honor
what is
bravery, he asks
it is leaping into
an unknown land,
eyes effervescent and heart
lying back with your own.
what is
loyalty, she asks
paws once stained
with after-rainfall mud
of your own territory,
now slick with enemy blood.
what is
courage, they say
it's a forgotten story, theirs.
knowing they had innocent dreams
too, you walk with scarlet
trailing behind your age-etched claws.
what is
honor, you think
it is bloodshed and raw violence and grief,
it is the echo in the back of your mind telling
you, enough is enough.
you want clarity.
but you can't stop.