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Well, it's been a while but I'm still writing, don't worry! There will be at least 25 chapters and this is only number 16. I apologize, but 17 may have to wait like this one did while I study to pass my final final (my average right now is in the 80's-90's tho so I'm not terribly worried).

GOOD NEWS (as hinted by my new avatar): I received A New Beginning as an end-of-semester gift...CHA-CHING!! I LOVE IT!!! Only bad sides: terribly short--took me only 8 hours and 30 minutes to beat it (though I won't hesitate to play again), and there wasn't a whole ton of enemy diversity. But now I can write a bit better and more true to the game because of it. And I now have a visual reference from which to sketch, so I might, depending on time, do a few scenes from this story (and from Yiff Dragon's too since it's based on ANB)

If you're under 18, you're not old enough for this club, so get out and find something else to do until you can join.

Chapter 16 -- Two Down...But It's Far From Over

"Oh boy..."

"Yeah...that's...kind of a kink in the plan."

"Ya THINK?! How many are there?"

"At first glance I estimate at least two thousand."

"Oh, is that it?"

"That's the spirit, enthusiasm is good in the face of danger."

"Who said I was enthusiastic?"

Spyro and Solar were perched on a clifftop, overlooking the valley below and whispering to each other as they surveyed the enemy forces below. Cynder was back at the temple, awaiting their return. On the way back from the fire portal she'd fallen ill, but thanks to a day of Solar's patient healing and Spyro's loving care, she was well on her way to full health. Now the two males were spying on a potential threat that was moving south from the mountainous regions.

"Can we take that many?" Spyro asked, his pupils contracted in fright as he looked over the terrifying number of enemies below.

"With Cynder helping, there's a small, tiny chance, but we can't really take it, and it'd be best to strike as soon as possible. With her sick and all, that's not helping our chances."

"I thought Volteer said he and the other elders would be helping as well?"

"Even with their help, four out-of-condition elder dragons and us three younger ones...that's only seven to...two, maybe five thousand."

Spyro turned away and fell onto his back; he didn't want to do this. Solar rolled his eyes and put Spyro back on his feet.

"The Dark Master will hit us with far more if we don't find a way to cripple this current wave."

Spyro shook his head. "I don't want to do this..."

"Hey, it's either we injure their supplies and plans now or get swamped later."

Spyro hesitated, taking another look at the valley below. "Okay...you win...but what do we do?"

Solar took Spyro by the shoulder and pointed far off to the other side of the encampment. "That's where their supplies come from. Last night I overheard the guards speaking of a shipment of vital supplies coming. If we destroy that shipment, or disable whatever's in it, they'll need to pull out and we'll have enough time to grab the last crystal. They need that shipment in order to progress further south, so I'm assuming it's food and water."

Spyro nodded and swallowed nervously.

"We need to get down from here and sneak around the camp and get to that supply caravan."

"But how?"

"First thing's first, we get around the camp. That's gonna be the hardest part so far." Spyro knew that all to well as he glanced back down at the vast encampment. Trolls, apes, shadows, and armored mushroom creatures and scorpions were sharpening weapons and sparring with each other. Spyro shuddered as he watched a troll smith hammer an ugly black weapon that looked like a sword and a staff combined. He certainly didn't want to be in the way of that thing...

As the sun set and the side of the cliff became swathed in shadow, the two dragons crept carefully along, keeping very low and silent. Spyro tried his hardest not to make a sound, putting his trust in Solar's military skills to get them through. Solar glared at him as Spyro's foot accidentally sent a rock crashing down, making Spyro feel like more of a burden and that he shouldn't be there. He wanted to be back with Cynder...already he missed her bright emerald eyes...and that sweet kiss she so loved to give him...Feeling himself slow down, Spyro shook his head and focused on the current job.

By nightfall they had made it to the far edge, only seen once by eyes that, five seconds later, were frozen solid and shattered. The two dragons hid behind a large boulder to rest and observe.

"Okay, Spyro, you're smaller, darker, and less noticeable at night," Solar whispered, "so when activity dies down I need you to creep in near that outpost and see if you can get any information." Solar was indicating a guard post not too far away. Spyro nodded nervously; if he or Solar was caught, the entire camp would be on them. They waited for what seemed like an age and a half before the last few fires were put out and the noise went down to the sounds of cleaning and preparing weapons and supplies. At a silent signal from Solar, Spyro crept forward like a snake along the ground, his eyes darting around nervously as every nighttime shadow from grass or stone caught his eye. He made it to the outpost and curled up as tight as he could in the shadow of the crude hut, desperately hoping these things wouldn't see him. He could easily torch them, but he didn't want the entire camp raining down on him.

He returned to Solar fifteen minutes later, shaking his head. "They weren't talking much, and all but one left."

Solar growled, thinking. "Did they happen to say where the supplies are coming from?"

"Further up the trail but I heard something about a blockage..."

