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Author's notes: The second part of the city of Aerie. ***************************++++++++++1+++++++++++++************************ ### The Legend of Spyro: Origins_Chapter 26 ### Light from the new day started to enter through the window of the two lovers. The sunlight illuminated Spyro's eyes, making him to slowly arouse from his deep slumber. His eyes fluttered slowly open as the sun light made him wake up. His first sight was Cynder's face, who was right in front of him. They still remained in the position when they went to sleep last night with their bodies in a soft embrace, Tail intertwined and Spyro's wing covering her body to starve of the night chill. Spyro could not help but smile as she saw Cynder as she still slept peacefully next to him. She took long and deep breaths as she slept, making her body rise and fall rhythmically. She looked so beautiful as he looked upon her with the sun's first rays. Her scales shone with the sunlight that he thought that only specials creatures such as her could only do. He spent some minutes just wanting her sleep, feeling very content and happy that he was right here and right now. He would hardly change this moment for any other. When the sunlight reached Cynder's eyes, she stared to wake up. Her eyes slowly opened only to watch Spyro looking at her with a soft smile. "Good morning sleepy head" Spyro greeted her with a touch of teasing. She closed her eyes with a smile and continued to stretch very much like a feline would. "Good morning" she greeted back. "Sleep well?" "Perfectly!" he replied. "How about you? She gave some small giggles as she looked at him. "I think that it was you who made me sleep such a good night. I think we should sleep together more often" "Oh... of course!" Spyro replied with a true smile now in his face. "How long have you been awake?" Cynder asked as she cuddled closer to him for warmth. "A while" Spyro responded as he embraced her closer. "And you have been there looking at me?" "Of course! With such a wonderful sight in front of me, how could I not?" Spyro said truthfully with a tone of teasing. Cynder gave a sigh as she relaxed in Spyro's embrace. Neither of them said anything for a while, to content and too lazy to move. However, the morning was stretching out and hunger called as their bellies started to rumble. "The other should be up by now; we head downstairs" Spyro said. "We should grab something to eat" "Hmmmm... Okay" she replied. Both dragons slowly started to untangle their bodies, not really wishing to leave such comfortable positions. After they separated, they stood up and walked to ward the door and went downstairs. They found the rest of the household sitting together on the eating room. All of them were around the table, talking and finishing their meals. Shockwave and Gale were listening intently to something Nimbus was saying, who did already have his armor strapped on. Tornada was resting her head against his mate, humming softly to herself. Sparx was sitting in the table, munching happily on some kind of fruit. When Spyro and Cynder entered the room, Sparx was the first to notice. "Look who decided to show up" he said sarcastically as he started to fly over his brother. "I was wondering if you had died in that room of yours. Do you know what time is it?" "What time is it?" Spyro asked. "It's somewhat late" Nimbus replied. "After the tale you told me and the Elders yesterday, I guessed you needed some sleep time. And I guessed I was right. Shockwave just woke up an hour ago. Hungry?" he asked. Spyro and Cynder sat at the table while Tornada brought a plate with fruits. Dragons, although having teeth for eating meat, can also eat fruits and some kind of plants. So, Spyro and Cynder started to eat as they chatted with the rest of the family. "All right, time to go" Nimbus sighed as he stood up from his cushion at the table after they had eaten. Then, he looked at the guest "The Elders will receive you... all of you..." he made emphasis in the 'all' as he looked at Sparx, "... later at noon. So be ready" "Do I get to go too?" Gale asked enthusiastically. "Sorry son; not this time" Nimbus replied looking at his son. "Awww!" he whined. "I also received word that friend of yours in the healer's house has awoken, so you might want to check on him" Nimbus continued. "Incendio is awake?" Spyro asked. "Yes. Or he was when the messenger came to deliver the message" the Nimbus pointed out. "Very well, see you young dragons later" "See you later dear" Tornada said as he left the room Nimbus walked out of the house and heard the flap of his wings as he took off. The rest remained in the house for a few minutes before they decided that they should go and visit Incendio in the Healer's house. "Can I go too?" Gale asked hopefully. "Sure, why not?" Spyro replied. "Yay!" Gale whooped and jumped up and down in his enthusiasm. Spyro snorted in amusement at the eccentric dragon. Always full of joy he seemed. ***************************++++++++++1+++++++++++++************************ The four dragons and single dragonfly arrived at the healer´s house a few minutes later. Like last time, they knocked the door and Brise opened the door. "Oh! Hello!" she greeted. "Came to see your friend?" she asked. "Yes" Shockwave replied. "Yes yes. Just making sure the big guy is okay" Sparx said nonchalantly. Brise's eyes snapped open when she saw the dragonfly. "Oh Aereo bless me!" she exclaimed. "What is that?" "I... am a gorgeous, courageous and charming dragonfly" Sparx intoned "Are you really?" she asked with eyes that betrayed curiosity. "Young dragons, you must allow me to borrow him for a while for study!" "Sure!" Cynder immediately replied with a tone of happiness. "Just don't harm him" "What?" Sparx gasped in shock at what Cynder said. "Definitely not!" Spyro contradicted Cynder. "Sparx is not something to be examined in a table miss" he explained Brise while Sparx sighed in relief. "He is a sentient being, capable feeling the same emotions we do. He is a person. I'm sorry, but he will not be studied without his consent" "A shame" Brise replied with a shrug. "It would have been a wondrous specimen" At that, Sparx slowly flew behind Spyros's horn for protection. "So, is Incendio awake?" Cynder asked. "Yes. He just woke this morning. I gave him some breakfast and he ate heartily. Come on in" she invited them as she stood aside to let them in. After the group went in, she closed the door and turned to them. "You know where he is, so you don't need me to guide you there. I am very busy and I have to finish making one of my secret potions" "Secret potion?" Gales asked, sounding very interested. "Sound like fun! Can I see?" "SECRET... potion. It means no one can know how it is done" she snapped. "Why can't people understand that?" she asked rhetorically. "Awwww!" "Anyway, I'm sure you would rather be left alone to converse with each other. I will be inside here if you need anything." Brise told them. Before they went further into the house, Brise opened to another door where, no doubt, she was preparing this potion of hers. When she opened it, a wave of horrid stench filled hallway with a greenish smoke. The group immediately brought their paws to cover their noses and gagged in disgust at the stench that filled the hallway. Trying to not to breathe with their noses, the group looked inside the room fro with emanated the smell. It was somber and dark. The only light emanated from a fireplace which a huge cauldron resided. The fire heated the contents of the cauldron, making some type of green smoke. It was the potion that was making the stench! It had to be! "Ah!" Brise exclaimed happily and not at all affected. "It's almost ready!" With that, she entered the room and closed the door behind her as if nothing ever happened. The group looked at each other for a few moments, unsure if they should say anything. "She is crazy that one" Gale finally said as the smell finally dissipated enough to breathe properly. The others nodded in agreement. "She may be a witch!" Sparx tried to point out, but he only received disapproving looks from all around. "What? It perfectly possible" ***************************++++++++++1+++++++++++++************************ Incendio slowly awoke into the new day. The comfortable mattress he slept on invited him to sleep further. However, the sound of the city of Warfang coming to life made him to wake up properly. He immediately noticed that something was wrong once he opened his eyes. 'This is not my room'_he thought. He explored his surroundings with his sight. He was in a simple room with nothing that much in it except the pile of pillows in which he laid, a small fireplace, a nice table with some flowers and a window in the wall. He tried to stand up to have a look through the window in order to guess where he might be. However, a dull throbbing was felt in his side once he tried. Looking at the spot where he ached, he saw that some scales were cracked, an obvious sign for something hard hitting him. How had he gotten this injury? Then, he remembered. _'The mountains!'