FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 8

"What's taking them so long?" Cynder whined impatiently, making another circle in the sand, by now the clumps of sand, looking like tiny floodbank, created by the famous engineer by the name of Boredclaw, completed the project looking like a smiling face

She was quite certain she would receive a standing ovation in every hatchery for this spectacular piece of art.

"You think they forgot?" even despite the pessimistic thoughts she smiled, mind unconsciously imagined many of her very young admirers cheering when the engineer began working on a horn

"It's Flare we're talking about" Spyro's voice sounded like a prolonged yawn

He was stretching himself. Upper body with both front legs was leaning forward as far as it would go, belly grazing the ground. The lower part however went in opposite direction, kicking his butt so high in the air that many horny males would most likely take that for an invitation to some tentative mating session.

He started to shake as if he was freezing and then pulled himself up.

"And Volteer" this time his rump went down "Both live according to their own clocks" his voice wavered when more quivers ran through his stretched muscles

"Imagine tuning both to the same ticking. Volteer tries, it's pretty funny actually"

"What do you mean?"

He smiled, pulling himself up once more.

"You'll see"

Boredclaw finished his project, received the ovation he deserved and retired early. The smiling face with a pair of horns, that also could be ears, or snail antennae, or whatever other tentacle, was finished. There was a slim chance that another artist would raise to repeat such a feat in the close future.

Cynder lost attention in the drawings, for her it was just another undeveloped mundane skill that she has plenty in her repertoire. She looked around the place they were in, finding something peculiar about the emptiness and feeling of being completely small.

The training grounds were like a big stadium, surrounded by a stony dais, with sandy beach in the middle that both of them currently occupied. For those spectators sitting on the podium, no matter how high, they must seem like fighting, scaly chickens.

The construction was impressive, stadium under the City Hall, magically illuminated by big braziers hanging on the many pipes running all around the place. Purpose of which she didn't understood and doubted she ever will. All she knew was that water could go in and bad smells could go out.

It wasn't a bad feeling to look from below at the empty dais, that she imagined to be filled with screaming people. The illusion both scared and excited her, making her want to prove herself that many of those shouting people are wrong, or right, depends if they were scolding or cheering.

She felt like an athlete and actor in one, coming to a conclusion that no matter who you are or what you do you always stand on a sandy beach with dais full of spectators watching you. Doesn't matter how talented you are, there are always those that watch you, many would rather see you fall.

Because the dais gives power, empowered by jaundice. Here you perform, showing strength and grace in one, both needed to pull yourself up when you trip, both needed to show your spectators that you can keep the spectacle going.

"Do you ever wonder sometimes if we will really find true peace one day?"

Spyro froze in his stretched position, he was on his claw tips, slowly flapping wings pushing him up, wings that now stopped moving, making him drop on the sandy ground.

"What brought this up?"

She looked at him, throwing her head back to its natural position after a journey around the training grounds. She smiled.

"Stupid, bored thoughts"

"I...umm...never thought about it. I guess I'm happy with the way it is now, that way I'm sure you will always be here. Changes, even those nice ones are still changes, I had enough of wondering what lies behind the unknown"

"Ohhh" her heart warmed up "That's really sweet"

He smiled, seeing her beaming when she hears a comforting response makes him always proud and most likely fall in love with her even stronger.

"What about you? You want something else?"

Cynder giggled "Spyro, I already had something else, as exciting as it was to be a murderer of thousands I'm not really keen on going back that road again"

She looked at him and her green eyes sparkled with such a bright glow that Spyro was sure she was a basilisk in disguise that just turned him to stone.

Nothing like that happened, yet he felt rooted to the ground.

"I want our lives to continue far away from a stadium. I don't expect happy ever after. I simply want our lives to carry on. They continued to live their lives, far away from prying eyes. This is how I want our story to end"

"I will try to make your dreams come true"

She was stunned by his response, there was nothing surprising about it, she expected him to support her. It was the honesty that surprised her, it wasn't just a comforting, nice response.

It was a promise.

As much as she was glad for it, she felt extremely awkward and guilty, making her partner swear something like that, a highly impossible commitment to fulfill, was a punch below every belt.

She snickered uncomfortably and her giggle sounded like a calling of a frog. She waved her paw dismissively.

"Enough of this philosophical crap, get back to your workout. I want to see your muscles"

To prove she was serious she clapped on her butt, throwing tongues of sand in the air, aiming her drilling eyes on him.

"Umm" he blushed slightly "Okay"

He returned to his previous position, his wings allowed him to stretch every muscle in his legs and partially also in his shoulders. He could feel them bulging against the surface of his scales. He felt no pleasure nor pain from the stretch, all he could feel was the discomfort caused not by physical nudge, but a mental one, an odd burning in his head.

His head slightly turned, eyes directed themselves at his female companion, companion whose eyes were examining him with what seemed like a lustful glimmer from up and down, trailing the line of muscles he could feel stretching his scales.

The special attention she was giving him didn't make him feel good, proud or confident, he didn't want to show off in front of her. In fact it was quite the contrary, her attention made him shy and embarrassed, as if that wasn't enough, his cheeks heated like ovens.

He tried to ignore the uncomfortable feeling and focus on his work. He turned his head, glad that he is no longer looking in her direction.

He dropped on the ground, using the momentum he pushed himself on his hind legs, spreading his wings for balance and extended his front paws upwards. A tingling sensation ran along his whole spine, towards the tail, that bounced slightly as if it would be electrocuted.

"Mmmm"

His eyes widened at the sound of the dreamy mutter, head instinctively turned in that direction.

She winked at him.

His cheeks flared up like ignited wood even before the swift shift of his gaze. Nothing remained of the tingling sensation of the stretch, all focus was drawn out by embarrassment.

He dropped on all fours, put his paws in a crosswise fashion and started to slide, paws moving away from him steadily.

He felt absolutely nothing, he couldn't actually reach the position that would count as stretching, something was blocking him and it had nothing to do with limits of body.

He could feel her drilling gaze on him, it wrapped invisible ropes around his legs that seemed to lock his paws. An unbearable weight was put on his shoulders, labeled anxiety, it was so heavy that he felt like he was being crushed.

Despite his better judgment he shifted his attention back at his companion, not that he wanted to do that, he simply couldn't help himself.

She was still eyeing him, this time not focused on his snout, she looked like she was completely enthralled by his body. When he noticed her tongue cravingly licking her lips, he was certain from exactly which school that particular charm came from.

