FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 9

"Where is he?" Spyro paced about worryingly "It's almost dusk, he has never been gone for so long"

"You say like it is a bad thing" Cynder commented sarcastically from her position on the ground, the grass softly caressed her belly as she laid on top of it, staring into one of the smaller ponds on the edges of the Grand Plaza. The tip of her tail lazily slid from one side to the other.

Tiny colorful fish danced below the gleaming, smooth surface of the pond.

"Of course it is a bad thing! He's my brother!" the dragon blurt out hysterically

The dragonesses head shot upwards with a shocked jolt of her neck "Whoa, relax, that was a joke. Guess Meadow was wrong about my special skill to disperse tension"

Spyro raised his paw defensively and dropped his butt on the ground "No, sorry, it's me, I shouldn't have snapped at you like that" he rubbed his forehead "It's Munitions Forge for me all over again"

"Warfang isn't crawled with murderous bugs wanting to make a dinner from a dragonfly you know. He's way too unimportant for the people, I mean what can a babbling, glowing, small mosquito do that's noteworthy? I'm sure they didn't even bother to talk to him" she winced, just now hearing the echo of her words in her head "Don't tell him I said that"

"What if Brill took him hostage?" the drake blurt out and jumped on all fours instantly, grimace of desperation and aggression filling his snout "Trying to show me what that darkness and all that crap he is constantly talking about can do. Manipulate me to believe you're evil, staging the kidnapping like he staged that explosion"

"A rather far-fetched conspiracy theory don't you think? The mole might be insane but I doubt he would do such a drastic thing like killing his own people just to blame it all on me. Doesn't really fit with his doctrine of a caring pastor. Besides he has enough proof against the Taint" she mockingly pointed a claw at her while grinning with a fake pride just to drop the act seconds later "that he doesn't have to bother finding more. Not in such a lurid way at least"

Spyro renewed his nervous pacing, the grass parted underneath his paws tiredly, like it wanted to whine if it only could, at the overgrown lizard to leave it in peace. It's getting dark, someone wants to sleep here.

"He's a zealot, religion makes people go nuts, it can brainwash some, I've seen the characteristic sparks of insanity, similar to the ones I've seen in Brill's eyes. I can already imagine the future, people waging wars just because somebody said that your god sucks. You have to maintain a healthy distance from everything"

Cynder dropped her head sadly and dipped her claw into the pond, the fish scattered away. She sighed.

"You're in more danger here with me than Sparx will ever be when alone. Remember those drunks that we met in the alley today? They wanted to skin us both alive"

Spyro shook his head in abhorrence "Those guys were idiots"

"Maybe or maybe not" she started to make circles with her claw, rippling the smooth surface of the water "Sparx is like my claw here, he makes noise but people keep distance from him, they are far more interested in whatever is on the other side of the pond, but if I would take my claw away..." she removed the natural silvery blade from the water, the fish once more danced throughout the whole pond

"People become interested in everything. See?"

Spyro stared at the water and the swimming colorful fish below, his friend's words hit the spot, they were both comforting and scary.

The drake smirked teasingly "You were busy pursuing a shrink career when I wasn't looking?"

Cynder poked the side of her head with her claw "Wit" she flashed her pearl whites "A thing on my very scarce list of assets"

"I can name at least a hundred more" he cooed, automatically, not even realizing it

She threw him another brief smile and then dropped her head between her forelegs "I'd like to hear about them some other day" if her voice would be under personification one feeling would emanate from it.

Suffering.

Spyro's heart was gripped by a stern, cold metallic fist of fear and worry "Hey, hey, what's wrong?"

The dragoness took a wavering breath and aimed her gaze once more at the colorful fish, observing them with practiced indifference.

"Nothing"

He swiftly rested on the ground, at the right side of the pond and craned his neck forward, above the water to catch the glimpse of her eyes "You can talk to me Cynder" he whispered charmingly

She blinked, slowly.

She acted like all her life force was drained away, it made his heart ache.

"It's stupid" she finally muttered

Spro kept turning his head around, never losing her eyes from his sight, making sure that she sees him.

