FSE

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formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 18

"As assassins we would-"

"Flare, dude!" Sparx blurt out indignantly as he spun around to face the dragon, throwing his arms in the air in display of irritation "Stop using that word already"

"Come on!" the red dragon whined "The torch lit tunnel, shadows creeping over the walls, whispers..." his eyes widened as he focused on the floating dragonfly, they stopped right at the entrance to the Mess Hall. The light coming from that room intensified the natural glow Sparx emitted. He was shimmering like a sack of gold coins.

"And now you! A perfect scenery for a story about assa-"

Sparx dashed forward, clamping the dragon's yapping mouth shut "Not this word again"

Flare shook off the yellow hands from his snout "Then what word should I use?"

"Why on earth you want to replace it? Just forget about it"

The drake shook his head fiercely "Oh no! This is just too perfect to ignore. The scenery is dark, scary and mysterious, with the occasional light of hope or reward, or...or good pushing through!" the drake spun around in place, spreading his wings in awe

"Can't you not see this?!"

Sparx covered his face with his hand, protecting himself from the indiscreet stares of passing people. Not satisfied with his cover he dashed behind Flare.

"Let's clear something up"

Flare scanned his left flank, then his right, just two repeat the motion three more times.

The dragonfly stared at him with wide eyes "I know I'm going to regret this but...what are you doing buddy?"

The drake examined his body two more times "You said something about clearing. Am I dirty somewhere?"

Sparx rubbed his forehead with a sigh "Ancestors give me strength" he shook his head "What I'm trying to say is that not everyone has such a high tolerance for strange like myself"

Flare frowned, dumbfounded "What?"

The dragonfly rubbed his pulsing temples "Keep your rich personality to yourself or people might take us for possessed"

"Sparx, seriously, stop with the smart talk already and tell me what you want"

"Don't draw so much attention to yourself. People look at us like we're crazy"

Flare looked around the corridor, some people were throwing the two of them quick, disgruntled glances. Sparx was covering behind his body...it all started to make sense now.

"You think I'm embarrassing us?"

"No, not us, you're too far gone to even tell the difference" the dragonfly pressed his thumb to his chest indignantly "You're embarrassing ME! I have a reputation to keep you know! A really sucky one lately, but still a reputation"

The dragon narrowed his eyes on the dragonfly "So basically all your talk about freedom all that time ago was worth shit?" he snarled "Guess what, I don't care if I'm embarrassing you. Nobody is going to tell me what to do, never again I'm going to be a slave"

Sparx raised his arms defensively "Sheesh man, that was a joke. All I'm trying to say is that not everyone has to know what's going on inside our heads. For their sake and ours. Words pulled out of context are more dangerous than any weapon"

"So what? I should shut up and nod all the time?"

"You need to keep secrets. That's how this gang rolls and you're a part of it now, until you learn what's going on you have to follow our lead. If you don't like it..." he shrugged "...you know where the d...then you can always leave"

Flare looked sadly at the ground "I want to be in a team with you and Cynder, I just don't like the idea of throwing away the stuff I like because it might make people mad. I'm free, nobody should tell me how to live my life"

Sparx folded his arms in sincere awe "Damn dude, you really are something" he clapped his hands, making the red neck raise from the ground "I didn't say you have to throw stuff and your ideas away, or whatever is going inside your head right now. Just replace the ass word" he dashed towards the drake's snout, waggling his eyebrows "See what I did there?"

The dragon shook his head.

The dragonfly sighed with his arms slumping down "What I mean is you can change the word that people hate to hear now to something more acceptable, if you're so stubborn about this stuff. A word that is adorable, sweet and practically everyone loves. Like pony"

Flare frowned surprised "Pony? What the hell is a pony?"

Sparx covered his mouth "All I know is that if you add my and little, exactly in that order before pony the world ends"

"All right, I'm beginning to get it now, sorry for all this trouble. I'll start to understand things faster with time, all my life I had to focus on something else than thinking"

"No problem" Sparx darted forward but then suddenly stopped ahead of the dragon "One question though, since we are in the sharing mood" he turned towards the drake "You've got quite the manly voice man, a slimmer body than my bro but undoubtedly of a fighting guy, sometimes you say things that only someone with experience might say, you know the grownup stuff. And then..."

Sparx snapped his fingers.

"...boom, you are a dull kid. Jumping around, getting excited about things no one really cares about, overreacting about stuff like a spoiled brat, drawing too much attention when it's not needed, not really thinking about what you're doing like wanting for something to just happen so you won't be bored. All those things that a attention seeking kid would want"

There was a pause.

Flare scratched the back of his head "What was the question again?"

