FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 22

People were eager to talk with him and surprisingly he was no longer afraid of the numbers with which they approached him. It couldn't be called a crowd, but rather a considerable group, earlier even those scared him, not only adults but children even.

Like in the cheetah village, which felt like years ago, when he made a fool of himself in front of kids.

Kids!

He couldn't handle a bunch of younglings, thanks the Ancestors that Cynder was there for the rescue. Who knows how it would go otherwise. Probably he would end with a traumatic experience, killing children with boredom surely counts as one.

And now he conversed, or more likely they did the talking, he mostly listened, throwing only a word here and there. It was enough however to feel the bond of companionship among them, resonating perhaps with a deeper strength to those in the distance. A group like they merged would be taken for a meeting of dear friends, not soon to be training partners.

Because it eventually came to training, it wasn't as comfortable and professional like in the still closed arena, but the open space behind the City Hall served its purpose well. The Guardians were right, people benefit from his skills no matter how lousy the provisional training grounds are.

That sole thought was enough to think about repeating this in the nearby future. Especially considering the fact that he met Hunter, dressed in his scouting outfit, leaving the City Hall, when he was done practicing.

Through the air cut a determined cry of a falcon.

"Hey Hunter!" Spyro greeted the feline enthusiastically "Where are you off to if I may ask?"

The cheetah turned around, bowing deeply "I'm here to serve my friend" he straightened up, just in time to prepare room on his right shoulder for his faithful bird

Spyro observed the falcon with unhidden fascination, it's powerful wings flapped in accordance with it's talons curling around the material, deeper and deeper. As if the wings and talons were a single mechanism, with each flap of the former more pressure was applied to the latter. Like turning a crank of a vice.

The cheetah didn't even flinch, and the bird when it finally settled on the furry shoulder looked at the drake with it's arrogant gold eyes and cried out proudly.

"One of my birds returned with disturbing news from the east. Dark clouds were spotted floating above Dante's Freezer. I was ordered to investigate"

"You can't go there alone!" Spyro protested "That's where we believe remnants of the Dark Army are holed up"

The falcon let out a shrill, almost indignant cry.

Hunter smiled with one hand grabbing the yin yang symbol on his coat, while with the other feeding his loyal avian companion.

"I'm never alone my friend"

"I'll come with you"

The cheetah shook his head gently "Assistance of someone like you would be a honor, however I believe you have important assignment here in Warfang. Ignoring that for a humble scout like me would be unwise if you excuse my boldness"

Spyro sighed, he will never get used to the fact that the feline sees himself below him, below dragons in general, but at the same time he knew there was no chance to convince him otherwise. Much to the young drake's displeasure.

"Please at least tell me if this has to do something with the Veils"

Hunter nodded glumly "That is the most probable cause. Dante Freezer is known for its ice and bright nights. Moon is a rare guest there"

"Perfect" Spyro snarled, unable to shake off the blame, nagging that he has wasted lots of time

The cheetah placed his clawed hand on the dragon's shoulder.

"Do not worry my dear friend, you are on the right course. If there is something to learn from our past is that a purple dragon dictates the pace of events, not the other way around"

The falcon squawked as if in agreement.

"Yeah" Spyro sighed half-heartedly "We all know how that worked out last time"

The scout withdrew his hand from the scaly shoulder.

"Exactly as I mentioned. Malefor might have been malevolent, you however are not. You proved that countless times already, to foes and allies alike"

"You overestimate my usefulness"

Hunter smiled "Do I? Could you say the same about all those people I saw behind the building? Do they also overestimate your value?"

Spyro bit his lip and looked to the side, like a child caught on a lie.

"Well...that's different" he mumbled

The cheetah chuckled gently "Let's agree to disagree then. What you're doing here Spyro is just as important, you need to believe that. Otherwise your efforts will be for naught"

The falcon squawked once more. The scout pet its feathery head.

Spyro shrugged, he was clearly outnumbered here. If it's for better or for worse...well that remains to be seen.

"Maybe. I just feel that it should be me throwing myself into the unknown. Drink the beer I brew you know"

Hunter gestured at the City Hall behind his tail.

"This is why you are here, preparing yourself so the new won't be no longer terrifying" he pressed his hand to his chest "You have people like me to help you shed some light on the unknown"

"I don't want to use people"

"Cats like me are limited people, with specific role to play. Only creatures like you walk beyond the well-worn paths. Everyone else is restricted to their own fields of faith"

Spyro impulsively looked down where his paw was barely lifted from the ground, tips of his claws scratching the marble below as he slowly turned it around.

"Like figures on a chessboard"

Hunter's ears perked up as he nodded impressed.

"A very precise comparison. I don't know why your wisdom still surprises me"

The dragon chuckled, scratching the back of his head nervously with a weak smile.

"I have my moments"

"And you're so young" the cheetah squeezed the drake's shoulder gently "Be well my friend. I don't have to wish you luck, you always do the right thing and always triumph"

Spyro bowed "You also watch out for yourself friend and return safely"

Hunter bowed with a smile, pat the scaly shoulder gently and spun on his heel. He made his way towards the front gate of the Plaza, his cloak practically hanging still on the windless day. The falcon leapt into the air with what seemed like an admonishing cry, at the sound of which the feline seemed to slow down even more. Much to the dislike of the bird.

Perhaps he didn't share Hunter's high regard about himself, but he couldn't deny that the cheetah was right saying that all have a job to do. He could only hope that his task, feeling so insignificant compared to Hunter's, will bare fruit in the future.

*

"Really?" Flare asked truly shocked "I can go inside?"

Volteer nodded with a smile, seeing the young so happy had a magical heart warming effect to it.

"Correct"

"Like open the door and walk inside?"

"Correct"

"You mean inside like INSIDE? No sky, but roof?"

The amber dragon chuckled "That is...what I...mean"

"AWESOME!" Flare squealed excitedly, jumping into the air, using the strength of his wings to make a backwards flip before landing on the floor, bouncing all around with youthful vigor

Volteer grinned, seeing people, especially the ones at the beginning of their life, happy makes all those years spent on this earth worthwhile.

"You are...going to...train-"

"I'M GOING TO TRAIN!" another flip, this one with overjoyed, almost glass shattering shriek, not bothered by the fact that he interrupted the Guardian

"I'M GOING TO TRAIN!" he jumped into the air once more, another acrobatic move prepared in hectic mind

"...with Spyro" the old dragon finished

All the joy blew from the red dragon's mouth like steam from an engine.

Volteer winced at the sight and sound of a powerful thud that followed soon after. If he was in the dragon's place he was certain that he would have all of his bones broken by now.

The young drake however didn't seem to be bothered by the fact that he laid sprawled on the ground, legs extended in every direction as if he was a squashed spider. It was his eyes that betrayed pain and confusion instead of his body, a theory fortified further by the fact the he was back on all fours in an instant seconds later.

"W-w-w-w-hat?" Flare stammered, his stiff bones grinding like rusty metal gears

"You...are-"

"I-I-I want t-t-t-to tr-r-r-rain wit-t-t-th Cyn-n-n-nder!" his devastated stammer interrupted the Guardian once more

Volteer shook his head, not bothered in the slightest that he didn't finish his sentence, speaking so slowly was his biggest concern that he just didn't have the time to worry about anything else. Not that he would anyway.

"Impossible. The...training...grounds will be...officially opened in the...evening"

Flare looked up at him, his yellow eyes sparkling with intense, hopeful, almost blinding glow.

"N-n-n-no t-t-train-n-ning t-t-then?"

