FSE

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here it is, finally...the next chapter

if you're under 18...gtfo.

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-- CHAPTER 11 --

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"AAAAAAUUUUUGH!!!!!" Spyro screamed, shaking the dojo with his voice. He threw himself against the doors, but they held tight. Ignitus sighed and shook his head sadly.

"Spyro...why did you let it overcome you again? What happened to cause this?" The old dragon was worried...they'd had to lock Spyro in there, seeing how he didn't seem able to free himself from the dark force controlling him, but on top of that the crystals were still in the room. After the battle, Ignitus had realized that Spyro and Cynder were right about destroying the crystals, but if anyone went in there now to do the job Spyro would shred them. Cynder limped into the room to find Ignitus staring into the pool despondently.

"Ignitus...may I see Spyro?"

"No. He's an animal, Cynder, he can't be reasoned with."

"I know how to free him."

"I don't doubt it, but you have a family to protect."

"And I intend to. My WHOLE family. Now let me in there before he kills himself."

Ignitus groaned...mother dragons were so stubborn... "All right. But don't expect any sympathy if he tries to kill you."

"I know what I'm doing," she said, slipping in through the doors as they quickly opened and then closed behind her. Spyro was at the far end trying to get out, but when the door closed he whipped around and raced madly at his mate, not recognizing her. She calmly sat there, and Spyro suddenly shied away whimpering as fear energy radiated from her and she glared at him. "SIT!!" she commanded harshly, and Spyro lay down without question, eyeing her fearfully. "Spyro, it's me, Cynder. I know you're in there somewhere." She walked up to him and his eyes narrowed and he growled like a cornered animal. "Spyro...settle down. I know you're in there somewhere. Please...for the sake of your kids, overcome this evil." She leaned down and kissed him, and he growled against her and pulled away but she felt that something was definitely there. "Think of the kids, Spyro," she whispered, running her paw along his cheek. He shivered and there was a faint change in his coloration, but he growled at her again, baring his teeth. "SIDDOWN!" she shouted as he sat up, and he fell to the floor again with a whimper. "Spyro, don't make me blast you with light like last time."

"S...der..." he groaned, obviously struggling to speak to her, but he shook his head again, his paws twitching.

She opened her mouth and some faint light beams hit him and he yelled, running away in fear. It had worked, though, there were purple spots amid the black where he'd been hit. Taking aim again she hit him with slightly more powerful light, and he screamed and tried to hide but there was nowhere to hide in the circular room. She maintained the beam until he fell to floor, crying. He was half-purple now but whatever was controlling him seemed to have an incredibly tight grip. Behind her Cynder heard the door open, and the familiar padding of Alex's feet coming into the room.

"Cynder?"

"I'm getting there," she said, and he edged closer as she turned back to Spyro. "Spyro, c'mon, it's me. The love of your life. Wake up." The purple dragon shivered violently and his eyes dimmed but still retained a glow. "Yes, c'mon Spyro! You can beat it!"

"Hel..." he started and trailed off into a desperate growl. Cynder nuzzled him, ignoring the claws he pressed against her neck.

"Spyro...I know you're there..."

She sat back in surprise as Spyro flung himself backwards with a shout. He lay there, fighting with himself, and suddenly lunged at Cynder. In self-defense she blasted him with light, and he fell to the floor with a hard thud. He stood up slowly and seemed to come out of a black shell of himself, but the shell mirrored his movements and pulled away from him as he sat up. Spyro caught sight of it and the two went into a vicious brawl until Spyro blasted it with blue-hot fire. The dark form shrieked and melted, the liquid evaporating into the air, and Spyro snorted at it and turned to Cynder. "Cynder...I'm sorry..."

"No need to be," she whispered, sitting in front of him and planting her lips on his. "At least you're you again."

"I don't know what came over me," he said, and stopped as his eyes caught sight of the pile of dark gems. He glared at them. "Why are those still here?"

"Ignitus wants to try to use them in a bargain for our safety, but I don't think it'll work."

Spyro pounded the floor. "Why can't he see something's manipulating him into keeping the crystals intact?!"

Cynder hung her head. "Spyro, they're old and easily influenced now...something's working through the crystals. And it's not just them...it's us too being affected."

"I know...my rage keeps boiling around these things..." He sighed, then remembered something and looked at her oddly. "Did I see you using other elements?"

She nodded with a grin. "I can't believe it, but after fighting the Dark Master it seems we all completely forgot I had elements other than fire. Except for wind, they're harnessed from dark energy..."

