Not much to say here, except...enjoy
Chapter 6 The Chase
The silence became so deafening, the moment Tempest's pearl blues locked upon Cynder, that you could hear the dust settling on the marble floor of the general store. The anger that fills these eyes is easily seen from outside, however, behind the deadly glare is only surprise.
Where is Spyro? She thinks to herself, noticing the small black dragon accompanying Cynder. She quickly loses focus of what she was doing, thinking of her family and how she can possibly get her revenge today. Though, after a moment of pause, the blue dragon returns her eyes to the one who addressed her.
"It was a good morning, Samuel."
Just the sound of the blue dragon's voice is enough to put the shopkeeper on alert and immediately he places himself between Cynder and Tempest for damage control.
"What can I get for you today, Ma'am?" he asks, simply trying to turn a tense situation into a normal conversation. And for the moment, it works as the blue dragon's attention turns to several small animals that are strung up by their feet.
"I need a couple of those rabbits and a bushel of potatoes."
Cynder begins shaking, as the blue and white dragoness gets closer while heading to the counter, waiting to be struck when she practically walks beside her. And though Tempest stares hard, she does nothing physical to harm the one she blames for the death of her entire family.
"We should leave now, Aunt Cynder," Onyx whispers strong, startling her emotion filled eyes down to him. He holds up the satchel of truffles with Cynder's change.
"We have everything we need here..." he continues looking over at the blue dragoness that worries him, as he has never seen Tempest in a good mood. When suddenly an odd thought pops into his head, one he hopes his aunt will have no part of.
"...unless you wanna try talking to her too."
Cynder's eyes open wide, and quickly her head shakes left and right.
"No...I think leaving is a prudent idea."
Both black dragons quickly make for the door Tempest just entered from, hoping to simply leave without incident, and to their surprise, the blue and white chested dragoness doesn't protest their hasty departure.
"Murdering coward." she finally remarks aloud, as the door closes behind the two Shadow dragons, and Samuel's eyes close tightly. He can hear the complete disdain and hatred in Tempest's voice and decides he must speak up for a friend.
"I don't understand why you still believe Cynder is the Terror of the Sky..." he remarks with a bit of agitation, pointing towards the black dragoness that began running the moment she got outside. "...when she is the one who fears you."
"She better fear me."
Samuel slams the bushel of potatoes down on the counter top, startling Tempest as he shows his own anger.
"Cynder fears you more than she feared Malefor, if that makes you feel better about yourself." the shopkeeper divulges a fact the black dragoness once shared with one of her few friends, and as his eyes return to Cynder, watching her scramble around the corner to disappear from view, a tear rolls down his cheek.
"Do you know she recalls everything that happened?" he asks, and before Tempest can give an angered response, the old cheetah elaborates. "Including the countless beatings she received for not doing as she was told."
The blue dragon rolls hers eyes, not caring about Cynder's feelings or how she was treated under the Dark Master's control.
"Well, I remember how she helped Gaul strike down my mother and father when the Dark Army raided our home." Tempest argues back, then pauses as the memory she tries every day to forget comes rushing to the surface.
"Then she turned on my little brother...Joey."
The blue dragoness stops talking, trying hard to keep her emotions from overwhelming her, but it is impossible, and Samuel can hear that as she gives the real reason for her pain.
"Why did she kill him, Sam?"
The shopkeeper is heart broken, realizing he has brought on feelings he didn't want to drum up. However, he knows the black dragoness will never have a chance to tell her.
"If you asked her, Cynder would tell you it was the worst thing Malefor made her do, Tempest." the old cheetah's voice is just as somber, while informing the blue dragon what he was told in a tear-filled confession.
"She didn't know the powerful attack that hit her from behind was produced by a youngster. And, when she turned to see you and your brother...Cynder actually tried to contain the Dark Master's power."
Samuel lowers his head, recalling the pain the shadow dragon had while telling this part of the story.
"He took over her actions that exact moment...and made her do the most unimaginable thing."
Tempest shudders recalling how the Terror of the Sky balked upon seeing the young blue female who attacked her, then the moment immediately afterward, when her eyes went blank and her scales turned jet black.
