The Legend of Spyro: Origins_Chapter 24
#24 of Spyro Origins
The Legend of Spyro: Origins_Chapter 24
The feeling of everything being cold was the first sensation that Spyro felt once his consciousness slowly trickled back into his mind. That and disorientation. His thought moved without any coherent form or pattern inside his head.
_'Ugh... I must have eaten something bad'_Spyro said in his mind with some difficulty.
He felt his body in some uncomfortable position. His neck and his legs must ache from sleeping in such a position... or so he thought. Trying to remedy the discomfort, Spyro tried to move into a more comfortable position and curl on himself to keep the cold out. But as he tried to move his limbs, he found that he couldn't.
He was confused by this, wondering why he couldn't move his body. In response to that, he opened his eyes, trying to see what the problem was. But he saw nothing.
He saw nothing, because everything was dark.
_'What the...'_he thought as he struggles a little more to move his head to see around him; but he soon found out that this movement was also restricted.
_'What is going on here?'_he thought.
Coldness surrounded him, making him to start shivering.
'Why is it so cold here?'
It was difficult to concentrate. He struggled to remember... remember where he was... what had happened. As if he was reviving his life, he saw images in his mind of things that had happened. He remembered the humans... and their plight, their mission, his companions, and the avalanche... the avalanche?
"THE AVALANCHE!" Spyro yelled as his mind suddenly focused and remembered the events.
Spyro realized that he had been trapped beneath the snow when the huge and strong wave of snow came down upon them. He felt the weight of all the snow around him, choking him. He tried to get the precious air into his lungs, but the weight prevented him from doing so. He started to trash around, hoping to get a good purchase and escape his underground prison.
He fumbled around for a while until he suddenly felt some snow over him give away. Instantly, he pushed in that direction with all his strength. With a sudden surge of strength, Spyro moved the snow out of his way and burst free from his prison. Spyro took a deep breath of the precious air once his head had reached the surface.
With some effort, and some shaky steps, Spyro hauled himself to the surface where he proceeded to rest for a while. The wind had picked up considerably, stinging his eyes and body with tiny traces of snow. The wind stole his body heat as fast as he emanated it. He would not last long in the outside.
Then, whit his legs trebling, he stood up and saw around. The disturbed snow covered everything as far as he could see; which was quite far. The avalanche must have been huge indeed. How long has it been since they were trapped? Minutes? Hours?
While he looked round, he saw something out of place. From all the white snow covered landscape, he discerned another color: yellow.
"SHOCWAVE!" he yelled at realization hit him like a rock: the others were still trapped.
Taking off at a fast pace, the purple dragon made his way toward the yellow patch he had seen. When he arrived, he managed to dicer that it was the end part of Shockwave tail. The rest of him was sill under the snow.
Using his claws, Spyro stared to dig frantically trying to reach his friend. Spyro sighed in relief once he discovered that he was still breathing, although unconscious. Being careful as not to harm him, he slowly began to dig him out. It took extra time to take him out since he was in a complete vertical position.
Once Shockwave was out Spyro started to shake him. It took some time before Shockwave eyelids cracked open.
"Ugh... what happened?" he asked with a groggy voice.
"The avalanche caught us" Spyro explained. "Come on! We have to find Cynder!"
Contrary to Spyro, who jumped away and started looking for Cynder and yelling her name, Shockwave slowly got up and started walking in a zigzagging motion.
It took some minutes before they found a wing of Cynder. It was nearly covered completely in snow, so it was easy to overlook it. Once they reached the spot, they started digging and got her out of the snow. Spyro sighed once again with relief once he saw he she was alive. Unlike Shockwave, Cynder was visibly shaking from the heat loss she had suffered while being under the snow.
"Cynder?" Spyro tried to rouse her.
"What took you so long?" she said in a low voice without opening her eyes
Ignoring the offensive comment, Spyro burst with glee when she responded him. Immediately, he started to nuzzle her softly.
"I was so worried about you" he confessed.
"So was I" she confessed. "I feared that you have might been injured... and that I might not be able to help you"
Spyro felt his heart grow warmer when she said that. It once again proved how much Cynder really cared for Spyro... and how much he cared for her.
"Don't worry, I am here. Everything is going to be fine" he tried to soothe her as he laid down and curled around her, lending his body warmth to her.
Spyro felt her shivers through his scales. She must have been freezing. Almost unconsciously, Spyro tried to make as much contact with his body with hers. He also draped a wing over her, trying to shield her from the elements.
"He... Sparx would surely say a thing or two if he was us now" Spyro commented.
