The Huntress

It was dark, but the moon was full
He had to run
run away

Over rocky ground and gnarled roots
Once trusted hands now grabbed and groped
dark shadows in the woods

He was so small, he was so scared
no one to help, nowhere to go
following the moonlight

Scrapes, cuts, bruises
the path was deadly
the bushes thick

He tripped and fell, sprawling in the dirt
the darkness closed in
menacingly close

The branches' long fingers clawed at the moonlight
the boy could not find the path
Tears splashed down in the soft dirt

A breeze parted the clouds and branches
to reveal the moonlight
and a woman

She stood in a clearing with arms outstretched
reaching out to him
wrapping him in a cool embrace

She smote his assailants with a crescent bow
while he slept peacefully in the light
He was safe