"Malefor forced her to kill an innocent little whelp in front of his sister...making a young dragoness suffer for her defiance."
Tempest breaks down crying and Samuel places a paw upon the blue dragon's shoulder for support, knowing the emotions he is drumming up was not what she came into his store for.
"I'm sorry, Tempest. I didn't mean to bring up the past." the old shopkeeper lowers his head. "I just wanted you to know that you are not the only one who feels the pain of his loss."
"She should have killed me, Samuel. Not Joey." the blue dragoness cries, forcing the gray haired cheetah to use his other paw to hold her tighter.
"Cynder had no control of what she was doing, Sweetheart. She was simply a weapon that Malefor used against us. I hope one day you come to understand this." the old cat strokes a paw down the back of her blue neck, helping the upset dragon settle.
After a moment Tempest finally catches her breath. She looks down at her supplies, gathering them together so she can leave and collect herself
"What do I owe you, Samuel?"
"Please, Tempest, take these supplies...no charge."
The tall blue dragoness cranes her head back, looking down upon the shorter cheetah with a thankful stare.
"Are you sure? It's not right that you should be so helpful and yet want nothing in return." she says, her normal voice returning, putting a smile on Samuel's face.
"But I was far from helpful, my Lady."
"No!" the blue dragon chirps, cutting the old cat off with a raised paw.
"You have helped me today, Sam... by being a friend." the Wind dragon looks out the window in the direction Cynder retreated, then returns her eyes to the one before her. "And to more than just me."
The gray haired shopkeeper can barely contain his joy-filled emotions, believing he has done something that Spyro himself could not do.
Keep Cynder safe from Tempest and possibly end a feud that will eventually lead to one of them getting hurt badly.
However, as the blue dragoness suddenly grins, showing off the three gold pieces she would have used to pay for her supplies, the shopkeeper realizes he may have inadvertently caused this feud to continue.
"Now, since I'm feeling a little better about things, and you were so kind to give me these supplies for free, maybe I will actually treat myself to something special." the blue dragoness lays a hard earned days pay upon the counter next to her supplies and looks at one of the few friends she has with a wanting pair of eyes.
"Can I please have a nice sized truffle, Samuel?"
Meanwhile, already a full city block from the market, Cynder and Oynx run out of clear real estate, as the streets become to crowded to keep moving at high speeds. Both grind to a stop before slamming into a large group of engineering Manweresmalls, huddled outside one of the many construction sights in the city.
"Why are you running, Cynder? Is someone chasing you again?"
The black dragon looks over her shoulder, confirming what the small creature's limited vision observed.
"Let me guess...Mademoiselle Tempest is behind you."
Cynder returns her scared green eyes to the small mole-like engineer, who now steps away from his fellow coworkers.
"Why can't you just stay out of her sight, my shadowy friend? You know, disappear when she enters your view?" he asks rhetorically, a small grin on his face as he speaks openly with one of the dragons that helped save his life during the Battle of Warfang.
A second Manweresmall walks up beside his friend, his near useless eyes locked upon a sycamore that lines the road.
"Or perhaps you should go to the friggen market before Tempest gets there... aye."
The first mole like creature cracks his friend in the back of the head, then turns him from the tree he's facing.
"We tried to go to the market early," Cynder replies, turning her eyes down towards Onyx, then rubbing his head to keep him from feeling any guilt. "but we were unavoidably delayed getting there this morning."
"Yes. I've heard you been making the rounds today." the first Manweresmall remarks, pointing at the group of teens still playing around in the town square. "Franklin and Hugo were over here before, looking at the home they will be moving into next week, and they told us that you took some time to talk to them."
"And I overheard Oscar and his brother talking about Ms. Cynder as well." the other mole-like engineer adds, showing of his prowess of hearing and not seeing.
"They said you are not the evil dragon they had once thought. And were actually surprised at how funny you are."
Cynder recalls the joke she made about Sparx's courage while in battle and how quickly it broke the ice in that conversation. In fact, she recalls how most of her conversations today had humorous stories about Spyro's brother, and that she was able to speak without fear while within them. However, none of these conversations would have taken place without the tenacity of the little dragon standing beside her, who made sure everyone had their chance to speak, even if their words were laced with hatred.
