FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 10

The Mess Hall was more lively than usual, even from their table in the corner every barely audible and loud murmur reached them. Many of Warfang's houses were already rebuilt or were in a condition that offered a decent amount of comfort and privacy. Yet people still came here in big numbers, in fact the crowd in this place seemed to grow daily, it seems that shared dining has an intoxicating effect, perhaps that's why people still flock here, they seek companionship.

The atmosphere in the mess hall was pretty normal, joyful and carefree, it all changed with an arrival of a group of workers. Their took their meals, picked a table and immediately started talking among each other, and what's more importantly also with other people who seemed to gain an instant interest in their conversation. The food laid on the table untouched, clearly a sign that something much more important has taken the worker's minds.

The freshly arrived laborers were like some sort of organic magnet for all kind of whispers, they accumulated all of the conversations just to discharge them moments later and suddenly two more tables were murmuring in the same tone they were. Another discharge, and another tables joined the nexus, not only the source sent out signals, also the already taken tables were spreading their influence to the surrounding people.

To observe this scene from the corner was a peculiar sight to say the least, people acted like they were zapped and momentarily forgot what they were talking about, now only one thought was bouncing in their heads. It wasn't long before the young group of friends senses that the atmosphere in the Mess Hall has changed completely, joy and smiles were no longer present here.

Worry, anxiety, irritation and the overall concerned grimace has overtaken the massive cafeteria. The three friends observed the people closely while at the same time trying not to rise any suspicions that they are listening. Whatever is bothering this people seems to be really serious.

Sparx constantly threw side glances while munching on a fruit slowly " Who wanna bet it's about Cynder again?" he whispered

Spyro frowned " Why do you always think it's about her?"

The dragonfly nodded at the black dragoness meaningfully " She's here alright? Usually that's enough"

Cynder snorted " Charming"

Sparx shrugged nonchalantly " Wait till you hear what they say about you"

" Let's see..." the dragoness huffed and raised her paw " Slut, murderer, kinslayer..." with each word she counted her claws

" Pffft" the dragonfly shrugged " I've called you worse myself"

Spyro threw his brother an angry, admonishing glance.

Sparx threw his arms up defensively " What?" he blurt out surprised " That was a compliment"

Cynder waved her paw bashfully " Oh stop it before I blush" she squeaked shyly while covering her mouth and flapping her eyelids flirtatiously

Spyro shook his head with a smile, she already had a way of relieving tension, yet combined with his brother's carefree attitude the effect was so much greater.

" ...the Guardians..." someone whispered

Sparx burst out laughing " Imagine if we-"

" Shhh" Spyro hushed his brother

" ...Keep your voice down!" someone from the table behind them admonished his companion

All three friends looked at each other meaningfully, it was then when Sparx cleared his voice and pretended to talk with Cynder, while Spyro was listening intently and slowly eating his portion of the food.

" ...I'm not really a fanatic" another worried male murmur reached them " and don't care about that guy at all, I think he's not right in the head, but what if he actually got a point?

Somebody behind them clashed the tabletop " ...How dare you speak about a genius like that?"

" ...I can say whatever I want, got a problem with that?"

"...I've said keep your voice down!" this time the admonishing murmur was louder, it was clearly a female

" ...You've heard what those guys said?" a draconic whisper from the table ahead reached them

" ...I agree with Brill if you ask me" a female cheetah added " there's something fishy going on and nobody says anything"

" ...I bet Lightbane has something to do with it!" someone else let out an angry muffled shout

Both Spyro and Cynder looked at Sparx who just waggled his brows triumphantly.

" ...Don't be ridiculous, Spyro wouldn't let that happen" another admonishing voice

" ...How can you be so sure? Maybe she did charm him or something"

" ...Are you crazy? We're talking about Spyro here, he wouldn't fall for such simple tricks"

This time Cynder and Sparx looked at Spyro who was just grinning with fake pride.

" ...The Guardians must tell us something! They have no right to keep us in the dark!" someone, it was difficult to pinpoint where, muttered indignantly

" ...The Guardians know what they're doing" a high pitched feminine voice protested

" ...Let's ask them" a different female voice resounded " They have to know something"

" ...If Spyro isn't saying anything then he has to have a good reason. I trust that boy with my life" some male assured voice echoed

Sparx rolled his eyes " When they're going to finally stop licking your ass?"

Cynder smirked "Jealous?"

The dragonfly grinned " No, I'm still better than you"

" I don't need anyone's attention"

" Really?" Sparx scoffed

The black dragoness frowned "Yeah, really"

He shrugged " If you say so puppy"

" What's that supposed to mean?"

Sparx munched on his fruit with a knowing little smile" I don't know what are you talking about"

Cynder let out a tired sigh " Whatever"

" ...I'm not one of those zealots who dances to every tune Brill plays for me, but in all his idiotic rambling he might be right. All this strange new arrivals may be harbingers of something really bad" someone commented

"...Isn't Brill one of those freshly arrivals himself?" someone else replied skeptically

"...alright, my mistake, maybe they aren't that bad"

"...First that Flare guy" a female voice could be heard " a literal walking fire and now that odd girl. Have you felt how cold the air is around her? Gives me the creeps"

"... Yeah, I hear you. They appeared out of nowhere" a different feminine voice commented

"... It's too quiet I tell you" a hectic whisper stood out from the cacophony of other murmurs " something horrible is stirring I can feel it in my bones"

"...all these people talking" a different terrified mutter reached their hearing senses " they just keep reminding me of my fear and misgiving. Something terrible happened, I just know it"

"... I don't like this either" another person agreed

The whispers, the murmurs carried on and on and on, people were so stirred about the events and the news brought by the anxious group of laborers that they didn't realize that the mess hall now resembled a bee hive. Every now and then the group of young friends saw that some of the people wanted to question them, interrogate even about what is happening, yet in the end no one approached them.

