FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 8

As the group slowly made their way through the illuminated by the many torches corridor the sound of commotion was intensifying. People were gathered in the Mess Hall, spending their time as they usually do. Some were here because they had a break from their strenuous work, some came here to meet with their friends and family members, some came here only because they were hungry.

Whatever the reason they had to be in this place, all of this people had one thing in common- all of them were enjoying their free time. Cheerful laughs and shouts echoed throughout the Mess Hall as people told jokes, talked with each other or simply picked at one and another just for fun's sake. It was their free time, whatever problems they had were pushed down the second plan, it was their moment of happiness and it seemed like nothing in the whole world existed that could hinder it.

The three friends were already smiling and talking with each other, just as if the ambience governing in that room was slowly but steadily taking control over them, only one member of the group stood out. Flare was currently leading his companions through the corridor, since he joined the group as the last one there was a time when he remained in the back, following them as he usually did. However as seconds passed he was pushing his way forward until he took the lead, it was not the atmosphere or simple curiosity that drove him but the delicious scent of food, the fiery drake was walking with his neck craned as far as he could manage and his nose ceaselessly sniffing.

The hallway eventually stretched and the light from the windows started to beam into the slightly illuminated corridor, just as they would be leaving a dim tunnel into the bright outdoors. It seemed like they did just that, but instead finding their way into a vivacious scenery they've landed in some sort of a barren and dead land.

The moment they've entered the Mess Hall all the cheerful sound immediately died down, not even a shallow breath could be heard, all of the people just froze in place, staring in their direction. Flare balked, as strange as it looked he still thought that this was just another one of those odd excesses the people in this city had, something that they shared with the agitated crowd that chased them earlier the moment their claws barely touched the ground.

His three other companions knew exactly what was going on, it might be even the first time that their female companion didn't draw to herself all those confused and somewhat angry looks, now the people's attention was entirely focused on the red young dragon in front of them. The three of them took the time to look around, the people here were like statues, if not for their moving chests in the rhythm of their working lungs one could take them exactly for that.

The shocked people of Warfang as strange as they looked weren't exactly the reason why they came here. The group scanned for a free table, spotting one wasn't that difficult with all these inhabitants frozen in place, it didn't take them long to notice a free spot amongst the hungry crowd, it was the exactly same table they occupied before, just like people here got accustomed with the idea that this table belongs to Spyro and his friends.

The purple dragon poked his red companion gaining his attention, he then took the lead and made his way towards the table with all of the members of his little group following behind his tail. As they walked, the people also seemed to come to life, some were still standing still, only their eyes moved following them, just as if an eyes of some painting in one of those horror movies. Some people were already walking, yet their eyes never left the fiery dragon.

While they continued towards the table they've noticed an earth dragon in their age walking towards them with a platter held in his mouth, his eyes never leaving the red dragon. As they've passed by him Flare took a look behind his shoulder, the green dragon was walking in a straight line constantly staring at him. The dragon's eyes focused solely on one point made him oblivious to his surroundings, he never saw a mole standing in front of him, the dragon bumped into the creature letting out a faint gasp while the food jumped and fell from the platter. That wasn't the end however, the moment the dragon bounced off the mole he hit an empty chair toppling it over, as the chair fell on the ground the dragon tripled over its wooden legs and landed on the ground, the plate he held clattered on the floor throwing all the food across the room.

Flare winced, and quickly started to walk right next to the black dragoness while constantly looking around " Is it just me or are they all staring at me?" he whispered

Cynder smiled

Before she could utter a word she was cut off by the sound of Sparx' clapping hands " A point for your sharp perception man!"

He wasn't moved by that sarcasm, the confusion that filled him currently was the most palpable emotion right now " But why?"

" Flare take a look around and tell me what you see" Cynder encouraged the red dragon

He did what he was told " Tables, windows, some doors, people, mostly people. Dragons of different colors, those short moles, and furry cheetahs"

She nodded " Ok, concentrate on the dragons. What do you see?"

" Well...as I said they have different colors, just like you which is quite cool, I've never thought that dragons had different scales. Umm...they also have strange tail tips, they differ from one another greatly. What else? Hmm..."

