Fire burns and ever cleanses
Twising skyward, tendrils of passion
Growing through body and bone,
Traveling the distance between
Battlefield and home.

Our warrior stands, heaving.
Surveying his work. proud that he stands.
Though sorrow grips his soul.
He stands and guards, and often bleeds
So that those who live in his heart
May sleep through the night. Safe. Secure,
Protected from those who would do them harm.

It is a solitary way, his path of fire.
He accepts his choice as he knows without him,
Both he and his charges would be lost.

He has made sacrifices to the blood moon,
Both from his very flesh and from the gifts
Of those with dark intentions.
And each time the circle is tested,
His determination to reach hearth and home grows.

Stronger.