He had enough of it.

"Cynder" he said far more sternly than he intended, body returned to its natural position

Her tongue hid back inside his mouth, she looked at him indifferently, his call seemed to have no effect on her.

"Could you please stop staring at me like that? It makes me really uncomfortable"

She said nothing, she only looked at him, lips tightened together, mouth resembling a vertical , healed scar as a consequence of a sword's scar.

And then she surprisingly burst out with laughter.

Spyro's head jerked back, just like the breath shooting from her mouth would be an invisible, clenched fist that struck him right in the nose.

"I'm sorry, I was in a mood for a tease so when I noticed how clumsy and nervous you became when under my attention I couldn't control myself and simply continued to act"

"So all of this was a joke?" he asked, sounding disappointed all things considered

Cynder laughed again.

"What? You miss it now?"

Spyro looked away, blushing.

"O-Of course not"

His cute flush didn't escape her attention, it was just too pretty to let it go without goodbye. She leaned forward, eyes narrowed sensually, smile following suit.

"Besides" she whispered, voice low, enchanting and promising, alluring enough to make every male's heart skip a beat

His heart, even if considered special by many, was no different. In fact it seemed like it didn't skip a beat, but forgot about its role for two good seconds.

"I don't have to use my charms on a guy that I'm taking to my bed tonight"

He lost his breath, if not for his burning cheeks he would say he died there on the spot, everything else was simply too numb to be alive.

She stopped, watching him, mouth and eyes slowly widening in amusement until she couldn't take the pressure anymore and exploded with laughter.

"So easy!"

Spyro frowned, every part of his body woke up and with them embarrassment and irritation.

"You're mean"

"I'm a black dragon silly. Being mean is in my nature"

She approached him with dancing steps, winked at him and smacked his rump playfully.

He gasped and his whole body jerked forward as if he was an undecided sprinter that wanted to start the race a second too soon before the signal came.

Cynder giggled.

"Enough fooling around, prepare as best as you can for one of your worst ideas"

"Worst?" he renewed his stretching, she politely wasn't paying him any attention "Not so long you supported it"

"That was then, now, when we sit here in the arena and the idea of you practicing with Flare is so close to come true I'm starting to have my doubts"

"This is the only way we can learn something about him, last time it didn't work well, I know. Today you are here and Volteer knows what to expect, it'll be fine"

"Still, I'm not really fond of the perspective of two of my favorite boys fighting with each other"

"Training Cynder" he stopped his exercises, looking at his companion curiously "Why you are so worried all of a sudden?"

She scratched her choker thoughtfully, remaining silent for a while.

"I don't know, I just feel like a tomb raider, digging where it isn't safe. Treasures might be there, perhaps even are, but some should remain buried forever"

"It's about what Flare said isn't it?"

"He said I won't like him anymore and the way he talked about killing..." she snorted, throwing her paw back at the sand "Forget it, there is only one way to find out. Whether it will be good news or bad it doesn't matter, the important thing is that unknown will no longer exist"

"Don't worry Cynder, if there will be obstacles we'll make through them, like we always did" he smiled "We're like the most badass team ever"

She turned around sharply, pointing a claw at him with an offended expression on her snout.

"Hey there mister! Whose ass you're calling bad?!"

There was a pause as Spyro stared at her, stunned. The cogs in his head needed only a second to connect everything. He laughed, laughter drawing a chuckle from the feminine throat.

"That was horrible"

Cynder shrugged innocently.

"It worked"

Their humor vanished like a bursting bubble when the door on the lower level opened, not those that led to the City Hall, but outside into the courtyard, into the city. It was the smell that surprised them, not the scent of bustling city, but the pleasant smell of some kind of flowers combined with the peculiar fragrance of medicine and stench of blood.

It was like smelling an air freshener in a room full of vomit.

Volteer stepped into the arena, strangely silent and somewhat awkward. Guilt was pulsing from him in waves like ripples along the surface of a puddle when earth trembles under the heavy steps of a golem.

"Whaaaa-"

Cynder mumbled when soon after the Electric Guardian Flare entered the arena, or limped into it more precisely.

His left foreleg was bandaged from the toes almost to the elbow, dried blood soaked the material. Right cheek was completely torn and open to the outside world, the cuts were so deep that you could almost see the skeletal silhouette of his jaw. The wound was healing, fresh strands of flesh started to mend the broken tissue, looking like neuron connections in the brain.

It was like he put the right side of his snout through a shredder.

He was also slightly limping on his right back paw, in fact he wasn't pushing that leg of the ground at all, merely sliding it across the surface of the earth. Three holes could be seen there, basically healed by now, looking like old burn marks. A thigh is an unfortunate place to receive an injury, discomfort was the only thing that kept the leg stuck to the ground judging from the regeneration process.

From this position it was hard to tell, but they were quite certain that they could also see cuts on his chest. The wound that really stood out together with his cheek, was his left shoulder. It looked like a gnawed crescent of a watermelon. Red flesh serving as the fruit and shattered splinters of bone as seeds.

Surprisingly Flare didn't seem to feel the pain, his head was hanging low, he was dragging his wings and tail across the floor, he looked like he was in an advanced stage of depression mixed with a serious cause of flu.

"Flare!" Cynder exclaimed worriedly and immediately darted in the direction of the two dragons, kicking sand in the air "What the hell happened?!"

Both dragons stopped, looking at each other awkwardly.

"Answer me!" she shouted when she stopped in front of them

Both dragons looked away, examining the surroundings or the sandy floor.

"Volteer! Flare!" she cried out furiously, making both draconic figures wince

"I-I-I fell f-f-f-from the s-s-s-s-stairs" the fire drake stammered

"Like hell you did!" she roared wrathfully, her blare making Flare cringe even further, he twisted his body as if he would want to kiss his own ribs

"Volteer?" Spyro interjected, soothing the tension with calm voice "Why isn't Flare in the hospital?"

"He...was" the Electric Guardian responded, sounding like jammed record, a manner of speech he typically used around Flare

Cynder didn't seem to notice it, she was glaring at the fire drake, panting, mists of her breath wafted from her nose. She looked like an angry bull.

"Flare...refused...treatment"

"What?!" Cynder snarled

"Why?" Spyro inquired, making his way towards the fire drake "Why did you do that Flare? They have some cool magic crystals there, their healing power would make you brand as new! It doesn't hurt a bit!"

