FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 8 - Battleground

"Chronicler?"

Cynder awoke when Spyro kicked her while still sleeping. She raised her head and saw Spyro sleeping tirelessly, turning side to side and mumering. It where still over two hours before sunrise and it where still dark. Sparx snored loudly up in small hole on mushroom's cap where Sparx has dig up for his own. Cynder stood up, took deep yawn and stretched her limbs a bit. Cynder kept looking at Spyro wondering what he would be dreaming about. 'A nightmare? Oh Spyro...' She tough and moved closer and laid herself next to Spyro and lowered her wing on him to protect him from his bad dreams. Spyro seemed to calm down for a moment but then he suddenly jumped out from his dreams with loud yell witch startled Cynder too.

"AH!" Spyro shouted. Cynder pushed herself against Spyro's side.

"You're alrigth?" Cynder asked worried about Spyro's sudden outburst.

"I... You... We... Destruction... Unbelievable destruction... Fires everywhere." Spyro spoke in half panic, sweating and panting a bit. Cynder pulled Spyro with her wing.

"Calm down. You're safe, it was just a bad dream."

"But it felt so real, like I actually was there. Creature... that creature looked almost like me but it stood... Stood like its whole being where meant to stand on only two legs, its eyes where bright yellow, colder than ice, emotionless and the power it possessed! It-it... It destroyed absolutely everything!" Spyro continued still upset.

"It's okay, just try to calm down. I'm here with you." Cynder tried to comfort him but saw Spyro not calming down at all so she did only thing she could come up with and took Spyro's head between her pawns, holding it still and looking deep into Spyro's scared eyes as kind and warm she could and kissed him gently on his lips. Spyro's panic turned into confusion.

"Spyro, it was just a dream, a bad dream. You're okay now, safe with me." Cynder said with warm tone still holding Spyro's head with her pawns. Spyro looked Cynder confused and slowly came back into his senses and he lowered his head but Cynder pulled it back up.

"Just try to relax. There is nothing that could hurt you."

"Cynder I--"

"Shhh..." Cynder blocked Spyro's mouth with her pawn and gave another kiss. After she broke kiss Spyro raised his head and gazed upon stars. Thinking what that dream would mean.

"Chronicler." Spyro said quietly.

"Chronicler?"

"Yes. Chronicler was in my dream too. He spoke something about what is going to happen if I fail something" Spyro spoke And Cynder listened carefully. Spyro has spoken to Cynder about Chronicler before and how he has helped Spyro to reacquire his elemental powers trough visions and the time he actually met him first time in person, but she didn't understand what where Chronicler's part in Spyro's dream..

"Fail what?"

"He didn't tell me. He just spoke almost like telling a riddle and before I could ask anything, everything went blurry and I woke up"

"Well lets think about it sometime later. Sun hasn't risen yet and you kinda woke me up by kicking my chests and I'm still a bit sleepy." Cynder said and yawned.

"Oh... Sorry about that."

"No, it's fine" Cynder replied and tried to get some sleep, but Spyro couldn't sleep over an hour, his dream just kept bugging his mind. Spyro's sleep where doomed to stay short as Sparx yelled like maniac after sunrise.

"GOOOOD MOOOOORNIG! You sleepyhead!" Sparx yelled right into Spyro's ear. Spyro jumped out from his slumber and stood ready to take against anything what would threat him, but only thing he could see was Sparx laughing at him.

"what that was about?" Spyro asked anxious.

"Hahahaha! You should have seen yourself! So priceless! Hahaha!" Sparx continued laughing and Spyro grunt and looked around noticing Cynder ain't here.

"Where is Cynder?"

"Ehee... Well she said she go out to scout a bit and told me not to wake you up. But I got bored and I had to do something to entertain myself. Hehe..." Sparx finished. Spyro sighed and went to hole to see if there was anything left to eat. Cynder flew above mushrooms looking downwards to see if anything unusual was happening around. She knew flying probably wasn't best idea if wanting keep low profile but nothing has happened over three weeks and she really didn't care about that so much anylonger. She heard some metal shattering agaist metal not too far and she landed on mushroom's cap to see what made this constant sound. A large group of orcs marching and swaying their short swords, clubs and small bucklers. 'orcs. At least twenty of them' Cynder thought.

"Be sure to look around blockheads! We lost our scouts near here few weeks ago."

"Bah! This time that pestering creature has not a change against us!"

"Yeah! I'm going to rip him into pieces!" Others started to speak what they would do with creature once they would find it. But largest orc wearing ironchestplate and huge sword started to get anxious.