"Let me the judge of that"

The dragoness dipped her claw into the water once more. The fish scattered away.

Silence.

"You know how it upsets me when I hear people mentioning my past actions or when they are saying that I'm still evil and under Malefor's influence"

Spyro nodded delicately "Yes"

Cynder slid her claw forward, making the fish split in two groups and swim at both sides of her silvery blade.

"Over time I started to bottle up that aggression, trying to understand it from their point of view. It worked, with better or worse result, but at least it made me determined to make things right. To show them that I'm not the girl they take me for, you know?"

"Yes" he whispered

"I even tolerated Sparx' stupid remarks, which was hard but eventually even he stopped. You two are brothers, making him to like me, or at least tolerate enough so he doesn't condemn me every step I make and I mean seriously condemn me, not the usual teases he throws my way, created an illusion of...I don't know...family? After a very long time I finally felt accepted"

Cynder sighed longingly, her breath created small ripples on the surface of the water.

"It was great"

She fell silent, Spyro didn't say anything, he just kept on listening, even if everything he heard for the next couple of minutes was only her breathing.

She started making circles in the water, the little twister she made followed the running fish constantly.

"I realized that whatever good came out of it is worth jack squat in the end. The fight with Cyril opened my eyes, I saw in his eyes the same thing I see in the eyes of all people, not so obvious but it was there. I found a stupid excuse and acted on it, why I have no idea, maybe the anger I held back so long had enough of waiting and wanted to get out. Something broke in me after that argument, silly I know, there are many people that think like Cyril after all. I...I just don't know"

Cynder smiled weakly, withdrew her claw and watched her distorted image on the water.

"I already hear Amela making a diagnosis. She would call me deeply traumatized I think. Yes, that is the egghead term for my state. Guess hanging out with a lectured healer starts to grow on me"

She sighed "Told you it's stupid"

"Not at all" Spyro assured his friend gently "You know what I think? I think that you were right when you said that you felt like in a family when Sparx accepted you. Your childhood was stolen from you, you didn't have the things me and Sparx had and I think that a part of you wants to fill that hole. That is why it also made you feel that Warfang is your home, if not whole than at least the City Hall"

She pondered his words silently.

"You unconsciously started connecting the Guardians with your home, even with your family, they always treated you fairly after all. I think that after the confrontation with Cyril you felt betrayed, the thing that broke, I believe it was trust. The image of a family that you created betrayed you, made you feel uncomfortable in your own home. It think that your part that sought to fill that childhood emptiness received a blow it never expected, that's why you feel so depressed right now"

She frowned, offering him a forced, amused glance "Who's the shrink again?"

With a chuckle Spyro reached for her moist leg and embraced it in his paws "It doesn't matter and you know why?" he looked straight into her eyes

Cynder gulped and shook her head shyly.

"Because home is where your heart is"

She stared at his caring amethyst orbs, every portion of air from her lungs she trapped behind her closed mouth and locked nostrils, her heart began to race, beating with a frantic pace, they were hanging above the pond like a pair of jerks and she didn't care.

Because home is where your heart is

His paws became hot, trapping her leg and melting it like heated steel, forming it however he desires. The rumbling within her throat told her by some unexplained means that his desire is hers as well. The connection between them was never more powerful than it this particular moment.

Her lips began to waver, eyebrows flutter and eyes itch.

Because home is where your heart is

This is it, she can't hold it much longer, she has to say it, the rumbling within her throat became insufferable.

She opened her mouth.

Yet instead of words that hung on her heart something else came out of her throat.

A powerful, wet, emotional snort.

"Oh crap!" Cynder yelped at momentarily pressed her paw to her saliva-covered mouth, through tear filled eyes she observed the purple snout ahead.

The spit covered snout ahead.

Covered in her spit.

Spyro let go off her paw, it numbly slapped at the corner of the pond. He reached towards his snout with constantly broadening smile, the moment he touched his covered in saliva closed eyes he let out a shy chuckle.

She began to giggle, with tears flowing down the corners of her eyes she reached towards his snout.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry" she sobbed, through barely contained giggles, her voice nothing more than a whine

He felt her paw on his nose, it made him laugh even harder.

