FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 45

"Do it! Do it again!" the twin sisters made circles around Spyro, poking him with their ice infused tails, each chittering hiccup of a laugh sinking the blade a little deeper into his body

"I overstepped-" the drake hissed, his body jerking when a stinging stab touched his thigh "-it won't happen again"

"Attack us!" the girls roared merrily, though their voices were cheery, their snouts were contracted with obvious snarls of aggression "We are watching now!" tails sprang forward, stabbing the dragon again

Spyro grunted, his tunic covered, fluttering wings shifting the galaxies on the membranes, the spectacle of lights paired with the floating leaves all around after each unwanted twist made him look like a freshly hatched bird thrown from the nest in a star filled night, a bird that batted its wings chaotically only to keep itself aloft.

Defenseless and weak.

Survival based only on luck and surprise alone.

An accurate metaphor for his current situation, since the twins clearly weren't taking seriously the legends about the purple dragons spread here in Skyward. Like typical ice dragons they didn't like to get pushed around and believed that attack from earlier connected only because they were not expecting it.

Like typical ice dragons they believed that nothing can stand against them, especially not some kid that looks like a freak.

Being in the center of all this unjust hate and aggression felt...weird for the lack of any better word to explain it. The years he lived in the Dragon Realms catered to his ego, ego that he ignored, but couldn't deny its existence. In the Realms, while there were some souls that disliked him, like some cheetah leaders or Flare at the beginning, he was mostly adored. He was respected there, even among those that feared him and whether he liked it or not, he had to accept that this is how things are in the Realms.

What he never believed to happen was the idea of the memory calling back to him with a longing cry of a siren.

In this place he was nothing, even though he looked different than all the others, even though Ignus showed similar respect he got to feel in his own timeline, it didn't change the fact that for majority of Skyward he will be an interesting toy that people will get bored with quickly.

And the provocative pokes and stabs from the twins only confirmed him of this suspicion.

What surprised him the most was the fact that he didn't like to be treated this way, the idea scared and infuriated him in equal measure, to the point that he felt a stupid sense of betrayal.

Habits die hard they say.

For the first time in his life he could really put himself in Cynder's scales, after she was defeated the fear for her powers waned in the general mind of the population of the Realms. Majority of souls there treated her exactly the same way like the sisters treat him, spinning provocations and ridicule.

He however had to deal with only two souls like that, Cynder faced many, many more, and he truly had no idea how she managed to prevent herself from snapping. Deep down he already felt his boiling anger and while he knew what sense of duty meant, he was also certain that he wouldn't allow the twins to bully him forever.

And Cynder had to deal with it all of her life.

The thought alone made him respect her even more, to be able to withstand such aggression without giving to your own fury, which basically meant giving the people what they wanted, like he always did, required an unfathomably strong willpower.

A trait from now on he will start appreciating more.

"I don't want to get hurt" Spyro replied meekly, lowering his head basically in between his front paws, he looked as miserable as one can be

In the years that came he also picked up some tricks from Sparx, while he wasn't as good as his brother when it came to reading and acting around people, he was fluent enough in this department to be able to deal with some simple cases where not much charm and insight was required.

And the two girls were like an open book to him.

They wanted to feel mighty and powerful around him and this is exactly what he will give them, after all, meeting expectations was a long tailored habit of his.

Their bullying minds clearly enjoyed his submissive whisper, he could see their egos puffing out their chests.

The girls burst with laughter.

"I don't want to get hurt" they mimicked his words with a whining tone before bursting with another fit of laughter

"Scared!" the girl in front yelled

"Too late to be scared!" the one behind followed

"You're ours now!" the twins joined their voices, throwing the tails forward, their ice infused tips drawing freezing whips in the air

Whips that lashed directly at Spyro's snout, both slapping him, leaving two red cuts on the sides of his neck, slicing through the flowery scarf he was wearing as well, sending the petals flying.