"QUIET! Were not to kill this thing! Chief said we need it Alive and healthy! Now shut up!" orc shouted and whole group continued marching not speaking a word. They where still hour away from their hideout and with this direction they would miss their hideout for at least two miles, but she and Spyro have left so many prints around hideout that they would surely spot them and might even start following them to hideout. Before thinking more Cynder flapped her wings and set off flying back to others. She flew directly into hideout and noticed Spyro where eating some meat. She landed front of him surprising him.

"Whoah!" Spyro backed up a bit. "Oh It's you, I thought we agreed not to fly." Spyro continued.

"orcs are coming. At least 20 of them and they're battleready."

"Where? Sparx interrupted

"An hour away. Looks like they're not after us but when they find out our footprints im sure they come here. We need to leave this place." Cynder said.

"You're right. You said they where hour away?"

"Yeah she did." Sparx interrupted again.

"Lets eat something fast before they find this place." Spyro continued.

"Excuse me purple boy, but did you say eat? Are you lost you mind?"

"If they do find us before we're finished we can easily fly off." Cynder answered for Spyro

"well don't blame me if you get hit by club." Sparx said. They ate with haste and soon they finished they flew away from hideout on nearby mushroom's cap where they could easily see what is going to happen around their hideout and remain unseen. After long wait Cynder saw something move west side of hideout.

"That's odd... orcs where up north" She whispered. Sparx and Spyro turned their head where Cynder was looking and saw slim hooded creature approach carefully their hideout, following dragon's footprints with great care. Creature walked on two legs and wore grey cape which covered his whole body and it's hood covered it's head so it's face could not be seen if not faced directly. About five or six feet tall and It kept some sort of bow, which none of them has never seen before looking like there where wooden part added middle of the bow making it look like anchor, in it's left five fingered hand. Ranger footprints where odd looking as well. They where not natural, it where wearing some sort of shoes or boots which left really strange prints. Spyro recognised arrows what creature kept in quiver on right side of it's pelvis.

"Those arrows. That's the one who killed those orcs weeks ago." Spyro whispered.

"What is that thing?" Sparx whispered

"I never seen creature like that. It's far too slim to be an ape." Cynder answered. Ranger creped towards their hideout and before it entered it looked around carefully. Spyro and Cynder lowered their heads just in time. After they looked again creature has vanish into their hideout.

"You think that thing is after us?" Cynder asked.

"Probably only curious but we better stay hidden." Spyro whispered.

"Amen for that" Sparx ended. Soon they saw orcs walking quietly from up north. They seems to have found dragon's footprints as Cynder predicted and where closing in hideout as well. One of the orcs hit his foot on stone and grunt loudly. All the other orcs looked over him angry and continued their creeping towards hideout. Spyro saw creature being alerted and it prepared it's bow, took small knife under it's cape and waited inside hideout waiting the first one to show up in entrance. One orc walked slowly towards the entrance and got greet by small knife which creature threw with deadly accuracy. Before orc dropped on ground ranger ran out from hideout and shot it's bow against another orc hitting it right into his heart. Now rest of orcs got recovered from ranger's surprise attack they ran towards ranger furiously, waving their heavy weapons. Ranger kept running around mushroom's stems and trying to keep distance and firing it's arrows here and then, most them hit but ranger got exhausted rather quickly, making it harder to aim precisely it's shots and arrows mostly just hurtled them than killing them instantly. orcs kept running and managed to get strike distance from ranger. They Swung their clubs which such rage they would hurt even Spyro badly but they missed as ranger leaped to side, made sommerwault on ground and continued running.

"We gotta do something! That creature is being overrun." Spyro spoke loudly

"What? NO! You're totally outa of you mind now! You're not going down there." Sparx protested.

"Spyro this is not our fight. Stay away from it. Cynder said fast but Spyro mind has already set.

"We need to help him! Come on!" Spyro spoke loudly and went off flying above battleground. Cynder shook her head and went after Spyro.

"Oh brother... Please stop being a hero for once and think about your safety" Sparx shouted after Spyro. Ranger has managed to get some distance now and where able to hide behind smaller mushrooms and it breathed heavily. orcs looked around and walked around haste in order to find ranger. Ranger prepared it's bow again and started aiming one of the orcs, but ranger failed to notice that one orc has managed to creep behind it and where raising his sword. Spyro noticed this and dived to intercept orc before he could swung his sword on ranger. Spyro hit orc hard to chest making orc lose his balance and falling on it's back and hitting his head on rock, making orc fell unconscious. Spyro turned around to see how ranger where fairing out but once Spyro saw ranger it turned around fast and shot his arrow towards Spyro. Spyro's eyes widened and he felt pain on his throat.

"SPYRO NO!!" Cynder yelled loud as her lungs allowed her.