"Well..." Spyro mumbled with joyful effort "...that's new"

Cynder started to laugh, the extended paw dropped into the pond with a splash, every bit of air her lungs created was used on the laughter that she didn't even had the strength to keep her paw aloft.

"Sorry..."another bolt of hysterical laughter wrecked her body "...s-sorry"

Her whiny voice made him laugh just as strong, he eventually opened his eyes and the blurry glimpse on his paw forced another torrent of merry joy out of his throat.

"Ssssoorrryyy" Cynder mumbled in between laughs, her lungs ached from the effort.

No other words have been said for another minute or two, they just remained there, hanging from their own edges of the pond, laughing with all the strength they had in them.

Spyro wiped one of his tear moistened eyes, still chuckling a little and still smiling.

"Who needs a bath when you are around"

"Shut up!" she giggled with amused indignation and splashed some water from the pond at him

Another rumbling laughter escaped his throat when his snout was drenched by the unexpected liquid wave. He ran his paw along his wet, smiling snout.

"That's how you want to play it then? Fine!" he blurt out with playful mischievousness and swiped with his paw, offering his friend the same treat he she received from her

Another torrent of feminine laughter echoed in the air when the water splashed into her black snout. She didn't say anything, she couldn't even if she wanted to anyway, the dragoness just tilted her head to the side and counter attacked in the same manner.

Another watery hit, another hysterical chuckle and another playful revenge.

Purple paw,

black paw,

purple paw,

black paw,

and so on and so on...

...with unending torrents of choking laughter.

"Stop!" Cynder blurt out with a whiny, joyful and wavering voice. She giggled when another wave of water splashed into her snout "Ssstop!"

Spyro compelled, with a dying chuckle his paws that were hanging in the air smacked into the surface of the pond, making him lean from the edge of it and stare into the water with his chest bouncing slightly up and down, as if he was fighting off a joyful hiccup.

Cynder's paws also slammed gently into the surface of the pond, just like his friends she was also leaning from the edge and observing the fish below.

"Water" she frizzled in between dying giggles and labored breaths "Water...we're going to use all the water...those poor guys won't be able to swim if we keep going"

Panting merrily, he focused on the fish below, she was right, the level of the water surely went lower as they fooled around. There was still plenty of it of course, nevertheless it was a good excuse to end this game without anyone admitting defeat. It was fun, but he was glad that it ended, he was running out of breath.

Spyro pushed up from the edge and rested his head on his wet front paws, eyeing Cynder with a triumphant and caring smile.

"Guess you're feeling better now"

She raised her head, her eyes shimmered gratefully, the light front the fading sun and her glistening black scales as droplets of water cascaded down her beautiful body gave her that wondrous shine. Her eyes seemed to channel onto that empowered feminine grace, glowing like a pair of the most brilliant gems. They were lovingly enthralling, with the power to melt his heart if it wouldn't belong to her already.

Cynder offered him a sardonic smirk.

"Always could been better"

He grinned, sarcasm, that's a good sign.

"You're welcome"

She winked and impulsively looked at the sky above as she pushed herself from the edge of the pond It was getting dark, shadows started to extend beyond their normal size.

"How long we've been here? It's almost dark and you still have to speak to Volteer"

Spyro examined the orange sky above "I'll talk with him tomorrow"

He pushed himself from the ground and turned around, people were walking in the distance but there was no glowing dragonfly among them.

"He didn't come back yet"

"I'm sure that he's fine"

The dragon scanned the moving passers-by "You're probably right, still I wouldn't forgive myself if I wouldn't go search for him"

Cynder nodded "I understand"

He looked behind his shoulder "You coming?"

She bit her lip "Nah, you have better chances on your own. You don't need distractions. I would just slow you down"

"That's not true"

"Besides I still have some crying ahead of me. No spitting this time I swear"

Spyro chuckled "You sure?"

"Yeah, one S brother for now is enough"

She smiled charmingly.

"What are you waiting for?" she waved him off "Off you go"

He looked up at the sky "I'll be back when the moon settles" he smiled pleadingly "Wait for me?"

