The Raven Reborn an Eagle (Hal)

[Apache Chief]

Players: Apache Chief, Hal Jordan
Location(s): Skeleton Canyon, Arizona
Plot Summary: Manitou Dawn gets possessed by an evil spirit which draws the attention of Hal Jordan and Swampthing.

For Manitou Dawn the history of the Apache was something she just knew. While she might not of been raised in the modern era of the Apache culture, she had adapted quite well to it learning all of it's myths and tales thorough various different methods. One such historical event that she knew very well was Geronimo's final surrender to General Miles on September 4,1886 occurred at the western edge of Skeleton Canyon which was on the boarder of New Mexico and Arizona. The actual surrender site was now on private property, there is a commemorative surrender monument along SR 80 to the west, at Apache, AZ. This was all information that anyone could find on the internet or through reading their history books.

Manitou Dawn on the other hand was exploring further knowledge on this exact story in person. While it had been over a century since the event of that day, it's impact sung loudly through the channels of time. Standing before the very rocks that had been pushed together to symbolize the surrender within Skeleton Canyon she was very aware that she was trespassing. But the Great Spirits had directed her here, specifically the spirit of her dead husband. Something was going on in this place, something vile was tampering with the spiritual plane. She had been summoned here to fend off this evil.

"<This is where the great strain on the spirits is the strongest,>" Manitou Dawn spoke in her native tongue to seemingly no one at all. Squatting down she shifted her weight to sit down cross legged before the historical formation of rocks. laying her husbands staff across her legs she then closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. It was time for her to find and take down this darkness shrouding the lands of her descendants. With her hands now firmly placed on either end of the staff she shot her eyes open as she spoke the magical phrase to ignite her powers, "Inukchuk!"

A brief gust of wind passed by her body, but not even a minute later Manitou Dawn's body was engulfed in a bright blue energy that appeared to be in the form of a flame. Her eyes began to change colors though into a dense purple, her teeth began to clinch together as the agony of this mission took over, and the veins of her arms were bulging from her intensified grip. In the next moment she let out a scream, but then the flame from around her went out and she was now frozen still with her eyes closed once again.

"<The coyote and owl have nothing on me, the eagle cannot see me, nor can the raven sense me, the beaver and badger flee from me, the fireflies fear me, the elk and deer die, while the bear denies me. None of these matter for I am the greatest spirit of them all. Whether they wanted to accept it or not, I have reclaimed my title through this woman!>" Manitou Dawn rambled in her native tongue some more as she remained still. Then her eyes shot wide open once again as she shouted, "Inukchuk!" This time the result was very different as she flipped the staff out of her hand growing to over sixty feet tall catching the staff in her right hand. Forcing the staff upwards she channeled an unknown power causing massive storm clouds to form over the whole Southwestern quarter of the United States. Turning and forcing the staff downward now she seemingly commanded the clouds to unleash heavy rains and monstrous winds.

[Hal Jordan]

Hal was reeling from so damn much, the guy just needed a break. Dealing with enraged greek gods, evil future plant beasts, feminist sorceresses, and hyper 8 year olds could take a lot out of a guy. And that was just when you decided to ignore all the Green Lantern business he had to tend to, Hal Jordan was absolutely burnt out. He sat in a Keystone park, he'd come to visit Barry and just relax but it seemed Barry had even more to deal with than he did; of course for the fastest man alive even that was a slow day.

Hal didn't really mind being stood up though, at least it was a nice day out and he had it all to himself without too much to worry about. He wasn't neglecting any duties though, his power ring still sat on his finger where it belonged so if anything needed his immediate attention he'd be aware. The day was a nice one though, and the park he rested in provided a great atmosphere and scenery. The green around him flourished and a cool breeze swept through every so often. It wasn't very usual for Hal to have such down time but he was now realizing how beneficial it all was. A soft smile graced Hal's face, Barry would never find relaxing comforting; the man would find it all too slow.

As Hal sat there enjoying his much needed time off he noticed his ring sparking, the coloring looked very odd to say the least. He raised his ring to face level and stared at it, wondering if something was going on on Oa or if his ring was somehow malfunctioning. "Hal Jordan." Aw, crap. Hal frowned but straightened himself nonetheless. He recognized that oddly serene and multilayered voice, and he couldn't say that he really desired hearing it at that moment.