"Yes... he would" Cynder chuckled. "Speaking of him, where is he?"
Spyro's heart missed a beat, but his fears were unfounded when he remembered that Spars used to be in the bag he carried.
"He is in the satchel" he answered.
Without looking down, Spyro moved a paw to poke his bag and wake the usually lazy Sparx. Instead of the bag, he felt his own scales against his paw. Confused, Spyro looked down to find where his bag was... but it was nowhere to be found. He did not carry it.
Realization began to dawn on him. The avalanche must have yanked his bag away from him. And Sparx was inside at that moment; than meant...
"SPARX!!" Spyro yelled as he jumped away from Cynder.
He immediately started to look around for the bag he carried. Upon seeing the expanse of devastation the avalanche had caused and remembering how small the thing was, he knew it would be next to impossible to find it.
But he had to try. His brother was in there.
It took a lot more time to find the Sparx than it did to find Cynder. Spyro had been digging holes like a madman. There was surely to be another one no more than a meter away. Because of the cold snow he was digging, Spyro's paws felt numb as time passed by. They also stared to ache because of the intensity and strength he put in them.
Even with the help of Cynder and Shockwave, it took time to find Sparx.
"Over here!" Shockwave yelled.
Spyro immediately made his way where the yellow dragon was located. Without waiting for any kind of words, Spyro yanked the bag out of Shockwave. He pried it open and managed to place the small dragonfly in his paw.
"Sparx?" he asked with a voice that showed how fearful he was. "Sparx?" he asked more loudly as his paw which he was holding the dragonfly started shaking.
The dragonfly did not respond. Spyro knew that Sparx was alive since he was still emitting the yellow glow he usually gave off; but it was very faint. A clear indicator of a dragonfly's health is his glow. The healthier, the more glows he emits. And judging by the looks of Sparx, he was near death doorsteps.
Spyro throat tightened, fearing that he might lose another member of his family.
"He is not responding!" he said with a tingle of panic to Cynder who had made her way next to him. "He is freezing!"
"He is in hypothermia" Cynder said. Spyro noticed tingles of worry in her voice. "We must put him in someplace warm"
Spyro knew that Cynder and Sparx get on each other scales, threw some insults and mostly acted as if they didn't liked each other. But deep down, he knew both of them really care for the other.
In response to Cynder's suggestion Spyro tried to hug Sparx as much as he could, bringing him as close to his chest as he could with his cold numbed paws.
"That won't do" Shockwave said. "We must find refuge"
As if to make his word hold more weight, the group heard another rumble in the distance, indicating another avalanche was in progress.
Spyro looked at the members of the expedition in the eyes. All of them looked tried and held half closed eyes due to exhaustion, both physical and mental. Spyro could not help but groan as he notied that one member was still missing.
"What of Incendio?" he asked.
Shockwave gave a small sigh. "He's gone, Spyro. We could not help him then and we cannot help him now. The avalanche must have him buried as well. But we cannot help him in our state. We must look to ourselves"
Spyro gave a shiver as he looked to the ground, weighting in his mind the option he had at his disposal. None of them looked the way he wanted them to be, but he must pick one. Looking one last time down at Sparx, he sighed in defeat. He must concentrate on the survival of those who surrounded him now.
"Lest find refuge" he said in a whisper loud enough to be heard.
_'May the ancestors look after you, Incendio. May the look after us all'_Spyro quoted on his mind the same word his mentor, Ignitus often said. It was a sort of farewell to his friend.
Without saying any more word, the group started to walk.
They walked for quite some time, hearing the rumbles of many avalanches in the distance. No one wanted to say anything, but they knew that their mission was an utter failure. Their quest to find the flowers had come to an abrupt and painful end. To make matters worse, the avalanche had disoriented them and gotten them lost. The sun did not help either because it was covered by a thick fog.
The soft snow crunched under their paws and it also sunk under the weight, making walking difficult. No one wished to be caught in another avalanche, so they tried to pick up the pace. However, Spyro had some difficulty walking in three legs and carrying the small dragonfly; and the way he held the small dragonfly did not offer enough protection against the elements.
It was during one of those moments when one had to tread carefully, that Spyro lost his balance due to him only using three legs. He fell flat on his face, managing to get Sparx underneath him before he crushed him.
Giving a soft growl of frustration, Spyro checked on his foster brother state before he continued. Not good. The glow he gave had diminished even further.
"It no use! The cold is still getting to him!" Spyro said. "He is still fading!"
