Ch. 1
Thinking… thinking about what, though? The plan… yes, the plan…
"Master Salefin."
"What." Fin said irritably.
"He is in, sir."
Fin swung around quickly, scanning his surroundings. "Where is the table?"
The black form moved to his left, sliding a large glass table into his view. The loud sound echoed in the large room, causing the form to shift awkwardly after repositioning the object.
As soon as the table was in position, Fin could see color swirling across its surface. The surface changed and a new scene appeared. A garden could be seen in first person view.
Salefin grinned. "Good…" he chuckled, "good."
The stark black scales of a young dragon glinted in the light of two moons lighting the night sky. His form slid through the darkness slowly as he trudged along in silence. The occasional lantern lighted his way as he approached a small garden. It was quite the scene. Small flower beds lined the perimeter with a tree on the far side. A young, peach colored dragoness sat in the tall grass that made up the rest of the garden. Gardens like this litter the city's street corners and empty lots where houses should be.
As he approached, the dragoness looked up and smiled. "There you are! I've been waiting for a while. I thought you were just bathing."
"Yeah, I got caught up with my practice and lost track of time." He looked down and rubbed a paw across his arm.
"Well now that you're here…" she said, motioning to a spot beside her.
The black dragon moved over and lay down next to her, wrapping his wing across her back. As he did this she nuzzled into his chest, closing her eyes and relaxing.
"So how's life, Galif?"
"Good. Well, not if you don't like eating dirt. I was sparring Kad, and get this, I did a fake slash and then a low swipe and knocked him right on his rump!" he said with a joking tone. "You should have seen his butt hurt face! You could just see the tears building up like a well in a rain storm!"
By now the small congregation huddled around him had started to make a ruckus in the large dining hall. So much that another group of dragons took the liberty to see what it was about.
"But seriously, I've been worried about all of the activity going on recently. It's becoming a problem."
"Oh come on, it's just rumors!" a smaller dragon piped in. "and besides, it's not like some thousand year old tribe of creatures are going to bombard us. That's impossible. Oh wait, it isn't!" and with that, the group began laughing again.
The large hall was filled with both loud and quiet dragons of all colors and sizes. The smell of meat was fresh and the sound of eating was clear. Occasionally a dragon or two would drift to the water trough to have their bowls filled by the moles and dragons manning the station.
The ones working had already eaten and were serving the others two make some extra money to spend on candies and other wants. Most moles had already had their second meal of the day. They rarely partook in lunch to save room for dinner.
As he ate, Galiffrey kept his ears open for the distant sound of the alarm bell, as he has been the past week. Maybe, just maybe, he'd get lucky and catch one of the 'spies' as rumors had it. He had even gone so far as to wear his special tail blade, iron talons, and clear/gold tinted tail ring witch turned him invisible on demand. All of these, and more, were gifts from his friend, Salefin. They had been friends since they were hatchlings but a recent development had changed that for the worse. He still hopes to make amends and end what Fin was starting.
As his mind was running along its adventure of battle and spying, he heard a deep, hallow gong like sound echo in the distance.
No, it couldn't be. He thought.
It sounded again, still faint.
"Hey Galif, it's an alarm." The small dragon snickered.
Galiffrey instantly snapped his head toward the sound and stood up.
It is.
He galloped out into the darkness, his iron claws throwing sparks as he screamed toward a small garden on the corner of the same street.
The black dragon, Kahn, looked lazily at the night sky, not noticing the distant sound of the alarm bell. No sooner, though, a scraping sound, like metal on stone, was heard also.
"What is that?" The dragoness, Fraust, whined.
"Don't tell me…"
As if on cue, Galiffrey skidded to a halt in front of them.
"Sorry guys." He apologized.
"Kahn, it's time."
"What?" Fraust squeaked.
"Sorry but I got to go."
He abruptly stood and ran down the opposite of where Galif came.
The dragoness sat there for a moment then stood and turned and faced the bushes nearest the tree in the far corner. As she did so, a dark form shuffled out with a bow and quiver of arrows strung across his back. He stood on his hind legs and had ears that protruded from the hood of his cloak.
"I didn't expect a panther. Where is Mavrick?"
"Busy," said the panther gruffly.
"Well what's your name?"
"Skip the pleasantries. Fin said he still wants you to consider his offer. Also he said to start convincing Kahn to stop searching every time the alarms go off."
