Act I : Rising Storm Within

Chapter 9

Truth Lies Behind Closed Doors

Each of the four sunrises and four sunsets since Tango's visit to the nursery seemed to blur together into one. They sped way too fast for his liking, each of the bright, sunny days with the occasional drizzle as uneventful as the previous. All of which happened to fall on a school day, a place the young drake attended with dread and annoyance. His mind would wander off into a different plane of thought with every passing class.

All that he could think of was his special visit with Tess, the many hours of fun they shared and the nap she took nestled in his arms. The conversation he had with his sister lingered in his mind too, but not a single regret followed it. Having that one extra unique individual in his life know more about his past didn't make him feel hurt. On the contrary, it made his heart flutter with reassurance.

But at some point in every one of these four dreadful days, his mind would revert back to that conversation regarding his birth parents, and that final sentence that ended it over and over again. It felt like he was stuck in a time loop, thanking and cursing his mind at the same time for his unexpected conclusion, that had him contemplating his doubts ever since.

"Warfang is far away from the Whispering Wilds, they'd be fortunate to even stumble upon me," He had said to his sister.

It echoed in his head as Tango paced slowly around his room, still trying to think of something, anything, that could give a legitimate reason to his multitude of questions. But he was continuously coming up short, his potential answers sounding more make-believe and from a fantasy novel than a logical conclusion that could be proved.

With each snail-paced loop he made in his room, his gaze would pan across the doorway, hoping that his answers would break it down; or at least come knocking. But it sadly never happened. Yet, it gave him a massive relief off his shoulders when a pound on his door didn't come. Because it gave him more time to put his mind to another question that dawdled in his head.

What have my parents been hiding from me?

From the day his parents showed up at his shelter in the Whispering Wilds, to this very moment in time, Tango never had to question anything they told him. He just took what they said and assumed nothing but the truth. Though, now that he started questioning the legitimacy of the so-called coincidence that was his discovery, it made him ponder everything else they ever said to him.

His heart refused to bear the concept of them lying to him, but his brain was saying otherwise, that they could have been shedding the truth from him this whole time. He shook his head vigorously, forcing himself not to quickly resort to such a rushed accusation, yet the thought still loitered.

Tango let out a huge sigh, walking up to his door as he did. "I guess there is only one way to find out." He mumbled to himself.

With a gentle grasp and pull, the lightning drake opened his door and stepped into the hallway before closing it behind him, making sure to hear the smooth clicking action of the door latch. He peered across the thirty-foot hall, seeing his sister's room with the door shut, wondering if she should be involved. But he shook his head, deducing he had bothered her enough to concern her further.

Opting to take a long way, he trudged slowly along the hallway taking deep, calm breaths to compensate for his heart pounding harder and harder the closer he got to his parent's room. With each step up the long stairs, he heard his heart up in his throat. The moment his bright blue eyes took in the sight of his parents door, he froze. His body practically reeked uncertainty, and he trembled in his own scales, the anxiety had him tuck his tail between his legs.

Taking a large inhale and gulping down his fear, Tango approached his parent's door in long, hesitant strides coming to a stop mere inches from the handle. This was it. The moment he'd been waiting for. Only a door separated him from quenching his thirst for answers, and with a loud exhale, he convinced himself to knock three times.

"Mom? Dad? Are you guys here?"

Pressing his cheek to the door, he strained his ears to try and pick up any disturbance in the room, but couldn't hear anything; not even a shuffle of paws or shifting of furniture. Sighing a little disappointment, he knocked a few more times, hoping and praying silently that they answered. His desire to find answers eating him away like a colony of termites on a log.

His head and tail slumped to the floor, upon the realization that he wasn't getting his answers today. The poor lightning drake began to turn away when he heard a lock latch emanate from his parent's door. Quickly snapping his head back, he saw his father sticking his head out into the hallway.

Spyro looked like he had just woken up from sleeping, even though the sun had been up for a few hours. His violet eyes rested on his son and immediately perked up.

