So Chapter 2 and I can't think of anything to say.
DISCLAIMER: This has nothing to do with Eragon, How To Train Your Dragon, Dragon Booster or any other stories involving people who ride dragons. Also I do not own Spyro, etc.
Anyway… Here we go.
Chapter 2: Attack of the Apes
12 Years Later…
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! The sound of the blacksmith's hammer striking the anvil broke the silence of the morning. As usual, the smith was up before the dawn, stoking the fire and preparing his tools. Hearing footsteps at the door, he turned round and smiled at the young man standing in the doorway, his short brown hair all scruffy and his clothes crumpled showing that he had dressed in a hurry. "You're late again, Troy."
"I'm sorry, Master Ursus," the young man gasped. "I didn't hear the rooster and-"
"That's alright, lad," Ursus said. "Now you can get to work." He turned back to his hammer and then noticed the fire burning low. "You can start by fetching more wood. Then afterwards, you can practice some more in the training arena."
"Yes, sir." Troy picked up the ax by the door and set off for the forest.
As he walked through the village, he waved to his mother, Cassandra, outside his hut. She smiled and waved back. Then he passed the barracks and waved to his older brother, Orion, who was sword fighting with the other soldiers. Orion simply nodded.
Soon Troy had reached the edge of the woods and looked out over the village, on the coastline of the sea. When he was a child, he sometimes wondered what was out there beyond the horizon, what new lands awaited those who sailed up there. But when he asked the others, they told him that out there was nothing but ocean and danger, and warned him never to go out there. But still, Troy wondered until he got older, when he just forgot about it.
Now as he stared out at the ocean, he could feel his childhood curiosity resurfacing again. "One day, I'll be able to see what's out there," he said to himself as he set off into the forest.
Troy then entered the forest and kept going until he reached a clearing. Using the ax, he cut down some of the thick branches off the trees, and then rolled up his sleeves before starting the harder work. As he did, the mark on his left arm caught his eye. The strange scar, shaped like a sword, had been there since that night as a seven year old. When his mother asked the elders about it the following day, they didn't say a word and simply dismissed it. Troy thought that perhaps, this mark meant he was destined for something great, but the other children laughed at him. Even Orion told him not to let his imagination run too wild.
In fact, the only two people who ever believed in him, were his mother, Cassandra, and Ursus. His mother was the first to discover Troy's strange mark, and even though the elders denied its relevance, she believed that perhaps it was a sign of an unknown destiny for her son. As for Ursus, he was certain that Troy would be a great warrior. Sometimes, he took Troy away to a secret training area and allowed him to practice sword-fighting and other combat skills, preparing him for when he was ready to join the barracks.
As Troy finished cutting the branches into logs, a glint of light caught his eye. "Hmm, what's that?" He turned and saw the light flashing from a larger tree. Putting his ax down, he ran up to it and knelt down. There, hidden in a hole beneath the roots, was a large and magnificent sword. "Wow," he breathed, pulling it out of the roots. "How do you get in here?"
Tentatively, he drew the sword out of its scabbard. The blade gleamed in the sunlight, and was quite sharp as Troy found out when he ran his hand along it and cut his fingertips on it. A dragon's head and wings formed the hilt of the sword, with red jewels set in the eyes, and the pommel was shaped like a dragon's tail. It was unlike any sword he'd ever seen before.
"Wait till Ursus sees this beauty," he whispered, sheathing it and placing it on his belt. Then he picked up the logs and the ax, and set off back to the village.
As he reached the edge of the forest, he suddenly heard noises: shrieking cries, human yells and the clash of metal. Dropping the logs and the ax, he ran out of the woods and took in the horrible sight before him: the village was under attack!
The soldiers were fighting strange creatures: they looked like large apes, some larger than others. The biggest of them all was standing by some massive boats, bigger than any of the village's fishing boats.
"Keep fighting," the captain of the soldiers yelled. "This is what we were trained to do!"
"We've never fought monsters like these before," Orion protested.