"That...means the...arena is...empty. Spyro is...already there...waiting...for you"

"I-I-I-don't w-w-w-want to!" Flare shouted, backing away until his rump hit a wall. With a gulp he moved a bit farther as if wanting to get inside the stone or at least meld with the shadows

"This is...an...opportunity Flare. Not...everyone gets the...chance to...practice...with a...purple dragon"

"N-n-n-no!" the drake whined "I'm n-n-n-not goi-i-i-i-ing to be t-t-t-their p-p-p-playt-t-t-thing a-a-a-again!"

Volteer approached the dragon, observing him with friendly eyes but keeping his distance, as if he would be approaching a wounded, scared, wild animal

"Nobody is...forcing you to...train. You can...come only...if you...are...willing to"

Every burning part of Flare's body flared up, displaying in the only way possible their shock, in accordance with the dragon's wide stare.

"I-I-I- don-n-n-n't nee-d-d-d-d to g-g-go?"

"Of...course not. It's your...decision"

"Then I'm staying!" Flare exclaimed, the joy after hearing the news overpowering any sign of nervousness instantly

Volteer nodded "Understandable...however..." his intelligent eyes narrowed on the drake, his mind having difficulties leaving unanswered questions alone. This was just not his style.

"You...seemed...eager to...train...earlier. Does Spyro's...presence really...bother...you so...much?"

"Yeah! He's a purple dragon!"

"Ones...coloration...shouldn't be...the reason for...judgment. It's an...inherited trait...during...hatching, a process...beyond our...control"

Flare started to wave his paw defensively, shaking his head at the same time.

"No, no, no, not this again. Logic has nothing to do with it" he dropped his leg, planting it firmly on the ground "Purple dragons suck. Period"

The Guardian sat on the ground calmly, impulsively sensing a battle of arguments and he isn't the one who allows the war of mind to slip by.

"This is...an...unfair...assumption"

"Unfair?!" the drake blurt out, the colors on his burning parts sparkled and shifted from dim to bright and the other way around

Volteer cocked his head at the curious sight.

"You don't know them the way I do! You met one or two in your life, I met hundreds if not more. I exactly know what kind of creatures they are"

Hundreds of purple dragons!

Besides the young drake's complete reluctance to participate in a training session with Spyro and the dragon's strange external oddities that was another topic he would also gladly discuss about.

Hundreds of purple dragons!

If this was the truth, and he had no reason to accuse the youngster of spreading false information, it would change the perception of the world completely. It would put the entire Year of The Dragon and ten generation birth into question!

It might open the door to their world's secrets.

What if nothing is as it seems?

What if there's a second bottom to the events that occurred in their world?

What if Dragon Realms as they know it are nothing more than a delusion?

What if history as they know it's just a shell?

"Volteer!"

The amber dragon shook his head, driven back into reality as if by a bell's rumble. The distant gaze in his eyes shifted back, displaying nothing more than confusion.

"Are you listening to me?" Flare asked, brows furrowed curiously

"Of...course!" the amber replied defensively, impulsively wiping his mouth where a bit of a drool hung on his lip

"I...stand by my...opinion. Judging so...easily...is...unfair"

"You want to know what is unfair?" the drake snarled in irritation "Unfair is being waken up in the middle of the night after being pushed throughout the whole day. Unfair is being able to sleep for maximum two hours a day if you're lucky. Unfair is being so tired that you no longer can tell the difference what is real or not"

"Flare-"

"Not enough?" the drake asked wryly, the natural fiery light he emitted pulsed aggressively

"Unfair is being forced to murder your roommates in order to survive. Unfair is always remaining alert in case someone tries to bite your neck off. Unfair is being thrown into the ring with a purple dragon who you can't fight back or else you die while he can do whatever he wants with you"

"Enough" Volteer stomped his paw, tendrils of electricity coursed through the floor

Flare's tail swashed from side to side, leaving a fiery trail in its wake while he himself bent on his paws, eyes almost begging. Looking like a meek sheep.

The Guardian was amazed at the speed with which the dragon shifts and displays his feelings. This time however he didn't allow his mind to wander. One problem at a time.

"I'm...truly sorry...no one should be...treated like...that however...my opinion is...unchanged"

"Why? Why you people ignore the truth?" Flare whined into the ceiling "I know what a purple dragon is" he punched his chest, the burning feather looking attachments on his elbows flared up brightly, slightly increasing the temperature around the drake

"I've felt in on my own scales! Nothing defends them! They are all the same!"

"Spyro is...different"

"No!" Flare protested fiercely, every part of his burning body spat out furious flames

Volteer observed the young drake with extreme caution and curiosity, this wasn't the Flare he got to know. He had seen him angry already, but this was different, he no longer acted like the abused slave, scared of everything. Only mentioning Spyro triggered something in him, he was confident and sure of his actions, whatever chains are holding him back were creaking agonizingly, at the brink of breaking apart.

As if he was a king in a prison who just got out, trading shackles for a crown.

"He is just like the rest! You need to deal with him before it's too late!"

The Electric Guardian tapped his claw against the floor.

"If Spyro is so...dangerous why...haven't you...stopped him...yourself?"

There was a change, as if by a magic touch the raging flames died down, just like they would be extinguished by a bucket of water. The young drake's features changed completely, the image of a king was gone, the crown lost somewhere far away when it fell of his head. He was once again the same young, naïve and oblivious boy he saw in the library.

One question remained however.

Which of the chaotic images is the real one?

Flare looked to the side "I-I can't"

"Why?" the Guardian inquired gently

The fire drake cringed painfully "I can't hurt Cynder, not again"

"You...tolerate Spyro...because he is Cynder's...friend?"

The dragon nodded guilty.

"Are you...sure?"

Flare jerked his head back, looking at the amber dragon in confusion.

"I don't understand"

"Perhaps...deep down you...know that Spyro is...unique, you...feel it...because you...know that Cynder...considers Spyro as...someone...special"

The drake's yellow eyes fell on the ground, it was obvious he was considering his words and the struggling wrinkle on the young nose told him that it wasn't a simple debate.

"You...know she...wouldn't...trust someone...who is...evil"

Flare groaned "I don't know what I think anymore! I just want to train with Cynder. Let's leave Spyro out of it please" he retreated some steps backwards as if trying to visualize his plea

Volteer nodded "Very...well. May I...ask why are you so...eager to...practice with Cynder?"

The fire drake dropped his head in shame "I did something terrible and want to make amends"

"By...fighting?"

"She loves to fight, the harder the fight the better I plan to be a worthy opponent"

The amber dragon offer an apologetic, friendly smile.

"Forgive...me Flare but from...what I've...heard you...sparred with Cynder...already and it didn't...go...well"

"I know"

The young drake's devastated mumble was heartbreaking. He wanted to achieve something but knew that was unable to do so. Why, Volteer had no idea.

"There...is nothing...to be...ashamed of. Cynder is a...capable...warrior. I suggest...skipping the...fight-"

"I won't-"

"Wait" Volteer cut off the drake's antagonized shout by pushing his paw into the air "Let me...finish" he dropped his leg on the ground "I...suggest skipping the...fight...happening in the...afternoon. Cynder will have...a lot of...competitors, she might...not have...time for...you"

Flare raised his head, his eyes focused and glistening, as if he was at the brink of tears.

"So I won't be able to fight with Cynder?"

Once more the agonizingly painful tone, hearing it was like allowing daggers to pierce you heart. Sadness was such an ugly emotion that he just couldn't let it triumph. It didn't fit with his happy and friendly nature.

"In the...afternoon no...but I...might try to...organize...a duel in the...evening. Cynder would...have little...rest but I'm...sure she would...gladly do it...for you. Would you...like a...friendly...match with her? Just...the two...of you?"