"Such waste of good merchandise" Kindle huffed, rolling his eyes in irritation "The amount of disgrace I must go through is improbable. With this attitude we will remain as moths clinging to a flame for the rest of our lives"

"Good" Bolt hissed, pleased, sinking into the shadows of his hood

"Not all of us have the aspiration of a rat that's satisfied with finding another hole for itself" the red dragon gave his manicured claws a scrutinizing look, in truth however his eyes were aimed at the hooded dragon behind, a dragon they clearly considered as a comical addition to his race at best

"But the crumbs you followed as eagerly as us rats" Bolt grinned, his predatory fangs gleaming from underneath the shadows

"I had no other choice"

"Bullshit" the reptilian eyed dragon barked, immediately sliding towards Cynder who didn't even see his fast approach, having her attention focused on the twins and her mind filled with ideas of gutting them

Only when she felt a claw on her chin she realized that she no longer was alone, her body becoming stiff in a moment's notice.

"There is allure and suspense in the mysterious and dark" the dragon coiled his body around the dragoness, his eyes basically drooling over her

The unexpected attention made her feel sick, not only she didn't expect the dragon near her since he didn't seem to show any interest in her before, but now that he was here she couldn't ignore the sensation that the dragon had some abhorrent aura that instantly pushed her away from him.

His scales were rough, as a male his body didn't have the natural softness a female does, she had enough experience from feeling Spyro's body pressed against hers to be able to tell what is natural and what is not. And in this dragon's case, there was nothing present from the standard strong warmth a male's firm body provides.

Not only his touch was unnaturally cold, it was also sickeningly slick and rugged, like his scales would be dotted with calluses, with tiny holes that kept squeezing out unsettling puss.

It was obvious to her that the dragon crawled through more than one hole, with the disgusting effect his touch left on her body she could only wonder if those holes were that of sewer grates or someone's gut.

The most unrewarding of dilemmas if she had any.

"You never know what hides in the shadows my dear comrade" his claw trailed along Cynder's shoulder, grazing over the blackness of her scale "Until its too late" his claw reached the magenta shade, circling around as if it was a predator playing with its prey

And when Cynder was becoming nauseous from the touch, the claw jerked down sharply, digging into the crimson like scale. She gasped sharply, eyes widening and filling with tears, a cloud of black shadow puffed from her gaping mouth.

The pain that shot through her nerves was nothing like she ever felt before, it was like thousands of daggers would stab her at the same time, slicing through the arteries, with powerful slashes cutting off the connection to her limbs. She was paralyzed, she felt her body screaming in pain, her limbs unprepared for such a sudden loss of connection with the mind.

Bolt withdrew his claw, where only a droplet of blood flickered on the tip.

Cynder's body was shook by a spasm, her breath wavered as she inhaled deeply as if she would unearth her head from spending many choking hours below ground. Veins of blackness thickened all around her neck, a blood vessel popped in her left eye as she forcefully inhaled the breath of the second wind. Blood began to leak from the small hole like wine from a cracked casket.

Bolt's reptilian eyes squeezed, flashing demonically at the red dragon until they disappeared behind the shadows of the hood.

Kindle stared at the panting dragoness speechlessly.

"My dear host, you better cauterize that wound before your toy bleeds out" the dragon slinked away uncaringly

"How you dare breaking my property?!" Ignus stormed forward, pushing the dragon away before slamming his paw against Cynder's chest, he wasn't really sure if Bolt wasn't just showing off, in any other case he would ignore the threat but having Spyro throwing another fit that would ruin everything was not on his agenda right now

The flames reached for the scales hungrily, the smell of blood guiding them.

"Stop misbehaving Bolt this instant!" Marble growled, her mask turning vile black "We have rules"

"Rules are chains sister and I dislike being trapped" not even caring to grant his sibling a glance he immediately turned his attention to Iris, his dexterous body basically making him float right before her nose

His hooded head moved up and down, sparks of satisfaction glimmered from underneath the darkness of the hood when he finished his lustful examination.

"I know what buttons to press to make everyone scream" he purred, staring directly into the girl's masked face

Iris remained unhinged, his comment nor his intimidating look causing any reaction from her, her callous, diamond eyes pierced right through the shadows of the hood. Her body showing no sign of displeasure or worry, being as stiff and cold as her lifelessly bored stare.