"What elements?"

"Poison, shadow, and fear."

He rolled his eyes with a half-grin. "You're dangerous, you know that?"

"Yep," she replied with a giggle. Spyro sensed she was growing aroused, but they were trapped in the temple and really had nowhere to go. An energy field barricaded the windows of their room but they didn't want to chance sleeping in there in case something broke the field. Alex was studying the crystals, trying to think of a way to destroy them.

"Well, I guess I'll leave you two in here," he said with a sigh.

"Alex," Cynder asked over her shoulder, "can you tell them...I'm still busy with Spyro in here? And can't be disturbed?"

He looked at her oddly, then realization spread across his face and he rolled his eyes. "All right, fine...damn, dragons are horny things..." Cynder laughed and Spyro chuckled to himself as Alex slipped out quickly, the door sliding shut immediately behind him.

Cynder was still looking over her shoulder at the door when she felt Spyro nuzzle her. "Mmmm...someone's needy..." he whispered, running his tongue along her shoulder, and she shivered and bit his neck lightly.

"Hey whoa there, we've got the whole room to ourselves...let's take it slowly."

In the tunnel, Flare was nestled against Solar in fear of what had been going on. Not being a fighter, it was her job to look after the nests in the event of an attack, and after hearing about what lay outside and what had happened she was almost scared witless. She lay on her side, hugging Solar, and he was holding her tight and petting her with his wing draped over her. The eggs, now able to stand on their own safely without body heat, lay off to the side, clustered together. Flare tucked her head against Solar's neck and his paw went behind her head and he held her close.

"How is this mess gonne be solved?" she asked, a bit of a quaver in her voice.

"Shhh...everything will be fine, Flare...we'll get through this. I'm tempted to ask Spyro and Cynder to combine the energy of their Light Furies and see if that will do anything."

She sighed unhappily as he rubbed her back. "I'm almost wishing we hadn't left the north..."

"I know you're upset, Flare...but I think, somehow, you and Cynder were meant to be here and give birth at the same time. It's far too coincidental to be mere coincidence."

She nodded and looked over him at the eggs. "How're we gonna get the kids back to the north? And are they even gonna fare well up there with them being born and cared for here where it's far warmer?"

"You want me to freeze them?" he asked jokingly, but started at her shocked look. "I was joking, Flare."

"Not funny." Solar sighed in disappointment and rubbed her back. She murred softly and tightened her grip on him. "Not here, someone might come in."

"I wasn't trying to arouse you, goof," he said, giving her a playful shake. "Very tempting after that fight but there's really nowhere now...unless you can tear yourself away from the nests and check out the side passages from the hallways? You need to get outta here anyways."

"Sounds good I guess..." She slowly stood up and stretched, gazing at the eggs nestled together until Solar brushed his tail along her side.

"Mmmm...oh yes..." Cynder whispered through clenched teeth, trying her hardest not to say anything loudly. She bit her lip and shifted under Spyro and set her legs a little farther apart, her head hanging as she panted. Spyro gave a muffled moan as he stood behind her, thrusting slowly into her, his mouth clamped gently over her wing-arm to keep himself from yelling. Cynder wanted another long, slow affair like when Spyro had impregnated her, and he was more than willing to give it to her. She had her tail off to the side around his left foreleg, and Spyro groaned and adjusted himself behind her, replacing his paws on her hips. He pulled out of her on purpose and smirked to himself as he rubbed his erection between her lips. She adjusted her weight on one forepaw and reached under herself with a low moan, pressing his throbbing red member against herself as he thrust back and forth against her. Spyro eventually pulled back and re-entered her, and she reached a bit farther back with her paw and caressed her swelled lips, gasping as she excited herself even more with her claws. Spyro moaned and bit her wing again as he felt her tighten around him.

"Mmmph...oooh yeah..." he moaned, and Cynder looked over her shoulder at him with lidded eyes and he pulled off her wing and kissed her.

"Don't...you dare...release..." she panted into his mouth, and he smirked and hilted her hard, making her stifle a pleasured shriek. She blew fire into his mouth and they kept tossing the flame around between their tongues in time with his thrusts. "Spyro...stop..."

"You okay?" he asked as he stepped back, pulling himself out of her. She eyed his twitching dragonhood hungrily as it dripped and glistened with her fluids, but she rolled over onto her back and spread her hind legs.