"We still yet have to find a cave" Shockwave pointed out. "And we are moving as fast as you can move with only three legs. Besides that, I don't know how you can keep Sparx warmer that you already are"
Spyro looked down at Sparx, who was staring to get somewhat blue and thought how to keep him warm. Spyro exhaled gently on his foster brother, letting his warm breath stave off the cold for a little bit.
But that gave him an idea.
If it worked, he might keep Sparx warm and free him to move faster to find refuge for the impending night. Only thing was... he didn't like it. And Sparx would like it even less.
He looked back at Sparx and saw how he wouldn't last much longer like this.
Spyro gave a small sigh in surrender and stealing his nerves, he proceeded with his plan.
_'Forgive me buddy'_he pleaded in his mind.
Spyro put the small dragonfly inside his mouth and closed it without snapping Sparx in half with his teeth. This effectively isolated him from the outside elements and gave him a warm place to rest.
Cynder and Shockwave gave a gasp in surprise at his sudden action, believing that he had suddenly become crazy and decided to eat his foster bother. They stared at him in disbelief. Spyro, feeling their stares, turned to look at them with a look that said 'don't say a word'.
It took a few moments before the two stunned dragons realized what Spyro had really done.
"Eh... ah... eh... good... good thinking Spyro" Cyder said in a low voice.
Spyro gave a small grunt in displeasure as an answer.
"Eh... right!" Shockwave stammered. "Uh... I guess... I guess we should... you know... continue looking for that cave. Right. Cave. This way"
It turned out to be a very effective way to keep Sparx warm and move at a much faster pace that they have previously moved.
It was almost night and the small group still looking for refuge. This was the coldest day any one of them had ever had. They even had stooped shaking by the time they found an opening in the mountain side.
The group was in a state of glee when a familiar rumbling was again heard. Each of them turned to look at each other with worry on their faces, since the rumbling had been pretty close. And it was getting louder.
Almost as if faring what they were going to see, the group turned to look up mountain. Unfortunately, since the fog prevented them from seeing anything and they had to rely on their hearing.
But the rumbling was getting closer... and louder.
"Guys..." Shockwave said in a low voice.
Cynder and Spyro turned to look at him, waiting for to finish.
"Run" he said simply in a serious and low voice.
It took a few seconds before any of them move, and then, they dashed toward the cave entrance. And not a second too soon because when they were near the entrance, they spotted the white curtain of death coming down hill at an impossible speed.
In the nick of time, the group entered the cave before the avalanche caught them and dragged them. One avalanche had been enough and they had been lucky. They did not wish to try their luck again.
But things did not stop there. With all the snow weight overhead, the pressure of the avalanche and the unstable roof of the cave; it did not take long for the ceiling to collapse.
"RUN!" Cynder shouted.
Rocks started to fall from the ceiling while the group went deeper into the cavern. Going the opposite direction was a bad idea, since the avalanche was still causing its destruction outside. Spyro and group went further into the caver to avoid being trapped by the rocks that were falling over their head.
When they were safe enough, they turned back to see how all the rocks blocked the passage and with it, any source of light. They were left again in the darkness. It took a few moments for the collapse to end, but it felt an eternity with the darkness that surrounded them.
"Well..." the voice of Shockwave came from the darkness. "We are buried alive... again"
"Thanks for pointing out the obvious!" Cynder said sarcastically.
The hard breathing of the group and receding rumble of the avalanche that was the only thing they could hear. Otherwise, all was silent... and dark.
"Let's give some light" Shockwave said.
Spyro tried to deter him from this course of action. Due to Sparx being still inside his mouth, he only gave a grunt to stop him. But he might as well have done nothing. Shockwave expelled some electricity and briefly illuminated the area they were in. However, his breath struck a nearby wall, making the rock groan and small rocks fall from the ceiling.
Immediately, Shockwave stopped his breath, plunging them in darkness again.
Spyro gently pulled Sparx out of his mouth to speak. Before he said a word, he took a brief moment to look how Sparx fared. Besides being full of saliva, the dragonfly looked better. A sigh of relief escaped from Spyro's mouth as he noticed that the small dragonfly had regained its color and gave of more potent and shiny glow. He seemed to be getting better, but he still had a way to go.
Turning back to his companions that were illuminated by Sparx soft glow, Spyro spoke.
"This cave ceiling is unstable, Shockwave. Do not use your element else we might get really buried alive"
"Right. Sorry!" he apologized.
"How is he?" Cynder asked, pointing to Sparx that lay in Spyros paw.
"He seems to be recovering, but he still needs to be kept warm" Spyro answered.
A moment of silence fell on the group, each in his own thoughts... each wondering what do next. It was only a matter of time before someone voiced it out loud.
"So... what now?" Shockwave asked.
