Enveloped

Through sure steps along the beach

Moving forward destination

Muscles fighting the exhaustion

Knew her journey how was long

She pressed heels above the sand

Footprints shaped of iron sabatons

Armor forged by many sons

Knee with luster under sun

Turning face for distant gaze

Over briny vast those waters

To where she wrote many letters

Loving someone overseas

Now just scattered past and memories

Same as grains she crushed beneath

Turned it over a new leaf

How the wind blows soft her hair

When a sudden wet upheaval

Came erupting from the sea

Danger she could not believe

Men-devourer of folk tales

A scales-ridden aquadragon

Burst from depths out to the surface

Many vessels said disgrace

Area filled with its roar

Tensed the fighter in her spot

Held the buckler and sword tightly

And assuming stance so mighty

Had her bearings for the worse

Preparation absolutely

Waiting for what may develop

Ready for what will not stop

Motion if the beast would see her…

Lashing out the monster dashing

Cutting waves in blunt approach

Violently dared encroach

Nearing woman at the surf

Gaping jaws before the crash

Moments quick and barely prior

Stratagem of witty warrior

Parrying teeth with her blade

She held strongly the offensive

Stricken angrily against her

Gauntlets hers to bar from deeper

Pierce of predatory bite

Alongside the tempered steel

Pushing at her from the impact

Though by luck she was still intact

Wide a maw there greeting menacingly

Slobber dropping from the squirming

Creature thrashing over sands

Bringing force upon her hands

Closer reaching coming centimeters

Till enough was had by lady

Twisting head of thing with grunt

Casting it aside as stunt

Few a seconds daring needed

The manhandled wrathful entity

Fast recovered then attacked

Once again with body rushed

Rage frustrated in addition

When its enemy so smaller

Vaulted out the way away

Making bite to run astray

Then its head turned to observe her

Stretching slick tail of the creature

Spiraled tall and promptly smashed

Though the target had evaded

Trying more the beast repeated

Each of strikes of thick appendage

Left long furrows on the ground

Visions weird that could astound

Ditch collection spread in places

The combatant’s racing heart

Managed constantly avoiding

That threat of swift mass bone-crushing

Rare a second for respite

So in act of fair emergency

She proceeded hasty climb

Up a palm tree using limb

Woe and mind and all she had in

Whipping at wood’s curvature

Beast barraged her with sharp hits

Blocked avoided though the bits

Shedding of the trunk fell down

All the while she was ascending

Higher and behind the branches

Till the dragon’s hurting launches

Tall as she could not reach easily

But the cunning devil’s spawn

Chose to change the tactics chosen

Circled tree in times a dozen

Shut down option for descending

As it equally was coiling

It with whole of body slippery

Closing in a prospect scary

Was of death without an exit

Yet the soldier slashed it back

Making use of her position

Driving mouth away in unison

That with nostrils bleeding out

Yet a vicious countermeasure

From the thing to rise imposing

Up its presence unrelenting

Let the woman feel some fear

Jumped the prey trapped previously

Twisting self in very air

And with blade she got to tear

Scaled flesh in abrupt the fall

Ripping many rolls of meat

Screeching joining consequence

Of that painful bloody sentence

Falling onto twirling animal

Which decided on revenge

Leaping from the perched position

Over treetop for aggression

Itch for ravaging destruction

From the column letting go

Slithery it was unfurling

And completely recollecting

Ram of fangs and claws came downwards

Repetition a maneuver

Placing weapon in the way

Sliding rush again astray

From a crush of her completely

That mass lustrous quickly passing

Her as followed its direction

Though she saw not the deception

At the dragon’s new trajectory

In contorting stretching body

It imprisoned suddenly

Her as scales closed in so wildly

Sheen and folds were all she saw

When the serpentine enveloped

Wrapped in rounding pressing presses

Of spine forcibly that dresses

Woman her in stranglehold

Of titanic solid curtains

She remembered midst the panic

Of the love she left on scenic

Bluff old coastal years ago

Maybe hadn’t left she truly

If on stage of direst hour

Rather than resentment sour

She longed for that warm embrace

But no seconds had she spare

Fixing handle of her sword

For defiant stable hard

Jut against the binding scales

Hoping for salvation rare

That of metal cutting meat

Just enough to make a slit

Opening to give her room

Till the force upon her broke

Section of the carapace

Like her own plan’s saving grace

Spill of blood and guts accompanying

And beast’s agonizing screams

That too arched the joints relaxing

Spacing from her in perplexing

End of furious constriction

Writhing creature dashing madly

In chaotic through the beach

Motions crying sharp with each

Following a waggling path

It directed self to waters

Calm despite the confrontation

For winds of that coastal nation

Sat at gentlest caresses

As the warrior stood witness

To the demon there returning

Diving spinning swimming churning

Stress and ripples overwater

To the last tip of its tail

And the splashing finalizing

Still so ocean was disguising

True the terror that just left

Soon the red was last the clue

Of the battle mark withstanding

On the sand and armor hanging

Noon the sun to all reveal

Swordswoman stowed steel and buckler

And with heave and body shaking

After minutes painstaking

Won and got back to her walk

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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