"Tango? What's up?" He asked with a yawn.

"Can we talk… please? Is Mom in there too?" Tango replied immediately, his voice sounding almost desperate.

"Yes, yes, of course," Spyro nodded quickly, fully opening the door. "Come in."

Tango hesitated for a brief second before taking a couple of cautious steps into his parent's bedroom, his father closing the door behind him. He took in the room quickly, having been in it on more than one occasion.

It was circular in shape with bookcases, tables, mirrors, portraits, and other assorted decorations covering a majority of the walls. A large opening in the back led out to a private balcony with a pergola where the two mates shared many special moments, a lot of them involving wines and other brews, along with the company of a romantic view. The highlight of the couple's room, as expected, was a circular platform with a step all the way around where their large, luxurious bed rested.

Cynder was laying on the bed with an open book in paw, her eyes glued to the pages, yet oblivious to her son's entry. A generous cough from her mate pulled her emerald gaze away from the literature, a warm smile immediately spreading across her features at the sight of her child.

"Tango! Good morning, sweetie," Cynder said warmly. But her face quickly shifted into worry at seeing how preoccupied Tango seemed. "What's wrong? You look… distant."

Tango swallowed heavily as he looked up at his father, who inclined his head in the direction of the bed, inviting the young dragon to lay down. The yellow nodded and walked gingerly towards the bed, plopping down in front of his mother, feeling the soft, silk of the bed covers against his belly.

Spyro took his spot next to Cynder, both of their expressions filled with more worry, unsure of the distress that clearly filled their young child's body. His eyes averted their own intentionally; apparently a lot of talking was going on upstairs in his mind.

"Tango…?" Cynder pressed carefully. "Are you doing okay?"

His teal-blue eyes finally settled on them, his mouth slightly open, many words demanding to be released beat at the back of his teeth. Just to give himself a few more seconds at collecting his thoughts, he nodded his head.

"If you're okay… then why do you seem distressed?"

Tango knew the immediate answer to his father's question, it involves the possibility of his parents holding back the real truth of his discovery in the Whispering Wilds. But he couldn't bring himself to muster that kind of course just yet. Something of that stature needed to be developed naturally.

That's something I need to ease myself into carefully. There's no telling what hidden truth they're hiding.

"I'm actually fine. It's just…," Tango finally mumbled. "I've had a lot on my mind recently, and I just needed a release from it, if I'm completely honest with myself."

"Are you sure you're alright? You really do look like your stressed about something," His father deduced, always one to volunteer first, when it came to the well-being of others. "Talk to us, son. Let's figure things out."

"Like I said, I've been thinking about a lot of things, most of the random, but others a little more serious," Tango said. "I just needed a pair of listening ears. Figured you would help me out the best."

His parents looked at each other worryingly, leaning closer to their distraught youngling, their ears intent and focused on him, ready to receive whatever was giving his mind troublesome thoughts.

"When Avala and I were at the nursery, we talked about certain things from my past…," He began, looking each parent in the eye, trying to read their reactions. Surprisingly enough, they seemed relatively stone cold, despite the worried posture they already carried.

"…the part that hurts to talk about."

That brought out a reaction from his folks, their eyes downcasted from a past memory where they too were sadly informed of the horrors that he had endured at such a young age.

"Why did you talk about it then?" Spyro asked curiously. "If something like that hurts you, why cause yourself more mental pain?"

"I wasn't sure about it at first, but I remembered something Avala said to me, something that stuck," Tango answered. "She said, 'we can never fight our inner battles alone. I will always be there to fight them with you. Not for you…'"

"But with you," Cynder finished his sentence, nodding her head approvingly. "We taught her that years ago when you were still adjusting to the house and this new life. We never told her about the life you lived, just that you were going to be scared of the new surroundings. Of course, she believed it without question."

"It's nice to see that she is still using it for a completely different reason," Spyro, also inclining his head with praise. "But we've also talked about this, Tango. What makes you want to talk about it again?"

