Henry | Male | 24 | Rider
M: Rhydor, Ryuu, + Ian (Dir) Juniper, Riders, + Dragons (Ind)
Everything was going well. Ian was a bit worried about being a supervisor to so many children, but who would not be? Other than his usual tiredness and smell of coffee, Ian seemed actually happy. God, it was good to see Ian again. Maybe they would have some free time after the ceremony had come to a close and they could go off and do things for old times sake. Ian could even meet Henry’s younger sibling! Today was going to be a great day getting to spend time with Ian again.
Or, at least, it would have been.
“Why do you look so pale? It looks like you’ve seen a featherless chicken for the first time!” Henry chuckled as Ian looked past Henry in horror as a roaring sound of low thunder filled his ears.
As Henry turned around to see what Ian was observing, the same terror that grasped Ian’s expression took hold of Henry. Hundreds and hundreds of men on horses were storming the valley as distant smoke was rising outside the valley’s mountains. Dragons and teens— children, those barely even eighteen years old— were being drenched in their own blood from arrows and swords. One dragon with large wings attempted to fly away but plumped from the sky like violent samaras, spiraling down to earth with blood spraying on the ground beneath them, crushing one teen in the process as a sickening crunch could be heard even at the great distance between the clearing and the wooded ledge Henry was on with Ian.
While Ian seemed to make up his mind quickly and immediately sought to protect the students, only one thing was on Henry’s mind: getting Juniper out of the Valley.
“Rhy, stay off the ground and out of range. Try telling any escaping dragons to head to the island,” Henry instructed sternly through their mental bond. “I have to go find Juniper.”
Sliding down the steep slope of the embankment, Henry heard the loud crunching of forest leaves beneath his feet as the only sound except his loudly beating heart that pounded in his ears like a loud gong going off in his skull. Placing his hand on a log and propelling himself over it, Henry stumbled a step before running faster.
He had to make it to Juniper, he had to protect Juniper.
So focused on going forward, on sprinting through the woods to get to Juniper that Henry had taken no notice of the branches in his path, a twig lashing him in the cheek and slicing his face. Henry barely even felt the pain but he could not help but flinch as the twig had nearly slashed his eye out.
His eye did not matter though, only protecting Juniper.
Burning and screaming for air, his lungs were desperate for Henry to pause and catch his breath.
Henry had to make it to Juniper.
In the near distance, Henry could see the light from the clearing.
Henry needed to—
Blizzt!
Henry stopped himself just in time to see a sparky, lightning-like projectile fly in front of him and miss his chest by an inch. The projectile hit the tree to the right of Henry so hard it left a head-sized hole in its trunk which was charred and had a few embers from the electric attack.
“Shit…,” a voice mumbled beside Henry, causing his head to snap over to the source. A man, almost as tall as Henry, stood covered in robes with his arm extended and a gauntlet on his hand. It took only a millisecond for Henry to realize this was no ordinary person, this was a mage.
Before the mage could make another move, Henry swung at the mage with a left hook to the jaw. The lucky bastard raised his right arm and managed to block it, stumbling to the left from the blow. Henry took the opportunity to punch him in the gut before the mage could retaliate and the man gagged as he stumbled backwards in response. Hearing a growing and rising sound from the metal glove, Henry ignored the sound as he brought his fist back to hit him once more in the gut. This was a mistake. As soon as Henry gave the man an opening, the mage took it.
Swinging his fist into Henry’s ribs, the mage caused Henry, even with his high pain resistance, to gasp in pain. The blow was landed with the gloved hand which was apparent from the burned hole in Henry’s tank top that also shocked and singed Henry’s skin. Henry barely had time to recover when the mage grabbed his throat and shoved him into a tree so hard that he lost his breath. Quickly jamming his knee into the man’s crotch, the mage’s grip loosened on Henry entirely and growled with frustration.
“You are far too resilient, Henry!” The mage shouted, aiming to punch Henry in the jaw only to be blocked as Henry used his forearms to shield himself. “Just give up already!”
“I don’t even know who the fu-frick you are!!”
“Gods, just shut up!”
The mage seemed overcome with blind rage as he kept punching Henry’s forearms. Henry grit his teeth and bore through the pain while he shifted his foot behind the mage. Once the mages punches faltered for a split second, Henry took the chance to strike, and strike he did. As Henry hit him in the kidney, the man’s face was filled with pain before he stumbled, tripping more from the placement of Henry’s foot. With a swift finishing blow, Henry socked him right in the side of the mouth, sending a mixture of the mages spit and blood flying as he fell backwards to the ground with a thud.
Henry waited for a moment, hesitating to breathe as if the mage was playing dead like a possum and would snap up and attack once more. After a moment, Henry released a sigh before crumbling to his knees to quickly catch his breath. As Henry looked over the mage, Henry decided to scoot closer to see if he could find anything of interest on his personnel.
Maybe it was the loud thumping of his heart or the ringing in his ears that disabled Henry from hearing the faint crunching of the leaves behind him, but the moment he heard them, it was too late.
Bam!
Everything went dark.
Fall 
Night Weather: 
Clear Moon: 