"Put it in...c'mon..." she panted impatiently, and Spyro smirked and stepped over her, running his tongue over her slit, up along her belly, and along her neck up to her mouth as he positioned himself and pushed into her quickly. Ten minutes later Cynder shivered and failed to restrain a loud, pleading moan as she climaxed, spilling around Spyro's member, and try though he might to prolong their intimate time Spyro felt the pleasure swiftly rise. Cynder saw his face contort, and she yanked him down and kissed him passionately as he unleashed fire, his cock filling her with powerful blasts from the extreme pleasure. Cynder murred and sucked on his mouth as he collapsed on her, and they just lay there as Spyro filled his mate. Eventually he got up, but Cynder pouted at him.

"What?"

"You're so comfy..." Spyro grinned and lay down on her, and she wrapped her legs around him. It wasn't for long, though...a sudden explosion outside made the whole place tremble, and Spyro and Cynder shot up, Spyro's member quickly retreating into his sheath. Spyro quickly flamed the mess they'd made, turning it into a scorch-mark that quickly faded as the others came into the dojo. Everyone paused when they saw Spyro, but another explosion brought them to their senses.

"Give us the crystals and we shall not destroy the temple," came an echoing voice.

"My apes are ready to storm you in the event you deny us the power you keep in there."

To the dragons' utter confusion the two voices started arguing just outside the balcony doorway. Even more confusing, a third voice joined in.

"Those crystals belong to us! We were the Dark Master's loyal slaves!"

"Well we started collecting the crystals first!"

"No, you stole them from us!"

The echoing voice cleared its throat. "You dragons have one day to decide." Another explosion rocked the building and everyone fell to the floor, coughing and blinking away the dust falling from the ceiling.

Spyro wandered into the underground chamber to find Cynder keeping watch over the eggs. The door opened and she growled loudly.

"Hey whoa, Cynder! I'ts just me."

Cynder sat back down and buried her face in her arms. "Spyro...what're we gonna do? We're trapped in here..."

Spyro felt an angerd heat rise in him seeing his mate and unhatched children cornered like this. "Cynder...Ignitus isn't gonna give up the crystals."

"I know..." She sniffled and wrapped herself tightly around the five eggs. "I'm so scared...if they blow up the Temple..."

His mind raced. "Cynder...they're gonna invade the temple, not destroy it. It's too valuable a location. When that happens, run out this tunnel into the outside. Get everyone else to follow, and bring the eggs." Before she could ask, Spyro closed his eyes and faded, but then reappeared and gasped with effort. "What the hell?! The crystals are dampening my light!" He ran into the tunnels outside, leaving a very worried and confused Cynder to dwell on what he'd just said. Not too long afterwards the concealed door opened again, and Cynder growled again.

"Who's there?"

"Cynder, it's me," Flare said, ducking in quickly. "What's with Spyro?"

"I don't know...I'm scared..."

Flare curled up around Cynder and the eggs and the two just quietly lay there, drawing comfort from each other in their uncertainty.

Up in the dojo, Alex and Christine were preparing themselves to defend the temple the best they could. Solar had healed their injuries, but Alex was still sore from his silver-transformation. Christine sighed. "I'm gonna go and see how Cynder and Flare are doing."

"Okay." Alex watched Christine and when she left he sat against the wall, staring at the large cluster of pulsating dark gems. He started feeling restless...he really wanted to get out there and avenge this imprisonment... The central statue of the dojo hadn't been brought up for days, and was still lowered in the floor. "Guess it wouldn't hurt to...train for a bit..." he said to himself, and stood up and shook his limbs, several dummies appearing in the circle in the center of the room. He cleared them easily...it felt so good to let loose on these things... "Guess a few more won't hurt." He created a huge cluster of dummies, and a sudden rage boiled over in him, a lust for destruction, and that was what these dummies were: something to destroy. He began assailing them mercilessly, not noticing the more powerful humming sound growing increasingly louder from the pile of dark crystals. Alex snarled and whipped around as the door opened from the Visions room and Spyro raced in. The purple dragon stopped cold in his tracks.

"Alex?! NO!!" But he was too late; the dummies all suddenly grew far bigger, dark matter bubbling up like a thick slime and covering them until they were walking voids with single glowing green crystals for eyes. Alex was sent flying through the open door as one of them clubbed him. The air pounded with insane evil laughter of triumph as Spyro quickly rushed out through the closing doors. The guardians ran out into the Visions room and everyone was sent to their feet as the whole temple shook. The possessed figures in the dojo were hammering on the walls and floor and shaking the whole building...and before they could get back up they were sent sliding across the floor as an explosion outside further shook the temple. Without a word everyone ran for the tunnels, and out of nowhere Christine appeared and picked up Alex, carrying him on her back as she followed them through the tunnels. Almost as soon as the door closed and locked behind them, they heard a sickening rumbling sound.