"Did Avala ask something else? Maybe something a little more personal?"

Yes!

"No," Tango quivered, trying to maintain a lie he knew that he couldn't keep. "But I still thought about something that I wanted to ask. I've wanted to inquire about it for a while, but I haven't…" His voice drifted, uncertainty picking at his scales, unsure if this was still such a good idea.

"Tango? We're your parents," Spyro reassured his child. "You don't have to be afraid to ask or share things with us."

Tango acknowledged with a quick series of nods. "I know, but… it's more of a matter of respect rather than being afraid."

"Sweetheart," Cynder spoke softly, leaning further towards the smaller dragon, her face inches from his muzzle. "It's very admirable of you to be respectful, but you can share these things with us. Just speak with your heart, okay?"

"Okay," Tango whispered, sniffing his nose before getting a soft kiss on his forehead, speaking with his heart was something he was especially keen on doing. "Umm… have you two ever thought about…"

He stopped himself, shifting awkwardly, still undecided about asking. But he felt it in his stomach that it was time. So, after seeing the heartening gazes of his parents, he pressed himself to try again.

"Have you ever thought about who your parents were?"

The sudden silence that filled the room made the air feel heavy to breathe, and his scales felt hot like a wildfire. It seemed like that was the kind of question that was better left unasked, but his parents didn't show any initial reaction to his words. He couldn't tell if it was shock or if it was instant relief that he didn't ask a different question.

"Well…," Tango mumbled kindly. "Was I wrong for the asking?"

His mother was the one to answer, his father was looking downcast, his violet spheres bouncing around the bed cushion. Tango could see that this question did have more of an effect on him than his mother, but there was still a little hurt across her features.

"You're not wrong for asking, Tango," Cynder answered gently, rubbing the back of her mate's neck. "It's just something we both came to terms with a long time ago. Not something we really… enjoy speaking about daily, you know?"

"Oh…," Tango understood sadly. "Did you find something out that is hard to live with?" He hoped that he wouldn't share the same fate, for sure.

Both parents nodded at him, their eyes filled with hurt at a personal memory that they preferred to be buried deep in the ground rather than dug up for the world to see. But what Tango's father said next astonished him.

"You remember the stories I told you about Ignitus, right? The ones I used to tuck you in every night when you were little?" Spyro asked calmly.

Tango replied with a nod, smiling briefly. "Those were some of my favorite stories. Makes me wish I was a little kid all over again just so I can hear them again for the first time."

"Mine too," Spyro smiled happily. "But I could never be able to describe to you what it was like to experience any type of moment with him. It was hard on me for a long time after he passed on, but I learned to not see his loss as a negative. So, I just remembered his lessons and all of our talks and created a happier memory of him. Now it feels like I've never been without him even though I am, does that make sense?"

"Yes," Tango answered quickly. "Just like Uncle Sparx, right? He's still alive but lives far away. I could imagine that not seeing him probably has a similar effect."

"Sometimes I wish he didn't return to the dragonfly village, just hearing him bicker with Cynder made me smile every day. But after your mother and I started courting, he just got more and more distant. Until one day, he said his goodbyes and left. Now, he just makes occasional visits, but you knew that already," Spyro spoke warmly. "But he's happy, so I'm happy too. We still write occasionally, but it's not the same. Nothing can fill that void in my heart."

"Life sucks," Tango groaned. "But I wouldn't trade it for anything, even if there are a lot of missing gaps that need to be filled."

"Then let's be the great parents we are and help fill some of them," Cynder insisted, smiling at Spyro with an encouraging nod. "Do you want to know about your adopted grandparents?"

The lightning dragon inclined his head with interest, finally feeling a little more at ease with his own thoughts. Letting his parents take the floor for a little bit would help him formulate his questions; the real issues he's been wanting to ask them.

"Do you want me to go first, or would you rather start?" Spyro asked Cynder, looking over at his black scaled counterpart.

"The stage is all yours," Cynder replied, nudging her mates flank with her wing. Spyro grinned at her before beginning his story.