"Yes please!" Flare exclaimed, springing forward, almost like with the intention to hug him but in the last moment deciding that he would cross the line.

Volteer had to lower his head to keep eye contact with the young drake who stopped just in front of his paws in a comical, cambered pose.

"Please! Please! Please!"

He smiled "It's...settled then"

The smile that showed up on the dragon's snout was one of the most beautiful and grateful he ever saw in his life. It wrinkled scales that were practically never touched before, the smile obviously grazing them after a very long break.

The sight was both heartwarming and depressing in a way, not being able to smile with all the strength of raging joy in such a young age was torture.

Life is very unfair sometimes.

"YEEEESSSS!" the young drake roared, tongues of excited flames wafted from his mouth

The amber dragon smiled.

"But...I must...warn you...Cynder even...tired is still a...powerful...opponent"

The beam of happiness didn't leave the young drake but it diminished slightly, he was clearly aware that the last time they trained didn't go well. It was hard to decide if he didn't believe in his skills or was there something else behind his worry. Yet no matter what it was, he achieved the most important goal and nothing will change that.

"I need to do this. Help me Volteer if you can and tell me how can I make our fight a bit difficult for Cynder"

"Simple, you...need...practice"

"Then let's do it!" Flare jumped up, turning around hectically "When do we start?"

The Electric Guardian shook his head "To...prepare for a...fight with Cynder...you need...to...train with the...best"

"Sure, no problem. Where we start Volteer?"

The old dragon chuckled "I'm...flattered that you...consider me...worthy but...I'm past my...prime"

Flare cocked his head "If not you, then who?"

"I...believe you...know the...answer for...that...question"

The drake's yellow eyes stared at him in confusion, even before Flare opened his mouth Volteer knew that he didn't find the answer.

"I've got nothing"

"Spyro"

Flare's whole body shook, whatever aura of joy surrounded the drake vanished completely.

"I-I-I thoug-g-g-ht we a-a-a-are don-n-n-ne t-t-t-talki-i-i-ing about-t-t-t-t him"

"If your...dream is to...be...equal to Cynder...you have...to...face the...best. There is...no...other...way"

His fiery head dropped at the ground once more, knowing that he has no choice, aware that if he wants to achieve his goal he has to walk that path. No matter how horrible it is.

"He i-i-i-is goin-n-n-ng to k-k-k-kill m-m-me"

Volteer's head reared back in shock.

"Kill you? Spyro would...never do...such a...thing"

"I-I-I-I don-n-n-n't want t-t-t-tto lose m-m-m-my frien-n-n-nds" he sobbed

The Electric Guardian approached the young boy, placing his paw on his shoulder comfortingly.

"You...won't...lose them. Why you...say such...things?"

Silence befallen on the two of them, between the dragon's quiet sobs no other sound could be heard. It was quite clear that he isn't going to answer that question.

"Spyro...won't...hurt you"

Flare shrugged the dragon's paw off, obviously his words of comfort having no effect on the young drake.

"He might not have any other choice"

With a defeated sigh the drake crossed the hall, his wings and tail emotionlessly hanging down his body.

Volteer raised on all fours in alarm.

"Where are...you...going?"

"To the training grounds"

*

He sighed tiredly, he no longer remembered when was the last time he threw a glance at the door, expecting Flare to show up. He would give up a long time ago, but Volteer assured him that everything will turn out fine.

And so he stayed. A deal is a deal.

He was lying flat on his belly in the middle of the sandy arena, extremely quiet arena. His chin resting on top of his two folded front paws, eyes boringly observing the only battle ahead that was going on.

In front of him was a chessboard, created in sand by his touch, its lines carefully smoothed by his claw.

The battlefield was mostly empty by now, many of the stones that he found around the arena and shaped cautiously so they would be mostly different from each other were out of the game. Only a handful remained on the sandy field and somehow he had no intention of moving any of them.

He observed the stones, every now and then spreading his mouth to release a bored yawn. Playing chess with yourself is only fun for a specific period of time.

With a smack of his tongue he reached for one of the nearby defeated stones and turned it around in his claws.

"Are you bored just like me little stone?" Spyro asked, placing the tiny rock on top of his nose

"We're not good enough for you anymore?" a low, thick tone rumbled from within his throat

He raised his head, eyes widening in shock, one of the stones in front of his nose was staring at him. He grabbed it with his other paw and dragged it in front of his nose.

"Yeah, I'm talking to you!" Spyro rumbled with the same low voice

"Hey!" he changed his tone to a more squeaky one and reached towards his noise, grabbing the rock sitting there "Back off!"

His eyes darted to the other rock as he threateningly shook it in front of his other paw.

"I don't think so" he rumbled again

Eyes shifted to the other paw.

"Back off!" he squeaked "I won't repeat myself!"

Amethyst glow landed on his first foreleg.

"I'm staying right here" he rattled, moving the paw closer to the other one, towering above it

"Whatcha you gonna do about it?"

The paw below moved up, eyes following it as it raised to the same level like the first one.

"You're about to find out" he squealed aggressively

"Bring it on!"

With those last words his paws moved against each other, low and high delicate growls escaped his throat as the stones began their clicking fight. After a very long time finally a battle has commenced in the arena.

And then suddenly the training grounds were filled with the thudding echo of a massive door opening.

With a gasp Spyro jumped on all fours, hurling the stones he held far away. Without thinking he started kicking with both his front and back legs, removing any sign of how he spent his time here, When the deed was finally done he wriggled his shoulders with a cough, testing his voice, making it sound more manly.

He then sat on the ground, running his paw across his snout, completely forgetting that he is sitting on sand. He started to gag all of a sudden, some of the sand got inside his eyes and throat, he started to cough violently, raising on all fours instinctively, impulsively flapping his wings with each cough he let out.

Eventually the worst was over, with one final cough he shook his head, opening his watery eyes, aiming them at the door. This time however deciding that he looks more imposing and confident while staying on all his legs.

Or at least more safer.

"You idiot" Spyro admonished himself under his breath

Wiping his eyes, this time using his foreleg for that not his clawed paw, he focused on the area ahead, soon whoever came through the door will appear in his line of sight. No longer than some seconds a frame of an amber dragon showed itself up.

Spyro's wings slumped down his back as he let out a defeated sigh.

"He didn't come" he mumbled sadly

Volteer didn't respond, he just smiled and stepped to the side.

The purple drake frowned when a dim column of a fiery light stretched suddenly in front of his paws. He immediately raised his head, the sight ahead made him jump back in shock.

"Flare! You're here!"

The fire dragon also remained silent, a single glance at his pale, practically mangled features was enough to tell that he was very far away from sharing his enthusiasm.

"I'm so happy to see you! I was afraid that you wouldn't come"

"Yeah, I can imagine, you wouldn't want to lose so much power"

The young fire dragon mumbled, it was hardly a whisper, but Spyro was far enough to not be able to hear his words. Same thing couldn't be said about the Electric Guardian, who could be easily accused of eavesdropping if somebody would connect the dots and notice his vanishing smile.

"Spyro" Volteer addressed the purple drake friendly "A word?"

He furrowed his brows, surprised by Volteer's request, yet he had no second thoughts about following the amber dragon who walked a safe distance from Flare. He had much respect for the Guardian, so he knew that whatever he wants to talk about is important.

"Be...careful" Volteer whispered caringly the moment the young drake approached him, his purple eyes inconspicuously observing the young fire dragon.

Who seemed to be completely uninterested by the fact that he was left alone with his thoughts.

Spyro's eyes impulsively trailed the Guardian's sight, even before they landed on their target Spyro knew who the Guardian has in mind.

"What's wrong?"