It was hard to tell if they had so much respect for Spyro and even Sparx that they didn't want to insult them, or perhaps the reason for their reluctance was Cynder, who many of these people considered as the seductive evil mastermind and were afraid of her. Truth lies in the middle they say, but honestly it didn't matter for the three friends who these people blame, they had other worries.

After a while the numbers in the mess hall thinned, some new faces had overtaken the seats of the previous guests. It was because of this exchange that the atmosphere in the cafeteria finally changed tone, becoming more calm, yet not as happy as they were used to, at the same time.

Spyro played a quiet hollow and somewhat nervous rhythm on the tabletop with his claw as he observed the surrounding inhabitants of Warfang closely " Great, people are starting to talk"

" It's about time honestly, people are not stupid or blind, they know that something is happening" Cynder explained

The purple dragon sighed " Guess you're right, all this silence had to backfire sooner or later. The only thing that bothers me is that Brill once again had his claw in this, I just wonder what kind of crap he sold to those people" the dragon growled quietly " How I hate that guy"

Sparx gasped in shock " No, bro!"

Spyro looked at his brother with a dumbfounded frown.

" You who always loved everyone hate someone? I don't recognize you anymore!"

" Sparx cut it out"

" What that poor zombie mole do to you? The dragonfly asked with a wavering voice, almost as if he was about to cry

The purple dragon just commented it with a tired sigh.

" Just because he has a different point of view on things doesn't make him worse than you and I. We are all equal here, even moaning zombies have rights you know!"

Cynder shook her head in amusement.

" How can you be so cruel bro?" Sparx squeaked, his lower lip twitched as if it was struggling to hold back a sob " He has feelings too!"

The black dragoness giggled.

" You enjoy making fun of me don't you?" Spyro asked casually

The dragonfly patted his brother's head, the hurt expression was replaced by an evil grin " I think you know the answer dude"

" When you're going to grow up finally?" Cynder muttered mirthfully

" When you're finally gone"

The black dragoness grinned " I'm not planning to leave until I'll see your bug eaten and withering corpse"

" At least now we have an estimated date" he replied with a snicker of his own

Spyro chuckled " Do you guys hear yourself?"

" Oh come on Spyro, what else is there to talk about?" Cynder replied happily " People will find out the truth sooner or later, there is always that one big problem with secrets, eventually they always get revealed. Nothing can be done about that"

The purple dragon's eyes widened in sudden enlightenment, he was so focused on the surrounding murmurs that he completely forgot about the main thing that brought him here.

" Speaking of secrets..."

Cynder's expression darkened instantly after noticing her best friend's grimace and recognizing the tone in his voice. She just dug her own grave.

" Shit" she mumbled under her breath

" I think it's about time yo-"

" But now when I think of it!" Cynder interjected, cutting Spyro off " I believe that people are overreacting"

" Cynd-"

" They should know when we aren't saying anything we are doing it for their safety right?"

" Cy-"

She let out a faked laugh " Or at least should know that you want what's best for them, they would never count me in the same team"

Spyro threw his brother a pleading look.

Sparx leaned closer " Bro this is your girl, you need to learn how to shut her up" he whispered

Spyro jerked his head back in shock " My what?" he blurt out and instantly looked at Cynder, at the sight of her confused gaze he blushed and momentarily focused on his brother anew

" Of course I'm not saying you'll be successful" Sparx continued his mutter unhindered " Not the way you think at least, but getting smacked in the head, repeatedly, will eventually silence her"

Spyro stared at his brother completely dumbfounded " What?" he blurt out after a moment of silence before impulsively turning towards his black scaled friend, defensively retreating from the conversation with his brother" Enough games, we-"

" You guys are thirsty too?" Cynder blurt out while shaking the turned upside-down pitcher which held water before they emptied it.

She threw quick nervous glances at the two brothers " Gonna refill this thing, be right back" she stammered hectically and instantly got on all fours

" Sit Cyn I'll go" Sparx interjected with a kind smile

The dragonesses eyes widened at the sound and look of his friendly expression " Y-you?" she stammered

" Yeah" the dragonflies supposed kind smile only grew wider when he patted the tabletop meaningfully " Come, sit"

Cynder cleared her throat and forced her mouth to twitch into a indistinct " Stay" she replied with forced politeness " This pitcher will be too heavy for you"

Sparx waved his hand dismissively while chuckling happily " Oh stop worrying about me so much, you know I work out, I could lift a sheep" he pressed his hands to his chest " Besides you two don't really have the time to talk anymore since I just get in the way"

Spyro observed the whole scene with an amused smile.

" T-t-talk?" Cynder stammered in fear while she threw her purple friend a quick glance

Taking advantage of her shock Sparx swiftly darted forward and snatched the pincher from the still confused dragoness. The kind smile that adorned his face stretched to unimaginable limits.

" Yeah, I'll leave you two alone for a while" with that he pet Cynder's head " Don't hold back on details" he winked and flew away with his mouth twitching strongly as it tried to hold back the explosion of a rumbling laughter accumulated in his throat.

Cynder watched the dragonfly go " That ass played me" she mumbled in disbelief

And then there was silence, not even the ongoing conversations seemed strong enough to pierce it, for her everything stopped mattering. She just stood there watching the flying dragonfly maneuvering between the crowd in this silent world of hers until he finally disappeared from her sight, behind the many scaly and furry chests and backs.

And then she felt it, the burning and itching sensation of someone's eyes on you, she swallowed, she felt like a black rat in a cage, there was no escape, his amethyst eyes seemed to be everywhere. The air suddenly got hot, Cynder felt as his gaze was boiling her from the inside, she gritted her teeth trying to fight it back, but was unsuccessful, she has lost this crucial battle for the ongoing war and now it was time to face the consequences.

Cynder hesitantly spun around, there he was, sitting at that table in the same spot as before, his delicate smile was full of worry and kindness, she knew that if she decided not to say anything he wouldn't pry.

