Skylanders Academy: Song of the Hunt
by andresponceb2002
Chapter 7) Reunion
Spyro was smiling broadly as he beamed at Cyrus, who was standing mere metres away from him. The indigo dragon was smiling back, a small, yet pleasant smile, his green eyes warm and at ease.
Spyro was about to call out his brother's name and ask him an endless stream of questions. He wanted to know so much of what had happened to him in these past days that he couldn't even organize his many questions in his head.
However, before Spyro could say a word, he noticed something. Cyrus' eyes suddenly wandered off Spyro, focusing on something behind him. When this happens, Cyrus' eyes dilated as he lifted his eyebrows.
This confused Spyro... for a very fleeting moment at least.
Rushing past him, so fast he couldn't properly see, a red and orange figure rushed at Cyrus. Once the figure was in front of Spyro, he identified it as Sunburn, a very angry-looking Sunburn. The bird-like dragon moved his head back and then swayed it forth, releasing a stream of white and yellow flames at Cyrus.
"Sunburn, no!" Spyro yelled, distressed at the sight of his brother being attacked.
However, as Sunburn let up his attack and his bright flames dispersed, Spyro noticed Cyrus was nowhere to be found. On his original location, stood nothing, empty space.
"I heard of warm welcomes," A slightly raspy voice started, making Spyro and Sunburn look up. "But that was a bit diferent that what I imagined." Cyrus said sarcastically, as he used his wings to remain above Spyro and the others.
"You!" Sunburn hissed as he looked up at Cyrus. "I won't let you get away!" He declared, furiously.
"Wait, guys!" Spyro interjected, trying to defuse the situation. "You need to calm down!"
"Calm down!?" Drobot exclaimed, sounding dumbfounded. "That's him! That's the guy who kidnapped us!" He shouted, pointing at Cyrus accusingly.
"I remembered him being shorter." Camo murmured, slowly backing away with his head low, keeping his eyes on Cyrus.
Spyro then looked up at Cyrus. The beat of his wings had slowed down, and he had his head low, looking straight down, avoiding everyone's eyes. His brow was furrowed and he was frowning, expressing heavy guilt.
Then, Spyro remembered. He remembered all the harm Cyrus had caused his new friends. The indigo dragon was the cause of them becoming the Knights of Solitude against their will. The sudden remembrance made Spyro's heart feel heavy, stopping any words from escaping his mouth.
However, Spyro was forced to focus one again, when he saw Zap tense up his wings and shoot upwards, straight at Cyrus. The blue dragon then released a stream of yellow lightning, aimes at Cyrus. In response to this, Cyrus dived out of the way, then boosted himself with a strong flap of his wings, allowing him to reposition himself out of harm.
"Get back here!" Zap shouted, trying to chase after Cyrus.
However, before Cyrus could do anything to heed or disobey Zap's command, a sudden blast of fire and light erupted from where Sunburn was previously standing. The red dragon disappeared, leaving behind a small, smoldering crater. However before long, another blast, identical to the first detonated behind Cyrus, knocking the indigo dragon off his balance and causing him to fall out of the air and land roughly on the floor.
"That's enough!" Spyro roared loudly, puffing out his chest and tensing his posture, causing a stunned silence to loom over the common room. During this time, Cyrus slowly got up from the floor, hanging his head low as he did, still looking away from everyone.
"Why are you defending him!?" Whirlwind asked, breaking the silence. "He's a bad guy!"
Spyro didn't respond immediately. Cyrus was guilty of a lot of things, the indigo dragon himself had admitted it. However, Spyro believed firmly in the fact that Cyrus was not the only one at fault for the suffering his new friends. Reluctantly, he called back the memories of the most unpleasant, most malevolent and phycotic mound of living trash he had ever met.
So, after letting out a low sigh, Spyro spoke up. "Cyrus is not the one to blame for what happened to you." He stated.
"What does that mean?" Drobot asked suddenly. "He's the one who attacked us, isn't he?"
"Yes, he was," Spyro began, speaking slowly. "But he was only doing it because he was forced to."He explained.
"Wh-What does that mean?" Camo asked slowly, his voice shaky.
"The one who was really behind all this," Spyro picked up. "The one who's responsible for hurting all of you, is called Omen." He said, hissing the villain's name in disdain. "He was the one who took control of you, and… he made Cyrus go after you." He said, looking over to his brother, who was still had his head low. "He is the one to blame here."
"But why?" Sunburn spoke up suddenly. "Why would he bend to such a monster's will?" He demanded. "He must have known full well that what he was doing was wrong." He continued, turning his head to Cyrus. "So, why didn't he fight back!?" He demanded.
"Because he'd die!" Spyro responded, his blood roaring in his ears.
At that, Sunburn took a step back from Cyrus, now giving the indigo dragon a wide eyed, shaky stare while staying in silence.
"W-What?" Whirlwind suddenly began. "What do you mean by that?"
"The mark on his forehead," Spyro began,gesturing at the "A" over Cyrus' left eye. "Is something called a torture brand. Omen could use it to hurt, or even kill him if he refused to do what he was told." He explained, recalling with discomfort the first time he had heard his brother tell him the position he was in.
Spyro noticed that everyone remained silent, glancing at Cyrus. Diferent emotions seemed to stir within the six dragons as the kept listening to Spyro speak.
"But then," Spyro picked up. "Something happened. The magic that controlled the brand was removed and then Cyrus helped me and my friends defeat Omen and rescue you guys." He explained, at that, Spyro noticed that Cyrus lifted his head a little bit, just enough to allow the indigo dragon to glance at Spyro. "He told us where Omen's base was and he helped us fight through his minions."
"That's true," Cynder suddenly spoke up, surprising Spyro and making everyone focus on her. "I was captured by Omen and taken to his lair. Spyro and the Skylanders showed up, and so did Cyrus." She related, looking at the indigo dragon with soft eyes. "He helped rescue me, and I we fought side by side against one of Omen's servants. I don't think he would have done Omen's bidding if he had a choice." She said, firmly and surely, making Cyrus give her a wide eyed glance.
"Additionally," A new voice picked up, making Spyro and the rest of the dragons turn their heads toward the source. "It was none other than Cyrus who alerted the Skylanders of you whereabouts during your fight with Vixen Reynald." Master Eon stated.
"Really?" Spyro asked, his last memories of the fight with Vixen to hazy to testify for himself.
"Yes,"Kaossandra confirmed. "Your teammates were following Unulus' trail to that arena you were all near. Once you all returned, they told us that Cyrus had told them about you all and went on to collaborate with the Skylanders to get you all back here safely." She explained.
"I… did do that." Cyrus said meekly raising one of his paws.
"And, not that it matters or anything," Spyro picked up, scratching his head nervously. "But, Cyrus also happens to be… my brother." He said awkwardly.
"What!?" The six dragons all shouted simultaneously, slightly scaring Spyro and making him shrink.
"You're brothers!?" Zap asked in a dumbfounded tone, pointing at Spyro and at Cyrus. "You guys don't even look alike!" He stated.
"We look a little similar." Cyrus muttered, barely audible.
"Well, we are." Spyro stated. "And, you don't have to, but it would mean a lot if you could give him the benefit of the doubt or at the very least, not try to kill him." He suggested.
At that, there was another pause, another stretch of silence. The six dragons shifted their gazes between Spyro and Cyrus. Spyro hoped in silence that his new companions would at least refrain from attacking Cyrus anymore.
Then, Spyro noticed the first to move was Sunburn. The purple dragon was admittedly worried Sunburn would do something violent, but to Spyro's surprise, Sunburn simply turned around, walking in a brisk pace toward the exit of the common room, an angry, furrowed look on his face.
"I need some air," Sunburn declared. "Don't follow me." He growled as he reached the common room doors.
