<span style="font-style: italic">Crap, crap, crap, crap, CRAP!</span>Dendrik was not used to running. He was hardly even used to walking. But now, he was dashing through the city streets at a speed he didn't even know he was capable of. It was raining, however, and no matter gow good his diguise, his body absorbed the water like a dry sponge, fuelling his sprint. His mind was dead set on his goal. He vaguely remember waking up at dawn, then spending some time in the garden, rooted, enjoying the sunshine and the spray of the sprinkler. He had dozed off, and now the train was scheduled to leave in five minutes - and the station was still half a mile away. He regretted that he didn't have the time to say a proper goodbye to his foster mother, the physician that took him in when his mother passed away in childbirth. He also regretted not bringing a few of his favourite games - chess, settlers, hnefatafl - but it was too late now. He dodged pedestrians and cars, so much in a hurry he didn't even stop to curse the city's pollution, which was very rare.<br/><br/>In the end, he got to the mine shaft half a minute before scheduled departure. No light, no rain. Dendrik immediately felt weakened, but he pushed on. He didn't even look twice at the train station or the peculiar appearance of the other students as he dived into the train, crashing into the other side of the train car with a bang. He took a few moments to catch his breath while taking a look around.<br/>He was in the right train.<br/><br/>Then he began undressing.<br/><br/>His clothes, to the horror of a few fairie girls and the undying amusement of a fire sprite, came off in a flash. Underneath, a thin layer of leaves and moss was quickly covered by another substance - tree bark. This was a transformation he had done often, and it was very quick - in seconds, he was clad in what looked like a suit of medieval armour made from oaken bark, complete with shoulderpads and neckbrace, leaving only his eyes and his green-striped brown hair visible. It wasn't before he had packed his disguise that he looked around the train car to see what kind of people his fellow students were.<br/><br/>There were a lot of them. Dendrik relaxed his form, and found a seat near the back of the train. In front of him sat another student, a menacing-looking girl. She had a feral feel about her, though - wild, primal, which put Dendrik at ease. He sat in front of her, suspecting she was a were-somethingsomething. Speaking up with a voice that had a hint of a groan in it, like bending wood, he said:<span style="color: #408040">"Hello. I am Dendrik."</span>He offered a hand to shake.