Without saying a single word of why, Cynder uses a scarlet red wing to draw her nephew gently against her side, then lowers her narrow muzzle down to the top of his head and places a very loving kiss between his horns.
"What was that for, Aunt Cynder?"
"You're the reason I could be me today, my little hero."
Another little peck brings a wave of pure contentment to Onyx, and not for the praise he is receiving. It is the sense of relaxation and comfort that he can feel coming from his aunt. For the first time, he can tell Cynder is not tense while in public. He remains tight against her left flank, listening to her heart beat as soft as a kitten's purr, enjoying another conversation that she has taken over with her charm and personality.
However, as the black dragoness suddenly stops talking, and feeling her heart skip then begin beating hard and fast, Onyx realizes something has gone wrong. His eyes quickly find the reason, as Cynder's attention is now squarely focused up the street.
Oh no...how'd she get in front of us? he says to himself, seeing Tempest standing on the path between them and their home.
Both Manweresmalls also notice this sudden change in Cynder's attitude, and though they cannot see the tall thin blue and white dragoness, they know what is bringing this look on.
"Oh great! Ms. Killjoy is here... isn't she?." the first Manweresmall remarks sarcastically and his friend adds the same sentiment with another question.
"Why can't she just leave you the hell alone?"
Cynder, who again begins to shudder with fear, would love an answer to this question. And though she had told herself a thousand times that she should hold her ground, the black dragoness decides to resort to her normal tactic.
"Onyx... take these home." she says, handing the little dragon two satchels of supplies she had strapped around her neck.
"Don't run, Aunt Cynder. You said yourself...you need to stand up to her "
His words hold the Shadow dragoness steady for a moment, but quickly nerves get the better of Cynder. She can feel her legs shaking uncontrollably, especially as Tempest begins walking towards them.
"I don't want to hurt her if she becomes too aggressive." she replies, knowing in defense of her own well being that she might become aggressive to. Cynder looks around at all the new friends she just made, and everyone else whom she had told not to fear her.
"I can't..." she says, suddenly disappearing into a mist of Shadow.
"HEY!" Tempest yells, making Cynder vanish completely as the blue dragoness begins running.
"NO!"
"...I'm sorry, Onyx."
The small dragon can feel the wake of his aunt as she leaves in a hurry, and only a few seconds later he is struck by another wake of Wind. However, this gust is followed by a paw, which grasps the two satchels Cynder left behind.
"Why did she run!?" Tempest yells while lifting the sacks off the ground, taking the young dragon up into the air with them.
"Where did she go!?"
"Why should I tell you!?" Onyx fires back, stopping the blue dragoness' attitude as she receives the same treatment.
I just wanna talk to her."
"Bullshit!" the little dragon barks, drawing a smile from both Manweresmalls as the foulmouthed youngster speaks like one of them.
"You want to hit her again! Well I won't let you!" he yells louder, getting face to face with the much larger female.
"Now my momma told me never ever hit a girl, but if you don't leave me and my aunt alone... I will have to disappoint her."
Tempest practically grins in the little dragon's face then quickly encases him in her massive wings. She wraps her arms around the tiny black drake as well, holding him tightly, keeping him from flailing around.
"I said... I don't want to hurt her anymore."
Onyx struggles desperately to break free from the large dragoness' grasp, not immediately hearing the words that came out of her mouth, or the gentle tone in which she delivered them
"Let me go, you jer..."
The little black whelp suddenly stops struggling, staring into a pair of glassy blue eyes and seeing nothing but truth.
"What did you just say?"
Meanwhile, from the shadows across the street, Cynder watches her nephew like a hawk, making sure Tempest does not get aggressive with him.
The people be damned if this bitch tries to hurt my little hero.
Her heart pounds seeing him bound in the grasp of the blue dragon, but she does not intervene, as Cynder can tell Tempest is not the aggressor. She can see her nephew struggling to break free, then stopping to listen. And though she cannot hear the discussion that takes place within the white cocoon she made with her wings, Cynder can tell her nephew is not in harms way.