However avoiding the topic completely would not only be cowardice but also a betrayal of their friendship, and the trust they built up after so long of being literally chained together would mean nothing. She couldn't let that happen.

Cynder sat next to Spyro, he averted his gaze the moment he felt her tail brushing against him, he knew that his staring was making her uncomfortable and to spare her this burden he focused his sight on something else entirely.

He is a great friend.

She just stared at the tabletop in front of her nose, her head was so low that she could smell the delicate scent of the wood. Time kept flowing and they both still were sitting in complete silence, the dragoness eventually realized that she was staring constantly at the same spot on the table for the whole time, as if there was some invisible battle going on.

Cynder blinked and with a delicate shake of her head snapped out of her trance. For the very first time since Sparx went for the water the silence between both of them really began to bother her. It was like the loudest silence she has ever experienced and the longer she dwelled in it, the stronger the urge to spit everything out and be done with it finally was becoming.

But to somehow quench the sensation of guilt that tossed her about like she was a ship on the ocean after keeping secrets from her best friend for so long she had to use a combination of words that nobody has ever heard before. A combination of words that at first make your eyes grow wide in disbelief but then make you realize that the eternal long pause you made before speaking them mean that you are serious. Combination of words that aren't popular in the slightest.

" I see dead people" Cynder muttered under her breath

Spyro looked at her with a corner of his eye, trying to determine without being nosy if she's fooling around again. Judging from her wavering sigh, he could tell that this is not a game.

The purple dragon blinked " Okay..." he mumbled quietly, not really sure how to proceed with the info he went for a delicate nudge

Cynder threw him a bashful glance before aiming her eyes on the table again " Only one to be more precise"

He watched her closely, another wave of doubt wafted through as he observed her. Something about the way she behaves was a somewhat obvious clue about her honesty, yet no matter what Spyro had a hard time convincing himself entirely to her story.

The dragon nodded slightly " O-okay" he mumbled, uncertainty gushing from him

Cynder narrowed her eyes on him angrily, that precarious tone in his voice hit the right button, her temper was boiling, she is spilling out one of her secrets and he just okays as if not taking her seriously " You don't believe me" she hissed wrathfully

The purple dragon gulped when he noticed her reaction " It's not like th-"

She slammed her paw on the tabletop, the wooden legs moaned in agony while the mugs and plates rattled whiningly " I'm opening up here and you don't believe me!" she shouted furiously

After the dragonesses outburst the mess hall really got silent, everyone present turned their heads towards the yelling black dragoness.

Spyro looked around the room chaotically " No, you don't unde-"

" You can be such an ass sometimes!" she snapped, brutally piercing the silence

Suddenly she felt all the disgusted, angry and taunting eyes on her. Without any second thoughts she raised her head and challenged the annoying eyes. She can do whatever she wants, she can shout at her stupid friend whenever she wants, it's nobody else's business " What the hell are you staring at!?" she growled

One big muscular dragon stepped forward " How dare you speak to Spyro like that?" he growled

Spyro rose on all fours in a moment " Everyone calm down!" he yelled, the big dragon ceased his advance at the sound of his voice " Sit and enjoy your meals, nothing spectacular is happening here. Please, just enjoy your free time"

All at once people started to act differently, all of them stirred and averted their gazes as if in shame, those who stood up and those who wanted to returned to their seats. Silent murmurs once again began to circle around the mess hall, whatever Spyro had in him people just couldn't fight it. There was that indescribable force emanating from the purple drake that just made them obey.

His influence had the same effect on Cynder, the dragoness just stared at him blankly and impulsively dropped to a sitting position, her angered expression softened instantly as she rubbed her forehead.

" Shit, I'm sorry Spyro, I shouldn't have yelled at you, I know it's much to swallow at once"

The purple dragon scanned the room again, just in case before he sat down and smiled while turning towards his friend " It's ok-"

Even despite her apology he noticed more angry wrinkles forming on her snout, he instantly realized why this is happening.

Spyro cleared his throat " I mean it's alright, sometimes my slowness surprises even me"

She smiled at him gratefully " You can't take my faults on yourself all the time"

" How about you start from the beginning? You've got my full attention, but make it quick, my head can't work on such high pace very long"

Cynder let out a chuckle before taking a deep breath " It all started when we slept in that cave back in the Valley"

Spyro's mind was instantly thrown back down the memory lane, back to the moment when he was woken up by her in the most sophisticated way a friend can stir you. He impulsively wriggled his wings, a numb sting ran through his back when his body remembered the pain her silvery claws caused.

Dragons have natural regeneration process that seals every wound, yet even this magical healing cannot remove the invisible scars that are left on draconic scales. The body remembers what the minds forgets.

" I completely forgot about that!" the purple dragon blurt out quietly, there was a tune of blame ringing in his voice " I promised to help you figure this out"

Cynder narrowed her gaze on him, not entirely sure what he is talking about at first but seconds later everything came back to her. The shadowy creature standing over Spyro ready to plunge its black sword into her sleeping friend.

A cold chill ran down her spine when she remembered that particular moment, only thinking about losing him made her feel dead and ruined already. She discarded the horrible thoughts with a blink of her eyes and a wavering breath.

This is not what she meant but now when he mentioned it she couldn't help but wonder if those creatures she saw, like the hulking beast in that forest, the previously mentioned shadow, or that thing in the water were somehow connected with the creepy dragon that has been haunting her. She didn't have an answer for this question, but something told her that this wasn't a coincidence, if it's good or bad only time will tell.

Cynder shook her head, she once again was looking at her friend, the memories from that day were fresh in her mind, just like it all happened yesterday " I don't remember anyone saying promise"

" it doesn't matter!" Spyro protested

" it does!" she snapped back

The dragoness noticed his mouth opening to voice another protest but she killed the air coming from his maw with a sharp rise of her paw in the air " Besides this is not what I was trying to say. That night I had one of the weirdest dreams ever..."

