The dream is always the same...

She woke up in a forest...naked. But somehow, that was not a problem.

There was a slight chill in the air, a cool breeze. A look at the horizon told her it was just after sunrise. The rays shot through the trees...very beautiful.

So beautiful...

She was in a clearing, surrounded by fall trees. No sounds at all. Everything felt very distant and surprisingly mellow. To her relief, she felt very pleasant. Yeah, pleasant was the word. Why was that?

A loud clanging sound, terribly at odds with the earthy state of the forest came to her attention. She sprang up, ready to do battle with this invader who broke her peace. Why could she never find peace, either with herself or with the world?

Questions, questions.

A...being stood before her, abruptly. A slight thought to covering her nakedness came to her. The idea of modesty. Then that old, familiar anger wormed it's way into her.

Why go any way but her own? Why dance to any other drumbeat?

She stood up, defiance written in every feature and gesture.

The being stood at it's full height, well over her. It wore green armor, and carried a sword. It was large enough to cleave a man in two. Why didn't that bother her? The fact that the thing also had the head of a bull with the horns to match also didn't feel too out of place to her.

(Minotaur)

How did she know that? And what did it matter? The beast gazed at her, taking in every piece of her, all the components that made up a woman. It gave a long snort from it's nostrils and twin jets of steam came forth. It could have either been approval or amusement, she didn't know. She really didn't care either.

It held something in it's other hand, some kind of pack. With a heave, it threw it at her, the pack coming down with a solid thud in front of her. One long arm pointed to a cave just beyond the clearing. It's dark mouth seemed out of place with the bright morning.

The beast man pointed first at the pack, then at her, then at the cave. It then clomped away, it's cleaver held over it's shoulder at an angle, satisfied the message had come across.

Opening the pack, it seemed no surprise to her that the contents were meant for one singular purpose.

It took her ten minutes to figure out how to adjust the armor and wear it over the tunic. It was solid metal, quite different from ballistic armor. But that seemed like another life...

The helmet was the biggest surprise. It was more of a mask than anything else. There were only slits for the eyes. the rest was solid metal, but beautiful craftmanship. A face had been etched into the burnished, greenish metal. A female face. What was striking was that it was her own, but free from doubt, free from uncertainty, which changed the composition severely.

The helm was heavy, but balanced, and could be worn, once one got used to it. She was now armored against the world... and herself.

She entered the nearby cave, and despite everything, fell into the abyss.

The water jarred her into action, but the armor weighed her down. Breaking the surface, panic set in, and the darkness blurred, becoming first fluid and cold, then freezing and cold. The cavern quickly filled with screaming, until it stopped.

Sinking.

Giving up was very unlike her, but it had become an old friend, recently.

A dim light broke the darkness, and she was actually afraid to see a figure hovering over her. It was black and indistinct. It's head seemed to be cocked, as if studying her.

Suddenly, it bent down and a strong arm grabbed her and dragged her out bodily. She was then uncerimoniously tossed onto the hard ground.

Standing up, she had to know. The figure who had saved her was a woman in a black, wispy robe. She also wore a mask, fashioned into the face of a peacock, and was decorated with a luxurious plumage. Large yellow pitiless eyes stared back at her.

There was no resistance as she pulled off the mask. The mask fell to the ground and shattered, but it was paid no mind.

The figure staring back at her was herself, but altered. There was a dignity, a dark knowledge to her. A bearing. Something she sorely lacked. Somehow that knowledge made her feel...diminished, somehow.

Finally, the stranger spoke. It was little more than a whisper, but she was loud and clear to her.

"As long as you have been searching for me, even longer have I searched for you." she hissed. "I am among distant stars, far from you. I wait in the blackness for you."

She approached her, causing an involuntary step back. She smiled, as genuine and fufilling as any she had seen in her life.

"I wait in violent storm to claim you as my own, my child from stars far and distant." She took her hand and led her back to the water.

"Death is nothing, compared to our bond. Your life is mine, to do with what I will. I can even throw it away, if I so wish it."

Somehow that made her terribly afraid. A loss more than she could bear.

"Beyond the abyss..." she drawled. "I will come for you. Be on time."

With a solid push, she fell back into the water, the current claiming her.

The last words were garbled. "You will know the gate when you see it. All your life had spiraled around my gate. Open the door, and find your way to my side, my child."

"I-I love you..."

She was uncertain if she had heard that last part, or if it was wishful thinking.