The dragonfly threw his arms to the sides "What the hell is your problem man?"

"My problem? I don't have any problem"

"Why do you act like that?"

"I don't know what you want to know. That's just me"

Sparx folded his arms, narrowing his eyes on the drake "See? You know how to lie, even if you pretend you don't"

The dragon's eyes flared up, fiery sparks jumped within his eyes "I don't know what you're talking about"

"Hey dude, whatever, everyone needs their privacy"

"Just because I'm different doesn't mean that I'm worse!" Flare snapped

"Whoa" Sparx jerked his head back surprised "From where did that come from? I'm not judging or anything, relax man"

With a snort the drake looked at the ground.

"Sorry"

"Damn you're moody. Did your check if you're pregnant?"

Flare looked up, his snout grimaced by a blank expression.

"Pregnant? How? I'm a guy, I can't get pregnant"

With a grin Sparx patted the dragon's head "Buddy, in your case, everything is possible"

The drake frowned,

The dragonfly elbowed him playfully "Come on, lazy tails are catching up, let's go call dibs on the line for food Pony"

"That word sucks" Flare blurt out as he started to follow the dragonfly with a jump "It just doesn't fit with my dark and mysterious scenery"

"Why it bothers you so much anyway?"

"It just doesn't fit in the book I'm planning to write"

Sparx snickered "Write a book?" he turned around with an amused look on his face "You?"

"Yeah, what's so strange about it?"

The dragonfly shrugged as he continued on his way "Nothing, burn the midnight oil over it"

The dragon reared his head back "Huh?" he sprang after the dragonfly "What's the point in that?"

"Exactly"

*

"Look at this line!" Flare whined

Sparx raised in the air, indifferently scanning the group of people standing ahead of them, all waiting to get to the counter for their today's breakfast. There was quite a lot of people ahead of them, but it wasn't so bad when you got used to the fact that in this Mess Hall everyone has his turn.

"I've seen worse" he commented nonchalantly as he lowered himself down

"How can you be so calm about this?" the drake sniffed the air, a drool appeared on his lower lip, he had no idea what smelled like that but it was absolutely wonderful

"Can't you smell this?" he slurred impatiently "It's driving me crazy"

Sparx cackled "If only that would be the truth"

Flare tapped his claws against the floor impatiently "Why the lines anyway? We should go out and buy some food, or cook it ourselves!"

"Do you have any money?"

"No"

"Do you know how to cook?"

The drake frowned offended "I'm a fire dragon Sparx"

The dragonfly smirked "Did any of your meals smell like this?"

"Well...no"

"Then you don't know how to cook"

"Whatever!" Flare whined again "We're hungry here! We shouldn't be waiting for our food!"

"You're getting your share for free, so stop complaining"

The drake snorted "I don't like this one bit!"

"Nobody cares about your problems buddy. Focus on something else, you need to stop annoying people around you"

"So unfair" Flare hissed under his breath as he looked around the room

Nothing but boring, incomprehensible chatter bounced off the walls of the Mess Hall.

A high-pitched feminine giggle broke through the ongoing conversations in the room.

Flare's head immediately shifted in that direction, he had to crane his neck to the side to look past the group of cheetahs and moles that stood in the line ahead of them to locate the source of the sound.

The reason behind this normal, yet at the same strangely interesting noise was a female dragon. She was leaning against the wall, with her gaze fixed on the floor. She was giggling, a result that was obviously extremely pleasant to the male dragon standing next to her, who observes his companion with an amused smile.

And the fiery assass...pony crept forward. The two not being his targets, but nevertheless high officials like them have to know one or two valuable secrets.

"See? I made you laugh" the male smirked

"You're a pig" the girl retorted endearingly.

"Not as much as you"

"A sassy pig"

"Not my fault that I'm so damn good"

The female grinned "Good in being pathetic you wanted to say"

Flare narrowed his sight, driven by the eye of imagination he noticed something that wasn't there. Like the idea of those two fighting over domination.

"But good nevertheless. You on the other paw are bad in everything"

"This is really starting to become too childish" the female narrowed her eyes, wry sparks flaring up inside "You know, this reminds me of the time when we were young, and you were always there to pick on me.. Do you remember how it ended?"

The male dragon shook his head in disbelief "You're stupid"

The girl leered at the drake "Are you hitting on me?"

They looked at each other for quite some time and then started laughing simultaneously.

Flare cocked his head, that was an unexpected turn of events, first they are arguing and then suddenly laughing. All that fight for power he saw earlier was gone. It was like opening a portal to another world by speaking the right password'

"Finally!" the shout from the hovering dragonfly g him back to reality

"Took you long enough Twin tails" Sparx commented belligerently

Both Spyro and Cynder chuckled

"Twin tails?" the purple drake ask amused as the two of them joined their companions.

