I hardly fly well,"l was born with one wing too short".l cannot sing but l am songbird, constantly ridiculed by my peers, to them l am freak. Our family travels to battlefields to sing songs to dying warriors to guide their souls to rest.l am afraid of blood, but l go to please my family and onlookers. This life is but l cage l cannot leave, things expected of me l have to do. My future was to take over my family's legacy and continue the tradition, a future l dreaded.
The day that changed my life forever soon came and l became what l am in the present day. That day started as normal as any day, at this point l saw no difference really, just a zombie bird stuck in life's Ferris wheel. So as usual, l followed my family to yet another battlefield as they sang songs and me just watching them. Something caught my eye.l detached from the family and followed my curiosity and what l came across was a dying female warrior. Her garb detailed her as general, her clothes were soaked in blood, and her head rested on the tree. As l could see,she still held her weapon ready and drawn to fight to her last breath, one eye barely open but her intense aura was as sharp as ever. As l landed on a nearby tree, she quickly gazed in my direction and our eyes met.She spoke"little bird are you to witness my last moment, it seems you are a songbird but you do not sing, you seem as unfit as l am on the battlefield".The view l saw was of a warrior, not a maiden so she more fit than anyone. She went on to explain what she meant as if she knew l could not understand what she meant. She said she was never a warrior but a young frail girl who fell in love with man who showed her kindness because many never wanted frail women. The first was abusive, the second controlling and the others took her as a pet in a sense because they just used her. Her family lost interest in her because no men came to ask for her hand in marriage, so she became outcasted everywhere and for a while life was unbearable. The little friends she had got married and began to focus on their lives and she was left alone. One day whilst walking in the town without a destination, she heard an announcer shout about army registration, but paid not mind to it and went along her way. She said for a few days the days were so mandane and nothing noteworthy happened. Then one day the man she had dated before came for a hand in marriage and this man was the abusive one, she refused but her parents fearing she would never marry quickly agreed and forced her to see the reality of her situation.Anger and regret clouded her mind and without much thought in mind she ran out the house aimlessy with no direction in sight .The moment she raised her head , she was already in town and in front of her was the booth where people could join the army. The man seated on noticed her and said does your boyfriend want to join, she said no but she wished to join herself.The man laughed of course and said a normal woman cannot withstand the battlefield but a frail one as yourself is a insult to even suggest it. Knowing that going back meant a life of abuse, she knew convincing him was the only option.She said " The opposing soldiers will they leave us because we are women, or they would kill us just the same". The man could not respond for a moment then he said " it was done to protect women and children not discriminate against them."She said " by what authority were you given right to choose our path for us, we grow , cry, and bleed as you ",she expressed her struggle just because of being underestimated.The man said he could not put her in any standing army regiment but they was a group of misfits0 who were rounded up, some were cowards , some allergic to things and some were demoted because they were disorganized.So she was put in there, and this band of misfits never saw a single battle but we're called when they needed cleaning, food, or scouts.
She worked day and night in training herself and in the beginning, the soldiers from the misfit group ignored her but soon her body began to toughen up , she ate more , ran twice as recommended for 2 years and she became very strong. The misfit group began to follow her lead , and 3 more years went by, the group became strong and she had become their leader. Since they had yet to taste the battlefield their progress was not noticed.Then one day , the battle grew fierce and soldiers went out of formation and began to die, the misfit group was called in just to be a back up just in case they needed it.With the sudden attack and formation break, the commander was killed and the army started retreating.The misfit were told to enter the battle to slow down the advancement for easier retreat but the group was well trained and hungry for war they not only helped but they advanced forward .The retreating soldiers could see a change in the flow of battle so they turned back and followed the misfits being led by her.She put her 5 years of none stop training to use, every person in front of her could not stop her and she cracked open a path straight to their general, the moment they figured out what to do , it was too late her sword had already dealt a fatal blow on the general and the battlefield.An impossible incounter had occurred and later she was called the maiden of the battlefield. Thus began years of battles and rising in ranks until she became general in her early forties, now women around the became inspired by her and they registered to fight alongside their man, making the army far much stronger and with her at the top, the world began to adapt to her not vice versa.
However with time the toll of battle became to great and she was ambushed and could not fight them off in time and that is how she got here dying." I regret nothing when l was young l was frail but now l die a warrior , my dream was to become part of the society but l created my own path now the society is eager to follow mine, l am happy " these were her last words.Then she died, tears fell from my eyes non-stop because l somehow understood what she meant to teach me.Till this day l now have my own children,I'm now a songbird who tells stories l hear around the world to inspire those birds of any kind who might be misfits.My opening story is always about the female warrior who never gave up fighting.
This story gave me hope when I felt different and guided me to accept that we are all different but that's alright.
About the Creator
Johnel
Step into the imaginative realm of my mind, a writer whose existence is tightly intertwined with the flourishing landscapes of their own mind. From an early age, I discovered the comfort and solace of residing within .
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