"I-I-I-I-I-I-"

"Speak Flare!" she shouted again

The fire drake covered himself with his wings, the fiery light he emitted dimmed visibly. He resembled a nearly burnt out coal.

"Yelling won't....help Cynder. You are...putting only...more...stress on...our...friend"

Her eyes widened, every muscled previously flexed in anger, relaxed.

"I'm sorry" she said softly and retreated behind Spyro, who rubbed her shoulder comfortingly as she walked past him. She felt stupid and furious, respect however for the bond of friendship shackled her from giving or trying to make amends for either of those feelings.

She was quite certain that at least one of her personal spectators cheered in condemning victory.

"Why you didn't accept the help?" Spyro repeated his serene question

Flare was silent, in fact it seemed like he had no intention of answering that question, or any of that matter. The only thing holding the two, maybe three, dragons from nudging further was the delicate noise of claws sliding back and forth across the sand.

All of them felt like it was some kind of tuning process, a way to fight of the nerves and if the steadily increasing in severity light surrounding their fiery friend was any clue, their instincts were unerring.

"I-it's b-better this w-w-way" he stammered, tongue and vocal cords under reasonable control

"Oh, Flare" Cynder whined softly, her voice vibrated with pain and pity "How is this better? You don't even have bandages"

"He...had...bandages" Volteer stated slowly "Flare...cast...them...out"

The fire drake nodded "T-they would b-burn anyway. I o-only left t-the one on m-my leg. I don't w-want to s-scare p-people"

Spyro's eyes widened "Don't tell me you plan to train in your condition"

"No!" Cynder sprang forward, stern shout seemed to intimidate even the grains of sand as they scattered under her steps in every direction

"You will do no such thing!"

"It's ok Cynder" Flare mumbled, with his sad and soft voice he sounded like a prisoner on whom a death sentence is about to be executed

"No! Nothing is ok, from your voice I can tell you are weak. No matter what tough guy you play I can see in what condition you are"

"It's safer this way"

"For who Flare? Because surely not for you!"

"Cynder" Spyro approached his friend, gently squeezing her paw, precisely feeling every flexed muscle "That's Flare's decision"

She turned her offended and shocked gaze at him.

"You can't seriously consider this" she threw her paw up, pointing at the drake in question "Look at him! He looks like he crawled out of a grave!"

"I'm sure Flare knows what he is doing"

"Knows what he is doing?!" she repeated her friend's words with a poor mix of amusement and anger "We're talking about Flare here!"

Spyro went silent, there was no way to counter this rather blunt argument. He perfectly understood that this was a finishing blow. All of them understood the meaning behind it.

All except the dragon that stirred this conversation in the first place.

"You are the most sensible Volteer" she pleadingly turned her attention at the Electric Guardian "Explain just how terrible is this idea"

Volteer licked his lips, sad and guilty eyes landed on the fire drake, just to shift at the black dragoness moments later.

"If my...presumptions are...correct then...unfortunately...Flare's...condition is...a gift. As...cruel as it...sounds"

"But...but...guys" she mumbled resigned, knowing perfectly that Volteer is the figure of authority here, wisest of them all.

"He's in pain"

"I'm not in pain Cynder" Flare comforted her, the smile however that stretched his mouth, accurately shown, that this is not exactly true

"This is nothing, I've been through worse. You don't need to worry about me"

He lowered his head to the bent in the air, bandaged leg.

"I need to do this. I need to see if I have a chance"

"A chance?" Spyro asked surprised "A chance for what?"

"To weak the cage"

Flare nibbled at the material and pulled.

All three of them winced when the sound similar to the noise of peeled paper from glued surface filled the air. In this particular case, the paper was the bandage and the glue dried blood.

First strand fell off, fresh blood pushed from the openings, sputtering like lava.

"Why won't you keep the bandage on?" Spyro asked, he was used to seeing blood and yet this particular scene filled his voice with abhorrence, making him even look elsewhere

Flare licked his lips, tongue dragging droplets of his crimson blood behind.

"Melted stuff heals harder" and with that he peeled off another strand

Everyone turned their heads with groans of disgust, yet not before they noticed a reddish, pulsing bulge in the shape of a female breast spitting blood like a tightly clinched nipple spits milk under the pressure of a baby's teeth.

They heard him spitting several times before hearing another, possibly the last one, prolonged tearing sound.

When the pause was longer than usual all three dragons came to a silent agreement that it's finally over.

Cynder gasped faintly when she looked at his leg, a jolt of unexpected, long forgotten pain shot across her right foreleg. Leg which she impulsively pulled in the air, bending it as if it would be wounded.

Flare's mangled leg remained her of her own injury she suffered in Boven. His paw was in better shape, bone was still hidden behind tissue, holes were big, but it was obvious that the jaw that clamped on his leg didn't have the power of an adult dragon.

In her case the ice dragoness...

Ice dragoness.

Something snapped within her like a twig, it was her veins cracking under the pressure of the suddenly increased blood flow. Splotches of red splashed against the inner side of her body, hissing when it made contact with tissue. Branding her with only one word.

Fury.

The hissing mist was being sucked by her throat, larynx contracting in quick, sharp spasms like a vagina during orgasm. All that hissing got piled in her throat and started to boil when mind made the obvious connections. Ready to burst the moment she opens her mouth.

Ice dragoness, blood, wounds that really look like they were made by claws and teeth, the usually pleasant, but currently putrid, faint stench of flowers she recognized so well now, but ignored earlier.

Iris.

Her claws dug into the sand.

"That...BITCH!" Cynder roared furiously, her blare shaking the sand. All that boiling energy wafted from her throat in the form of a poisonous mist

Every dragon jumped back in horror, huge and startled eyes aimed at the shouting dragoness.

"I swear when I get my claws on her I'm going to tear her a new one!"

"Cynder"

"To think I wanted to apologize to that tramp!" she cut Spyro off "I will make her eat that damn trinket!"

"Anger isn't the...best...advisor my...young...friend" Volteer spoke, his voice informative and kind. He talked as if he would be going through a bitter phase of suffering, yet body didn't show any signs of pain

It was possibly due to the fact that she respected Volteer greatly that she stopped her outburst, paw rubbing the neck as if wanting to massage the fury boiling within.