" That's enough. Now look at yourself"

" Ok...." he replied sheepishly and began examining himself " I'm a fire dragon, I have red and orange scales with a delicate hint of yellow. My wings look like a flame..." his voice trailed off as realization struck him " Oh"

Cynder commented this with a smile

" Whoa dude, you are getting better " Sparx sarcastically praised the drake " You actually managed to figure something out almost on your own"

Flare just grinned proudly

As they sat at the table Spyro watched the fiery dragon with a thoughtful grimace on his snout " You said that you didn't think that dragons with differently colored scales existed?"

He wanted to reply immediately but the moment he laid his eyes on the purple dragon a thought crossed his mind " I don't get one thing" he looked at the dragonfly " If you are his boss why don't you have any authority over him?"

" Because he is no boss" Cynder answered bluntly

" Nobody asked you!" Sparx snapped before he looked at the red dragon and sighed " But yeah, I'm not his boss"

Flare absorbed the information, yet he didn't look shocked, just as if he was expecting it " You are the leader?" he asked Spyro " Then why didn't you stop the crowd?"

" I-"

" He is no boss either" Sparx interjected

Flare smiled happily " That's great! So it means that the Dudes rule right?"

Cynder scolded the dragonfly with a quick glance " First and the most important rule when you know that nobody here is the true ruler- don't listen to Sparx. Secondly the three dragons you talked with are not Dudes but Guardians, each of them represents a different element, they rule this city so respect demands that you remember that."

Sparx waved his hand " Don't listen to her, we are going to have so much fun together" he grinned evilly and snickered

" When it comes to showing you around...well just don't trust him"

The dragonfly frowned, a corner of his mouth turned into a smirk " Now that's just not fair. I cannot be trusted? Ok then, come on and let's ask somebody here who would they trust more, me or you. You game?"

Cynder snorted

Sparx grinned " See man? There is nothing to worry about"

" With that out of the way, could you please answer my question now?" Spyro asked

Flare sneered " I don't have to do anything"

The purple dragon balked " Huh?"

" You are not leading here, so as far as I'm concerned your word means nothing"

" Flare!" Cynder admonished the fiery dragon " What did I tell you about-"

Spyro raised his paw, giving a clear signal to his friend that it's about time he handled this himself " Listen Flare I don't know, hell I don't even understand how you could be held in a prison built by purple dragons in the first place, but that doesn't mean that everyone is like that"

" You can't even imagine what your kind did to me!" Flare growled

" Ok perhaps I don't, but even that doesn't change things, you can't judge people by past actions which they couldn't affect in any way. People might talk behind someone's back but when you actually get to know that person they so happily insult you might find that whatever you heard before is a lie and the person you've met becomes actually your best friend"

Spyro looked at Cynder and smiled. The dragoness thanked him with a shy smile and a blush while she averted her gaze the moment their eyes met.

" Everyone is different" he finished with a soft tone and turned to the fiery dragon

" Everyone maybe, but not you!" Flare replied unconvinced " I've been around you my whole life, you are all the same. There is nothing that will make me trust you, nothing"

" Ok I understand, I just hope that I will change your mind one day. Whatever reasons you have for hating me doesn't prevent you for showing a bit of tolerance, especially when someone saved your life." His voice becoming more stern with every second " I don't expect and don't want any gratitude or to be in your debt but honor demands that you will at least be willing to talk to me, especially when we are going to bump into each other for quite some time I think"

Silence has befallen at the table, everyone was staring at the purple dragon in awe

" Wow" Cynder let out an surprised and somewhat intimidated breath

Spyro frowned confused " What?"

Flare leaned towards the dragonfly " Are you sure he is not a leader?"

Sparx snorted " Hell no, he is too cowardly to be a boss"

" Hey!" his brother protested " I'm not a coward"

" Oh really?"

" Really"

Sparx raised in the air and cleared his throat " Excuse me kind people, my brother wants to-"

" Ok you win!" Spyro let out a stifled and terrified shout " Now get back here!"

The dragonfly descended and grinned " See?"

