Mother wolf, maiden priest

The scene is set in snow laden glade

where wolves reflect in nights deep shade.

The moon hangs full and pale and rue

dark somber wolves reflect and chew,

on bones of white and red and yellow

sits each one beside its fellow,

brother, sister, mother, father, beast.

Lore and blood yield maiden priest.

Mother wolf to newborn day,

guardian of ancient way.

Sings loud the mother to the moon,

inviting death with howls croon.

We leave those wolves in yonder glade

and stretch our thought not far away,

to scene of tall and sturdy gray

mounted well by sturdy maid

with ruddy cheeks and woven braid

boots to knees and eyes that play,

bow and quiver, ears of fay

clad in furs and supple suede.

From out the night a mournful sound

Through pine forest, laments the call

with shaft nocked, fay maiden frowned

"The pack hunts close to village wall..."

Turning home her stalwart friend

in raw rough tones she grunt's

"To village wall, we carefully wend,

for tonight the wolf pack hunts."

Change again to scene of night

where young bull runs with blinding fright.

On either side, wolves hold the flank

the elk's eyes roll, from fear it drank.

The strength it found was sharp but fleeting,

soon it found its strength depleting.

It burst upon a moonlit path,

it met its end, a bloody bath.

The final scene awaits us here,

on bloody path, on moonlit weird.

The gray went rearing, maiden sneered,

she gathered reign and pulled, severe.

From shadowed depths, an elk leaped clear,

and on its flanks, the wolves appeared

A great she-wolf lunging veered,

The elk's throat ripped by teeth that shear.

Fay maiden stared but did not scare.

To move from rooted spot, unwise.

"Steady, friend do not despair,

or else not only elk here dies."

She threw both bow and quiver down,

she-wolf turned from gore and bone,

maiden held, though with a frown,

her body ridged turned to stone.

Mother Wolf, maiden priest,

returned to kin and bloody feast.

Human, fierce, had been quelled

returning back to where she dwelled.

Mother wolf, maiden priest,

blood and bone, ancient beast.

Sings loud the mother to the moon,

inviting death with howls croon.