"Who are you talking about?" Flare asked with honest obliviousness

The two males looked at the fire drake, their expression frozen in a struggle to hold up the building tension of amusement, waiting for a signal that would allow them to let go.

Cynder chuckled.

It was all they needed to join her.

"I'm talking about Iris Flare"

He jerked back, his fiery body parts spitting confused sparks of irritation and shock.

"Why do you call her such bad names?" he asked, hurt

The pain in his voice stuck needles of guilt in her heart. All this relationship stuff is fairly new to her also, to call herself an expert in this field would be like calling Volteer illiterate. She felt sorry for him, especially now, remembering her own pathetic, romantic struggle just made her realize how pitiful in her pursuit she was.

And how strong she was.

She didn't have to imagine her own reaction, she could see the nearly perfect example in front of her, even if strongly covered in a mild sauce. If she would be in his place and hear someone insulting Spyro, she would make them eat their own teeth.

All Flare did was to unintentionally and rightfully, considering her origins, question her selfish right to judge someone.

Love is blind.

"Wasn't it Iris that attacked you?" Cynder finally countered his question

Flare looked down, rubbing his leg anxiously.

"No"

"Flare, don't lie to me. I can smell her on you"

"It wasn't her fault"

She nodded at his ruined leg somberly. It was amazing how simple self-loathing widens perspective.

"You don't smash someone's leg with your teeth by accident"

"It couldn't have been Iris" he whined

"It was her. Your injury is the last resort of your instinct to sustain your breathing. I was hurt in the same way not so long ago myself. I sacrificed my paw to save my life, the teeth that were heading for my throat wanted only to rip it apart, nothing more, nothing less. Iris wanted to kill you Flare"

His head dropped down, he looked like he expected to hear some bad news, but still is depressed when they were actually said.

Seeing him so heartsick was painful, she could only imagine what someone like him can feel. Being cast into a new realm, without even the basic knowledge of the world. Big hopes and naïve ideas as his only luggage, only to be shattered by reality and cruelty of the most despicable of dragons.

Cynder somehow contained the newly boiling bile of fury. With a hard swallow she craned her neck forward, putting a comforting paw on Flare's shoulder.

He was very warm.

"Don't feel betrayed Flare, Iris was never your friend. She toyed with you" she whispered, surrounding the harsh truth with layers of softness

"Your true friends are in this very room"

"B-but-"

"Iris is dangerous and as I said already, for your own safety and those close to you, stay away from her. You really don't need more pain in your life"

There was pause filled with silence as every dragon observed the conflicted fire drake. The struggle was clearly visible on his tightly furrowed brows, eyes drilling into the poor excuse that was once his paw.

"She needs help" Flare whispered, they had to lean very close to be able to hear him

"Or does she not?"

All three curious heads stopped and looked at each other, coming to a mutual conclusion that the words that Flare was speaking were the loud reflection of his thoughts.

"What about the cage? I've seen it, but was it really there?"

All three felt like intruders sneaking through corridors with rattling doors surrounding them. Creatures with perked, sensitive ears waited behind, ready to bash the door the moment they would hear a sudden, louder tone of their steps.

The thoughtful wrinkles dotting his expression deepened, he clenched his wounded paw, sloshing sound of flexed, blood covered and exposed tissue filled the air. Crimson liquid gushed from the tightened injuries like ketchup from a pressed sandwich.

Flare didn't even wince, as if the move caused him no pain, in fact he seemed to sense the thick atmosphere of doubt hanging in the air and decided to clear the awkward tension. He put the mangled leg firmly on the sand as if it would be a typical, healthy paw.

Once again he showed no painful reaction, he didn't even hiss.

"I need to check for myself. Let's train" he walked to the middle of the arena, limping, no matter how stubborn one can be, fighting with natural reactions of body is a difficult, for some even impossible, battle

He limped, yet as previously showing no signs of discomfort or ache, he walked as if limping would be the way he learned walking when he was still a little hatchling. He behaved as limping would be the most natural thing in the world.

He had his head risen high, all three dragons recoiled back with trepidation at the sight of his snout.

Before them walked Flare, yet his snout showed no signs of the usual naivety, ineptness and the rather sweet goofy twirl of the eye of an overexcited child. What they saw before them was the snout of a plunged into a well of thoughts professor, determined snout of a passionate and insane artist. An artist who for his desperate search for inspiration finally found traces leading to a treasure that would satisfy the hunger of creativity. It was the snout of an obsessed author, verging at the brink of psychopathic tendencies, with sole intention to create his magnum opus.

Black and yellow head turned towards the purple one, Spyro's eyes met the worried orbs of his companions. They didn't need words to understand the seriousness of the situation, with a deep breath Spyro walked into the ring.

"You remember the rules Flare?" he asked, sliding his purple paw across the sand, instinctively getting acquainted with the terrain that will become his battlefield

"They don't matter. I will forget about them anyway"

"What?!" Cynder snapped angrily "Stop talking like that Flare!"

Spyro however didn't give in to surprise, withstanding the stare of his soon to be training partner. The reptilian, yellow eyes didn't falter either, what they seemed to typically do. He felt like he was looking into the eyes of a psychopath that just slaughtered his conscience and accepted his fate of a monster, ready to stomp the life out of a child that for him was valuable as the existence of a bothersome bug.

He saw trouble, he was aware of its existence because it was his mentor that opened his eyes to his own faults.

"You shouldn't be hurt Spyro" Flare continued, callous eyes aimed at his soon to be opponent. His voice was dull and boring, as if it would forget what emotions are

"I'm weakened, it shouldn't end as last time. Just in case I somehow manage to kill you..."

"This is insane" Cynder growled in fear and frustration

"...I won't cry about it and...sorry Cynder"

"Spyro!" she snapped at her friend "Will you tell him something? Don't you hear what he is saying?"

His purple eyes remained locked at the fiery silhouette in front of him, intelligent gaze finding traces of his youth in the dragon ahead.

He smiled comfortingly.

"It's ok Cynder. This was my idea"

"Well, then this is a very sucky idea!" she stomped her paw, kicking sand in the air, turning her furious, pleading attention at the Electric Guardian

"Volteer, please, put some sense into those two"

His kind, purple eyes looked at her, his amethyst, pure and unblemished good gaze always made her legs weak. She always found Volteer's eyes cute, perhaps mainly because they reminded her of Spyro's orbs, there was however that one attractive trait that made the amber dragon special.

Impeccable aura of friendliness.

