Ten years have passed since the defeat of Malefor and peace reigns over the lands. Warfang has been rebuilt and is thriving as the hub of trade and influence as it once was long ago. Today, Spyro continues his legend by travelling as an ambassador to Warfang and to a more general extent- dragon kind. Many conflicts have already been averted thanks to his work and he is widely hailed as a hero for his efforts. He and his friend- now mate, Cynder, live together in a modest accommodation block in a discreet part of town. Always one to seek action and adventure, Cynder also picked a career of service on behalf of the city council. Her role in the grand scheme of things is to deliver messages and occasionally the odd delivery to the various settlements of the land, as well as offering advice on military strategy and logistics. As of recently, Spyro has been called away more and more frequently, and for longer lengths of time. Nobody seems to know anything about it, but Cynder is suspicious...
Another day was coming to a close in the great dragon city of Warfang. Far away, the warm afternoon sun inexorably started its descent below the horizon. The whole sky burned orange, reflecting everything in a pleasant rosy glow. Buildings seemed to shimmer in the fading light, occasionally glowing in the flame of a dragon's breath as torches were lit across the city, preparing for the coming night.
Finding herself in a prime position to observe this beautiful evening, a young dark scaled dragoness named Cynder sat on the outer city wall alone. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. The air smelled of peace, but it did nothing to calm her restlessness. Her emerald eyes watched the sunset with a mild disinterest, her thoughts elsewhere entirely. For a time she sat still, watching and waiting. Eventually, a discontented sigh escaped her lips and she pawed at the stonework beneath her feet, flicking her tail back and forth with impatience.
I should just go home, She thought miserably, He's not coming back tonight either.
With a grunt of effort, Cynder got to her feet and stretched. Her muscles were cramped and ached painfully for having sat still for so long. It was with great reluctance that she took one final glance at the skies- with no hint of purple in sight, before turning back towards the city.
How long has it been since I've seen him? Cynder wondered. Must be at the very least two or three months...
"Where are you, Spyro?" She asked solemnly, to nobody in particular. Her voice was quickly carried away by the wind, as if in an attempt to silence the question.
It just wasn't fair!
Cynder kicked a small stone and watched it fly off into the distance. Even the guardians wouldn't tell her anything about this latest "trip" Spyro was on! She hated nothing more than being kept in the dark, it left her worrying about his safety all day and all night- what might have gone wrong or what could she have done to help him better, that sort of thing. So many unanswerable questions!
She sighed again and approached the corner of the rampart. Spreading her wings wide, she leapt into the air by kicking off from the wall, flapping her wings in a lazy glide back towards the main city. For a while she was lost in the solitude of flight. All her troubles seemed temporarily far away, out of mind. She hummed in contentment and found a hesitant smile working its way onto her face as she angled towards the upper terraces. The golden tipped buildings glinted in the fading light.
Cynder landed with her usual grace not more than a few minutes later. She trotted silently across the cobblestones underfoot, unnoticed amongst the various other creatures making their way home as well. Darkness was beginning to fall, but it was easy enough to find the particular door in the huge terrace of buildings that she was looking for. Reaching into her satchel, Cynder fumbled with the key and eventually managed to open it with her nose. The familiar oak door swung open with barely a squeak.
Once inside Cynder flicked the lock closed with her tail, a well practised motion, then stepped into the main entrance where she paused for a moment. The whole house was deathly silent and she found found it hard to suppress the urge to sigh again. Her eyes felt heavy with tiredness, despite the early hour. A yawn escaped from her mouth unbidden.
"Don't suppose you're back before me?" She asked half-heartedly, unclasping the buckle for the satchel. It dropped to the carpeted floor with a dull thud and she rolled her shoulders, pleased that her scales hadn't been chafed too badly by the rough fabric.
After a suitable pause she snorted and flicked her tail, "Didn't think so..."
The tired dragoness found herself something to eat as a snack- leftovers from earlier, then retired to the bedroom, sprawling out on one of the many cushions laid about the place. The moonlight streaming in through the windows gave the room an almost ethereal beauty and for a time, she was content to doze peacefully.
However, she found herself being woken in several uncomfortable hot sweats throughout the next few hours- during which she tried moving cushions in a vain attempt to get comfortable. Cynder wasn't sure how much time passed in this manner, but at some point during the early hours of the morning she found herself snapping awake again, feeling even more restless than before. She was hot and bothered and no matter how she tossed and turned, couldn't get back to sleep again.