"A few months after the war ended, citizens sent in letters from every corner of the dragon realms. All of them giving their thanks and appreciation to us for protecting them against the darkness. The two of us were practically buried in these letters for weeks, reading them for what felt like an eternity. A couple of them asking to be my mate…," He glared slyly at Cynder, who rolled her eyes. "Of course, she got some too."

"Easy buster, I still have those letters as insurance," she playfully warned.

"Anyway…," Spyro dragged on. "Despite all these letters, there was one that stood out above the rest. One that I just couldn't stop thinking about even days after reading it."

Tango listened to his father's story with high interest, taking solace in the warmth that washed over him like a soft blanket, securing him with a deep sense of serenity.

"Upon reading this letter, I knew something was special about this individual because unlike the other letters that all bore the same message of gratitude; this letter was a genuine apology for a failure that this individual claimed to be responsible for on the night the old temple was attacked. He apologized because he wasn't able to defend the eggs, as well as his own ego, from the raid. He was trying to take the full weight of the blame on his shoulders, which I immediately wasn't supporting whatsoever."

"So what did you do?"

"I took it upon myself to learn more about this dragon. So, I searched the old archives with the enlisted help of Master Volteer, and soon enough, we discovered the identity of this individual. It took us a while because we only had a name and elemental type to work with. But, after cross-referencing what we already knew with individuals that had eggs in the old temple, we found a match. His name was Avalon, a fire drake, a former temple guard, and the only one to have fathered a purple dragon egg. That's when I learned he was my father."

"But what about your mother? Did you search for her as well?" He watched the immediate pain fill his father's eyes, signifying a part of his family history he didn't like sharing.

"Unfortunately, my mother had passed away a few months after the attack simply from heartbreak over the loss of my egg," Spyro said, his voice filled with sadness. "She was an earth dragoness named Nyrinne. From what I read, she was buried in her birth village, where my father resided for a long time after her death. That's when I realized that I needed to reach out to him, to let him know that I received his message. But your mother convinced me to physically go and visit him. A decision I have yet to regret to this very day."

Cynder smiled at her mate, leaning over and nuzzling him under the chin, planting a quick peck on the cheek, causing Tango to flush with a little bit of embarrassment.

"And did you find him?"

Spyro nodded. "We found him sitting beside my mother's gravestone an hour after we landed thanks to the kind residents in the village. The moment we made eye contact, it didn't take him ten seconds to wrap his wings around me and embrace me for the very first time. The poor guy cried in my shoulder for a while, of course, I did as well. We talked and shared stories for four days before Cynder, and I returned to Warfang. And for the next eleven years, I saw my father more and more often, we exchanged letters, and made up for all the lost time. He was excited to hear about us having our first egg, just because he wanted to be called grandpa."

Tango scoffed a laugh. "Where is he now?"

"Sadly, he was killed a couple months before Avala was born. He and thirteen other villagers perished in a landslide that wiped out a small portion of the village. It took me two days to find him and a couple more days to find myself afterward. His last action was shielding a small drake from the slide; that young dragon still lives today because of my dad. He never got to meet his granddaughter, but we still shared his story with her even taking her to visit his grave."

"I'm so sorry to hear that, Dad," Tango sympathized. "He sounds like he was an amazing father. Wish he was still around, I'd have loved to meet him."

"Thank you, son," Spyro breathed shakily, a stream of tears running rampant down his cheeks. "Just know, that if he were still here with us today, he'd love you just as much as your mother and I do."

Tango nodded his understanding as he pulled himself to his paws, approaching his father and hugging him as tightly as he could. It hurt to know that his father lost someone, especially after many years of being unaware of their existence. And to see someone of his stature crumble like rain eroding a mountainside made him feel an even stronger connection with this fatherly figure, knowing that even the toughest had feelings too.

Thank you, Grandpa Avalon, for bringing this particular person into my life.

"Besides the Guardians, Avalon was the first dragon to accept Cynder for who she is and not for who she was," Spyro whispered. "It was her choice to name our first born after him, one that I had undying support for."