"Well maybe you shouldn't hurt the guards every time you show up. The Guardians aren't suspicious of the attacks but they are going to find something out soon enough."
"Oh, they're going to find something out very soon."
"Ok? I'm not a part of this. I'm just an informant."
"Of course. I've taken long enough. I need to deliver something."
"To whom?"
"An old friend," replied the panther with a grin.
"Well hurry up then."
And with that, the panther left, heading towards the dorms. That's where we stay. She thought.
Who's receiving something, and why?
By the time Kahn and Galif had reached the end of the street, they had taken flight and skittered across the city at twice the speed. They immediately knew the spy was long gone once they noticed the guard passed out on the walk way of the huge wall surrounding the city. He had a dart in his side and a couple of moles were applying gems in the hopes to revive him of his slumber.
"Dag-…"
"Don't even start, Galif."
"This is the second time, though."
"Don't worry, we'll get them. But for now I'm going to get some sleep."
"Yeah, me to."
They turned and trudged towards the dorms, frustrated and ashamed they couldn't help. When they returned, most of the lights were out other than the late night partiers.
"See you tomorrow, Kahn."
"Yeah, maybe we'll have luck on that test in close combat training."
"More like a fun way for the coaches to watch us die."
The two chuckled and split to their own devices, their own rooms.
Galif opened his door and sighed at the mess. He walked over and plopped down on his bed. Something cold and hard hit his side.
"Ah! Dag nabbing game remote."
He rolled to the side and pulled up a dark, black rock. Its surface was smooth and almost had a purple glint. He rolled it around in his paw, observing it.
"What are you supposed to be?"
It crackled.
He threw it down and curled away from it.
"Nope. I am not going to do this. Nope. Not today."
It shimmered and wiggled. Its surface sparked purple and an image appeared above it.
"Hello, Galiffrey."
"Salefin."
"Sorry we had to meet in such a… distant form of communication."
"Sorry we had to communicate at all," Galiffrey said with a snarl.
"Oh, don't be rude to your guest. By the way, I think it's about time you pick things up, wouldn't want you to fall on any strange pebbles."
"If you hadn't broken in I wouldn't be dealing with this problem."
"Well before I need to go I guess I should tell you to get out of town. There may or may not be a full scale attack on Warfang within the next week or two."
"Way to be subtle and abrupt."
"It is and always will be my forte, wouldn't you agree? Said it yourself, you know."
"Didn't you say you had to go?"
"Ah, yes, I almost forgot. Well, until next time, it was fun talking with you."
The rock shook again and crumpled to dust. Galiffrey was now panting in anger. He had to tell someone, warn the guardians or something. He turned to the door and opened it, turning to head towards Kahn's room. Maybe he should tell Takson to. He got to Kahn's room and knocked hard, hoping he wasn't in too deep of a slumber.
"Coming!"
One… two… three… four… five… six… fatty.
The door opened and the black dragon popped his head through the crack. You could see some of his navy blue chest plates and underbelly.
"What." He whined. He was clearly sleepy.
"You're coming with me."
"What?"
Galiffrey bit Kahn's horn and dragged him out with it. The door creaked open and the television was on. And Fraust was there.
"You're taking him again?"
"Ugh." Galiffrey stuck his tongue out and shut the door.
"Come on, we've got to get Tak."
"What?"
"NOW!"
"Ok, ok, no need to yell." Kahn said shyly.
They cantered down the hallway toward the next room, furthest from the main door, of course.
They knocked on the door with no response. They knocked again… and again… and again.
"Why are you two pestering my door?"
The two jumped and turned around.
"Where were you?"
"At the dining hall."
"Why?"
"It's my job."
Galiffrey was quiet.
"Galif wants us all for something," piped in Kahn.
"Like what?"
They turned to Galiffrey. He had gained a cold expression by now. He looked them in the eye with a stare that sent a shiver down their spines.
"We need to talk with the Guardians."
"So where do you think she is?"
"No clue. Maybe she went to see Kahn again."
A black figure sat down in front of a small, lime green dragoness. The figure was a panther. It was clearly female due to its voice and posture. She had warm brown eyes and was holding a small tray with two cups of steaming liquid in them.
"Thanks, Dust."
"Sure thing," said the panther.
It was quiet for a minute as the sipped on their drinks. The dragon, like all dragons, drank from a bowl instead. Before they finished, however, Dust spoke.
"So do you have family you stay with?"