Cynder returned a pleased smile "Wouldn't have it any other way"

Spyro beamed happily and momentarily took to the air and went looking for his brother.

"Back in a flash!" he shouted from above, reassuring her once more of his intentions as any good friend would do

She smiled as she watched him flying away, just when he was about to disappear from her sight she noticed him waving at her. She returned the gesture, giggling under her breath. Maybe not everything is as she would like it to be, but at least she has that one thing she can boast about.

Friendship.

True, honest and sincere, not many people can say that they have such a thing, more respected and liked people than her don't understand what friendship truly means. Yet she does, the evil murderous dragoness of all people. Priests, guards or merchants, they can only envy her.

Sometimes she couldn't believe, couldn't appreciate just how lucky she is.

He was gone, revealing in full form the image of the slowly vanishing sun behind the horizon. It was waving at the world in its own special way, splaying weak orange rays in every direction. Both pretty and sedative.

Cynder yawned, her white teeth shone brilliantly, she rested her head on her forepaws, watching as the image of the fading orange light swirled and danced on the surface of the water. It was hypnotizing in its own way.

She gasped when a loud splash that came out of the pond stirred her forcefully from her rest. Water dropped on her from above sending chills down her spine. She ran her paw across her wet snout and looked at the pond, startled.

The colorful fish continued their unending dance beneath the moon lit water, the image of the Sun's brother was getting bigger with each second, in perfect accordance with its rise on the horizon. The image of the moon on the water was distorted, swaying chaotically, it was just like something heavy fell into the pond. The flying streams of water, the unclear image of the moon were the consequence of it.

Wait.

Moon?

Cynder directed her eyes at the sky, it was dark, the orange glow of dusk was gone, replaced by the intensifying silvery light when the world's second watcher was about to begin its vigil.

Did I fell asleep?

Perhaps, it was a tiring day after all. Why care about it anyway? Spyro said he'll be back when the moon settles on the sky, all the better, she'll see him sooner.

Everything is good.

Good.

Everything is...

...good...

...goo...

Then why I am so scared?

A sudden breeze washed over the Grand Plaza, a very cold one. Cynder shivered, the droplets of water that still covered her felt like unbearable freezing ice shards. She jumped on all fours, bouncing in place, flapping with her wings and swaying her tail, anything to get warmer while making sounds similar to that of a snorting horse.

I'm so cold because of this damn water.

Water.

Something definitely big fell into that pond, most likely a rock thrown by some kid who thinks he's cool because he woke her up.

Cynder narrowed her eyes in irritation and scanned the Grand Plaza , searching for the culprit. However there was no one there, the plaza was empty except for some old caretaker in the distance, leaning against a lantern. Whoever did this was either gone or hidden, watching her now and laughing mockingly at her stupidity.

What did you throw in there?

She had no idea why she wanted to know that, but she simply couldn't resist the urge.

Another shiver tormented her body when a second cold breeze washed over her the moment she made a step towards the pond.

Cynder craned her neck and looked at the water, it was dark, whatever fish were in there, they were barely visible, only rarely she caught the glimpse of a mucous, colorful scaly body.

There was absolutely nothing there, it was impossible to pierce through the thick blackness of the pond and check out its depth. The whip of fear that was constantly lashing at her heart the moment she was stirred from her rest urged her to avert her gaze. She just doesn't want to know what is hiding there.

And yet she couldn't turn her eyes away, something from beneath was calling her, she felt the elemental energy in her blood boiling. It was whispering a specific tune, one she was familiar with, the delicate shrill sound of tearing, the sound she hears whenever she crosses the world in shadow.

Her neck was automatically moving, her head being closer and closer to the water with each passing second, drawn by the odd song.

Closer and closer...

...closer...

...closer...

Then it was gone.

Cynder blinked, she was inches from plunging her head into the pond, she felt water smoothing its way across the tip of her nose. She smelled the peculiar scent of fish...and...something else.

She blinked again, but when she opened her eyes the pond wasn't empty no longer.

A pair of perfectly white eyes glowered at her.