Groaning with annoyance, she wearily got up to open the windows in order to let some fresh air in. The cool night breeze blew in immediately and it felt wonderful. She poked her head outside and rested it on the windowsill. She wondered if she might be coming down with something, since the house never normally felt this stuffy. A quick glance in the window at her blurred reflection confirmed that her cheeks were flushed and scales slick with sweat.
"Why now?" She pouted, wiping her forehead with a paw. "Ancestors, all I want is just a full night's sleep, I've got a busy day tomorrow..."
Suddenly, the unmistakable metallic sound of the front door lock being manipulated caught her attention. Freezing on the spot, she lowered her body to the ground and as quietly as possible she paced through the rooms to get a closer look. Her heart began to race, though she forced herself to stay calm through sheer willpower alone. A million possibilities raced through her mind as to whom it might be or what they wanted. She hadn't heard a single knock though, so she safely assumed that it couldn't be anything good. She crouched in the shadows where she had the element of surprise and waited patiently.
Several tense moments passed and Cynder watched with baited breath as the handle eventually moved and a dragon stepped inside, closing the door behind them. They had two long golden horns, faintly glinting in the moonlight- but all other details were obscured in the darkness. She waited patiently as the dragon moved close enough to touch and then she pounced with all her might, tackling the intruder to the ground in a tangle of limbs.
"Gah! Stop!" the intruder pleaded.
Before she could even strike with her raised paw, she noticed something odd about the intruder, but she couldn't quite place it. The adrenaline rushing through her veins made it take longer than normal for her to decide what to do. Eventually she sniffed the air, noticing a familiar scent.
"Spyro?" She asked sceptically, tilting her head.
The dragon underneath her was obviously very surprised, his breath coming in short sharp pants. His violet scales glistened in the meagre moonlight filtering in from behind her and her eyes widened with surprise and recognition. She lowered her paw, seeing his familiar smile staring back at her. A moment passed of uncertain silence.
"Cynder! By the ancestors, you scared me..."
Before another word was uttered, she nuzzled underneath his chin and cried out in joy, wrapping her arms around his chest in a tight hug. In return, she felt his playful kisses on her cheek and they both laughed out loud, wrestling for a few moments before untangling themselves. She waited patiently, tail waving back and forth in a poor effort to disguise her excitement.
"Sorry about that..." She mumbled rather sheepishly. "You should have knocked!"
Spyro simply chuckled and got to his feet as well. His eyes shone brightly with amusement. "At least I know the house is well guarded. I'll have to keep that in mind!"
She laughed at that and after wrapping a wing around her, Spyro led her back into the bedroom where they snuggled closely together with their tails entwined- just happy to be in each other's company again. Ancestors, there was so much that she wanted to ask, so many things she wanted to say! His comforting embrace was all she needed at that point- everything still had an air of unreality to it, she still couldn't believe he was really back. It had been so long!
"It's okay, try to get some rest..." He said softly, noticing her unease. He caressed her cheek with a paw. "You look pretty tired."
She only smiled in response, a million questions still hanging on the tip of her tongue. She couldn't spoil the moment like this though. Instead she simply sighed and nodded sleepily, "Okay..."
He smiled lovingly, holding her closer to his chest. The rhythmic beating of his heart steadily soothed her into a light slumber.
Something changed in the next few minutes however because Cynder found herself being abruptly woken in surprise as Spyro pushed her over, pinning her to the ground underneath him. Before she could even utter a yelp of protest she was silenced as he met her lips in a long, passionate kiss. When he withdrew, she saw that his eyes sparkled with mischief.
"You know, you smell really good..." He purred, nibbling lightly at her neck, causing her to gasp and moan. She scowled indignantly with embarrassment and tried to push him away, but he wouldn't budge. His grin only grew wider as her expression narrowed in frustration.
"You uh, got something on your mind there?" She asked with a bemused smile, eventually giving up. He simply resumed by kissing at her neck and she jumped with the unexpected thrill of excitement sent tingling down her spine.
"Oh, just you..." He replied with a sly smirk.
They shared another long kiss, during which she took in several deep breaths of his scent. It was strange- the smell was more vibrant, more muskier, than she remembered. She wriggled underneath him with excitement. It was like she'd never quite appreciated it properly before. It made something stir unwittingly deep inside her- a previously dormant instinct, an irresistible desire, that sent a burning fire racing through her veins. A haze descended over her mind, leaving her totally unable to resist his teasing any further. Her breathing quickened, her heart hammering away furiously- every sense seemingly razor sharp all of a sudden. Every fibre of her being longed for more.