Flare remained silent, a thoughtful frown on his snout clearly showing that he was battling with his thoughts. Moments later he sighed, even if unwillingly honor demands that he acts

" To answer your question..." Flare gained the attention of everyone currently at the table " No, I thought that red dragons like me and purple ones were the only ones that existed"

" You weren't surprised to see me though" Cynder said " and I'm far from normality so to speak"

The red dragon eyed her carefully, she stood out from the rest and obviously didn't belong to the any earlier mentioned groups, yet it didn't trigger in him any sign of shock. " I don't know...maybe I've heard someone talking about you...or maybe that..." he shook his head, nothing coming to his mind " I don't know, but that's good right? If I'm not shocked to see you that means you are normal"

" Don't hold your breath" Sparx commented

Flare shrugged " Ok I won't"

The dragonfly slapped his forehead " Right, I've forgot about that"

She giggled " it was a correct response, no worries"

Spyro all this time was scratching the edge of the table with his claw thoughtfully " The Keepers...cages...disobedience..." he looked at Flare " Was it some kind of a rigoristic training facility for fire dragons?"

The fiery dragon shrugged " I don't know, maybe"

" What were they doing to you?" he asked and winced soon after " I mean...if it's not too much to ask" Spyro mumbled

Flare took a breath and began to stare at the top of the table just like it was some kind of mirror in the past " Fights...punishments...experiments, every day and all day long"

Cynder observed the fiery drake sadly

" Then it was a training facility!" Spyro exclaimed happily knowing that his deduction was right " I wonder what- Ow!" he blurt out when something cold slapped him in the back. He turned to see a black tail retreating, looking up he saw Cynder's angry frown, her expression scolding him for the lack of tact. He scratched the back of his head nervously " I mean...I'm sorry to hear that, but do you know what they did this to you?" he asked softly, managing to quell the excitement of his natural curiosity

Flare shrugged once more " I didn't really had the time to think about it"

Spyro huffed, it was so strange, purple dragons, prison, everything else related with it...it was mind-boggling but there is nothing he can do about it now, perhaps the confusion will be lifted in time.

He pulled himself up " I'm going to grab something to eat. Cynder you want something?"

She shook her head " No thanks, I will have to deal with those hags sooner or later anyway"

" I'm coming too!" Flare exclaimed and got up"

" Flare stop" Cynder halted him " Can't you see the queue? Sit and wait for a while"

He looked hurt " But I'm hungry..."

" You are going to leave me here alone?"

Flare sighed defeated, he didn't want to offend her " Ok...I'll wait"

The brothers exchanged confused looks between each other before they made their way towards the counter. Cynder watched them go, as soon as they were a safe distance away she turned to the fiery dragon

" Listen to me very carefully, if you ever again talk to Spyro like that I swear I'm going to punch you" she stated firmly " Did I make myself clear?"

Flare gulped " But-"

" There is no buts about it. Spyro did things for these people nobody else could, he doesn't deserve this"

" Whatever he did doesn't matter, he is a purple dragon, it al-"

" He is my lo..." she interjected and bit her tongue soon after "...I mean friend and I won't allow my best friend to be insulted. Do you understand this?"

He sighed " Honor demands that I respect your wishes right? Ok I will restrain myself but I'm trying to protect you here, you will one day end up regretting this friendship"

" You don't have to protect me, I can take care of myself"

Flare shook his head " Don't say I didn't warn you"

Cynder sighed and raised her gaze just to see a cheetah passing behind her fiery companion, the cat was holding a plate and staring at the red dragon. The feline walked slowly ahead, just like some kind of construct, some part of his mind subconsciously pushing him forward as if trying to fulfill an order that was given to it by the feline some time ago, while the rest was occupied with the image of the fiery drake.

Cynder grinned " Come on I've got an idea" she got up and moved towards the counter with Flare following her

The two of them balanced through the tables and mostly still confused people and arrived at the end of the queue of people waiting for their turn to receive food. For a while they stood patiently behind a green dragon who seemed to not pay any attention to them the same thing couldn't be said about the people in front of the drake. Even from here Cynder could see their quick glances threw towards the two of them, not to mention that she also noticed fingers pointing at them and heard silent whispers.

The green dragon in front of them remained unmoved for a while but moments later he shifted as he could no longer stand the commotion in front of him and had to finally check what is so shocking. The moment he turned his head his eyes widened as he spotted the odd fiery dragon, the green seemed to be paralyzed.

