"New Eyes" Inspired by The Eye of the World:

New Eyes

Leaving went against everything I knew,

but it made sense at the time.

I couldn’t stay,

not when my presence could bring more pain

than leaving without saying goodbye.

With friends at my side,

going into the unknown was an adventure.

The stories, our dreams,

could not compare to what we saw,

but the stories and dreams

could not prepare us for what would come:

monsters come to life,

frightful power used to sustain and protect,

not knowing if we would live or die—

if we would find each other again

or ever get to go back home.

I was not prepared

to be changed by leaving the Two Rivers.

I did not want

to be drawn closer to the dark.

My thoughts no longer belong to me alone,

I see things I should not see,

and I understand the wolves as beings.

They know I am different,

even if they don’t know the details.

My oldest friends see my new eyes and wonder.

And I know

I can never go back home now.