Where are you now, dark hunter
You who chase your dreams
With the same zeal as you chase your prey
You who were my friend
You taught me the hunt
Taught me to trust my instincts
And I was young and couldn't see
That you loved me
I remember your laughter
Not the sound so much as the feeling
You weren't laughing at my failure
You made me try again
I wanted you to be proud of me
And I was young and couldn't see
That you loved me
I remember walking with my mentor
Seeing you across the encampment
Shyly looking away as you watched me pass
Your gaze piercing my soul
And somehow I still couldn't see
That you loved me
And for reasons no one understood
You were forced to leave me behind
They ordered you and threatened you
In your confusion you agreed
You were gone not a fortnight
And realized it was wrong
They tried to stop you and failed
But when you returned I had already gone
In search of you and the others
The others came looking for you
You had to hide from them for a long time
And we didn't see each other again
I lost my mentor naturally
And you helped me through my sorrow
But the sorrow of your loss I had to face alone
The skills you gave me helped me survive
But I was ill equipped to handle your absense
And almost forgot you completely
How I wished in those early times
As I searced desperately to find you
For the time we were denied
I might have come to realize
And our life together would have continued
Would have grown to be so beautiful
But it wasn't meant to be
You were gone before I could see
I loved you as you loved me
9-17-00