As the sun rose over one of the very few yet unscarred mountains in the Realms, it briefly touched the tips of each tree in a vast forest. Inside it, a few Atlawan hunters guarded totems while small animals hopped about, hunting the elusive yet seemingly delicious butterflies dancing just out of reach. The morning passed by peacefully enough for the inhabitants of Tall Plains, who were once again in worship of a certain purple dragon who had saved them from drifting off into the sky.

That dragon's rest, however, was soon to end. As the sun finally crested the mountain, a beam of light found its way onto his purple eyelids. Spyro winced as he slowly opened his eyes, the harsh glare nearly blinding. Taking in his surroundings, the violet dragon sighed happily; even after waking to the same view for a week the vibrance and beauty of the land still amazed him. Granted, part of his pride could have been that he had saved it from Malefor.

As he rose to his feet, back popping with morning aches, Spyro glanced down to his side. The ebony and scarlet dragoness still sleeping beside him only added to the beauty of his surroundings, and made up a greater part of why he had enjoyed their vacation so, so much. He took the short amount of time he had to take in her form ―again― before she woke up; even if she really didn't mind, Spyro preferred not to be caught― again.

From her somehow polished black scales to the vibrant red in her underbelly that could make the finest rose pale in comparison, Spyro could never fathom how such a fine female had chosen him ―unkempt, clumsy him― for a partner. For him, it went past her appearance, as well. At times, Cynder could be rather defiant, but overall she preferred to keep quiet, and for good reason. Even if quite a few dragons had forgiven her, that proud dragoness of his seemed unwilling to surrender her private vigil for the fallen.

Spyro quickly returned his gaze forward as the dragoness beside him gave a small yawn, sleep finally relinquishing its grasp on her as well. She stretched her lithe form out beside him, then winced much like him as her emerald eyes were greeted by the sun's bright glare.

The two heroes sat there, taking in the view for a short while longer before Cynder finally stood again, padding to his side and brushing his cheek. Spyro returned the gesture affectionately, then met her eyes as they lay together once more.

"How have you been this morning?" Cynder whispered. The morning tranquil seemed too new to them to break so soon.

"I'm all right, all things considered… I've got you, haven't I?" Spyro whispered back, tilting his head in mock consideration. "Although… it would be nice if I could catch you, even once…"

And it was true. Ever since the guardians had given them their not-optional vacation they had been dancing through the clouds, Cynder just outside his reach. No matter how much effort he put into his flight, her tailtip was just out of his reach. Still, it wasn't to say the two hadn't enjoyed the little game. After they had been ―forcibly― sent to "relax", the two had discovered with no little amount of dismay that the most relaxing thing they knew how to do was spar. But two welts and a lack of healing gems later, the duo had discovered that was quite possibly not the best way to relax.

Cynder's gentle smile widened slightly. "Well, maybe today's your lucky day, purple boy!" She stood, preparing to launch herself into the air, but Spyro shook his head slowly.

"We're actually supposed to be back this night, and my wings are still sore from it all." Spyro's gaze fell to the ground. He hated to take all the fun away, but if they were to have another break they would have to return on time.

"Aww… Do we really have to go today?" Cynder whined. Spyro wavered for a moment. The temptation was mounting, but regretfully he shook his head.

"We've got to get there today… anyway, the Guardians promised us that the temple was going to be repaired when we got back. I can't wait…"

The wreckage of the old dragon temple was one of the floating islands expelled from the planet's core when the world had been repaired, and Spyro was immensely grateful that the Ancestors had seen fit to keep most of the temple intact, though the old statue of Malefor in the dojo had seemingly vanished altogether. But Terrador and a small group of earth dragons had accepted the challenge of reaffixing the temple's landmass to the ground, though noticeably nearer to Warfang.

Cynder perked up at the reminder. "Let's go, then! Last one to get back has to polish Cyril's antique armor collection!"

Spyro paled. Not wanting to have a rag in hand for months, he leapt into the air with a speed that dwarfed all of his play-chases with Cynder, knowing that while he would be joking she likely wasn't.


The flight back was long, arduous, and the only break in the wondrous experience of flying was the ocean view, and even if Cynder didn't believe him he was still going to point out the massive turtle-creature that had saved his life. As the two dragons soared over solid grounds once more, the vast woodlands gave way to the duller, if yet more comforting, assortment of giant mushrooms. As the Dragon Temple came into view just above the setting sun, Spyro frowned. While it was great to see the temple in near-pristine condition for the first time, the large camps spread out across the mountainside were troubling. But he supposed it was better that families actually wanted their younglings to learn the ways of elements once more.

Then again, Spyro thought to himself guiltily, they probably have to pay for their training, now that the war's over…

The trainers of said elements were working slowly at the mass of dragons outside the gate. Here he could see a blue and off-white dragon lead a group into the Temple with an air of self-confidence, and there he could see a green blip proceeding the same, albeit much more modest, direction. And inside he could hear a rapid-paced voice babbling on about the various, numerous,numberless, countless, innumerable choices, trajectories, trails, directions one could study while residing at the temple. It was all rather overwhelming.

But the one dragon who truly stood out to Spyro was the massive, polite, well-spoken red dragon calmly reassuring the camps. He shuddered, closing his eyes once more as he heard the Fire Guardian's cries of anguish as his shield had failed, burning and repelling him. He had thought for sure Ignitus had been lost to them, but it was his greatest relief as the elder dragon had found his way slowly back to the Dragon City.

As the two teenaged dragons spiralled down for a landing, Ignitus spotted them, waving them closer with a wing. The two landed before the red dragon, who bowed to them ever-so-slightly in greeting.'

"Spyro, Cynder, it's good to have you back. As you can see the Temple's original purpose of training the newer generations is renewed, and even as we restock our supplies we can begin to house some inhabitants. It's somewhat jam-packed, however, and you may have an unexpected guest." Ignitus grimaced, then lowered his voice. "There is also more we must speak of in the morning. For now though, just get some rest." With that, Ignitus returned to his duties.

Suddenly exhausted, Spyro gave Cynder a half-hearted nuzzle before trudging back to his room. Before he could lay down for a rest, however, He was stopped by the sight of another dragon in his room, sleeping on a makeshift bed near his own.

"What is this about?"


A/N: Keep in mind to anyone who might come to read this, if the quality of the story suddenly takes a dramatic dip, it's because I haven't restarted that chapter yet. Plot holes, time lapses― all that good story mechanic. I'm working on revising this… again… but be patient and it'll progress slowly. The story's at its bare bones at the moment. ~Drakonseye