The monster ape gave out commands to the other apes, then he called up to another who was still on the boat. The smaller ape ran up to a brazier at the back, and lit it sending a large billowing trail of smoke into the sky.
Suddenly, a loud roar rang out, shaking the very heavens. Several human soldiers dropped their weapons in fright and looked up. Then, with a whoosh of wings, a massive black shadow burst through the smoke. It was a dragon, black as the night, with horns that surrounded its head like a collar. As she flew overhead, it breathed a stream of fire onto the village, setting some of the house alight. The other villagers screamed in terror as the dragon swooped down around. Ursus barely had a moment to look out his smithy's window before his store was caught in another fire blast.
"Resistance is useless!" snarled the dragon in an icy, feminine voice as she landed amongst the village.
"W-Who are you?" Orion called out fearfully.
"I am Cynder, General of the Dark Armies," the dragoness replied. "I have come to conquer these islands, the last remnant of freedom in the Realms."
"The Realms?" the captain asked. "You mean, there are other lands out there?"
"Of course there are," Cynder purred nastily. "But now they belong to the Dark Master. And he has decreed that the human race shall return to the Realms, as his slaves."
"What do you mean, return to the Realms?" Orion demanded.
"Enough talk!" the ape's leader snapped. "Drop your weapons, now!"
"Never!" the soldiers' captain cried out. "This is our home! I won't allow this!" With that, he raised his sword and charged towards Cynder. With a swing of her tail, she knocked the captain off his feet. Then the apes' leader drew out his sword and stabbed it right into the captain's chest. The villagers gasped in horror as the captain gave a painful gasp before dying.
"Anyone else got something to say?" the ape growled as he pulled his sword out.
Nobody spoke and the rest of the soldiers dropped their weapons to the ground.
"Wisely done," Cynder snarled. "Gaul, take them to the ships."
"Yes, my lady," the ape growled and he roared at the smaller apes, who surrounded the villagers and began herding them like sheep towards the beach.
Orion glanced around desperately before spotting Cassandra being moved towards a separate boat from him. "Mother!"
"Don't try to fight!" Cassandra called back. "Look after your brother!"
"But he's-" He got no further before getting shoved into the ship.
Cynder then turned to three of the medium-sized Apes. "Search the village. There's one human child with a mark like a sword. He must not be allowed to leave this island. Find him and kill him!"
"Yes, General Cynder!" the Apes replied and they set off into the remains of the village.
With a smile on her face, Cynder took to the air and flew back over the sea.
Meanwhile, in a swamp on the mainland, a young purple dragon was playing with his brother.
"...Eight, nine, ten! Here I come!" He spun round to look just as a glowing yellow light zipped past his head. He chuckled as he recognized it as his brother Sparx, the dragonfly born the same day as him and grew up with.
"Never catch me this time, purple boy!" Sparx called out.
The dragon, whose name was Spyro, charged after the dragonfly, chasing him across the swamp and narrowly dodging the Frogweed that grew around until Sparx ducked into a large stone head.
"Hey, that's cheating!" Spyro yelled. "We're not allowed in there!"
"Oh, pffft, excuses, excuses," Sparx snorted. "Catch up or give up, chunky!"
As Sparx set off down the tunnel, Spyro smashed his way through the head and set off after him. At last, they came out into a large clearing.
"You know," Sparx sighed. "This is getting a little boring-" Just then a large ape leapt out of the clearing, grabbed Sparx, stuffed him in a small cage and ran off.
"SPARX!" Spyro yelled as he ran after him.
He caught up to the ape as he jumped onto a ledge where smaller apes were waiting. Then the ape turned to look at Spyro and growled, "I thought all you guys was gone!"
"You miserable coward, let me go!" Sparx yelled from the cage.
The ape then turned to his lackeys. "Don't let him get away!"
As the apes jumped down, Spyro glared angrily at them. Then he charged forward and smashed one ape in the chest, knocking it back. Another ape slashed his back with its claws. With a cry of pain, he turned and tripped the ape up with his tail. With a screech the larger ape grabbed a stick of dynamite, lit it and threw it into the clearing. Acting fast, Spyro grabbed it in his jaws and flung it out at two of the apes, seconds before it exploded.