"There is...something...terribly...unsettling about....that...boy"

The purple drake furrowed his brows in confusion as he looked at the old dragon.

"Why do you speak like that? Is everything all right?"

Volteer shook his paw dismissively.

"Not a...concern. Necessary...speech for...people like Flare to...understand me"

"You're speaking with me now, you can talk normally. I see how difficult it must be"

The dragon smiled gratefully "I...appreciate the...offer, but...slowing my...speech is a...tedious and...uncomfortable...process. If I...give in to...seduction of...education it will...take a...while before...I...slow down...again. My...words...might...still be...needed"

Spyro nodded with a smile "Thanks for your sacrifice. I appreciate it" he turned his attention towards the fire dragon "So what was that about Flare?"

"I'm not...certain. He cannot...control his...emotions, they...shift as...easily as day and...night. Fire dragons...are...temperamental...creatures. Chaotic to...some...degree, but...always under...supervision. In Flare's...case the...chaos seems to...rage...rampant"

Spyro swallowed, eyeing what seemed to be defenseless, clumsy and innocent young fire dragon.

"I'm aware of that"

The Electric Guardian looked at him curiously.

"Flare tried to attack me in the past, not to smack me across the head to beat some sense into me but with a sincere, murderous intention"

Volteer shook his head "It...cannot...happen...again. Perhaps-"

"This is why I asked for you Volteer" he cut off the amber dragon the moment he heard a hint of doubt in his voice. He was afraid that the Guardian would abandon the training sessions, explaining that it is too dangerous. Yet that didn't scare him as much as the thought that he would convince him to do the same

"You are the only Guardian with the strength to pursue knowledge despite the odds. Cyril and Terrador would dispose of the idea the moment they would hear it would endanger my life"

"I don't...like...this" The Guardian replied worryingly

Spyro shrugged "Me neither, but I have no other idea that would help me to improve my fire powers and also help Flare to keep his elemental abilities in check. You most likely seen yourself how deep his past wounds reach, he would never allow any tests to be conducted on him. This is the only way we can help him"

Volteer nodded impressed.

"This is...very...convincing...deduction...friend. You...show signs of...extreme...wisdom"

He smiled nervously "This is why I need your help Volteer in making sure that this won't be my last moment. Cynder is the only one I know who was able to stop Flare, without her around I'm afraid it would be up to your electric powers if things go drastic. Paralyze him or something if it comes to that"

"Is Flare...really that...dangerous?"

"He's an efficient killer if that's what you're asking. I don't want to hurt him so as I said, it might be up to you to make him stop. I will be most likely too busy protecting my eyes from popping out from heat"

"You...seem...to be in an...awful good...humor...considering the...situation"

He looked to the side, a delicate blush crept on his cheeks.

"Cynder's influence. She..." he bashfully slid his paw across the sand "I'm just too happy to give to worry"

"Let's...make sure...it stays...that way...then" Volteer replied with a friendly smile and left the two young dragons to themselves. While he himself occupied one of the upper positions, overlooking the arena

"Have you finally come up with a plan on how to kill me without raising much suspicion?"

Even before he managed to open his mouth he was bombarded with the unsuspected, and what appeared to be a firm question. Yet the longer he listened to it reverberating in his head the better he recognized the true tone behind it. It was not confidence he heard, but an effectively shrouded fear.

"Nobody is going to kill you Flare" Spyro assured the drake "I only want-"

"I know what you want" a fiery light burst from behind the dragon, soon after the reason behind it came into vision, crawling across the sand

Spyro observed the brightly burning tail tip as if charmed.

"And what is that?"

"You want to use me to increase your power because you're too stupid to be able to do that yourself"

He wasn't moved by the aggressiveness in his words, but by the fact that this is the second time he heard Flare saying something like this.

"If you are so sure of that then why did you come here?"

He wasn't expecting that question, whatever aggressive fire ravaging his tail returned to its normal intensity. His yellow eyes blinked and looked to the side.

He recognized that look instantly, it was the look of someone who decided to face his fears for the sake of somebody else. Knowing that the drake doesn't know much people here it wasn't hard to figure out for who he is sacrificing himself.

Not like he wouldn't do the same.

"It's Cynder isn't it?"

Flare flinched at the sound of the name. An answer good as any.

"This was a bad idea" he turned to leave

"I understand your dislike towards me!" Spyro yelled after the dragon, making him stop "But you must understand that I'm not doing this for myself. Cynder is my friend also, do you think she would be happy to know that her two friends don't get along and are not willing to do something about it?"

"You're trying to manipulate me" Flare muttered hesitantly

"No I'm not. If you want to leave then go, I won't stop you. I only beg you to reconsider" Spyro waved his wing around "Look around, we came so far, let's push it a bit further. If not for ourselves than let's do it for Cynder"

Flare turned around, his expression was full of pain.

"How can I know that you won't kill me? I don't want to die"

"You have to trust me"

With a wince the drake started to turn around once more.

"Cynder trusts me!" Spyro yelled, springing forward on stiff legs "If you wouldn't value hers opinion you would never come here. In a way you believe her judgment, otherwise you wouldn't listen to what I have to say"

Flare stopped, he saw his head dropping down, chest pulsing with steady breaths until it pumped itself to the brink, before flattening itself again. Even from here he heard the huge amount of air he exhaled.

He turned around once more.

"Fine"

Spyro exhaled a breath of relief.

"Thank you! Just-just follow me to the middle of the arena and I'll explain everything"

He followed his own advice, with difficulty fighting the urge to look behind his shoulder, to check if Flare didn't decide to bail. Only when he finally reached his destination and turned around he allowed the weight of anxiousness to drop from his heart.

Flare was still here.

"So...the rules are pretty simple, you participated in a training session already so there shouldn't be problems understanding them. If you will have any questions just ask, I'll try to answer them as best as I can"

Flare just observed him without any sign of emotion.

It was pretty intimidating.

Spyro cleared his throat "So...there are two big differences compering to the open session. First, there is no ring, we fight until one of us gives up. There are no winners or losers here. Second, we are allowed to use a bigger variety of our elemental attacks, not something really destructive like Fury, but not the basic stuff either. The rest is the same like in the normal sessions. No lethal damage and the like. Do you have any questions?"

"Only one. How do you steal my power?"

He was taken aback by the blunt and somewhat accusing tone, it made him scratch the back of his head nervously. It was like Flare knew him better than he does.

"Its...its not stealing. It's really hard to explain. It's like learning a song, at first you don't recognize the words or the melody, but the longer you listen to it the better you start to recognize it. Eventually you reach a point where a single tone is enough, in that moment I know I've improved. However you as a natural fire dragon poses abilities I will never be able to learn. For some I'm just too stupid"

A small smile appeared on Flare's snout, somehow he doubted it was his explanation, the smile was either caused by willingly admitting his flaws or by the fact that Flare as a fire dragon surpasses in some areas even a purple dragon as himself.

Oh well.

He was glad that it didn't seem like Flare was about to ask further about his ability to quickly learn elemental attacks. He really doubted he would be able to offer any more than he already presented. He figured it out himself for what seemed to be just a moment ago. He asked Ignitus about it once and he also was unable to explain how is it possible for a purple dragon to learn so quickly and so many abilities from different elements. The only thing he was certain of is that he had troubles learning the first skill of every element, the rest came easier, no matter how difficult they were, it was still easier to learn the more advanced techniques than the basic ones.

He never sought an answer for that mystery, always convincing himself that if something works then there's no sense poking around it.

