VIRAGO, 𝒃𝒖𝒄𝒌𝒚 𝒃𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒆𝒔²

𝘰𝘰𝙤. 𝑽𝑰𝑹𝑨𝑮𝑶

❚ 𝚅𝙸𝚁𝙰𝙶𝙾

𝘰𝘰𝙤. HIPPOLYTA ALWAYS WANTED a child to love, protect, and raise. No men were allowed on the island, making the wish close to impossible. Until Zeus spoke to her in her dreams. He told her to create a baby from the clay on the beach front and hold it up into the air. The next night she walked to the beach, elated at the fact that her dream was becoming reality. She formed a baby's head, attaching it to the clay body with arms and legs. She carved a face on the clay, her nails turning grey from the clay. She held it up to the sky, tears streaming down her pale face. "O Zeus, Father of All, please give this child life." She begged for a while, her hopes dampening. Six lightning strikes shot down from the night sky, each hitting the clay in a different place. One lightning strike, bigger than the rest, struck the clay, Hippolyta hearing a child's cry.

𝘰𝘰𝙤. SHE THANKED THE gods, pressing the child close to her breast. She walked to the sea water, wiping off any excess clay away. The child disliked the coldness, wailing as each handful of freezing water touched her smooth skin. "I'm sorry, I know," Hippolyta apologized as she wrapped her in fur. She walks to her castle, thinking of all the things she would teach the child. "What shall I name you?" She caresses the baby's face with her calloused thumb. "Diana. Roman equal of Artemis. You shall have the heart of a hunter, Diana." She presses a kiss to the confused child's forehead, smiling at her lovingly. She thought of what each of the lightning strikes meant. She shrugged and continued walking.

𝘰𝘰𝙤. "DIANA!" DIANA'S CARETAKER, Lia, yells after the running child. Diana loved to be free, Hippolyta and the rest of the Amazonians knew she was a free-spirit. They said she was destined to fly amongst the geese that flew with the moon on their wings, high enough to touch the clouds and see the gods. Diana made it to the training field, seeing an Amazon warrior lean heavily on the horse's side and grabbed a shield off the grass. Another flipped off while shooting an arrow, piercing a straw dummy's head. She saw her aunt, Antiope, the general, talk with another warrior about the fighting skills of others. Diana saw Amazon's fighting, and she started to pretend to be one of them. "Naiomi!" Antiope called out to a burly dark woman who was fighting others from a wooden table. Naiomi punched a woman off the table, jumping off and rushing to Antiope. Thay start talking about the others, finally catching the eyes of a play-fighting Diana. Diana stops, giving her aunt a proud smirk as another yell of her name was heard.