Spyro snapped his eyes shut, taking deep breaths, reminding himself that Cynder will be alright, that she can take care of herself and that finally he has to stop worrying about her as if she was his own shadow, just like Sparx said.

Hearing the warning that she's going to bleed out, no matter if it was a lie or not, made it difficult though. His body was so tense that a mere flick of muscle would break the bones they were attached to. The boiling energy in his blood was powerful and it was that realization of the potential that actually forced him to relax, instead of becoming more angry.

Worry sunk in quickly.

Not for Cynder, not for this entire charade, it was a worry for something he couldn't describe.

Integrity.

The word was alien, he couldn't understand why he thought about it or what it truly meant, but the fear of giving in to his emotions seemed so much more terrifying all of a sudden. He instinctively gazed on his wings and tunic, the dots that Cynder took for stars were popping out of existence one by one, among them was a shifting constellation that really looked like one of his mate's markings.

She was with him even on the wings. A mark that would never go away.

And then it popped out of existence like the rest of the stars.

The sight of it made his heart flip.

Instinctively he saw images of the running Vaccarus, their eyes and fear as they looked at him. Words of the Moonborne chieftain echoed in his mind, telling him that the fight in this world is about keeping a purple dragon from being born.

Who wouldn't stop Malefor from being born if he knew what he was capable of?

It was not the first time he compared himself to the Dark Master, back then though he made nothing of it, just because they have the same colored scales it didn't mean they were meant to be the end of the world. Things have changed since then, Veils aside, he learned just a while ago that he has somehow the power of healing.

Or whatever that was.

A world defining magic that nobody ever believed to be true, a power that could rival Nature itself. Having the opportunity to mend the wounds of the ones you care about seemed harmless, but he was certain even right now that eventually that magic would spread wider, he wouldn't be able to decline assistance if it was asked from him. More and more souls would know of the power.

And you don't need explosions to destroy the world.

Healing what was meant to die would break Nature's balance, saying no to someone when he needed help would cause a revolt. In both cases the end was the same, the world they knew was no longer there.

The realization was dreadful, it didn't calm his nerves, but paralyzed them.

Old habits die hard.

He was always giving people what they wanted.

And if every fear comes true then at the end of this world nothing more awaits than Dark Master version number two.

Spyro swallowed hard.

All the aggression evaporated, his muscles and mind devoid of any determination.

All of the flashing, glowing dots lightened back up in a bat of an eyelid.

It was better not to react too quickly.

Something that couldn't be said about Marble for instance who immediately growled aggressively after her brother's show. There was murder in her eyes and she did nothing to hide it, a piece of honesty in this pit of deceit felt as unnatural as ghastly, dark spirits crossing the Dark Realms to the world of the living.

"This family has no standards" Kindle grumbled disgruntled, with a disgusted snort forcing his eyes away from the sight

"I recognize treasure when I see one" Bolt hissed quietly, his claws twitching restlessly, his reptilian eyes shone with a hungry light "And I will pry you open, my dear chest"

Iris lost the scarce interest she had in the dragon, she despised males, especially those clingy and supposedly clever and strong in their self-awareness, who believed that flexing and threats would make her legs wobble. Cocky fools falsely believing that yelling the loudest just how powerful you are would draw her attention, unable to understand in their stupidity that power doesn't come from muscles and magic alone, especially when those are the only two things you can flash around.

Stupidly believing that she is like any other female out there who will drool over scraps like those, idiots with their cocks instead of brains thinking that domination is the only way to get to her.

Worthless bugs.

Bugs so blind that they are not able to see that the only one who has any control of the other in their imagined relationship is she. That hooded vermin was hers the moment he looked her way and the cretin doesn't even realize it. Typical.

The most loudest of cock for brains doesn't see that he dances exactly as she wants him to and she didn't even have to use all the allure Nature granted her. Everything the males drool over is hidden under the filthy robes and yet the supposed magician with the precise touch fell for her covered shape.

