Forgotten Bull

It was a warm summer day when I saw the bull. He was a massive, black bull with huge horns that looked deadly if they were pointed at a person. He looked at me and I could see into his eyes. They were a warm, deep brown that reminded me of a dark oak wood. I tried to look away but couldn’t, it was as if he were trying to tell me something that I could not understand. A message from the gods, perhaps. Then it happened.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

I am standing in a forest, a beautiful and magickal forest. It is like no other wood you will ever see with your own eyes. There are crystals growing in the trees and as the sunlight hits them, the trees glitter and sparkle. There are birds with long, ribbon-like tails that fly from branch to branch singing a sweet, memorable tune. I can see deer-like creatures with golden horns and glowing eyes. There are even fairies flying from flower to flower like little sprites playing with one another. Their shimmering wings catching the rays of light defused by the canopy of crystal trees. I can hear their chiming sounds as they chatter to each other.

Then I see a flash of white from the corner of my eye. I turn toward it and see the brilliant white unicorn approaching me. He is majestic with his white coat of short hair and deep, hunter green eyes. His legs are long and slender with patches of white hair just above his hooves. Even his tail is different than any horse that I had ever seen. It wasn’t a tail of hair but just a slender tail with a patch of hair at the end, much like a lion’s tail.

“G’morning, M’lady,” he says as he nears me.

“G’morning, Artimous,” I hear myself say to my own amazement. How do I know this unicorn’s name and why am I not surprised that he spoke to me?

“And what is our plans today?” He asks.

I do not answer. Instead, I just shrug my shoulders and shake my head. Then I hear something in the brush behind me, but I am not scared by whatever is creeping up on me. I turn and see a beautiful, blond elf walking toward me. When our eyes meet, a smile spreads across his face and my heart skips a beat. I know him and I feel the flutter in my stomach. I love this man, though, I do not know him.

“G’morning, Luke,” I hear myself say. I am mesmerized by his appearance. He is beautiful and enchanting. His bright, crystal blue eyes are shallow but deep at the same time. His perfect thin lips are drawn into a smile that brightens my day. His high cheek-bones and flawless complexion are captivating. I am temporarily lost in his gaze.

“G’morning, M’lady. What are we doing, today?” he asks and his voice is as lovely as the rest of him.

“I do not know, but I was thinking of going into Mount Atishire,” I answer without a thought.

“Mount Atishire?!” both Luke and Artimous exclaim. I do not know the cause of their alarm, but I know that there seems to be a problem with this idea.

“But M’lady, there are terrible beasts in the mountain,” Artimous continues.

“Oh, Artimous,” I say playfully as if his concern is silly. “I am a goddess, why would I worry about beasts?”

“Because, they are still dangerous,” Luke answers my question. “But if you insist on going, I will be forced to accompany you.”

I ponder this notion, but find no reason why I would not want this gorgeous elf to join me. “I guess if you insist, then come along,” I announce as I begin through the woods that I have found myself in. I take small paths that are nearly impossible to see unless you know of the trail. I can hear the footfalls of both Luke and Artimous behind me as they both follow me through the trees.

Before long, I am stepping out of the treeline and into a beautiful plain of wild flowers and tall grass. The flowers seem to glow in the sunlight in all colors, bright oranges, shimmering pinks, radiant reds, glimmering yellows, and soft violets. The smell of these exotic flowers is exquisite as it invades my nostrils. The sun, above me, shines brightly in the clear, cloudless, blue sky and I close my eyes to enjoy the feel of the warmth on my face.

“Are you sure you want to go into the mountain?” Luke asks cautiously.

I open my eyes and turn to him with a playful smile on my face. “Of course. If I was not sure, I would not have said it,” I practically bounce back around toward the mountain in the distance and skip away from them.

“Please watch over her,” I hear Artimous whisper to Luke, I am assuming.

“Of course,” Luke answers, confirming my thought. Within a few long strides, Luke is beside me as we continue toward the tall, snow covered mountain. “Why would you want to come here, M’lady? Of all places to visit, why here?” Luke asks.

“I don’t know, would you rather go to the chasm?” I jest.

“No!” he exclaims with a flash of terror in his eyes.

“I am teasing, Luke. Lighten up,” I joke with him and can see him visibly relax. I smile at his seriousness and continue, “I had a dream last night that I am to come here and see something. I do not know what I am to see. Just that the gods wants me to see something.”

“Hm,” I hear him hum to himself as he contemplates what I have just said.

We continue on in silence as we near the treeline that surrounds the base of the mountain. These trees are different than the crystal lined trees of the forest we were in not long ago. These trees are darker, with big, wide leaves that blanket the woods in dim shadows that are eerie. From deep inside, I hear a long, howl from a wolf and know that the dire wolves are on the move, but why, I do not know.

With our first steps into the darkness of the trees, I feel eyes upon me. The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end and I peer around looking for something, anything that could be giving me this vibe. “M’lady, are you alright?” Luke asks in a whisper. I nod but continue searching for the eyes that are upon me.

Then I see it. In the distance, there is a figure standing perfectly still, gazing at me as if I were an intruder. I freeze with fear knotting in the base of my spine. I can feel a shiver of cold terror move up my back as the goosebumps rise on my arms. My breath catches as my throat tightens. “What is that?” I whisper softly to Luke.

“No,” he sighs softly in disbelief. “It cannot be!”

“What, Luke?” I ask quietly.

“That’s the Minotaur, I did not think that it had come with us to Cion,” Luke finally answers as softly as he can. “I figured that the gods would have wanted him to stay in the Mortal World with his mother, Pasiphae and guard the labyrinth.”

I can not see Luke’s face but I can hear the dread in his voice. It is something that I cannot remember ever hearing or seeing in Luke. He was always so brave and fearless. I try to look away from the Minotaur but find myself unable to move a muscle. I am frozen in horror, but then it begins to move toward us, on two legs, like a man would. It begins running as we stand in the shade of the large leafed canopy of the forest.

Before I can compel my body to move, the Minotaur is staring into my eyes. They are warm, dark brown eyes that are deep and calm. My fear suddenly melts away as I gaze into these soft cow eyes of this beast. His head is of a black bull with massive sharp horns that could impale any enemy and his body resembles a man. His worn linen pants are tattered at his calves as if he has been wearing the same pants for years or even decades. I can see scars along his torso, as if he has seen many battles and won to tell the tale.

“What are you, beautiful creature?” I hear him ask in a rough, scratchy toned voice.

“Me?” I ask, though I already know.

“Aye.”

“I am the daughter of the sun god and moon goddess, my name is Laylan,” I answer softly, yet with as much confidence as I can muster.

“A goddess?” he asks.

“Aye.”

With that, he steps back and bows to me. “Please, forgive me if I have caused you any distress, M’lady, for I know that I am a fright to see,” he begs with his face down.

I feel a pang within my heart and kneel down to raise his face. I smile gently at him and know that this is no grotesque beast, but a gentle soul within a monstrous form.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

“Dru? Dru?” I heard Casimir call me. I shook my head and realized that I was still within the field and the black bull was no longer there. “Dru, are you alright?” Casimir asked with obvious concern on his face.

“Yes, Cas, I am fine,” I finally answered as I looked around but finding no signs of the bull that had triggered something inside of me.

“Good, we need to be getting back home before Lena begins to worry,” Casimir announced and I knew that he was right. We walked back home and as we walked, the memory of the vision that I had seen, vanished from my mind.