"They've destroyed the outer doors! HURRY!"

Solar led Flare and Cynder out of the nesting room, and took Alex from Christine as the human-dragoness ran into the hidden tunnels to get the eggs. Another explosion coated them in dust as the ceiling suddenly cracked but stayed firm. They reached the outer hallway, and Ignitus stopped behind Spyro as the purple dragon turned to address them.

"Stay here and don't move until I say so. You'll know when to go." He held still, and in a swirl of fire he completely vanished from sight. Another rumble shook them and Flare shrieked, and Solar wrapped his wing tightly around her as she huddled next to him. Christine appeared alongside them.

"Did you get them?" Solar asked, and Christine nodded. Cynder whimpered as loud, thundering hammer-strokes echoed through the hallways and burst through another door.

"Spyro, please, where the hell are you?!"

To their surprise the hallway before them suddenly blurred and faded into a strange, foggy tunnel. Without question they all raced into it, and Flare looked back with a startled yell as the entrance suddenly closed off, seeming as if the temple hallway was a mere image fading away into a vast foggy realm around them.

"What you're seeing here is only a tiny piece of what I've seen," came Spyro's voice, from nowhere and everywhere around them. "Don't fear; they feed off of fear here. Nothing will get to you." Cynder opened her mouth to reply, but found that she couldn't speak. "I can hear your thoughts, guys, no need to speak. That's how I'm talking with you. Imagine yourself moving forward, try to feel yourself moving. Follow the light I'm making."

A small glowing orb appeared before them, an endlessly small speck exuding bright light that shimmered with all different colors. After some effort they all found they could move by willing themselves to creep forward. The orb danced before them, leading them onward and giving them decent lighting in this inexplicable world. They all felt Flare shriek, and saw dark figures moving about around them. They were like black clouds amid the fog, but before they could approach, a purple cloud created a shield over the group and prevented the dark clouds from passing. Cynder could feel Spyro was fighting, and the clouds began to vanish or drift away. Gradually, the light stopped, and Solar looked around. He thought he saw mushrooms around them. "Where are we?" he asked, and found he could talk.

"The safest spot we'll have for a while," came Spyro's voice, and the foggy world vanished and gave way to...

"The swamp?"

"Yes, Cynder...my old home," Spyro said, fading into view and looking incredibly worn out. "Damn, that was tiring..." He slumped over onto his side and Cynder raced over to him and tried to help him up, but he was too tired to lift himself. Solar picked him up and they took cover in the pocket of a nearby rock formation.

Spyro finally woke up hours later to find Solar and Cynder had caught and prepared a few wild geese and some swamp-fish, which weren't nearly as good as ocean fish but they had no other choice. Flare was nearby, nestled with the two broods, and Alex was lying flat on his face, not moving at all while Christine sat by him and rubbed his back. Spyro stretched and Cynder gave a relieved yelp and caught him in a deathgrip.

"Oh Spyro, they've taken over the temple..."

"They can't get us here...for some reason they can't really go anywhere here."

"Solar and I went to go see what was going on..."

Solar came over and everyone drew closer together, sensing a story. "Cynder and I scoped out the severity fo the temple's takeover...somehow, they can't get into your room or the guardians' room, but other than that they've completely overridden the temple." He looked at the ground with a confused frown. "But what bugs me...they were all fighting each other. Mages were fighting the apes, shadows were fighting the mages...everyone was at each others' throats, scrabbling over the gems."

Spyro stared off into the forest, thinking. "That's odd..." Alex sighed and brushed Christine's hand away, and flew up to the top of the wall they were sitting by.

Cynder went over to Flare, and Flare gave her her eggs and she rolled them to the side a bit, and curled up around them with a thank-you nod to Flare. "Spyro...it's been bugging me now more than ever after that transportation...how did all this start? What were you doing that kept you away from the temple for so long?"

"Yes," Terrador grunted, "I believe it's time we learned the truth, young dragon."

