FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 11

Spyro rubbed his forehead despondently.

"Damn"

"I killed a guy without even touching him" Cynder muttered devastated

"It wasn't you Sweetheart" Amela comfortingly massaged the dragonesses shoulder, the bench she was sitting on felt extremely uncomfortable

"It was me, all that crap I've told you about, it went inside me and I don't feel any different. Like it was a part of me all along, maybe I accidently set is loose? I don't know"

The dragon sprang on all fours aggressively "Stop it! I know you, you would never kill an innocent guy!"

"I'm a black dragon Spyro, Dark is my element. For the likes of me innocence doesn't exist"

"What are you talking about?!" he yelled furiously "What has your element to do with anything?"

"Are you kidding? The element we wield reflects our nature, it's a proven fact, Volteer said so himself"

"Bullshit!" he growled "I spit magical bolts in every color of the rainbow, I have purple scales and somehow I like girls!"

Cynder snickered "What?"

"Spyro is correct to some degree" Amela interjected "I'm no expert but from my observations of draconic kind I can certainly say that there is some pattern visible when it comes to dragons and their elements. You inherit some traits of the element you wield, I believe that this is a lesson every young dragon is taught?"

He wanted to protest...

Ignitus remained at the doorstep, blocking the exit "Elemental energy defines us as beings..."

...but had no solid ground for his argument.

"However that doesn't make you what you are, it might build the fundaments for your behavior but it's entirely up to you what you are going to raise on them. Individuality, free will, the ability to make choices, conscience, your parents teachings, if nothing of this mattered all dragons would be the same. Take late Ignitus for this matter, you both knew him, now compare him to Flare. They are both fire dragons, but are they the same?"

"Of course not" the cheetah continued, figuring there was no point in waiting for an answer since the truth was obvious "This is why you can't put blame on yourself Sweetheart, if this...accident was somehow related with your element as you think then your paws are clean"

"Clean?" Cynder muttered dubiously "I appreciate the effort Amela, I really do, but a guy is missing, most likely dead, killed by some dark monster. His death is on me, if that thing was somehow related to my element it's my damn duty to control it"

"If you really want to feel responsible for something then blame your ignorance. We all know so little about Dark, even you, a natural wielder, this lack of solid knowledge makes it difficult to state any reasonable thesis. Everything we talk about is just speculation"

The dragoness shook her head "I'm not buying this, element is nothing more than an arrow, we are the ones who draw the bow"

"I don't understand you Cynder" Spyro snarled frustrated "Why are you so wind-up on putting fault on yourself?" he growled

She narrowed her eyes on him angrily "Don't talk to me like that"

"Like what? Everything bad that happens, you always think it's because of you. Why you insist on torturing yourself like this? The taunts of the people aren't enough for you anymore?"

"Where am I torturing myself? Just because I think that this once they might be right about me?"

"You seem to be only focused on that matter! Consider every angle, elements are raw magic, they empower our feelings and sometimes slip out of control if we're not careful. Ignitus told me that! It might have been an accident as Amela said, magic is crazy, you can't put shackles on it and believe it will obey you all the time"

Cynder opened her mouth.

"I know!" Spyro cut her off before she could speak, already knowing what she is going to say "I know crazy ass monsters, shadowy creatures and other strange stuff. Maybe that is what Dark does, Fire is temperamental, it burns stuff, Ice is cold, it freezes things. Maybe Dark is..."

His voice trailed off.

"Yeah genius, tell us, what Dark is"

The cogs inside his head began to spin hectically, looking desperately for a solid explanation to back up his train of thought.

Unfortunately found none.

Spyro kicked the grass with an annoyed snarl.

"Just as I thought" Cynder commented casually

"Whatever!" he growled "I don't need to explain myself. It's not you and that's it!"

"What happened to consider every angle?"

"Screw it! It's not you!"

She smiled arrogantly "Well...aren't we a hypocrite"

"Spyro, Cynder, please, this is getting us nowhere..."

The purple dragon roared "Why do you have to be so stubborn?! Why can't you accept the fact that whatever happened was the doing of your element going wild?!"

"Because I feel that's not the whole truth"

"So what?! Just say that this was an accident and you make sure it'll never happen again!"

"I should ignore the death of someone and lie to myself?"

"Yeah!"

"Why?"

"So I could stop worrying that Malefor's influence is corrupting you again! I'm so afraid of it that it drives me CRAZY!"