_he shouted in his mind. And then, the last and most important thing he ought to remember. _'I fell'_he said in his mind, too shocked to have any emotion as realization hit him and memories slowly trickled by. How could he have survived that? He couldn't have! Yet... here he was. He once again looked at his surroundings. It was next to impossible for Spyro, Cynder and Shockwave to have found him... much less carrying him all the way back to Warfang... across the ocean. No... this was not Warfang; but if this was not the city he knew.... then where was he? Seeing the window wide open, he decided to take a look across the city. He might gleam some knowledge of his whereabouts. He was in a city all right. With the limited view he had, he could see that the city was built in the slopes of the mountains. Incendio assumed that these were the Kalakean Mountains; the same he had been when he went unconscious. A valley stood down below and a river made its way through it. But Spyro and Cynder couldn't have brought him here. They knew not of where he ended after the fall, much less how to take him out of the ravine. Someone from the city must have miraculously found him and brought him here after his fall. But that brought the question: Where were Spyro, Cynder and Shockwave? Where they still struggling in the deadly and merciless mountain? Where they even still alive? A door opening soon caught his attention. He turned to look and saw a female white dragon. "Oh! I'm sorry. I was not aware you were up" she apologized. Incendio had never seen a white dragon before; in fact, he didn't knew they existed. "Who... Who are you?" the fire dragon asked warily of this strange dragon. "I am Brise" she told him. "I am here to see how you were doing" "Uhm... fine, I guess" "That something quite easy to see, since you are up and about. Here, I brought this for you" she said as she put in a plate of fruit in the floor" Upon setting his eyes on the food, he jumped toward it in an amazing display of agility for someone who was injured. He started to eat the first, hardly munching it in his haste to slate the hunger he had been accumulation for some days. "How long have I been here?" Incendio asked between mouthfuls. "Hmmm... let me see. Two days ago." she told him. Two days?! He had no memory of that time. "Well, now seeing that you are up, I'm sure they will want to see you" Brise told him "Wait, who?" Incendio asked, interrupting his meal; but he was too late as she turned around and walked away, mumbling to herself. Incendio pondered between following her and finishing the food. A pang of hunger made his decision. He turned back to his food and continued eating. He would wait until these people arrived. Once he finished, Incendio sat once again by the window, staring outside toward the city and the valley that extended before him for some time. He was wondering about Spyro and group. Where they still alive? Did they complete the mission? That brought him to other thing to worry about. How was Warfang? And the Guardians? And what about the humans? And Doctor Kelly? Had she...? _'NO!!!'_Incendio slapped his mind. _'No... if she is gone...I can't... I couldn't...' He heard the door of his room open once again. He turned, expecting to see the white dragoness; but what he saw, was definitely not what he expected in the form of some very familiar faces. "Spyro? Cynder?" he asked, his mind still trying to process the information that his eyes were seeing. "Shockwave, Sparx? Is that really you?" 'No! It can't be!'_Incendio's mind replied, '_But they were in the mountains' "Yes Incendio. It is us" Spyro answered. Incendio immediately jumped in joy, completely ignoring his bruises. "Hey! Aren't you supposed to be resting?" Shockwave asked with concern in his voice as he saw the fire dragon move toward them with some shaky steps. "Nah! I'm fine" Incendio assured them, although it was a small lie. "It so good to see you!" he greeted. "Likewise Incendio" Spyro said quite happy at seeing him. "I thought I would never see you again after..." Incendio tailed off as he remembered the last moment he saw their faces. He remembered their faces full of fear, terror and disbelief as they witnessed his fall. "Incendio..." Cynder tried to reassure him. "How did you make it alive?" Shockwave asked too curios to wait. Incendio looked down at his paws... remembering the dreadful moments and feeling her had. * * *

(Flashback)

• * * Incendio floated for a few seconds above the narrow canyon that fell deep into darkness in the earth below him. The strong wind kept his wings open and floating without having him to beat them. He turned to look at his friend somewhat down below in the snow covered sledge. They were looking at him, surprise and amazement etched in their faces as he hovered for a moment. Then, a new rush of wind threw him against the wall. His head and body slammed against the wall, knocking him off for a few precious seconds where he might have gain purchase. He started to fall. He head the others call his name in fear, but there was nothing they could do. He tried desperately to grab a hold of something to slow his decent, but the wind was not an ally. He picked him up again and slammed him against the other side of the ravine, furthering his uncontrolled decent. He was at the wind's mercy as it shook him like a rag doll. That was when he understood how foolish he had been when he took such a risk in his attempt to grab the flowers. But now, it was too late. He tried desperately to dig his claws into the earth as he screamed in fear and pain. The wind made a sudden downdraft, making it more difficult than it already was to stop his fall. He started to have a complete uncontrollable fall. "Noooo!" he heard Spyro shout above him. He managed to look upward and he saw the looks of his friend as he slowly descended. They mirrored his own expression of fear and disbelief. He saw how they progressively got smaller as he further went down. Then, he could not see them "Incendioooo!" he head the faint shout of Spyro. He continued his fall, crashing and scraping against the wall and rocks in his mad decent. He saw nothing now due to the darkness. He only felt what he hit. The only thing that could be seen was light from that filtered into the ravine. However, that also got smaller and smaller until it was nothing more than a thin line of light. And then that went away too. He was in complete darkness. He fell for a few moments more, crashing and scrapping his wings, bruising with all the hits. It was a torture this fall and started to think when the ground would come to meet him and stop his crazy decent. His answer was soon enough. Just as he finished that thought, he felt he had finally landed. His brain inside his head shook from the impact and he felt a strong and piercing pain hit him in his back as he exhaled all air from his lungs. Extreme cold hit his body as soon as he landed. The sudden feeling of cold that enveloped him was such a shock to him that his whole body halted for a few moments. He 'Is this death then?'_he thought. He stayed there, immobile, feeling how his body slowly sank into the darkness as his consciousness slipped. However, he did not expect to reach tome kind of bottom. The sudden feel of something beneath him jarred him into a more conscious state. _'What the...?'_he though confused. Once aging, he felt something scrap him, but only it happened in his shoulder blade. He hissed in pain at the raw wound that stung like no end. He suddenly broke over a thin membrane. He suddenly realized that he needed air. Without thinking about it, he took a deep breath and that stared to make his other senses sharper. His first thing he realized, beside the cold, was that he was on water. He realized it had been very fortunate of him to have inhaled after he had come out of the water, not before. Before he had a chance to think further about it, he felt the water pull him down. He barely managed to take a breath before he was plunged under. He felt the water moving all around him, making him spin out of control. He scraped many times the walls of the river as he was tossed, a few of them quite badly. His sense of up and down disappeared as he was joggled around too much so he knew not where was up into the air... if there was air in an underground river. He was staring to get out of air when he suddenly felt the water around him slow down. He took the opportunity to get up once his disorientation happened. He took a deep breath, but before he had a chance to catch his breath, he was once again dragged down. Going down current, he was smashing against the narrow walls around the river current. But that was the least of the problems; he starting to get out of air. Miraculously, he was pushed upward and his head managed to go above the surface. He took a desperate breath once he was able. By the grace of the ancestors, this time he was able to take several breaths without being dragged down. _'I need to get out of the water!'