Cynder grinned and pushed forward with her companion following him " Hello" she greeted the drake as she passed by him yet she never received a response.

The same thing happened with every other hungry inhabitant that was in the queue blocking their advance. The two of them was just passing by them and the people in their shock didn't even seemed to care that somebody is taking their place to the counter. After some time they reached their destination

The moment a black snout emerged from behind the corner the female moles serving the food were just about to start throwing insults, however when a strange dragon with even more strange eyes emerged right after the black dragoness the moles gasped simultaneously in shock.

Cynder smiled " Hi, I'd like my food"

" Me too!" Flare exclaimed right after her

The moles reacted just as the cheetah she saw earlier. The part of their minds that directed the movements of their limbs ordered the moles to server food just like they would be serving it to any other dragon, while the bigger part was dizzied by shock. It wasn't long before the plates with food landed on the counter and were ready to be collected.

" Thanks" Cynder picked up the plate and headed towards the table grinning and with her tail wagging in a triumphant manner, Flare closely following her.

Spyro observed her with a broad smile on his snout as she sat at the table and placed the plate on its top. Feeling his gaze on her she turned around and winked " Nice" he congratulated her

" What did you expect bro?" Sparx took a bite of his meal " Malefor wouldn't choose a complete idiot to be his sidekick, there has to be something under that skull"

" Why thank you" Cynder replied surprised " Who would have thought you are such a flatterer?"

" Before you start imagining things Cyn know that you have no chance, I'm way outta your league"

" No!" she exclaimed with the most hurt and desperate voice she could muster " What I will now do with my life now, Ancestors, what?!"

Sparx casually took another bite " Look carefully and you might find someone crazy enough who might actually like you"

" I like you!" Flare interjected

Cynder smiled kindly at the response, Sparx however threw the dragon only a quick glance " You don't count"

" Hey! Why not?"

" Don't get me started, let's just say that you are not fit for that"

Flare narrowed his eyes on the dragonfly " Yeah? Just like you aren't fit for leading!" he snarled

Spyro winced " Oh hoho, right in the spot!"

Sparx raised his finger threateningly " Dude watch it"

" I don't know how could I believe that you actually ruled-" Flare continued to taunt the dragonfly

The dragonflies' chest swollen with pride " I'm a material for a leader, without my advices we wouldn't be here where we are now"

" Nu-uh, you are way too small, nobody would listen to you"

Sparx frowned and pointed an angry finger at the red dragon " Size doesn't matter!"

Flare nodded casually " Yeah, yeah, keep telling yourself that"

" You can't judge a book by its cover"

The red dragon frowned confused, he didn't know what have books to do with it

Sparx faked a surprise " Oh I'm sorry you didn't understand that, right?" he scoffed and returned to his meal " Too bad for you"

" Now that's just mean!"

After some time their bickering ended and they could continue to eat in silence. At least the three of them could, Flare wolfed down his portion the moment there was a slight break in the conversation and now was staring hungrily at the plates of his draconic companions. The two of them knew what their new companion didn't- to enjoy the meal and not devour it since no more was coming.

As they ate Flare looked down at his empty plate sadly " I'm still hungry"

" You can always get more" Sparx announced, an evil smile formed itself in the corner of his mouth

Both young dragons looked from their plates at the dragonfly, they both knew what he was up to

" I can?" the fiery dragon asked hopefully

The dragonfly pointed at the door leading to the kitchen " See those? There is one of the nicest and lovely cheetah in there. She will get you anything you want"

Without any word Flare darted into the kitchen

Sparx snorted " I'll give you leader..."

The whole Mess Hall felt silent as everyone was expecting to hear a commotion and terrified screams of the unfortunate one who fell for that trap again. The silence only was broken by some stifled giggles when some of the people couldn't hold back their excitement. Minutes have passed and the silence still lingered there, confusion roused within the ranks of the eating inhabitants, it never took so long for the cook to kick someone out.

The same confusion has befallen on the table which the three friends occupied, even if something told them that they knew what was happening it still managed to surprise them. Soon the doors of the kitchen flung open, everyone gasped in anticipation, waiting for that moment when the screaming starts, nothing like that happened.