Looking into his eyes was looking like at a pristine stream, his purple gems were shimmering with good energy. She could see all those comforting feelings, with kindness and care among the many names, twirling inside. Ready to be bestowed upon everyone, no exceptions.

For a black dragoness like her, associated with death and evil, that is something of value greater than all piles of gems in the whole world.

If his look wasn't enough to make her quiver, his typical, pretty, disarming smile followed soon after that always forced her to look at her own paws with a shy giggle escaping her throat.

Exactly like now.

His smile was an embodiment of all that good energy radiating from his eyes. Something that was shrouded and promising now was revealed in loving, visible form. Making someone like her feel unworthy of attention of someone like him and also thrilled that he noticed her.

If there wouldn't be true, destined love and hundreds of years in between them, she was sure Volteer would be the one she would be crazy about.

"You are...right...to be...nervous. I...assure you...however that...today...nobody is...getting...hurt" he craned his neck slightly forward, closer to the young dragoness

"I...had many...ideas..." his voice was now quieter, only for Cynder to hear "...after Spyro's...last...encounter with Flare. Spyro...believed...that they....might be...precise ones. Trust me...I will...try to...help all...your friends"

Despite the pleasant intimidation she forced herself to rise her head.

"Volteer? Are you aware that you are talking funny?"

The Guardian chuckled.

"Since...when my...usual...speech is...considered...normal?"

"No!" she exclaimed, embarrassed, paw found its way to the choker, claws started scratching at the metallic band "That...you know what I mean"

The smile on his snout stretched apologetically, purple eyes sparkled pleasingly.

Her eyes widened, a slight blush crept on her nose when once again she was overwhelmed by the overpowering aura of pristine, good energy that seemed to peel off her black scales and form them into a more pleasant form.

When her feminine imagination sent images of a fantasy that will never happen once more through her brain, she pressed her paw to her mouth with an audible slap and turned her head away. Muffling an excited and bashful squeak.

"This is...necessary...solution for...complete...understanding. My...counsel may be...required"

"That's...that's very nice of you" she said, honestly and yet when she looked back up she felt that sting of irritation when realizing that Volteer had changed

Nobody should be forced to do that.

"But...I think you shouldn't do that. I miss your excitement, if people don't understand you that's their problem. I like you the way you always are"

"Thank you Cynder" and to show how much her words meant to him he spoke the last sentence, that can be hardly wrapped in scientific terms, in his typical brain sizzling manner.

He finished talking even before the final tone articulating the last letter was forgotten by her vocal cords.

Her tail wagged happily when he smiled at her, a smile she returned in her own shy way. Sliding a claw under her choker in the meantime to jerk it away from her throat. It felt somewhat tightly wrapped around the neck all of a sudden.

"Do we start?" Flare asked impatiently

"Volteer?" Spyro called the Guardian, instinctively having his eyes locked on the burning dragon.

Safety first.

The amber dragon turned towards the two soon to be fighters. Cynder followed his gaze and all wild fantasies were forgotten, faded into nothingness where they belonged.

"Today...we are...going to...train...differently" Volteer stated, voice kind and calm as always, minus the obvious prolonged speech

There was also something else that only Cynder felt, due to her position right next to the dragon. It was the tingling sensation of building up elemental energy. Even if supposedly calm, Volteer was preparing a head start in case he would have to intervene.

Impulsively and with great disgust for herself the dragoness started to do the same.

"Spyro will...only...defend himself. I...need you Flare to...attack Spyro...using...only...elemental...magic. Something...basic...not...tiring"

"Like what?" Flare inquired "Normal fire breath?"

"Something...more...unusual than...that. An...ability that is...easy for you...something that...Spyro might be...unfamiliar...with"

"That sounds pretty boring. How will that help me?"

Volteer smiled kindly.

"Trust me...you...won't be...disappointed"

Flare sighed in resignation.

"Alright" his mouth twisted to the side, lips pouted and cheeks puckered, mouth looking like a meaty nozzle, wrinkles of deep thought appeared on his forehead

"You know how to make a whip?" yellow eyes shifted at the purple drake

"Not really"

"Seriously?" Flare asked shocked, however no friendly surprise was heard in his tone, but a rather obvious scoff and abhorrence

Whether Flare was aware of his change of tone or not, he didn't hide it at all. Everyone in the training grounds noticed the change in the voice. All of them didn't like it.

Spyro was the only one that kept a straight snout, being already in a thriving battle stance he was simply too experienced to fall for insults. Intentional or otherwise.

"Yes, I really don't know how to make a whip"

Yellow eyes quickly shifted at Cynder and when they returned nothing remained of the earlier mockery. Reptilian eyes saw no one else, but a new friend in front of them.

"Then watch, it's easy"

Flare spat a small wave of flame, normal fire breath. It stretched for a while, like any magical flame would, but then, instead of disappearing, it stopped. A burning tongue of flame hovering in the sky.

The fire dragon reached forward and to everyone's surprise managed to grab hold of the tail of flame like it was a solid creation. To make matters even more disturbing, he grabbed the tongue of flame with his wounded paw. He didn't utter even the tiniest of sounds as the magical flame burned his leg and filled the openings in his paw with its fiery aura.

The flames seemed to become one with his paw, latching into the flesh through the openings as if he would wrap a real whip around his leg.

He moved his paw slowly to the side, the wave of fire shrunk, becoming thin as a nail. It went after the paw, the end that Flare was holding swelled and jerked to the side, soon to be followed by the rest of the tongue of fire. A trail of flame was left behind.

It really looked like a whip. They even could hear a soft sound of cracking flames when the burning lash reached its destination.

"It's not hot, for me at least" Flare explained "You can barely feel it truth be told, it almost feels like a thread. You just need to remember to keep it powered with elemental energy or it will puff. Anyway you simply hit someone with it"

He swung the fiery whip back, a trail of flame followed the lash like a shadow.

"I can warm it up, if there is no magic protection it will cut through metal or...or body if hot enough. It explodes after that, exactly in the same way when you hit something magical. Like a dragon for example"

Spyro didn't try to repeat the move, during his training sessions he learned that he fared better when he first got acquainted well with the melody before starting to sing.

"What now?" Flare asked, letting go off the fiery whip, forgetting already what where the instructions. They faded from his mind as quickly as the released lash faded from existence

"Attack Spyro...with the...ability you...showed us" Volteer explained slowly

"You mean like...whip him?"

