Reach flew in the night sky without a word. The only light reflecting of his red scales and blue underbelly was the bright moon and the twinkling of the stars spotted everywhere drawing constellation in the vast sky. He was deep in the enemy territory and he new that at any moment he could be discovered and possibly killed. Flying high in the sky to avoid being spotted, Reach glanced at Caprica who flew close by him, concerned and said quietly.
" Where did you say you heard these noises?"
Caprica, who was sternly searching the grounds far bellow said without turning. " It was just out out of reach from Forever lake."
" And do you remember what the noises were like?"
" Well they were quite like the moans and torturous screams of a dragon." Caprica shuddered at the memory. " I don't know what was happening to her but I know it was something I couldn't help with."
" Hold on. You were there so couldn't you see what was happening?" Said Reach looking back to the ground following Caprica's gaze.
" No." Snapped Caprica giving him a hard stare before turning as well to look at the ground. They flew in silence for a long moment after their brief conversation but there was still much to be said. Reach squinted his eyes across every part of the ground beneath him and found no tell tale reflection of a lake or ripple of a river. He mused on the fact that this thing that was torturing the dragon Caprica spoke of could probably easily overpower them too. He didn't want to think what would happen if that happened. Reach was suddenly roused from his thoughts when Caprica shouted.
" their. That's the lake." She said pointing a talon to the far distance and to the right. Reach looked and stretching his eye sight to its limits, could make out the lake. It was smaller than what he had come to expect, not even as large as the Warfang gardens. Reach could also see that all around the lake was a forest that extended its grip to the horizon and it gave no reflection of the moon making it seem like an eternal pit of darkness. " Dive you idiot." Caprica hissed as she dove farther and farther away from him. Reach shook his head but folded his wings and plummeted to the tree line closely behind Caprica. Reach blinked ferociously trying not to let the water forming on his eyes freeze. It was only a moment before Caprica flung her wings out catching the wind and executing a ninety degree turn to fly level with her talons touching the tips of the trees as she flew at the same speed at which she fell. Reach mimicked her and pushed a little with his wings to come to her side.
" What was that for?" He angrily.
Caprica looked at him incredulously. " Y'know you're going to have to sort that head of yours out. Always going into your little daydreams and somehow your ears shut off to the open world. Its going to come up and bite you sooner or later."
" Well sorry, y'know I can't help that. Now why did we dive like that."
" Well if you were listening and not musing about other things, You would have heard me say that there were things on the shore looking up at the sky. If flew any closer, whatever they are would have saw us."
Reach immediately felt idiotic at almost being discovered by some unknown threat and looked away from Caprica.
Caprica sighed and looked ahead. " Just try and stay in the real world more, brother."
" I know Caprica." Said Reach. The two dragons flew low and fast until Caprica dived yet again but into the thickness of the forest. Reach took a breath of bravery and dived as well. Moments later he hit the ground rather hard next to Caprica.
" You alright.?" Asked Caprica.
Reach stopped a tremble going through all his muscles and looked at his sister with a forced smile. " Never better, Cap."
Caprica nodded but didn't believe it. " Well come on then. Its just over here. But from now on not a word."
" I get it. Not a word." Reach repeated holding up a paw.
Caprica smiled to herself, being the older of the two made her have more influence in decisions they made. Caprica sunk low and clung to the earth as she walked through bushes and the trees. Reach followed closely until he was abruptly stopped. Reach could her small moans and some growls over the other side of the tree. The small patter of feet and the loud thumps of something large. Looking up he saw that Caprica was peering over a fallen tree trunk and had a baffled expression.
" What. What is it-"
" Silence." Caprica hissed under her breath slamming a paw to Reach's mouth. Reach rolled his eyes and forcefully pulled Caprica's paw away and turned to the trunk. He raised his head until he could just see over it and what he made his stomach churn. Over the trunk and small length away from them were grublins all standing and chanting around a large green dragon bounded to a tree who was badly beaten and injured. Taking point in the grublins line was a hero orc. Standing taller than all the grublins and and the dragon itself, it walked up to the bounded dragon and took its earth bat and pocked him. The dragon stirred a little but only moaned. Caprica could feel herself trying to estimate if she and Reach could take all the grublins but that thought was extinguished when another dragon landed hard causing the very ground to shake. Reach stared at the dragon in wonder. He leaned over to Caprica and said.
" Who's that?" As if to answer Reach's question, the small battalion of grublins and the orc all bowed to the dragon. Reach and Caprica could hear clearly the badly pronounced words of master. Reach eyed the dragon shrouded in darkness. The dragon nodded once to the grublins and said in a low warped voice. " You have done well. You shall be rewarded greatly." He paced in front of the creatures eyeing them all before he stopped staring at the hero orc. " I think an addition to this flourishing little group is in order." He said a little more lighter before slamming a paw into the ground causing a small purple light to explode away from the point of contact. Caprica and Reach watched as a small tremble went through the ground and suddenly an arm punched through the ground before the dragon. Out of the ground came an exact replica of the hero orc. Same size and build. The dragon nodded. " There. One more should do."
The dragon bounded to the tree spluttered a blood curdling cough spitting some of the red liquid up. The larger dragon turned in mild amusement and stared at the dragon before him like he had just realized it was their.
" Ah, and this would be the dragon." The dark dragon muttered darkly. He walked over to it and brought a blunt but tipped tail stone to the green dragons neck. " Tell me, why should I let you live."
The dragon lifted heavy eyes to the dark dragon and a tear trickled down his cheek. He said nothing.
" Oh dear, no reason. Fair well then."
" No..No wait." The green dragon said feebly.
The dark dragon raised a scaly eyebrow. " He speaks at last. Now about that reason for staying alive?"
" I..I have information on the whereabouts of the last resistance. But I want you to promise me my freedom if I tell you."
" so you are useful. Alright you have my word. Now out with it."
The green dragon coughed again and more blood erupted from his mouth. His green eyes becoming more and more distant with every passing minute. " They are in the farthest reaches of the realms. I can only tell you where they are now but they are moving to a location I am not yer aware of. But for now they reside in Avlar."
The dark dragon looked at the green dragon for a moment. His features becoming unreadable. " Thank you. You have been most helpful." He then rose his tail to the dragons throat.
" W..wait wait. You said you would give my freedom."
" Well the funny thing is." The dragon laughed menacingly. " I lied." There was a loud ear piercing shriek of terror but it was cut abruptly. Caprica had turned away but looked back to see the green dragon laying motionless, still strapped up to the tree. The tail of the larger dark dragon was covered in blood. " Lets go." Was all he said. Amusement and light had vanished from his voice and it was the warped chill of a voice Reach and Caprica had first heard. The dark dragon flung out his wings and with tremendous force, flung himself into the air and vanished. The grublins and hero orcs all jumped into the ground and disappeared. Caprica turned slowly and slid down the trunk coming to a rest on the ground. Reach whirled round and jumped in front of her.
" Who was that. Who in their right mind would be like tha-"Ranted reach in shock but Caprica held up a hand.
" It was him..."
" Who is him?" Said Reach with annoyance.
" Him, The dark master."
" No. that couldn't be him. He's dead. Spyro and Cynder killed him and now he's gone so that couldn't be him co-"
" Reach!" Caprica stood up and came snout to snout with her brother with strained eyes. " That was him."
" What are you saying?"
" That dark dragon. That dragon we saw kill the other one. That wasn't Malefor. No Reach ... That dragon was Spyro."