Instead of the burly cheetah throwing the dragon on his butt a fiery tail emerged which pushed the door open, then the rump and finally the whole body of the young dragon. There was even something more shocking than his unscarred hide, as Flare turned around people noticed that he held a plate, and not the plate they were used to see, this one was filled with plenty of food.

As Flare walked back to his table every eye was on him, following his every move. He didn't mind, his own eyes were pretty preoccupied at the moment as well. He sized the food before him with an hungry glare, it was like his yellow eyes burned with the same bright flame as his wings. He placed the plate on the table, sat and licked his mouth, preparing for a feast.

Sparx watched him with wide eyes " How the hell...?"

Flare cocked his head hearing the surprise in his voice " What?"

" How did you do that?"

Before the red dragon could answer the sound of a scratching chair across the floor could be heard, as they turned around they saw a cheetah getting up " That's impossible!" the feline exclaimed incredulously " She's dead or something?" with that the cat darted into the kitchen

They didn't have to wait long for the result, commotion roused within the kitchen, screams, thuds and clatters were resonating from behind the door. Soon the brave cheetah who entered the kitchen barged into the Mess Hall with a frying pan flying just behind him, the inhabitants burst out laughing as everything returned to normal. The burly female cheetah without any word picked up the frying pan and returned to the kitchen while throwing the cheetah who entered her kitchen a hateful glare. The cat who now hugged the chair rose up and threw Flare a look full of disbelief.

The fiery dragon didn't notice that, his concentration was focused on the currently swinging door of the kitchen " What was that all about?"

Sparx shook his head " It's not important, what matters is how did you manage to get the food? Big Mamma was supposed to kick you out on your fiery ass"

Flare jerked back " What? Why?"

The dragonfly sighed " For all your burning parts you are not very bright. Never mind, just answer the question"

"There's no much to tell, I've got in there asked for food, the people in there just stared at me mumbling something under they breath, I took that for a yes, grabbed what I wanted and left"

Spyro grinned " Looks like Sparx you are losing your magic"

The dragonfly frowned " We'll see about that"

" What is that thing?" Spyro asked while almost pressing his nose to the glassy jar

Inside the jar was something he has never seen before, it was a strange small looking creature. Its body was covered with some kind of chitin husk, a pair of barely visible black eyes could be seen on its head. It had a form of an insect, it was quite long for its tiny size, just like some insects this critter had a pair of large for its size pincers with claws in the middle, even if it was small the pincers definitely were capable of tearing parts of flesh with ease.

One thing was certain, this creature was feral. It kept hissing at everyone it noticed presenting a round mouth with many razor sharp teeth. The critter turned around and noticed a purple snout in front of it. The creature hissed and momentarily attacked, yet it was helpless in its prison, it bounced off the glass with a loud thud forcing the purple dragon to withdrew his head just in case.

" Aren't you a friendly one" Spyro commented sarcastically

The creature hissed once again in response and began to bounce off the glass clapping its pincers and hissing threateningly.

" Ugh" Sparx curled his nose in abhorrence " If I didn't know you Cynder I would say that this is the ugliest thing I ever saw"

" Sweet" Cynder replied unconcerned while leaning towards the jar

The critter noticed that and tried to punish the curious reptile for her curiosity

" It doesn't look like anything we ever encountered" she scratched the glass taunting the creature inside. Its hissing only got louder

" Even bugs hate you, you have a knack for pissing things off" the dragonfly stated

Cynder shrugged " Everyone is good at something"

" Then it's even worse than I thought" a mole with a bloody bandage around his arm muttered aggravated " I hoped that the Dark Army was involved, we would at least know a bit what we are up against"

" Why you are bringing up the Dark Army all of a sudden?" Terrador asked

" We spotted a group of orcs and apes in the north somewhere around the Tall Plains as we traveled here, luckily they ignored us"

" The Dark Army here?" Cyril blurt out surprised " This cannot be a coincidence"

The Earth Guardian nodded, Cyril's concerns were justifiable but there were more pressing matters currently " Summon Hunter, our allies are a priority" he turned towards the wounded mole " Tell us what happened"

