Weapon in hand, the girl charged at the monster.
Blood red scales tough as nails fended off her forceful throw.
The girl wheezed, struggling for air.
The fight had continued for years,
Until the girl had more wounds than she could count.
But she kept on fighting.
Her friends and family depended on her.

Panting, the warrior recalled
Why she had started fighting at all.
A demon egg had been laid, hatching a little fiend.
The girl thought it was harmless and decided to keep it.
Soon the monster grew ten times in size.
It towered over the battler, bearing mighty claws.
The girl could no longer control the beast.
She wiped the sweat from her forehead
and gripped her nightmare-slayer.

The fighter started to change;
She became isolated--chained to the monster.
The girl stopped talking,
afraid of the words that might escape her.
She became distant,
Not wanting her loved ones to see the mind-rotter.
The girl kept desperately trying to crack the creaking links,
that bound her to the demon.

The battle with the beast was long and hard
The warrior grew weary when
The dragon made a fatal blow,
Slashed wrists made the girl slow;
She hid behind a rock, taking brief breaths.
The girl glanced at the damage, the lines on her arm made a permanent mark.
Ready to give up, she raised her shaky sword.
One last stab at the horror.

The blade only wounded the beast temporarily,
It gripped its grotesque bleeding claw.
But that was enough to let the girl rest.
She gathered her strength.
Pushing up her sleeves, she prepped for the next test.
The warrior had to keep fighting,
for the ones that she loved.

Little did her friends and family know,
The demon that the soldier battled
Had come from within.
It attacked her heart and soul;
The internal combat left external marks.
Heroes like the brave warrior exist
in the world all around us.
Their bodies covered with scars,
Traces of battles that had gone on inside.
When you see these imprints, do not fear,
Try to understand what these champions have endured.