"Let's head back. See if we can manage to get out of this cave." Cynder said.
The group slowly moved toward where the passage had been blocked. The only source of light was that one which Sparx was giving off... which was not much. Once there, Spyro gave it a quick inspection before pronouncing his judgment.
"This way is blocked. If we move the rocks the ceiling might collapse again and trap us" Spyro said as he shook his head.
"Then what?" Shockwave asked.
Spyro turned to look behind him. The dark cave extended away from him, making the cave a lot deeper than he might have originally imagined.
"The cave is deeper than I thought. I guess we should follow it and see where it goes. It might lead us out"
"And if it doesn't?" Shockwave asked, not really sure with this plan.
"I guess we blast out way out" Spyro answered.
It was really the only option available to them, so they had to go with it.
"Cynder?" Spyro asked in a low voice. "Please, take care of Sparx"
"What? Why?" Cynder asked, confused.
"He still needs to be placed in a warm place and without his source of light; that leaves only my flame breath to light us the way. I can't carry Sparx and fire my breath at the same time"
"You want me to... to place Sparx... in my mouth?" Cynder asked, looking horrified at the idea.
"Please, Cynder" Spyro pleased.
Cynder looked at Spyro's eyes; those amethyst eyes that she loved so much. Right now, they conveyed sadness, despair and fear rather than the usual happiness, energy and a little bit of mischief. This last incident must have stuck him hard... and Cynder wished for him to be his old, cheerful self.
"All right" Cynder agreed to the request."But you owe me one!" she said somewhat more strongly and annoyed.
Spyro gently gave Sparx to Cynder, although somewhat reluctantly. Cynder, giving a grimace in disgust at all the saliva the small insect still had in his body, took him. Taking a deep breath and trying not to think of it, Cynder placed the small dragonfly in her mouth. Once again, they were plunged in darkness.
After making sure his brother was in safe with Cynder, Spyro exhaled a small but continuous flame. It gave more light than Sparx did and allowed them to see father into the tunnel.
And so began their passage under the mountain. It was a long and cold journey. Many stalactites and stalagmites jutted from the ground and ceiling like sharp teeth that were ready to close down upon them. The claustrophobic sense of being under so much rock, all of it over them, made the weary travelers feel as if they could hardly breathe.
The terrain was hard, and jagged. Sometimes, they had to climb steep part in the road they were traveling. The tunnel they followed turned this way and that, twisting, rising and falling. It was not a surprise that the travelers were confused about their whereabouts. Luckily, this tunnel didn't split in two different directions, so there was only one way to go.
They knew not how long they did walk under the mountain when they reached an exit. The group gave a collective breath of relief once they saw the exterior. It was night, and it appeared as if a storm was raging outside.
"I guess we should sleep here" Shockwave said. "We need our strength for tomorrow... whatever we might decide"
"I agree" Spyro said. "What about you Cynder?"
Spyro heard some muffled cries. He noticed Cynder jerk upright and make a huge grimace. Spyro was confused, but when he opened her mouth, all became clear.
Sparx burst out screaming at the top of his lungs and flying away from her at all speed.
"Sparx!" Spyro greeted his foster brother, but he was way over his head right now.
"AHHHHH! I'M IN A MOUTH!!! I'M IN A MOUTH!!!!" Sparx screamed at the top of his lungs when he came out. "IT'S A BAD DREAM... A NIGHTMARE!! GO TO YOUR HAPPY PLACE, SPARX!!! BREATHE!!!!! SUCH A HORRIBEL DEAM!!!! AAAHHHHHH!!!!!!"
"Sparx!" Spyro tried to calm his brother, but it was no use; he kept flying around in circles.
"MOUTH!!! TEETH!!! LONG AND HORRIBLE TEETH! AAAHHHHH!!!! I'M GOING TO BE EATEN... ALIVE!!! AAAHHHHHH!!!"
"SPARX!" Spyro finally snapped at is foster brother.
This caused the dragonfly to jerk at him in surprise. When he recognized that it was Spyro who had called for him, he flew in his direction and grabbed his horn like there was no tomorrow whilst he continued shaking.
"Spyro! It so good to see you! I was just in the most horrible place I could ever dream of. I was in a mouth... a mouth! And it wanted to swallow me alive! I felt all the saliva over my body and the tongue tasting me as if I were a delicious treat. It was horrible!"
"No one tried to eat you Sparx" Spyro tried to console his brother. "You were just inside Cynder's mouth to..."
