Heretic

Blades on her hips, she runs her hand along
the red tall grass that’s slowly dying
from the cooling air.
She lets down her hair to keep her ears warm.
Headed for a town with a famous statue
of a goddess, to buy some drinks,
and to sleep somewhere
comfortable.

Howls like ghosts
from the top of a nearby hill.
Three wolf silhouettes against the sun.
With out missing a step she broke into a run,
and the canines tore off jowls foaming.
They caught up to her fast
as she was sure that they would,
and all at once they tried to sink in their fangs.
Quickly drawing her tools, she slid the edges
across the hinges of their jaws.
Disarming them, bleeding, except for their claws.

They came at her again berserk with pain
she postured with cuts that did more of the same.
The tips of her swords stabbed through two of their eyes.
The last one could only just watch as they died.
Her weapons were stuck in the corpses slowing her down,
the last wolf took a swipe tearing flesh and her gown.
Fully disarmed she took one final chance and tore open
it’s mouth peeling it back like a dance.