Cynder awoke with a start, her heart pounding in her chest like a demented demon trying to escape its cage. As she sat up, she tried to recall her dream but to no avail. Roused by Cynder's kicking and scratching, Spyro woke up to find Cynder sitting up next to him drenched in sweat, tears rolling down her eyes.

"What's the matter, Cynder?" Spyro asked affectionately as he tried to calm his near hysterical wife. The nightmares had started innocuously enough, occasionally waking Cynder up in the middle of the night where she would laugh and just shake it off before falling back to sleep, but they had become worse as time went by, to the extent of injuring Spyro in his sleep with her claws. Spyro was genuinely worried for Cynder as he held her on the bed, wondering what could be plaguing her.

Cynder tried to speak but all that came out was a loud sob before she burst into tears as she held Spyro. There was nothing he could do but provide a shoulder for her to cry on.

It had been 3 years after Malefor's defeat and the realm hailed Spyro as a hero. Spyro, however, was never one for the limelight. He and Cynder had settled down in a log cabin they had built in the Valley of Avalar where they felt would be a great place to start a family. They had recently tried for children and now Cynder was carrying 4 eggs in her belly. It should have been a happy ending but the nightmares began plaguing Cynder shortly after the good news had been revealed. Now, Cynder was close to term and the nightmares seemed to be getting worse.

"I'm really worried about you, Cynder." Spyro said as they sat down for breakfast.

"Oh, don't worry, Spyro, it was just a nightmare." Cynder replied gaily, a weak smile playing on her face. The nightmares had really taken their toll on Cynder. Her scales had lost their lustrous gleam and were now dull with stress. She had seemingly aged years over the past few weeks. Being a first time father, Spyro was also worried about his children as much as he was worried about Cynder's well-being.

"Well, it's a nice day, want to go outside?" Spyro asked, his cheer only half forced as he chased the dark thoughts out of his head.

"Sure! Race you to Warfang!"

"I don't really think that's smart…" Spyro said as he helped Cynder clear the dishes. Cynder was expecting any day now and it wasn't a good idea for her to go flying around. Her current physical condition made it an even more dangerous prospect.

"Don't be such a spoilsport, Spyro!" Cynder pouted as she pulled a semi-reluctant Spyro out of the house. He couldn't help but admire her tenacity as they stepped out into the sunshine.

He instantly realized how much he missed the sunshine, the fresh air outside, the birds chirping. Without knowing it, he was already in the air, Cynder soaring happily next to him, the both of them laughing and careening through the air. The warm spring sunshine caressing their wings, the wind whistling through their horns as Spyro turned a somersault in midair. Cynder followed suit but at the apex of her somersault, she plummeted to the ground like a stone.

Spyro immediately went into a nosedive and caught Cynder just in time, lowering her to the ground gently. As Spyro helped her back into the house, Cynder began coughing loudly, bringing up drops of blood with every cough. Spyro, shocked upon seeing this, immediately brought Cynder back upstairs and laid a pale Cynder onto their bed. She coughed up a bit more blood before managing a faint and feeble sound that left Spyro with tears in his eyes, feeling absolutely helpless.

"P-Please, Spyro, h-help me…It's…Malefor…"

With those words, she lapsed into unconsciousness, leaving Spyro alone in the house, tears rolling down his cheeks as he caressed Cynder's paw. He stayed that way next to Cynder's now comatose body until late at night when he himself fell asleep, still praying for Cynder's recovery.


Update: 2 August 2011- Star Duster pointed out it was supposed to be "paw" and not "hand" so I've fixed it. Thanks, Star Duster!