_he thought desperately. He looked around, hoping to see something, but it was too dark. He used his inner fire so it could illuminate the area. The fire impacted the ceiling in front of him, momentarily blinding him. Unfortunately, he did not have time to see anything. He prepared once again to breath fire to see, but entered a strong current area, and he was unable to do so. He spent quite some time in this manner, being dragged who knows where and struggling to keep his head afloat, getting half breaths that kept him from drowning. He didn't know how much time had passed or how far he was dragged. He felt like hours had passed, but in the dark, time was easily misjudged. He knew, however, that it had been long enough because he felt his body responses were a lot slower. If he didn't get out of the water fast he would die of exhaustion, surrendering to his fate. That if hypothermia didn't claimed him first. But what could he do? He could see nothing, and even if he did, there was only one way to go that 'could' possible get him out. After once again being dragged down and tossed about underwater. He spent longer than usual underwater, without any small breath, so he was starting to run out of air. _'I hope one day they find my body'_he thought as he slowly began to lose consciousness to the lack of air. Suddenly, he saw some light in the distance. It contrasted so much against the darkness that surrounded him. _'The entrance to the spirit world?' he thought in his fog clouded mind. The light dot slowly made itself bigger and bigger as he approached the end of his journey 'I shall meet again my parents... and Ignitus too'_he thought. And suddenly, a strong and blinding light made him close his eyes as he started to fall. He felt the warm air running thought his freezing scales that... Wait... air? Incendio spanned his eyes open and saw that indeed he was outside. Outside! Freedom! He took a breath in happiness before he was once gain plunged in water. However, Incendio 'could' see. Light was still filtering down the water though the sun, making it a shiny beacon for Incendio. However, it was slowly fading away as he was dragged once aging into the depth of the mountains. _'NO!'_Incendio thought angrily. _'Not this time!' He immediately started to swim upwards with all the strength he had. He used forelegs, hind legs, tail to try to push with way upward. He started to gain ground slowly, steadily going up. However, he was swimming against the current and the effort to get to the surface was tiring him rapidly. It was only a matter of time before he was completely stopped by the current. Then, he started to go back again. 'No!'_he yelled in his mind. He tried to get more strength to his limbs, but they were numb and heavy from the time he spent in the cold water. He was fighting a losing battle against the current and his air was running thin. His lungs started to ache, wanting the air that he did not have. He began to realize that he would not get out of this situation and would drown. His vision started to become blurry and clouded as his brain started to shut down due to the lack of air. He gave up hope. _'I hope the others manage to get out of these mountains alive'_he thought. _'Spyro... I'm sorry for being so headstrong these last days. Understand... I needed those flowers so Doctor Kelly... Kelly? KELLY!" He jerked suddenly awake from his clouded mind. Images of Kelly flashed thought his mind, how they met on the battlefield, how her tender hands cared for him and healed him until he could rise again, how she had kept him alive and gave him the will to continue living. He heard in the confines of his mind her infectious laughter that made him smile so much, her rebukes at disobeying her orders when he took his walks when he ought to remain in bed. She saw her once more... in bed, unmoving, eyelids fluttering, moaning of pain, shivering. Her strange strength and her usual cheerfulness that surrounded her were gone. She would die if she did not get the flowers they came for were delivered to her. Kelly! No... she couldn't die. He couldn't die here; she needed him. She was the reason he was here in the first place. She needed those flowers! She needed those flowers and he would bring them to her... no matter what; and no crazy underground river would stop him. A new found strength filled his being at the thought of Kelly dying. Opening his wings underwater, he started to beat them downward. Great quantities of water were pushed down and he started to rise. However, wings were not used underwater. His muscles began to burn with all the effort he was making, but he gritted his teeth and continued onwards, rising. He swam with all his strength, with all his being with only one objective in mind. With agonizing movements that made him see red from the pain, Incendio struggled against the current. He flapped his wings in a furious manner that they could have broken his bones... but he cared not. But, no matter how much strength he had, his air was nearly depleted. With a final push, he escaped the current that would drag him underground again and the weight of the water that fell from the waterfall that had impeded his progress. He was free. But he was out of air. He needed to get to the surface fast! Ten meters; his chest started to convulse trying to bring the air. Seven meters; his vision began to get clouded once gain. Five meters: his vision went completely black. Three meters: he beat his wings one last time. One meter: he exhaled all the air he had in his lungs. Incendio broke the surface of the water and taking the deepest breath he ever had of the sweetest air he ever inhaled. Then, he remembered no more. * * *

(Present)

• * * Incendio looked down at his paws, remembering the horrific moments of his crazy journey under the mountain. The others remained quiet in respect for his friend that they nearly had lost. "Guys..." Incendio said in a low voice. "I want to say sorry" "What for? SPyro asked. "For being such an idiot" Incendio replied. "I put myself... and all of in danger in my obsession to find the flower. O wanted to get them so much that I overlooked everyone's safety. I want to apologize to Shockwave, because he was right. We can't help the humans if we die" "We were under a lot of pressure" Shockwave told him. "All is forgiven" "Well, isn't this a lovely reunion" Sparx said as he floated around the fire dragon. "How charming!" "That was quite an adventure you had" another voice said. Incendio turned to look only to be surprised with the presence of another with dragon. This one was male and was young; a year or two being him. The white dragon lay, stretching and turning, in the comfortable bed that was reserved for Incendio since he was the injured one. "Who is he?" he asked his friend in a low voice. "Oh! Sorry!" the white dragon apologized as he stood up and walked toward him. "My name is Gale!" he replied cheerfully. "Gale?" Incendio asked somewhat unsure of what he should do. Gale nodded enthusiastically in agreement. Incendio took the opportunity to look at the strange dragon, since he did not have a lot of time with the female that came earlier. The first thing he noticed was the white scales... obviously. The second was the goggles he wore in his forehead. But apart from that, he seemed like a normal dragon. "So, what is yours?" Gale asked, interrupting his examination. "I'm... uhm... Incendio" "Incendio? Haha! Strange name... just like the others" "How did you come across him?" Incendio asked Spyro as he turned to look at him. "Long story" Spryo replied. "Well, there is not much to do around here so you might as well tell me" Incendio said as he walked toward the pile of cushions where he slept. "So..." he groaned as he lowered and rested on them, "tell me all about it" Spyro told him everything from the point of where they had been separated. He told him of Gale and how he led them to the city they now were in. he told him that this city was full of white dragons and the talk to the Elders. Incendio was very surprised at each thing Spyro told him. Spyro also mentioned that no one from Warfang or from this city knew of the existence of the other. This would make some very interesting meetings in the coming future, when both societies started to interact. And lastly, he told him about the flowers. "So the flowers grow here?" Incendio asked, full of surprise. "Yes!" Spyro said. "He says there are many of them and there is no need to look for them outside of this valley" "Can't we gather some for our needs?" "We were going to ask the Elders once we meet them at noon as well as some other things" Spyro answered. "Well, it is almost noon" Incendio pointed out as he looked out the window. "It is?" Shockwave asked as he also looked outside. "Yep. So, I think it is time we move to get there in time" "'We'?" Cynder asked. "You are injured! You must rest!" "I'm fine enough to walk. Besides, we need to leave as soon as we get those flowers" "Wait... you mean you are leavening?" Gale asked, turning sharply to look at them with a look of shock. "I'm afraid so" Spyro answered. "People are counting on us to get those flowers back" "And I can't wait to get out of these wretched mountains" Sparx whined. "It's too cold for my tastes" Gale looked downcast once he received the news that they were leaving. He looked down at the ground and said nothing. "Hey... I'm sure we will come back again" Shockwave tried to lift his mood. "Someone older will wish to come and we will need to show them the way. Believe me... we will be seeing each other in no time" he assured. Gale gave a weak smile at Shockwave assurance that they would return. "We should get going" Spyro said as he turned toward the door while the others followed. ***************************++++++++++1+++++++++++++************************ They walked somewhat slowly due to Incendio's injuries, but they managed to get to the main room where the met the Elders the last