They shared a respectful moment of silence between each other, sending silent prayers up to the Ancestors to watch over them and all of their loved ones. Tango prayed that his parents had the answers he was seeking, but before those questions could receive their great reply, there was one more thing he wanted to know.

"What about your parents, Mom? Did you ever find them?"

Cynder's expression turned grim faster than his father's, the two trading uncomfortable glances with each other. Spyro nodded reassuringly, grasping one of her paws and firmly squeezing.

"Well, after we found Avalon and reunited him with Spyro, I started getting curious about my own family. But, unlike your father, I didn't receive any letters, no couriers, not even a falcon messenger. So, my search was far more strenuous than I would have hoped. But I kept searching, and searching, and searching, until one day, I just stopped."

"You gave up?" Tango asked perplexedly, his eyes full of confusion. "Why?"

"Because I started believing that they wanted nothing to do with the dragoness behind the genocide of thousands. Masters Cyril and Terrador understood my grief-stricken decision-making and left me to grieve on my own, but I still felt their support. But two dragons never gave up, not even after I did."

"Master Volteer and Dad."

The black dragoness nodded. "They continued the search for weeks, going through every scroll and piece of parchment regarding the Year of the Dragon and the old Temple. It broke my heart into more and more pieces for every day they didn't uncover anything. Yet, they kept their hopes up, constantly stressing that they would gift me with some form of closure."

"Did they?"

Cynder didn't reply with words, but with actions. She took to her feet and moved nimbly towards a nearby desk where she pulled open a drawer. She retrieved a small piece of parchment and a picture frame and returned to her family. With a smooth motion, she placed the piece of paper in front of Tango, her inviting gaze instructing him to open, before retaking her place next to her mate.

Tango was hesitant to open the letter, knowing that this was the answer to his question. But with a delicate touch, his paw opened the folds, revealing the cursive message that consumed almost the entirety of its surface.

To our beloved child,

We are sending this letter from the island of Shylon located in the Eastern Sea. My name is Evander, I'm your father, young one. Your mother is sitting next to me as I write this letter. Her name is Valerie.

It has come to our attention that you've been in desperate search to find your lost family. After everything that happened in the old dragon temple, we assumed the worst had occurred and that we had lost our only child. But learning the news that you're alive, fills out hearts with joy.

We're very sorry for what happened to you after that tragic night, and we understand that it was against your will. You can thank your mate, Spyro, and Lightning Guardian Master Volteer for explaining everything to us in the letters they sent. It breaks our hearts to know of the pain that you endured and the cruel actions you were forced to commit. But we wanted to let you know that all is forgiven. To think that someone could break a child's will and force them to atrocious acts is very hard to stomach.

We hope that you can find forgiveness in us for not attempting to seek you out. It shattered our old hearts to realize we'd been depriving you of our unconditional love for so long. We pray that you can discover it in your heart to make a trip out here to Shylon. Until that day arrives, we commissioned this portrait for you and your family.

We love and miss you dearly,

Mom and Dad

Tango retracted his eyes from the thoughtful parchment and found a relatively large picture frame of two shadow dragons staring down at a lone, black egg. He immediately recognized Valorie, because she looked exactly like his mother. Evander was stockier and far more significant in size than his mate, but he still carried his loving gaze at the precious, fragile egg that rested at their paws.

"Did you fulfill that desire to go see them?"

Cynder nodded happily. "It took a lot of convincing and self-motivation, but I eventually told myself that I'd regret it for the rest of my life if I didn't make that trip. So, Spyro and I left for a month to the Island of Shylon, Home of the Shadow Dragons. The best reunion I've ever had the pleasure of experiencing."

"Are they still living there?" Tango asked curiously.

"No, Tango. They aren't," his father mumbled gently. "They've passed on as well."

"What happened?" Tango pressed with concern.

Cynder sighed heavily, collecting her words before dipping her head. Her eyes remained closed as her maw opened with words.