Spyro sighed. "Kane, Mole-Yair and a few others began having these really weird visions dealing with the 'otherworld'. They were seeing a huge army growing there, and what seemed like strange experiments with dark matter and energy. One day I was flying by Tall Plains, and Kane spotted me and asked me if I could make any sense of what was going on with these visions. The next day, since I wasn't able to make sense of it, I went to see the Chronicler. That was those first three days I was gone, Cynder, just to let you know. Being the Chronicler, he knew what was going on, but he had me do the searching, which took a while because I can't levitate the books like he can. I found out that there were strange beings, not of this world, at work in the shadow realm, and they were performing experiments with dark-matter hosts for evil souls trapped there. The Chronicler told me of a power that I could use, having been killed but then brought back by love." Cynder grinned and looked at the ground. "It took me a while but I found that I could pass between here and the otherworld fairly freely. I leave an imprint of myself here to return to while still wandering around there, but as you saw I can also completely withdraw between both realms."

"What's it like there?" Flare asked. "I mean, we were there but you said...we were only seeing a fraction of it?"

"You don't wanna know...I was scared witless at first. You guys only experienced what your physical senses allow you to...when you're fully in that world, there's no solid ground, there's no air or anything there, yet things exist. You have to will yourself to move, but at the same time you have to will your other senses. There are senses there that I can't use here...at least, not to a full extent. You can see all around yourself all at once at any given time, you can somewhat sense the intentions of others there...it's really, really freaky. And fights..." Spyro shivered. "Fighting is a whole other deal there. Since I'm somewhat physical there, I have my breath attacks, but even those I have to intend damage into."

"But what were you doing there?" Cynder asked a bit impatiently.

"I was searching for the dark-matter experiments. The creatures there knew I was coming, and prepared traps for me. I can't describe what I went through, but I eventually faced several dark-matter trials and slew them. Unfortunately, I know now that I filled their testing purposes...they were using me as part of the experiment to find any weaknesses in their methods. Eventually they took it a step further and gave them dark powers, which only my light attacks could affect. During one really hard fight, the dark armies gathered around us, hoping to use either of our defeats as a chance to escape."

"How's that?" Solar asked.

"Well, I don't know about my defeat, but when I killed a monster, there was a powerful energy release from it that briefly allowed us all to see this realm. Unfortunately for them, they're still trapped there; they aren't allowed to leave by themselves. Now I know that Alex's enemies have been creating dark-matter hosts here in this world. Cynder and Solar saw what the effects of that are...I was the first trial and it worked."

"You mean, when you went dark?"

"Yes..." He sighed heavily. "I thought I'd killed that shadow and returned, but he put an illusion in my head, beat me down, and forced dark matter into me. From there it slowly grew into a clone of me and took me over as it allowed some of the Dark Master's willpower to control me."

"But how does this dark-matter stuff pertain to the events in the temple?" Volteer asked.

"I don't know, but I think the controlling beings in the otherworld found a way to remotely cast dark matter into the dummies, turning them dark."

Christine sighed and looked up at Alex on the cliffside. "Should I go talk to him?"

Cynder flicked Christine's leg with her tail and Christine looked down at her. "Christine, it wasn't his fault. That thing holding him made him create those dummies."

"I know that...but I don't think he does." She sighed again. "He's always had this problem, he blames himself when something he's done or made affects others..." Spreading her wings she flew up to him and they watched her sit down next to him. He stood up and walked away and she followed him out of their sight. Spyro shook his head.

"Alex's possessor is one of those weird overseeing beings...'demons' I think they're called."

"Spyro..." Cynder asked, and they all looked at her. "I just remembered...that one day Solar brought you back all beaten up...any idea what did that to you?"

Spyro shook his head. "No, and it's really bugging me. Whatever it was...it felt familiar, I'm pretty sure I killed it before."

"Didn't the host have a form?" Solar asked.

"Not really...in the otherworld, nothing really has a definite form unless it chooses to...which isn't very often." Cynder sighed and stretched, and Spyro came up to her. "Should I sit with them while you take a walk or something?" Cynder nodded with a warm smile and stood up, letting Spyro take her place with the eggs. He arranged them by his side and put his wing and tail around them, and Cynder kissed him before walking off into the woods to stretch. Solar watched her with a small grin, and Spyro looked over and saw him. "What's so funny?"

Solar shook his head. "I just can't get over how fast she recovered. At her size, giving birth to a twin-egg and still walking around like nothing's happened..."

"You jealous?" Flare asked incredulously, punching him. He laughed and shook his head.

"No, I'm just amazed. I got you, what else is there to be jealous about?" Flare nuzzled against him and he put his wing around her.