"Let me outta here and fight me like a... thing, whatever you are, you pathetic wretch!" Sparx yelled.
With a growl, the larger ape leapt down, flung the cage to the ground and and raised his foot. "I've had enough of you!"
"Sparx, look out!" Spyro yelled in alarm. "NOOOOOOOAAARGGGH!" Suddenly, a jet of flames shot out from his mouth, searing the larger ape and sending him back.
"Whoa, was that fire, dude?" Sparx breathed.
The larger ape ran off, yelling to his remaining troops, "Take care of him, I gotta report to Cynder!"
As the apes drew closer, Spyro reared up on his hind legs and swung a paw out, knocking one ape back. Then he turned on the rest and shot out another jet of flames, taking them out.
"Get me outta here, Spyro!" Sparx shouted. "I think my wings are singed."
Spyro approached the cage and with one swing of his head, smashed the door open. "Are you okay?"
"No, I'm not okay," Sparx scowled as he flew out. "You almost torched me, dude! Wait... YOU BREATHED FIRE!"
Back on the Broken Isles, Troy emerged from the forest and entered the ruins of the village. After seeing the monstrous dragon attacking his home, he had retreated into the forest and hid until the sounds of battle had died down. Now he took in the sights of death and destruction all around him. "Mother!" he called out. "Orion! Can you hear me?"
"Troy?" called a weak voice from the ruins. "Troy, is that you?"
Troy ran towards the voice and moved some of the wreckage aside… to reveal a badly burned, but very familiar figure. "Master Ursus," he breathed.
"Troy," Ursus groaned. "Thank the Ancestors… you're safe. Those apes are… looking for you…"
"Me?" Troy asked, confused. "Why would they be looking for me?"
"Your mark," the blacksmith gasped. "They said something about… finding the child with the sword mark. Do you know… what this means, Troy?"
The young man nodded. "You and Mom were right, maybe I am special…" He gasped. "Mom! Where is she?"
"She's safe… she and Orion were among those… taken to the ships…" Then Ursus pointed the sword on Troy's belt. "Where did you get that?"
"I found it in the woods." Troy unsheathed it and showed it to his master.
"Beautiful," Ursus sighed. "The craftmanship is amazing!" Then he gasped in horror. "Look out, behind you!"
Troy whirled round and saw three large Apes approaching them.
"Well, well," one of the Apes grunted. "Looks like we found you at last, Dragon Rider."
"What?" Troy asked. "Dragon Rider, what do you mean?"
"Don't play games with me, boy," the Ape snapped. "You bear the sword mark. You will never leave here alive!"
"Troy… remember your training!" Ursus called out weakly. "Don't let them… take you!"
With a nod, Troy raised his sword and turned to face the Apes. "Come and get me, fleabags!"
The Apes charged forwards, raising their hands and swiping down with sharp claws. Troy ducked one swing, but another one knocked him to the ground. As the third Ape swung his claws down, Troy quickly blocked the blow with his sword before kicking the Ape back and jumping to his feet. Angrily the Ape bared his teeth and ran forward. Troy raised his sword and swung it out, catching the Ape on his chin and sending him flying back, blood leaking from his throat.
Troy stared in horror at what had happened, but before he could speak, the other Apes charged him. Without thinking, Troy swung round and thrust the sword into one Ape's chest, killing him instantly. The last Ape lashed out with his claws, sending Troy back. Shaking his head to recover, Troy punched the Ape back then he pulled his sword out of the dead Ape and swung it out, taking off the Ape's head in a single blow.
Ursus watched the scene with absolute astonishment. "Well done, Troy!"
Panting for breath, Troy stared around at the motionless Apes. "I've… I've killed them." Tears formed in his eyes as he wiped the blood from his sword. "I've never killed anything in my life."
"Troy… listen to me," Ursus interrupted. "If you hadn't killed those monsters… they would have killed you. Fighting for your safety… as well as the safety of your friends and family… is worth any battle you will face…" He broke off with a painful gasp.
