In the Shadows and the Light

In the shadows, her antlers form a wingspan to threaten any knight
In the shadows, the fog of her breath in the autumn air blossoms out like flame
In the shadows, her heart finds words that contradict in it -- and holds the knot of feelings in a tight grip
In the shadows, when her hooves scratch the ground, the mark seems to trail like the sharpened edges of claws

In the shadows, it becomes clear: hanging from her belly is her treasure-trove,
her pile of gold, heavy and soft and shifting as she moves with it.

In the light, she must protect it with all that fierceness,
as deer or dragon, as her hooves beat the empty air.