i dreamt that i lived in a small village which hadn't seen warfare in a long time. we had peace treaties with neighboring tribes, and we felt safe and secure. then one evening, a villager ran into the town shouting that we were under attack. one of the tribes had broken their pact with us. we were ill-prepared to defend ourselves. i was the senior warrior in the village, and it was my responsibility to decide what to do. my instinct was to fight - i felt angry, betrayed, and a surge of aggression coursed through me. but as i looked around at the frightened villagers, i realized we would never stand a chance against our enemy. i decided to give orders that everyone gather what they could and run to the hills, to hide in the numerous caves there.

i ran through the village, prodding and shouting and motivating my fellow tribespeople. when i was sure that everyone had at least received the order, i began to retreat myself. in my path i found an old couple - a man and a woman - and i took them under my wing, although i knew they would slow me down. as i hastened them along, i noticed a young woman with a baby trying to wrap some food up in a scarf. i hurried over to her. "there's no time for that - come on," i told her. i tugged at her elbow. "i know you can do it."

we five - the grandmother and the grandfather, the mother and the baby, and i, the warrior woman - hurried to the hills. i knew of a cave there which, although very small, was hard to find and big enough to shelter us. the terrain was tough going for my crew, who stumbled with exhaustion several times. grimly i kept them going with encouragement mixed with threats. several times i circled back to help my struggling charges, one by one, often physically carrying them up the hill.

we finally made it to the cave - really nothing more than a tiny hole in the rock where the five of us could crouch. i told the young woman to quiet her baby, and told the others to sit still and wait. i sat with an arrow in my bow. from my seat i could see the outline of the cave mouth clearly. the sun had set and now the moon rose. it was cold. we could hear the sounds of the village below us being destroyed - the wailing of women and children, the sounds of fire crackling. but we, at least, were safe, and i was determined that we should stay that way.

suddenly a shape obscured the moonlight in front of me. i fired my arrow. it hit the man in the throat, and he toppled over backwards and fell gently down the mountain. the adrenaline coursed through my veins as i got another arrow ready.

i woke up with my heart pounding.