He wanted Mother, she could see it in his sickening, hungry eyes.

And even if he doesn't realize it, which was obvious since it was his dick that did the thinking, he knows that she is of the same blood. The other thing the idiot didn't know is that she also realized it, a thing that wasn't difficult to do since he's transparent, like majority of males that she had the displeasure of sharing glances with.

He will follow her everywhere, like a loyal hound he will chase her tail until she or the ones he angers on the way will end his miserable, worthless life.

You are dead already rat, the only question remained now if you will even realize it when the moment comes.

The sight of that dick was making her sick.

"More wine masters?" Iris asked quietly, her voice as soft and tender as silk

Sparx shivered unconsciously at the sound of it. While the tone was melodic and meek, hearing it coming from that mouth, mouth capable of spurting curses that would make demons blush, was more scary than the sound of war drums of an approaching, hostile army.

The sudden change that Iris went through was making him nervous and it had nothing to do with her warming up to Spyro and their group in general. Who wouldn't do it after being brought from death's door. What worried him was the fact that Iris was playing her own game and that she was very good at it, the masquerade of royalty was her dominion and she was extremely fluent in it.

It worried him.

Because if a moment comes when she decides to betray them even he will have problems seeing it.

"You did Ignus put some manners into some of them after all, or perhaps it is merely just luck?" Kindle complained, polishing his manicured claws against his scales "Now fetch girl. Use those feathers for something, as long as you still have them" he glared at the dragonesses, with sadistic malice watching the mentioned membranes, lips moving silently as if they would be muttering a magical incantation

Before she headed off to the storeroom Iris glanced on her wings, glazing over her feathers, making sure that they are still there. She really got fond of them over the years, not to mention the fact that there weren't many dragons with wings like her in the world. It was a characteristic that made her stand out.

A signature worthy of a queen.

Enjoy your moment of delusional glory as long as you can worms. A time will come when this charade will have its final and she could guarantee that all you insignificant fakes won't be standing on the stage.

Iris obeyed the command without question, obediently picking up the tray and heading back into the storeroom.

Bolt grinned, shivering in anticipation, his long body immediately stretching out in her direction, pursuing the internal desire to make her his.

A desire that was suddenly quenched by a green paw snatching him by the collar and tugging him roughly to the side.

"Just what do you think you're doing...brother?" Marble basically spat out the last word, her voice was filled with so much acid that she seemed to be burned by it herself

The earth dragoness tried to behave natural, her eyes kept darting over the room, snout not even directed towards her sibling. Expression collected and smiling, as if the words she whispered to her sibling would be that of encouragement.

Sparx wasn't sure why she so stubbornly tried to maintain an image of indifference while just some moments ago every guest and their host here burst with excitement at the prospect of her family conflict that was rather easy to notice. It is not like she could truly hide her true intentions either, the mask she was wearing was shifting colors wildly, showing quite visible cracks in her image of stoic, dominant sister.

He supposed that this is another level of propaganda he failed to understand, after all a repeated constantly lie becomes the truth at some point. Maybe it was a tactic of sorts they are using in this war of intrigue here in the higher echelons of political life. Maybe it was important to keep the image of strength and control even when almost everyone around could see the cracks and cuts in the image you are trying to project.

Maybe this contradicting itself conflict is what keeps people's attention and sows doubt, or in some cases makes some souls ridicule the projection and lose their focus in the face of an obvious lie. Both options in the end give the trapped viper a slice of a breathing room and the world proved that a creature with deadly fangs needs only a tiny window of indecision to turn the scales in its favor once again.

"What do you mean sister?" Bolt whispered back innocently

"Don't mock me, you know exactly what I mean"

"I really don't. I'm just caring for myself, alone, like always, I have no one to help me in this regard"

The mask on Marble's snout turned blindingly red on the edges, as if was about to explode.

"Stay away from that feathered filth. Respect our name"

"Why?" Bolt hissed, leaning in close to his sister's cheek like he was about to kiss it "Our name never respected me"

She gave him a little shake.