She pounced back with a startled yelp and landed on completely stiff legs like a scared cat.

Her head began to pound. She rubbed her forehead with a painful wince.

A headache, a strong one.

The dark water began to bulge and boil like an erupting lava from a volcano. It started to raise, swirling chaotically.

Cynder groaned and cringed when a powerful bolt of pain shot across her skull, almost making her head explode.

"Not...this...again" she stammered, trying to maintain balance on three legs while the last one was frantically massaging her forehead.

The growing bulging water blew, sending dark streams flying everywhere.

Some black, liquid lashes splashed on her, the dragoness instantly began to cough, her head pulsed with a blinding pain and now her lungs started to ache. She kept on coughing, it was so rough that it made her throat sore, every tiny breath sent stinging ache along her whole neck, just like somebody would be slicing her throat with a dagger from the inside.

She was suffocating, but it wasn't the ordinary life sucking choke, numb and blissful. This was agony, it felt like somebody would shove a spiked arm down her throat, clenched her lungs tightly and started to pull, wanting to tear them off from their natural place. The lungs didn't want to give up, they held tight while the arm kept on pulling. Every yank forced the sharp ridges to slide across tissue and muscle, ripping them apart as if they were torn by small hooks.

Cynder eventually opened her watery eyes and through her blurry vision she saw puffs of shadowy smoke bursting from her mouth with every new rasping cough.

"What the hell?" her own panicked thoughts rattled inside her

Someone or something was watching her, she felt it in every creepy tingle on her body.

Her glimmering eyes went up, a pair of ominously white eyes stared at her through the swirling tendrils of darkness that covered its body. On closer inspection it turned out to be nothing else than the water from the pond, blackened and strangely alive, slithering around the otherworldly being like slimy worms.

"Stay...back!" Cynder rasped and started to cough fiercely, there was still dark smoke wafting from her mouth but the pain somewhat subsided

The shrill tearing tune again.

She groaned agonizingly when a sharp bolt of pain pierced her mind like an arrow, her legs bent under her, only thanks to sheer will she managed to keep standing.

Or perhaps it was just fear.

"Stop it!" she growled, her voice hurt and desperate, as if she was about to start crying. She pointed at the creature, threatening it with gesture rather than with grimace

"I've said sto-" the painful roar died somewhere deep inside her throat when she noticed her extended claw

It no longer resembled the shinning silvery blade that perfectly fits with her special charm. It was rotten beyond any recognition. Something green and hissing dripped from the hole on the tip of her claw. The same disgusting liquid was sipping through the many cracks dotting her brownish, rotten blade.

With a terrified yelp she started to swing and twist her leg around like she tried to extinguish a burning cloth.

The slimy tendrils of water cascaded down the creature's otherworldly figure like sheets from a naked body. There was a loud splashing sound when it hit the ground, the black mess that covered the creature splayed on the ground below it. Momentarily it began to boil and become thicker until it resembled nothing more than tar.

Her eyes widened, she recognized the creature the moment it dropped its slimy husk. It was the same kind of being that she saw in that hermit's cave right after her first creepy nightmare all that time ago. It was taller than the last one, but all in all looked exactly the same, a pitch-dark unsubstantial body covered in dust.

A living shadow.

The creature made silent step towards her, the black much bulged with every step it made, the white orbs watched her hungrily like a pair of wolf's eyes.

"Get away!" she roared, her teeth hurt unbelievably, her terrified and hurt voice cut sharply through the air like a bolt of a crossbow. Her legs wavered once more, the sound of her roar seemed to jump inside her skull and rattle inside, intensifying the headache tenfold.

The caretaker in the distance snapped from his little nap, he could see the old mole jumping as he looked at her. She could smell his terror from here, even through her blurry vision she saw every strand of his coat standing on end. He could see her, he could see what is happening.

Even despite the agony a single thought of horrid clarity managed to find its way to her mind.

This isn't a dream.

Ancestors...

This isn't a dream.

The light of every lantern died out with a puff, on every lantern except the one under which the mole stood. The darkness that embraced the plaza was unnatural and thick, it was just impossible to pierce through its veil, as if the rest of the world was consumed by it.