"Soooo, are you ready?" Spyro asked calmly "Remember that flesh cuts and other similar bloody bruises are permitted. We heal fast, we can use our claws as long as you don't drive them deep enough to tear out the heart, same goes for horns. Oh yeah, and no biting. I'm sure-"

He never got the chance to finish his sentence because suddenly Flare charged, jumping towards him, claws ready to swipe.

The move was so unexpected that the claws connected with his purple shoulder before he managed to jump back and completely avoid the strike.

Spyro growled painfully when Flare's slashing claws cut his shoulder, leaving three bloody scratches on his body as they drew blood from his flesh in three smaller streams.

He spun around swiftly, bent in a defensive posture, eyeing his bleeding cuts in disbelief as they slowly dragged a crimson curtain across his right leg.

"Something like this?"

"Yeah" he answered the cocky voice "Lik-" he gasped the moment he raised his gaze. Flare was in the offense once more

Just like before he didn't expect Flare throwing himself at him so quickly, yet this time his muscles were tensed and posture prepared. The surprise was still there and it still was the reason he got hit, but thanks to earlier preparation the injury wasn't serious.

He hissed in pain as Flare's claws ran across his other leg, this time slightly scratching him, the wound was similar to that received by scratching yourself over a rough wall.

Flare growled, obviously disliking the idea of missing.

The fire drake attacked again, claws slashing through the air once again. He dodged the first strike easily. The other set of claws was already incoming, this strike he blocked and shoved away with his risen paw, he was stronger than Flare, it was fairly easy to create a opening in his defense, especially when he attacks so ferociously and without thinking. An opening that in any other situation would lead to a bloody end of their fight, way before it really started.

He took advantage of it by sending a strong punch at the red dragon's chest, Flare groaned and cringed when air was kicked out of his lungs. Spyro continued his attack, headbutting his opponent, Flare grunted, obviously dazed. Finally he rammed into the fire dragon, keeping his horns away from his body, using only the power of his muscles to lift the drake and throw him onto his back.

A fierce, painful cough escaped Flare's throat the moment he landed on the sandy ground, back first.

"You need to think about what you're doing" Spyro commented as he stepped away from the fallen dragon, muscles prepared to repel another attack if necessary

"Allowing anger to guide you will only do so much against an experienced opponent" he pointed at his bloody cuts "Surprise is mostly a one time deal, you'll hardly fool a good fighter twice"

With a almost rabid roar Flare rolled onto his belly and before springing at the purple dragon released a breath of hot fire in his direction.

Spyro jumped out of the way of most of the fiery wave, the rest he blocked with his natural shield. His wing shook off the rest of the breath with ease. The moment his gold wing went down it revealed the form of the charging fire dragon. Claws already ready to draw blood.

It was clear that Flare didn't listen to his advice. Spyro narrowed his eyes, his experienced instinct already calculating the best way to repel the strike.

The aiming cross fell on Flare's extended foreleg.

He moved his body to the side, enough to get away from the slashing claws and enough to make enough space for a counterattack. He clenched his paw into a fist and swung it at the incoming foreleg, striking the red leg right below the elbow, putting enough strength into the punch to throw the sharp claws completely out of they way and their owner off balance.

Flare's furious expression turned to that of utter shock in an instant before it completely vanished from his sight as he sidestepped to the side, dragging his purple tail across the sand. The swing forced the fire drake to trip over the tail, unable to recover the already lost balance he hit the ground, snout first. His rump tilted upwards for a second before joining the rest of his body on the sand.

"Uncontrolled aggression makes you vulnerable" Spyro calmly circled the sprawled dragon "Don't try to kill with a single strike, provoke your foe into giving your that chance instead"

"Shut up!" Flare let out a muffled by sand roar, he leapt in Spyro's direction, his body spitting furious flames

He didn't even dodge the attack, he stayed put, allowing the claws to get close, not even the heat wafting from them changed his mind. Just when they were about to reach him he released the channeled elemental energy, creating an electric orb around himself.

Flare yelped in pain when the electric shock threw him back, forcing him to land on unsteady legs. Spyro without wasting time rammed into the drake once more and just as before shoved him onto his back.

Sand seemed to puff from underneath the drake's hard landing like snow in winter.

"Hate can't be your weapon" Spyro stated stoically, observing Flare scrambling from the ground "But a trigger. It should give you strength, not be your strength, otherwise it'll make you blind and you'll forget who you are facing"

"I exactly know who am I facing" Flare snarled and with a cracking spit of flames from his body he charged the purple adversary, his voice more ominous, more thick than usually

Even before he truly started to run, Spyro already figured out what was going on. Flare's head went down and flames started to crack from his fiery mane.

Comet Dash.

With a bright flash he was already on him, Spyro gasped as he threw himself to the side, using his earth element to form a boulder around himself. He was successful yet the form didn't manage to fully materialize, it was enough to prevent his body from being pierced by the fiery horn, but not completely dampen the force of the impact.

The moment the horn connected it threw his body into a spin, destroyed his unprepared barrier utterly and sent stinging pulses throughout his body as waves of heat encircled the fading rocky silhouette.

For a moment he felt like if he would be on fire, the flame that tried to consume him seemed to be just as angry as Flare is. It tried to reach beyond its power, melt his scales even despite the fact that there was no barrier to spread through anymore.

And yet he still felt like his blood was about to boil.

Spyro purposely ignored the instinctive reaction to land after every jump or fall and allowed his body to hit the sandy ground. Where he rolled twice, just in case, before he got up and turned his attention at the fiery dragon. His snout wrinkled by a feral snarl.

Flare was just finishing his skid along the sand, sending it flying like mud from hooves of galloping horses. With a burst of hissing, bright flames he swiftly faced his purple adversary.

"Flare" Spyro coughed the name, spitting out whatever sand that got into his mouth

"I know what you are"

His throat was ravaged by another cough as if every bit of sand he spat out seemed to get back into his throat just to hide from the scary, almost otherworldly voice.

"Fla-"

"A WORM!" he roared, the walls seemed to vibrate to every rumbling note

"Uh oh" Spyro narrowed his eyes on the fire dragon, muscles tensing with trained experience

Flare's mouth parted, a breath of scorching fire cut through the air.

Spyro's throat immediately filled a gust of cold energy, awaiting for the right moment to be unleashed and repel the incoming flame.

However he wasn't prepared for what happened next.

The wave of heat suddenly pulsed, sending a powerful, hissing ring of fire. Spyro only managed to gulp before the magical, hot shockwave arrived. Blowing him away like a ragdoll.

Volteer sprang up on his paws in alarm.

The original breath never stopped its advance, ready to make a short work of any burnt body on its way. Spyro due to his instinct of survival and the trained ability to withstand the most brutal of beatings wasn't about to give up so easily.

The magical punch was painful, making him groan as the heat cracked some of his scales. He took advantage of the wild spinning however and swiftly allowed a great amount of freezing energy to flow through him.

Momentarily a Snow Storm had begun, with him being the cause and center of the cyclone. For a time he felt the fire being dragged around by his magical energy, the feeling of being burned alive only intensified when the primary breath was sucked into the fray.

The burning pain was short however, since it was Ice that finally triumphed and went into offense. Dozens of ice shards erupted from the icy cyclone. Spyro made sure that most of them went in the direction of the fire dragon, not with the intention to test the resilience of his scales, but to make him dodge, eventually scratch if he would not be fast enough.

Flare tried to dodge, but was too slow, some of the shards left long, bloody cuts on his body, that forced furious growls from his throat.

Surprisingly Flare charged, running straight into the cyclone. Spyro's tail stood up in alarm, like a sorcerer's wand sensing great magical energy in the air. Every burning part on the dragon's body started to glow intensely, forcing his eyelids to protect the amethyst orbs below.