"Yes"

Flare swallowed, his eyes flared up, sparks of fear and unexplainable excitement cracked inside.

"This will be strange. I never whipped a purple dragon before. It was the other way around"

Spyro prepared himself, already familiar with Flare's tactic of surprise attacks.

"This time you have a chance to see how it feels. Nobody is going to fight back"

Cynder opened her mouth, trying to voice a protest, she really didn't like the provocative way Spyro addressed Flare.

She was stopped by an amber paw gently pressing her parting mouth down.

Flare was obviously conflicted, there was Cynder here, his friend he really cared about and didn't want to hurt. Volteer who he respected and finally there was he himself, Spyro, that he so recently called a friend. All that friendship, this was what was holding him back from giving in to the temptation to take revenge.

Friendship however, no matter how powerful, was still undeveloped.

Trauma on the other paw had flourished a very long time ago.

Even before Flare came to a decision on how to proceed, Spyro already read the answer from his brightening eyes.

Spyro retreated slightly, being already certain of his opponents intentions even before the thought crossed Flare's mind.

The fire drake spat out a cone of fire which he momentarily grabbed and flung in the direction of his opponent. It was a slow move, a held back excitement, like when finally solving a puzzle that was hard to beat, but you know that you did it, even before the final piece falls in place.

The burning whip cracked a safe distance from Spyro.

"Sorry" Flare winced in shame, not even the tiniest note of apology was heard in his voice "I don't want to hurt you"

"It's ok" Spyro replied, sincerely doubting that there was any truth in the last sentence "Keep going"

The whip cut through the air again as Flare leapt forward. Spyro ducked under the cracking line with the dexterity of a veteran. The sparks the lash spat dropped on his head and back, stinging uncomfortably.

Flare made another swing, this time in a nearly vertical fashion. With a sidestep, jump and a roll Spyro forced the lash to miss its target.

It however hit something, namely the ground.

Remembering what Flare said, Spyro protected himself with his wing as he dodged the strike. The whip exploded as promised, bursting like a wave of fire from a tightly closed room at the first gust of wind wafting from the recently opened door.

It wasn't hot, his natural shield had no troubles withstanding its warm touch. Seems like the longer the magical fire is being kept burning the weaker its potential becomes.

Flare wasted no time, another whip appeared in his paw in a moment's notice and just as fast it swung in Spyro's direction.

The purple drake jumped back, avoiding the strike. The first one, since momentarily a second came, cutting through the air like thrown, spinning sword. Spyro dropped on the sand, literally, sprawling on the ground like a dead, handicapped spider.

The whip flew just above his head.

He pushed himself up swiftly, preparing to dodge another attack coming from the opposite side. The swing was followed by an angry snarl rumbling from Flare's throat. Spyro was ready, he jumped out of the way of the whip easily.

Or more likely he should be able to do that.

If not for the unexpected change.

The whip stretched itself suddenly.

The fiery, now quite hot, lash hit him in the shoulder. Exploding soon after.

Cynder gasped.

He grunted, throwing his head to the side to protect his eyes. The stench of burnt flesh filled his nose, the whip left a sharp, scorched dash on his shoulder. Some sparks cracked the softest scales on his right cheek.

"Yes!" Flare exclaimed triumphantly, he sounded like a boy that just received the gift of his dreams.

"Mind...the...power" Volteer reminded the fighters, doubting that the one he focused this words on listened to him

Tendrils of electrical energy, looking like small bolts of lightning gushed from his nose like some special snots as a consequence of even more special sneeze.

"You didn't say that you can extend the whip" Spyro pointed out calmly, massaging his burned shoulder with a wince

"I forgot" Flare charged, forming another whip on the way

Spyro wasn't certain, but he could swear that a smirk appeared and faded on Flare's mouth as a geyser of flames from a recently lit match.

Even if the fiery tongue of flames seemed like it melted into his wounded paw, becoming its extension, it didn't change the fact that the leg was wounded. Just like the rest of his body was.

It was obvious that the restraints of his good will were shattering. Each swing was more ferocious, more aggressive than the last. The only thing that kept holding the already poor and weakened pieces of restraint was Flare's condition.

The wounds slowed him down, whether he cared about it or not.

All three dragons that observed the fire drake were certain that he did not.

Spyro avoided the blow masterfully, as well as every other, now expected, sudden extensions. Flare continued his advance, trying to hit, but failing every time. During his defense Spyro spotted many openings in his opponent's posture, many that would let him turn the battle in his favor, or entirely end it.

It was clear that Flare was used to ending his skirmishes very quickly.

It became even more evident when the lash he was wielding shattered and with a frustrated growl another whip caught his wounded paw.

More attempts to injure Spyro followed and as every previous one they missed their target.

The air became hot and stifling. As time passed by, the grunts and growls coming from the red throat ceased to resemble noises of exertion, becoming more like the sounds of a gurgling monster that tears everything around it, just to get to its prey.

Cynder's eyes widened in terror, she looked from Volteer to Spyro and the other way around. They didn't pay her any attention, both were focused on Flare, showing no signs of surprise. Expecting something like this to happen.

There was a bright explosion of flames when Spyro absorbed an impact of a newly created whip on his wing. Serving as the natural defense mechanism of the draconic race, the wing is very resilient for any kind of damage, numbing even the sharpest of pain.

And this pain would be exceptionally nasty.

The heat was immense, he could feel its searing tendrils setting his scales nearly on fire, even if he was hidden behind his wing.

"YES! Take that!" Flare roared victoriously, bouncing joyfully. His voice was a combination of the usual, overexcited, childish self and a low, distant rumble, sounding like a rumbling noise of a horn blown from far away

Another whip was created, this time both, the tongue of flame as well as the fire dragon's body burst with bright, hot flames. The fiery surface on all the burning parts covering his body began to twirl and shift. As if they were stretching, wanting to pull themselves out of their coffins that was the young, red flesh.

As if they were alive.

"And that!" Flare blared, his loud exclamation nearly sounding entirely like the rumble, distant blow of a horn, his normal manner of speech merely a whizz of the wind

Cynder impulsively shifted closer to the big, amber body. The electric energy circling around the Guardian made her tail stand on end, horns felt like they wanted to jump out from her skull. She was safe and that was the most important thing her worried heart wanted right now.

"Do you hear that? What is going on?"