"Blockage?" Solar asked, looking up the beaten, desecrated trail. "I've only seen them use that path..." He closed his eyes, his mind whirling rapidly. Normally he could come up with a full-fledged strategy and several fallbacks within a minute, but for some reason his mind wasn't working as it used to. He grunted in frustration, Spyro watching him anxiously. "Okay, here's the deal. They only use this trail from what I've seen, and it's the only one that seems capable of allowing mass transport. We need to sneak up the ridge along the trail and see if we can find out more. It'll give us better cover than this boulder."

Spyro gulped but nodded. Why was he so nervous? He'd been through tougher things than this...his thoughts went back to Cynder...

"Spyro!" Solar hissed. "Come on already!" Solar was already walking away, and Spyro groaned to himself and followed. The white dragon felt the air briefly, and took a sideways direction and gradually curved up the hillside to the tall rock outcrops higher up. Spyro had no intention of questioning him about these moves; he just wanted to get the hell outta there and get some distance from the huge swarm.

Morning dawned and Spyro rubbed his eyes sleepily as the first rays poked through his eyelids. Solar was perched low to the ground, watching the enemy below from their rocky vantage point. Spyro stretched and crawled over to the edge, peering down slowly.

"They're talking about the shipment," Solar whispered, not taking his eyes off them. "C'mon you idiots, give me info! Say something useful!" He groaned and closed his eyes as the two guard-trolls below slugged each other over some comment that Spyro missed. "I tire of this..."

"Should I go scout out something?" Spyro asked, trying to be helpful, but Solar shook his head.

"I'd rather watch you die if something happens than forever guess where you are if you get lost." Spyro nodded, a bit taken aback by Solar's tone, but he understood where Solar was coming from with the remark. "If you're looking for something to do, there's not much until those...things..." Solar paused as he restrained an angered comment, "those idiots down there actually decide to unwittingly spill the beans from their worthless mouths."

Spyro was a bit nervous around Solar...he was really on edge recently. And Spyro didn't even want to think about fighting Solar if the chance reared its ugly head...Spyro kept silent, not wanting to add to the stress. Even though he was with Solar, he felt...alone, almost as if the Solar he knew wasn't really there anymore.

The white dragon continued watching, and Spyro suddenly noticed him tense up a bit and pay closer attention. After a while he rolled back away fron the edge.

"Okay, we gotta make this quick," Solar said, ushering Spyro further away from the edge so they wouldn't be heard. "The supplies are almost here, we need to bombard them before they reach this checkpoint. I trust you know how to shoot fireballs while airborne?"

"Uuuh...yeah..."

Wasting no time, Solar led Spyro along the ridge of the mountain trail until they were well out of earshot of the camp or the guards.

"Okay, on my mark, you fly towards the carrier and blast it when you see me do so. If neccessary, we engage in ground combat. Got it?"

"I think so..."

"Don't be nervous...you're Spyro. You've been through worse."

"Yeah, but..." Spyro looked down.

"Aaaaahhh...it's about Cynder, isn't it?" Solar asked, softening. Spyro nodded.

"I don't know why but...I just..." He sighed. "I can't bring myself to think of..."

"Leaving her?" Spyro nodded, still not looking up. Solar sat down in front of Spyro. "I've been in your situation quite a few times, Spyro. When Flare and I fell in love, I couldn't stand being away from her and I was always scared of being swallowed up in combat. But just do your best. You've got a prophecy behind you, I don't. Besides, if you fall in battle, you've got quite a legacy for her to remember you by."

"But I don't...I don't want her to be alone."

"Spyro, that's in the mind of every mated dragon soldier. Not to bring your hopes down further, but you don't have much of a choice right now. It's either save her now, or possibly lose her and yourself later."

"Not much of a comfort..."

"Sorry, but I can't think of anything else to say. Just do your best and you'll pull through to see her." He stared at Spyro for a moment before adding, "I can feel an incredibly strong bond between you two...it seems strong enough to almost be a protective force. Love works in mysterious ways, Spyro...I don't think it plans to give you up to the darkness as easily as you fear."

"Thanks, Solar," Spyro said, looking up with a small smile. He sighed, letting his fear go and determination set in. "Well, what say we teach these slobs a lesson?"

"I say school's in session and they're late for class," Solar replied with a grin. He motioned for Spyro to remain where he was, and Spyro nodded and hunkered down, keeping watch over the trail as Solar quickly crawled further up the ridge. Their timing couldn't have been better; fairly soon Spyro heard the sound of a massive caravan trundling down the path. He watched as five gigantic, overloaded wooden wagons slowly rolled down the path, pulled by huge, disfigured shadows. Just before they reached Spyro's point, Spyro watched Solar quickly dart in and blast the guards with ice, taking half of them by surprise. Spyro then took the opportunity and blasted them with a powerful lightning bolt as they all turned to fire at Solar. As Spyro raced by the middle wagon, he saw a strange, ominous contraption strapped to it. It looked like some gigantic robotic weapon, but he didn't get a good look at it as he spun to avoid a hail of rocks from catapults on the corners of the wagons. As he and Solar raced around the caravan, blasting the wagons and trolls and shadows every which way, Spyro lit the front and back wagons on fire.