When a millisecond later the blink was over it was no longer the Flare he knew running straight at him, but an entity completely made of flames that carried only the silhouette of the fire dragon.

As if fire itself would join the fight.

Flare however wasn't gone, he raised in the air behind the charging burning figure, fiery wings glowing fiercer than the sun.

His reckless leap made the task of not seriously wounding him with an ice shard so much more difficult.

Luckily he didn't have to worry about that much since the burning creature just melded itself with the cyclone.

Spyro let out an agonizing roar, the freezing tornado turned into a fire pit in an instant. Between his own roars he could hear the rumbling blares of the creature, like the sound of a huge cracking fire. Its fiery form dissolved on impact, now instead of only white lashes of air there were also those fiery ones added to the mix.

He felt like he was stuck in a magical pyre of combustible ice, due to the flashing fiery light, his screams and painful tears in his eyes he couldn't really tell if he was imagining it or not, but he would swear that there was a column of flames erupting from the top of the dying cyclone.

One thing he did manage to see and which his instinct didn't allow to discard as an imagined image was the form of his red opponent. He had his wings spread wide and was still pushing them back, with the sole intention to intensify his hot sensations no doubt.

At the sight of that, his mind came up with only one logical way to get out of this situation and he was afraid that in this circumstances he has no other choice but to join Flare in his protest against the rules. Something he so wanted to avoid.

The same aiming cross appeared, this time it didn't target legs or some other less essential limbs.

This time it landed directly on the heart.

The Earth Missile was practically already charged, with Flare's defense so weak and his posture so open it would take only a single earth projectile to put him down. However he would never release only one missile, he would let it split into four.

At best Flare would somehow avoid the fatal missile and somehow survive, grievously wounded. At worst he would die and the additional bolts would make sure that no magic would bring him back.

Luckily it never came to that.

Just moments before Spyro decided on the unspeakable an electric chain wrapped itself around Flare, clenching his limbs and wings together tightly, as if rolling him into a tube. He never got the chance to voice his scream since momentarily the electric prison flashed brightly and with a crack of lighting sent tremendous electric pulses through the red body.

The dragon's eyes rolled back into his skull, tongue rolled out of his mouth and body went limp in an blink of an eye.

Spyro couldn't tell if the fresh stench of charred scales was the result of his torment or Flare's.

The fiery cyclone popped like a balloon, moments later Flare's caged followed and both young dragons were dragged down by gravity. Spyro however had enough strength in him to use his wings to at least slow his fall, despite the stinging pain in his joints.

He touched the ground, paws slipped underneath him, he had to prop himself on his wing to avoid falling down. It was hard and painful, his whole body wavered, paws sliding, drawing lines across the sand as if he was an amateur painter creating a new style of art.

Flare on the other paw hit the ground with a muffled by sand smack.

"Spyro!" Volteer's worried voice echoed through the room

"I'll live" he rasped, only now taking a good glimpse at his swollen, cracked scales. Lines of dark, heated blood lazily pulsed across the length of every wound

The amber dragon landed near the wounded purple drake.

"Dear Ancestors" the Guardian whined worryingly

"Spyro offered the Guardian a weak smile, or tried to, since the moment his scales stretched something broke in the corners of his mouth with a sharp sound.

With a hiss he pressed his paw to his face, feeling moist blood touching the underside of his leg.

"How's Flare? Is he..." he mumbled through his toes

Volteer immediately made his way towards the fallen red dragon, his heart bleeding with guilt. He has never before hurt someone so young before. Flare's body was still slightly convulsing, as if something tickled his every limb and he couldn't decide where to start scratching first.

In truth it were the last electric pulses running through him.

Volteer whined once more, placing his paw on the shaking, practically mutilated young body, sliding it gently towards the drake's yellow chest. His sensitive paw managed to sense the weak pulses of the young heart. Volteer tried to smile but failed to do so, instead he gently rubbed the dragon's underbelly, apologizing as best as he could.

"He's...alive"

Spyro let out a breath of relief and limped towards his old friend.

"We go to the hospital" he grunted through the painful stinging "Get better and then what? You've seen yourself how wild Flare is"

The Guardian pressed his paw against Flare's shaking side, the tremors seemed to weaken.

"I know...what to...do"

*

Only one last fight left for today, did she really have that much bottled up energy in herself?

Not counting the forced break, she spent the whole day here on the training grounds, earning some bruises and scratches along the way but it was worth it, at least a bit.

Her opponents proved to be a mix of everything. From inexperienced to well prepared, from slow to fast, from talented to only ambitious. Aggression and wounded self-esteem were the only characteristics they all had in common.

Unfortunately for her challengers, it didn't help them much in duels.

And finally, after all of those defeated opponents came the long awaited fatigue, she had wait for it till evening and yet she still didn't feel completely satisfied.

She would bare through the discomfort but then he came up with an offer to test their skills this evening. He was so eager and was practically begging for it that she couldn't refuse. Despite the fact that they already sparred with each other she looks forward to this fight. For starters it will make him happy, not to mention that in her current tired state the friendly skirmish might be interesting.

She could use a challenge.

The door to the training grounds opened for the last time, her tail tapped the sandy ground below excitedly.

She grinned at the sight of the fiery light entering the arena.

"Finally, you're here"

Flare stopped, smiling at her "Punches only?"

She took a deep breath, bending on her legs into a defensive posture.

"It won't help you much"

And with a playful laugh Cynder charged.

*

"Absolutely not!" Spyro jerked himself up from the bed fiercely, squinting his eyes with a hiss as the afternoon sun shone directly at him from its safe haven behind the window and high in the clouds

The female cheetah healer yelped in shock when the dragon threw himself up, the bandage that she was busy wrapping around his leg slipped from her hands. The ball hit the sterile floor and rolled underneath the nearby nightstand, leaving a brownish medical carpet in its wake.

A gentle, yet stern furry hand touched his side, putting pressure on his flank, pushing him down onto the sheets.

"Lie still" Amela commented calmly

Hesitantly he let the furry hand guide him towards the bed.

"Volteer no! This is a bad idea, I won't let her!"

"Lie down darling" the cheetah pushed the dragon a little stronger, nodding at her helper. The other female instantly cut the stretched bandage and reached for another fresh roll

He lifted himself up again.

"She isn't going anywhere!"

Amela with a delicate snarl pushed the young dragon onto the bed, and the moment his head hit the pillows she pressed her forefinger to his nose, making his eyes go wide as his orbs concentrated on the claw ahead.

"Listen here young boy" she said sternly, eyes fiercely narrowed on his as they stared at him from behind the claw "For starters you will show respect to your elders, this is no way to speak to people older than you"

"But-"

"I'm not finished" she pressed her claw a little stronger, making his nose wrinkle under the pressure

Spyro whined.

"Finally you'll stop telling people what to do, this is no battlefield for you to shout orders and boss people around. There is time for everything and currently you are out of your league young boy. You are in no position to allow or prohibit someone from doing something you don't like. Especially someone like Cynder. Before you decide what's best for her, maybe it would be polite to ask for her opinion first and check if she agrees with you"

Spyro blushed, no longer feeling the stinging pain under the bandages, everything was muffled by the sensation of scorching shame.

"I'm sorry"

She removed her finger and with a kind smile delicately scratched his cheek with her thumb.

"That's more like it"

"I'm worried guys" Spyro sighed sadly "Just look at me" he raised his other foreleg, from paw to shoulder it was wrapped in a bandage

"This is what happened when I decided to fight back. Imagine how Cynder will look when she won't, she likes Flare too much"

Amela pet his head with a delicate, yet understanding smile.