"The people of Shylon suffered great losses when I was still under Malefor's corruption, a lot of those losses I committed," Cynder responded, her voice shuddering. "Once they connected the dots and found out where my parents lived, they took all of their frustrations and anger for me and brought that wrath down upon my parents. An angry mob formed outside their residence demanding that they pack up and leave. Friends, neighbors, and victims of my actions yelled their hatred. After my family refused, the mob stormed the house and killed my father right in front of my mother, spitting horrible, inhospitable words as they tore him apart. They spared her life, but left their mark on her chest in the form of lashings and permanently crippled her wings. Guards came and made their arrests, putting my mother under the Shylon Council's protective services. No one could get to her, and no one dared either. Their savage desire for vengeance fulfilled."

Cynder's gaze turned hazy, the moisture building in the corners, threatening to drip at any second. "I had given birth to your sister's egg a week before my dad was murdered. I was so excited to tell them they were going to be grandparents."

Tango silently gasped to himself, receiving an understanding nod from his father.

"My mother lived without my Dad's love and guidance in her final years. I was making plans to visit her when I received a falcon with a message. It was a condolence letter from the Shylon Council. My… my mother had been found in her home with her throat slashed, an apparent suicide. Avala was just getting old enough to start traveling long distances, about three years old. I was gonna surprise my widowed mother with her granddaughter. Telling a three-year-old about the death of a family member is harder than commanding a thousand armies."

Tango's shoulders sagged. He lived with the most significant family in the entire world, but he would never get to meet the ones that brought these two amazing figures into the world in the first place. He didn't share any sort of blood connection with them, but hearing of their passings still stung.

"Don't be sad, sweetheart," Cynder begged, nuzzling Tango's head soothingly. "I can't stand to see you upset."

Tango nodded his head, trying his best not to let his emotions take control of him. "How did you cope after you lost them?"

"After finding our parents and having them back in lives, you can probably guess that it was incredibly hard on the two of us to lose them all within a matter of years."

"We all lose special individuals in our lives, but how we cope with that loss is different. When I first lost my dad, I felt orphaned and frustrated with the world, blaming the environment for taking my father away from me. So, I took everything I knew and disappeared into the wilderness for a few days, and tried to find myself all over again," Spyro explained. "I quickly discovered that I physically couldn't seek vengeance against something I knew was an accident, so I let those inner impurities go after I returned to your mother."

Tango nodded, turning his attention to his mother. "Mom? What did you do?"

"After we buried my mom next to my dad, Spyro left for home while I stayed in Shylon for an additional few weeks, dealing with their belongings and getting the house taken care of," Cynder recounted. "When it was my time to return home, I took an indirect route, allowing myself to deal with my grievances. But that's when I learned that we can never fight our inner turmoils alone. By the time I had that figured out, there was a little ice blue dragoness sleeping snugly here on this very bed, about where you're laying now. My world was pulled back together the moment I laid eyes on my little baby girl. But I still feel the loving presence of my parents wherever I go."

"It reminds me of a difficult time during the war. Moments before I pulled the world back together, Ignitus's spirit came to me after he had sacrificed himself in the Belt of Fire. He told me that when a dragon dies, they do not truly leave this world. Their spirit lives on, binding itself with nature, offering hope for the future," Spyro added solemnly, missing his mentor and best friend. "So if you're feeling lost, just remember that you are never alone. Allow the Ancestor's to help guide you through your troubles."

Everything that his sister ever told him began to come around full circle. All the reassurances, all the perseverance, and all of the unconditional love Avala ever shared came first and foremost from his parent's misfortunes of losing their parents to accidents.

He almost felt convinced to just leave his parents for the remainder of the day, unsure if asking them about his own parents would be appropriate for the present situation. But the voices in his head kept reminding him, almost threateningly, to seek the truth from Spyro and Cynder.

If you continue down this path, you will find the answers you're seeking, but you may see their response to be far more painful than any wound can ever inflict.