"No. I and Kahn try to stick together but otherwise it's just us. Not even brother and sister, just cousins."
"Oh… that's too bad. If you need anything or need to talk to someone, I'm always available. I do the same for Fraust."
"Thanks… again."
"So… Jade… how's school and such?"
"Good. I'm not the best in the world but I'm passing."
"That's good… Anybody you have an interest in? Not to be invasive."
"No, no, I actually kind of like this one guy, Zannak, but I'm sure you know, he's too well known and popular for someone like me."
"What makes you say that?"
"Well he's always hanging out with Kazan and the group of dragons that 'saved Warfang'."
"Well maybe that's because no one else even tries to talk to him and make friends. He could even be in need of a new friend, or girlfriend."
Jade blushed and looked down at her bowl.
"Well it's embarrassing!"
"I know but you've got to make that decision at some point or another."
It was quiet again. The both sat there, not drinking or talking. The luster of their drinks had long faded. The aroma, to, had faded.
"I should go."
"Yes, of course."
"See you later, Dust."
"Come back soon. I'm going to need to hear how Fraust is doing from someone other than herself."
They chuckled and waved goodbye as Jade opened the door and left. Maybe she did need to make that decision, and soon.
Fraust trudged through the streets of Warfang lazily. Maybe she wouldn't get caught sneaking back to the house. She stayed with a panther named Dust. Dust had been a friend and guidance until she met Kahn and the rest of the group. Even now she is like a mother. She has her do chores, curfew, and she was sometimes a little vague about whether or not she likes her being with Kahn.
I hope she's not mad…she thought.
I mean, she does so much for me. She even provides a place for me to stay. I guess I should apologize…
As she neared the house she heard talking then a door closing. She looked around the corner and saw Jade standing there.
What is she doing?
Jade looked right at Fraust. Fraust ducked behind the corner.
"Hello? Who's there?"
Fraust reluctantly walked out into the light and revealed herself.
"You caught me."
"Your mom is looking for you."
"She's not my mom."
"Are you sure? It seems you even want to have her as a mom."
Fraust scoffed as she passed her. "And you seem like you want Terrador as your father."
"Hey! Not cool!"
Fraust snickered and opened the door to Dust's home. She froze as soon as she saw Dust sitting in a chair staring at her.
"And where were you, miss Fraust?"
"Um… out."
"With whom?"
"Why do you always assume I'm with Ka-…?"
"Ah… so you were with him… ok… but if you didn't notice, it's the middle of the night. So what were you two doing… together?"
Fraust blushed quite clearly. "Nothing… just watching television."
"Sure, sure, of course you were."
"We were, I swear."
"Mhmm…"
"Ok… we might have been at the garden…"
"Yes…"
"Cuddling…" Fraust squeaked.
"Ah, the truth, that's all I wanted. You better head to bed before I ground you."
Fraust hurried off into another room. She had been grounded before and it was cruel. She was literally 'grounded'. Her wings were tied to her side so she couldn't take off, even though it wasn't allowed on campus. She even wasn't allowed out after she got home. It really sucked.
She climbed in the covers and laid her head down on the neatly made cushions. I'm so lucky to have a mom… friend… whatever.
Three young dragons were all that was left on the streets of Warfang. They all had a brisk pace. Sooner than they thought, they arrived at the Guardian's quarters. Galiffrey was the one to knock on the door that was clearly adult dragon sized. It was more than twice the size of their doors. They could hear the huge footsteps coming toward the door and soon enough it was opened. Terrador looked down at them with a tired, quizzical look.
"What seems to be the problem, Galiffrey? It must be important seeing as to how you got your friends involved."
"We need to have an emergency meeting. I have been informed that there will be an attack on the city within two weeks time."
"And where did you hear this?"
"From the one who's going to attack it."
"I'll gather the others. You better be right this time, Galiffrey."
The large dragon turned and left for the other doors, leaving the main entrance open for them. The three moved in hesitantly and shut the door. The house had a warm, welcoming presence.
On the floor of what appeared to be the living room were both large and small mats for a dragon to sit. So, they did.
There was a great deal of grumbling and in one case, falling, before they slowly trickled into the room.
Four adult dragons sat before them, Terrador, Cyril, Volteer, and Thasos. Terrador was the first to speak.
"Well, Galiffrey, what have you awoken us for?"
"Well," he shuffled, "I have reason to believe… no, I know that this city is going to be attacked. I also know by whom and we need to start preparing for battle. He has been planning this for a very long time."