Volteer's purple eyes kept observing the fight ahead intently, however his kind heart couldn't remain deaf to the palpable plea. He nodded.

"Flare is...becoming...himself. He is Fire"

She didn't think about the meaning of his words, believing and knowing for certain that he was right.

Another fiery explosion. Sand was kicked in the air

Putting his wing above like an umbrella Spyro dashed forward, in the direction of his opponent. The move surprised Flare, he instinctively jumped out of the running purple dragon's way. As Spyro ran past his friend, he noticed that his eyes left a similar, yet much smaller, trail of burning heat just like the whip.

When he looked up, he realized that he didn't imagine it.

Flare's eyes were on fire.

The fire drake roared furiously, wings spat wrathful, searing flames. Quite considerable wave of fire breath shot from his mouth, so quickly and with such intensity that it managed to graze Spyro's scales.

The purple drake hissed when the hot flames touched his rump, the pain was sharp, leaving a burning stripe behind. It was like being scolded with a belt. It forced his butt to jerk forward, just like it would want to slide in between his back legs like a startled tail. Unable to do that due to skeletal reasons his rump went up, for a moment he ran only on his two front legs, the back ones were kicking in the air, raising with the intention to force him into an awkward pawstand..

It would be hilarious, Spyro even caught himself chuckling faintly, if not for the seriousness, deadly seriousness, of the situation.

His running rump dropped on the ground after a second or two, fiercely kicking legs lifted billows of sand into the air. When they touched the ground, he shot forward, like the famous ostrich from the popular cartoon, leaving the risen puffs of sand hanging in the air for a while.

In this particular cartoon however the ostrich didn't manage to escape unscathed.

No matter how funny and silly Spyro looked in that moment, the grazing blow slowed him down. Slowed him down enough for the fiery whip to slap him across his left hind leg.

There was an loud, fiery explosion that deafened Cynder's shout of terror and Spyro's scream of agony.

Flare didn't lie when he said that the whip had the power to slice through body. Spyro felt like his left hind paw was roughly severed from the rest of his body.

In truth however the whip cut through the scales like a knife through butter and exploded only when it touched the bone. The whole structure of the bone his paw was made of rattled like cement slabs under the pounding of a jackhammer.

The pain was excruciating and indescribable, probably could be compared to the ache when someone tries to pull his own teeth with tongs, moving them from their natural position. However in this particular moment the pain was intensified tenfold. The teeth were bones, the gums were joints, forcing them to move out of the position, position that keeps the whole skeleton intact, pushed the mind into a state of paranoia. Its wild screams resounded with agonizing vibrations throughout every nerve.

It hurt, just like the sensation of his body boiling from the inside. When the whip exploded, parts of its flying tendrils of fire got literally behind Spyro's scales. Blood began to gurgle like heated water, veins popped and flesh started to sizzle like acid.

The stench was unbearable.

Ironically Spyro found relief when he dropped on the ground, the momentum he gained sent him sliding across the rough sand. Scratching his body and filling his screaming mouth with dry powder.

For a moment he was silenced.

In that moment he heard his elemental energy, it was singing words of a song, melody of which he just recently learned.

Spyro rolled on his back, still screaming through his sand filled mouth. Streams of which were flowing down his chin when his voice broke through the barricade of sand, like hands of a restless corpse claw through earth.

The whip whisked through the air, heading straight at him.

Spyro grabbed the end of the fire lash in his paw.

His eyes widened when suddenly an unexplainable wave of relief washed over him. The ability wasn't only focused on bending fire to your will, but also forming a some sort of a shield against fire. Ignitus could do the same.

This is why Flare doesn't feel the heat, it was so natural to him that he simply wasn't aware of that. Spyro however wasn't, the burning pain faded away, allowing him to reach the much needed clarity in this moment.

Clarity that told him that he is messing up the melody.

With all his strength in his slim, well-toned by muscles body that pop out only when put into work he jerked his paw fiercely to the side. Years of fighting taught his body the right combination of flexing and stretching of muscles to gain maximum strength.

Physical strength that was simply overpowering for frail built Flare.

The whip shot from the fire dragon's grip, dragging streams of blood and flesh behind when its magical talons were forcefully torn from their clenching point.

Spyro flung the whip awkwardly to the side, not because he was in a rush, but because he felt it starting to burn his paw.

The magical flame exploded in a show of million, fiery sparkles.

Flare roared furiously and attacked, this time with claws.

Spyro grabbed a pile of sand in his paws, the only defend tactic was thrown out of the window. He hurled the puff in the direction of the charging dragon.

No matter how furious one can be, how magically talented, a body is a body and it has its limits and reflexes.

The pile of sand hit Flare right in the snout, getting into his wildly opened eyes and mouth, burning and filling both to the brim. He skidded to awkward halt, roar turned into a ferocious coughing, stream after stream of sand shot from his mouth. In his more than unstable state Flare didn't think about his safety. He rose on his hind legs, using the healthy front paw to rub his stinging eyes.

Spyro rolled onto his belly and pushed himself up slightly, legs remaining bent, wounded leg above the ground. He spun around, straightening his tail, it cut through the two red paws, toppling the draconic owner of those legs.

Flare fell on his back, a muffled smack filled the room as he hit the sandy ground. Spyro didn't enjoy the view, he immediately pushed up and retreated a safe distance from the fire dragon. Limping all the way.

He looked meaningfully at the Electric Guardian.

Cynder noticed the look, it didn't make her any less calmer. She shook of the amber paw that was holding her with an irritated snarl.

"What is going on?"

Volteer's eyes remained locked on Spyro's, yet she could see sadness and pain in them.

Electrical energy became even more palpable.

"The...session is...over"

"Finally!" she exclaimed "Flare! It's over!"

Flare however didn't hear her, he was thrashing wildly and roaring rabidly as he pulled himself up.

"Shouting...is of....no...use. He won't...hear...you"

"Then I'm going to smack him! It worked before!" she moved forward but was stopped by a paw touching her back

"No...we...must...knock him...out"

With a ball of flames shooting from his body Flare got up. The heat radiating from his was nauseating.

"Volteer!" Spyro shouted, his yell interrupted by coughing as he spat out last bits of sand

The Electric Guardian breathed, an arc of jolting electricity was sent flying.

Spyro froze time.

