Remembering lessons from Scathach.

Author: * Cinaedh Cruithni - 4 Posts on this thread out of 507 Posts sitewide.
Date: Apr 3, 2007 - 20:43

I watch as Naimh tries a salmon leap. She comes so close, yet there she is, hanging by one hand, being whipped back and forth by the bridge. My heart is in my mouth as I watch. I can't let her fall. Remembering the lessons Scathach gave me while we were at Dunadd, I move forward.

I close my eyes, and in my mind I see again the giantess on the giant's causeway. I recall how I did the salmon leap to get past her, to go on and rescue the seven kidnapped maidens, and with that picture in mind, I leap.

I keep my mind on the exact steps of the leap, and make my body follow each action again. The air streams past my body like water falling from a leaping salmon. I stretch and reach, making my feet like a tail and my arms like fins. My body twists and wriggles, and suddenly I am falling. I resist the urge to look, and reach with all my might for the end of the bridge.

My feet hit solid ground, and I bend my knees to lessen the impact. I open my eyes and see the shadowy figures of Scathach and her warriors looking at me. I turn quickly, and reach out for Naimh's hand. My fingers close around her wrist just as her grip gives way, and her full weight is hanging from my arm. With every ounce of strength I have left, I pull.

The strain is great, and then suddenly it eases as she grasps at the growth on the edge of the chasm. Soon she is standing beside me, and we turn to face Scathach, awaiting her judgement. We both know that it is almost unheard of for one warrior to be allowed to give aid to another, even in the face of death.