A misty white face floated out from Hal's green ring, a face that seemed coated in foliage, and it began speaking as if this were all completely normal. "It is fortunate that you were near a park." "You're connected to every blade of grass on the planet? Do you feel it when someone eats a salad?" "I am connected to every living being on this planet, Hal Jordan. It is the power of the White light." "Is it also the 'power of the white light' to hack Green Lantern power rings?" Hal frowned at the face emitting from his ring. "I have power over all lantern rings, not just the green. This is all unimportant, I have crucial news for you. There is a darkness that looms within the Earth, I can feel it yet I am unable to touch this darkness, even with the White light. But there is another..."

[Apache Chief]

The raging storm on the outside was nothing compared to the silence on the inside for Manitou Dawn, who was experiencing a particular lack of control at the moment. She had lost control of her body to an unknown spirit, which was quite impressive considering the mystical aptitude it would take to pull something off like this. This spirit was strong or was given an opportunity to attack her through a momentary weakness in which she had no clue how that would of happened. It was not like she acted alone, no she had her own annoying spirit guide that worked with her on how to channel the various incantations of the occult arts.

"<Do not say anything,>" Manitou Dawn stated in her native tongue as she was trying to focus. "<You let your guard down,>" the voice of her dead husband rang loudly in her eardrum. "<Thank you Raven, I was unaware that I was kicked out of my own body,>" she shot back as her face cringed in anger as her attempts to break back into her body were thwarted once again. "<That will not work, only can one reclaim their body through spiritual transference if the same opening presents itself again,>" he replied in the same tone, unphased by her lashing out remarks.

The married couple were in the astral plane. Dawn was sitting cross legged seemingly floating in the nothingness of it all, her husband was in the form of a raven. Circling her for a moment he did not dare come in closer until she allowed it. "<gahhhh! I don't understand! i did everything just like you said!>" she shouted as she acted as if she was giving up trying to reclaim her body at that moment in time. "<Calm your mind my wife,>" Raven stated soothingly as he landed on her shoulder morphing into his form human appearance (only his hand remain on her shoulder while the rest of him was now squatting behind her).

"<How can I be calm at a time like this? An evil spirit is running amok with my body. Who knows how much damage that thing will do!>" her uneasiness with the whole situation was frustrating for the two of them. "<Calm thy mind, the great spirits cannot show you the correct path if you do not allow them the chance. >" his steadiness through it all probably was only furthering her uneasiness, to her it was like he was unphased by the whole situation. If he knew that this was going to happen then why did he not prepare her more for this? a question she wanted to ask but would not. They needed to work together and reclaim her body before it was too late.

"<Easier said than done Raven,>" Manitou Dawn let out a deep sigh as she took her meditation pose once again. "<I know wife. While you calm yourself I shall engage with the various spirit guides to find an answer to our question. Stay strong my love,>" with that Raven morphed back into the raven bird form taking flight into the abyss of the astral plane. his connection to the spirit world was very strong. Often he spoke to the spirits for his wife, something that some spirit forces frowned upon but he always talked them down from their stances because she was still learning the ways of the mystical practices.

[Hal Jordan]

Being that Hal commonly worked under the order of the Guardians of the Universe, perhaps the most non-straightforward beings in all of the known universe, getting half clues and vague acknowledgments was nothing knew to him; but that didn't make it any less annoying. "Why're you tell me this? Do I know who, or what, this other is?" Hal doubted the essence of life would be contacting him if it wasn't important and somehow related to him. But what did Swamp Thing really expect Hal to do if not even he, the entity of the power of life, could do anything about this darkness. "You must find him, Hal Jordan. You must find the spirit so that it can revitalize and purify a poisoned land."

The foggy face of the plantman shining from Hal's ring spoke with a placid look as it instructed the Green Lantern. In reply Hal could do little more than groan and massage the bridge of his nose. "I don't mean to ruin your mysterious vibe or whatever it is you're going for here, I know you supreme beings have a way of overdramatizing and really phoning it in, but can you simply things a little and give me a straight forward message?" Hal hated to further the stereotype that humans were idiots and failed to grasp what these type of guys viewed as 'simple' but damn it all if these type of talks didn't always result in him having a nasty headache.