" Not even close" she mused to herself

"...I've dreamt about my past, you know the happy times when I couldn't think straight and killed everything that moved"

Worry shrouded the purple dragon's snout in an instant " You've began to remember your...b-but how? And why?" his voice was becoming more hectic, more wavering by the second

" I don't know, but-"

" We need to make those dreams stop, they can't continue, nothing good will come out of it. Why didn't you tell me anything?" words were shooting from his mouth one by one. In this particular moment he sounded just like Volteer, minus the fancy words and the obvious fear in his voice

" Spyro relax an-"

The purple dragon pulled himself up " We need to do something, I-I need to do something" he spit sentence after sentence while staring in the distance, like he was cut off from the whole world and was only seeing what his mind wanted him to see. He really resembled those crazy hermits now, lunatics living in their own imagined worlds.

" You feel any different? You want to plot? Think about the Dark Master? Have the urge to kill someone?"

Cynder frowned " You know what, there is currently that one purple dragon that forces that special tug..." she muttered with a hint of mirth in her voice

" Expose your heart to summon ghost, then face alone what you fear most"

In Spyro's head it was the Eternal Night all over again, he was once again back on the White Isle, he has finished all elemental challenges and was now standing in front of a portal that led to the most terrifying place in his whole life. The Elemental's Dragon waited for him there, a dragon which exactly looked like Cynder's adult form under Malefor's control. His blood froze just thinking about it.

" I can't just sit here and do nothing!" he blurt out scared and panicked as he spun around while jumping straight on his paws

Cynder blocked his chest with her wing and his legs with her tail " And what are you going to do?" she asked calmly and with a bit of sadness in her voice, the sight of him so sacred because of her hurt badly

" I don't know! Something! I won't allow you to become corrupted again"

" Spyro" she muttered, there was that powerful kindness, gratefulness and charm in her voice that made him listen, as if some invisible hand would squeeze his heart and made it obey

" Those are just dreams, I had to eventually remember, you can't just discard that part of your life just because you don't like it. Corrupted or not, it was me back then and there is no changing that, sooner or later the nightmares had to start, that is how our minds, our conscience work. Those dreams have nothing to do with corruption..."

" Are you certain?" she once again heard her doubtful voice inside her head

"...The Dark Master or any other similar horror. Dreams are just dreams, unimportant flashes"

Spyro eased the pressure on her feminine blockade " Are you really that sure?" he asked worryingly and still scared

The dragoness averted her gaze, she didn't have to say anything. He already knew the answer.

The dragon sighed painfully and once again returned to his sitting position while watching his friend closely " You said you see ghosts, this is why you thrashed your room right?"

" Something like that" she mumbled

" And I bet it all started after that dream?"

Cynder dropped her head " Yes" she whispered, barely audible

" Then how can you say that the dreams have nothing to do with it?"

" I don't know, ok!?" she growled in desperation, making his head jerk back. She rubbed her forehead, she felt horrible after screaming at her friend " Sorry, everything is so confusing lately" the dragoness muttered after a little pause

Spyro rubbed her shoulder caringly " Cynder, you know you can tell me everything"

The dragoness looked at him sadly " You sure want go down that road?"

He nodded with a silent gulp " Positive"

" Before I begin I want to say that I will never allow myself to become corrupted. I don't know how that really feels but when I will want to kill your brother more often than usually I'll slit my throat myself. There is no way I'm going to the dark side again"

" Somehow I don't feel any less calmer"

She swallowed " With that out of the way I want to clarify that I don't see ghosts. I don't really know in what category you can classify the dragon I keep seeing"

Spyro furrowed his brows " Dragon?" for a moment he looked a bit calmer " It's just a dragon, it could be worse right?"

" Maybe. What I know for sure that this is no normal dragon, his wings are tattered, and darkness seems to follow him. Not to mention that he almost looks like you"

The dragon's head reared back " Like me?"

Cynder nodded slowly.

Spyro's expression brightened up " That's good news! Just look at me, I couldn't scare a fly off even if I wanted to"

She smiled weakly " Don't forget the wounds and darkness, also I've said he looks ALMOST like you. His body is purple, but his wings are green, and he has those two emotionless creepy brown eyes"

" Do you recognize the guy?"

" Weren't you listening? I've said he looks like you"

" You said he almost looks like me, as far as I know I don't have brown eyes and green wings"

" What's your point?"

Spyro shrugged " Did you meet a dragon with green wings and brown eyes somewhere?"

" I've met many dragons" she scoffed " Just in Warfang there are more than dozen dragons with similar green wings. Where else I could see-"

The dragonesses voice trailed off abruptly as every cog in her head started turning at its top speed, sorting through every memory, every sensation, every dream.

Dream...

And then everything cleared, every memory was cast out like useless cards, sensations followed, dreams joined also, except for one.

She was looking inside a burning, ruined building, a mangled corpse of a female dragon was lying on the ground. Next to the body stood a barely alive male, his green wings and brown eyes began to glow like huge colorful braziers when he began his suicidal charge.

" I know who he is" Cynder muttered hoarsely, her throat was sore

Spyro leaned closer and swallowed impatiently.

The dragoness cleared her throat " He is the dragon from one of my creepy dreams, in a more younger version..." she began to scratch her choker thoughtfully

" Why him?"

The delicate squeaky sound of scratching carried on, minutes flew by while her silver claw kept moving up and down the choker on her neck. Eventually her paw stopped moving.

" I don't know" she mumbled defeated

" Oh, well, at least that's a start, right?"

" I guess" she mumbled half-heartedly

The conversation died, Spyro didn't pry, he just waited patiently for her to continue her story.