He put the plan both him and Volteer came up with when he was in the hospital in motion. He ran around the fiery drake, seeing as his fiery aura cracks the even the air particles. He started to breathe an electrical bolt after an electrical bolt, intelligently calculating the distance from the fire dragon and Volteer's bolt, putting them in the same distance as the Guardian's attack.

Volteer was the one that came up with the math, adding the possibility that Flare's condition and previous encounter with electricity might make him more resilient to this particular element.

Resilient but not immune.

Spyro prepared several bolts, exactly the amount of energy Volteer calculated that will allow to make the dragon unconscious and not stop his heart entirely.

When he was done he limped towards Cynder, tilting her head ever so gently to the side and blocking the her view with his wing.

"Sorry Flare" he mumbled, voice wavered with guilt

And then he put time into its natural flow.

The rabid roar ended abruptly when all the bolts hit the burning figure in the same time. There was a loud crack of electricity and the arena was illuminated by a golden light as if a lightning storm would break out inside.

And then, after maybe five seconds it was all over.

The blare was gone, the heat was gone, the nearly blinding fiery light was gone.

All that remained was the stench of burnt flesh and small tendrils of black smoke rising lazily in the air like from a nearly extinguished fire. Exactly from the place where Flare once stood.

Spyro folded his wing and without a word started to limp in one rightful direction, Volteer walked together with him.

Only Cynder remained behind, staring at the scene, mind quickly making all the necessary connections.

"You didn't kill him did you?" she muttered and before any of them could answer she dashed forward, shoving her way through them

She gasped when she stopped in front of the red body, wavering paw pressed itself to her mouth.

"Poor Flare" she whizzed, tears started to cloud her eyes

Flare was lying on his side, eyes rolled back into his skull and tongue hanging out of his mouth. Paws lying on top of each other, wounds looking even more disgusting than earlier. They opened and widened, bleeding profusely again, either as a consequence of the training session or the electrical strike.

Several black dashes dotted the visible side of his body and paws, they smelled horribly and were emitting a, faint trail of black smoke. His burning body parts pulsed with weak fiery colors in the rhythm of a slowed heart.

He was breathing.

"Is he alive?" Spyro asked cautiously, every single letter wavered with the ringing of utter terror

Cynder didn't say a word, she only nodded quickly several times.

"Thank the Ancestors" both Spyro and Volteer let out prolonged sighs of relief

When they stopped near Cynder and looked at the spoils of their plan, their expressions of relief twisted to that of guilt and pain.

"Was that really necessary?" she mumbled devastated and reached forward, with the intention to close her friend's eyes and comfort him

Volteer stopped her paw.

She squeaked.

"I'm...afraid it...was. Don't...touch him...the...charge...is...still...potent. Dangerous"

"What is wrong with him?"

Spyro leaned closer towards his partner, offering as much support his closeness could give without betraying their relationship.

"Flare becomes consumed by his element, it takes control of him"

Cynder allowed the information to sink in, unfortunately understanding didn't come together with it.

"How is that even possible? Elemental energy is simply magic"

"Not...exactly" the Guardian corrected "In Flare's...case...it's...different. Something...like that...is simply...unthinkable and...impossible to...understand in...our...world. Flare...became one...with his...element...it uses...his body as a...shell...feeds on...his...feelings"

"It means what exactly? That Flare as we believed him to be doesn't exist? That the Flare we knew was only that thing that sits within him learning about the world?"

"No Cynder" Spyro squeezed his partner's paw, it was stiff like a board "Flare is alive, his element is just developed beyond our understanding. He doesn't know how to control it so it takes over. In his case however it happens on a very extreme level"

"On an...impossible...level" Volteer corrected "Dragons...are not...fit to...hold so...much magical...energy. Worst...cases of fire dragons are...driven...by their...impulses...can't...hold back...their...temper. They are...never...becoming...something...they...aren't. A...point of...absorption...beyond the...natural...limit means...death"

"If it's impossible then how come Flare does the things he does?" she shivered, she had enough to worry about for a lifetime

There was silence, she was certain that no answer will be coming, her friends don't know what is really going on themselves.

Volteer huffed suddenly.

"Because Flare...is not...a...dragon"

Both young dragons looked at the Guardian as if he would be insane. Seconds later their gazes fell on their unconscious friend just to return at the Guardian again.

Only Cynder's gaze remained unchanged.

The rodent nodded "Can't argue with that" he motioned with his head towards the oxen "At least one of us is having fun"

He followed the mole's direction and smiled when he spotted Flare walking next to the animals, clumsily mimicking their moves "Yeah"

"Forgive my inquisitiveness but what kind of creature is he exactly?"

He observed his new companion carefully "He is a dragon, there is no doubt about that, he just looks different"

"If he is a dragon then what has happened to him? I've never seen such a dragon before"

"You and me both, honestly I have no idea why he looks like that, I doubt he does either. Maybe he was born that way"

The mole raised an eyebrow "A half-breed? Is that even possible?"

He shrugged "I dunno, Volteer firstly thought that he has an avian lineage but this is a very unlikely scenario, his second guess was that Flare's appearance is a result of an evolution or something"

"A bird? He has lizard eyes if you ask me"

He frowned, the mole might be right, just like Volteer. Wherever the truth may lay one thing was certain, both their theories were just a tiny drop in a river full of possibilities.

"Your guess is as good as mine" he commented somewhat sadly, yet not without his natural curiosity hiding somewhere in his tone

"Whatever his heritage is, he still is an unique creature, one can only wonder why is he basically burning"

"He's a half-breed. This time there are no doubts about it" Spyro stated, pulling his consciousness from the walk across memory lane

"Yes" Volteer confirmed with a nod "Flare has...draconic...origins...however he also...carries...genes of a...creature...unknown to us. That...creature had to...possess...extensive...fire...aspects. Unusual...pairing...that I...believe...couldn't be...harmful. I...suspect it was Flare's...captors that...unlocked...more of his...potential than...a...creature of his...age can...cope with. Something...I...believe he or we...won't be...able to...ever...fix"

"So it means he will be like this forever?" Cynder mumbled, defeated

The Guardian nodded again, this was one of the most scariest images she ever saw.

"Unfortunately...yes. He...might...gain more...control with...our...help...but he...will...always...remain the...creature he...is...now"

Spyro's eyes trailed the red figure with a dose of fascination and overwhelming amount of pity.

"Which is what exactly?"

Volteer licked his lips, feeling warm sand underneath his paws, that could be ash of thousands of people that stood in Flare's way.

"A monster"