A part of Spyro wanted to talk to Sunburn, but in the end, he realized it would probably be for the best if the bird-like dragon thought things through himself. So, with a mildly disappointed sigh, Spyro watched as Sunburn opened the common room doors and walked out, flying off somewhere to clear his head.
After this, Spyro head Bash speak up. "If he won't get in my way," He started. "I'll leave him be." He conceded.
"You what!?" Zap exclaimed suddenly. "You're really okay with that creep?" He asked, pointing at Cyrus.
"I'm not okay with him," Bash began, keeping his eyes on Cyrus. "That's why I don't plan on wasting my time with him." He said simply. "So, if you'll excuse me-" He picked up, walking toward the exit as well. "-I need someone to tell me where the training course is."
"I could show take you there." Cynder volunteered.
"After you, then." He replied, as he opened the blue doors and waited patiently for Cynder.
Before the dragoness left, she nudged Spyro with her wing, calling his attention. After this, she gave him a warm smile and proceeded to fly over to Bash. Afterwards, the two dragons left the room and closed the doors behind them.
"Ok, come on guys," Zap began, looking between Camo, Drobot and Whirlwind. "Are you really just going to forgive him?" He asked, gesturing at Cyrus exaggeratedly.
"Ummm… I'm not good at staying angry." Camo said nervously, scratching the back of his head and looking at the floor.
"I don't know what to feel," Whirlwind stated, looking at Cyrus strangely, "If what Spyro says is true, then…" She paused, closing her eyes. "N- No, I'm sorry I just can't look at him right now." She said, turning her head away from Cyrus.
"I… I think," Drobot started up. "I think that with time, I can bring myself to forgive him." He stated, sparking hope in Spyro's heart. "But that's the issue, I'll need a lot of time." He sighed.
"Are you- is this for real?" Zap asked suddenly. The blue dragon growled and groaned loudly and then facepalmed, but after a while, he spoke up. "Fine, alright I'll leave him alone if he leaves me alone!" He declared, crossing his arms and glaring at Cyrus, but not speaking further.
At that, Spyro knew the standing of each of his friends. He was admittedly disheartened by how much resentment the six of them held toward his brother but he understood it perfectly. He himself has spent time hating Cyrus, he had been a villian for a while after all.
"Well then," Master Eon spoke up suddenly, making everyone focus on him. "I am certain there will be time for you all to settle your differences with Cyrus. Right now, you should tend to becoming familiar with your new surroundings," He suggested, gesturing at the whole of the Academy. "Skylander Academy is a large place with many names and places you should get to know." He stated, putting his hands behind his back.
"Yeah, I think that would be for the best," Drobot voiced. "Come on guys, we should leave." He said as he made his way to the blue doors.
"Yeah, alright," Zap grumbled, following Drobot reluctantly.
Whirlwind did the same, remaining in silence as she did. All three dragons passed by Cyrus, giving him dirty looks as they left him behind. Then, the three left the room, leaving only Camo behind.
Spyro was a little concerned that Camo would also do or say something mean to Cyrus. However, when the little green dragon approached Cyrus, he let out a short exhale of breath and spoke. "Sorry man, I don't really even hate you to be honest." he admitted. "Buuuut I'd rather have five friends instead of one." He said apologetically. "So, just… hang in there." Camo said taping Cyrus carefully on the shoulder with his paw.
Afterwards, the little green dragon left the room, hurriedly chasing after his fellow dragons.
But then, Spyro heard something strange, a small snicker, coming from none other than his brother. "I like that one." Cyrus' raspy voice expressed with a miniature smile. This in turn made Spyro smile as well.
"Cyrus," Kaossandra's voice sounded suddenly, making both Cyrus and Spyro look up at her. "We are grateful for you help, but you must understand that you have built yourself quite a bad reputation around here. You'll have to understand, that if you intend to stay, you might face some… difficulties." She said, cringing slightly.
At that, Cyrus lowered his head slightly. "I understand," He replied simply. "I'll do my best to cause no trouble." He stated politely, bowing his head at the two portal masters.
This made them seem slightly taken back, glancing at each other and giving Cyrus a strange look. "And… we'll be grateful for that?" Eon said awkwardly. "In any case young dragon, I believe you and… your brother-" He said, turning to look at Spyro. "-Have some catching up to do." He said, smiling gently.
Spyro and Cyrus were on the thinking spot. The two dragons were gazing at the blue sky before them, a pleasant silence hanging over them.
"So," Spyro spoke first. "How have you been?" He asked awkwardly, unsure of how to start.
"I've been…" Cyrus began, pausing midway, as if he was reconsidering his answer. "Fine, I'm all good." He said finally, trying to sound convincing.
Spyro noticed that his brother's eyes were diferent than usual. The purple dragon had mostly unpleasant memories from his brother's green eyes. They were usually lit up with a cold, painful fervor, and had slitted pupils. They made Cyrus look quite inhumane when they first met. However, Spyro noticed there was now an unfocused, sad glint in them and that the slitted pupils were wider than normal, indicating the dragon wasn't his usual self.
In light of this, Spyro tried figuring out what the problem was, speaking tentatively. "I, uh… suppose you didn't find our parents, right?" Spyro asked in a down tone.
"What gave that away?" Cyrus responded in a sarcastic yet tired way. The indigo dragon let out a low sigh and lowered his gaze to the ground. "I looked everywhere I could reach, asked every quest-giving-npc looking guy I came across and… nothing. I found nothing." He said, in a beat-down tone, clenching his teeth slightly in frustration.
"There was this one guy," Cyrus picked up. "That told me there were purple dragon sightings in this weird mabu villiange in the Outskirts. That turned out to be a bust, but at least it stirred me near you and your friends just in time to help you with that white fox lady." Cyrus sighed, hanging his head slightly.
Spyro was disheartened by this lack of progress in finding their family. He imagined Cyrus was particularly frustrated about it and was able to relate to the feeling. He cursed in his mind, irritated by the fact the two brothers seemed to constantly find themselves empty handed in his search for their parents.
So, in an attempt to change the subject, Spyro tried to speaking again. However, he was cut off when his brother spoke up first. "Speaking of which-" Cyrus picked up. "I see you made new friends," He said dryly, putting on a strange, plastic smile. "How's that working out for you?"
Spyro concluded Cyrus was talking about the six dragons he had recently befriended. The purple dragon was unsure of how to answer, for he knew that Cyrus had a rocky relationship with them.
"They want to become Skylanders," Spyro began, trying to speak in a cheerful tone. "I'll actually be in charge of training them, so I actually have a lot to look forward to." He explained.
Spyro bit his lip, trying to hold himself from taking to much and overwhelming his brother. It was difficult. Spyro had not forgotten what he and Cyrus had discussed on their previous meeting. Now that he was back, Spyro had a tiny flickering hope that Cyrus would stay, not just as his brother, but as a Skylander. He had been on a long recruiting streak lately, so, the thought of that possibility simply couldn't seem to get out of his head.
After this, Spyro waited for his brother to respond. However, a moment passed, and then another and Cyrus remained in silence, looking emptily at the distance.
"C-Cyrus?" Spyro called in a worried tone, tilting his head to try getting his brother to face him.
"Do you think you can protect them?" Cyrus asked suddenly, making Spyro furrowed his brow in confusion. Then, the indigo dragon turned his head and looked at Spyro, a worried look in his eyes. "Do you think they'll be safe from her?" He asked somberly.
At that, Spyro felt chills slowly crawl up his back. The dark corners of his mind letting out a stream of endless horrified whispers. He knew, instantly, who Cyrus was referring to. "Vixen" He concluded in his mind, a stab of cold burying itself on his back, making him shiver. Then it hit him. If Spyro really was going to train them to become Skylanders, they'd have to face Vixen once again. Their last encounter with the dragon slayer, had ended in all of them defeated and far too close to a very bitter end.