" I'm scared Spyro" Cynder finally continued " Whenever I see him fear overwhelms me. I don't know why, darkness is following that...that...thing like a loyal dog and I'm terrified of it, of that dragon" she cackled " I'm scared of the dark, of my own element, can you imagine? Pathetic"

" Hey" he huffed caringly " Nightmares work that way, in them we can be scared by even the most stupidest things. Maybe that's why you keep seeing him, just think about it, we've been through some seriously traumatic experience, especially you, facing your former master. Maybe the purple scales don't represent me but him, maybe now everything piles down on you, maybe your mind needs some time to sort it all out. Some rough nights and everything will be back to normal, you'll see"

She looked at him, confusion and resignation shimmering in her eyes " Then how you will explain the fact that I've seen him while being fully awake?"

Spyro looked genuinely startled " What?"

" Last night when I've...redecorated my room I wasn't sleeping and he was in my room. I didn't see him until the very last moment but I just knew he was there, watching me from that thick impenetrable darkness"

" Are you sure you weren't sleeping?"

Cynder narrowed her gaze on him, his disbelief was irritating " I'm certain"

" Because you know, it was the middle of the night, I've heard something about waking dreams, maybe-"

The dragoness slammed the table once again in fury " I wasn't dreaming for fuck's sake!" she growled and the mess hall went silent again

Spyro raised his paw while not losing her from his sight, giving the most common signal that everything is under control. After a while murmurs once again began to circle around the room. He dropped his paw.

" Just think, it is a quite feasible explanation"

Another growl rumbled in her throat " I wasn't dreaming"

" How can you be so sure?"

" I- WASN'T- DREAMING" she pronounced each word slowly with palpable wrath in her voice while moving her claws down the tabletop, deep scratches appeared on the now wounded wood

" Cynder pl-"

She clenched her paw around the edge of the table and yanked it forcefully, tearing a bit of the wood as a result while she furiously narrowed her gaze on the purple dragon " Alright Professor, what will you say when I tell you that I've also seen him in broad daylight, huh? On our way to Munitions Forge I've seen that fucker standing behind some trees in the distance, I've also took a glimpse of him when we were fighting with those fucking bugs. What do you have to say about that? Was I dreaming back then too?"

Spyro's eyes widened in complete terror, he took notice of her enjoyment as she slaughtered those creatures one by one. Back then he thought he was overreacting, that the misgiving he felt had no sense, but now something told him he was right, something deep down told him that he needs to be cautious in this hour of dread.

He only saw his friend enjoying such a killing spree when...

Something deep down finished the sentence for him that he didn't have the courage to do himself back then.

"...she was CORRUPTED"

Some time ago it might have been just the heat of a moment, a simple chaotic display under the influence of unsuspected fear, happens, you eventually fight it and beat it into submission.

CORRUPTED

Now it was different, his entire being was filled with such a dread that he lost contact with the surrounding world.

CORRUPTED

In an instant nothing remained, even the feeling of his own limbs, fear is a powerful weapon...

CORRUPTED

...horror even more so. Nothing existed for the purple dragon...

CORRUPTED

...there was only that one word rumbling inside his head...

CORRUPTED

...like an unending powerful ringing of a huge bell.

CORRUPTED

CORRUPTED

CORRUPTED

This time however his fear was justified. This time it was serious.

Spyro didn't even feel when he got up, he was completely numb, the world around him seemed to slowly wake up.

" No, not again" he moved his mouth but only heard the last letter and the moment he pronounced it the world swirled back into its normal pace, where he was again stopped by the black blockade.

Cynder watched his panicked gaze as if enthralled " Where are you going?"

" This is bad" he mumbled " this is no coincidence or bad luck, I just feel it"

The dragoness frowned irritated " Just stop right there"

" NO!" he shouted and pushed her paw away harshly " You don't realize what is happening!"

" Oh yeah?" she snorted angrily " I bet you do, correct?"

" Imagine that I do"

" Of course!" the dragoness scoffed " You're an expert on everything"

Spyro narrowed his gaze on her, mix of irritation and fear was boiling inside of him " No, not on everything, but I know how to recognize danger, especially when I've already faced it once!"

" What danger are you talking about you overprotective imbecile?! It is me who see ghosts, not you! And you seem to be more freaked out about it than I do!"

" You know what freaked me out?! I tell you! It was y-" as he yelled a red light howled inside his head killing his shout in an instant. In that moment Brill flashed before his eyes for a second and he knew why. The dragon raised his gaze, everyone in the mess hall was staring at them, listening to their argument.

He didn't care about that, what really struck him was the fact that he was seconds from spitting out words that some of these people just wanted to hear, words that would condemn his best friend, especially if they would come out of his mouth in the already fragile situation. After so much time with her he subconsciously programmed his own safety switch that always goes off when he would obviously bring harm on her, even if in anger.

Spyro quickly approached the dragoness and clenched one of his paws fiercely on her shoulder " I've seen you" he growled through clenched teeth " the older you in that fight. I've thought I was imagining things but now I'm sure that it was all true"

Cynder ferociously clenched her paw on the purple one holding her shoulder " Just because I wanted those things to pay makes me evil now?" she shoved his paw away indignantly

" I'm not buying this, I know what I saw and I'm going to do something about it. You won't stop me"

" See!?" she roared furiously " This is why I don't tell you anything! Whenever something is happening with me you go all knight-like and try to shield me from everything! I'm not weak, I'm not some damsel in distress in needing rescue, I don't need protection!"

" I'm your friend!" Spyro protested angrily " Whether you like it or not I'm going to help you, nothing else matters"

" Just think about yourself, just this once!"

" I don't care about me, you're the most important thing that happened in my life"

Tears of anger welled up in the dragonesses eyes " Don't you understand that I don't want to be the center of your world?!" she yelled with a wavering voice

Her words struck him deeply, it felt like a stab with a cold blade directly in the heart which shattered on impact making part of his heart explode in display of gushing blood, blood that swept some of his anger accidently and replaced it with something much worse.