Amela looked at the purple drake sadly, Cynder wanted to continue the argument at first, but the moment his words struck her with their full power the letters that were boiling inside her throat left her mouth with a whizz and she dropped her eyes on the ground.

Spyro panted heavily, he could feel his heart pounding inside his chest in agony.

"To run from something we fear and lock ourselves in a world of delusion. It's an understandable, natural act" the cheetah broke the silence kindly "But it is selfish darling. Cute oblivion doesn't solve any troubles"

His purple rump dropped on the ground with a devastated thud "I want things to work out, just this once. Is this too much to ask?"

"I don't want to hurt more people Spyro" Cynder whispered sadly

He sighed "I know"

"I'm scared too, I know how hard it is for you. We can pretend that nothing happened if you truly want it. I would run away from all of this with pleasure, say the word and I'll forget about it"

Amela decided not to interfere, this is something they had to do on their own. She watched the young purple dragon carefully, there was definitely a moment when he considered to ignore all of this and continue living their lives, facing problems that they can at least partially understand.

She heard stories about the purple dragon when she was still young and beautiful, all of them praised him beyond rational understanding. Almost nothing changed years later when she became the healer of Warfang and listened to her patients conversations, in some she even participated herself.

People were idealizing Spyro, the young wanted to be like him, the old respected him as their own blood. Everyone believes that their hero always knows what to do, unhesitatingly smites evil on every occasion. Confidently moves forward, nothing powerful enough to stop him. The smallest step a stride, trampling down a path that leads nowhere else but to greater good.

The truth about stories is a harsh one, they are just stories, no matter how hard we would like them to be real nothing will change the fact that there are a work of fiction. There are many people in this world, many minds and imaginations that by idealizing a character try to cover their own flaws.

Blind to the obvious truth.

This is only fiction.

The dragon she was looking at right now was the perfect example of that, people want him to be who knows what, while in truth he is a young boy with overwhelming responsibility placed onto his shoulders.

Despite the stories he has weaknesses too, like everyone else. Fright dictates his life, as a fighter he might not notice it, but it's there. What she sees now is just a different example of it, powerful enough to pierce through the learnt custom of not paying fear any mind.

He loves as anyone else, and not everyone like all people want to believe, but his family and the girl in front of him. The rest are sorted on the I care for you platform, a pedestal where everyone is placed in the eyes of any good hearted person, as it should be.

He doesn't confidently stride forward, he has doubts just like anyone else. Hesitates when it comes to making a hard decision, unconsciously thinking to throw all this problems away and run without looking back.

People fail to see one obvious truth, life isn't about shortcuts, you cannot hope for one boy to solve all your troubles, you have to take matters in your own hands. They have to realize the danger when choosing someone other than themselves as their hero. They are putting all their hope and all their dreams and all their ideas about things into one young boy. Spyro is a young boy, he's going to let them down.

Hopefully before this happens people will open their eyes.

She felt sorry for the young dragon.

"No" Spyro mumbled painfully "Ignoring this will make things only worse"

Cynder nodded glumly, partially relieved and partially terrified, fully aware that even if they wanted to the problem would not simply go away.

She snickered half-heartedly "It's our funeral"

Spyro put up a caricature of a smile.

"Hey cheer up, we're shackled remember? If I will ever want to go downhill again and burn a village or two, I count on you to drag me back up"

The drake shook his head "Cynder..." he muttered endearingly

"What? Almost like old times, minus the thirst for murder of course. A catch you might say for befriending a black dragon"

"I don't know how can you joke in a situation like this"

Cynder jerked her head back in fake surprise "Joke? I'm serious, I have expectations to meet. Ask whoever you want"

"It's adorable Sweetheart how you hide your feelings behind humor" Amela chimed in "Unfortunately I'm too old to stop myself from reading in between the lines. Comes with age I suppose, brain works harder, because the body is simply too weak to stand its ground"

The dragoness looked up at the cheetah with loving gratefulness "Nothing slips by you huh?"

"Let people talk, that's their right, but don't allow their words to torment you. We all have morality, we know what's good and bad, if you follow your heart in your actions then the answer is obvious. One of the greatest regrets in life is being what others would want you to be, rather than being yourself"

Both dragons dropped their heads, focus grimacing their snouts.

Amela nodded appraisingly "I believe you both can relate to the last sentence"

Cynder's heart started to beat faster, she felt it pumping blood to places that she didn't believe existed, as if forcefully cut out from her. She instantly connected the experience with the sensation of emptiness she felt all her life. Her heart was regenerating part of the void sucking at her guts every time she looked at children, seen Spyro fooling around with Sparx, or when she heard someone mentioning family.

