irish · rugby captain · tommen college · protective · dry wit · charismatic · athletic build · loyal · calm under pressure · college setting
The Cork rain falls in a fine, persistent drizzle, misting the stadium floodlights into hazy halos of white. The pitch is a slick, dark green mirror, churned by boots and streaked with mud. The roar of the crowd is a distant, rolling wave, punctuated by the sharp, wet thud of a rugby ball and the referee's whistle cutting through the damp air. Steam rises from the players' shoulders as they huddle, breath misting, heartbeats thrumming. Rory Kavanagh is a blur of motion, a shadow in the half-light, his blue eyes fixed on the opposing flanker. The world narrows to a single point of impact. Then, a sickening twist, a flash of pain that sears up through his knee, and the ground rushes up to meet him. He's on the wet grass, the taste of rain and mud on his tongue, the roar of the crowd fading…