looked for the eagle in vain

There in its place with a look of Ill grace

A parrot blinked sadly there

“0h! Look at me, pretty polly?, what’s happened to me”

The eagle cried out in despair

 

“Pieces of eight! Take me back through the gate!”

He demanded with his head cocked to one side

The Princess smiled which just got him riled

“But where are my wolves?” She enquired

Looking around she heard a sound

A cross between barking and wails

To her surprise and tears to her eyes

Five poodles were furiously wagging their tails

 

The king was surprised when his daughter arrived

With her strange companions in train

The poodles kept licking his feet till he stood on his seat

And demanded his daughter to explain

He couldn’t believe his brother could conceive

Such a cruel and terrible scheme

 

He thought for a while then with a sad smile

Invited them all to eat

The poodles were famished and their food quickly vanished

The parrot spat his out on the floor

He kept his eye an the potato and pie

The King had been hankering for.

 

“Pretty polly!” He cried and then he dived

Knocking the plate off the table

The king jumped off his chair, fury in the air

As one of the poodles ate what he was unable

Just as the King grabbed it, it wailed and had a fit

Foaming at its mouth, then passed away

The Princess cried out to the guards running out

“Arrest all the kitchen staff straightaway”!

 

The poodles gathered round the one on the ground

Washing and whispering their pain

The king stroked his head and quietly said

“Your sacrifice will not be in vain

The role of a king it’s not something

That I would wish on another.

I was born to this role, now my main goal

Is to keep it away from my brother”

“Kirsten my daughter, it’s a time of slaughter

Keep you friends close and together

I must now fight for what is right

Pray to your God for my endeavour”

 

 

The traitor Duke men were marching again

Burning everything in their path

The Duke stayed at the back out of the attack

The destruction making him laugh

The army of the king was suffering

Pulling itself back to defend

At the end of the day it didn’t go the kings way

With to many casualties to tend

He asked his daughter to run from the slaughter

To the place her friends had been

She said it’s to late, their is no gate

And the God nowhere to be seen

 

The very next day the parrot went away

And the poodles all disappeared

She couldn’t believe that they would just leave

Then suddenly the Eagle reappeared

“The Wolves say sit tight, they have joined the fight”

He squawked with excitement and fear

“The wolves are running and they are cunning

They tell me to wait with you here”

 

The Princess prayed and thankful he stayed

She asked how he turned back to an eagle

“The God freed me and the wolves you see

Told me to behave or next time I’m a seagull!”

“That’s not nice of him he knows I can’t swim

I’m powerfully afraid of the water

So he said to me if I want to be free

Stay with the kings daughter!”

 

 

Part 3

 

The four wolves ran from where the forest began

Avoiding the dukes army at night

They passed unseen leaving no trace they had been

Pushing well behind the fight

They knew the duke had no pride and he would hide

Behind as his army advancing

As the lead wolf said if you bite off a head

The body’s likely to stop its dancing

 

Though the king was tired, his men desired

His words of strength and hope

So he spent the night with his troops at the fight

Holding them together to cope

Though his soul despaired only confidence was aired

Grouping them all in his banner

He showed he was here and they couldn’t see fear

In his speech or in his manner

 

Deep inside the king couldn’t hide

His fear and desperation

For those at his side he was full of pride

But he feared for his nation

Outnumbered they fought against an enemy who sought

To give no mercy or quarter

He felt the great pain, oh again and again

As his men fell before the slaughter

 

The guard sat by the tree drinking his beer

Listening to the party drunks cries

A woman screamed in fear as they took a spear

And poked out both her eyes

He could hear the duke laugh at the bloodbath

At the women lying naked and dead

But the last thing could hear was a growl in his ear

Before he lost his head

 

The wolf called his pack to form the attack

They circled with the duke in their sight

With mouths dripping with blood the four wolves stood

At a command they rushed in to fight

In the panic that ensued the duke was pursued

As he tried to hide in the wood

He made a desperate stand with a sword in his hand

As two of the wolves watched and stood

“I am king” the duke squealed, “I order you to yield!”

“Hello Paul” a voice said from the night

“Thank God” the duke said his voice shaking with dread

“Help me away from the fight!”

 

“No Paul, it is time you payed for your crime

Your not worthy of being a lord

I will let my two friends decide how it ends

And you won’t be needing that sword”

The sword in his grip started to drip

Then melted away like sleet

He stumbled to his knees and whimpered “please”

The wolves both rose to their feet

one wolf remembers, telling to other pack members

There was so much blood it made me puke

But of that day I’d have to say

None so satisfying than that of a duke

 

As the sun rose and a rooster crows

Welcoming a new dawn

The king and his men stood ready again

Waiting the enemy’s storm

The king was proud as his men stood unbowed

Knowing this day could be the last

But he was bereft, so few men he had left!

And so many of his friends now passed

 

In the new morning the guards called a warning

As Four wolves and a man walked up to the wall

From where the king stood he could see wolves soaked in blood

The man he couldn’t make out at all

They dropped a parcel at the gate and moved away to wait

As a guard hurried out to recover

The king couldn’t wait and went to the gate

As the guard unwrapped the head of his brother.

 

He raised his eyes and then to his surprise

The man nodded once and raised his hand

A flash of light that burned so bright

Lit up all the land

When his eyes recovered, he quickly discovered

That wolves and man had disappeared

The enemy was beat, his troops had split to retreat

Behind him his loyal army cheered

 

He walked unseen in the valley of green

The homeland of the Gods

Awed at the strength that would go such length

Against such vicious odds

Without his aid the king and the realm he’d made

Would now be reduced to dust

The daughter was strong and once the kings gone

Would earn her peoples trust

 

Princess Kirsten’s pride was the wolves at her side

And the Eagle on her arm

She would pray that they would stay

They were her good luck charm

She didn’t know the wolves wouldn’t go

They were sworn to her nether the less

Though the Eagle was free  he couldn’t be

Without his sweet princess.