The most important part in every creature's life was stripped from her like a useless bandage. She found a piece of that part in the presence of the old cheetah, in her words and sincere kindness and care whenever the healer talked with her.

Moments like those made her believe that perhaps the world has more to offer her than just pain and suffering.

The dragoness raised her gaze, gentle tears of affection gleamed faintly at the corners of her emerald eyes.

"Where have you been all my life?"

Amela rubbed the girl's cheek fondly.

"I have no doubts that the road you decided to walk will be a difficult one, always remember this on your journeys, wherever they take you...The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people to do nothing"

Spyro cocked his head curiously, his heart also remembering loss, a very recent one.

"You remind me of someone, just like you he had practically unending words of counsel for every situation"

Amela laughed "You don't say? He is just as young as me perhaps? If so then there's no surprise there, unending words of counsel are a fetish of the old" she smiled "Who is the lucky fellow? Maybe I know him, that way we could exchange some tips at a cup of tea"

The drake swallowed bitterly "His name was Ignitus, he...he's gone now"

The healer cringed at the sound of the familiar name and her stupidity "Here are some more words of wisdom for you...Even old people lack tact" she bowed apologetically "Forgive me"

"It's okay"

She dropped her hands on her knees with a smack "Well..." she got up "I think that's my cue to go"

Cynder got up hurriedly "So soon?"

Amela smiled kindly "I 've took too much of your time already Sweetheart. Besides, the night is getting cold and you need your rest. I've heard there are some busy days ahead of you"

"We'll manage"

The cheetah chuckled "I don't want you to manage, I want you to be ready" she pinched the dragonesses cheek tenderly "Do it for me"

Cynder swallowed, her lower lip wavered, deeply moved by the cheetah's gesture.

"O...okay"

"If we're lucky we'll see each other tonight yet, I still have some papers to deliver to the Guardians. However if we miss each other..."

Amela offered her usual smile to the both young dragons.

"Goodnight"

"Goodnight" both drakes replied in unison

"Wow" Spyro muttered as he observed the healer slowly disappearing within the embrace of the night "You really like her"

Cynder observed the vanishing feline's tail longingly.

"Yeah..."

"How do you feel about following Amela's advice?"

She sighed tiredly "Since a bumpy road is destined for us we might just as well start walking it today from the City Hall" she looked at her friend pleadingly "Stay close to me"

As if charmed by her voice he swiftly jumped towards her.

"Of course" Spyro replied

After he received a thankful smile from his friend they started to walk side by side towards the door to the City Hall. Their scales delicately brushing against each other as their bodies swayed to the rhythm of their steps.

When the door to the room they both know so well opened they both froze in the doorstep, greeted by an unexpected sight. There were three old dragons inside, but only two of them were Guardians. The stranger was undoubtedly a fire dragon, not even his scared head, hooklike extension on his wings or winglike bony plates in the form of huge ears didn't shock them as the sole fact that his scales were red.

Which was quite odd since he had many other original characteristics, like the fiery tip of his tail anxiously swaying back and forth along the floor for example, that stood out from his rather common coloration. Not to mention that he is a fire dragon, they've seen many like him...yet...there was...something...

"A purple dragon?" the fire drake's low, full of awe hoarse voice echoed throughout the room

Spyro stared at the stranger in complete, shocked silence

The red dragon craned his neck forward.

"By the gods, I've heard stories about purple dragons, but I've never believed I'll ever meet one in person" he tilted his head, his red eyes burned with focus "Or is it that my old eyes fool me once more?" his head moved to the opposite side "Are you real boy?"

The purple drake remained speechless.

Terrador cleared his throat, breaking the awkward silence.

"No, your eyes aren't fooling you. Spyro stands in front of us, flesh and bone"

The fire dragon's eyes widened in sudden embarrassment.

"Where are my manners" he bowed deeply "My name is Ignus, it's an honor"

Eventually everything that is happening managed to be registered by his startled mind.