"Cynder? I knew it! Psycho-She-Evil-Dragoness tried to eat me! I knew it! I told you since the beginning that she looked at me in a very strange way. I knew I would end up in her mouth someday! She reverted to her evil ways!" he complained as he pulled down his antennas in desperation and in a fit of nerves.
"Sparx" Spyro tried once again to calm him.
It took several minutes, a lot of persuasion and quite a bit of explanation to finally calm the trembling dragonfly. But he still held some resentment and suspicion. He gave Cynder a hostile look every now and then while they were explaining.
"I bet she liked it" Sparx told in an overloud whisper that was meant to be heard by everyone.
"As if I could enjoy tasting something as you" Cynder retorted.
"You wanted to eat me!"
"I do not eat garbage"
"You moved your tongue as if tasting me!"
"I was trying to spit out your taste out of my tongue"
Spyro gave a small sigh. "Calm down both of you. There is no point in arguing. Sparx... it was the only way we could think of in trying to save you"
"Fine!" Sparx grunted. "At least I can count on my own brother would never do such a thing. Right bro?"
"Uhhh... right!" Spyro said after a moment of hesitation while she gave an apologetic look at Cynder; who in turned send him a hatful one.
"I know I'm going to be having nightmares about this" Sprax mumbled.
"I thought you already did" Cynder said.
"But this one is going to fell so much worse... and much more realistic!" Sparx informed her. He then looked around and furrowed a brow. "Where is red guy?"
The eyes on the three dragons turned to the ground instantly and with a look of sadness.
"So? Where is he?" Sparx asked again, ignorant of the bomb he had dropped on them, and the mood it provoked.
When Spyro turned to look at Sparx, the dragonfly saw tears running freely from his eyes.
Sparx knew the answer with that simple look.
****************************++++++++++1+++++++++++++************************
After spending the night in the cave, with Sparx sleeping as far away from Cynder as possible, the new day came with a relatively nice weather... considering a nice weather in a mountain such as this. Light fog and light snowing greeted them once they came out of the cave. However, the cold in the environment was intense.
It had been decided by unanimous consent that they should attempt to get out of the mountain. They had not had any food for some days and all of them were at the end of their ropes. The only problem was that they were utterly lost.
So, they picked a direction they thought was north and tried to get home.
They walked for hours, the light snow picking some speed and diminishing every few minutes. However, the constant exposure to the element was having it toll. Right now, they were walking on a small ledge jutting out from a vertical cliff.
"You know" Sparx chatter his teeth as he rode on Shockwave bag since Spyro's had been left behind, "Cynder's mouth doesn't looks so bad right now. At least is was warm"
"And perhaps I might accidentally swallow you down while you're at it! Cynder answered back, trying to discourage Sparx from entering her mouth again.
"Maybe I'll just pass on this one" Sparx replied hastily with a small tingle of fear.
Cynder just snickered as Sparx reaction. The dragonfly still kept his distance from Cynder, not really willing to get close to her in case she decided to have a snack.
Suddenly, Cynder thought she saw a white thing moving really fast across the edge of her vision. She jumped and managed to turned and land in a defensive stance with her rear pointing the wall. She gave a low hiss in warning. She began to scan the air in front of her, trying to see whatever he had seen. Of course, the other did not fail to notice her reaction.
"Cynder?" Spyro asked, looking worried.
It took some moments before Cynder answered.
"I thought I saw something" she told them as she relaxed her stance, but still kept her eyes on where she had seen the thing.
"What was it? A snowflake? A piece of fog moving around?" Sparx teased.
"Humph!" Cynder grunted in annoyance. "But I guess you are right. Probably just my mind playing trick on me"
They continued walking again, but Cynder maintained one eye open, looking at the open area on her side... watching... waiting.
It was only a matter of minutes before Cynder once again saw that white blur moving thought the fog... flying. But this time, she also heard something.
She jumped again and reared into a defensive position.
"Who are you? Show yourself!" she shouted in a hard voice.
"Cynder? What...?" Spyro started to ask.
"Shush!" Cynder quieted him, not taking her eyes of where she had seen the movement. It took a few moment before she heard the sound of wings beating and saw the white thing moving. "There! There is it again!" she pointed with her snout urgently.
The other three looked at what she was supposed to be pointing, but they saw nothing.
"Cynder, I see nothing" Spyro told her.
"It was just right there" she stubbornly said.
"Only fog and snow in my opinion" Sparx said.
"Whatever it is; it's toying with us" Cynder hissed in anger as she lashed her tail. It took a few second before she saw it again. "This time, you wont escape!" she snarled in defiance.
Before Shockwave or Spyro could stop her, she launched herself from the ledge and started to beat her wings furiously in her attempt to catch with the intruder.