Cynder felt like a huge lump just got stuck in her throat almost choking her. The clear pain painted on his snout broke her heart. She approached her friend and began to rub hone of his forelegs up and down with great care, apology and bashfulness.

With difficulty she raised her gaze to meet his " I want to be a part of your world" she whispered pleadingly " Not the whole deal. There has to be some room left for Spyro"

Spyro pressed his paw on top of hers, she gasped faintly thinking that he will push her away, but to her surprise he gently trapped her paw inside his. A sensation of pleasant warmth flooded through her.

" I'm scared Cynder" he confessed painfully " I can't let you become corrupted again, I can't go the same road again, I can't"

His words moved her, but also filled her with tremendous force of joy, this only proved to her once more how lost she would be, how gone if not for him holding her even if he doesn't realize it. He is her anchor, without him she would have drowned in this sea of guilt, rejection and accusations long ago. The least she can do is to help him conquer his fears.

" Hey, I'm not going anywhere, I plan to nag you for a very long time"

Spyro smiled, yet there was something in that smile that betrayed his doubt and not truly sincere relief " Do you see him now?" he asked bluntly

His down to earth question caught her unaware, at first she wanted to ask Who? But only seconds were needed for her to understand what he was talking about, the fear in his eyes only confirmed it. With an anxious swallow Cynder looked past him, she ignored those many different eyes staring at the two of them, she only looked for that single dragon, luckily she didn't see him.

But he sees me.

That single thought ran through her head like as fast as an arrow from a bow, a chill ran down her spine, something told her, her feminine intuition perhaps, that this isn't just simple misgiving.

This is the truth.

" No" Cynder eventually mumbled as confidently as she could despite that horrific thought still bouncing in her head

Spyro let out a sigh of relief, it wasn't a complete freedom from this fear and anxiousness, but at least it was a start, and it was his duty to see it end. " That thing usually haunted you at night right?"

She looked at him curiously " Yeah..."

" Then next time I'm sleeping in your room"

Cynder furrowed her brows " Spyro I-"

He shook his head fiercely " I don't want to hear about this. I'm sleeping in your room and that's final, if that thing is going to show up again, we're going to kick its ass"

The dragoness observed him with great relief, she didn't want him to be in the middle of her mess, she didn't want him to defend her in every situation and put his good name on the line. Yet, this offer of help she accepted gladly and without even the slightest hint of protest, it was so good to finally get this secret out of her chest.

Amela was right, at least partially since Cynder really doubted that he will just forget about his stubbornness and she would seriously need to correct him then if that happened. However this was different, he was afraid, she could see it and was ready to face that fear. She didn't have any other choice but to do the same thing, let that thing come, this time they, she, will challenge it.

Amela was right.

When both dragons finally agreed on future actions regarding the strange dragon they returned to their normal tone of talking, about just anything that isn't related with any today's problems. Eventually the inhabitants of Warfang lost interest in the young drakes, yet most likely many of them will record this argument in their heads, for better or worse.

When everything returned to normal Sparx returned to the table with a pincher full of water and placed in on the table " There" with that he joined the two dragons.

Cynder eventually looked at the dragonfly suspiciously, not used to see him so silent, especially after everything that happened " You're not curious at all?"

He shrugged with a grin " I don't have to hear the details to know that you're crazy"

*

Flare slowly maneuvered through the many rows those big things that held all those colorful... What was it again?

Bookshelves!

And those things on them are called books!

He moved through one row of these bookshelves, then another and another, and his gaping maw just didn't want to shut itself. Not only because he has never seen a book before and to find so many of them in one place was somewhat intimidating, but mostly because he just couldn't imagine, if he ever learns to read and write that is, that he could finish all of them.

There are just so many words in them, how is he supposed to learn all of them?

" Fascinating aren't they?" Flare jumped at the sound of Volteer's voice coming from behind him

He still wasn't used to the way the dragon talked, he was like a completely different dragon. His fast speech, fancy words were gone, now he was talking slowly, like everyone else does, maybe even slower, yet when he talked he made pauses in his speech, as if he was looking for the correct word. It made Flare laugh, in those moments he wondered if the amber dragon didn't need some reading lessons as well.

" Sorry!" the Electric Guardian exclaimed apologetically " I didn't want to...startle you"

The fiery dragon raised his paw defensively " It's ok, I'm still not used to the way you talk. Without those crazy words and stuff, I could never understand you, or follow you. Why don't you talk like now always?"

The amber dragon shrugged " Force of the...habit"

There was something else different about the Guardian. His sentences were short, not tremendously huge as always, and were lacking the typical great amount of detail. Strictly businesslike sentences, that was the new Volteer.

However there was something else in the new Volteer that made Flare chuckle every single time. Whenever the dragon finished one of his sentences his lips seemed to move on their own as if they were trying to spit more words out while the dragon fought with them ferociously to keep them in line. This struggle twisted the old dragon's snout into a most hilarious grimace.

Not wanting to stare Flare turned his gaze towards the nearby bookshelf and examined the tall structure from top to bottom, resignation filled him instantly " There are so many of them here! I will never learn to read"

Volteer let out the most amused and kind laugh " Dear boy, you...don't need to...know every book to...learn to read"

Flare's eyes widened in hope " Really? The how many will I need to read?"

" None...actually"

" WHAT?!" the young drake exclaimed in a display of youthful impatience and the sight of achieving a goal without straining yourself much

The amber dragon smiled " Reading is not about... amounts of books you'll...sort though. It's about the...ability to...form letters into...sentences. Books...help us to...understand...meaning behind those...sentences"

The red dragon nodded slowly " Ok...sounds easy enough. One questions though, what are letters?"