"I...made...a...promise" Volteer replied finally, observing the calmly breathing young fire dragon on the opposite bed. Deciding to suffer the slow speech in case Flare would pretend to sleep

"Cynder...will be...fine"

Spyro shook his head "You can't possibly know that"

"True...but I...can...assume so. We...forbid them...from using...magic...we minimalize the...risk. Refusing...to complete...our bargain...would...be...disastrous"

"I don't like this" he looked at the cheetah pleadingly "Please Amela convince him that this is a bad idea"

She nodded and turned towards the Guardian "Excuse me Sir Volteer, but how can you be so certain that this is safe? Especially considering the situation we are currently in"

"Nothing...is...ever safe. Pursuing my...idea we at...least can...retain...some means of...control. During...natural disasters it's...all about...precautions"

"But Flare isn't fire, flood or anything!" Spyro protested

Volteer turned towards the sleeping red dragon.

"Oh...but he...is"

*

Another smack.

With a grunt of exertion Flare was pushed across the sand, claws digging deep into the ground, yellowish soil shooting to the sides as he forcefully slowed down his slide, making deep indentations in the ground. He finally managed to stop, tail swooshing away the bits of sand that rose into the air, chest moving up and down with heavy breaths.

"Enough!" Cynder shouted with wavering breath as she tiredly threw her butt down onto the sand "I have...enough" she panted heavily, swallowing whatever saliva her dry mouth managed to produce

Flare's eyes widened, not in surprise but much desired relief. As his rump numbly touched the ground he realized just how tired he was himself, just how much he has to learn since she won even if he had an advantage, especially he realized when he reached his limit.

And it was a very long time ago. How he managed to hold for so long was beyond him.

She offered him a tired smile, due to fatigue and her quick and shallow breathing she had difficulties keeping it.

"You...really...gave me...a...challenge"

Flare swallowed, eyes sparkling with hope.

"Are...you...tired?"

She nodded, smile widening slightly.

"Like...hell"

He grinned excitedly, only one thought bouncing in his head.

Mission accomplished. She is happy.

"You...want to...rest?"

Cynder laughed in between labored breaths.

"As soon...as possible...please"

She was uncertain if after those words she blacked out or something, but she never really processed when was the moment when Flare got up. When she realized what was going on the drake was already opening the door.

"Hey! Where...are you-" her shout ended abruptly, in accordance with the sound of the massive door closing

"-going" she huffed

She stared ahead for a while, dumbfounded by the sudden disappearance, but enlightenment struck her tired mind. Flare was acting weird the whole time, first the begging, then the eager fight, stubbornness to continue even if she seen he had enough and now this.

Before she knew it she dropped on her side and rolled on her back, eyes aimed at the ceiling, panting heavily. Her eyelids went down eventually, just as her mind came up with a conclusion.

That's Flare.

And yet as simple and believable that explanation seemed her feminine instinct rebelled against that deduction.

She'll worry about that later, for now she just wants to catch her breath.

And in the same moment the massive door opened with a barely audible creak.

Her eyes snapped open, nose wrinkled when a familiar smell...

No.

Familiar stench invaded her nostrils.

The noise of cracking ice followed soon after, she glanced ahead, noticing a thick wall of vaporizing ice encasing the door and the surrounding corridor.

A malicious tapping of claws against ice pierced through the noise.

"I should have known" Cynder said with an accusing tone, gathering her last amounts of energy as she lifted herself up

Iris appeared in her line of sight, pacing slowly towards her, eyes aimed directly at her, hips and tail swaying with a slow, arrogant and seductive motion. She was like a lover, moving towards the bed of her mate, making sure he would see every alluring bit of her body, what it has to offer and what an unforgettable experience awaits him.

The sight would make the heart of every male skip a beat.

In Cynder's case it only caused a headache.

"You used Flare" she growled with perfect clarity "You messed with his head, I don't know what he sees in you but you managed to convince him. Made him fight until he tires me. You coward"

"Say whatever you want slut" Iris responded calmly "Those will be your last words so waggle that tongue if it makes you feel better"

"You are nothing, you act like royalty but in truth you're just a bully. Taking advantage of the ones that gave you a chance"

Iris snorted "Fools like you. It's the destiny of the stupid to do the dirty work for their betters. So the highborn like me get the spoils. I did my homework"

Cynder tensed her muscles, ignoring the sore feeling as they flexed.

"You just don't know how to let go. I feel sorry for you"

Iris' tail tip flashed mockingly "You know who else will be sorry? You're boyfriend when I bring your severed head in my mouth to him. But first I'll bleed you like a pig"

The stench she felt earlier became overpowering when the ice dragoness got closer. It had nothing to do with Iris' natural scent, it was the reeking smell of murder.

A stink she was very familiar with.

"Last chance to reconsider" Cynder prepared herself "Even now I won't be easy prey"

"I disagree"

And with that Iris charged.

Being a female herself Cynder knew how graceful her gender can be, how precise and beautiful in a fight, how cunning and clever. So much different than males.

Males are foolish.

This is why this fight will be like no other.

The ice claws slashed, she blocked the strike with the bracelet on her left leg. During the show of sparks she pressed forward, biting at Iris shoulder. The satin blue dragoness avoided her teeth swiftly, pushing her body up, paws and maw heading straight at the black back.

Cynder lowered herself on her legs and shoved her flank into the dragonesses chest. Iris let out a grunt as she was forcefully pushed away, forelegs and teeth hitting empty air when the strike forced her to bend over her foe.

With Iris' belly touching her black scales Cynder tilted her head back, drawing her horns into the blue scales. Iris roared painfully, spreading her feathery wings before leaping into the air, groaning in agony as the move forced her body out but at the cost of her own flesh.

Hot blood gushed on her back as Cynder threw her body into a spin, muscles screaming from exhaustion, she greeted her teeth and swiped with her tail, in time to deflect Iris' claws on her blue paws with her tail tip.

The shrieking grinding of steel was heard as the silvery blades connected, great amounts of sparks showing just how serious both girls are.

Instead of losing balance Iris pushed her body into an airborne spin, turning her body by three hundred and sixty degrees, aiming at her opponent's opposite flank.

This is the gracefulness she had in mind, a level unreachable for every male.

Cynder ducked, pressing her belly to the sand, claws whizzed inches above her scales. She wanted to counterattack but the moment she tried to raise, her legs wavered which resulted in pushing herself up some seconds longer than she wanted to. The struggle gave Iris enough time to get back and land safely beyond her grasp.

*

With one uneasy twirl Spyro's eyes snapped open, unconsciously he started to rub his chest, staring at the dark ceiling of his hospital room above.

Something was itching him from the inside.

Something didn't feel right.

*

Both females circled each other, eyes never leaving each other's snouts, looking for weaknesses. When Iris charged with a snarl Cynder was certain she had found one.

She ran with her head low, she knew that the attack was a reckless, Iris most likely did also. To avoid straining her already low limits of energy faster Cynder decided not to rely on her element powers. This decision led only to one choice, in any other situation it would be a good one.

Now, when being so tired...well it's all about luck now.

Cynder with great effort bent her legs and wanted to spring to the side. Her weak legs listened to her eventually, lifting her up with strong shakes. All of this happened way too slow however, she had enough strength in her to avoid one of Iris' bull-like horns completely, she wasn't so lucky with the other one.

It didn't pierce her flesh like a spear, she managed to avoid that, but it still connected with the edge of her body, tearing quite a sizeable chunk of meat from her in a spray of crimson blood. She wasn't really allowed to scream properly since momentarily a blue tail slid across the ground, with ease tripping her weak paws.

The rest of the scream her throat emitted was only for the sand to hear.