Disgruntled snorts and terribly toxic whispers about Cynder murmured from behind them.

They both ignored it.

"From where did it come from?" Spyro inquired further

Sparx folded his arms with a grin.

"Bro, bro, bro, You're still too young to know such things"

Spyro rolled his eyes "Fine, don't tell if you don't want to"

"Hi Cynder!" Flare greeted his returning friend excitedly, completely ignoring what the two brothers had to say

The dragoness returned him a kind simile "Hey you"

"Out of my kitchen!"

The Mess Hall went silent like by a magic touch, everything that remained and could be called a sound was the rumbling echo of the shout from the kitchen. The door of which were observed by every possible colorful eye that currently resided in the Mess Hall.

Then there was the clinging noise of the frying pan and gasps of anxiousness as some peculiar ovation. The door of the kitchen burst open, slamming with their wooden surface into the nearby wall.

Momentarily an adult fire dragon shot from the doorstep, the burning tail tip almost burning through the swinging door. Some of the jumping food on the shaking, clinking platter the dragon held in his mouth landed on the floor. His steps were uneven, shaking, his legs just kept tripping over each other, the escape was hilarious, like that of a drunk trying to escape from authorities.

Full of imagined dignity.

The Mess Hall burst out laughing.

"Hey!" Flare snorted angrily as his eyes followed the dragon "That's the guy I saw Iris with in the City Hall!"

One of the nearby moles pulled up the sleeves of his blouse as he elbowed his friend.

"Did it got hotter here or is it just me?"

"Yup" Cynder confirmed callously "That's her uncle"

"Uncle?" Sparx repeated surprised "One day off and I missed so much?"

Flare didn't pay them any attention, his head kept following the stumbling drake. During one of those upward stretches of his red neck his yellow eyes widened in pleasant shock.

"I don't feel anything" the mole's friend responded after one of the strangest contemplations of his life. He could swear that he felt something there, he would swear that to anyone that would ask.

But nobody did.

"That's Iris!" the fiery drake exclaimed excitedly

The two male companions impulsively looked in the same direction, only Cynder was unmoved by the revelation, finding more interesting things to see in her own claws than in her surroundings.

"That's our spot!" Sparx blurt out indignantly the moment he noticed that the dragoness occupied their table. Sitting there all alone.

Wonder why.

The adult fire dragon reached the ice dragoness, dropping the plate onto the table, right in front of the girl's nose. He leaned closer towards her, from here it was unable to tell what he was saying, but judging from how tense the drake was it was quite clear that it was nothing nice.

He then stormed out, almost tripping the table with his angrily swiping tail. The display of annoyance didn't seem to have any impact on the girl, since she indifferently reached for the plate, ignoring even the scattered remains lying on the table.

"Let's go!" Flare dashed forward

"Dude!" Sparx yelled, stopping the fire drake in his tracks "You're leaving the line?"

The dragon pointed in the direction of the table "Iris is there" he whined

"So what? She can't feed you"

"But-"

"Get back here, she'll still be there when we are done here. After we get our plates you can ran away to her" he waved his hand indifferently "Or whatever else you want to do"

"We can always all join her when we get our meals" Spyro added

Every draconic member of the group froze and looked at him.

"What?" Flare asked with thrilled disbelief

"What?" Cynder asked with cold hostility

Spyro swallowed, his eyes hectically jumping between his two companions.

"We really gonna do that?" Flare blurt out frantically "Cynder you will be there too?"

The black dragoness sighed "I think ye-"

"Awesome!" Flare exclaimed joyfully "All friends together!" he jumped forward, almost trampling a mole in front. He kept poking his head in every empty space he could find, just to get a glimpse of how many people are still waiting to reach the counter.

"Faster please" he whined

A dragon shrugged Flare's intrusive nose away.

"Watch it man! Wait for your turn"

"Yesterday...I wanted to say yesterday" Cynder mumbled with a devastated

Sparx slowly shook his head, observing the jumping fire dragon ahead "Guys I can understand just about anything, purple shemales, friendly orcs or cuddly death hounds, but I'll never understand that guy"

"Why did you propose such a thing?" Cynder asked painfully as she looked at Spyro "I don't want anything to do with that...her. I don't want to sit at the same table with that....her. My claws itch just by thinking about that...her"

Spyro rubbed his leg nervously "I wanted to score some extra points with Flare, he seems to really like Iris"

"You shouldn't have drag me into this"

"I didn't! You can always say no. That was just an idea, we didn't decide what to do just yet"

Sparx cleared his throat meaningfully, nodding in the direction of the bouncing fire dragon.

