Mountain Phoenix

      I dreamed I was in the mountains of a distant country. I had worked several days to get permission to climb a certain mountain. It was not the tallest mountain around and it had not even poked above the tree line, but the valley it grew out of was so deep it seemed very tall. The local authorities couldn't give any reasonable explanation of why it took so long to give me permission to hike on the mountain, but had stalled me none-the-less.
      I hiked up the mountain. There really was no climbing until I was a few hundred feet from the top, and even then I climbed a dozen yards or so until I came to a switchback filled path. I had been expecting to find the path, but didn't know what to expect once I reached the path's end. I trudged up the path, crushing the dried leaves of several seasons under my feet. Though the leaf debris was fairly thick, I could tell there was a good solid stone road beneath the layer of decaying leaves. I supposed that every so often the winter storms would wash the roads clean. There hadn't been storms for several years.
      I reached the end of the path. There was a cave opening with wooden doors across it near the top of the mountain. The cave was flanked by two trees that had not begun to turn yet. I looked back over the path I'd navigated, the treetops around the road were a blaze of red and orange leaves. I could make out the switchbacks in the spaces between the branches and could even make out the trail where the tree canopy was thin. I noticed a large number of people in blue and black silk jackets making their way up the mountain's access road. I didn't think they would be stopping at the shrine at the base of the mountain this time. I opened the wooden doors and stepped into the warm dry cave.
      Other than the doors, the predominant feature was a large nest made of thin branches and in the middle of the nest was a large egg shaped stone. The whole structure as about 6 feet across and three feet high. There was a sort of carved stone base beneath it adding another foot or so. The ceiling of the cave was open in a small hole above it. It looked like it was meant to be a bonfire.
      I walked around it. Behind the bonfire a crumpled banner or kite was discarded against the base of the wall. I unfurled it. The banner shook the dust from itself and felt warm and living to the touch, like silk that is being worn. I stepped outside into the sunlight. The banner was yellow-gold with a large black bird painted in the center of the banner. The air stirred and I held the banner aloft. It rippled and became even more like a kite. The kite pulled at my arms and I heard shouts from below. I let the banner go. It rose on the wind, rippling and turning. I saw the black shape of the bird pull in the yellow silk and draw in the sunlight. Beams shot past me through the open doors and into the nest.
      Flames shot throughout the room, smoke poured out of the top of the mountain. I stepped cautiously into the cave to see what had happened.
      A magnificent fire colored raptor sat in the embers of the nest, preening itself. It looked at me, tilting its head to bring both eyes to bear on me. The phoenix chirruped and cooed. The sounds of shouting villagers echoed up the mountain side. The phoenix cawed and unfurled its wings. Flames rippled still along its trailing edges. The phoenix launched itself for the doors. It touched me on the shoulder as it passed, its clawprint burning into my left shoulder through my thin shirt. I was glad I'd taken my jacket off. It would have been ruined. I cringed from the pain and patted out the fire. The phoenix swooped back and called back to me, urging me to hurry, urging me to take the stone egg. Although I had originally had no intention of doing any looting, I just wanted to see what was at the top of the mountain, I grabbed the still hot stone and wrapped it in my jacket. The phoenix called after me and began to lead me down the path to a location it knew about and was trying to communicate to me. I could almost hear its voice in my mind.
      I made my way down the switchbacks, finding a place above the path to hide among some rocks as the town's people passed beneath us. They were shouting and gesturing at the phoenix as it flew further and further out from the mountain, but always circling back just out of rifle range. When the crowds had reached the top of the mountain I climbed down and made my way down the mountain with the egg shaped stone. As I approached the bottom of the hill the phoenix swooped down low enough to distract the guards and I walked right past them.
      The phoenix swooped low and grabbed me by each shoulder, I could feel the heat running though me and into the egg without damaging me. Apparently I was immune to being burned while carrying the egg. A gentle and grateful voice affirmed what I had surmised as we were surrounded by fire and shot at incredible speed across the land and over the ice and snow covered mountains around the valley.
      I chose our destination, my new ally not having any particular desire or goal other than to be free to travel the world again and to be a part of big things. I wasn't so sure about the big things portion of the deal, but the phoenix seemed content to travel with me, so I accepted that we were now partners. We landed and I took the form of a large black panther, (the dream me wasn't surprised by this, but the real me and the phoenix were) the phoenix egg becoming part of me and somehow still separate. I raced on all fours leaping from boulder to boulder while the flames from the trailing edge of the phoenix's wings provide enough light for me to choose my path. As I leapt, mostly for the sheer joy of being able to leap twenty feet at a time, the phoenix rolled through the sky, much for the same reason. I could definitely feel the phoenix asking if I could transform into a bird, or even another phoenix. I indicated that I would have to work on it, and if not, there were bound to be other phoenixes out there somewhere.