Heart Beneath the Hide

In a forest deep where shadows play,
There lived a beast with fur of night,
His eyes like embers in the fray,
A creature born of fear and fright.

The villagers whispered tales of dread,
Of claws that tore and fangs that gleamed,
But few had glimpsed what lay instead—
A heart untouched yet softly dreamed.

One stormy eve, when thunder roared,
A maiden lost her way from home;
With courage bold, she sought the lord—
The beast who ruled this twilight dome.

Through bramble thick and misty air,
She found his lair adorned with woe;
Yet as she stepped into despair,
His mournful gaze began to glow.

“Why do you hide?” she gently asked,
“Behind this mask of fierce disdain?”
For beauty dwelt where hope was tasked—
In shadows cast by silent pain.

He spoke of battles fought alone,
Of love he lost beneath the years;
Of dreams now set to bitter stone—
Each word wrapped tight in veils of tears.

But there within his sorrowed chest,
A warmth ignited through her grace;
She saw beyond his fearsome crest—
The gentle soul time could not erase.

From that day forth their bond grew strong;
In laughter shared beneath the stars;
He learned from her what felt like wrong—
And healed his heart from all its scars.

Now children tell a tale so sweet:
Of beauty found within the beast;
How love can mend what’s torn or fleet—
And turn a monster into feast.