For a moment Swamp Thing was silent, even with leaves and roots covering his face Hal could clearly see the entity was almost as annoyed as he was. "Travel to Arizona, Skeleton Canyon, and the man you need to find will be found there." The white projection of a head stated rather calmly as if from there Hal could pick up the context clues and know immediately what else was expected of him. If Swamp Thing was expecting that much then he would be sorely mistaken. "And then what? Why am I finding him, and I supposed to help him fix whatever's wrong? You aren't giving me much here!" Hal frowned at the white light construct but in the next moment it had faded away and once again he was sitting alone, now with a few people eying him suspiciously. "Figures."

Alone once again, and now with an all important mission from the very being of livingness itself. Or at least Hal thought it as all important, Swamp Thing wasn't very clear about that. "Find the spirit." Hal muttered to himself, repeated the words spoken by his guide in an attempt to make himself understand more fully. It didn't work. Hal figured the only thing that would, would be heading to Skeleton Canyon like Swamp Thing had instructed him to. He wasted very little time in finding a more secluded place before changing into Green Lantern attire and flying off for the southwest.

[Apache Chief]

Deep within the spirit realm Raven's bird form comes up to a spiral staircase. Lowering down he transforms once again to let his feet touch the stair surface. On the outside looking in one might ask why he did not fly all the way to the top, the truth was on the Stoney path one could not cheat to the top. Rather one had to endure the journey to the top to appreciate the answers that he was seeking. His wife on the other hand was running short on time, no doubt if she knew he would never hear the end of it.

"<Why do you come here so often Raven?>" the Beaver spirit appears out of nowhere to float next to Raven's head as the man walks the stairs upward. "<You already know why beaver,>" he retorted back to the creature spirit. It was not that he disrespected the Beaver, but rather he knew the spirit was only trying to sway him from his path. "<Your wife seems to be a bit helpless, all the time,>" the beaver muses aloud. "<She is strong, forces outside our realm are tampering with the balance,>" true to his nature Raven kept a straight to the point attitude. "<Do you think they will hear your cries? No, because you have come to the well too often,>" the Beaver asked a question and then answered it for Raven in a mocking fashion. "<We shall see,>" Raven stated firmly as he continued his climb.

Once at the top of the staircase the last step opened up into a giant circle that had several pillars on it's edges. Each Pillar had a creature on top of it to represent each animal spirit, though the Pillars extended out several miles out of sight. Stepping into the giant circle Raven aimed his walk toward the center where a small green flame burned slowly. "<Oh great spirits. Hear my plea to help my wife,>" the brave fell to his knees with his hands raised in the air shouting to any and all that would hear him. For a moment the Beaver spirit paused next to the man only to shake his head and jump into the fire to which the fire changed color into a bright red. The flame then morphed into a giant Thunderbird that spoke a simple command, "<place your hand in the fire so that the correct spirit may decide on your plea.>"

Without a second thought Raven rose to his feet stepping forward with an outstretched left hand. Once the hand was engulfed in the flame his tattoos lite up causing him to step backwards. The Thunderbird gave way to the form of a gold flame shifting into a buffalo. "<I, the Buffalo spirit, will hear your plea,>" "<Great and sturdy Buffalo. I come to ask for assistance with my wife's current challenge. An unknown spirit has taken advantage of the growth spell and used it as an opportunity to take her body from her,>" "<You Manitou know the risks when you choose to use said spell or any ancient spell,>" "<While this is very true there is a dark spirit parading around in her body. This is no ordinary spirit nor an ordinary spell. She has defended herself from these attacks in the past with ease. Why now?>" "<Because the time has come to change the tide,>" "<Excuse me great Spirit, but what do you mean?>" "<to save your wife you must go to her and save her yourself, the tide will present itself in an all consuming light. Do not falter Raven.>"

[Hal Jordan]

As Hal flew on his uncertain course for Skeleton Canyon he could only hope that Swamp Thing had no plans of making these sort of events a regular occurrence. Hal had his hands full enough with his duties as a Green Lantern and a protector of Earth, he did not need also the pressing responsibility of following the embodiment of life's every order. His emerald aura stretched backward behind him as he flew through the skies, his ring keeping his route straight and true for Arizona. Hal had no clue what it was he was going to find or what even to expect upon arriving at this Skeleton Canyon, but Swamp Thing's words had struck him deep and he believed this was something he needed to do; whatever awaited at his destination he would have to simply deal with it when the time came.