"You have to keep them safe," Cyrus picked up suddenly. "I… I've…" He paused looking down at his paws, closing his eyes and clenching his fists. "I've already put them through enough misery. They shouldn't have to have their lives ruined by that monster." He said in a guilty tone.
At that, something inside of Spyro made him react. "It wasn't your fault," He declared. "You and I know, Omen made you do it."
"Yes," Cyrus replied hollowly. "I did his dirty work, I followed every command he gave me and I almost ended the Skylands because of it." He said, guilt making his voice slowler.
"Because he would have killed you!" Spyro reacted, making Cyrus flinch. "He tortured you and he made you feel worthless! No one should have to live the way you did!" He said, his heart aching slightly as he remembered all the horrible things Cyrus told him Omen had done to him.
Cyrus remained in silence, looking at Spyro with wide eyes.
"Cyrus," Spyro picked up, speaking in a somber tone. "I can tell you feel guilty about what you've done to them," He continued. "But if you really want people to forgive you, you need to forgive yourself too." He said, putting a paw on Cyrus' shoulder comfortingly.
This gesture seemed to take the indigo dragon by surprise. He flinched and tensed up under Spyro's touch, which made the purple dragon worry. However, before long, the indigo dragon relaxed, giving his brother a pleasant smile. "Thank you," He said mellowly.
"Don't mention it," Spyro said, returning a wider smile. "That's what family is for I guess." He said, chuckling lightly.
Afterwards the two dragons shared another silent moment. Cyrus was smiling, yet, his smile was small, slight tones of sadness behind it. It made Spyro feel a little concerned. Now that he was actually close up and really looking at his brother, he noticed there were all too familiar, thin, black lines under his eyes, signifying little sleep.
The silence was eventually broken by Cyrus. "Well, I think you've wasted enough time with me," He began. "Off you go, you have… Skylander-ing to do." He said, giving Spyro a lazy, dismissive wave.
"Wh-What?" Spyro responded, blinking and shaking his head slightly.
"You have to train you new…" Cyrus paused and looked to the side, thinking his words through. "Recruits? Is that what you call them?" He said, moving to get up and leave. "Wouldn't want to bother anyone." He said, looking down.
"Actually!" Spyro reacted, speaking loudly. "I was wondering if you could come with me!" He asked, making Cyrus suddenly fix his gaze on him. "You know, to give you a proper tour of the Academy." He offered.
"Realy?" Cyrus asked, tilting his head and speaking with uncertainty. "Do you really think that's a good idea?"
"Of course!" Spyro replied. "You should get the runaround! Ya know, to get familiar with the place." He said.
Cyrus looked unsure. He scratched his neck, then the side of his chest, over the black gashes on his sides. Then, after a while and a low sigh, Cyrus looked back up at Spyro. "Well, I guess you won't stop nagging me otherwise." He grumbled.
"Hm, perceptive." Spyro retorted, nudging his brother on the shoulder, getting a small smile from him. "Come on, man! We've got a lot to see!"
Cynder was walking down to the Academy training arena. Bash was following her closely, remaining silent.
Cynder tried to get some conversation going, after all, Spyro trusted this guy. "So, Bash," She began. "What kind of training would you like to do?"
"What kind of training equipment do you have?" Bash asked back.
"We have an obstacle course and a hologram villian arena," Cynder responded.
The violet dragoness noticed Bash's eyes lit up slightly as she mentioned the latter training equipment. "That area place sounds interesting," He stated, trying to sound casual, mostly failing. "Where is it?" He asked.
"It's over there!" Cynder replied, pointing over to her left, to a large arena-like construct.
"Alright then," Bash began. "I think I can make it there on my own," He said, concerning Cynder slightly. "Thank you for taking me here so far, but I imagine you have better things to do than following me around." He said, confusing Cynder about if he was trying to be kind or dismissive.
"Actually," Cynder tried picking up. "I don't have much to do right now. And besides! You don't know how to operate the holograms." She reminded the earthy dragon.
Bash then opened his mouth, as if he wanted to argue something. However his eyes then glanced to his left and he closed his mouth, alongside his eyes in a low sigh. "Alright," He grumbled. "You can come."
"How courteous of you," Cynder replied, with a smirk.
"Hey guys!" A diferent voice called in the distance, coming from behind the two dragons.
Cynder took a couple of steps to look a round Bash's large figure. Once she did, Cynder saw three other dragons approaching quickly, flying through the air before landing nearby. Cynder recognised the two as Zap, Drobot and Whirlwind and remembered they were also friends of Spyro's.
She noticed that Zap and Drobot were gravitating over to Bash, Zap in particular smiling at him broadly, evidently bothering the large dragon.
Whirlwind on the other hand, stayed a couple of steps back, slightly singled out. The cyan dragoness had her head a little low and stayed behind the other dragons, something Cynder found slightly peculiar.
"Heya Bash!" Zap greeted the large brown dragon energetically. "Where are you going?" He questioned.
"Training." Bash responded simply, expressing little interest in continuing the conversation.
"Alright! We can train together!" Zap proposed cheerfully, making Bash let out a stressed groan and roll his eyes.
"I could use some training." Drobot began, making Bash groan again, slightly louder this time. "I'd like to make sure my mech-suit is fully functional."
"Well, there's plenty of space in the arena for you all," Cynder stated, which caused Bash to let out another, even louder and more prolonged groan. "You could take turns fighting waves of hologram villains." She suggested.
"That sounds great!" Zap cheered. "When do we get started?" He asked with a wide grin.
"Well, the arena is over there-" Cynder said, pointing toward the arena behind her with her thumb. "-So you guys can feel free to tag along, feel free!" She said invitingly.
"Very well then," Drobot started up. "Lead the way Cynder." He said, giving Cynder a patient smile.
After this, Cynder proceeded to take flight, instructing everyone to follow her. After a short while, the five dragons quickly arrived at the training arena. Once there, the dragons stood waiting patiently for Cynder to start the hologram training course.
"Alright," Cynder began. "Who wants to go first?" She asked, looking between the four dragons.
"I think I was supposed to go first." Bash declared in a slightly annoyed tone.
"I call second!" Zap said, raising a paw over his head.
"I'd like to go third." Drobot said, also raising a paw, just more calmly.
Cynder noticed Whirlwind hadn't spoken yet, and didn't seem eager to. She was averting her eyes and had her long ears low. "I guess, I'll go last." The cyan dragoness said in a low tone.
After this, Zap, Drobot and Whirlwind, began to move as if to head towards the many elevated seats around the arena, where mabu crowds usually sat down on. Cynder on the other hand began heading to where she remembered the hologram villian course was activated.
However, before any of the dragons could move further, they heard the sound of a familiar voice, coming from the sky above them.
"And this-" The voice said, apparently mid may through a sentence. "Is the training arena! This is where we fight these weird hologram villains!"
Cynder then looked up at where the voice was coming from. She smiled to see a familiar purple dragon flying overhead. "Spyro!" She called, waving one of her paws over her head.
"Spyro?" The other four dragons asked in unison, turning their heads to where Cynder was looking.
However, after a moment, Cynder couldn't help but suddenly stop smiling. She saw another dragon following Spyro, like a purple shadow. Cyrus, flew behind Spyro, and looked down at her and the others with an inexpressive face, which mildly crept Cynder out.
"Heya guys!" Spyro greeted, waving back energetically. "What's up?" He asked as he began descending, eventually landing on the flat arena and glancing between his friends.
Cyrus imitated Spyro, only keeping his distance from the rest of the dragons, averting his eyes and keeping his head low.