time. Gale, much to his displeasure, was not allowed to enter and had to remain outside. He yelled at them before the doors closed that they should meet him in his house once they got out. The group passed the statue of Aereo again as they made their way through the building. Once again, Spyro felt some strange tingling when he passed in front of the statue. He wanted to stay and figure out why he felt such things but they were needed somewhere else. The Elders appeared to not have moved from their position when they left yesterday. They looked to be as immobile as the statues they had passed to get here. The earlier guards guard except Nimbus, were also absent. It appeared that the Elders whished this to be kept as much of a secret as could be done. But Nimbus, being the Captain of the guard, must know some things in order to defend more effectively. He stood impassively in his armor on the side, not intruding too much into the conversation. "Good morning... or is it afternoon already? Cyclone mused. "Oh well, I hope you had a good night sleep. And I also see our other unexpected guest" he said that last part looking at Incendio. "Good morning to you, Elders" Spyro greeted them. "This is Incendio... a member of our expedition who we thought lost" "Well, you certainly made quite an entrance, young dragon" the kind middle left Elder said with a chuckle. "Scared the wit of at least a dozen dragons when you came out of the water hole" "You are quite right Cumulus" his neighbor chuckled. "Had to calm the people that came to our door" "Hey Spyro! Do not forget about me!" Sparx said as he floated next to his larger brother. The Elders turned to look in confusion at the small glowing orb that suddenly appeared and floated next to Spyro. "Spyro... what is that?" Cumulus asked. "I am the great and mighty dragonfly named Sparx, noble Elders" Sparx introduced himself. To make himself more know, he flew straight to Cyclone and hovered in front of him. The Elder gave a slight jump when the small dragonfly flew straight at him. Nimbus, upon recognizing the small dragonfly, shook his head in slight annoyance. "I am the god of the Atlawa tribe and guide of refugees of Warfang" he stated proudly of the things he always boasted of as he flew around the Elders who turned their neck to see at the strange creature before them. "Why... he is so small!" the far elder said as he watched intently at Sparx. "What?" Sparx choked when he heard that. "You are wrong my scaly friend. You are very big" "Well, there you have it" Spyro sighed as his brother kept flying and talking next to the elders. "This is my brother Sparx and he is a dragonfly. You mentioned your curiosity for him yesterday, so... here he is" "Brother?" the far right Elders asked with a shocked expression. "Foster brother" Spyro rephrased. "I was raised by a family of dragonflies" "How did it come to that?" "Long story" Spyro tried to dismiss it. "We have time" "With respect Elders, but we don't" Incendio interrupted. "As I have been told, you have been explained why we are here. We need those flowers and return as fast as we can back to our own city. Lives depend of it!" Incendio said somewhat urgently. The Elders started to murmur amongst themselves in hushed tones, conferring with one another. "I apologize Elders" Incendio continued, "but we have to get those flowers" "Hmmm... we might help you with that" Cyclone said, recoiling when Sparx passed in front of him. "How?" Shockwave asked. "We will send someone to gather them" Cyclone offered. "How much do you need?" The group of young dragons made a hurried conversation in hushed tones as they decided when to leave. "As much as we can carry" Incendio told him. "It should be distributed in four bags... one for each of us" "Very well. Tomorrow morning someone will pick them up" "Elder, with respect... we need to get moving as fast as we can" "When do you plan to leave?" "Tomorrow morning" Spyro finally said with a tingle of sadness on his voice. "As much as we'd like to spend time in this city, we really need to get going" There were a few moment of silence as the Elders digested the information. "Very well" Cyclone conceded. After orders had been given to recollect the flowers the meeting continued. "Well now..." The far Elders called for attention, "we would like to learn about your side of the mountains... as well as how young Spyro ended being raised by dragonflies" Spyro turned to look at his friend, wondering what they should tell them. After some talking, they decided that they should tell them about the recent war and the state of things now. Of course they would ask about the war and they would have to tell them of Malefor, but they decided to omit the knowledge that it was the purple dragons that could have so much power. The fact that Cynder had once being in league with the shadows was decided to also be omitted. If they learned about that, the Elder might do... something. "Our world is vast and with a lot of space" Shockwave started to say. "It is beautiful, full of trees, open and open spaces. Forest as far as the eye can see, hot and scorching deserts where there s not a drop of water. The never ending ocean of water that is so full of life. The winter cold of the north, where there is always snow. The world is vast and dragons were everywhere" "Were? What does that mean?" Ventus asked, hostility forever tingled her voice. "Not long ago, in fact not half a year ago, there was a war. A terrible war" Incendio took over. The Elder perked up at the mention of war. Nimbus, who had been somewhat dozing off, suddenly became very focused. "A war?" Nimbus asked. "Yes" Incendio confirmed. "A war" "But why would dragons be at war?" the far right Elder asked. "Survival" Cynder said in a low voice. The Elders recoiled in surprise. "How did it come to such a thing?" the far right Elder asked in a low tone. "A long, long time ago, when there was peace, there was a young dragon called Malefor" Spyro started to explain as he remembered what he had been told by the Chronicler about the first purple dragon. "His power was far greater that anyone could have ever seen or could imagine. Unlike any other dragon that could master a single element, he could control them all, including other abilities none thought possible. In the beginning he was encouraged and the Elders willingly taught him and told him the secrets of the mastery of the elements. But his power was limitless; it knew no boundary; it consumed everything. He began his path of destruction. When he would not stop he was cast into exile. Within his new fortress in the mountains he built an army, not of dragons, but of apes, who were hungry for the power Malefor had promised them. Malefor fought against his own kind in order to gain control of the world" "Time passed and in his dark seclusion" Spyro continued, "the sheer weight of Malefor's malice cracked the very foundation of the mountain, splitting the earth and creating a pit of despair where the souls of this world could reside. This place is called the Well of Souls. I do not know the details, but his soul was also trapped there. However, he still had power and could influence our world and his army had not abandoned him" "Generations came and went... and Malefor was still trying to get free from his prison" Spyro went on somberly, reaching a part that affected his life. "But then he found a way to get out. Only a dragon born in the year of the dragon could set him free from his prison. Fifteen years ago, in the year of the dragons, he ordered his minions to raid the dragon Temple, where many females had gone to lay their eggs so they could hatch safely. The Guardians and the other dragons tried to save as many of the eggs as they could, but there was not enough time. The Elder Ignitus took and egg... the egg I was in... and placed it in a nearby river so I could be carried away to safety. A family of dragonflies found me and raised me when I hatched. Other eggs were not so lucky. I only know me and Cynder's are the only ones who still alive of the eggs of that raid" The Elders looks with wide eyes at Spyro and Cynder, not believing that the young dragons had been almost killed when they were in their eggs. Spyro guessed that they knew neither war nor how cruel the world could be... and they not knew death by killing. "No matter how hard the dragons fought, the raid was quick and swift. Malefor's raid succeeded and he acquired a dragon egg" Spyro said as he gave a sad look at Cynder. It was she whose egg had been taken. "Upon hatching, Malefor poisoned and corrupted the hatchling with dark energy, and was forced to do his bidding. This corrupted dragon became the greatest general of Malefor. The general brought the dragon armies and his allies to their knees in a few years, things that many others commander could not even do in many years. And with that the slaughter of the dragons began. It was a reign of terror where thousands were killed. In the end, this general was defeated, but not before the release of Malefor three years ago" "The fighting continued until there was only left one last stronghold remaining for dragons. There were few dragons left in the world and things looked bleak. Dragon kind was ready to fall. Me, Cynder, Incendio were forced to fight due to necessity in ordered to defeat this evil. But half a year ago, two very powerful