Tango shivered in his own scales, his eyes turning almost pure white at the creepiness of the voice in his head, even though they were nothing more than his own thoughts sounding in his own voice.

"You alright son?" Spyro asked curiously, gently shaking his child's shoulder. "You look like you saw a ghost."

The lightning drake nodded his muzzle, biting his lip in discomfort. The voice continued to nag at his brain, literally feeding his larynx with the questions to ask, but he desperately fought to choke them down. He screwed his eyes shut, feeling a headache set into his skull, a pulsating throb beating inside his forehead.

He pressed a paw to his face, gently massaging his brow, breathing a soft sigh as the throbbing sensation dissipated from his head. The time to ask his parents was now, no going back, no stalling, and no fear. This task needed to be accomplished by any means necessary.

"I have to confess something to you guys," Tango said slowly. "When you asked me if Avala asked me anything else a bit more personal, I'll admit that I wasn't telling you the truth. I lied and had the stones to stand up for it."

"We know," Cynder sighed. "We taught you lots of things, but lying was never one of them. You couldn't get a lie past us no matter how hard you tried."

"Why didn't you tell us the first time?" Spyro answered the moment his mate finished. "Something happen during that discussion that made you want to maintain some form of secrecy?"

"More or less," Tango murmured.

"So, why the deception?" Cynder questioned, her voice appropriately stern and coated with authority. "Is there something that you don't feel comfortable sharing with us?"

Tango simply shook his head. "I think you both have every right to know. But I knew that asking was going to prove challenging, so I delayed the inevitable until I simply couldn't let it sit on my conscience anymore."

"What did Avala ask you?"

"She asked me if I ever thought about my own birth parents," Tango admitted, feeling a huge weight finally lift off his back. "And what I told her wasn't the complete truth. Not a single day goes by where they aren't somewhere in my thoughts, roaming freely, taunting me to keep my mind preoccupied with them."

"But…," Cynder pressed, knowing that she didn't hear the full truth.

"But, it got me delving deeper into my subconscious than I had ever dared to go," Tango said simply. "The thoughts that I discovered were dangerous, unpredictable, and bearing no remorse."

"So, you brought up the topic of our parents to rescue your own thoughts?" Spyro asked, not showing his cards, but not doing his best at trying to hide them either. "Why?"

"I needed a way to bring up the topic with ease. Diving right in would've been like trying to jump head first through a stone wall. I wouldn't have gotten anywhere fast, and I'd be dealing with an even bigger headache." He forced himself to his feet, settling himself on solid ground.

"Are you admitting to using our hardships and suffering losses to promote your own agenda?" Cynder challenged.

If Tango was entirely honest with himself, unleashing the anger that was building in his mother's chest wasn't foreseen. But he quickly realized that if he was going to get what he wanted, he was going to have to drop the peaceful approach.

"I'm not despicable!" Tango exclaimed. "I actually wanted to know how you coped in life without a parent. What I wasn't expecting, was the reveal of my adopted grandparents that you've kept from me."

"We don't keep things from you, Tango," Cynder explained. "You just don't ask. If you don't ask us something, we don't have to tell. We don't mean to sound harsh, but that's just how things work."

"So why all the secrecy and deception?"

"You'd be mindful to watch your tongue. You're treading dangerously close to grounds you'd be wise not to get yourself into," Spyro warned.

"No, father, I think I do," Tango shot back. "If it means getting some sort of answer out of you."

"I thought you wanted to ask about your birth parents?"

"I wouldn't be in this room if I didn't want to know about my birth parents."

Tango argued his case, his voice rising to a near shout. "In fact, I started getting ill thoughts after hearing your heartbreaking stories about your own parents and the hardships you endured. But then I realized I couldn't beat this dead horse any longer. I needed the answers to the questions that have been gnawing at my head since the nursery visit."

Both of his parents were taken back by his sudden outburst, never before had they seen him argue for something like this, especially with such ferocity. But they didn't snap back, that was something they learned a long time ago, that you can't put out a raging inferno with a fire of your own. Instead, they replied as softly and as gently as their voices could muster.