"Uh, we were going to do some hologram villian training," Cynder began. "Bash and the others were about to start taking turns." She explained.
"Yeah, until that guy showed up," Zap spat, pointing accusingly at Cyrus. "Now, all of a sudden, I don't really want to be here anymore."
Cynder noticed that, at that, Spyro glanced back at Cyrus, who was staying silent, looking at Zap, inexpressive. However, after looking closer at the indigo dragon, she noticed something strange, a miniscule, almost undetectable twitch on his left eye. It went away quickly, but not before Cynder could notice it.
"Well, I think I can change that," Spyro picked up suddenly, which made Cynder focus on him. He was now smiling back at Zap, making her and the blue dragon curious.
"Y-You can?" Zap asked, confused.
"How would you and Bash-" Spyro started up, pointing at both the dragons he named. "-Like to have that fight I owe you?" He said, raising an eyebrow.
"That sounds quite interesting," Bash stated, giving Spyro a fanged grin.
"Alright," Zap interjected. "Suddenly I wanna stay again." He said, cracking his knuckles. "Fighting you just has to be cooler than fighting a bunch of holograms."
"Wait, you guys are going to fight?" Cynder asked, unaware that Spyro owed them something, much less a fight.
"Yeah, we had this bet a while ago," Spyro began explaining. "But we called it off. So, we're going to have a match here instead."
"Just you against both of them?" Cynder asked, starting to understand the situation. "Isn't that a bit unfair?" The dragoness then paused for a moment. She then smiled, for she had come up with an idea. "Wouldn't a team fight be better?" She asked wryly.
"A team fight?" Bash asked, evidently curious.
"You two," Cynder began, pointing at Bash and Zap. "Verus me and Spyro." She suggested.
"I like the sound of that!" Spyro stated energetically. "What do you think guys?" He asked his friends, eagerly awaiting a response.
"Fine by me." Bash said flatly, however, his lips were tugging slightly upward, almost as if the brown dragon was trying to stop himself from expressing his anticipation.
"Alright! This is gonna be awesome!" Zap exclaimed, his excitement making him shake in his place.
"This will certainly be worth watching," Drobot said. "I can't wait to see the outcome." He said excitedly.
"Just… don't hurt each other too much." Whirlwind asked worriedly.
"Kick their butts." Cyrus suddenly blurted.
This made everyone turn their heads and look at Cyrus. The indigo dragon was looking up and to the side, whistling innocently. A tiny drop of sweat trailed down the indigo dragon's temple.
"Well alright then," Spyro picked up, drawing attention to him instead of Cyrus. "Whenever you're ready guys." He said, stepping back from Zap and Bash and getting into battle pose.
At this, Cynder saw Drobot and Whirlwind fly off and sit down on the left side of the arena. After a few moments, Cyrus did the same thing, only sitting instead, on the right side of the arena, giving the other dragons wide breath, out of unease or some other reason, Cynder couldn't tell. However, Cynder had little time to dwell on that, she had to focus on the duo of feisty dragons in front of her.
"Cynder," Spyro's voice called, making her turn her head to her side and look at her friend. "I'm counting on you." He said, giving her a mellow smile and stretching out his fist for her to bump.
At that, Cynder smiled back, gently bumping her friend's fist. "Let's do it." She said, giving Spyro a firm nod before getting into battle pose and turning back to Zap and Bash.
The two dragons also got into battle pose. Zap in particular looked quite eager to start throwing punches, he was tensed up and had his wings stretched out, ready to charge at Spyro and Cynder. Bash stayed still, with his head low to the ground and eyes narrow, calm yet focused, also ready for a fight.
"Alright guys," Spyro started up. "Let's do this!"
"Yeah!" Zap and Bash responded in unison.
At that, Cynder saw as Spyro flew up in the air and released as volley of fireballs at Zap and Bash. However, Zap secreted a strange blue slime from his paws and used it to slide away, easily getting away from Spyro's firebolts. Bash on the other hand, stood still, just lowering his head and widening his stance. after this, Spyro's firebolts crashed against Bash's back, however, the brown dragon did not seem very harmed at all by the attack.
"He must be very tough." Cynder thought to herself, impressed by the brown dragon's durability.
However, Cynder had little time to be impressed by Bash, she quickly found herself startled by him. The brown dragon charged at her, mowing his spike, covered tail behind him, aiming to swing it at her head.
In response to this, Cynder charged at Bash. She managed to notice a tiny hint of confusion in the brown dragon's eyes when she did this, however, not enough to stop him from keeping his attack going.
When, Bash was close enough to swing his tail at her, Cynder focused and then, the violet dragoness turned into a dark, misty outline of herself. Afterwards, Cynder went straight through Bash's body, passing through him like smoke. After a moment, Cynder resolidified, feeling herself touch down on the ground again. Then, The violet dragoness quickly turned around, fining Bash, turning his head side to side, frantically, unaware of Cynder's location.
At this, Cynder took a deep breath, swaying her head back. Then, Cynder released a stream of blue lightning at Bash, which hit the dragon unaware. The impact, got Bash off his balance, making him stumble to the ground.
She was about to check if Spyro was doing alright with Zap, when suddenly, something made her react. "Cynder, look out!" She heard Spyro's voice shout.
Cynder then, immediately turned into dark mist. Afterwards, she saw as a blue figure dashed through her, letting out a confused yelp as it stumbled face-down in front of her. It was Zap, Cynder guessed the blue dragon had tried to attack her from behind, only to stumble after trying to grasp thin air.
However, Zap was fast, he was about to get on his feet to attack Cynder again, this time with his claws, which made the dragoness step back and remain in her misty state out of precaution. But, before Zap could throw his strike, Cynder saw as something, passed through her misty outline, surprising both her and Zap. This happened to be Spyro, head lowered and horns flaming. After dashing through Cynder's misty figure, which he used as a smoke screen to take Zap by surprise, Spyro headbutted the blue dragon, the impact sending him sprawling back, making him land beside Bash, who was groaning, trying to get on his feet.
"Nice job!" Cynder cheered as she saw her friend step back and stand by her side.
"Not bad yourself!" Spyro praised back. "I think if we do, more combos like that last one," He continued, making Cynder recall their previous synergy. "I think we got this in the bag." He said with a confident smirk.
"Yeah, I think so too." Cynder agreed.
"Alright!" Zap suddenly exclaimed, drawing Cynder's attention. "Time for round two!"
At that, Cynder saw Zap take a deep breath and stand on his hind legs. Then, the blue dragon released a huge stream of bright yellow lightning at Spyro and Cynder. As a response to this, Cynder quickly released her own lightning, her blue stream crashing against Zap's in a violent clash of energy which sent blue and yellow sparks flying everywhere.
Cynder tried holding Zap in place, pushing forward with her attack. She could feel the blue dragon slowly give in little by little, making the blue dragon step back in strain.
After a few moments of struggle Cynder managed to overpower Zap, her lightning pushing his back and causing the blue dragon to be knocked back. Her throat was a little dry from the struggle, but she was fine and read to keep fighting.
Cynder then turned to look for Bash. The brown dragon crawled up into a large, spiky ball before he began spinning in place like a pinwheel, quickly gaining speed. Then, Bash shoot toward, Cynder, rolling toward her at alarming speeds.
Cynder was about to turn into mist to avoid the attack, however, she stopped once she saw Spyro, charge past her, directly at Bash. He had his head lowered, orange flames blazing on his horns. When the Spyro and Bash collided, a small shockwave erupted from their impact, staggering both dragons, and causing them to abruptly stop their charges. Spyro stumbled backward, his eyes spinning in their sockets, indicating he was rather dizzy. Bash also seemed disoriented by the impact, he was laying belly down, struggling to get back on his feet.