" Let's...call them a...graphic representation of our...thoughts" the Guardian reached for a nearby book and presented its random page to the young drake. He then poked each sentence with his claw, making sure he didn't miss any letter " These are letters"

" There are so many of them!" the young dragon exclaimed horrified

Volteer shook his head " Many of them...repeat themselves. Look...closely"

Flare leaned closer, almost pressing his nose to the soft pages of the book. He sees it now, the amber dragons is right, many of those letters are identical.

" Hey you're right! But how I will recognize which is which? I mean I can see they are different, but when somebody talks how I'm supposed to know which letter he is using?"

Volteer smiled again " Alphabet, I'll...teach you alphabet"

The fiery dragon stared at the Guardian completely dumbfounded "A-what?" he mumbled

" Alphabet. A...set of every...usable letter"

Flare's eyes impulsively jumped from one bookshelf to the other " Every letter? Ok, this doesn't sound easy now"

Volteer smiled " It's very...simple. Follow me, we're going to...begin with...writing lessons"

The fiery dragon was more resigned than excited, he remembered that page with those letters, ok many of them were the same but that didn't change the fact that there were still many of them. He wasn't really optimistic about this whole thing.

" I don't know if I'm smart enough for this"

" You don't have to be a...genius to...learn to write. I'm...certain that you will...love it, writing is so much...fun. Who...knows maybe one day you'll...write about that...crystal of yours"

Flare looked at his chest, he remembered that the Electric Guardian was very interested in that crystal when they first met. It was only honorable to repay the dragon somehow for the upcoming lessons.

" You know what Volteer? You will teach me how to read and write and I'll let you..." he swallowed, this particular words he was about to say weighted heavy on his heart "...experiment with my crystal"

The amber dragon's eyes flared up with almost overwhelming excitement " Splendiferous!" he exclaimed, for this brief moment the old Volteer was back

Flare laughed heartily.

They have finally arrived near the fireplace that adorned the library, in front of it stood a desk with already prepared necessary books and paper to write.

The Electric Guardian patted the wooden desk " Here you're going to...make your first...steps in learning Common. This...library has also many studies where you can...practice on your own without any...interruption, but that's left for the...future. Come...closer"

The fire dragon approached the Guardian and his eyes instantly landed on one very thin book, he didn't know how an alphabet looked like but if he had to guess he would say that this is it, judging from the many different letters, very similar to those he had seen in the book earlier.

Flare swallowed anxiously " If this is the al...phabet then I think I will spend much time here. It looks hard!"

Volteer smiled kindly " Not at all, you'll...see how much...satisfaction gives reading and...writing. When you...start it's very hard to stop, there are just so many...different things...hidden inside many book's pages. Either...interesting legends, or...practical knowledge. Who knows...maybe one day you'll...write your own book"

" Even if I do" the fiery drake replied doubtfully " I don't think there will be anyone interested in reading it"

*

Is this truly a draconic city?

Judging from the looks the people were giving her, which were filled with suspicion and worship she could figure out the answer.

She heard stories about magnificent and intimidating draconic cities and fortresses, where dragons would receive their completely deserved respect as the most fearful and powerful kind. Those many statues that dotted the streets seemed to tell her that it was exactly like that.

Those stories weren't fairytales after all.

Whatever.

The brief moment of fascination was over, this isn't her time, if of course Waggler wasn't making up the whole time jumping thing.

No.

He was telling the truth, as crazy as it sounds, it's real... and completely unimportant. What really bothered her was the nagging sense of disgust and hatred for her own kind, even here she could see that her kin was outnumbered, a draconic city without dragons being the dominating specie.

And she was supposed to rally them? They didn't have pride, they weren't putting the lesser creatures in line. They were weaklings and soon they will be gone, cast out by the numerous creatures who will eventually see that they are outnumbering the so called powerful dragons and will try their luck.

And they will win, because apathy is death, she knows it all too well, not to mention that there will be definitely some fuckers among her kin that would do everything to save their hide for promises of power. Dragons are exactly like that, the future doesn't really look that much different.

Whatever.

She needs to find that damn scout who accidently showed up where she almost bled to death. The rats from the hospital told her that he was currently working on a nearby construction site to the north. Hunter is his name and he is one of the walking fur rags.

Iris completely ignored the many stares people were giving her, from curious, to suspicious just to end even on lustful. If one of those fuckers would even try to talk to her she would show them their place. Luckily for them nobody was bold enough.

Weaklings. All of them.

The dragoness eventually noticed a scaffolding surrounding a house, renovation process is taking place here.

Whatever.

She made her way towards the construction site, sounds of ringing hammers and commanding shouts led her. Eventually she arrived at her destination. The workers weren't paying her any attention, she was standing with her eyes aiming high to find the cat while people were just running around her as if she was just a lifeless obstacle.

It made her furious.

With a growl she stopped one of the nearby dragons " I'm looking for Hunter" she announced commandingly with her typical accent

The red dragon who was maybe three years older than her leered " Could you repeat that love?"

She narrowed her eyes on the drake, she didn't like his attitude " I'm looking for Hunter" she repeated coldly

" Damn girl your accent!" the dragon exclaimed amazed "It's so hot!"

Iris could feel every bit of her being screaming, the imbecile in front of her was getting on her nerves.

" Where. Is. He?"

The drake red dragon examined her lustfully, not even caring about the furious tone of her voice " I'll tell you" he leered again " For a kiss"

Iris didn't say a word, the murderous flames burning up in her cold eyes spoke volumes.

The dragon laughed " You like to play rough? I fancy that"

Her eyes didn't change even a bit.

" I can tell that here is some chemistry between us, you know what love? I'm a gentlemen and will fetch Hunter for ya, just don't move your pretty tail from here" he grinned as once more he examined her from top to bottom " I'll be right back"

The dragon leapt into the air " Hey Hunter! My future mate is here to see you!"

A low audible hysterical laugh came from some higher level of the construction site " Your what!? You would have troubles seducing a whore!"

For a moment the renovation site turned into a bee hive as many worker's throats burst out laughing.