The Green Lantern flew with an urgent speed and as his target location came into view he began to see hints of what it was he was headed for. Wreckage was the scene that he came upon, uprooted trees and downed powerlines as well as scattered vehicles that'd been overturned by the rough winds that now blew against Hal's body with unbelievable force. He had flown into the center of a storm and the dark clouds swirling overhead told him this was a storm that was not dying down any time soon. The monster storm was the least of Hal's worries as the body of a woman soon came into view. Hal's flight halted, his eyes went wide, and his jaw hang open in shock and awe. The woman was sixty feet tall!

[Apache Chief]

The Spiritual gold flame that was in the form of a buffalo soon dissipated back down into a small blue fire. This meant that the conversation between Raven and the animal spirits was over. As he often had to accept, the spirits worked in mysterious ways. Not that he was getting any help this go around, but he did have to get back to his wife. Turning around he made his way back to the stairs thinking about the words that the buffalo spirit had told him. What he was going to have to do when the time comes was something he was not even sure the spirit was getting at.

Back in the land of the living the rampaging Manitou Dawn was making her way toward a nearby city. The raging storm clouds following right above her sixty foot body. While the actual Dawn was not in control of the body, the spirit at the helm was accessing some her powers. Not just the height manipulation. "<Foolish mortals sending spacemen,>" Dawn's voice boomed as she turned to face the green lantern that was coming into view. "<Our time is now!>" the voice conitnue to speak in her native tongue as she raised her staff into the air increasing the winds, lightning from the clouds, and even summoning forth heavy rain/hale mix.

That is when several vines pulled up out of the ground yanking on Dawn's ankles drawing her attention toward what was stopping her movements. A small green plant man was standing amongst a cactus. "Spirit your intent is to destroy this world, we cannot have that, " while Swampthing intent was to lay low until Hal arrived, which he was here now, but he had not anticipated the spirit tuning into other powers of Dawn's so quickly. Tapping into higher power levels would cause the spirit realm and the world to become in flux.

[Hal Jordan]

It appeared stealth was not one of Hal's strong suits, though to be fair the man had no idea that upon his arrival to Skeleton Canyon he would need to sneak around a gigantic towering woman. She had caught him in her sights and though she spoke in a tongue that Hal did not himself understand, he was more than evident that she was not speaking a casual greeting. Hal's ring made short work of translating the woman's speech and while Hal was puzzling over who 'our' was to mean, he felt himself suddenly combating against the strong gusts that threatened to knock him from the sky.

Hal's green aura thickened and strengthened as rain and ice pelted him relentlessly. The hail was an annoyance sure, but not nearly enough to hold him at bay. "<I don't know what you think you're doing but the only time it is, is time for you to go down!>" The power ring translated Hal's words so that the woman understood just as he drew back his arm and sent a large green fist to impact the woman's jaw. He needed to stop her before she reached the nearing city and put in risk a large amount of lives, and hopefully Swamp Thing holding her in place would bide them that time.

"Glad to see you decided to join the party!" Hal shouted to Swamp Thing as he quickly flew around Dawn, in the back of his mind unable to think that the giant woman looked somewhat familiar. "Safe bet to assume this staff is her power source?" He asked of the plant man below but was much too far beyond waiting for a response. The green fist Hal had created quickly split itself in two, forming two large hands that immediately attempted to snag the woman's staff away from her. Meanwhile Hal flew right into the giant's line of vision before her face. "<I suggest you stand down now, if I have to call a Martian in to shut your mind down I will!>" It was a bluff, but not one Hal was incapable of pulling off.