"Hit him Cynder!" Spyro said, his voice shaky from his dizziness, pointing at Bash.
Cynder saw the vulnerable position Bash was in. Thanks to Spyro, she could take a clear shot at the brown dragon. And so, with a deep breath, Cynder released a stream of blue lightning, which collided with Bash, just as the brown dragons was about to stand up again. This caused him to give out a pained groan and slump back down.
Afterwards, Bash stayed down, groaning with his eyes closed.
"We give up." Zap said in a weak voice from where he had been knocked over to. The blue dragon was waving a small white flag Cynder had no idea where he'd found.
Then, Cynder heard something strange. She heard something that sounded like a strangled chuckle, that hadn't quite left the throat. She then heard this chuckle get louder, eventually bursting into laughter. Cynder then turned her head toward Bash, the sight stunning her. The brown dragon, she had known to be quite stoic, was laughing heartily as he slowly got up from the ground.
"That was good! Very good!" Bash said, slowly recovering from his laughter. "You're about as good as I imagined, Spyro." He said. turning toward the purple dragon.
At this, Spyro finger-gunned Bash with one paw, keeping the other on his still hurting forehead.
"And you," Bash picked up, turning toward Cynder, grinning. "You were a very pleasant surprise. Sorry I tried to brush you off earlier."
Cynder was a little taken back by Bash's words. On one hand, she was grateful for his prase, and on the other she was a little surprised by him admitting trying to ditch her a while ago. However,she and Bash seemed to be on the same page now, so she decided to be civil.
"Thanks Bash," Cynder replied, smiling pleasantly. "You were a pretty good opponent." She said, honestly.
"Aw, come on," Zap's voice suddenly spoke up loudly. "You moped the floor with us!" He complained as he slowly shuffled to Bash's side, limping slightly.
"Yeah, they kind of did," Another, slightly synthesised voice stated jokingly.
Cynder turned her head to where the voice had come from. She saw Drobot and Whirlwind descend from their seats and walk up to them.
"That was really impressive," Drobot continued. "You abilities are quite remarkable, Cynder. Did you learn them from someone or did they come naturally?" He inquired, leaning close to Cynder, looking at her analytically.
"Uhhh, I… don't… know?" Cynder responded awkwardly, a little uncomfortable with Drobot's probing.
"Well guys," Spyros suddenly picked up, addressing Bash and Zap. "I gotta say, you two didn't do too well," He said, walking up to the two dragons. "Any ideas why?" He asked, waiting for Bash and Zap to answer.
"Because… you're better than us?" Zap suggested unconvincingly.
"Apart from that of course," Spyro replied jokingly.
"Because you weren't a team." A new voice stated.
At the familiar sound of the voice, Cynder turned around, searching for its source. She couldn't hold back a small yelp when she turned around to see Cyrus standing a few feet away, his tired, slightly venomous green eyes looking straight at her. "He's really quiet." Cynder thought to herself, surprised by the fact she hadn't heard a single sound to alert her of the indigo dragon's approach.
"Could you speak up, sleepy?" Zap asked in a derisive tone. "I couldn't hear you mumbling from over here."
"Zap, please cool it." Spyro growled at the blue dragon, protective of his brother.
After this, Cyrus let out a low sigh and spoke louder. "The two of you," He began, gesturing at Zap and Bash. "Fought completely separately, you never tired helping the other." He pointed out.
"That's right," Spyro began after his brother. "Me and Cynder beat you two, because we worked together," He said, giving Cynder a smile and nod. "We communicated and coordinated our attacks. You two, just kinda winged it." He said, as he did, his expresion became a little more serious, as if he was recalling something. "Trust me, out of experience, I could tell."
At that, there was a small pause. Everyone stayed silent, Cynder imagined thinking Spyro and Cyrus' words through.
Then, the silence was broken. "Thank you for your insight," Bash said suddenly. "I'll be sure to keep it in mind for the future." And then, just like that, the brown dragon turned around and began to walk off.
"W-Wait, did you thank me or Cyrus?" Spyro asked, his friend, apparently as confused as Cynder by the brown dragon's ambiguity.
"Yeah, alright," Zap picked up. "Teamwork and all that stuff, I get it. But I'm hungry," He said, a conveniently timed growl emanating from his stomach. "Is there a place to get a bite around here?" He asked, turning his head around.
At that, Spyro let out a stressed sigh. "Yeah, Zap, there's a cafeteria near the courtyard." He said.
"Nice!" Zap exclaimed, then turned over to Drobot. "Heya dude, wanna come over? We could practice this whole teamwork deal Spyro's preaching about afterwards." he suggested.
"I-I'd be glad to!" Drobot replied energetically.
"Alright, dude!" Zap cheered, bumping Drobot on the shoulder. "Let's get going then!"
"Uh… guys?" A soft voice picked up suddenly. "C-Could I come along?" Whirlwind asked.
At that, Cynder noticed Zap and Drobot hesitated. They then glanced at each other and then back at Whirlwind. "Uhhh, yeaaah. If you want to?" Zap said in a strange voice.
Cynder noticed the two dragons took a step back from Whirlwind, and that they were focusing their gaze on the white horn on the dragoness' head. Whirlwind seemed to notice this. She then turned her head to the side, covering her head with one of her wings.
Cynder didn't understand what had happened, but before she could say something, Zap spoke up. "Again, if you want to, you can come," He said, trying to sound welcoming.
"Yeah, feel free to catch up with us later if you want," Drobot continued. "We'll… be around." He added awkwardly.
"Y-Yeah, thanks." Whirlwind replied shakily, not looking over to the two dragons.
After this, Zap and Drobot glanced back at each other, shrugging at each other before turning around and flying off, heading toward where Spyro had told them the cafeteria was, leaving the rest behind. Cynder then looked down and saw Whirlwind, slowly began to walk away, her long ears low
"Whirlwind?" Cynder head Spyro call. "Are… Are you alright?" He asked, sounding concerned.
"Yeah, Spyro," Whirlwind responded in a low tone. "I'm fine. I'm just going to take a walk." She said, before flying off, leaving no chance from Spyro or anyone to try and reply.
As she saw the cyan dragoness leave, Cynder felt a strange feeling. It made her lose her appetite and lowered her spirits. Seeing Whirlwind like that made her feel really down.
"I don't understand," Cyrus' voice sounded suddenly. "Aren't I the one they're supposed to hate?" He asked genuinely, looking up at where Whirlwind had flown off to.
"They don't hate her," Spyro interjected, speaking a little defensively. "I… I just don't know. Maybe…" His voice trailed off. He clearly had no explanation to give. Afterwards, Spyro hung his head down, frowning.
"I need to go somewhere," Cyrus stated flatly. "Please don't follow." He asked in a polite yet strict tone.
"Cyrus?" Spyro picked up. "Where are you going, bro?" He asked, sounding concerned.
"It's important," Cyrus answered vaguely. "Or at least… I hope it is." He added, a hint of hesitation in his eyes. "In any case, you shouldn't worry about me, Spyro." He picked up, suddenly sounding less severe. "You have more comfortable company to indulge." He said, shifting his eyes to Cynder. After this, the indigo dragon rapidly raised and dropped his eyebrows while grinning, implication heavy in his gesture.
At that, Cynder could feel herself blush. She tried covering her red cheeks with her paws and turned away from Cyrus.
"Y-Yeah, alright pal, I changed my mind," Spyro's voice started, sounding flustered. "You can go off wherever." He said.
At this, Cyrus let out a small chuckle before flying off, leaving Cynder and Spyro by themselves. Afterwards, Cynder let go of her cheeks as she felt the awkward heat drain from them. Then, Cynder turned around, facing Spyro. She noticed his cheeks also had a tinge of red and that he was absentmindedly scratching one of them, averting his eyes.
