The Flight

He leans forward in agony
Begging for forgiveness

To the silent clerics
To the stoic chief
Who pretend they cannot hear
His desperate cries for mercy
With a sharp edge

Cloaked in juniper
They slowly open the cage

To free the warrior bird inside
To watch the sacred eagle take flight
On wings made from blood
Piercing talons and a salted crimson beak
The majesty's red bird of prey

He soars deep into the night
Across a turbulent bay