Only the single yellowish lantern remained, like a disgusting pimple on a teenager's face, a face that was completely dark. She could hear the darkness hissing at the light, see it snapping at it.

And it wasn't her imagination.

Something was slithering behind the thick, black veil.

The darkness was alive.

The old mole heard and saw it too, he pressed his arms to his chest and chaotically began to turn around, his wild eyes almost out of their orbits.

She could hear his heartbeat, its frantic pace pounded inside her skull. He was terrified and at the brink of a heart attack. He was losing it, every clear thoughts were deprived by sheer fright.

Cynder wanted to scream, warn him of the danger, tell him to remain in the light where he is safe but no words came out of her throat. The shadowy creature began to sing again, so fiercely that she used every last ounce of breath to cry in pain. She dropped on the ground, clenching her head with all her might, it was going to explode.

Then suddenly there was a pause in the frantic thudding of the mole's heart. Every bolt of pain and sound seemed to fade for this very brief moment. Time stopped for a second.

He came to a decision.

Cynder's eyes shot wide open.

"No" she whispered in horror

The dragoness threw herself up, driven by selfish powerful determination to save lives. She froze when she laid her eyes on the shinning lantern, it was already too late for her to interfere.

The mole was running.

"Don't move!" she blurt out at the top of her lungs

The caretaker set his foot outside the circle of light and froze, his head tilted upwards slowly, examining with terrified eyes something only he could see. Then he let out a dreadful scream of a unconsciously aware person that knows he was going to die. He spun around swiftly, turned himself towards the lantern once more, extended his arms to their limit, trying to wrap them around the lantern. Screaming at it to be closer.

A black thick tentacle shot from the darkness, no longer afraid of the light. It swiftly swung towards the mole and wrapped itself around his chest. The caretaker's eyes widened, the scream coming out of his throat made room for a silent realization.

This is my end.

The tentacle jerked back sharply towards the black veil, the mole let out a final abruptly ended yelp before he was swallowed by darkness.

The light on the lantern was snuffed out.

"NOOOO!" Cynder cried out, her already weakened by regret heart received another blow. That is another body added to the already big pile of corpses that she has on her conscience

Tears of pain and despair were flowing from the corners of her eyes as she aimed her vengeful emerald gaze at the shadowy creature ahead.

"Bring it on you fucker!"

A shadowy sword materialized in the creature's hands.

She roared and threw herself at the shadow, using all of her feral wrath.

The creature remained still, something else acted instead of it.

The tar that was recently a blackened water shot from behind the shadow like a dark slime. Cynder didn't even have the time to acknowledge what is happening, the slime splashed onto her.

The impact sent her toppling onto the ground with a grunt, yet she had enough of vengeful energy within her to push herself up. Taking the collision with the disgusting, slimy thing for a strange attack of some elemental power she renewed her charge.

Only to realize that she can't move.

The aggression, hurt, regret, absolutely everything vanished suddenly, raw fright taking their place. She could feel it taking hold of her, it was flowing in her veins, pulsing in her head and darkening her soul. It was slithering all over her, both from the inside and outside.

Cynder' eyes dropped down, she saw the slime slithering around her paws, making its way up quickly like worms crawling on top of a rotten fruit. These black slithery, cold tendrils were raising from the bottom, now touching her belly, encasing her body in a pulsing black shell, like some latex black suit.

Momentarily, the slimy tendrils reached her shoulders.

She screamed in horror and impulsively bit at the slime, her teeth sunk into it numbly, like into a gum. She threw her head back, bits of the dark muck got stuck to her teeth, in horror she realized that they started to grow and cover her maw in the same shell like the rest of the body.

Terror crept into every nook and cranny of her body and soul.

She wanted to scream again, but only a choking grunt escaped her throat, the slime swiftly shot down her gullet. A cold fist of terror gripped her heart, in a second she saw people turning from her, the home that was the City Hall burning, desecrated and destroyed.

The it was like it is today, except the Guardians were gone, people of Warfang occupied it, screaming at her and threating her with steel and magic.

The door slammed shut, the City Hall vanished.