"Well, you know…" Spyro spoke up suddenly. "It's… not like I don't like… having you around or anything." He said in a meek voice, still looking away.
At that, Cynder could feel heat return to her cheeks. "Yeah totally!" Cynder replied, a little loudly. "I like spending time with you too." She said with a nervous chuckle.
Spyro then gave her a small smile. "Well, uh, in that case, wanna… go somewhere?" He asked, slightly ducking his head.
"Sure!" Cynder answered. "Where do you want to go?" She asked back, smiling and feeling bubbly all of a sudden.
At that, Spyro furrowed his brow a little, turing to his right for a second, as if he was thinking. After a few moments, the purple dragon's eyes lit up and a smile began tugging at his lips.
"I think I have an idea," He said, suddenly shaking his wings with energy and smiling broadly. "Follow me!" He invited cheerfully, just before he used his wings to boost himself up into the air.
"Hey, wait up!" Cynder exclaimed as she flew up after her friend, surprised by Spyro's behaviour.
As Cynder tried flying upwards, attempting to catch up with Spyro, the purple dragon began speeding away. "C'mon Cynder!" Spyro called, flying fast enough to stay out of Cynder's reach.
Cynder then tried to fly forward, but when she did, Spyro flew backwards, keeping a distance between the two of them. This confused Cynder, so she tried approaching again, this time circling around her friend before closing in. In response to this, Spyro simply dove down, avoiding Cynder before rising back to where he previously was. All the while, the purple dragon had a playful grin on his face.
"Spyro," Cynder sighed, her lips curling up slowly as she figured out what Spyro was trying to do.
Afterwards, Cynder saw Spyro turn around and, with a boost of his wings fly off, leaving her behind, however, the sound of gleeful laughter followed the purple dragon. This signaled Cynder to follow.
With a powerful motion of her wings, the violet dragoness shot forward, chasing after Spyro. She saw Spyro turn his head back, noticing her. After this, the purple dragon picked up steam and soared upwards, cueing Cynder to do the same.
Once she had leveled with Spyro once again, Cynder saw as the purple dragon continued flying, Cynder just behind him. Both dragons soared through the blue, cloudy sky, turing and gracefully. Cynder could feel the gentle push of the wind against her face, beneath her wings. The feeling was incomparable, flying so freely through the air, with her close friend by her side no less, made the violet dragoness let out a cheerful howl. "Whoohoo!"
At this, Cynder heard Spyro let out a hearty laugh as he kept going, just before he flew into a large cloud, passing lazily nearby. Cynder was about to rush into the cloud as well, but suddenly, shifting her weight and changing the beat of her wings, she stopped herself midair. As she looked at the cloud Spyro had hidden behind, she narrowed her eyes slightly. After thinking for a little bit, she smirked mischievously, for a better idea clicked into place in her head.
Then, with a silent wingbeat, Cynder rose high up above the clouds, so she could see down at where Spyro would have been hiding. Surely enough, she saw Spyro waiting patiently for her on the other side of the cloud he had hidden behind. He had his arms stretched out, a broad grin on his face, clearly planing on catching Cynder once she had followed him into the cloud.
However, the violet dragoness had outsmarted him. So, taking advantage of Spyro's unawareness, Cynder slowly crept nearer to the purple dragon, silently getting in position above her friend. Then, she bent back and stopped moving her wings, allowing herself to fall.
Cynder fell down, with her arms stretched out wide and as she let out a joyous laugh, she fell herself bump into Spyro, who she wrapped her arms around. This surprise, made the purple dragon tense up and let out a short frightened yelp, which in turn made Cynder giggle and smile widely.
Once Spyro realized it was her, Cynder felt the purple dragon loosen up and hug her back. Afterwards, the two dragons fell through the air, holding one another. Cynder stared at Spyro's eyes and he stared into hers. She could feel herself smile, the wind grazing her scales gently, Spyro's touch slowly spreading a pleasant warmth through her body.
Then, Cynder felt Spyro move his wings in a powerful motion. Suddenly, the two dragons were no longer falling through the blue sky, instead Spyro held Cynder steady, keeping both of them afloat.
But then, Cynder felt Spyro slowly pull her away, smiling at her as he did. However, he kept one of his paws on one of hers, holding it caringly. "Come on," He said softly, gesturing at a nearby isle before letting go of Cynder, heading toward the floating patch of land.
At that, Cynder followed Spyro to the isle. The green floating rock was small, but not tiny. It was large enough for both of them to wander slightly. However, as Spyro touched down on the isle, he laid down on the grass-covered ground, letting out a relaxed sigh as he looked out at the horizon.
At this, Cynder touched down as well, slowly walking up to Spyro. Once she was by his side, Cynder laid down beside him, leaning a bit of her weight to his side. She then felt the purple dragon stretch out one of his wings, coving her back with it, like a blanket. Cynder then closed her eyes, the comforting warmth that Spyro's touch radiated, made her feel relaxed. She rested her head against him, nudging his neck lightly with the tip of her snout.
It was strange, Cynder felt lighter than usual, a curious fluttering sensation in her stomach, like butterflies. She could feel her heart beating, tapping lightly in her chest. And so, the two dragons spent a pleasant moment, nothing but the sound of the mellow breeze passing them by.
However, the moment was interrupted. "Cynder?" Spyro's voice suddenly spoke in a soft tone.
"Yeah?" Cynder replied drowsily, keeping her eyes closed.
"I… I think… I need to talk with you about something." Spyro stated, his voice sounding strange, as if he was concerned about something. "It's… important." He added, lifting his wing off Cynder.
At that, Cynder opened her eyes, slowly lifting her head to look at Spyro. The purple dragon seemed distracted, if not a little distant. His eyes were focused on the horizon, far away. His eye lids were slightly drooped and a small, sad frown tugged at his lips.
"Hey," Cynder called mellowly, softly nudging Spyro's neck with her snout again. "What's wrong?" She asked caringly.
Spyro turned to face Cynder. He ran his eyes over her, almost as if to confirm she really was there with him. Then, after a low sigh, Spyro spoke. "Cynder, you know there's… a new bad guy around, right?" He asked.
When Spyro did this, Cynder conjured memories of how she had found Spyro and his friends, covered in frostbite and cuts, cold as the grave and knocked out. She remembered Spyro waking up screaming in terror after they brought him back to the Academy, and she remembered Master Eon and Kaossandra telling them the name of the one responsible for all of it.
"Vixen," Cynder whispered the dragon slayer's name. When she did, she noticed Spyro shivered, a short, yet noticeable tremble.
"Yeah, that's the one," Spyro spat dryly, his features hiding small hits of fright. Cynder could see his pupils dilated slightly, becoming smaller.
"Well, what about her?" Cynder asked tentatively. "What's on your mind?"
"I…" Spyro started slowly. "I don't think I've ever been that scared before, Cynder," Spyro stated, his voice shaky. "Not with Malefor, not with Strykore, not with Omen," He listed, recalling each extraordinary foe with disdain. "Cynder, I couldn't do anything to her," He said, despair growing in his voice. "She defeated me and all the others like we were nothing! And now, she's out there-" He continued, gesturing out at the horizon. "-And she's coming for me- for them." He said clenching his paws to fists, the slow tremor returning to him.
Cynder realized who Spyro was talking about. He was talking about the other six dragons, the new recruits.
"Now that they are training to become Skylanders," Spyro continued. "I'm responsible for what happens to them. And… If- if she…" His voice trailed off, his shaking getting worse as he tired futilely to get out the dreaded words he wanted to say. "I wouldn't be able to live with myself, I just, I can't let her hurt them." He said somberly, slowly steadying himself.