"You've still got some explaining to do, mister..." She stammered in a moment of calm, resting a paw on his chest to steady herself. It took a few seconds for them to catch their breath. Being the only sound in the room, their excited panting echoed loudly.
"How come you never wrote to me once in all this time?" She asked quietly, "What was so important that you'd forget about me?"
Spyro shirked at the accusatory tone in her voice. He hesitated for some time and then simply leaned closer for another kiss, holding her gently. She wanted nothing more than to scold him for such an obvious evasion, but in the end- their desires could no longer be ignored. She let it slide.
"I didn't forget you." He said softly, his expression serious, "Don't worry, I'll explain later..."
He then easily flipped her back over, putting her right back to where he wanted. She couldn't help but laugh at his unusual forwardness and was forced to grunt as the air was almost squeezed out of her body. All further words were lost between them from that point, instinct guiding them. In one of the last brief gaps in which their lips became unconnected, it became obvious to Cynder that what happened next would be certainly something wild indeed. If she were being honest though, she didn't mind in the slightest...
It was early in the morning when Cynder stirred, still half-asleep. Spyro's lips kissed her cheek tenderly and he said something, but she could only manage a tired grunt in response. It was too early, far too early. She drifted off, only to be woken again several hours later by the sun shining in her face. Her eyes fluttered open slowly and to her horror, she found herself in a scene of total and utter destruction that made her jump upright in confusion and alarm. Her mind struggled to make sense of it.
Everywhere, torn cushions and wrecked ornaments littered the floor. Harsh claw marks were dug into the walls and for the first time, she became aware of the various aches and pains all over her body, as if she'd been bitten repeatedly. She looked around in dismay, noticing with further shock that Spyro wasn't there anymore.
"What...?" She mouthed silently, trying to take it all in. Faint memories of the previous night slowly began to trickle in and she looked down at the ground in shock, ashamed that she was partially to blame for it. To her surprise, she couldn't remember most of what happened. From the evidence though, things looked to have seriously gotten out of hand. A goofy smile found its way onto her face and she couldn't help but giggle. Ancestors, that was crazy!
"Hey, Spyro?" She asked, attempting to steady her voice, "Are you home?"
Nothing. Cynder flicked her tail with annoyance and after giving the room a quick once-over just to be sure, stepped into the main hallway. A quick glance outside the window confirmed that the sun way already high in the sky. She groaned- knowing already that she was going to be late for her job today. She continued to walk the house groggily, eventually stumbling across what looked like a hastily written note placed by the door. She unfolded the parchment and laid it flat, scanning the runes with curiosity:
"Cynder,
I had to leave early. I tried to explain but you looked so happy snoozing, I couldn't bear to wake you.
I know you won't like this so I'll be blunt; I have to leave again on another assignment today. I can't talk about what I'll be doing in writing, so you'll just have to trust my judgement on this for now. I only want what's best for you, but sometimes secrecy is the price I have to pay for working with the council. I'm sorry.
Cynder, I know all of this has been difficult for you. Things will get better soon though, I promise. Just please don't take it out on Terrador, it's not his fault I asked for this role as Warfang ambassador. If you need anything, he'll help you as much as he can while I'm gone. I trust him and you should too.
PS. I'm really sorry about last night. I really don't know what came over me... I hope in time you'll be able to forgive me.
I'll write soon, I promise. This time will be different.
Love you- Spyro"
Cynder stepped back, uncertain of how to feel about this new information. Her first reaction was to re-read the last few lines in disbelief. Despite the fact he had left without giving her a chance to say goodbye, she knew in her heart it must be for a really good reason. She trusted him implicitly and if the positions were reversed, she knew that he would do exactly the same for her. It didn't make it feel any better, though. The familiar pangs of loneliness suddenly returning in force made her heart almost physically ache. Tears welled in her eyes.
"Dammit, Spyro!" She cursed.
She took some time to re-read the whole note carefully to make sure it had sunk in properly and then eventually sighed, softly caressing his signature on the parchment with a finger. She eventually smiled hopelessly and then shrugged it off as best she could. So be it.
Today was just another day, she told herself. I've still got a job to do, like it or not...