"My patience is at the end brother. You won't ruin everything I worked on"

"I'm doing exactly what you are sister. I. Don't. Care" he jerked his body and despite the strong hold of his the paw on his clothes the dexterous dragon freed himself from the grip with ease, like a rat snatching its prize after fooling the trap prepared for it

Marble's clenched paw remained in the air for a while, shaking, veins appearing upon her foreleg as the empty clench became harder and harder, the mask becoming more red by the second. Bloody veins of fury cracked across her eyeballs.

She was about to burst.

Then those bloody eyes shifted at Sparx.

A welcoming smile spread the green lips, the veins, the mask, the eyes, everything returned to normal in the span of a batting eyelash. With a relaxed step the dragoness made her way towards the hovering dragonfly.

And even though she looked peaceful and relaxed Sparx felt his heart raising to his throat. That girl was a monster dressed in draconic scales. Even though her walk was normal and friendly he didn't dare looking at her shadow, expecting to find her true form there.

An unendingly clapping maw of an insatiable horror.

Just when he thought she would speak up the dragoness made a turn right when she was about to reach him, leaving him with a prolonged, soul sucking glare while she directed herself towards the room with the pool.

Sparx swallowed, the look meant much more than thousands words, she called out to his perceptive nature, which wasn't something special per se, everyone with enough brains would understand that the look was a call to follow.

Yet only a few would see past the most obvious image.

The order to follow was the tip of the iceberg, what mattered in that look was the silent flirt, an announcement telling that those draconic eyes see far more than they are letting on.

And with that in mind the call no longer remained a wish, but morphed into an order. An order which ignored would have unpleasant consequences.

He instinctively looked around, scratching the uncomfortable itch on his chest that unexpectedly burned up, he could swear that no matter where he looked he could see her glistening eye poking through one of the pebbles in every corner of this building, examining him closely, from every possible direction.

He was certain in this uncomfortable spotlight that Marble knows what is happening in every corner of Skyward, forming opinions and decisions before the rumor even manages to take root in the conscience of the population.

An ideal choice for someone who could owe a favor to them. Yet somehow, as enticing as the opportunity might be, he couldn't shake off the feeling that it would be safer to make a deal with the Dark Master.

Reluctantly he did follow the dragoness, before he disappeared he shifted his attention to Ignus who stood next to nodding Cynder, Cynder that kept rubbing her freshly burned chest, full of gratitude despite the visible mark. The armored drake seemed to show genuine concern for her, always talking and examining her intently, of course he had to do it right now, in a moment where he would look for another opportunity for them to get some leverage, from a source that is in clear opposition to Ignus.

Ignus just had to act like a saint just to make him feel bad about the idea of finding an alternative route for their survival. He wasn't a stranger to dubious moral choices, between him and Spyro he preferred to be the one taking the blunt force of the guilt, while he still can.

Still it would be nice for life not to taunt him about it every once in a while.

After some delay he finally entered the pool room, Marble was already floating on her back on its liquid surface. She looked so peaceful and so strangely...mundane that nobody would ever take her for royalty at first glance.

She was also relatively small for an earth dragoness, usually dragons of that scale color are bulky and no strangers to muscles, both male and female, making them one of the biggest dragons out there. Basically earth dragons were individuals that are hard to miss.

This green dragoness though was deeply unremarkable, while her figure wasn't something one could scoff at, her size while wearing those green scales would put her close, physically that is, to someone like Coriza instead of Terrador for instance. A big flaw in a society of proud douchebags struggling for power in a war torn land.

A flaw that he had to admit that he didn't notice at first, she clearly had a way of distracting attention from her shortcomings, and now when he realized that he couldn't help himself but to think that it all felt strangely familiar for some reason.

"Did Ignus not teach you to not to gawk at your betters, toy?" her voice rose into the air, as plain and uninteresting as her entire presence in this pool

"Gawking is a dragonfly's inherited habit"

Marble with a swift move of a claw unstrapped her mask, it immediately went black after losing connection with her head. The mask landed in the water with a splash, a splash soon cascading down the uncovered snout. It was a green draconic face with rows of small quills running up and down the line of the nose, her cheeks were adorned with a pair of two black tattoos, at the tip of each wiggled a tiny twig.

