SECOND MOVEMENT:
THIRD MOVEMENT:
FOURTH MOVEMENT:
When Freedom came home that day,
he sounded his hunter’s horn in vain.
He could not see Hope, couldn’t hear her sweet song.
Again and again he called, but received no answer….
He only heard the voices of those who were
preparing the evening’s festivities.
After a while, in the distance he saw a group of people rushing
along the path leading to his cabin. To his surprise,
he recognized both Eagles and Hunters in the crowd.
“Something has happened,” he whispered to himself
and prepared to meet them with an uneasy heart.
When he saw Hope’s brothers heading the group that was rushing towards him,
a terrifying premonition struck him and he shivered.
Something was terribly wrong…
Hope’s brothers tried to catch their breath while saying:
“Freedom, please help us… Hope was taken from us.
Móhrdai kidnapped her today and took her to the caves.
We saw everything from the cliff, but there was nothing we could do.”
“Kidnapped by Móhrdai?” The blood drained from Freedom’s face.
“Surely she is doomed then….” Gasping for air, he looked down to the valley.
His grip on the bow tightened, his breathing became heavier.
Suddenly he turned around and took a few steps towards the men.
“Yes, we won’t give her up. We cannot abandon Hope.
We must ride down and try to save her, there’s no other way.
She needs help now more than ever!” said Freedom, his voice firm.
“Who will join me?”
Hope’s brothers and nine other men from both tribes stepped forward.
Now the Hunter’s elder approached them slowly.
“Young men…Be warned. The chance of getting the girl
out of there alive is very small. You’ll all be going to
a certain death… None of you will come back…”
The men didn’t answer, all of them knew too well
what they were up against.
Yet, they stood there, holding their weapons, ready to follow Freedom
to the terrifying Black caves – a place from which
no human had ever returned.
In a minute, the brave dozen disappeared in a cloud of dust
and for the first time in many centuries
Eagles and Hunters were riding shoulder to shoulder,
uniting forces into one fearless unit,
sharing the same goal – saving the beautiful Hope.
Scared, Hope was thrown in a cold dark cave.
She started fervently looking for an escape, while
Reptilah, Gamóhra and the crow were working
on the evil plan ordered by Móhrdai.
Gathered around the fire in the smoky cave,
at midnight, the three of them came up with a cruel idea:
If Hope refused to live with Móhrdai for the rest of her life,
Reptilah proposed a cruel damnation – to turn her into a golden coin.
Thus Hope would be cursed to roam the world,
surrounded by greedy people,
thrown from one filthy hand to another.
Oh, what a perfect punishment for a girl so pure and beautiful…!
Never more would she feel love or admiration,
her beauty would be lost forever and her
suffering would be endless ……unless she agreed
to obey Móhrdai, of course. What a brilliant plan!
Reptilah rushed to Hope’s prison immediately, giggling like a hyena.
The sunset saw Freedom and his friends racing their horses down the steep
paths, hoping to reach the Black caves in a few hours.
The men knew they’d need a miracle. No-one had ever before
entered the lair of the monster. The party knew they were all doomed…
Freedom planned to sneak past the guards at night,
find Hope and, protected by the darkness, rescue her from her prison.
Only Hope’s brothers were going in with him,
the others were to wait outside in the shadows.