" Shut up Capro!" the red dragon roared angrily

" And who managed to ruffle your testosterone ?" from the crowd of workers up above Iris noticed a green snout with a horn projecting above its nose emerging

" Oh my" Capro muttered amazed as he appeared on one of the huge scaffoldings " Hunter you lucky bastard!" he shouted at the top of his lungs

" Stop drooling" the red dragon snapped as he landed near the malachite drake " She's already mine"

Capro laughed, the cold gaze inside the dragonesses eyes were telling a completely different story and the blind fool doesn't see it. A perfect opportunity to hone his manipulating skills " Oh right, the obvious lack of interest somewhat fooled me"

" She's tough I give her that, and I like fiery girls. She wouldn't be the first one I cracked"

" Yet, she isn't interested in finding horny guys. Someone completely else interests her"

A growl rumbled inside the red dragon's throat " Business only"

During their conversation a feline scout appeared on top of the scaffolding. With a frown the cat acknowledged the blue dragonesses presence and made his way down. He humped from one wooden surface to the other, slid down some wooden poles just to land gracefully in front of the blue dragoness without breaking a sweat.

" Hey Hunter! Introduce us when you're done!" Capro yelled from above

With a fake arrogant smile the cheetah turned around and showed the muscular dragon his middle finger before turning towards the dragoness.

A smirk found its way onto the malachite dragon's snout " Now we'll see if the business will get out of hand. I tell you, Hunter can win many female's heart with that gallantry of his"

A puff of fiery sparks wafted from the red dragon's nose " Watch this" he leapt into the air and make his way down

The feline bowed respectfully " I'm Hunter, and I'm at your service" he locked his sight on the female. He has already seen her, but only in her unconscious state, and honestly it didn't give her much credit. He spend long time around dragons to know which of them is special, and the girl in front of him definitely counts as one.

There were many female dragon's here in the city that were noteworthy, that stood out from the rest. But until now there was only one that was truly magnificent and it was Cynder, today another one joined her on his personal pedestal. She was a pretty creature, that's an undeniable fact, but it wasn't her beauty that caught his interest.

It was her aura, that both enthralled you and sent shivers of anxiousness and intimidation through you. Tearing you in half and leaving you within a pit of uncertainty and confusion. Dragons are truly fascinating creatures.

As he raised his gaze he noticed one of his co-workers approaching the blue dragoness with a triumphant and arrogant grin. He knew that guy and he didn't really like him. If there were exceptions to the admirable image of dragons, that guy belonged there.

" See love? Told you I'll get him" the red dragon announced lewdly " Now about my reward..."

Hunter glared at the dragon, yet he remained silent, he was already warned about the dragoness and her special attitude. This is no place for chivalry if he wants to get on her good side, if that's even possible, besides the dragoness didn't seem to be bothered by the intruder anyway. She treated him like air and it would be best if he did the same.

The cat's display of respect earned him the right of evaluation, this is how all lesser creatures should behave and they would be granted the honor of her attention. Iris closely examined the cheetah from top to bottom, besides very dirty clothes she didn't see anything unique about him, that would make him stand out from the crowd. A scout through and through.

Point for him.

" I've heard you're the one that found me, correct?" Iris asked, completely ignoring the red dragon behind her

The red drake frowned " Hey I'm talking to you"

Hunter nodded, taking into notice her strange accent, easy to remember. Truly unique.

" Yes"

" Good" she stated " You're going to take me to that place"

The red dragon took a step closer " You're playing hard to get?"

The cheetah focused on the bandage covering her body, it didn't escape Iris' notice " It's a long way, but if that's your wish we better head out now if we want to get there before nightfall" orders were clear, keep her close, keep an eye on her and try not to piss her off.

" I need rest first. You have guards here?"

The red dragon stopped just next to the female " Hey love, don't make me ask twice"

" Yes" Hunter confirmed

" Prison?"

" Yes"

The fiery drake pressed his paw to her soft scales while smirking lustfully " I'll give you some wild time"

The female's eyes flared up with hate " Good"

What happened next lasted maybe fifteen seconds. The air around Iris suddenly became cold as a thick block of ice materialized around her right front paw, transforming it into a brick of ice completely. Seconds later Iris made a swift spin while swinging her icy paw powerfully, the red dragon opened his mouth to say something but never got the chance to finish his task.

Hunter winced impulsively when the icy brick struck the dragon right in the snout, blood shot from his mouth accompanied by the sound of breaking bones and crushed teeth. Some seconds later the dragon was on the ground screaming in agony.

Commotion stirred around the construction site.

" Yoshhh- bitch!" the drake spit out blood between screams of pain " Yousshhh brokssh my jawsh!"

Momentarily two dragons wearing blue capes representing the city guard arrived at the scene.

" What is going on here?!" one of the guards roared commandingly

The fallen red dragon pointed a wavering claw at the blue dragoness " Thishhh slhhlut broke myyshhh jawshh! Shhh atacksshed me!" the drake screamed almost at the brink of tears while spitting out blood everywhere

" Is that true Hunter?" the guard addressed the cheetah, knowing that he is trustworthy and also the closest witness

The feline looked at the blue dragoness with wide eyes, one look into her cold gaze was enough for him.

He swallowed " Yes"

" Get him to the healers" the leading guard barked out an order to his partner while he himself took care of the blue dragoness " And you will come with me, I advise that you behave and don't make your situation worse. We don't tolerate troublemakers here"

Iris followed the guard without any defiance. As she walked away she looked behind her shoulder " When I get back I expect you to be ready Kit"

*

Some hours passed after the accident, Hunter was about to go on a break when he spotted a dragon quickly cutting through the air. The drake stopped in the air right above his head, even from here Hunter noticed how tired the dragon is. He had to be flying for very long, without even a single stop.

" Boven!" the dragon roared loudly using his last amount of strength " All the people! Dead! Boven...is...gone! Hel..." and with that he fainted