"Master!" Troy cried out, dropping to his knees and grabbing Ursus.
"Cynder," Ursus groaned. "She... burned my store and... singed my body. I'm done for."
"Don't say that," Troy sobbed, tears trickling down his face. "What should I do?"
"Troy… you must leave this place."
"What do you mean, leave?"
"Listen to me," Ursus gasped, staring into his apprentice's eyes. "Your family's still alive out there. You must… You must follow that dragon across the sea… to the distant Realms beyond…"
"The Realms?" Troy looked out to sea. "So there are other worlds out there."
"Yes… And right now, Cynder rules over those lands… You must stop her… at all costs… Do it… for the village… for all of us…" With a gasp, Ursus closed his eyes and his body fell limp.
Tears streaking his face, Troy hugged his master close to his body and wept openly.
For the rest of the night, Troy went around the remains of his village, burying the dead and praying to the Ancestors for guidance and safety. Then, too upset to get any sleep, he took one of the remaining boats and set sail for the lands beyond the sea. What awaited for him there, he did not know…
In the swamp, Spyro and Sparx came home and told their parents about what had happened.
"So I was just about ready to blow the top of that place and kick that guy's booty," Sparx said, "when Spyro let loose with some serious flame dude. No joke, flames... from the mouth."
Spyro looked hurt. "Well, I-I was just trying to help."
"Some help, you could have burnt my wings off," Sparx scoffed. "Mom, Dad, you should have seen it. He came out breathing FIRE! Okay, I'm telling you it's crazy."
The father, Flash cast a worrying glance at his wife, Nina.
"You don't believe me?" Sparx asked. "Spyro, tell him."
"It's true, Dad, I swear," Spyro admitted sheepishly. "I just got real mad, opened my mouth and WHOOSH! Flame city."
"It's not that, Spyro, I believe you both," Flash replied, rubbing the back of his neck. "It's just... your mother and I knew this day would come."
"What day?" Spyro asked.
"The day when we would have to tell you the truth..."
So between them, Flash and Nina told Spyro about how one day, twelve years ago, they were flying along the Silver River when they came across a small mushroom head with a purple egg and when they went to investigate, the egg hatched and a small purple creature came out. At first, they were frightened of this thing but then they became amazed and astonished. After a quick discussion, they finally decided to adopt this creature and raise it as their own. So they led it back to their home in time to see Sparx hatch and brought them up together. They finished by saying that they named the creature Spyro.
When they'd finished, Spyro was shocked. "So... you mean I'm not your real son?"
"You are our real son," Nina reassured. "It's just that you came from somewhere else, far away where wars rage on and on and the innocent seem to always pay the price."
Spyro thought about that story all night and the next morning he decided to leave the swamp and try to find his true home.
As he reached the edge of the swamp, his family came to wish him off.
"So that's it, huh?" Sparx scowled. "Leaving Sparx behind at the old homestead, not a care in the world, don't look back..."
Spyro turned to face his brother. "This is your home, Sparx, but I just found out that my home is out there somewhere and I gotta find it. Besides, I'm not leaving you behind, I'm just leaving you where you belong."
"Well, I always thought I belonged with you, because I'm always with you," Sparx retorted. "But I guess I was wrong, huh? I'm sure I'm wrong about a lot of things, you know what, you're right I'm wrong." And he buzzed off with out a word.
"Don't listen to him, Spyro," Flash comforted. "You know how hotheaded he can be. You'll see him when you get back."
Spyro nodded with a loud sniff.
"Now, now, son," Flash murmured, patting Spyro's horn. "Keep your head up, your nose clean, and use that breath of yours wisely. All gifts come with a price."
"Don't listen to your father's preaching, Spyro," Nina chuckled, lifting the young dragon's chin up. "Just be yourself. It's all any of us can do."
With a solemn nod, Spyro turned and, hard as it was, left the only home he'd ever known and journeyed on, to where he did not know...
Finished at last! Wow, that was tough, especially the death scene.
So what dangers lie in wait for Troy? What is his true destiny? (As if you didn't know.) Well, wait and see….