The mole covered his wounded arm with his hand " The thing is I don't know, it was day like any other, we were mining for metals and then suddenly we hit a rock that crumbled and revealed these bugs. There was a whole colony of them, those things purged from that hole and attacked our miners instantly. We lost some good people that day but we were able to kill most of them" he rubbed his hurt arm " You have no idea how it hurts, one bug isn't dangerous but damn it sure knows how to cause pain. "

Flare stared at the jar with a frown " It cannot be a bug, they don't look like that, I would know"

The mole looked at the dragon who spoke and it was the first time he really concentrated on his features. With an dumbfounded frown he examined the odd dragon, just to look at the Guardians later, their expressions spoke volumes. With that he once again turned towards the dragon " I see that you had your share of surprise as well"

" It's not a bug, bugs slither, are slow and unpleasant to the touch" Flare kept explaining

" There are many types of bugs kid"

The red dragon frowned while constantly observing the creature inside the jar, the moles words didn't convince him " It's not a bug..." he muttered

Spyro listened intently to the moles story, never seen before creature appearing from nowhere? It only meant one thing but it won't hurt to make sure " Was there anything else? Did you hear something? Or maybe noticed that something is out of place?"

The mole focused on the purple dragon " Judging from your questions I see that something similar happened already" he eyed the odd looking red dragon for a while before turning towards Spyro once more " No I didn't, nor did I hear anybody speaking of something else than the bugs, but something tells me that whatever happened to you guys is happening right now in Munitions Forge"

Spyro sighed, to think he was so naïve to believe that everything will turn out for the better " Yeah, I just wish I could not agree with you"

The caravan master frowned absorbing the new information and the tone of voice of the purple drake before he looked around the room " So is anybody going to fill me in?"

The two Guardians looked and stared at each other for a while as if they were telepathically communicating, a nod from Cyril was a clear signal that they've reached an agreement.

With that Terrador turned to the mole " I won't get into details because we don't quite understand them ourselves, suffice to say is that whatever is happening In Munitions Forge is connected somehow with the mending of the world"

The mole looked alarmed " Malefor's somewhat involved?"

" No" Cyril with his cold tone left no room for doubt " The Dark Master has nothing to do with it"

The rodent sighed relieved " That's good news, let that bastard rot in hell" he eyed the Guardians " It doesn't seem that this makes you happy in any way, those unexplained things we are facing right now aren't much dangerous, correct?"

Terrador shook his head " Unfortunately they are, our young friends here encountered a very powerful golem which appeared out of nowhere"

The Ice Guardian narrowed his eyes on his partner " We don't know that Terrador, as you told me let's not jump to conclusion before we won't see the whole picture here. Perhaps it was just a bad luck when and where the portal appeared"

The mole rearranged his googles " Portals...dangerous things appearing, why nobody ever talked about this?"

" Because nobody knows" Cyril continued " Of course people feel that something is going on they are not stupid, but for now we try to keep them in the dark, no need to let them live in fear so soon after one threat was ended"

The caravan master considered his words, after a while he nodded " Then it is a good thing that we've turned to you when we did, as a messenger I ask you that if you would be able to help us out with our problem? Since you know how to handle this discretely"

Both Guardians threw the purple dragon meaningful looks

Spyro understood the hint and nodded, when people are in danger there was no way he will hesitate " Of course"

" That's right" Sparx exclaimed throwing his thumb up " A life threatening job, we can't miss that!"

The mole smiled " Your dedication was noted" he looked the fiery dragon over " Maybe what is happening in Munitions Forge isn't that bad after all" he waved his hand " Come on Spyro, no time to waste"

" Cynder is coming with us" the purple dragon announced firmly

The caravan master winced and looked the dragoness over " You sure this is a good idea? I mean for me it's ok I'm just driving a caravan but Cynder's last visit in Munitions Forge was... well let's just say that she overstayed her welcome"

Cynder impulsively looked at the Earth Guardian, he was looking at her without any emotions in his eyes, nevertheless it still forced the dragoness to drop her head in shame. It was in Munitions Forge where Cynder while she was corrupted imprisoned Terrador to draw his strength in order to release her Master from his prison. Not to mention that she also terrorized the locals living there, either by killing or enslaving them, forcing them to mine the metals and forge weapons for her numerous army.