She actually smiles as Tempest places him back down upon the ground, but that smile goes away as the small dragon points in her direction.
What the hell is he doing? she says to herself, as the blue dragoness turns in the exact direction Onyx felt his aunt run.
Cynder slowly starts backing away, making sure not to disturb the world around her. However, with her nerves working against her, the black dragoness does not see the stack of wicker baskets she just knocked over. As they topple to the ground, Cynder knows her deception is pointless, and reemerges into the real world.
Just as fast as Tempest's eyes lock upon her, the Shadow dragon takes to the air, flying above the crush of citizens at street level.
Tapping into one of the elements she was given from birth, the black dragoness uses one of her four powers to retreat. With a fast barrel and a thrust of her long scarlet wings, Cynder uses Wind to accelerate to half speed in less than a second. But when she looks back, terror fills her heart, seeing the blue dragon tapping into the same power, barrel rolling several times to bring her frame to full speed in the same amount of time.
The fear is so overwhelming, that she does not hear her little hero begging his aunt to stop.
Cynder streamlines her frame as much as possible, spinning again with an even harder thrust to get moving faster. But after another quick glace behind, the black dragoness knows she will not be able to outrun a pure blood Wind dragon. So the cunning Cynder keeps her path a crooked as possible, banking hard turns to allow both their speeds to remain at a slower pace.
Her eyes are always scanning, looking for a place to hide, while avoiding any impact with the buildings she flies so close too, and the citizens who she makes sure to keep ample clearance of.
Suddenly the black dragon sees an opportunity to disappear into an abundant amount of shadows, as she approaches an entrance to the catacombs under the city.
She'll never find me down there. Cynder says to herself, angling her body to take the hard left turn into the small entry way. However, just as the black dragoness starts flexing her wings to make the sharp turn, a strong gust of wind strikes her from behind. It is not enough to force her down to the ground, but the brief disruption is enough to keep Cynder from making the turn she wanted. And with this slight altercation of her flight, the black dragoness is also forced to slow down to stay on a path that doesn't impact anyone or anything.
Please...Don't make me fight you she screams inside, panicking more and more as Tempest begins to draw her in closer and closer.
With tears pouring from her eyes, fearful only of what she may do if she has to defend herself, Cynder, loses track of where she is. The black dragon is so blinded by the thought that she makes an ill advised turn, putting herself into a narrow alley that comes to a dead end.
NO
The shadow dragoness tries to climb back into the air, but another strong gust keeps her down, forcing Cynder to grind her paws on the ground and come to a stop.
"STAY AWAY FROM ME!" she cries with fear as the blue dragoness lands before her in the dark alleyway, cornering Cynder from any escape.
"I'M NOT GONNA LET YOU HURT ME ANYMORE!"
Tempest is startled for a moment when the black dragon gets into a defensive posture, as Cynder has never made any type of aggressive move against her. However, it is her voice that shocks the blue dragon the most, hearing not anger, but pure terror. And as she rears up calmly on her hind quarters, raising her paws to show she has no intentions of attack, the blue dragoness gets a taste of just how terrified the more powerful Cynder is.
The black dragon flinches a few feet, smack her back and wings into the wall behind her. At this point, the shadow dragon's scales start to darken and her eyes become dull white and filled with tears.
"PLEASE LEAVE!" she begs helplessly, feeling a well of power that she has contained since helping Spyro defeat her former master now rising to the surface.
"Easy..." the Wind breather remarks as softly as she can, knowing just speaking hard may scare Cynder further.
"...I don't want to fight with you anymore."
The blue dragoness suddenly understands how correct Samuel was, as Cynder's eyes return to normal.
"What?"
Tempest smiles as Cynder's voice becomes as soft as a mouse. And her actions, timid and shy.
Like normal.
"I said...I don't want to fight with you anymore."
Cynder slowly sits down on her hind quarters, her shaking forepaws remaining down before her to show no aggression.
"You... don't want to hit me?"
Tempest lowers her head, seeing the shuddering dragoness sitting before her, wondering how she was ever the vicious Terror of the Sky.
