Chapter 21
Regenulfa of the Woods
If a thing loves, it is infinite. – William Blake
There is a
life behind the personality that uses personalities as masks. There are times
when life puts off the mask and deep answers unto deep- Dion fortune
Regenulfa
lived with the deer mostly. She wandered
the woods with them, she ate berries and grass with them; she slept and woke
with them, and drank from mountain springs with them. She loved the deer and the deer loved
her. Sometimes, when a doe, buck or fawn
had hurt itself on briar, or by wolf bite, she would tend their wounds. She was always surprised how quickly the
wounds healed, but she was pleased with the results nonetheless. If predators came round, and the tail of the
deer went up in silent warning, the Merovingian princess was off at a run with
them, sprinting in the crescent moonlight through dale and grove like Artemis,
the pagan goddess herself. Never, if she
was with the deer, did any fall to wolves, though some were nipped and there
were many close calls. The deer sensing
this, loved her all the more.
But,
sometimes, she would wander alone through the mountain forests. Birds and rabbits would come from their nests
and warrens just to spend a few moments in her love. They would land on her shoulder or leap into
her outstretched arms, secure and unworried in her embrace. They found peace in her arms, in her
vicinity, and she, in theirs.
On
one occasion a bear wounded by a hunter’s arrow had come upon her alone in the
soft moonlight. She held herself ready,
but she had no fear. These were God’s
creatures, His children as much and any man, and she loved all the works of her
maker. The bear ambled slowly, and Regenulfa
sensing its injury hurried to its side with great concern. The arrow had pierced the animal’s back
leg. The virgin broke the head off the
arrow and pulled it from both ends, removing it effectively from the bear. The beast started, but just for a
moment. Once the arrow was out, it found
a steady calm. The princess rubbed the
bear’s head and planted a kiss on its nose.
It nuzzled her gentle in return.
Regenulfa
knew she would never return to the world of man. She was God’s servant, sent to tend his wild
flocks and herds, take care of his beasts and all in her wooded sanctuary. This was her purpose. This she knew. She could feel God closer than she ever
had. He was in each branch and leaf
around her, in every rock in every stream.
In the chirping of every bird his voice could be heard. The forest was her church, and she would
never leave it.
copyright 2017 Diana Hignutt
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