"Cynder!" Spyro called after her, but she was getting away fast. "Shockwave, we have to go after her!"
And both dragons flew after the female one.
Cynder, for her part, could just see the thing in front of her, but she just couldn't get a glimpse. Either it turned on a cliff and blocked her vision or the fog became too thick at some points that she stopped seeing it altogether. Still, she kept hot on the trail and was gaining distance. She felt that both Spyro and Shockwave had jumped after her and were behind her.
Suddenly, as if the thing was mocking her, it entered a dangerous flight zone. It entered what appeared to be a maze of tall pillars that jutted of from the ground.
But of course, Cynder herself was an excellent flyer... fast and agile and able to turn the tightest of turns. It would take more than that to deter her from flying in there.
Both Cynder and her target entered the maze. Cynder had some trouble following. She was surprised to see that whatever this thing was, it was also a pretty good flier. It excelled at it.
'Damn... it flies well!" Cynder pointed out in her mind.
Cynder continued to catch up with her prey though the maze, until suddenly, her target exited the maze by passing between a narrow pass created by two tall pillars made out of rock. Its horizontal profile turned vertical and passed in between without so much of a scratch. Cynder, of course, followed suit.
And that's when Cynder had her first good glimpse of her target.
It appeared that, after getting out of the maze of pillars, the flying individual stared to do some back flips in the air; as if it was thrilled or content after passing the dangerous pass. She even heard a 'Whoohoo' shout in joy.
But nothing prepared Cynder for what she saw. It was unmistakable to err, since he had a clear view.
It was a dragon! A white dragon!
Cynder was stunned for a few second, her mind full with trying to process the simple information that her eyes had just sent her. He, because Cynder guessed that it was a male, was celebrating his accomplishment, ignoring or ignorant of her presence.
'A dragon? Here?'_Cynder mind could not help but ask these questions. '_What is he doing here? How is he here? Why haven't we heard of this before?'
She decided that she wanted to know.
"HEY!" she shouted at the white dragon that was still looping around.
As for the white dragon, he looked around; unsure of what he had heard something.
"HEY! OVER HERE!" Cynder shouted again as she come closer.
This time, the dragon turned and saw her coming straight at him. He gave a small squawk in surprise and, moving faster than Cynder thought he could move, started to fly away at a frenetic speed.
"Hey WAIT!" Cynder yelled as she started to pursue him once again. It was obviously that he was trying to get away from her in fear.
If Cynder thought he was fast earlier, now she thought he was really fast. Cynder had a lot of trouble trying to keep him in her sights. Sooner or later, he would outdistance her.
"HEY! WAIT! I JUST WANT TO TALK TO YOU!" she yelled over the winds, hoping that he might listen to her and stop.
If he heard her, he gave no indication other than continue flying away from her. The dragon kept looking from time to time back at her to see if she had gained ground.
"This is pointless" Cynder mused.
Deciding to get this chase over with, Cynder used her wind element to give herself a speed boost. She had to squint her eyes due to the speed she had picked up. She could also hear the wind whistling by her ears as she closed on the white dragon at a breakneck speed. She only stopped using her element when she was nearly over him.
"STOP! I JUST WANT TO TALK TO YOU!" she yelled at the dragon that was just now in front of her.
The dragon immediately turned to look back at her and, by his sudden jerk and lapse in control, Cynder guesses that he was surprised by her extremely fast approach.
"PLEASE! STOP!" she pleaded once again, but that was the last thing she could say.
The white dragon took a sudden turn that caught Cynder off guard. Since she still was having the effects of her speed boost, she could not turn as fast as he normally would do. Just went past the white dragon at a tremendous speed. Just as she was about to slow enough to turn, a sudden wind blast knocked her balance and forced her into the mountain side.
She crashed into the mountain and started to fall. She screamed in fear that she might suffer what Incendio did. She could not help but remember that terrible moment; her mind playing back with exceptional clarity the events of that disastrous moment. Her current position seemed to be very much like Incendio was then.
"HELP!" she shouted in the hopes that someone might come and rescue her.
She picked up speed in her uncontrolled downfall and, just when she thought that she would tumble to her death, she landed on her back in on a small ledge that jutted out from the cliff. In the landing, she knocked her head and for a moment everything went black.
She was alive, conscious and with a huge bump on her head.
When she opened her eyes again, she saw the sky above. An array of strange colors those were moving in a dizzy and confusing manner. She wondered where the hell she was and what had happened.
Groaning in pain, she turned around and laid on her stomach to try to clear her head.