"A...pleasure...to...How...Why..." however Spyro's tongue still didn't regain the power to form sensible sentences

The dragon's head went even lower "Of course you need more than that. Allow me to start from the beginning" Ignus met the purple dragon's gaze "I am Ignus, with my niece Iris I arrived, from what Volteer told me, in your time through a portal of some kind that connects our realms somehow or something like that. I'm still trying to wrap my mind around this"

"As for my shock when I laid my eyes on you, you must understand that from where I come from purple dragons like yourself are just a myth, a fairytale. Seeing you standing here wakes up all the hopes and admiration I had for your kind when I was young and read the prophecy. I even hoped for my scales to turn purple in the next morning"

"Sadly I've never seen any of you being born, the birth of a purple dragon might have changed the outcome of the war with the humans. Everything might have happened differently..." his eyes shifted to the side, as if ashamed of the sudden regret in his voice, just to return to their normal, burning state seconds later

"...alas that was not the case. There is no point in crying over spilt milk, what's done is done" Ignus straightened up proudly "This is my story, I hope it answers most of the questions you had for me"

"I have one" Cynder chimed in, the fire dragon's attention shifted towards her. He blinked, as if adjusting his sight to her silhouette, just like he laid his eyes on her for the very first time. The fact that she was standing in the doorstep next to Spyro when they arrived didn't seem to leave an impact on him.

Just like he didn't see her.

Just like he didn't care.

"How is it possible that Iris has an uncle?"

Ignus chuckled bitterly "I see that my niece's attitude left a mark on possibly every inhabitant of this city, I'm sorry for that. To answer your question, I sometimes ask myself the same thing, the only reasonable explanation I find is that I grew up with Iris' mother. It had to harden me"

The dragoness nodded silently.

"I am pleased that you found my answer satisfactory..." he meaningfully prolonged the last word

"Cynder"

The fire dragon bowed royally.

"A pleasure"

He turned towards the two Guardians " May I ask for the privilege to ask some questions?"

Terrador furrowed his brows "There's no need to ask for our permission Ignus, we are all equals here"

"Forgive me, I keep forgetting that there are different customs here. In our time a guest had to receive the blessing of the elite that invited him to his lands"

"As it should be" Cyril grumbled under his breath

The Earth Guardian smiled "You can speak freely here"

Ignus nodded respectfully and shifted his attention towards the purple dragon.

"Spyro if I may ask you, what element does a dragon like you breathe?"

"All of them" the drake replied awkwardly

By some unknown reason he felt extremely uncomfortable answering that question, being in the center of attention while having so much on his mind right now doesn't work for him it seems.

Ignus threw his head back, intimidated by the revelation.

"Five elements in a single draconic body? Remarkable!"

"Four. I don't wield Wind"

The dragon frowned surprised "You don't count Wind as an element?"

"For the past years, no" Terrador interjected "The magic of Wind faded with the death of the last natural wielder of the element. With the wind dragons extinct Cynder here is the only one capable of breathing wind. Which is quite odd considering her scales"

"Still, four elements, this is a magnificent number"

Spyro shrugged "It's nothing special"

Ignus cackled wryly "Nothing special? In your veins boy , flows the energy of all elements the world itself is made out from, elements that still carry that magical spark. Every single one of them is a reaper, capable of devastating everything in its path. You have the power to repel all of them! Better yet! You have the power to counter them! You are a reaper Spyro and THAT. IS. SPECIAL"

"I have no intention in reaping anything"

"You don't have a choice in that matter I'm afraid. From what I see and heard from Volteer the prophecy fulfilled itself fully in this world, or perhaps it's still in progress. Whether you like it or not you already reaped in your life. You defeated some evil master and saved the world, destruction is a double bladed sword, good may come out of it too"

He didn't say anything, the awkwardness that crept inside his mind was still there, confusing his tongue and messing his thoughts.

Ignus laughed "But look at me, I'm lecturing you like I would be your father. Sorry, it's just that my fascination with your kind still seems to be alive, even after so many years. I guess I always wanted to speak to a purple dragon and now when I finally got the chance I'm making a fool of myself. Apologies"

"It's okay, I've been through worse"

"Figures. You are a great prize for anyone who can get his hands on you"

Cynder shuffled her paws uneasily, this place became too tight all of a sudden.

The door behind them opened, Amela stepped through, clutching piles of papers close to her chest.

The dragoness shivered when a cold gust of wind barged inside the room through the freshly created opening. She fought back the impulse to grab Spyro's paw and hold it tightly. As if wanting to demonstrate to the world and everyone interested that he is her prize, she earned it and she will sooner drop dead than let him go.

Amela acknowledged the presence of the two young dragons with a kind smile and made her way towards the Guardians.

"Your papers" she dropped the pile on the table "Are you expecting any trouble? There are two really anxious guards at the front door"

Terrador exchanged meaningful glances with Ignus.

