S14-3
First flight


It was a peaceful night in Summer Forest, and Spyro and Sparx were just returning home, having been hanging out with their friends all day.
"By the ancestors... Who knew cheetahs could dance like that?" Spyro still couldn't wrap his mind around how in the Realms Hunter was such a good dancer, or how he managed to, albeit barely, keep up in that dancing competition.
"(Well, even if you didn't believe in yourself, Elora believed in you.)" Sparx had a point.
"I actually wouldn't mind dancing with Elora. In fact, I wanted to do that today."
"(You? Actually wanting to dance with a girl? Who are you, and what have you done with Spyro?)" Sparx joked.
"Ha... ha... ha." Spyro faked a laugh. "I'm more than positive she could beat Hunter in a dance-off. She believed in me, and I believe in her."
"(I don't know if I should miss Mr 'Another-noble-warrior-falls-victim-to-the-plague-of-love' or not.)"
"Sparx." Spyro turned to glare at the dragonfly. "Just don't. OK?" Sparx simply rolled his eyes at him.

When morning came, Spyro woke up to an enticing aroma. He got up, only to notice that Sparx was pacing along the window, as if waiting for the purple dragon to awaken from his slumber. "Hey there, buddy."
Sparx stopped pacing, then turned to face him. "(Good morning, Spyro. I was about to help you start the day, but... a certain faun came over.)"
"Elora's here?" Spyro wondered.
"(Yep. I told her you would wake up at any minute, and then she started making breakfast.)" Sparx said, watching as his large companion started on his way to the kitchen area.

Upon entering the kitchen, Spyro caught sight of Elora sitting at the table, having also made herself something to eat.
Once she noticed the approach of the purple dragon, Elora finished the bite she had in her mouth to greet him. "Morning, Spyro."
"Hey, Elora. That smells better than anything I've had for breakfast." Spyro liked what he was smelling.
"Sliced potatoes, peeled oranges, diced carrots, chopped mutton, and homemade apple juice." Sounds good.

Spyro sat down next to Elora, plopping a single carrot piece into his mouth. "Mmm. I don't think I've ever had carrots."
"I don't believe that for a second." Elora said, nudging Spyro's shoulder. "Not once have you experienced any vision problems!"
"Vision problems? Do carrots have something in them that's good for your eyes?" Spyro wondered.
"The Professor actually looked into it. Apparently, carrots have something called beta-carotene, and the body turns it into a nutrient called vitamin A, which is actually important for eye health." Elora explained.
"It may be true that my eyesight's never faltered before, but if carrots have something I need to keep that going, then I guess that's another reason for me to add them to my diet." Spyro actually seemed to like those orange spike-like vegetables.

Once breakfast was over, Spyro got up to officially start the day, and Elora followed him outside, watching as the purple dragon stretched out his wings, obviously getting ready to take flight.
Sparx came out too, only to head out and explore again.

Before Spyro could take off, Elora put a hand on his shoulder. "Wherever you're going, can I come along too?"
Spyro smiled warmly at her. "I was just going to pay the Artisans a visit. If you wanna come along, that's alright."
"I've always wanted to see where you came from." Elora was happy that Spyro was letting her tag along.
Spyro wrapped his arms around Elora's midsection, and with a strong flap of his wings, he leaped into the air, taking flight.
At first, Elora was frightened at how high up they were, but she soon felt exhilarated during the trip.

Eventually, Spyro and Elora reached their destination.
"Hey, Nestor." The purple dragon greeted, getting the Elder's attention.
"Spyro! Good to see you. Oh, and I see you brought along your mate."
The two blushed at Nestor's words.
"Yeah, I brought my girlfriend. Were you expecting otherwise?"
"No. In fact, I wasn't even aware you were visiting. I was about to head to Avalar so I could give the both of you these." Nestor held out two necklaces, handing Spyro the one that had a carved wooden image of a faun, and giving Elora the one that had a carved dragon. "Those necklaces were handmade... by me. They're special, as they can be put together, to signify the bond you two hold."
Spyro and Elora put their carved necklaces together, finding the join between them seamless.

Bidding Nestor farewell, Spyro lead Elora to the hollow tree that was once his home. "Oh, the nostalgia..."
"This was where you lived?" Elora said, looking around the empty kitchen area. "It's... roomy."
"Well, Nestor said everything was cleared out when he and the other Artisans moved my home to Avalar." Spyro was right.
"I don't know how they managed to move so much in so little time." Elora couldn't wrap her mind around it. "Hey, Spyro?"
"Yeah?"
"Is it OK with you and Sparx if I stay at your place for the night?"
Spyro was genuinely surprised, and his face was tinted red. "You wanna do what...? Isn't that a bit abrupt?"
"Well, you got me there. Let's wait a while. Just so you know, Hunter's been asking if you and I have ever... dated."
"When we get back to Avalar, why don't we start?" Spyro suggested.
Elora smiled at him. "I'd love to."

After visiting Delbin, the painter, Tomas, the bard, and Argus, the scholar, a low grumble was heard. Elora's stomach was growling. "Heh. I... haven't had anything since breakfast." The faun admitted.
"No problem. I'll go get something to eat." Spyro headed off, coming back a while later with two stone plates of cooked and deboned mutton. "Devlin from Town Square says that you're a very lucky faun."
"How am I lucky to him?" Elora wondered.
"My guess? You're in a relationship with a hero, one who feels the same way about you." Spyro teased, lightly booping Elora's nose, causing the faun to chuckle.
"Once we're done here, let's head out." She suggested.
Spyro smiled warmly at her. "I couldn't agree more." He pulled her in for a hug.
"You are one suddenly emotional dragon, Spyro." Elora remarked, leaving a peck on his snout.
"What can I say? You bring out the best in me."
"Just be yourself."

Smirking, Spyro put down his meal, got on all fours, and started mocking his cluelessly dense and younger self. "Ooh, look at me, I'm Spyro, and I look for adventures all deh time because I'm an adrenaline junkie! 'Love'? Someone cure dat bug already!"
Elora was trying unexplainably hard not to burst out into laughter. "That's... ~snicker~ That's not what I meant."
Standing back on two legs, Spyro imitated his more mature and current self. "Hey. The name's Spyro. Got a villain that needs to be stopped? I'll take 'em down because it's the right thing to do. Insult, threaten, or hurt my friends, and you'll be in a world of hurt, but if you insult, threaten, or hurt my girlfriend, I'll burn you to a crisp, then I'm gonna flip you over and make sure you're done on the other side." Spyro got serious all of a sudden.
The laughter was no longer there. "Whoa there. No need to char anyone to dust, Spyro. Jeez."
"Sorry. I guess I just got protective." Spyro sheepishly rubbed the back of his head.
"Don't worry about it. Just... don't light anyone on fire. I can handle them." Elora said, popping her knuckles.
Spyro then sat back down beside her and finished his mutton. "I'm sure they'll deserve anything you can dish out."

Once Elora finished her meal, Spyro helped the faun back up to her feet.
"Ready to head back to Avalar and go on a... a... uh..." Spyro was trying to find the word.
Unbeknownst to them, Delbin was passing by. "A date?"
"Yeah. That. Thanks, Delbin."
Elora's smile once again graced his gaze. "I'd love to."
Spyro wrapped his arms around Elora's midsection again, then took flight, returning to Avalar.


See you all next time.