The weight of the snow on the branch finally gave way, sending the lump plummeting into the field of white. It stood a winter valley sparse with pines and their broken limbs that succumbed to the icy wind blowing in from the south along a higher cliff of the same, swaying against its harsh touch. The clamor of heavy hooves driving fiercely into snow across the sea of chilled water drops was only eclipsed by the roar that soon filled the valley.
The horned steed galloped as fast as it could muster as if its rider sought to escape the touch of the Twisting Nether itself. His cowl had blown back, revealing the raven straights of his cut, and the three scars the covered over his eye. Harder he spurned his steed on as green-blue eyes watched ahead. The bow across his leather tunic made it harder to breathe; but he had more dire things to occupy his mind with than the next breath. The second roar, a closer roar, reminded him why he very much needed it.
He saw it coming up in the distance, the bridge, but the beat of wings came much faster. His heart jumped into his mouth and he forced himself to swallow it back down. Heavy, even breaths accompanied the drawing of his bow and the tight hold on bow and arrow. His eyes looked forward, trying to ignore the pain from the scars and the blood that was pouring from them. His breath grew calm, slowing down his world to moment intervals. A final breath and he closed his eyes. He knew the next few moments could be his last.
His eyes shut open and twisted about on the elven horse, firing two imbued arrows into the roof of the wyrm's mouth. The beast reared its head up and the hunter pulled his companion to cut off to the side as quickly as the horse was able. He ducked in low as the dragon nearly snapped him in half. His arrows bound in its mouth before finally igniting, forcing the dragon to groan in pain. It took to the skies as the elf readied the next arrow barrage. A quick glance ahead brought sight of the bridge into yards. He looked back at the soaring black dragon to find its maw glowing fiery red.
...
Her silver coated stallion came galloping out of the wood. She looked around confused for a moment before she saw it bearing down on Xephon. He was coming quickly, and the dragon's breath was only slowing down Melchiah's wild gallop only by a fraction. She spurred on Henrei, making quickly for the bridge. A juvenile smirk grew on her face as she drew her spellblade. As Melchiah galloped ever closer towards the underside of the bridge, she affixed the sword between her teeth and pulled her feet up to crouch on the Gilnean horse's back.
"RRRRRAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!!!" Her steed kept across the bridge as she leapt out at the black dragon, putting her spellblade into its tearing wing. Their flight over the bridge was fast and fleeting. Firmly, she held onto her blade as it sundered through the wing. The beast was thrown to the mercy of the wind, as was she. Skidded across the formerly untouched snow, she rolled, losing her headgear. The dragon slammed into the cliffside, causing a cascade of rock and ice to descend upon its black scales.
"Selestrina," Xephon clamored, sliding off Malchiah and looking to her condition. He moved, slowly and pained. She gripped the hilt of her sword and hefted at it; dug in deep into the snow. The growing growl drew their eyes back to the rubble as he found a furious fiery gaze upon them. Outwardly, the rocks exploded, showering them both with the stone shards. Quickly shielding themselves beneath Selestrina's arcane shield, they found the distraction gave the dragon all the time to draw in a deep breath.
"BY THE EARTHMOTHER!!!" The cry echoed from overhead, drawing the two's vision upward as the tauren brave came crashing down on the dragon, his tauren totem pinning the dragon's neck to the ground momentarily and averting the breath. But in the next moment, he was cast off, tumbling into the snowed earth as the beast recovered. Then Xephon and Selestrina came to be struck back upon after it reeled around, smacking them with its tail.
"YOU WILL NOT HAVE ME, LITTLE INSECTS," it snarled. "ALEXSTRAZA WILL NEVER EXTINGUISH THE FLIGHT OF OUR FATHER!!!"
Covering for his injury, Xephon took to flight as the dragon's flame came towards him. His dash made concentrating on the imbuing process nearly impossible. Jumping aside to avoid another tail swipe, he forsook the imbuing, choosing a different aim. The black wyrm cried out in pain as the arrow took from it its eye. Xephon took satisfaction in returning the favor that the dragon had nearly gifted him with. Though short lived as a claw swiped towards him, causing him to disengage further from its range.
Outwardly, its wings stretched, bloody, but still sustainable. It forced itself, painfully, off the ground, ready to take to the skies. Her hands outstretched to the heavens, Selestrina glared wrathfully at the monster as she threw her hands down towards the earth. A frigid, howling blast of wind slammed the beast into the ground once more. Its throes of pain had rung sweet in her ears as she drew on the culmination of magic. Frost in her left, flame from her right, pushed together into a chaotic torrent of growing energy.
The result dragged down another heavy portion of the Cliffside upon the smoldering. A cloud of smoke and ash blotted the beast from view as the other two stood looking at each other.
She sat up after enduring the recoil of the spell. She laughed, relaxing, "I told ya this would be an easy hunt. Five hundred gold easy."
"AARGH!!! I CURSE YOU!!! I CURSE YOU ALL!!!"
"Oh come on!" She pushed herself forward, back to her feet.
"Sareen," Xephon yelled, running to the beast's blindside. "Hold it for a minute."
The tauren smashed its totem into the dragon's neck, "Whatever you're doing, little one. Do it quickly!" He braced himself as the claw struck him at his shoulder, enduring the blow and trying to ignore the blood flowing down his arm.
Selestrina fired off quick spells to keep the dragon suppressed as she ran towards Xephon, "Come on, what's the hold up."
"Patience," he snapped quietly. He poured nearly all he had into the arrow, and the magic was quickly rebounding. "Go...," he barked in grimace.