"Are you sure of that bro?"

"No" Cynder added firmly "it's ok. Problems of the individual shouldn't concern the whole group"

"Look at the bright side. We are going to train together with Iris, this is our chance to do a little bonding"

The dragoness frowned, sparks of fiery poison danced within her eyes.

"The only thing I'll ever bond with Iris will be her own entrails"

"Give her a chance, maybe she isn't so bad" Spyro nodded at the line ahead "And you'll be jumping around as Flare"

"She attacked me Spyro" Cynder protested

"Well... technically it is you who attacked her first

The dragoness blinked and reared her head back. The moment the initial shock was gone, her eyes narrowed dangerously to slits while she craned her neck forward.

"What did you just say?" Cynder hissed wrathfully %

Spyro gulped.

Sparx dashed to his brother's side, covering his mouth "If you want to save your skin, keep repeating that she is right. Maybe she's merciful enough to forgive your fatal mistake" he whispered

"I mean...I want....I think...." Spyro mumbled

"You think that it's my fault? You think that I started it?" she asked, every word dripping anger

"Think!" Sparx urged his brother with a whisper "Be confident, don't show any weakness or she'll sense your hesitation. Then you're dead"

"T-t-t-t-hat-t-" the purple drake stammered

The dragonfly elbowed his brother with fake approval "That's it! Keep going and there will be only purple strands of you left"

Spyro cleared his throat "I-I-I-I mean umm...that umm...I umm..."

"Very nice bro, with all that humming she might think that you're praying. You always knew how to soften a furious heart"

The dragon's panicked eyes shifted at the dragonfly quickly, they wanted to radiate fury, but the obvious mockery coming from Sparx' mouth only intensified the feeling of nervousness.

"T-that's not w-what I m-m-eant"

The dragonfly next to his head hissed painfully "This excuse never works"

"Not what you meant?" Cynder snarled "You attacked her first is pretty clear to me"

"Technically" Spyro added livingly "I said technically. That makes my statement not an accusation but a loose observation of a third party"

Sparx winced "Ouch"

"A third party?!" Cynder snapped ferociously "Excuse me if I understood our situation differently Mr Observer. I had no idea that it was just an experiment"

Spyro's eyes widened in fear "That's not-"

"Of course that's not what you meant!" she snickered mockingly "Your words always mean something else"

"Cynder, please"

"You aren't supposed to be a third party! You are here to always back me up!"

"I always had your back"

"Guys it's our turn now!" Flare shouted excitedly

All of them looked impulsively in the fire dragon's direction, but seconds later their attention once more shifted to the previous point of focus.

Cynder had her mouth slightly opened, as if wanting to say something but in the last moment deciding not to. Instead she narrowed her eyes on Spyro, deliberately forgetting about the thing that crossed her mind before they were interrupted.

"Do you hear that sound?" she whispered maliciously

With a gulp Spyro started to listen intently. The dumbfounded expression he adopted soon after showed clearly that he doesn't know what he is looking for.

"That's the sound of the extra point basket breaking apart" she clarified and spun around, marching annoyed to the counter

"That's not fair!" Spyro whined under his breath

Sparx lowered himself to the high of his brother's head and observed the walking black dragoness with his arms folded on his chest.

"Chicks are crazy"

"I don't understand what's gotten into her"

"And you're stupid"

"Hey!" Spyro snapped annoyed "You helped enough"

"You should have done what I told you, but no, you had to stick your neck out"

"I did nothing wrong! I'm not entitled to my own opinion?"

"But you are, as long as it is the same as Cynder's"

"What kind of my opinion is that?"

Sparx shrugged "You get what you signed up for"

"What?"

With a grin the dragonfly patted his brother's head "You poor fool" with that he dashed forward waving for Spyro to follow him "Come on, Cynder is at the counter, if we won't show up there who knows what she'll do to those nice mole ladies"

Cynder was already in a heated argument with the moles serving the food, their presence at the counter prevented it from escalating any further. With a polite yet meaningful word or two Spyro got the food for the three of them without incident. Flare was already ahead of them, with plate in mouth, wagging his tail in pleasant anticipation.

And then they reached the table, Flare was the first to arrive.

"Hi Iris!" he blurt out enthusiastically as he unhesitatingly put his plate right next to hers.

The satin blue dragoness looked up, her diamond eyes widening the moment she noticed the fire drake. They only grew in size when her orbs shifted past him and spotted two other dragons and a dragonfly joining the table.