She turned around, Warfang was gone, wherever she turned people were shouting at her, demanding her blood. Capro was grinning in the distance.

Valley of Avalar, cheetahs everywhere, taunting her, every possible clan rallied on this single cause. Hunter, Meadow and Prowlus leading them.

Munitions Forge, manwersmalls and moles all around her, blind Mole-Yair pointing an accusing claw at her.

Dante's Freezer, apes spitting at her.

Everyone was against her.

Nobody came to help.

She was in the hospital, in Amela's room, her draconic heart was shattered. The old cheetah paced about the room, cursing, taunting and mocking her. Slowly vanishing into the door that led to her private quarters, shrouded by darkness she never will never be able to break.

Don't go Mother.

Sparx was pointing at her, the glow he naturally emanates empowered by fierce aggression. He was calling her names, relating how evil she is without the usual sarcasm and harsh humor. He was serious, and the two listeners took his words with just as much seriousness. It was Spyro and Flare, they had their eyes narrowed at her in disgust while they were nodding their heads in total agreement with the yelling dragonfly.

She saw Spyro, he stood in place, battered and bloody, barely able to keep his balance. Bodies surrounded him, thousands of apes and orcs laid dead before his paws, yet want of them was alive, a tall hero orc was making his way towards her friend. Spyro didn't see him, she was looking at her smiling lovingly at her, and then blood shot from his mouth when a huge axe impaled itself deep within his back.

My love.

She felt Malefor's paw gently stroking her head, both of them sat on a tall outcropping, watching the burning world below and especially admiring the five heads being impaled on spears. Four of them belonged to the Guardians and one to some dragon people called their young purple hero, whose name she didn't even bothered to remember.

It was Spyro again, they were in his room in the City Hall, he was listening to her intently as she finally gathered enough courage to expose her romantic feelings towards him. When she was done he smiled and then burst out with a mocking laughter.

Her heart shattered to pieces.

Yes, shattered.

But it wasn't her heart.

Cynder opened her eyes, one of her paws was free from the thick, slimy and cold shell. She watched it with wide eyes, she could see her scales all right, her paw was normal except for one minor detail. Tendrils of shadow were swirling all around her extended leg like chains around a slave's neck, very similar to the dusty and pitch-dark unsubstantial body of the white eyed creature.

Her paw was cracking, shifting and blinking from her sight. She blinked, she couldn't focus on its features, they were so blurry. There were moments her leg no longer resembled a draconic paw but extremely sharp bird's talons, sometimes it was a huge slithering worm, a pirate hook, horn, some evil imp or other strange monster. It was everything and nothing at all.

Every form of her leg filled her with overwhelming terror.

The song again, yet this time it didn't hurt.

It felt almost natural.

Cynder turned her head, the slimy armor she was wearing no longer constrained her movements.

"What do you want?" she asked casually, stripped of every emotion but fear

However the creature didn't scare her.

White eyes stared at her callously.

The shrill melody ringing inside her head, like wind howling through trees.

"Answer me be-" her voice was cut off by a gasp from her throat the moment the creature buried the tip of its shadowy sword in her chest

She felt no pain.

With her mouth hanging agape she looked at the protruding pitch-dark unsubstantial blade sticking out from her body, just to look at the creature moments later.

It began to dissolve in front of her eyes, quickly until it turned into a shadowy smoke, then it swiftly pushed out of her sight to the side. Her shocked eyes followed the trail it left, she saw it being sucked by the tendrils swirling around her leg, until it became one with them.

The shrill song, stronger than ever echoed all around her.

Cynder started to look around, the thick shadow that shrouded the Grand Plaza began to boil, the thing that was hiding in there was slithering towards her, she could see a huge, long bulge sliding across the black veil like a passionate arm moving beneath the sheets.

The shadowy creature was like an appetizer, the darkness was the main treat.

And she was terrified of it.

Cynder began to scream, the darkness seemed to wait for that, tendril of black smoke shot from the black veil and attached itself to the shadows circling around her leg. In horror and strange fascination she realized that the darkness was being sucked by the dust surrounding her paw.