dragons came and began to fight, powerful enough to change the tides of war" Spyro went one, omitting the fact that these two powerful dragons were himself and Cynder. "Malefor, feeling threatened, decided to destroy the world rather than loose. By the time the world was breaking apart, these two dragons confronted and defeated Malefor and were able to heal the world back together. But even after Malefor's defeat, his armies are still roaming the land" After Spyro finished, silence reigned in the chamber for a while. The Elders and Nimbus were digesting the horrible information that they had just been told, while the younger dragons remembered the horrors of the war they had been forced to fight. "That quite a tale" Cumulus said somberly. "Indeed" the far right Elder agreed. "It hard to believe such hardships have befallen you" the far left Elder said. "How many dragons did...?" Nimbus asked from the side, not quite finishing the question. "Too many" Cynder said, her head hanging low as she felt the shame of so many lives killed because of her. "Prior to coming here we were looking for dragons that had managed to survive this war" Spyro told them. "There are few dragons in other cities, and there may be more still hiding. That is why we want to ask you how many dragons live here" Every white dragon turned to look at the far left Elder expectantly. It appeared that he was the one that seemed to know that kind of information. "Hmmm..." he thought. "Well, I believe this valley houses approximately four thousand dragons; most of them living in this city" "Four thousands?" Spyro said while a small smile crept in his face. "Oh yes!" The far left Elder replied with a small smile. "But there are other two thousand that live in other near habitable valleys that we have found" Spyro did the math, but before he could answer, Cynder beat him. "Six thousand?" she asked hopefully, as if the thinking that finding so many dragons could somehow atone for her sins in the past. "More or less" the Elder replied. "We try to keep some kind of record of birth and deaths of every dragon, but it sometimes quite a job" The young dragons looked at each other, joyfully to know that their species were not as near extinction as they knew. "And what about the dragons on your city? How many are there?" Cyclone asked. "Right now it has about three-four hundred dragons, but it once held over ten thousand before the fighting" Incendio told them. "We do not know how many dragons were over the known world before the war; perhaps several thousands. Now, after the terrible war... we are not sure. It could be hundreds or some thousands" The Elders gasped at the number of dragons that once lived outside the mountains, but when they heard how many were alive now after the war, they flinched visibly. Nimbus had his eyes wide open, more than horror of so much death than surprise of the number of dragons that used to live. Silence followed for a minute in respect for those that died in the war. There were a few tears over the young dragons when they remembered someone dear to them that they had lost. The Elders noticed the gleaming tears of sadness that fell down the young dragon's snout, and they knew they knew what they had lost. But they decided to not question them about it, so they went to more cheerful subjects. ***************************++++++++++1+++++++++++++************************ The Elders wanted to learn a lot of things about the outside world. It was quite annoying after a while but Sparx, on the other part, was having a great time as the Elders asked him question after question. The young group left the Elders after a while of further talking. Nimbus was kind enough to invite them to eat at his home for lunch. That was fine by the others since Gale was waiting for them there. They flew slowly toward Gale's home due to Incendio's injuries. Of course the fire dragon insisted he was fine, but they took it slowly. However, it was a short flight to Gale's home. They knocked the door and waited. It was Gale who opened it, and he beamed when he saw them. "Hey!" He exclaimed in greeting. "Hello Gale" Shockwave said. "Your father told us we could eat in his house. Mind if we join you for lunch?" "Not at all! Come in!" Gale invited them as he stepped aside. The group entered into the dining area, where they found Tornada. She seemed to be in very deep thought and she also seemed somewhat distressed. "Miss, are you alright?" Cynder asked. She turned to look at him with a jolt when he surprised her. "What? Yes, yes, I'm fine" she assured them, but Cynder caught the tinge of sadness in her voice. She decided not to question further. They ate lunch, Gale talking all the time and the rest content listening t him. "Hey! How about a tour around the city?" Gale suggested in his usual cheerful manner. "You should see it before you leave" Cynder barely caught that Tornada stiffened when Gale mentioned them leaving. "Sure" Shockwave said. "Great!" Gale exclaimed as he jumped from the cushion where he sat. "I'll show you the waterfall and the aqueduct. Then the market and the dragon smiths! Then the caves! There is so much to show you! This is going to be awesome!" The young group followed the energetic white dragon as he went toward the door. Tornada followed them to see them off. They stepped of the house and prepared to fly. "Son..." Tornada called for him as she approached Gale. "Be careful, all right?" she troued with a claw the crystal of Gale's goggles. "And don't cause any trouble" "Sure mom!" he promised."Come on! There is much to see!" Gale urged the rest as he loweded his goggles to fly. The group explored the city in the afternoon. They saw exactly what Gale had told them they would. The nice cavern full of sparkling crystals that made nice colors of light. The waterfall and the aqueduct system that the system had. They decided to follow the aqueduct from the origin, that0s where Incendio fell out of the water hole, to the river where the water not used was gone. They also went to the market. The nearby open space was full of stalls were dragons offered their products. Cynder spend a lot of time looking at all the strange things that was being sold in the market. From jewels and gems to strange things she knew what they were. It was quite nice to see people moving about in their lives. However, the group of young dragons were very out of place and attracted a lot of eyes. "How do you manage to make all of this stuff?" Incendio asked with curiosity. "I mean, we do not exactly have paws to handle delicately" "The Dragon Smiths are the one who do many of these things" Gale explained. "Their ability to do things that requires a lot of delicacy is very difficult to master. They are quite revered here around here for their hard work. If not for them, we would not have a lot of the things we have, like my goggles" he indicated ha he tapped the crystal in his head. "Can we see how they work?" Spyro asked, intrigued. "Of course! There is a nearby building where they get together to work and refine their skills" They started to walk toward their destination, but a large group of white dragons stepped in front of Gale and blocking his path. "Well well well; isn't it Gale; the son of the Captain of the Honor Guard" the one in front said. He was flanked by bigger dragons. Gale gave a low hiss in displeasure. "Gust" Gale said in a cold yet frightened voice. "What a pleasant surprise is to find you here" Gust said with a smirk on his face. "I can't say the same" Gale answered coldly. "Love to say and chat, but we have to go" "What? Leaving so soon?" The dragon named Gust looked behind Gale and saw the strange colored dragons with a rise eyebrow. "Somehow I am not surprised that you hang out with these dragons Gale. After all, you are such a strange dragon yourself" "Gale, who are they?" Cynder whispered in his ear. "He is Gust" Gale explained back in a whisper. "He is a member of a local gang that causes trouble in the city. Taking what they want without regard for others" He then turned to Gust. "What do you want?" Gale asked rudely. "I want to know the answer Gale" "I already told you no. I will not join your gang, so get lost Gust" "Come on Gale... be a nice chap" "No" Gale gave the simple answer. Gust looked to one of his companion and gave a slight nod. The bulky dragon took a step forward and Gale, suddenly afraid, scampered back away from the dragon. However, the big dragon managed to grab the goggles from Gale's forehead and they slipped free when he yanked them. "Hey, give them back!" Gale protested. "No... I think I'll keep them" Gust said as he received the goggles from his lackey. "Hmmm... you sure have some strange things Gale. I do not know why you bought this thing from the Smiths. "It's mine!" Gale shouted. The noise they were making was starting to get the attention of several dragon that passed by. As for Cynder and group, they were getting increasingly angry about the situation. "Give it back!" Gale shouted. "Or what?" Gust challenged. "You'll fight me? I would beat you in two seconds. You hardly have the guts Gale, much less the ability to do so since you have not developed yet the ability to use your powers. Just look at you... the son of one of the most powerful dragon in the city is nothing but a weakling" Immediately, Gale looked downward as his eyes started to moisten. Cynder