She was speechless and genuinely surprised.

The gentle expression dominating her typically rough and always angry snout was a clear sign of that. Not to mention her partially opened mouth with noodles hanging from her maw in strands.

Flare aimed his paw at his three companions, forgetting that all of them were more or less already acquainted with the ice dragoness.

"Meet my two friends Cynder and Sparx, that purple dragon over there is Spyro"

Both mentioned friends looked worryingly at the purple dragon.

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that" Spyro replied calmly as he took his sit at the table

The fire dragon looked in the direction of the blue dragoness again. His yellow eyes widened when only now he spotted that there was a book sprawled open in front of her.

"What are you reading?"

Iris swallowed the hanging noodles with a slur, the gentle expression disappeared momentarily, replaced by the typical rough features as she slid the book off the edge of the table with a swift motion. Landing in the opened bag next to her with a thud.

As it turned in the air Flare noticed a black leather cover and a shadowy looking letter. It was T he believed, and it was very familiar.

"Wasn't that the book we found in the library? The one with the black dra-"

"No" Iris snapped coldly

"Are you sure? It really looked-"

"What I'm reading is none of your damn business"

"Sorry"

Iris dived at the plate, took another bite at the noodles and looked around. All of them were still here.

"What the hell do you want? This is my table"

"Slow down there missy" Sparx cut in indignantly "We called bids on this spot way before you showed your cold butt here"

The dragonesses diamond eyes shifted at the dragonfly, she was running her claw around the plate in front of her, emitting malicious screeching sounds.

"You will show me respect fly or I'll squash you"

"I suggest you consider your next words carefully" Cynder said threateningly, the blade like tail tip kept swinging from side to side behind her like some sort of a murderous plant awaiting its prey

The females eyes met, the atmosphere around the table got unbearably thick. Everyone felt it, even the mostly oblivious Flare. Another minutes of silence would undoubtedly lead to the breaking of this friendly table.

Literally.

"Calm down" Flare pleaded

"I agree with Flare" Spyro added "We will have time to blow some steam off on the training grounds, as warriors do. Fighting here will only lead to us being kicked out of here or worse. We all have plans that we don't want to see ruined"

His words didn't have any impact on Cynder, she was still eying the blue dragoness fiercely, however Iris seemed to consider his words, by some strange means finding sense in them.

As he looked at her he couldn't decide if he was happy because of that or worried. Both girls have a fiery, hard to quench temper, he learned to like it, love even, he learned how to deal with it.

All that experience kept pushing only one thought in his head.

It went too easy.

"We're going to train together?" Flare asked excited "Awesome!"

"I'm not going to waste my time on weaklings like you" Iris retorted, returning to her food

"I don't see what say you have in this. If we wanted your opinion we would ask your uncle" Cynder commented with a tiny smile at the corner of her mouth

Sparx snickered.

Iris growled, the plate turned momentarily to ice and seconds later was seen flying at Cynder, who dodged it without problems.

People didn't react to the breaking sound, all too well acquainted with the noise of many breaking dishes.

"I'm going to cut your tongue out slut!" Iris jumped on all fours with a murderous snarl

Cynder adopted a defensive posture.

"Bring it on bitch!"

"Catfight!" Sparx cried as he fearfully dashed towards the ceiling

"Flare! Grab her!" Spyro shouted, pointing at Iris while he threw himself at Cynder, embracing her in his wings and paws as if in a hug, blocking her sight

She started to thrash in his embrace "Let go off me!"

"Cynder I know you're angry at me, at Iris"

She kept on fighting "I'm pissed at both of you! That whore is going to feel it!"

There was a crashing sound next to them. They ignored it.

"I know, I'll beg for your forgiveness later, but now please calm down. Don't do anything you might regret later"

"Shut up!" she cried out, slapping him across his snout and punching at his chest "You already showed on which side you are!"

Spyro ignored the itching pain "I apologize, I should never have said that"

There was some shouting next to them. They ignored it.

She didn't say anything, she only kept on struggling.

"Don't let your anger out on Iris, if you have to punish someone punish me"

Her resistance faded considerably.

"But if you love me as much as I love you I hope you let your anger go" he whispered as he embraced her in a loving hug

She melted completely. If not for his wings and paws he was sure she would drop on the ground like a doll.

"What am I doing?" she muttered devastated, her eyes raised themselves at him, spotting the red mark the size of her paw on his cheek

She started to caress it fondly "I hit you..."