Fear was slowly being pushed out of her system, every other emotion was wakening up inside her, together with the Grand Plaza. She could see all the familiar landscapes appearing again, everything was returning to normal, the lanterns woken up again, the moon's silvery light once more illuminated the ground.

The darkness was gone, pulled by whatever surrounded her paw, only when the last trail of black smoke vanished Cynder let out a breath of relief.

She swallowed, her saliva tasted bitterly. Curiously she raised her leg towards her snout, observing the swirling shadows from up close.

"What the hell?" she whispered in awe and horror

Everything was gone, except the unsubstantial dust surrounding her leg, the slimy armor on her body and...

She turned around with her eyes low, trailing the shadowy sword sticking out from her body from blade to hilt. Her eyes widened in shock, it wasn't the sword that caused this but the cracked and bleeding purple paws.

She threw her head up, a surprised gasp wafted from her throat when the sword was pushed deeper into her chest. The slimy armor broke into pieces and turned into smoke and met the same fate like everything else that happened today.

Cynder found herself staring into the brown eyes of a broken draconic purple snout.

"I am here" the creature spoke and buried the hilt of the sword into her body

The dragoness let out another gasp.

Everything went dark after that.

*

He looked absolutely everywhere, there was no sign of Sparx, he even asked people if they saw him, but it was just like Cynder expected, nobody noticed him. He had a hard time deciding if it was a good thing or a bad one, those are some really bumpy times for Warfang.

Parents always told them that siblings share a special bond, one always knows when something bad happens to the other. He didn't feel any such thing, it was a pitiful straw of hope, but a straw nonetheless.

Besides Sparx said he had some business to take care of, he had no idea what business it could be, they were always doing everything together. Maybe he just wanted to take a break from them, nobody would blame him for that.

Yet there was one place, important enough, where he didn't look and Sparx was behaving strangely when he decided to pay his respects to Ignitus.

It was the temple.

His brother didn't want to go inside, back then he didn't understand why but today he had the same objections. The place was bustling with activity, lights were shining everywhere and people were walking back and forth, sermon was taking place most likely.

At least he hoped that was a sermon, a peaceful one to be exact and not some meeting to plan how to cleanse the world of the taint.

He didn't have the courage to go inside, somehow he just knew he would stir the hornet's nest if he would show up there. It just wasn't worth the risk, his brother wherever he was, is most likely safe, it was Warfang after all. That and Sparx always had a talent from hiding from trouble.

He'll be fine.

There is someone else who needs his attention more than anything else.

Spyro looked at the sky, the moon was hanging high on the sky. It was time to come back. He cut through the air swiftly, with a smile on his face, whenever he thought about seeing Cynder again it made him the most happy dragon in the world.

Last turn and he will see his friend, he pushed towards it hungrily. He took a deep breath, preparing to announce his arrival in a loud, spectacular way.

Yet when he laid his eyes on her the breath he accumulated slipped through his lips with a whizz.

She was swaying in place, with her head hanging low.

Something wasn't right.

"Cynder?" Spyro shouted, fear crept into every note in his voice as he dashed towards her

He landed on the ground with a forceful splash, only now realizing that the grass is wet, the pond dry and emptied of water. The small colorful fish scattered all around the place, dead.

He swallowed and ran towards his friend.

"Cynder, what happened?"

She said nothing, still silently swaying on her legs.

"What happened?" he asked again worryingly, examining her from paw to horn, thinking that someone attacked her while he was gone and wounded her. He was desperately looking for any injury but found none

She looked normally.

"Tell me what's going on" he pleaded

Nothing.

"Cynder" he whispered her name lovingly, slid his paw beneath her chain and raised her head

He gasped when he looked into her eyes.

They were exactly the same like when he caught her while she was running through the forest so long ago. Unfocused, blurry, dull and lacking the beautiful shimmer.

He shook her gently "Hey Cynder do you hear me? it's me Spyro"

She blinked, her emerald orbs delicately gained on color.

"S-Spyro?" she slurred weakly

Her legs gave away after she used the last ounces of her energy on that single word.

The world went dark once more.

The dragoness fainted.