guessed that Gust had hit a tender nerve on Gale. It must hurt him deeply that he could not control his element... being the son of a powerful wielder. "Now, will you consider your response to my request?" Gust continued. Gale tried to reach his goggles once more from Gust, but one of the larger and older dragons got in the way and shoved him away. Gale fell backward on the floor. "Gale Gale... you disappoint me" Gust sighed as he played with Gale's goggles in his paws. "Will you reconsider my offer?" Gale remained quiet as he looked with anger at them. "So be it" Gust said as he nodded once again to one of his lackey. Cynder had enough. Before the bulky dragon that was certainly bigger than her could touch Gale, she pushed backward the approaching dragon. "That's enough!" she declared. "Leave him alone" "This does not concern you" Gust said angrily at being interrupted. "I believe it does" Cynder replied as he put herself in front of Gale. "If you know what is best for you, you'll leave... freak" Gust snarled at her. "Ooohhhh... he shouldn't have said that" Sparx whispered. "Psycho-she-evil-dragoness is surely to kick his ass" Sparx predicted as he gave a slight tremble as he imagined what Cynder would do. "Now move!" Gust ordered Cynder, but she remained unmoved. "Cynder" Gale said behind her as he stood up. "You shouldn't do this. It's not your problem" "If a friend of mine has a problem, then it is my problem" she declared. Using her incredible speed and agility, she jumped in front of Gust. The white dragon managed to get out a squawked in surprise before Cynder yanked Gale's goggles from his claws. After that, she jumped back once again before Gust could do anything else. "Here" she said as she gave him his goggles. After he took them hesitantly, she continued. "Come on Gale. Let's get out of here" Gale and Cynder turned away from Gust and started to move away. "Where do you think you are going?" Gust asked angrily. He felt shame from the way he had been surprised by Cynder and by giving that frightened squawk. "Away from you" Cynder replied without looking back. However, Cynder did not expect what happened next. With an angry snarl, Gust rushed at her with the intent of tackling her. She heard his sudden movement and tried to turn back. She heard a yelp of pain before she completely turned. When she did, she saw Incendio shaking slowly his head and looking down upon Gust. "That was not an appropriate conduct at all" he admonished. "Attack from behind without the provocation. If you want to fight, then it would be better to say so" Gust growled at him before standing up. "How dare you?" he snarled. The group behind Gust started to line up, ready to attack. Cynder, seeing that this would end in violence, turned to look at Gale. "Stay out of this" she advice him. "It will get ugly" She left the wide eyed white dragon before she joined Incendio. Spyro positioned himself next to her and Shockwave next to Incendio. "Cynder, if it comes to blows, try using only one element" Spyro advice. "We do not..." "I know" Cynder cut him off. She then turned to Gust. "You'd better leave Gust. We would rather not fight" "Of course you wouldn't" he snickered. "We are twelve and you are five. Correction... four, since Gale will not and cannot fight" "It would be best for you if you just left. Otherwise, you'll end up injured" Incendio warned him. Apparently that did it. "What is best for us? HA! You are the ones that will end up dead. Get them!" The rest of the group rushed forward with the intent of beating the crap out of the fire dragon. But before the group managed to get to Incendio, Spyro and Shockwave formed up in front of him, protecting him. Cynder jumped sideways as her rival charged trough. She slapped him with her flat end of her tail blade in his head. Before she could look back to face him, she had to evade another dragon that was coming at her. She rolled away before facing him. Using the previous tactic, he rushed head first again. This time, Cynder jumped and just as he passed underneath, she landed atop him, making him fall to the ground with her weight. She used her sharp claws and tail blade to vrate large and deep cut upon his flank, which made him howl in pain. Incendio had exhaled a large tongue of flame at the dragon directly in front of him. The poor one tried to evade, but he was caught in the hind leg. With a heavily burnt leg, he was out of the fight immediately. Incendio then evaded another attacking opponent. Shockwave evaded the incoming target. The second was coming next, but he managed to deliver a vicious blow with his paw to the head that threw the white dragon off balance. Spyro used his ice breath and managed to freeze the ground in a thin layer of ice. Some dragon's fell in the slippery surface. That gave him ample time to freeze one dragon's paws to the ground. The first attack was completely thrown off. With the one with the charred leg and the one bleeding from Cynder ruthless sharp claws, the remaining dragons had to rethink their strategy. Furthermore, the strange colored dragons used elemental attacks never seen before. The group of white dragons completely surrounded the small group. The viewers in the market started to run away or watch in interest the fight. Whatever was the case, there was now ample space so they could fight properly. "Use your wind" Gust shouted. All ten white dragons took a deep breath before exhaling their elements. And amazing whirlwind of powerful and strong winds made its way toward Cynder and group. Shockwave and Incendio took flight immediately to escape the vicious wind. As they did so, Shockwave managed to sap one random enemy with his electricity breath while Incendio threw a fireball that made two of them quit using their elements and escape the explosion. Spyro managed to create himself with a thick ice wall that surrounded him on all sides with his ice breath, while Cynder used her shadow powers. She sunk into the shadow a building was making and she was able to evade the attack unharmed. Furthermore, she made her way to one victim that seemed very confused about her sudden disappearance. She went under him and rose up, throwing the surprise dragon three meters into the air. She jumped after him and grabbed him. She slapped him several times in the head before using his body as a cushion to soften her fall. One dragon jumped after Shockwave as he attempted to fly the whirlwind. he surprised Shockwave and managed to bring him down. Once they were groundside, the white dragon positioned himself over him and started to throw blow after blow. Shockwave was starting to yield under the blows and knew that he would not last long. He created a sphere of electricity around him, electrocuting and momentarily paralyzing his foe long enough to deliver a slap to the head to get him unconscious. Spyro rushed into a pair of dragons, who were surprised by his rash action. That gave him opportunity to exhale his ice breath on one of them. It was enough to cover him completely on ice that only his head remained outside of the cold ice. As for the other one, upon looking at what happened to his friend, decided that this was too much for him and ran away. Cynder attacked a nearby dragon with her shadow breath. It was still a mystery to her how her shadow caused pain, but it did to the unfortunate victim. He screamed in pain as his scales seemed to burn with the thick dark mist. Incendio, who was still in the air, decided to head dive into one of them with a comet dash. The unfortunate victim never knew what hit him as several ribs broke under the reassure. It appeared that with most of the white dragons out of commission, the fight appeared that it would be over soon. However, there was one left that Cynder and group had missed. Gust had managed to escape all the attack the colored dragons threw. With his enemies looking elsewhere, he took the opportunity to take the dammed black dragoness that had caused this in the first place. He stalked the unsuspecting black dragoness as he finished another of his minions. He extended his claws to the fullest and barred his teeth, intent on ripping out the throat of the female. He was near her and he was already savoring her blood running through his tongue. "NO!" someone shouted. Someone tackle him away from Cynder. They brawled for a few moments before he managed to end atop whoever had dared to interrupt him. "You again?" Gust snarled and a frightened Gale. "You started all this. You are more trouble that you are worth and I think I'll just kill you" And he reared his head to bite his throat. Spyro heard the shout and turned in time to see Gale tackle Gust, who was sneaking into the unsuspecting Cynder. After a brief struggle, Gust ended atop Gale. Spyro saw in his eyes that he planned on killing Gale. Just as he reared his head back to deliver the killing blow, Spyro shot an ice shard from his mouth. The shard flew straight and true, and imbedded itself on Gusts side. Stopping in surprise when he felt something hit him, Gust turned to see an Ice shard sticking out from his side. Immediately after he saw it, he started to weaken and fell to the floor. Cynder turned in time to see Spyro's shard hit Gust and lodge there. Once he fell, Cynder made her way over him. "Who are you?" Gust gasped between the spasms of pain. "No one you should care about" she