Spyro jerked his head back "Really? I didn't feel a thing"

She smiled weakly "Liar. I almost torn your head off" guilt dawned on her features "I'm so sorry"

"Cynder you don't-"

She silenced him by covering his mouth with her paw "When I saw that girl fury overwhelmed me, I still remember how she treated and wanted to hurt Amela. My idiotic mind took your words for betrayal, after that I've seen everything in red"

She removed her paw from his mouth, only lovingly running her claw across his lower lip "I don't want to be a girl who orders you around. You have all the right to see things your way, if I don't like it, screw me"

"Cyn-"

She pressed her claw to both his lips and smiled charmingly.

"I get what I signed up for" she kissed her claw, her warm breath from so up close made his lips waver

"Funny, Sparx said the same thing to me"

"Holy crap!" Sparx shocked yelp brought the two young dragons back to reality

Momentarily the loud commotion, louder than before struck them like an unexpected bell's rumble.

They both spun around, their eyes widened when they noticed a big circle of people around their dinning spot. Their eyes went even wider when they looked across the table and saw the huge, burly cheetah cook, holding by the horn Iris and Flare. Each in one massive hand.

Something covered their mouths, as if someone shoved food down their throats.

The burly cheetah raised her arms, dragging the two young dragons even farther above the floor. Their unwilling ascent stopped the moment their snouts were in the same line with the cheetah's face.

Both of them looked sick, from top to bottom, even the tails that are the dragons usually most active part hung numbly in the air.

"These mushrooms I shoved down your throats would kill off a whole village if put into a well. A dose of those for too active dragons like yourself drains your energy, magical included"

Iris grumbled and swung her paws reaching the cheetah's big arm, yet her strike, if it can be called like that, instead of cutting the feline ended up scratching her. Just like petting a cat behind the ear.

The cook looked seriously at the weakly thrashing female.

"With that toxin in your system darling you're just as dangerous as an overgrown lizard"

Iris kept on swinging.

The cheetah frowned "Which reminds me that I know a perfect recipe for a lizard soup" she looked the dragoness over "We would only have to pluck those feathers of yours. I have a perfect cauldron in the back. You would fit perfectly"

"No" Flare mumbled and began to thrash around.

The cook intensified the grip on the dragon's horn. Her fingers impulsively started to unclench themselves from the sudden intensified burn.

"What a fighter, strange for you to protect her, not so long ago you two were on each other throats. Hopefully when you start to throw up in the evening you'll learn that nobody shits where I work"

She looked up at the surrounding crowd "Hopefully you all learn!" the cheetah's growl boomed within the Mess Hall "Remember that I have a way to take you all down, if you forget" she raised her arms, shaking the young dragons in her grasp "You end up like these two. Next time however you land straight in my pot!"

With that roar she unclenched her fists, sending the two dragons on the floor, where they sprawled against each other like a pair of lousily prepared marathon runners.

"And you!" the cook growled as she spun around, pointing a claw at the ceiling "Mosquito!"

Sparx gulped.

"Don't think that I don't know what you have been up to! Do it again and I'll make a snack out of you!"

The cook looked around, people stared at her. She stomped with her massive foot.

"Eat!"

People didn't need more encouragement than that, everyone was either gone or back at their table. Everything returned to normal in a moment's notice. Returning to their duties as if nothing ever happened.

Spyro and Cynder exchanged a quick glance and sped past the table.

"Flare?" Cynder asked worryingly

"What the heck happened?" Spyro threw the question in the air as he observed the two dragons on the floor.

"Remember how you told Flare to grab Iris?" Sparx asked as he hovered above the two draconic, well if he wouldn't know better, he would say corpses

Spyro nodded instinctively.

"So he grabbed her, taking your words literally like everything else. Man you should have seen how he tackled her. Her feathers shot up in the air like fired from a catapult. After that it was all fight"

He nodded at Iris "Our Fallen Angel doesn't like to be touched, you can only imagine how thrilled she was when Crouton pinned her to the ground. Hard to say who was more surprised, me or her"

Sparx shrugged "Anyway, when the shock was gone, it was then when the fun started. They kept rolling on the ground, at first it looked like she was attacking Flare, but later it was eye for an eye. They were really into it, as they kept on going the tiniest hair on me started to stand on end from all the magic in the air. A little while longer and I swear they would make a crater in the floor"

"When the screaming reached a dangerous level people started to intervene, I don't really have to tell you that our wrestlers didn't allow to touch themselves. During this mess Big Mamma eventually showed and voila"

He gestured at the practically dead dragons.

"The final result"

"Can you get up?" Cynder asked the fire drake caringly

"I think so" Flare muttered

Spyro jumped towards Iris who began lifting herself up on shaking legs.