"Hopefully not"

The cheetah started to play with her earring.

"I see...is there something you need of me?"

The Earth Guardian smiled "You've done enough Amela, allow us to repay you" he reached down just to seconds later place a bluish tome on the table "The book you asked for, Volteer sends his regards"

The healer snatched the tome with a grin "Thank you. One last home visit and I'll dive into the lecture" she bowed gratefully and made her way towards the exit

Before the healer could grab the handle the door opened on their own, revealing a satin blue dragoness, she had her back turned towards the interior of the room. Her tail was swaying back and forth, the tip leaving a cold mist in its wake. One of her back paws was raised, she deliberately kept it hanging above the doorstep.

Annoyed and angry growls were coming from the outside.

"Midnight" she said and began clicking her tongue, mimicking the sound of a ticking clock.

The growls outside grew stronger.

"You're not allowed in the house?"

The growls turned into roaring.

"IRIS!"

She balked at the sound of the familiar admonishing shout. Seconds flew by and the surprise from her expression faded with the passing time. Making room for the one and only feeling she became well acquainted with.

Hate.

It flooded her whole body in an instant, every limb responding to the specific trigger. Her rump swayed fiercely, the tail protruding from it swiped sharply, the icy tip burst out freezing shards.

A startled gasp and a thud followed soon after.

She spun around, aiming her hateful gaze on her uncle, her eyes barely registered a collapsed old cheetah on the floor and a black dragoness jumping towards the feline.

"Are you alright?" Cynder blurt out worryingly as she looked over the fallen cheetah and lowered her head to grant the healer some support.

Amela propped herself on her elbows.

" I'm fine Sweetheart, you don't have to w-" unexpectedly she let out a yelp pain

The dragoness turned her head sharply, looking for the source of pain. Her emerald eyes flared up with raw fury when she noticed a draconic paw with three white toes standing on Amela's tail.

"Get off her!" Cynder growled and threw herself at the female, head first, slamming her forehead into the ice dragoness side . Ramming into her like a goat.

Iris grunted, the force of the impact lifted her from the floor and sent her toppling on the ground, a bolt of pain shot through her ribs as she landed roughly on the ground.

"Cynder wait!" Spyro yelled alarmed

The guards hearing the sounds of fighting inside grinned and blocked the door, accidentally preventing entry for one peculiar fire dragon. However the moment they looked inside their whole determination and jaundice in nervous anticipation for a criminal's leg to slip faded away the moment they laid their eyes on the fighters.

The blue bitch was on the ground, clearly struck by Lightbane, the tension was palpable. This was a crime, a fight broke inside the City Hall, it's their duty to prevent the situation from getting out of control. It's the duty of every guard.

Yet they didn't act.

Both dragons looked at each other, exchanging meaningful glances. A fight broke between the two most hated dragonesses, from the looks of it, the fight was a serious one. That was exactly the reason why they didn't interfere, deep down they wished for them to kill themselves, that would solve all their problems.

They hoped for the situation to get out of control.

Iris pushed herself from the ground, the temperature in the room dropped considerably.

"Now you're going to die slut"

Many people yelled something at the same time, creating a noise similar to a small thunder.

She didn't care.

Iris channeled her element and momentarily opened her mouth, spitting a dozen of small ice shards in the direction of the black dragoness. However she didn't aim at her, but at the fallen old feline.

Let's see if the stupid cunt will lower her defense by protecting the cat.

Spyro instinctively used his fire breath but unfortunately managed to catch only a couple of the shards and melt them. The rest flew past him.

"You dishonorable bitch" Cynder muttered in disgust and quickly moved backwards, trapping the screaming cheetah in between her paws as she stood over her. She bent her legs, tilted her body forward and spread her wings, forming a protective cocoon of membrane and scale around the cheetah.

Cynder gritted her teeth, the shards cut her like cold daggers but she held her ground. Her warrior's instinct knew exactly what Iris' play was all about. The ice dragoness knew she would try defending her friend, hence making herself vulnerable.

She didn't care, the pain is worth it and she has Spyro in front of her that will make sure that the bitch won't try something like this again.

She was right whatever the girl was throwing at her was stopped by her friend, a perfect opportunity to counter attack. The delicate tearing song filled her skull as the shadows swallowed her, effectively numbing the motherly touch of the feline on her leg as she sank into the ground.