answered coldly. Cynder looked around her. The fight was over. Many of the white dragons were unconscious or moaning in pain at the punishment they had suffered. For her side of the battle, only Shockwave seemed to have been received some injuries. He was being denying help from Incendio while he stood up, but he would be okay. The only one in real danger of dying was Gust and the one that received Incendio's comet dash from above. "You" she pointed at a dragon from the crowd at random. "Go and get a healer fast" she ordered. The female white dragon seemed to hesitate for a moment, unsure is she was the one she had been told. After a few moments, she made her mind. She trued and started to run to get the healer. Cynder turned to look at Gale, who was looking on his back on the ground. He looked as if he was on the verge of shock. "Gale, are you all right?" Cynder asked kindly. "He wanted to kill me" he said in a low voice. "He was crazy Gale" Cynder tried to calm him down." He can't hurt you now" "I... I fought" "Yes Gale, you did" Spyro said as he approached. "I saw how you threw yourself at Gust when he was sneaking behind Cynder" "I just wanted to.... I didn't want her to get hurt" he said in a low voice. "I thank you for that" Cynder said as he tried to help him get back on his feet. "I can't believe that I was so reckless" Gale said in a low voice. Just then, three members of the honor guard made his way through the crowd that mad congregated to see the fight. They looked quite shocked themselves upon seeing the carnage. "You must come with me" one of them finally said. Just before Cynder and group left, Gale picked his goggles from the ground. ***************************++++++++++1+++++++++++++************************ The group was once again led to the building where they had met the Elders. Contrary to where they had met earlier, they stood in the huge room where the statue of Aereo was. Nimbus, like always, was where the Elders were. Spyro, once again upon being in the presence of the statue, felt that that strange tingling upon his scales. It was the third time he had felt it, so it was no coincidence that something must be off; but he just couldn't place his paw on what it was. And like every time he passed, he felt captivated by the eyes that always seemed to lock with his. He snapped back to attention as he saw the Elders turn to look at the group with displease looks. It appeared that someone had gone ahead of the group and told the Elders of what had transpired. "You had to make a lot of trouble young ones" Cyclone sighed as they were near. "Going out and starting a fight is not a good way to make a good impression" "It wasn't our fault" Shockwave protested immediately. "Beating some young dragons and two of them getting quite injured is something serious" Ventus said coldly. "Like if we do not know" Shockwave replied sarcastically. "We told them to quit harassing us but they persisted. We did warn them that they would get injured when things were starting to get hot. They did not hear us and we were forced to defend ourselves. We were not trying to kill them, just make them stop fighting" "He is right Captain" one of the Guards said. "I was there from the beginning. These young ones fight like veterans! They twelve members of the gang did not even touch them! I saw that these young ones know what they were doing. They could have killed them quite easily!" "Twelve gang members?" Nimbus asked surprised at the number. "Yes Captain. These four young dragons completely beat them without help. Your own son only got involved when one of the gang members was sneaking behind the female" "Gale? He fought?" Nimbus said quite astonished as he looked down at his son. Gale did not lift his gaze to meet his father's. "What happened son?" Nimbus asked quite concerned about Gale. It took some time to get the whole story out of Gale since he was still overwhelmed by what had just happened. After everything had been said by the young dragons; and even with the help of the guard that had witnessed the fight, things seemed to calm down with the Elders. "They cannot be held responsible for defending themselves" Cumulus said after the tale had been finished. "True, there were serious wounded, but these young dragons were defending themselves" "You might be right Cumulus" Cyclone sighed. "But I would prefer that they do not go out into the city today. It would could cause a lot of trouble" "Of course" Cumulus replied. The Elders continued talking about things that were hardly any concern for Spyro and group. That is why Spyro gave a quick look back at the statue of Aereo. He studied the statue once more, trying to catch a glimpse of anything that would explain his feelings. The statue of the sitting dragon was regal and imposing. The armor showed some battle scars that Aereo must have suffered before being eternalized in the statue. The eyes were deep and calculating, showing an immense sadness, yet a resolve that only death would stop him. "You will be glad to hear that the dragons that went to collect the flowers have already returned" Cyclone interrupted his examination as he heard the news. "They brought quite a lot of Aereo's Flowers; possibly quite enough to heal all your friend that are sick" "That is good to hear" Spyro replied."Then we would like to depart tomorrow at before the sun rises" Gale turned sharply to look at him with wide and hurtful eyes. "Is there any safe pass we can use to head north?" Incendio asked. "There is a small pass that leads to a valley north of here" Cumulus explained. "However, it is inhabited due to being too cold for having substantial vegetation and wild live. Besides... it is a dead end that way. However, almost everywhere is, so I guess that would be your best bet if you want to go north" "That will do" Cynder assured him "We want to spend as less as we can in the high parts of the mountains" Spyro nodded before turning to look back at the statue of Aereo. "Spyro!" Cynder called. "Yes? What is it?" Spyro turned to look at her. "Is there something wrong?" she asked. This caught the attention of everyone near them. "No!! Why do you ask?" "Because you have been looking at the statue every few minutes" she told him. "And I know you when something is troubling you" Of course she would know. Cynder had the uncanny ability to sense when there was something troubling him and she almost knew what the source of it was. "You are right; as usual Cynder" he confessed. "It just that..." he turned to look at the statue. "I don't know. I feel this weird tingling sensation whenever I am near this statue" "Why do you thing that is?" Cynder asked. "I don't know" Spyro said as he stood up and approached the base of the statue. As he got closer, he feeling started to increase to the point that he started to itch. "Whatever it is, the closer I get, the stronger I feel it" "I do not know what you feel, young Spyro" Cyclone said, "but none of us have experienced it and we have been here for many years of our lives" Spyro didn't answer to that comment. Instead, he started to examine the statue once more, trying to find and pay attention to even the smallest of detail. Eventually, he found it. "Cynder... look!" Spyro told her urgently. "What? What is it?" she asked, confused. The rest of the group looked at them quite intently. "The crystal in his paws!" "There aren't any crystals?" Cynder pointed out. "The things he is holding represents a crystal" Spyro explained. "Okay... what about it?" "It's like the crystal we found after Malefor's defeat! Like the crystal Shockwave has!" "What?" Cynder nearly yelled her surprise. "Like my crystal?" Shockwave questioned as he took out the yellow crystal he possess. He started to compare his crystal to that one of the statue. "You are right! It is the same" "What are you talking about?" Cyclone asked quite confused about the situation. Spyro turned to look at the old dragon. "During out travels, we encountered a very fine crystal in some sort of temple" Spyro explained. "In form and relative size, it looks exactly like the one we found" he told them as he pulled out the transparent crystal he had found so long ago. "What I do not understand is..." He stopped talking when he saw that the transparent crystal had started to. Spyro reared his head back in surprise without letting go the crystal in his paw. Then, a loud and constant rumble was heard. "What is happening?" Spyro heard one Elder asked, panic clearly in his voice. "The statue! LOOK!" Spyro heard one dragon guard exclaim. . Suddenly, without anyone expecting it, the statues eyes started to glow with the same type of light that the crystal emitted. "What is happening?" Nimbus shouted. Then, without anyone expecting it, the pedestal in with the dragon statue was placed started to rise. It moved slowly, pushing its way upward. Dust started to fall from the ceiling of the room and the rumble intensified. Everyone but Spyro and Cynder retreated in surprise at what they were seeing. All heads looked at the statue rose until it nearly reached the roof of the room. And then, it stopped. The rumble stopped and the blow of both the statues eyes and Spyro's crystal ceased. Silence fell like a stone; everybody was looking awed and scared at what had just happened. The Elders in particular were too much surprised to move a muscle. They must have