Iris skidded to a halt so fast that not even the Chronicler himself recorded when she actually turned towards her wounded enemy. Claws went down at the bleeding black body, ready to tear it apart.

Cynder with no other choice channeled her depleted magical energy, covering herself in a coat of poison, so weak and transparent like a veil. However poison is poison and Iris had the discomfort of being wounded in her flank, venom momentarily got into her bloodstream, mixing itself with the blood.

She coughed fiercely.

The elemental attack wasn't powerful enough to put the ice dragoness down, in fact it wasn't strong enough to do any harm besides making someone feel sick for a while.

That while luckily was enough.

The poison made Iris slow down, giving Cynder the much needed time. She pressed her forelegs firmly on the ground, digging her claws into the sand with all the strength she could muster and without raising jerked her body forward as far as it would go.

At the same time swinging her tail vertically.

She noticed Iris jerking her body out of the way, yet her blade-like tail tip met some delicate pressure. Cynder already channeled her shadow powers, ready to disappear into the shadow, but Iris never attacked.

She took advantage of the situation and got on all fours, using her also tired wings to accomplish this feat and stabilize her position.

Iris had her paw pressed to her throat, blood was sipping through her claws.

Mortal wound.

But then surprisingly the ice dragonesses wide eyes dropped on the ground, paw started to tap at her neck, leaving bloody spots everywhere. The wound that was revealed proved to be nothing more than a scratch and yet Iris behaved like she was about to die.

She jumped back, eyes scanning the sand hectically, paw with the same vigor patting at her neck.

"Is this what you're looking for?"

Iris raised her gaze, her diamond eyes widening even more, whole body visibly shaking. She looked so frail and vulnerable and seemed to be literally terrified.

"Give it back!" she screamed, her voice squeaky and wavering. Instead of lunging forward she retreated back even more. She was like a child at the brink of hysteria.

Cynder noticed that the girl's gaze never leaved her paw, eventually her attention landed there as well. In her black paw, dirty in bloody sand she was holding a weak, tarnished gold medallion. Her tail easily sliced the weak chain it was attached to in half.

Something was written on it.

"It's not yours whore! Give it back!"

With a frown Cynder's gaze returned to the dragoness, whatever she was holding was obviously very important for Iris.

"Let me leave and you can have it"

"Never!" her opponent roared, ice wafting from the slender nose

Cynder realized that there is no sense in trying to resolve this with diplomacy. Iris was scared and furious at the same time. Her instinct told her that this was her chance, either she makes her mad and holds for a little while longer or surely fall very quickly under the calculated and cold blows.

It's time for the bitch card.

She clenched her paw, her claws had no troubles denting the frail medallion. Whatever was left of it landed on the ground.

"Oopsie" Cynder hissed with an uncaring shrug

"Nooooo!" Iris cried out, her scream filled with heartbreaking suffering.

The air suddenly got very cold.

A cone of freezing ice shot from Iris' mouth.

Cynder avoided the magical strike by jumping into the air, taking advantage of the joints that still had some little strength to obey her wishes. The dragoness pursued her relentlessly, swinging her glowing icy tail in a wide arc.

A wave of ice in the size of the swipe flew in Cynder's direction. She ducked under the energy with ease, however she didn't expect that this wasn't over. The magical scythe exploded above her into sharp, cold shards that were hurled down like raindrops from a storm cloud.

Cynder howled in agony as the shards pierced her wings and back, draining whatever strength she had left even faster than before. The fading energy was perfectly resembled by the many falling blood droplets.

Iris didn't wait, nor she was able to stop her. The ice dragoness attacked viciously, taking advantage of the situation, sinking her teeth deep into the black shoulder. Cynder roared, the already excruciating pain only intensified by the claws driven into her flanks and the powerful jerk of her body as Iris dived down towards the ground, dragging her with her. Her black head aimed directly at the sandy earth.

When the ground got relatively close Iris loosened her furious grasp and hurled her prey directly at the ground.

She might have done her homework but in this particular moment forgot that gravity is as dangerous for a still breathing black dragon as a deer for a wolf.

Cynder dragged a shadow along the sand, making it stop right in the spot where her head was heading. Before she disappeared into the magical void she heard Iris gasping in shock. She didn't give the blue dragoness much time to shake off the feeling since she momentarily shot straight up from the hole.

Eventually reaching the same altitude as her enemy.

Cynder swung her front paws, the coated in darkness blades made contact with the still dumbfounded dragoness, slicing her quite seriously. Iris cried out in pain, Cynder got rid of the sound by kicking Iris with her empowered back legs.

The dragoness was sent flying across the air. Cynder didn't hear if she recovered or hit into something. The world swayed and her eyes were clouded by a blurry veil, every sound strangely coming from far away.

Fatigue.

It finally caught up with her, blood loss and the constant straining of her tired muscles made the race so much shorter. All she knew was that her tongue rolled out of her mouth, her chest heaved with painful pants and that she was lower with each passing second. Her tired black wings moved slowly up and down, waveringly keeping her body aloft, but loosing the unfair fight in general.

And then with great clarity a red light flashed in her mind.

Instinct.

With last ounces of strength she jerked her body to the side, in time to avoid the incoming ice bolt flying at her heart, but not fast enough to avoid it completely. It cleanly ran through her left wing.

She no longer had the strength to scream, she just fell from the air, smacking into the ground below. The rest was a blur, when she regained some partial clarity she noticed Iris looking behind her shoulder and someone far away calling her by name.

"S-Spyro?" Cynder whispered weakly, snout stuck in the sand

The noise drew Iris' attention to her, when the dragoness raised her claws all that Cynder thought about was how nice it would be to receive some help now and how unfair life is.

"Any last words bitch?" Iris growled through blood covered lips

"Proud people breed sad sorrows for themselves"

The dragoness jumped back with a hiss when she felt a sting on her other foreleg.

A scratch.

She growled again, preparing the swing of her claws once more as she raised her gaze.

When they met the black dragonesses snout she noticed that her enemy was staring right at her.

Her paw stopped in midair.

One of Cynder's claws was completely rotten.

And her eyes.

What the hell happened to her eyes?

Then suddenly a fierce bolt of unbearable agony shot throughout the inside of her body. Iris retched and vomited. Not the ordinary spew but blood.

Streams of dark blood.

"What...have you...done to...me?" she muttered between gags, blood kept on flowing from her mouth with each new retch

Iris impulsively retreated, but then another agonizing bolt shot through her. She groaned, spinning around and landing on the sand, paws clutching her belly. The impact forcing another stream of blood out.

The world started to lose its colors, everything was going black. One light seemed to pierce through the drawing darkness. A shimmering golden light, pulsing from underneath the sand, glowing brighter than it ever did.

Iris started to crawl towards it, mouth covered in blood and sand, fierce coughs ravaging her body, muscles going numb one by one.

It was so cold.

She was so damn cold.

With one last groan Iris thrust her paw out, claws clicked on a golden, tarnished medallion. She clenched her paw firmly around it.

And then darkness overwhelmed her.

Cynder blinked weakly, she could barely see what was going on. Her sight was completely blackened, her eyes formed only two small circles through which she could see and even that was blurry. As if she was looking through a dirty spyglass.

She only discerned Iris sprawled ahead and a trail of blood leading to her body.

"This is what we are Sugar"

Two purple paws appeared in front of her. Shadow was wafting from underneath them.

"Destroyers of all oppressors. For too long they have dictated our existence. You will understand"

A wounded purple snout lowered itself towards her closing eyes.

"You will see. Everything will be clear. Sleep Sugar"

The eyes of the snout were completely dark, burning with tendrils of shadow.

"Go into the night"

End of Book IV