"It appears I may have been mistaken..." the older dragoness admits, calming Cynder even further as she reaches a paw out slowly, and with a simple and secure grasp, removes the weight of the world from her shoulders.
"...you are not the one I hate."
Tempest and Cynder stare at each other for a moment, reading the feeling of relief they can see in one anothers eyes.
"I don't underst..." the black dragoness begins to say, but Tempest cuts her off.
"You have good friends that care for you." she replies, then is cut off by a loud crash from behind. Both turn to watch as one of those friends comes barreling into the alleyway full speed, as he has been chasing the pair around since they started running.
"Aunt Cynder! Stop!" Onyx yells with concern, seeing the two ladies standing toe to toe, fearful that they have started grappling.
"She don't want to fight with you!"
The little black dragon quickly grinds to a stop between them and drops the three satchels of supplies that kept him from keeping up. He leaps into the air and pushes both of them, separating the two from attacking each other. However, after an awkward pause, he realizes how badly he has misinterpreted this moment, noticing a smile on both their faces.
Onyx gives the ladies a stupid grin, then drops to the ground by Cynder's side, where he has spent most of the day.
"Sorry." he says, picking up the satchels he was carrying for his aunt, placing them around his neck, then looking up at Tempest with sorrow in his eyes.
"I just thought you two were... ahhhh..."
Tempest smothers Onyx's face with her big blue paw, rubbing his head and silencing his nervousness.
"You cannot force this kind of love and devotion." The blue dragoness lifts the youngster's chin from its lowered position, and looks deep into his dedicated eyes.
"It can only be earned."
Cynder tries to calm down at this moment, realizing she is not going to be in a fight. However, hearing Tempest talk nicely, nerves of joy keep the Shadow dragon's legs shaking.
"Then why did you chase me like that?"
The blue dragon's brow rises with surprise.
"You're the one that ran! I just wanted to ask you for something."
"Well I figured you were gonna punch me in the face again... and I didn't really want you to do that again." Cynder replies a bit sarcastically, finally lifting one of her paws from the ground to touch the spot where Tempest pasted her cheek with a right cross.
"I can still feel the last one."
The blue dragoness give a slight smile.
"And here I though you were tough."
Cynder can hear the sarcasm returned, and in that instant, she loses her fear
Onyx can hear his aunt begin settling down, like she did during the other conversations they had today. And though her heart is still pounding with adrenaline, the little black dragon can feel a steady rhythm to Cynder's pulse and breathing.
He listens contently as the Shadow dragoness once again takes on a tough conversation, showing off a personality that seems to bond well with the other Wind breather. They begin talking of their shared elemental power and the way it makes them feel when they surf the warm winds in summer. However, when they reach the subject of Joey, this is when Cynder shows why she has friends that care for her.
The black dragoness remains silent, simply allowing a distraught Tempest to speak of her brother without interruption.
"He was the funniest little whelping, and I miss him more than anything." Tempest remarks somberly rubbing the tears from her eyes, suddenly feeling his loss stronger than ever.
"I'm so sorry...
Tempest raises a paw, placing it softly on the tip of Cynder's nose, holding her guilt-laden words inside.
"You didn't do anything, I know that now," she says confidently, revealing the truth to Cynder and herself aloud.
"Malefor killed my brother... using a most unimaginable weapon."
Tempest looks back towards the entrance of the alleyway and across the street where she can see Samuel's small market. The old cheetah standing proudly in the window, a simple smile on his face as he watches the two dragonesses talk civilly.
"At least that's what a very good friend of ours told me..." Tempest returns her eyes to Cynder's and smiles. "...and I believe him."
Little Onyx sits quietly, a euphoric look on his face as he watches the two ladies continue talking with each other, sharing feelings they did not know about one another. However, from the roof line above, another observer becomes agitated, as he had followed the chase, hoping to see Tempest do the job he wants done.
"If she's not gonna kill you..." his gruff voice is soft, so not to be heard. "...then I guess I will."
OH NO...another cliffhanger. And who is this new dragon?
Whoever he is, he sounds angry, and sadly you get to wait until I post again to find out more. Stay tuned.
I want to thank everyone that have been reading, following, and reviewing. Over 1500 hits already, you guys rock!