"Let me help"

"Don't touch me" she hissed angrily

"Come on, take advantage of my good nature"

Spyro slid his left shoulder and part of his body beneath her. She didn't protest. At first she tried to get up on her own but the moment her weakened body felt support her legs gave away instantly and she landed on Spyro's back with a grunt.

"Where to?" he asked, staying in the role of a servant

"Table" Iris replied weakly "Sit there"

He did as he was told, led her to the table and allowed her to sit. She was swaying in place at first so he stayed behind her, ready to catch her in case she would fall. She didn't.

Flare found his place next to her soon after, closely escorted by Cynder.

"Iris sorry, I didn't want to" Flare mumbled guilty

"Not a word"

Cynder curiously looked both dragons over.

"Flare you're bleeding, left foreleg and neck"

The drake averted his gaze with a wince.

The dragoness craned her neck towards Iris' back and sniffed. She frowned.

"Move your wings away"

Iris glared at her "Don't tell me what to do"

"I'm not going to ask twice"

"Fuck you"

Cynder shrugged "As you wish"

She grabbed the feathery wing and forcefully jerked it away, making the ice dragoness shiver and hiss in pain.

"Just as I thought"

The girl's back was burned, scorched in some places even, making scales crack. Blood leaked through the wounds in lazy streams, from places where the heat didn't manage to touch for long.

Iris pushed her wing back.

"Take your filthy paws off me" the dragoness demanded

"This paw?" Cynder poked her wing, exactly in the spot where it covered the injuries

Iris stiffened with a weak growl, the black whore's touch literally ruffled her feathers.

"I'm going to kill you"

She poked her wing again "I'm waiting"

Tiny icy sparks shot from the blue dragonesses tail tip.

"Cynder, please, leave her alone" Flare whined pitifully

She looked at the fire drake, ashamed and ignorant of his plea at the same time.

"I don't want your protection Dynamite"

"I asked Cynder to show you respect, because I know she's capable of it. Not everyone is like you Iris"

The mentioned dragoness shuffled her legs tentatively. Flare's words touched a spot, a very sensitive one of every creature with a heart and a conscience.

Shame.

Harassing Iris in her current state was cruel, or regrettable at least and she didn't want to disappoint Flare, or herself for that matter. However she can't just leave Iris be, not after what she has done. She needs to be reminded of her place, needs to understand that the world doesn't turn around her.

For proud and arrogant creatures like her nothing is worse than mercy.

Cynder leaned closer to Iris.

"You are not worth it" she whispered "Remember this moment, where my single puff would be enough to put you down. Remember that I walked away because you are pitiful. Remember that you are at my mercy. Remember that you are my bitch"

Iris turned her head in her direction with a snarl and spat.

She missed, Cynder was already behind her.

"All right I think that's enough for now" Spyro cut in, separating both girls "We all are at the same table here, so if not for respect for ourselves than at least for the respect of our parents who showed us dignity at a common table. For their memory let's at least tolerate each other"

"What if someone never met his parents?" Flare asked shyly

"If you can tolerate everyone at this table without any lessons then you are better than all of us. For those who don't know their parents and dislike someone from this group just remember home is where your heart is. And home is family.

He threw a meaningful, quick glance at Cynder before returning his attention to the two weak dragons.

"Thirsty? I can fetch some water if you want"

"My, my bro" Sparx commented with a nod of his head "What happened to you? For a moment I confused you there for a guy"

Flare looked surprised at Iris, then at Cynder, Sparx and eventually at Spyro. What is wrong with that purple dragon?

"I don't want anything from you" Iris answered

"Ok, fair enough" Spyro sat at the table, returning to his meal "Maybe we should get to know each other better? We're all acquainted here more or less, we don't know anything about you Iris"

She looked around the room, pretending she didn't hear anything.

Spyro took an uncertain bite at his food, thinking on how to proceed.

"Maybe I'll start" he said when he swallowed the food he munched "I'm Spyro, I hatched in the Swamps, grew up there among a dragonfly family who adopted me. Sparx is my brother, technically a foster one, but I hate that word. Ummm..." he scratched the back of his head "...what else? I grew up believing I was a dragonfly" he announced with a forced smile

"How long you stayed in those Swamps?"

Spyro jerked his head back in surprise, with a proud smile he scanned his companions, who just like him couldn't believe that Iris is talking with him. Maybe she isn't that bad after all.

"All my hatchling life and then some"

"You grew horns, gained body muscle ten times bigger than that of your family and you still believed that you were a glowing bug?"

Sparx sighed "That insult is getting so old"

Spyro nodded "Pretty much, yeah"

"Now I'll stop wondering why my world ended, it had to since the legendary purple dragons are retards"

Cynder narrowed her eyes on the dragoness furiously.