"Who?" asked Volteer.
"Salefin. He has been plotting this for years. We used to be friends but when his family died he blamed you, and this city. Ever since, he's been gathering like minded panthers and dragons to help him. Now, he is ready."
"What makes you so certain of this?" asked Cyril.
"He told me himself."
The room got quiet. The guardians still didn't seem to believe him entirely but they did seem to show interest.
"Well, start from the beginning. Don't leave anything out. We need to be sure before we start making preparations." said Terrador wisely.
Galiffrey sat down and began to talk. He started with the part about Salefin's family then told of the recent break-ins. He then explained how he returned to his room and found the rock, and that it was a temporary communication device. He told them about Fin's warning and how he set off to get Tak and Kahn and came quickly to them.
By now, they all looked tired again from the long story. The Guardians all turned and started conversing secretly. Galiffrey was panting slightly from the long speech and was feeling a little parched. Kahn and Tak were too stunned to say anything.
Before Galif could ask for water, Terrador turned and looked at them. "We will begin preparations as soon as possible. Don't bother going to class. It will be canceled." said Terrador. "And if you're wrong, Galiffrey, you'll be in a world of hurt."
Sunlight flooded through an open window onto the shocked purple eyes of a dragon.
"It's morning, bro! In fact, we might miss breakfast if you don't hurry!" The little dragonfly hovered in front of his face and waited for a response.
Spyro groaned lazily at Sparx. "Where's Cynder?"
"She left, duh! She didn't want to miss it! Now let's go!"
Spyro got up slowly and head to the door. When he opened it, he was once again shocked by the morning sun. The day was beautiful. The birds could be heard in the distance as well as overhead. It was warm, not hot, and there was no wind. Perfect.
Spyro started down the street, heading towards the large building called the dining hall. There, people came to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
It took him a minute or two, but he eventually arrived. The smell of food overwhelmed him. Him took a deep breath in and walked into the open archway that leads in. There was still an immense amount of noise. No one had even thought of leaving yet. It was strange that the crowd hadn't even thinned yet. He walked around and spotted an open seat next to a few younger dragons. He knew that the younger dragons admired him and liked to make them feel special on occasion. He was in their shoes at one point. Before he even sat down, the small group had awed faces. He sat down and looked around a second; soaking in the giddy feeling he had obtained before he spoke.
"How are you guys?"
It got silent.
"Um… hi…" said the small light blue dragon next to him.
"Hey," he said with a smile. "What's your name?"
"A-Alpha"
"That's a cool name."
Alpha was beaming by now, and the other dragons seemed like they wanted a turn to talk.
"So do you guys know why everyone hasn't left yet?"
"Um, well, people said that class is out. I don't really know why. They asked for some of the moles to help them with some sort of prepenati- prepertio-…"
"Preparation… I need to go. Thanks Alpha. You're very helpful."
The little dragon kept beaming as Spyro got up and walked right back out of the building. He had a completely new objective.
A little yellow light floated up alongside him.
"Why are you leaving? I was just about to tell you about classes."
"Yeah, they're over, that's why I'm leaving."
"Wait, wait, I don't follow."
"Think about it, Sparx. Why would they cancel class so suddenly without a good reason?"
"Oh no, we are not going to do some crazy adventure again. We are sitting this one out, my friend."
"No, you're sitting this one out. I'm just checking a hunch. No need for anyone to worry. I want you to stay here and tell everyone I'm fine."
"All right, whatever. Make me stay behind and…"
His voice trailed off as he flew the other direction.
Spyro continued heading towards the Guardians quarters. This wasn't just a hunch. Something was clearly wrong.
"What's the deal with you three? It's a free day! That means no school! And it's so pretty!"
"They clearly know something we don't, Jade. It probably has something to do with why Galiffrey took Kahn away twice yesterday."
"You what?! Galif! Yesterday was their day to be together. That happens once a week! Once!"
"Chill out, Jade. I'm sure they already knew that, right Kahn?"
Kahn squeaked and shrunk away from her glare. It was quite the impressive glare.
"If we knew anything, we would tell you. We took Kahn because we forgot to finish an assignment" said Takson.
"Sure…" said Jade slyly.
"Well now that we're on the same page how about we plan to do something. I mean, come on, there's no school!"
"I'm not currently in the mood, Galiffrey," said Takson.
They sat a little longer in silence. Today was shaping out to be a bad day.