Spyro nodded " I'm sure, I need all the people I can trust" he looked at his friend with a corner of his eye, checking if she would catch the emphasis on the word trust

She did, Cynder looked at him, her eyes were shimmering with emotion and gratitude. The way she thanked him however made his hurt jump to his throat, he just could stare at that loving smile for all eternity.

" Understood" the mole's voice forced him out of his trance " After everything that you made for us there is no way someone will try to change your decision, especially not someone like me. So... we are ready to go?"

" Take Flare with you" Terrador added

" Him?" Sparx blurt out surprised

" Me?" Flare did the same

" Flare you are the only one who made his way through a portal" The Earth Guardian looked at his icy partner, Cyril remained unmoved pretending to not understand what that look meant " You might share some valuable insight into the matter and help our friends here"

The dragonfly shook his head resigned " I won't cross my fingers" he muttered under his breath

Spyro nodded, he would like to have their new companion around and maybe try to change his mind about the purple dragons but he just couldn't order him to follow them, not after everything he had told them " Only if Flare wants to" he replied diplomatically

" Yeah!" the red dragon exclaimed excited, even if the dragons here looked strange he already got accustomed with them, they are dragons after all. To see the home of the strange rat- like creatures, that was way more interesting.

The mole rubbed his hands " It's settled then. Home here we come!"

" The inexorable passing hours of labor of the two invigorating cohorts infix our antecedence"

The cheerful and quick voice could belong to only one Guardian " Volteer!" the mole exclaimed happily when the amber dragon emerged from the Guardian's Quarters " Mole- Yair sends his greetings, and a gift!" he pointed with his open paw at the jar with the odd creature inside

Volteer approached the glassy container, the moment his snout was close enough the creature inside began bouncing off the jar trying to reach the reptile. It hissed and clapped its pincers viciously. The Electric Guardian was unmoved by its hostility.

" Captivating!" he exclaimed excited

Cyril rolled his eyes " What isn't?"

" The conjointment of realms undeniably caused the materialization of such varmint." The amber dragon examined the creature more closely " I believe it's an impoverished specimen, however the implausible events may cause such a deformity. The magnitude of its pincers seems to be much oversized for its stature, the luminosity of its husk makes me believe that this insect is budding in the ways of life"

Spyro looked alarmed " Wait, you think that those things can get bigger?"

Volteer picked up the jar, his eyes never left the aggressive creature " This is merely my speculation, however its essential to comprehend divers constituents of a beings foundation" he smiled at the mole " Thank you for the gift" after receiving a happy nod from the mole he disappeared into the Guardian's Quarters

Cyril grinned " That'll keep him busy for a while"

The caravan master motioned for the doors " Come on team! It's time to go!" he looked at the fiery dragon and instantly worry replaced his glee " Just don't burn my caravan with those wings"

" Oh these" Flare wriggled his wings " They are harmless. Look" he slapped the mole with his burning wing forcing a terrified squeal from the rodent " See?" the dragon remained oblivious to his reaction

" N...ice" the mole muttered while rubbing his back, as if checking if it's still there " J...just don't do that again"

The whole situation has made the rest of the group laugh.

On their way out they've encountered Hunter entering the City Hall, the group exchanged polite nods with the cheetah before they departed. The feline dressed in his dirty working clothes made his way towards the Guardians

Hunter bowed " It's always a honor to speak with you Guardians"

" Finally someone who shows some respect!" Cyril blurt out happily

Terrador only shook his head in disapproval before he focused on the cat " No need for formalities Hunter, you are among friends"

The cheetah nodded " How can I be of help?"

" There was a sighting of a group of orcs and apes somewhere in the north near Tall Plains, we need someone to track them down and check what they are up to"

Hunter bowed once more " It will be done"

" If you need assistance just ask"

" No need I work and travel faster alone. Is there anything else?"

Terrador smiled " Nothing, gear up and best of luck for you out there Hunter"

The feline bowed again before he left the building

Cyril sighed as soon as the door had closed " You don't see soldiers like him often, so loyal and without the need to know too much. Makes you think how could his tribe let someone like him go"

The Earth Guardian stared thoughtfully in the same direction his partner was " Good thing he is with us, something tells me that we might need every soldier we can get..."