Blitz

Blitz feels the spike of magic from five training grounds away. It instantly sets her on edge because she’s not a mage in any sense of the word, has a decent range only by virtue of being an Imperial, which means there is someone acting with the intent to kill. Someone strong.

She’s moving before she can register that she even is – the training grounds are deserted around this time, and for all that she’s not a full-fledged Godhunter (yet) like Kakashi, Blitz is fast. Faster than any currently on-duty fighters are, if she’s recalling the patrol rota correctly.

The magic spikes again – bright, sizzling, though with pain or just by nature Blitz isn’t quite sure, and this time it’s definitely frantic. More likely to be a mental break than anything, then. (Not good, but at least it's not an enemy this deep into the town.)

Cursing vehemently, she hopes it isn’t Kakashi. Blitz’s equipped to deal with just about any warrior except Kakashi. (The Fae is terrifying, more beast than even Kleopas during one of his Phases.)

But there’s no point thinking in hopes or wants, so she flickers forward in one frantically magic-powered bound and then a second, and now that she’s barely a single training ground away Blitz can feel the signatures of three other dragons. Trainees, most likely, but also – kids – and aw Eleven, it is Kakashi, because Blitz could recognize those silhouettes anywhere and those kids are scared.

She doesn’t hear the familiar chirping of ice-encased lightning, which is a good enough sign that Kakashi’s not looking to expend energy just to kill these kids – doesn’t think them worth the effort, and honestly he’s not wrong.

Then there’s a clash of metal on metal, and all the silhouettes she can sense react in unison.

Kakashi’s magic is also easy to pick out now that Blitz knows that he’s there – a roiling, crackling sort of lightning that’s frayed at the edges, a far cry from his usual poised coil of razor wire. Blitz feels a pale, tightly contained magic suddenly flare – that’s the Skydancer and she’s trying to signal for help. Smart kid, if a bit useless in actual combat, but at least she knows how. It'll grab more assistance at the very least.

She crosses the remaining distance in another push, flapping her massive wings for an extra boost, jumps forward and into existence even as Blitz pulls a knife, fangs clicking reassuringly behind her pursed lips. The Wildclaw falls back, trainee sword falling from limp claws, the fear radiating off of him suffocatingly thick. At least he’s safe for now.

And only because Blitz knows the Fae – knows the feral and expertly trained fighter Wolf better than she knows Kakashi, really, but the lines are anything but clear right now – she brings the knife up to block a blow that would’ve gone straight for the little Wildclaw’s neck. She's surprised to feel a slight snarl on her own face.

She sees the moment that Wolf registers who stopped him – the Fae takes a step back, assesses the threat, and Blitz takes the chance. Taking a breath, she calls to the hatchies behind her spread wings, mindful to keep her eyes on the threat in order to leave no opportunities.

“Oi, princ-”

Her instincts scream , and then Blitz’s bracing as she hits the floor.

Wolf has never needed opportunities, has always been the type to make them just like Blitz herself, and somehow – between protecting the kids and waiting for help, Blitz had completely forgotten. An opportunity in and of itself, really, and now she’s paying for it. Sure, the image probably seemed funny, a massive Imperial pinned underr a tiny, silent Fae, but oh Blitz made such a mistake.

Her knife is next to useless now, but she still tightens her grip on it, slipping a long needle coated in a disgustingly strong sedative from her sleeve as she does. God, she's glad she took those medic classes Braid forced her into.

Wolf sinks his tantou into Blitz's side without preamble; the Imperial choking on a breath and then forcing it to come out in an exhale, tense and painful against her lungs and still-beating heart. The Skydancer's dragging her teammate – the little Wildclaw – taking them as far from the fight as she can. Smart girl. The Nocturne was slinking to face the struggling adults, trying to cover her team's shuffling escape. That was going to be such a good team when they graduated.