Iris' eyes widened, not because of the idiot in front of her that prevented her from seeing her plan to the end, that was a calculated risk. Her eyes widened because her adversary disappeared. There was a slight possibility that she missed her moving while trying to force her way through the purple cretin but then she remembered a fragment from the book she recently read.

Shadow was her domain, she had the power to become one with it. The blackness was as welcoming for her as water is for an otter.

Mistress of Darkness.

She took it for a load of crap, but strangely she found herself staring at the floor, observing the shadows cast by the braziers.

She could swear one of them moved underneath her.

Iris jumped back, instinctively, as if the spot of the floor she was standing on would be filled with hot coal. As it turned out she did it just in time.

"Stupid books" she muttered to herself as she saw the black dragoness jumping out of the ground right in front of her eyes

Surprisingly though the bitch acted like she expected the attack to fail, she wasn't doing any sudden moves to regain the edge of surprise she lost. In fact she acted like she expected it to happen exactly like this and when she took a glimpse of the dragonesses paws she instantly understood everything.

Her claws were coated in a black smoke, shadow.

Mistress of Darkness.

Iris impulsively filled her being with elemental energy, it was time to drop the sword and raise the shield as some of the human knights used to say.

Cynder slashed her claws at the ice dragoness, her shadow claws leaving a black trail behind them. To her surprise the dragoness formed a barricade from her soft feathery wings. What she tried to accomplish with that was beyond her understanding. Maybe she just panicked.

As it turned out, she didn't.

The moment her claws touched the feathery wings they began to slide downward, sending cold shards everywhere as her claws went down, accompanied by the sound and trail of breaking ice that suddenly covered the dragonesses soft wings.

Some kind of magical armor.

However it wasn't strong enough to withstand the power of her shadow claws, she could see trails of red blood after three more slashes. It won't be long before it breaks and she slices her wings into pieces.

Spyro shook his head, regaining concentration from the barrage of magical power Iris threw his way. This is too much, the situation is getting more serious by the minute, he was worried for his friend, even the sight of Cynder being in the offense now didn't change that.

He smelled blood, it was enough to make up his mind about all of this.

With some relative peace on his paws he channeled his Time power, Sparx warned him about getting in between fighting females, but he had no other choice. It's not like they are going to see him anyway.

There was that low hum, everything began to slow down, every note coming from the yelling throats stretched to unimaginable, incomprehensible length. His eyes began to scan the surroundings quickly, his brain proficiently processing the seen data, looking for the perfect scenario to alter the ongoing play. As an experienced director he knew that time is of the essence.

He decided for a simple solution, everyone takes care of their loved ones.

Spyro jumped towards Iris, ducking underneath the black trail of Cynder's claws and avoiding the slowly flying droplets of blood. He snatched the ice dragoness and pushed her forward, placing her like some sort of statue right in front her running uncle.

The shock of teleportation should be enough to make them both stop and think of another approach. Hopefully the fire dragon is a quick thinker and is strong enough to keep his niece in check.

He returned for Cynder, he felt time returning to its normal pace. With his paws tied he decided not to push her away, he instead moved behind her, got up on his hind paws, spread his wings for aerodynamic control and pressed himself to her back. He used his front legs to get a hold of Cynder's swinging paws and pushed them down. Arranging them in such a way so she would be adequately comfortable on the floor. His weight and the pressure he was putting made her body tilt forward, she would hit the ground nose first if he wouldn't prepare her legs as leverage and not used his wings to make the fall controllable enough.

They landed on the ground, he had her pressed to the floor, her shadowy legs tightly gripped in his paws, her body pinned to the floor with his belly tightly pressed against her back so she won't throw him off.

Probably just appearing in front of her snout would do the trick, but he opted for a more certain solution.

Safety comes first.

At least that's what he kept telling himself.

Because that's a reasonable explanation, a reasonable precaution.

It had nothing to do with the intention of wanting her close, or the desire to smell her scent, or feel her soft body pressed to his chest, or feel her writhing underneath him as he holds her tightly.

Lust had nothing to do with this.

It's just a precaution.

Ancestors I'm a pervert.

"What the-" Ignus blurt out surprised as he skidded to a stop, almost trampling his niece.

On the other side of the room Cynder growled and bucked attacking an invisible enemy without the ability to actually move her body or legs.

"Cynder calm down" Spyro whispered fondly "It's me"

Iris looked over her wings, startled by the loud screaming and the obvious absence of her assailant.

Cynder's eyes widened "Spyro?"