As Spyro flew up and took aim with an earth blast, small rocks fell from above and hit him. He looked up, and with a scream he plummeted and threw Solar out of the way as a gigantic boulder came crashing down right onto the middle wagon. The metallic object instantly exploded in a vicious wave that decimated the caravan and its guards and warriors, throwing Solar and Spyro into an uncontrollable aerial tumble. As he spun helplessly through the air, Spyro's thoughts instantly flew back to Cynder...

* * * *

Cynder lay in the huge bed, her head dully throbbing as it faintly smoldered. She was so worried about Spyro, her sickness was beginning to return again. What if he never came back? How would she live without him? She thought back to when he'd rescued her and brought her back here...way back then, she'd kinda liked him as a friend, but the corruption in her had always gotten in her way. As their life together as friends had progressed, though, that darkness had slowly worn away...and now she loved Spyro with every fiber of her being, all because he'd done so much for her and helped her out of her life of shadow and into the light of life...

She opened her eyes and groaned as she heard Ignitus enter the room.

"Feeling any better, Cynder?"

"Not really," she said. A thought was on her mind, but she was a bit embarrassed to ask. She glanced at the gold and silver bracelet on her wrist...the question was burning on her, though, and she coughed and cleared her throat. "Ignitus...uuuuhhh...you know about...Spyro and me?"

"If you're referring to what I think you are, yes," he said with a caring but amused smile. "It was only a matter of time."

"Uuummm..." She lowered her voice as she looked down. "This is awkward..."

"Just say it, Cynder. If it bothers you so much, don't keep it contained or it could hurt you later on."

She sighed nervously. "A-Am I...am I carrying children?" she asked, going a bit red. "I mean, I kinda want to, but...well..."

Ignitus chuckled. "I already told this to Spyro before he left, because he was worried about the same thing..." Cynder knew Ignitus was about to give some background before he told her what he told Spyro, and she sat forward to listen. "Long ago, survival was the most important thing to dragons, and like you and Spyro, they paired up young. Because survival was an issue, dragons were able to mate young so they had a chance of keeping the line going." Cynder felt a bit self-conscious about this story but figured she'd hear it sooner or later. "I know, it's a bit embarrassing to hear...but as the ages went on and peace came to the world, dragons were able to slow down and enjoy life, and as a result, mating often happened later." Cynder shifted on the bed, and Ignitus sighed. "I know it's uncomfortable to hear but there's really no other way to explain it..."

"I understand, but what does this have to do with Spyro and me?"

"What I'm getting at here, is that even though you're...matured...your body still has some time before you can consider children. You're still a bit too young...it's an evolutionary thing that hasn't smoothed out yet, dragons ready young but unable to continue their line until they're a bit older...so you two have easily a year or so, possibly more, to enjoy your time together before raising a family. But keep in mind--nothing will happen with you unless you want it to. You, Cynder, can control whether or not your actions together result in eggs. But once you let them begin to develop after a day or so, they're yours."

Cynder nodded. Part of her was happy with this news, but at the same time, part of her wanted to have children. She looked back up at the fire elder as he came over to the bedside. "Ignitus...thanks...you're the closest thing I have for a father..."

"And it's been a pleasure to care for you and Spyro as my own children," he said, and she got up and threw her arms on him in a hug. He was too big for her small forelegs but it was still the same thing. She lay back down, but turned her head to him again when she heard him pull something out from underneath the bed.

"A gift from Tall Plains for you and Spyro for the coming cold nights...they say thanks for saving the realm and joining Spyro against the Dark Master." He then pulled a huge, warm blanket over the bed and over Cynder, and her eyes widened in pleasant surprise as she felt the soft material, slowly running her paw over it. It was a creamy white color, and in the center was a large, simple purple-and-black pattern of two intertwined flames, like something out of an ancient civilization. It was easily big enough to fit the bed and both her and Spyro for quite some time. She looked back up at Ignitus and smiled.

"Oh...it's so beautiful...please, say thanks for us," she said, and he nodded. "But how many know about us?"

"Just our spies and their associates," Ignitus replied, and turned to go away, but Cynder called him back. She had another problem burning on her mind.

"Ignitus...do you know what Spyro likes?" He tilted his head at her questioningly. "He's been being so nice to me, and I really want to do something for him, but I can't think of anything."

Ignitus closed his eyes, thinking. "I'll have to get back to you on that, Cynder," he said. "Other than you, I can't think of something he definitely likes..."

She smiled. "Thanks anyway..." Ignitus smiled warmly at her and left, and she snuggled underneath the blanket, thinking of Spyro...A sudden feeling like an explosion from behind, and the sensation of wild, fearful mid-air tumbling suddenly hit her, and she sat up with a frightened scream of "SPYRO!!!" as she felt what was happening to him.

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Well, here it is, chapter 16/~25. The way things are going with this story, I might do a short sequel...I dunno tho, seeing how what I've planned for this story will make anything afterwards be a "WTF is this?" kind of thing.