Suddenly, she heard something land near her. Moving slowly, she turned her neck and saw a white dragon was standing nearby. Cynder shook her head lightly as she tried to recall the events. One by one, they trickled back into her.
Cynder turned to look at the white dragon that stood nearby. He was close enough to see clearly and have a decent conversation, but he was far enough to have enough time to bolt out if things went wrong It appeared that the dragon did not trust her since he had his wings half spread, ready to take flight at a moment's notice.
Upon further inspection, Cynder saw that his wings were somewhat larger than any dragon she had ever seen. He had a light blue underbelly, as the underside of his wings. He had two horns protruding from the top of his face, much like Spyro, althought these ones were thinner. He was young; not yet to adulthood. If she guesed, she would say he was two or three years older than Cynder.
What made Cynder blink in surprise and have another looks, was his equipment. He had some types of goggles that covered his eyes, very much like the moles back on Warfang used. Still, this one was transparent and allowed the wearer to see through them. Leather strapped behind the White dragons head, keeping the equipment in place.
As for his eyes, they were a more deep blue than his underbelly. Those eyes were wide open and bore into her and drinking every sight she had to offer, as if... curious and unbelieving. However, they still held some kind of suspicion.
The white dragon paced the goggles in his forehead and he started at Cynder in amazement. As for Cynder, she did the same. They looked at each other for a few minutes, not saying anything.
"Cynder!" Cynder heard her name being called thought the light fog.
She jumped in surprise at the sudden break of concentration. As her name was again carried by the wind, she remembered that she had left Spyro and Shockwave behind.
"Spyro! Over here!" she called back.
The white dragon, upon deducing that other might come, started to take some steps backward.
"Wait! Please, stop" Cynder pleaded with a hint of concern. "Don't go"
The dragon looked at her and then at the still incoming voices of Spyro and Shockwave.
"We will not hurt you. I promise" she tried to calm him.
The stranger looked back at her with suspicion, but, whether it was Cynder's reassurance or his own curiosity, it made him stay. It didn't take long enough for Spryo to find her. Cynder gave a slight chuckled when Spyro faltered in his flight, no doubt when he saw her companion.
Spyro and Shockwave landed behind Cynder, looking quite surprised and puzzled by the white dragon. As for the white dragon himself, he looked even more surprised by the new arrivals.
"Cynder? Who is he?" Spyro asked her in a low voice.
"I... I do not know" she ansered.
Spyro tried took one step forward, but Cynder quickly cut him off.
"No! Wait!" Cynder told him and Spyro stopped.
The white dragons looked at the assembly some time before starting to take some steps toward them. He approached Cynder, who was still lying on the ground and when he was close enough, he started to sniff her. Cynder felt the warm breath exhaled by his nose and had to fight the urge to jerk back.
Then, after he finished with Cynder, the white dragon proceeded to do the same with Spyro.
"Cynder?" Spyro asked confused.
"Wait! Do not move!" she urged him.
Spyro only snaked his head, keeping sight of the white dragon as he made his way around him. After Spyro, Shockwave was next n the list to suffer the same treatment.
After he had finished with all of them, he took some steps back.
"You sure are some strange dragons" he pronounced with a strange smile a bit of a laugh.
Cynder was surprised by the revelation that he could talk.
"Hehehe!" the dragon continued chuckling. "Such strange colors! Did you suffered some disease when you were young or in the egg?"
"What? No!" Cynder responded, confused by the sudden conversation. "You... you can talk!" she said in surprise.
"Of course I can talk!" he responded with a chuckle.
"But... why did you not say anything when I spoke to you?" Cynder inquired. They had plenty of time for that, put they had spent it looking at each other.
"I dunno" he answered shrugging his wings.
"Then why did you fly away from me when you first saw me?"
"I thought that you were gonna hurt me. I just flew away" he answered with a toothy smile. "So... who are you anyway? And for what valley do you come from?"
"I'm Cynder" she introduced herself. "And this is Spyro and Shockwave" both of them gave a light nod in recognition.
"And what about me?" a voice form Shockwave's bag asked in annoyance. Cynder rolled her eyes.
"And the big mouthed one in Shockwave's bag" she pointed, "is Sparx"
Sparx completely came out of hiding from within Shockwaves bag fuming.
"Why does everyone always left me out and forget to introduce me?" Sparx accused. "Is it because I'm small? I know... I probably do not look strong because I'm smaller than the rest of you, I'm sure. And I'm sure that I also left out of conversations because I'm too small to be noticed. But you know what? Being strong or big is not the same as being important. There are other people who would show proper respect to me. You should be ashamed of yourself"
The group of travelers only rolled their eyes in amused annoyance at Sparx rambling; but the withe dragon held another expression entirely.