passed this statue a thousand times, and they never saw anything like it. "Look!" Gale suddenly exclaimed as he pointed at the section that had jutted from the ground underneath the pedestal of the statue. Several gasp of surprise escaped many mouth as the saw what had must have been beneath the statue for many millennia. A full and complete armor of a dragon. But unlike the ceremonial armor the Honor Guard bore, this set was battle armor. A clear indication of that assumption was that it covered a lot more part of the body of the dragon and it had many battle scars. Someone must have used it a long time ago. But in front of the battle armor was a small pedestal. In it laid a white crystal with a very familiar size and shape. "By... by Aereo!" Cyclone whisper sounded loud enough that everyone heard it. The old dragon slowly approached what had been uncovered. He stopped by Spyro and Cynder side as he took in everything. "I can't believe it!" he exclaimed as he looked at the armor and then at the statue above them and back at the armor. "This must be the ancient armor of Aereo himself!" Immediately after he pronounced that, conversation between the many dragons that were in the room erupted while Spyro looked at both statue and armor. Cyclone was right! The designs in the armor and those of the statue were the same! Cyclone once again moved forward until he stopped just in front of the armor. Tentatively, he stretched a paw as if he was afraid that touching the armor would make it disappear. However, when the actually touched the armor with a claw, a small clink was heard, proving that the armor was real. Cyclone started to chuckle to himself in his disbelief at what he was seeing. Then, he looked at where the white crystal lay. As he did with the armor, he touched it with a carful paw, making sure that the crystal was also real, and it very much was. Slowly, Cyclone grabbed the crystal around his paw and lifted it. When nothing happened, he let out a sigh in relief and made his way back to them. When he retreated, other dragon took his place to admire the armor that stood in front of them "Spyro... how...?" Cyclone had trouble speaking. "I don't know" he answered what Cylone had wanted to ask. "I guess my crystal must have somehow activated the statue and allowed it to rise" Cyclone nodded dumbly as he started to admire the white crystal in his claws. "Can I look at it?" Ventus asked without his hostility he always showed. Cyclone passed the white crystal to Ventus. As Spyro's eyes followed the crystal as it made his way around the Elders, he could not help but remember the dream had had so long ago, the one where he saw the crystals. In his dream there were seven crystals floating high above him. Six of them had color: red, blue, green, yellow, white and black. Above these six crystals laid the seventh and last crystal: the transparent one. 'Now we have found three crystals: the transparent, the yellow and the_white' Spyro thought. _'Does that mean that the other four also exist? And if they do... where are they? And what is the purpose of these crystal?' "Can I see it Elder? Nimbus asked the last Elder that had acquired the crystal. Almost reluctantly, the Elder passed the crystal to the Captain of the Honor Guard. Once he had it, Nimbus closely examined it with a critical eye. "It is truly the work of a master" he commented as he examined it. "But what is it purpose?" he questioned as he looked at Spyro. "I don't know" he answered truthfully as he shrugged his wings and looked at the transparent crystal that he still held. "Dad, can I see it too?" Gale asked from his father's side. Nimbus looked at the Elders for approval. When they nodded, Nimbus turned to his son. "All right; by be very careful with it Gale" his father warned him. But no one expected what happened next. "Whoa!" Gale exclaimed as the crystal started to emit a white glow once he had it. Those near Gale opened their eyes wide in surprise when it happened as they took a step back. The light attracted everyone else's attention. Everyone started to look around them, thinking that something as unexpected as the statue would happen; but nothing did. The glow faded and no strange an unexpected things rose from the ground. "Spyro... what was that?" Cyclone asked. "I'm... I'm not sure" Spyro answered as he put away his transparent crystal. "But I believe that Gale is meant to have this crystal" "What do you mean?" Cyclone continued as he took the crystal from Gale. "The way the crystal reacted to Gale makes me think that Gale has something the others do not" Spyro explained. "But as to what it is... I do not know" Gale looked at his father as if he had been caught doing something he mustn't. Yet there they were also fearful of what might come his way. Cyclone examined once again the crystal that he held. He concentrated and Spyro guessed he was trying to make it glow like it did moment ago. However, not the faintest of glow appeared. "Very well" Cyclone sighed as he handed back the crystal to Gale. "You seem to know more than we do in this matter; and I truest to your judgment" "What? Are you serious that we will give this crystal, a very important part of our history, to this child?" Ventus vented his anger. "I do" Cyclone answered. "Spyro seems to know a lot more in this matter, although he still have a lot to learn. But I trust his judgment. After all, he made appear the armor and the crystal in front of us" ***************************++++++++++1+++++++++++++************************ Even thought the Elders asked for the secret to be kept of the strange appearance f the armor, the secret was leaked and it traveled across the city. Almost everyone by nightfall had already heard the news that the ancient armor of Aereo had been found. Many dragons immediately went to the Main Building after they heard the news, in order to see it with their own eyes. Fortunately, Spyro and group had left before the first of the eager dragons arrived. The group had gone to Gale's home since they were told not to lay low and not cause any more trouble. However, the group had already received four bags filled with flowers they had come looking for. They had also received a small pouch full of seeds of said flowers 'In hopes that it could be cultivated' like Cyclone had said. They had already said their goodbyes to the Elders, so they would not have to meet the Elders once again tomorrow. They would just have breakfast and leave. However, the Elders have promised that someone would escort them to the northern passage where they would exit this valley and into the mountains. The group once again was to sleep in Gale's home. As the night came the dragons started to go to their respective rooms so as to have an early start. However, only the two remained awake. "I need to speak with you" Tornada said in a low voice as everyone left for their rooms. "What is it dear?" Nimbus asked with concern in his voice. "It's about Gale? He came today before lunch quite depressed. He told me that Spyro, Cynder, Shockwave and Incendio would be leaving tomorrow" "Indeed they are. So, what is the problem?" "He was very depressed and he was not his normal self. He told me he would like to go with them" "What?" Nimbus asked in surprise. "Why would he do that? He barely knows them!" "I know, but they had made a deep impression in him. He hardly spoke when he was here before lunch, but when our guests arrived to eat, his mood lifted entirely" "He can't leave!" Nimbus said quite adamantly as he understood where this conversation was going. "It's too dangerous to go into the mountains; and even if they made it out of them, it also too dangerous where they live from what Spyro told me. In here... he is safe" "But now that he had trouble with the gang... is he safe in here too?" Tornada said fearfully. "We will protect him" Nimbus said confidently. "We hardly have the time to look out after him with our duties, my love; we cannot protect him all the time" "What about his..." he trailed off as he understood what her mate was trying to say. "Precisely! He doesn't have any friend. He had always been shunned and pushed away when he tries. But when Spyro, Cynder, Shockwave and Incendio got here..." "He has finally found the friends he so desperately wanted... true friends" Nimbus finished what she was saying. "But allowed him to leave?" Nimbus said once again, not convinced. "We can't keep him penned up forever. You know how much he likes to be outside in the mountains" Tornada said. Nimbus looked down at his paws as he thought this over. His eyes shifted from one toe to the next as he thought about his son's future. "He has no one here expect for us and we never really have been there for him" Tornada went on further as tears started to fall from his eyes. "It is time to set him free" "My dear..." Nimbus choked as he embraced his mate with his wings as he too started to cry. ***************************++++++++++1+++++++++++++************************ Author's notes: Damn... that was long. As you can see, they have now the flowers, Incendio's tale is told, they beat the crap out of some teenagers and they had discovered some very important part of this city history. AND once again, these mysterious crystals appear in this story. Just one question... what is their purpose? Well, there is it. Hope you liked it. Any comment is appreciated.