Cynder stared at Spyro in silence. She felt a huge wave of concern wash over her, like a thick, heavy rain. She had no idea Spyro had this weight on his shoulders. Looking after six dragons and protecting them from a psychopathic dragon serial killer didn't exactly sound like an easy task, especially for a single person.
Cynder resolved to help. She had to, she cared too much for Spyro to just let him feel like he had to carry that burden on his own. So, taking a long, deep sigh, Cynder very carefully though her next words through.
"Spyro," Cynder began, calling her friend's attention. "I… understand you're going through a lot right now. You have this whole new responsibility to own up to and there's this new big bad villian to take care of. But-" She paused, looking up at her friend. "No matter how difficult things might seem... a hero always pulls through." She said, giving her friend a warm, loving smile.
Spyro's eyes went round after hearing Cynder's words. "Y-You really believe that, Cynder?" He asked.
"I do," Cynder replied, not doubting her words. "Because I met you." She added as she slowly twirled her tail around Spyro's.
Spyro's cheeks then turned a tinge of red beneath his purple scales. He looked at Cynder, his red eyes glistening, his mouth just barely open.
"He remembers." Cynder thought to herself, overjoyed. The words Cynder had spoken, had come from the heart. She remembered hearing those exact words come from Spyro, the day he and his friends helped her become a Skylander. From that day on, Cynder had treasured those words, because to her at least, they meant Spyro truly believed in her, that he really cared.
So now, during her dear friend's time of trying, she decided to open her heart, and return the words that meant so much to her.
"And, Spyro?" Cynder picked up. "I just want you to know that, you're not alone in this. You'll have all your friends behind you, you'll have Master Eon and Kaossandra to help you out and well… you'll have me too." She finished, meaning each word entirely.
However, all out of a sudden, Cynder realized something. "Well, actually…" She picked up, surprising Spyro. "We kind of have some trouble of our own." She said, as she fiddled with her paws, covering her eyes out of embarrassment. "That Muno guy? The second in command to the One-Eyed Legion? He's… still out there." She said.
"So now we have to go and find him." Cynder started up, swaying her head to the right. "Stop whatever plan his cooking up with his new minions," She added, swaying her head to the left. "And beat him in a hopefully epic fight." She finished, swaying her head to the right once again. "So, uh. We might not actually get to be here per se," She said, chuckling nervously. "But, you know what I mean." She finished, holding in one paw one of her suddenly reddened cheeks, still not looking directly at Spyro.
Spyro took a little bit to reply to Cynder's words. However, soon enough, the purple dragon spoke. "I love it when you do that." He said with a warm smile, catching Cynder off guard.
"Uh, wha-what do you mean?" Cynder asked shakily, flustered.
"You know," Spyro began. "That little-" He paused, gently swaying his head to the sides. "Head sway thing you do. It's really cute." He chuckled lightly.
Cynder then felt her whole face warm up. She suddenly shut her eyes and covered her face in her paws. She never thought her little quirk would be cute to anyone, it was rather strange to hear it from someone else, especially Spyro.
Then, Cynder felt something diferent. She felt Spyro's paws slowly grab hers, lowering them gently off her face. After this, opened her eyes to see Spyro. His red eyes looking into hers. He was smiling, a thin, warm smile. Cynder felt her heart skip a beat, beating faster, yet slower, causing a strange, tingling sensation to spread through her body.
Cynder then felt Spyro let go of one of her paws, moving it to her cheek, caressing her gently with his thumb. She closed her eyes, resting her head on Spyro's hold, enjoying the pleasant sensation.
Then, Cynder felt Spyro move her head a little, changing its position ever so slightly. Then Cynder felt Spyro kiss her. Cynder squeezed her paw, the one Spyro was holding. She kissed him back, their lips connecting gently, passion building up slowly in their kiss. Spyro kept a hold of her, still tracing his thumb softly through her cheek.
Then, Spyro and Cynder pulled away, pressing their foreheads together as they both caught their breath. Spyro was still holding Cynder's paw, but she felt that he had lowered his other paw. She couldn't see him, because her eyes were still closed, but she could feel him. The warmth of his touch, the sound of his breath, a strangely familiar smell she couldn't quite describe, all of it telling her he was there, with her.
After a moment, Spyro and Cynder separated and opened their eyes. Wide, loving smiles were on their faces.
Spyro then sighed. "Man, I forgot how good it feels to kiss you." He said glancing at Cynder's lips.
She let out a small giggle. "We should get back to the Academy," She suggested. "You have dragons to train." She reminded her friend.
"Yeah, I guess I do," Spyro acknowledged. "I'll just need to round them all up." He said, getting up on his feet. "Well, come on then-" He picked up, offering Cynder a paw to stand up. "Let's head back."
After Cynder took Spyro's paw and got on her feet, she followed Spyro back to the Academy. Both dragons flew, side by side through the clear blue sky, their hearts beating to the same rhythm.
Thomas was a small mabu, in charge of a small, ceramic stand on the flea market.
Thomas was tending to a small, clay sculpture of a lion. He was carefully wiping off some ash that had darkened the sculpture's bright red mane. Thomas hummed to himself, as he set the now sparkling-clean lion, on a counter for exposition, right beside some other clay sculptures, of rabbits, snakes, eagles and other animals.
His favourite was a large sculpture, about the size of a dinner plate, of a Roc. Not a boulder, but a large, magic bird that could control lightning. Thomas though they were pretty cool, so he carved it in a cool pose, swooping down with its talons stretched out. He also put extra effort into painting it's bright yellow, blue and orange feathers. He had it placed on display, hoping that one day someone would buy it. His best piece, and by extension, his most expensive one.
However, Thomas was tired, he had to work quite a lot recently, because of some Cyclop raiding gang that raided the market about a day ago, setting almost half the place on fire and stealing everything they could carry. In the chaos, almost half of Thoma's stock had been destroyed, so he had to make brand new pieces to sell.
The sky was dark, and cloudy, and customers were very scarce. Because of this pretty much every other shopkeeper had left early, making the flea market look almost completely deserted. This made it so that Thomas was the only person on this row of stands.
The only other person he was convinced was in the market, would be that strange red dragon, the one in charge of a stake-centred stand a few rows away from Thomas' stand. He'd only seen the guy a few times, mainly because he was hungry and had heard the red dragon sold the best steaks in the market. He was a little grumpy, but not bad enough to make Thomas think badly of him. He figured old timers had a lot to complain about.
Thomas was about to pick up another figure from a shelf behind him to clean it up. It was a figurine of a bright green dragon. It had its wings stretched out, about to take flight, but frozen in the moment, encased in clay.
But, just as Thomas picked up the dragon figurine, lifting it off it's shelf, he felt as a hideous wave of cold washed over him. As chills crawled up his spine, spreading goosebumps through his skin, he couldn't help but give out a yelp and drop the dragon sculpture to hug himself in a feeble attempt to ward off the cold.
Thomas looked down, shivering and breathing through his mouth, letting out puffs of white vapor from his mouth. At his feet, he saw the small green drago. One of its wings and it's neck had broken off the main body from the fall.
"Sorry about that." A voice said apologetically from behind Thomas.
It was the voice of a woman, but there was something about it that made it sound off. It was dry, and low. To Thomas, it sounded like the voice of a corpse. This made him turn around, very, very slowly, his shivering getting worse as he did.
When Thomas turned all the way around, he saw a person he had never seen before standing across his stand's counter, looking at his sculptures. This person was almost three times taller than Thomas, so she actually had to kneel down to get a good look at Thomas' work. She had a fox-like head, covered in snow-white fur. She had pale blond hair down to her shoulders and was covering her right eye. She was dressed strangely, in tattered clothes and covered in stained bandages.
She was also wearing a cape which covered her left shoulder. It was a bright purple, and had a strange, leathery texture, like scales of some kind.