"Good" she mused out loud, letting a deep sigh of relief to shake her wings "This masquerade tires me. Being invisible is not such a bad thing, is it?"

He could agree with that, wearing a mask becomes tiring, something he ignored until he met Coriza, in front of her he never pretended to be anyone and he couldn't believe just how depressing of a life he lived. Now he no longer could remain oblivious to the presence of a mask, be it his own or someone else's, a good trait in general, it allowed him to see through Marble's deceit, but the burden of wearing one became heavy and he craved nothing else but to feel freedom.

Yet he was unsure if giving in so easily is what the dragoness was expecting, not to mention that there was more at stake here than his own safety.

"I wouldn't know my lady, dragonflies always shine"

"Stubborn I see. You can stop that now"

"I don't know-"

"Enough" the dragoness barked out into the air, despite that her voice sounded commanding her body language betrayed nothing of her annoyance remaining still and calm throughout the shout

This was a girl that could only be provoked by her sibling it seems.

He knew something about that.

"Cease this insufferable comedy already. I see your reflection all around this room and when I look at it I see myself staring back. Don't insult me again by pretending that you don't know what I mean. I know more things about you than you imagine"

Sparx folded his arms, his aura becoming darker, more concentrated, the only thing he disliked more than being burden by his used mask, was being serious.

Which stood in direct opposition to his goal here.

If folks only knew how hard his job is.

"I also know a thing or two about you"

"And this is precisely why we are here now" she raised her claw, waving him over "Join me, I so do hate yelling"

Reluctantly, but he obeyed, carefully approaching the lying dragoness in case that her intentions turn suddenly vile.

Marble patted her exposed underbelly, clearly inviting him to rest on top of it.

Sparx frowned suspiciously.

"I'd rather not"

"This is not a request. This is an opportunity for you, don't forget that"

"I didn't forget it, but there is hardly anything to gain from an opportunity if you won't be given the time to act on it"

Marble chuckled.

"Cautious little thing are we? Don't fret" she wiggled her spread forelegs, rippling the water, sending small waves across the pool "My paws are over here. If those wings aren't just for show you would easily dodge everything I throw at you, if it would be my desire"

He didn't want to touch her at all, especially not stay put in a spot that was no different from being surrounded in a circle by enemies. Unfortunately though the dragoness was right, he can't simply ignore this chance and he had to be honest with himself here, if she meant him harm, she wouldn't have to go through all this to get to him.

He landed on top of her and Marble couldn't help herself but to moan softly, he felt a shiver running through her spine, a bolt of pleasure so powerful that it made the tip of her tail bounce in the water.

"I wasn't imagining it" she propped her head, each wrinkle and frown was gone from her snout, the yellow light he was emanating bounced off of her eyes, turning them gold

She looked so peaceful that for a second there he confused her with Coriza when she spoke about her pacifist dreams.

"You give out warmth, a little floating sun right on my chest, such a rare sight in this forsaken walls. You see? No harm done. A simple task and yet so valuable. You give me a taste of something that this city protests against. Natural warmth and light, so close that I could stare and feel it for hours, something that is completely impossible to do outside Skyward's walls in fear of losing your head by a stray axe. No one would let you go if they got their hands on you"

Sparx swallowed.

She knew.

She knew that the Moonborne story was a lie.

Marble chuckled.

"Yes, I know" she replied satisfied, clearly proud that she managed to read his mind "You see, creatures of peace and serenity like yourself are a very rare sight in our broken Realm, so rare that most would call them non existent. It wasn't hard for someone like me to connect the dots and realize that you must harbor a very interesting secret, that has nothing in common with militaristic value so often found in today's world"

Sparx stiffened, his wings beginning to make gentle, almost invisible, small slaps.