Ignitus sighed and looked back in the direction of the temple. "Sometime soon, we need to get back there and find out what's going on." He looked back at Spyro. "Wouldn't your light and time powers help in clearing the place out?"

Spyro shook his head. "That damn shadow restricts my light powers, which I use to extend my time abilities. It's those dark crystals you guys gathered and brought back; their energy stops mine and he uses it. I told you they needed to be destroyed."

"We know, Spyro," Terrador grunted. "We should have listened, but we wanted to get as many as possible and destroy them all at once."

"One thing still confuses me, though," Solar said, looking back towards the temple. "Why were Alex's enemies and the apes fighting each other? We went to look and they were beating the crap out of each other left and right."

"That is a good point," Cyril said, sitting up. "If they're in league with the Dark Master, what reason would they have to assault each other?"

"Interspecies dissonances, perhaps?" Volteer suggested, but Spyro shook his head.

"No...it almost seems like both are after the crystals and only want them for themselves. Whatever their reasons are, the apes have grown stronger and better. I used to be able to just tackle them and kill them, but now they're on par with the shadow's forces."

"What about the mages? They're after the crystals too, remember?" Solar asked, referring to the Dante's Freezer incident where they'd found the first dark crystal.

"Yeah...that bugs me too. Why are these three forces after the crystals?"

While this discussion was going on, up on the cliff Christine was trying to talk some sense into Alex.

"Alex, why do you insist on letting yourself believe you're at fault for all this?"

"BECAUSE I AM!!" he shouted, and Christine jumped back as his wings stretched. "I'm the one who's possessed! I'm the one who should control himself yet never tries hard enough!"

"Alex, I know you! There was nothing you could do, how can you be at fault?"

"Because I had a choice to hinder it but I gave into myself; into its temptations!"

She ran forward and held up his green paw to his face. "You see that ring? The one you had custom-made for yourself as a match for the one you gave me? I know you, Alex, and you are NOT the weakling you're passing yourself off as! I'm not betrothed to a possessed toy of darkness, I'm marrying a warrior of light! Stop deceiving yourself!"

Alex's face clenched and tears slid through his eyelids. "Christine, don't you get it? If I---if we---don't get out of here I'm gonna end up hurting someone, possibly to the point of death! And I can't do a damn thing about it!"

Christine slapped him across the face and he looked at her in shock. "ALEX!! I SAID STOP IT!! When I tell you to do something you damn well better do it! I'm tired of seeing you torture yourself like this! Stop thinking you're the only one who can do anything about it, because you're not!"

"Well who the hell else can?!"

She lifted his hand again and put hers next to it, showing the matching rings. "If we're gonna be married, Alex, you need to learn that you can't do everything on your own. I love you and I wanna help you. And whether you like it or not I'm going to with this problem. You keep putting it on yourself to deal with it yet all you do is mope and wait for it to boil up again." He stared at the ground, sniffling, and she hugged him. "I know you're under a lot of stress, Alex, but stop containing it all, that's what helps that demon get to you."

"I know...but how else am I supposed to deal with it? It's my problem, I don't wanna put it on the others especially now with their new eggs..."

"By being here, by promising to protect them, Alex, you've already put it on them. They want to help you but don't know how to. Let me help and they won't need to, at least not much."

More tears slid down his face and he hugged her tight. "I'm so sorry...where would I be without you?"

She laughed. "I can name quite a few places, none of which involve you being alive."

Night fell, bringing a biting wind. Cynder shivered even with Spyro draped over both her and their eggs. Ignitus and the guardians, being older and more resistant to the cold, created a wall of sorts around the younger dragons. By the wall, Flare watched and shivered as Solar set up wood, his mind racing as he kept rearranging branches and twigs and dry materials he'd gathered and cut. Finally, he hit on a solution, and Flare gladly lit the dry stuff and a long, low fire sprang up along the rock wall. Christine and Alex were off in the woods, patrolling, but knew deep down their vigilance wasn't needed here. Cynder groaned and bit her lip as her body vibrated uncontrollably.

"Spyro...it's so cold..." she whispered, but Spyro didn't move.

"I know...I can't do anything about it. I know you don't like the cold..."

"It's...n-not me...the eggs," she chattered. Spyro lay a paw on the bigger one and winced---it was bitter cold to the touch. He slid a bit off Cynder and placed himself over the eggs, breathing hot air over them until he felt them warm up.

"I sure hope they'll be okay," he whispered, fearing the coming cold season...winter was sure to be worse than this, how would they survive if they were freezing now in mid-fall?

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not much to say, too busy...