Her arms were well built. Her left arm had a strange brown leather and gold bracer. However, the sight of her left arm made Thomas have to put conscious effort into not throwing up. After holding back a sour-tasting gag, and covering his mouth, Thomas avoided making a scene for the stranger to judge.
It looked as if from her elbow down, the stranger's left arm was a mass of dense, bubbling, ink-black tar. Thomas could hear disgusting sounds of thick, viscous bubbles popping and dripping sounds as chunky droplets of the black substance fell off the black mass that vaguely resembled an arm.
The stranger shifted focus from the sculptures, to Thomas, fixating her exposed eye on him. Her black and red eye was glassy and inexpressive, almost as if it was separate from the stranger's face. This made Thomas' chills get worse, he felt like a dot of ice was slowly being traced over him.
"Hello there," The stranger began pleasantly, giving Thomas a fanged smile. "I am Vixen, Vixen Reynald." She introduced herself. "I was wondering, do you know of any place I could get some dragon slayer gear?" She asked calmly.
Thomas took a second to process what the stranger had asked. "Excuse me, what?" Was all Thomas was able to say.
"Dragon slaying gear," Vixen repeated herself. "You know, tungsten armor, permafrost weapons, stuff for killing dragons." She explained casually.
Thomas was at a loss for words. He had absolutely no idea what this stranger was talking about. "Ma'am, I have no idea where to find what you're looking for," He stated truthfully. "Besides, why would you want to kill dragons? Aren't they heroes or something?"
"Heroes!?" Vixen roared suddenly, making Thomas let out a frightened yelp and desperately hug himself as the cold somehow kept getting worse. "Dragons aren't heroes!" Vixen picked up stridently. "They are-" She stopped abruptly.
Thomas noticed Vixen had just stopped talking. Her cold, dead gaze unfocused. Then, Thomas heard her mutter something. "Eon," She hissed with disdain. "That old fool really did it didn't he?" She asked herself, now speaking at full volume. "I suppose I should have expected him to lie," Vixen sighed. "He's awfully good at it." She muttered. "Argh, curse that old oaf!" She grumbled. "And his grumpy hag of a spouse." She finished in a mutter.
"Well, it would seem I have more work to do than I imagined." Vixen picked up, letting out a stressed-sounding sigh. "And here I thought I was just going to be able to enjoy a good hunt. In any case-" She continued, shifted her gaze through Thomas' sculptures. "-Is there any large construction work around these parts?" She asked what to Thomas sounded like a completely unrelated question. "It would be best of it was something high profile," She explained. "And flammable." She added in a mutter. "You know what? I'll search for myself, I believe I've bothered you long enough." She said, in a mellow tone.
The stranger moved as if she was about to leave, however, she stopped suddenly. Something had caught her eye. "That's a nice roc," Vixen said, pointing at the roc sculpture Thomas had made. "How much?" She asked, keeping an eye on the figurine.
Thomas swallowed hard before answering. "T-Twenty silver?" He said meekly, not wanting to get on the stranger's bad side.
To Thomas' pleasant surprise, Vixen spoke calmly. "That sounds like a fair price. It's very good work." She complimented, sounding honest in her praise.
Vixen the reached out and grabbed the roc sculpture with her left hand, the one that wasn't a black, gelatinous mass. She looked carefully at Thomas' work, a small smile tugging at her lips. "You know," She began, keeping her eyes on the roc. "I love roc birds. They are so majestic, so powerful," She said, as she looked at diferent angles of the sculpture.
"Y-Yeah, I like them too." Thomas said in a shaky voice.
"Did you know they could control lightning?" Vixen asked, looking at Thomas for a second. "A fully grown roc could brew an entire storm." She stated, her voice not making her sound like she was lying.
"And, they were really strong," Thomas added, his voice less shaky than before. His shivering reducing slightly. "They could lift horses, right?"
"They could lift elephants, my friend," Vixen corrected with a chuckle. "And even heavier beasts. They were the true apex predators of their time, fearsome enough to prey on dragons."
"Wh-What?" Thomas asked, taken off guard. "They killed dragons?"
"Oh yes!" Vixen answered enthusiastically. "They were the original dragon slayers! Their talons could slice through dragon scales like butter, their feathers and bodies were so aerodynamic, they could outfly any dragon, and their affinity for storm magic made them more than a match for even the most powerful flames any dragon could spew." She narrated, flashing her jagged, yellowish teeth in a cruel smile, that made Thomas' blood freeze for a second.
"Wow, I… I didn't know that." Thomas admitted, speaking in a low voice.
"Did you know," Vixen picked up. "That roc birds, were one of the few creatures to kill for sport?" She asked, her jagged smile growing larger. "They used to slaughter, massacre dragons. Gutting them like fish, skinning them like pigs." She hissed, morbid delight smeared on her voice. "And they didn't even eat them, they just did it because they wanted to."
Thomas felt blood drain from his face. He felt paralyzed, after hearing Vixen's speech on roc birds, he felt sick about ever thinking such foul creatures were cool.
"That's why," Vixen continued, setting down the roc sculpture on Thomas' counter before reaching for something on her back. "We modeled the Coven's Brand after them." She said as she pulled out what she had reached for.
Grabbing it in her good hand, Vixen held out a strange trinket. It was a circular necklace, made of a dark coppery metal. On its surface, was a blue carving of a roc. It had its wings stretched out and had its talons, were clasped around the eye sockets of what Thomas assumed, was a dragon's skull.
But, before Thomas could try complementing the grim trinket in an attempt to stay on Vixen's good side, the silence that hung over them was interrupted, by a loud, shrill scream of pure horror, echoing in the distance.
"Urgh," Vixen groaned in annoyance, pulling her trinket back. "I knew I should have hidden that old dragon shopkeeper's carcass a little better." She beat herself down.
Thomas noticed that the scream hadn't actually come from that far away. In fact, it sounded like it came from that dragon shopkeeper. Putting two and two together, Thomas began sweating bullets, horrified at what he feared Vixen had done.
"Anyway," Vixen picked up. "I think I have to leave now. So have this-" She paused as she reached for something else behind her back. Then, Thomas saw as Vixen pulled out a small, shiny coin, made of gold. "-And keep the change." She insisted as she laid the coin down on Thomas' counter, just before taking the roc sculpture, holding it carefully with her good hand.
Then, Vixen stood upright, casting her shadow over Thomas, who whimpered at her looming figure. Then, Vixen lifter her nose up and closed her eye. She then sniffed the air, as if she was looking for something, using only her nose. "So the purple lizard and his friends ran off east, huh?" She muttered with despise. "The hunt continues." She hissed smiling cruelly at the horizon. Then, with no warning, Vixen ran off, moving quickly to what Thomas assumed was the east heading off, not turning around.
When Vixen left, Thomas started breathing hard, resting on his counter as he caught his breath. After he was finished, something that took him a good five minutes, he let out a long relieved sigh, not just from the fact the horrible cold Vixen's presence seem to bring had finally dispersed, but because he had been fearing for his life the whole time Vixen had been around and he had been relieved of that terrible sensation. He was actually surprised he didn't get a heart attack throughout the whole exchange.
So, not wanting to tempt fate, Thomas decided to leave his stand. He picked the gold coin Vixen had placed on his counter and headed home, where he planned on staying, not eager at all for a chance to see the terrifying stranger again.
Author's notes
First of all, I want to apologise. I know this took forever and I'm really sorry about that. I really wanted to finish this chapter earlier but I just had a whole lot of other stuff to tend to. Anyway, here's chapter seven, hope you enjoy! And again, there are more chapters comeing, I promise.
-I don't own Skylander's Academy
-So many dragons in one place. What will their fates be? And how will they conect to one another?