"We do not know how different races came to be in this world, some might believe you've been harbored by the nomadic canines for so long as a secret weapon, the only problem is that there are only two big areas in this world where dragons can be born and both of them are hostile against the other. While it might be possible that the wind dragons made a mistake and allowed yourself to be captured by the Moonborne, the possibility of Skyward not knowing of it is very slim. And that's not even considering your specific presence, this world had never seen a dragonfly, one might believe you are an effect of something as disgusting as crossbreeding, yet the issue with this fact is that nobody proved that crossbreeding works, let alone find a creature who can mate with a fly"

"No, no, no, my little sun, you are not from here. I'm quite certain that you came from a place I would very much like to see and judging by your wings brushing the air near my scales I can guess that you are not so keen on revealing that little secret"

"Correct" he answered the dragoness, she was a bright girl, that one was obvious, a born schemer that there was no point in fooling anymore, all that was left was plain and blunt conversation

This is why they pulled off their masks after all.

"A pity, but to be expected. I didn't take you for a fool" she gazed at the water, seeing her own reflection staring back at her "How could I?" a delicate cold air grazed the tip of her belly scales, her nose wrinkled in annoyance

"You can stop flapping those wings, I won't touch you"

He did as he was said, not because he purposely played to her wishes just to spoil the girl, but mainly because he was sure that there was no reason for him to flee.

Marble sighed in pleasant relief, feeling the warmth once more touching her body.

"Much better. Look..." a deep frown cracked her snout, she turned her cold eyes at the dragonfly, the small branches sticking out from her tattooed cheeks twirled anxiously

"What is your name? You already know mine after all"

"Sparx"

"Sparx" she repeated after him, giving his glowing body another inquisitive once over "A fitting name"

Her belly filled with a deep breath, propping him up, high enough for their eyes to meet. The almost emotionless stare of the dragoness told him two things that she made sure he understands.

She meant business and that she is doing it for herself.

Plain and simple, no coaxing, a fair warning that if things will take a sour turn she won't have any objections with pursuing her own goal, even if it meant hindering or completely destroying their pace.

"Here is my offer, when the time comes I will guarantee that you make it out from Skyward alive. I know of some places still existing in the walls of this city that can be asked to open if one knows how to be convincing enough"

"By saving us from that dungeon Ignus basically guaranteed us the same thing"

Marble scoffed.

"Not even close. Ignus is a toy, a useful one but powerless in the end. He is the current queen's brother and while we happily conspire together he doesn't have what it takes to get the job done. He might not agree with his sister right now, in the end though, family is what is holding him back, he will betray you the moment Athron tells him so, he won't let anything happen to his own blood, ultimately bringing doom to you and our race as a whole. And no matter how capable you might be, when the queen and her brother who holds reign over those that not really accept the current rule turn against you, you won't find a spot in Skyward that won't have fangs sticking out, ready to get you"

"No my little sun, here only business matters, not words or promises. My offer has no ill ties that can backstab you"

"You might not, but I've seen how you cooperate with your brother. You also are a risk cause if you like it or not, your brother might stop you and then whatever deal we had is gone since you can't keep your end of the bargain, no matter your intentions"

The paws that were calm all this time clenched into tight fists. He could feel her scales tensing underneath, he hit a nerve, which he was sure would happen. Despite it all, Marble tried to collect herself to the best of her ability.

"My brother won't stop me, don't worry about him. He will cease being a nuisance soon enough"

"And in return you want to know our secret?"

"Yes. Which for you is no bargain at all since you already committed yourself to Ignus who desires the same thing. The intelligent beings of this hive all crave the same thing, freedom from this constant warfare and paranoia, the difference however between me and Ignus is that I will not share that knowledge with anyone, profiting only myself while he will drag everyone behind him, with their enemies following soon after and I'm sure you wouldn't want to deal with that burden"

Sparx opened his mouth, but a quick splash of water silenced him before he could speak.

"Not now. I don't have to know it now, only if you decide to take me on my offer. Business doesn't accept freebies after all"

"You're awfully sure that I'm the one capable of fulfilling your wish"

"Not at all. Whatever door you opened to come here I'm rather certain that you weren't the one that pushed the handle, if I had to guess I would say it was the purple dragon, but that is not important and deep down you know why"

Sparx folded his arms, he really didn't know what she meant, but that didn't mean he could pretend.