Her emerald orbs swung up as far as her eyeballs permitted, she could see the blurry image of his nose above. She tried to move but was unable to, his tail was wrapped around hers, legs and body held in place by his strength.

"What..."

"I used Time to separate you"

All the aggression slowly faded away, together with the black smoke coating her claws.

It was quite the opposite with Iris, when she saw the dragoness trapped and unable to fight back she instantly got up on all fours. Her natural cold power already circulating in her veins.

"Oh no you don't" Ignus snarled while wrapping his paw around one of Iris' horns

"The fuck?!" she squeaked when a strong tug yanked her backwards, almost making her fall on the ground

He lowered his head, meeting the murderous gaze of his niece "You're going to stop right now"

The cold aura surrounding her gained on strength.

"You fu-" the rest of the letters were turned into a gasp when suddenly a thick reddish tail wrapped itself around her, pressed her to a red muscular leg and squeezed.

Iris wanted to roar but her maw was closed by a big paw clenching her snout. She emitted muffled screams of fury as she trashed with her head.

The grip on her mouth intensified.

"Don't you even dare freeze my tail" Ignus hissed, his ruby eyes locked on the angrily shifting diamond orbs

"Behave" he grumbled

Spyro observed the scene with saucer eyes.

"Whoa, are they really family?"

Cynder smirked, their relation didn't interest her, her mind was completely preoccupied with the fact that the bitch learned some humility.

"Serves her right"

"What are you staring at?!" Terrador blared, his baritone voice rumbling loudly, almost like the sound created by a rocky avalanche sliding down a mountain

The guards at the door cringed.

"If you're not willing to do your job then GET OUT!"

The dragons vanished in a blink of an eye.

"Hey!" someone shouted from the outside, a fiery illumination was steadily growing at the doorstep

"What's with all the noise?" a red young snout with a burning mane appeared in the doorstep

"It sounded likeeeee..." his voice trailed off as he laid his eyes on the interior of the room. At one side there was Cynder, trapped underneath the purple dragon. On the other was Iris, held like a disobedient slave by some red dragon

Every fiery part of his body started to burn brighter.

"I'm letting her go!" Spyro blurt out and to his great displeasure jumped off of Cynder. How the dragon irritated him sometimes, especially his lack of proper timing.

"See?" he smiled nervously "She's ok, we were just playing"

Flare sniffed the air, his eyes narrowed on the purple dragon.

"I-I can smell h-her blood on y-you" he stammered, his voice wavered both with fear and determination

Cynder pulled herself up "This is not-"

"Spyro was protecting her" Amela interjected as she placed her hand on the purple drake's tense shoulder. Her other hand was extended to the side, claw pointing at something.

"From her"

Cynder turned towards the cheetah sharply.

"What are you doing?"

Amela winked "Trust me"

Flare's eyes followed the invisible trail the cheetah's claw created. His hard expression softened when he realized that the cheetah isn't lying. The scent of blood hit his nostrils ferociously, definitely Cynder's, Iris' bloody scent was also there.

The intense fiery light he was emanating became dimmer.

He was never in a situation like this before, he can't possibly choose between two friends. This has to be an accident, or some wicked plan, or another test. It wasn't the purple dragon that played the main role in this situation, the healer didn't lie earlier and had no reason to do so now.

Someone else played the role of a pawn, someone had to take advantage of his friends. He finally has something and even now, far away from his prison, are people who want to destroy this.

He won't let that happen.

"Leave her alone!" Flare growled at the dragon holding Iris

Ignus' head remained in the same position, only his ruby eyes moved, fixing the odd boy with a derisory glance.

"A protector?" he hissed quietly so only his niece could hear him "Haven't you learnt anything?"

Iris muttered someone aggressively.

"We need to talk you and I"

Terrador slammed his tail into the floor, the tip in the form of a spiked ball sent tremors along the floor.

"ENOUGH!"

"Don't do anything stupid" Ignus mumbled and released the dragoness

Ignus stared at her uncle quietly.

"This has gone far enough!"

"I agree" the old fire dragon announced "This is why I...we decline your kind offer Terrador"

"I want to remind you that we don't have any free houses that we can offer you currently"

"This isn't a problem, we are used to sleeping outdoors. We'll find a place where we can rest beyond these walls. We overstayed our welcome anyway" he delicately pushed Iris

She snorted and began to walk.

"And caused enough trouble for a lifetime, my sincere apologies for everything and thank you for your hospitality. We are in your debt"

The dragoness grunted something incomprehensibly.

