[Image: A frost-rimed ravine under a dawn sky streaked with gold and fading gray, jagged rocks casting long shadows. Tobal’s scarred face hardens under a worn blue militia coat, medallion bzing gold in his blood-streaked grip. Fiona’s sky blue gown flutters on her lean frame, chestnut hair tangled, golden threads pulsing vivid against the mist. Rafe’s wiry frame twists in a patched cloak of faded green and gray, knife fshing, grin wild. Becca’s red hair bzes under a cloak of deep brown and russet, eyes fierce with fire. Lucus looms broad in a gray leather vest, axe raised, blood dripping from a gash on his arm. Car’s slim form crouches in a dark green cloak, rune fring gold, gaze sharp. Cal’s tangled brown hair whips under a patched hood, hands trembling, face pale. Valentine’s shaggy gray-brown fur bristles as he snarls at a reptilian shadow—tense, raw, with the csh of steel and scales ringing out]
Tobal braced at the ravine’s edge, boots grinding frost-rimed stone, the dawn sky streaking gold and fading gray over jagged rocks. The air stung—cold with frost and the copper tang of blood—his blue militia coat, torn and damp, clinging to his broad frame. His scarred face hardened, short dark hair slick with sweat and mist, the medallion bzing gold in his blood-streaked grip, its pulse a fierce thread through his calloused palm, igniting a raw hunger in his chest.
Fiona stood firm, her sky blue gown fluttering on her lean frame, the hem snagging on sharp stone. Her chestnut hair tangled wild, catching the light, golden threads pulsing vivid against the mist—her breath rasped quick, ced with frost and strain, her lithe form coiled with a fierce spark, eyes locked on the rift’s shimmer below. Rafe twisted nearby, his wiry frame taut in a patched cloak of faded green and gray, wool frayed at the edges—his wild grin fshed, knife spinning fast, dawn glinting off the blood-smeared bde. Becca surged beside him, her cloak of deep brown and russet snapping in the wind, red hair bzing like fire—her fierce eyes burned, her sturdy curves firm with unleashed fury, she breathed a sharp growl of defiance.
Lucus loomed broad, his gray leather vest creaking as he raised his axe, blood dripping from a gash on his thick arm—his jaw tightened, dark eyes bzing, breath heaving with a low snarl of pain and grit. Car crouched low, her slim form wrapped in a dark green cloak, rune fring a sharp gold in her palm—her sharp gaze cut through the haze, short bck hair pstered with sweat under her hood, a tense hum threading her steady hands. Cal staggered back, his tangled brown hair whipping under a patched hood, wiry frame trembling—his breath hitched fast, hands shaking as he clutched a dagger, face pale with a sheen of terror. Valentine snarled ahead, his shaggy gray-brown fur bristling, coarse and matted as he lunged at a reptilian shadow—his bark cracked the air, teeth bared, the csh of steel and scales ringing out.
The ravine shuddered—frost cracked underfoot, the wind howling with a tremor of rift energy, shadows of scales slithering in the mist. Tobal shifted, his chest heaving as a reptilian cw sshed air—close, jagged—blood flecking his coat. The air churned cold—frost and blood thick—dawn spilling raw over the rocks. He turned—eyes sweeping the Knights—his voice a rough growl, cutting the chaos. “They’re breaking through!” The medallion fred—gold light spilling bold—his scarred hand gripped tight, a fierce resolve threading his pulse. A rock shattered below—a reptilian snarl roared—his breath sharpened.
Rafe ducked a cw, cloak tearing, his wild grin widening as his breath puffed fast. “More fun!” He sshed his knife—a scale cttered—Valentine’s snarl answered, his fur matted with blood as he snapped at a tail. Rafe’s ugh barked—sharp, reckless—his lean frame weaving through the fray as a hiss curled near.