"What... IS... that things?" he asked with amazement and curiosity.
"HE... is Sparx" Spyro introduced. "And he is a dragonfly. He is also my..." he traled off as the white dragon took several steps forward and started looking and sniffing around the small dragonfly with aboious wonder.
Unfortunately, Sparx didn't liked it so much.
"Hey hey hey! Get off!" he tried to push away the big snout that was sniffing him. "Spyro... a little help here buddy"
Sparx proceeded to his usual protection place... behind Spyro. But for once, it appeared it did not help him. The white dragon followed the small dragonfly, too interested in his discovery to mind much of anything else.
Sparx started to fly in circles around Spyro, hoping to stay away from his examiner who was not far behind.
"Spyro, help me! I feel that someone is way over my personal space" Sparx pleaded to the still bewildered dragon.
At one particular point, the white dragon decided that going over the obstacle, namely Spyro, would be faster to reach his goal. He put his front paw on Spyros side and using his hind legs, tried to jump over the purple dragon.
"Hey!" Spyro complained as his legs gave away under the weight.
Sparx screamed and went to Shockwave, hoping that he would stop the white menace that was following him. Unfortunately, the white dragon passed under Shockwave in his haste to get to Sparx.
"What the...?" Shockwave said in surprise as he was lifted and thrown unto his back the passing white dragon.
Without any other options, Sparx went to the still prone Cynder.
"I know we don't trust each other, Cyn, but please help me" Sparx said as he got closer.
Cynder gave a small sigh. She grabbed the small dragonfly in her paws, much to the dragonfly's protest and yells of betrayer, and put him near her chest. This effectively blocked the dragonfly from the white dragon that was still approaching.
"Hey! Let me see" the white dragon protested as he could not see past Cynder paws.
"I think that's enough of examining our friend here at such a close range" she told the white dragon.
"Awwww" he gave a small whine.
"All right" Cynder continued. "So... we have told you our names already and..."
"Cynder Spyro Shockwave Sparx. Got it!" the white dragon interrupted her enthusiastically.
"..and..." Cynder continued with a small shake of her head, "we would like to know your name"
"I'm Gale!" he answered, although he said a lot more strongly his name than necessary.
"Gale" Cynder acknowledged. "Now... what are you doing here?"
"I was just flying... you know. I like the thrill of flying some place a little bit more challenging than the valleys"
"The valleys?" Cynder asked, confused.
"Yes, the valleys" Gale answered with his cheerful expression. "So... from what valley are you from?"
"Uh... well, we come from Warfang; but the closest valley to it would be Avalar Valley" Cynder answered.
"Hmm... never heard of any of them" Gale answered with a thoughtful expression.
Cynder was about to answer when a cold wind rush made her shiver. She closed her eyes and started to shaken her body in order to keep it warm.
"Damn cold" she said to herself. "I do not know how much longer can we take it"
Apparently, Gale heard her, because he asked.
"How long have you been out here?" he asked.
"Three days" Cynder sighed.
Gale gave a small gasp of surprise.
"No wonder you look so tired" he remarked. "Come on! Let me get you to some place warm"
"Is there any food in there?" Shockwave asked, suddenly sounding more alert and a lot more energetic than the last days. "We haven't eaten for three days too, you know?"
"Of course!" Gale answered with a toothy grin. "Come on. Let me show you the way"
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"Are we there yet?" Shockwave asked, whining his displeasure.
"Almost there" Gale answered.
After they had found the strange white dragon, the groups had followed him flying for some time until they arrived at some sort of cavern. By the looks of it, he knew how to move in these parts very well.
After finding the cavern, that in reality was a tunnel, they started to walk. They followed the tunnel for period of time.
Of course, everybody was curious as to where the white dragon would lead them. After all, who in their sane mind would live in a place so inhospitable like these mountains?
After walking for some a while, they started to see a dim light in front of them. Gale told them it was the end of their journey and the exit of this tunnel.
They never expected to see what lay beyond the tunnel. Their jaws hung open in wide amazement and the impossibility of such a thing.
"Welcome" Gale said, enjoying the look of his companions. "To the city of Aerie"
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Author's notes:
There you have it! How was it? Any comment is appreciated. Remember, this was a long chapter, so that's why it is split in 2.
Now... as I said earlier, I wish to see some drawings of this story out there. If you wish to do one, contact me. If I really like one of those, I might make a short story for it (your rules, ideas and characters). And if someone could make an avatar or icon for my use.... that would be cool!
It is my hope that I finish the next one faster.