"I think I'm going to sneeze"

The glance Iris threw her was enough to tell that she understood the signal.

Spyro cackled bashfully while scratching the back of his head. He was wrong, she is bad.

"Okay enough about me, tell us about yourself. You have a strange accent, while your uncle does not. What's the deal with that?"

"I'm not looking for friends. All you need to know is that I don't give a shit about you and I will kill your girlfriend if you won't stop me right now, when you have your chance filth"

Cynder smirked "You better get in line"

"Listen" Spyro commented, fighting hard to keep his anger in check "I don't know what's your problem, but I won't allow that to happen. Nobody is touching my friends"

Iris aimed her cold eyes at him arrogantly. Only hate emanated from them, for absolutely everything and everyone.

"I'm going to kill your girlfriend and you won't do anything about it. You're below me retard. Fuck off"

Sparx cracked his knuckles.

"Can I hit her?"

"Who is this girlfriend you keep talking about?" Flare asked confused

Both Spyro and Cynder looked at each other, telepathically deciding their next course of action regarding the insolent dragoness. Provoke her or act just like her, show her that she is worthless to them, not the other way around.

"You're too dumb to understand" Iris retorted

"You're the one insulting a purple dragon!" the fire drake blurt out indignantly "You're the dumb one"

Iris glared at him with a growl "I'm nothing like you, idiot"

"I'm not sure about that. Look at us, we both can barely sit and were forced to eat some very disgusting mushrooms"

The three companions grinned seeing Iris' thoughtful expression, she certainly didn't expect such an answer.

"Shut up" the ice dragoness hissed finally, unable to find proper words

"It's not so bad to be like someone else. I'm different than anybody else but still have many things in common with Cynder. That's why we are such awesome friends!" he smiled at the black dragoness before focusing on the other girl again "You can have friends too"

"Stop talking moron"

Flare shook his head "All those insults, all that aggression doesn't suit a girl like you"

She slammed her fist into the table while flaring her feathery wings formidably, or so she imagined. In truth, with her energy still drained the slam was similar to the sound of smacking ice cream on the floor and the formidably flared wings looked like a delicately straightened window curtain.

"You know nothing about me!"

"You're interesting, nice and able to remember how to smile"

Sparx snorted "Nice? Dude are you high?"

"Stop bothering me already" Iris snapped

"You're talking with me, this has to mean something"

"You're lucky that I'm poisoned and have no strength to tear your head off"

Flare beamed happily "See? You're joking already"

"I never joke"

Flare smirked, he knew he was winning, he'll make her laugh. It's time for the magical question, whatever it means.

"I know why you are so friendly to me"

Iris growled "I want to get rid of you moron"

"Are you hitting on me?" he asked bluntly

Cynder started to cough, choking on her food.

Sparx spat out all the water he poured in his throat.

Spyro's mouth dropped open wordlessly, all the chunks of food he was munching moments ago fell back onto the plate.

The dragoness looked at his fiery grinning, expecting mouth. The dumb cretin is prepared for some kind of reaction from her, like he used some kind of special password that triggers only one behavior. Not to mention that only a single glance was enough to tell that he doesn't know the meaning behind the question.

Idiot.

"Yes" Iris replied in her own typical cold way

The smile faded from Flare's mouth momentarily.

"What?"

"Take me"

The three other young consumers at the table who currently didn't engage in the ongoing conversation threw surprised looks between each other.

Flare jerked his head back "Take you where?"

"Ooooohhhhh" Sparx huffed in sudden realization

"On the table"

"What?"

"Right here and now"

"I'm sorry Iris but I don't know what you're talking about"

Iris pushed herself up, dragging her tail along the ground, pulling the bag from the ground along its rope handle. The additional weight made her totter on her still weak legs.

Flare pulled himself up fiercely.

"Let me-"

"Don't touch me" she snarled at him

The fire drake stopped in his tracks, observing the slowly walking dragoness. She was like that heroine he saw on one of the pictures he saw in some book. Beautiful, harsh and abstruse. Carrying a ton of weight only few could bare.

The moment he heard and seen her opening the front door he woke up from his trance.

"See you on the training grounds!" he yelled after her as the passed through the doorstep.

The door closed with a thud.

With a defeated sight Flare sat at the table "Do any of you know what she meant earlier?

Sparx took another indifferent bite on his meal.

"Don't worry, she was just mocking you"

"Do you think we will see her again soon?" Flare asked, ignorant of what has just been said

"Knowing our luck dude" Sparx continued nonchalantly "she won't be the only crap we will have to deal with soon"