"I'd like to know why you think that"

"A fledgling with such potential, remarkable" Marble giggled happily, her chest took another deep breath, once more catching Sparx' attention in the embrace of her eyes

"Power is...direct and blinding, and we dragons especially are addicts to it, whether we are intimidated by it, like Kindle and the twins, or we are dominated by it, like my brother, we become blind to true strength that is there, planning. Power my little sun requires direction, guidance, otherwise it implodes when it finally feeds itself on what it can"

She smiled at the dragonfly.

"And here is where we come in. We locate that one single opening, that one tiny hole where we can vent that power through. Peace is an utopia, those strong will always try to fight for the highest seat, you might not be aware of it now fledgling but the dragons there?" she nodded at the room they just left "The ones that stood in your protection?"

She shrugged.

"They became a target when they showed their potential. The sisters already are sharpening their claws for the purple dragon while Kindle, as much as he tried to distract everyone, had his eyes on the black girl from the start, despite his tidy mannerism he really enjoys the dark and dirty. My brother is rather obvious, the pitiful fool that he is. This accumulation of power will lead to a clash, it is unavoidable and when it finally does the earth will shake and it will require a vent"

"Creatures like us my sun, the invisible, the small, the...perceptive, we are the ones that command the flow and alter history. When the books and minstrels sing praises of the obvious we are the ones that keep watch, always in the background, always vigilant, tell me Sparx, didn't you at least once feel that people are ungrateful sons of bitches? That they don't give you enough attention even though you are certain you played an important role?"

He swallowed.

Of course Spyro got all the praise, he did all the heavy lifting, it's been always like that, he got used to it, that didn't mean that he was jealous though, he was more than satisfied with his role as a sidekick. When they were younger, yes, it bothered him that people ignored the fact that he was right next to his heroic brother, but as time went by? It stopped to matter.

Marble grinned.

"Of course you did"

Sparx shook his head, getting rid of the foolish thoughts.

"When I was young and stupid, maybe I did, it doesn't matter, it was childish. I don't need fame and glory"

"And why things stop mattering? Simply because we stop caring? No, not in our case. We stop paying interest because we are too good in what we do. Reach back into memories again, how many times your guidance, your simple warning or mere point of finger in the right direction changed the course of your friend's journey? Didn't you feel that whenever the one under your care got hurt you were the one actually losing life force? Wasn't there a point in time where all this guiding job became a habit, coming as natural as breathing?"

He knew she was toying with him, that she plays with his mind just to get the proper reaction from him, that she was sweetening the deal. Still he couldn't deny that she was merely prompting the ideas and not forcing them on him and he couldn't deny also the fact that her nudging was effective.

He too felt as if he would be conversing with his own reflection right now.

He caught the memories and as to be expected Marble hit the mark just right.

Spyro was always reckless, he pulled himself together over with the years, but he still didn't free himself of this specific naivety, he doubted he would do that anytime soon. He kept telling him that he has to learn to make the hard choices finally, but he feared that it would hardly come to that, not when he is still alive and kicking.

Cynder, Malefor, Veils, in each of this crisis an image flashed before his eyes where he directed Spyro this way or another, neither of them paid much attention to it, but he couldn't deny that there were moments like that, there still will be. Now the question remained if choosing one road instead of the other really mattered that much?

"Exactly" Marble nodded "We see danger before it thrives to power. Glacial, Polar, Kindle, they will come for you, you know that. This is why I call out to you, you know what opportunity means. Power will be power, always struggling, always locked in battle, always jealous. Opportunity though? Opportunity is what causes the earth to tremble and it answers to no one, vanishing before anyone could realize what happened"

The mask that floated flickered with a rainbow of colors.

Marble extended both her paws towards the dragonfly.

"I'm your opportunity"

Small branches pushed from underneath the water.

He did not flee.

They tenderly wrapped itself around him, sliding and caressing like snakes.

"Will you size me?"