Assured of their continued safety, Blitz fixes her attention back on the Godhunter pinning her, more Wolf than Kakashi now, who is currently twisting the blade stuck in her abdomen, please stop- She barely manages to cut off the choked cry that threatens to spring from behind her bared fangs, leaving it more of a pained whine. The sound almost makes the Fae atop her pause, as if recognizing the noise.

“Kakashi,” Blitz says breathlessly, desperately. It takes all she has to follow protocol – to say words in a placating voice instead of hitting back twice as hard – but it’s Kakashi, it’s someone Blitz's known and dealt with since they were both young, and that makes it… not easier, but more tolerable. “Warrior number zero-zero-nine-seven-twenty, Godhunter of Luvale -”

Blitz doesn’t quite scream, but she still manages a bitten-off little noise and tightens her already rigid grip on her knife. The tantou drives deeper, rending flesh and chipping bone until it hits hard dirt below. Kakashi’s wrist flexes, and Blitz feels a fresh lance of pain stab through her even as the Fae growls, posture aggressive and dominant.

Right. Okay. Beastclan instincts, she assumes, right- But then, movement out of the corner of Blitz's eyes catch her wavering attention. Kakashi’s left paw, moving just slightly – all twitching digits and secret code, holy Arcanist-

Teammate-cult-bridge-medic-backup-emergancy-

“Rainfall, five, serpent, alpha -”, Blitz hears herself almost scream desperately, thinking: reset, reset, reset-


Kakashi plays the ever dutiful Hunter and does – the figure above her goes still, dark grey eyes almost instantly going unfocused and dark like some- like a machine, something distinctly inhuman, undragonlike. Blitz can’t help the spike of pain in her gut that has nothing to do with the blade still buried in her abdomen even as she raises her paw to sink the sedation needle into Kakashi’s bicep.

She feels dirty, she wants to cut her tongue off, Eleven, she can’t-
Oh, Guy was going to be so disappointed, Blitz thought as the barely there red around Kakashi's thin pupils expanded to overtake the irises.

Blitz opens her mouth, shoving the bile back down into her throat, and mutters, “He’ll be out soon.”

Kakashi falls onto her, out cold, not even a second later, sedative or order, Blitz doesn't know, oh Eleven she doesn't know and she feels the other Guildmembers who’ve been lining the clearing for the past forty seconds startle forward. Blutz barely manages to sign "Hold" before they appear in the trainee’s vision, but they see and do as one of their most renowned allies says even as their magic copies the bright all-clear signal she broadcasts.

The hatchies look at her with something close to wonder in their eyes. Gerdidon swallows thickly, wings still curled around her teammate. Her paws around his arm are shaking heavily.

“I-” she stammers, “I’m v-very thankful for your help.” Then she shrinks back in on herself, closes her shoulders off and hunches her form until she’s barely half the size she was before. The Nocturne unconsciously mirrors her from where they had gone to support the Wildclaw's other side.

Blitz sighs heavily at the sight. Any progress made in her confidence was shattered. Eleven, Kakashi was going to hate himself even more after this. (Blitz remembered how excited Guy had been at the Pawstain Càfe, gushing about how Kakashi had been approved for training a few months ago. The Fae had been working so hard to break the Ancient Hunt's...everything he'd been taught and the Guardian was just beaming with pride in his Charge.)

“I know,” she replies, and it should be harder to force a chuckle than it actually is. The sound sends a stinging pain through the tantou still buried in her side. Right. Moving on. “Kakashi-” oh, Blitz wasn't great at comforting hatchlings, but she was the only available option. “-takes pride in his pups, even if he doesn’t show it. I'm Blitz, fighter in the Guild. Nice to meet you trainees officially.”

Oh, both those little hatchies smiles, bright and unrestrained in their relief, only a moment before Blitz drops the "Hold" sign and the Guild are in the clearing, lifting Kakashi and then her, tantou and all, and flying swiftly to the medics with them in tow. Blitz doesn’t get to see the Skydancer or her teammates again before she’s passed out too, but she doesn’t mind. They’re bound to meet again, if her smile was any indication.