Fiona spun, gown ripping at the seam, threads weaving a vivid arc of gold that shed the mist. “It’s widening!” she shouted—voice clear, fierce—her gaze striking Rafe, fingers trembling with power, the cold searing her knuckles. Her chestnut hair whipped, strands sticking to her sweat-damp face, and her eyes met Tobal’s—a shared fire threading alive, her lean grace sparking a desperate ache. A reptilian eye glinted—close, red—her jaw clenched, breath hitching with focus.
Becca charged, red hair bzing under her russet hood, her voice a roar as the wind tore her cloak. “Close it now!” She smmed a rock at a cw—her fierce eyes fshed—gncing from Fiona to Lucus, fury flickering in her gaze, her sturdy form surging with relentless heat. A scale sshed air—near, slick—her breath growled, frost biting her lips.
Lucus swung his axe, gray vest stained red, his broad shoulders heaving as blood dripped from his arm. “Die, you bastards!” he bellowed—voice raw, deep—his dark eyes wild, axe biting scale with a crunch, his gash weeping as he roared. The ground shook—sharp, violent—his grip faltered, then steadied, boots slipping on frost.
Car’s rune bzed, gold fring bright in her palm, her slim frame low as her sharp gaze pierced the mist. “It’s neon!” she gasped—voice tight, urgent—her fingers tracing frantic arcs, the hum spiking, her dark green cloak fpping. A reptilian jaw snapped—close, wet—her breath caught, eyes widening with a flicker of panic.
Cal stumbled, hood falling back, his wiry frame shaking as his dagger cttered to the stone. “Neon? We’re dead!” His voice broke—high, frantic—his tangled brown hair pstered with mist, hands cwing at the ground. A cw swiped—his scream choked—his eyes darted, terror locking his limbs.
Tobal lunged—coat dragging on jagged rock—his free hand yanking Cal back, the dog’s snarls echoing as Valentine bit a scaled fnk. “Fight or die!” he roared—gruff, fierce—his scarred face twisting toward Cal, eyes dark with a fire that burned deep, his broad build a wall of raw strength. The medallion’s glow surged—its hum threading his shout—his chest heaved, a fierce resolve bzing through him. A reptilian tail shed—frost shattered—Cal’s breath hitched, his hands steadying as the chaos roared.
Valentine leapt—stone cracked—a sharp bark split the ravine as he sank teeth into scale, fur slick with blood. Tobal rose, medallion bzing, his scarred face set—something raw churned in his gut, a growl of defiance beneath it. “Pin ‘em!” Rafe yelled—half a ugh—his knife fshing as he darted forward, wiry frame a blur of reckless thrill. A reptilian screech tore through—close, alive—Fiona’s threads fred, gold threading boldly—her voice sliced the wind. “Seal it!” Tobal’s gaze struck Rafe—hard, fierce—his growl a rasp. “Find the rift!” He surged toward the ravine’s heart—boots slipping—the wind howling with frost and blood.
The light fred—gold cshed with shadow, rocks trembling in the breeze, the rift’s pulse shuddering beneath their feet. A reptilian cw raked stone—near, vicious—Lucus roared, axe swinging wild, blood spraying as he staggered. Tobal’s hand gripped Cal’s arm—medallion bzing bold—his hold iron, though his own pulse thundered, a snarl spiking his ears, his broad chest tight with a flicker of dread. “Move!” he barked—voice low, rough—frost and blood sharp in his throat. Cal’s chest heaved—his eyes flicked—then hardened, a faint spark of fight catching as the rift’s hum swelled.
Fiona’s threads shed out—gold flickering like lightning—her gaze cut to Becca, the dawn’s cold searing her lean face. “It’s here!” Becca shouted—voice fierce—her edge alive, her sturdy form trembling with fire and grit. A reptilian maw loomed—close, slick—Fiona’s fingers bled gold—chestnut hair whipping in the wind. “Hold it!” Rafe’s ugh cracked—wild, sharp—his knife sshing as he leapt, wiry frame alive with a desperate spark. Tobal nodded—medallion pulsing—wind howling low, a reptilian roar rising near, a whisper of what’s next. The Knights cshed—scarred, fierce—dawn breaking over the ravine.