"A calm night to all of you" Ignus bowed and disappeared with his niece into the darkness

Iris felt the black dragonesses gaze burning a hole in her head, but she ignored her and walked out of this kennel with her head up high. She swam in this bile long enough.

But this isn't over yet.

Such disgrace won't go unpunished.

Terrador rubbed his forehead wearily.

"This didn't go well, thank the Ancestors you interfered when you did Spyro. I doubt it would be as effective if we tried to calm the situation"

He looked through the window "Now if you excuse us, it was a long night and our bones just scream for some rest"

Except for Flare everyone understood the allusion behind the dragon's words.

"What is happening?" the fire drake asked ignorantly, surprised that everyone started to move suddenly, all at the same time

"Cynder wait for a while, Spyro you can stay too if you want" Terrador added

Amela wrapped her arm around Flare with a kind smile "Come, I've heard you have a new bed in your room" she nudged him with her knee gently

"But-" the dragon mumbled, unconsciously succumbing to the cheetah's suggestion

"I understand that you missed your friend, but she had some very tough days. You're going to see her tomorrow darling, let her rest for now"

Flare reluctantly followed the cheetah, his head was turned the whole time, his eyes aimed at Cynder, who was smiling back at him. She indeed looked tired, even despite the wide smile.

The moment they were gone Cynder turned towards Terrador.

"What's up?"

"Cyril has something to tell you"

Terrador announced, without looking behind, expecting his friend to approach as they agreed before the two young drakes arrived. Nothing like that happened however, unexpected silence has befallen on the room.

Which was broken by a more unexpected snore.

The Guardian frowned at hearing the peculiar sound, his eyes widened in shock as he looked behind his shoulder.

"Cyril!" he yelled in disbelief

The shout forced him out of his sleep, the dragon stirred and opened his eyes with a yawn escaping his mouth, he pushed himself lazily from the corner he huddled into.

"What?" he yawned once more

"You fell asleep?!"

Cyril frowned "What's with the surprise in your voice? You told me to stay away, you'll handle everything you said so I stayed away"

"Are you serious?! Didn't you see what was happening?!"

He shrugged "Not really, I lost interest rather quickly. I think during one of your speeches about equality"

"Fairness is a very important matter, you-"

Cyril rolled his eyes with a yawn "Yada yada yada"

Terrador snorted "Forget it. Get over here"

The Ice Guardian sighed in annoyance and pushed himself from his napping corner to take position next to his old friend.

He cleared his throat "Cynder..." he licked his lips and leaned towards Terrador "How went the rest?"

The other Guardian growled "You're impossible"

"Right!" he cleared his throat "Cynder, you're fully aware that for someone like me saying sorry is impossible, but knowing how important you are for us, as a friend, I decided to break the rules of my kind and deeply apologies for my words. The bond that was created between us is a cherished possession"

"I'm old and..." he craned his neck towards Terrador once again "Do I really have to say this part?"

"This is the part you have to ESPECIALLY say"

Cyril rolled his eyes with a sigh.

"I'm old and getting senile. As the oldest of the three and the least interesting I look up to my much younger friends and try to be like them. Sometimes my tongue starts to waggle, but unfortunately I lack Volteer's intelligence and always sound like a fool"

"I also envy Terrador's leadership skills and overall propriety. Being the least educated of the three I don't understand the meaning behind those two things and just like some oblivious boy I spit out words that fit a brat than a Guardian. Knowing this I sincerely hope you accept my apology and forgive me any further outbreaks. Stupidity has no bounds after all"

Cyril took a deep breath "Done"

Terrador looked at the young female hopefully.

Cynder scratched the back of her head with a giggle.

"Well...this is the worst recited apology I've ever heard. However the sole fact that you decided to go with it means a lot. I accept the apology and I'm also sorry for my behavior"

Cyril punched Terrador's shoulder "See? I've told you she would understand"

The Earth Guardian grinned "I have to make a confession. I didn't do it entirely for Cynder"

"I knew it!"

Every dragon in the room started to laugh sincerely. The two young drakes kept on chuckling even when the Guardians stopped laughing completely. For the two of them it felt like they haven't laughed for ages, they just wanted to hungrily hold to that explosion of joy because, for everything that's holy, they deserved it. Especially after this bumpy evening.

As they made their way towards their quarters they wondered what else this night has in store for them, because both of them felt that this isn't over yet.

For better or worse.