"What do you want to ask, Tango?" Spyro said first.

Tango fumed furiously, taking a long series of deep breaths, bringing his anger and building rage to an even playing field. He was stunned that his emotions had dialed up to anger he hadn't tapped into in years. But it worked! His parents submitted to him. Now was his chance, his moment, to ask them for the truth.

"Did you ever search for them at any point?" His question rolled off his tongue with ease, any past uncertainty dissipated like mist.

"Yes, during the process of adopting you, we had to prove you were indeed orphaned and without immediate family. But no one came forward during the one month available to anyone that dared to appeal our right to adopt you. Besides the orphanage of course, but I'm sure you know of that failed attempt."

"Avala took the liberty of making me well aware," Tango breathed, picking at one of his claws with disinterest. Of course, they'd talk about this.

"Other than that, we reached out to outlying villages near where you were found, but no one acknowledged their potential possession over you. Signed your adoption papers on the morning of the thirty-first day."

"Very well, at least you tried," the yellow drake said blandly. Well, that was a dead end! I need a different approach.

"If we could revert back to your visit to the nursery real quick," Spyro asserted. "What did Avala have to say about you not caring about your birth family?"

Read my mind, father!

"Firstly, Avala asked me if I should put in some effort to give my parents some sort of closure, to let them know that I'm alive and safe," Tango began, clicking his tongue. "But, being as ignorant and stubborn as I can get, I said if they want to find me, they can go right ahead; because it didn't matter to me what they were feeling."

"But wouldn't that only hurt you more in the long run if you didn't try and look for them?"

"Maybe the Tango from a few days ago would've answered with something foolish and ignorant to that question," Tango growled. "But I recently had a revelation that changed my attitude. That's when I started asking myself these questions. For instance, why haven't my birth parents found me yet? It's been over ten years, where's my letter? Where's the closure that I seek?"

"They could've gotten lost, searched the surrounding villages, or they've given up their search altogether," Spyro slowly listed after giving the question some thought. "But that's just my belief. I am sure there are dozens of other reasons."

"All likely possibilities, but none of them make sense to me," Tango pointed out. "Like the first assumption about them getting lost. In my opinion, you technically can't get lost if you never had a destination set in mind in the first place. So that takes that possibility out of play for that reason alone."

Tango didn't even wait for a counterargument as he set into his next batch of reasoning. But he did notice his father swallow with subtlety. Something the lightning drake was saying clearly opened something in the purple drake's thoughts. So he continued to delve even deeper with a bit of restraint.

"Riddle me this, Warfang is roughly a full days flight from the Whispering Wilds, yes." His parents nodded. "But there are no villages in-between here and there, meaning my parents could have easily stumbled upon the city by a complete accident and still would've been able to find me. Yet, here I remain in this home with this family. After ten years, if I might add."

This time, his mother adjusted her position with the support from the multitude of pillows that littered the bed. Nothing about what she layed on should've made her feel uncomfortable. Tango was now starting to see that they didn't like where this conversation was headed.

"What about the last reason?"

"A parent never gives up on their children," Tango stated with a hard stare. "Nothing in this world would stop a parent from looking for their lost child either. They'll move cities, level mountain ranges, and drain oceans until that youngling is reunited with them. Am I wrong or is it just select parents that do that?"

"You speak with logic and have a decent hold on some common sense," Cynder mumbled. "But your methods of sharing information can be better if you weren't so condescending."

"If I had kept on talking sweet and acting like I didn't care about this, you would never be straight up with me. You'd beat around the bush while I'm trying to go for the roots," Tango reasoned, his voice raised and his eyes defiant. "Which is why I'm a little condescending because I believe you're hiding something from me. And I have every right to know!"

"We're not hiding anything from you, Tango! You're way in over your head about this. This needs to stop. Please," Cynder begged, the hurt finally reaching her gaze. "We do the things we do to protect you."

"Protect me?" Tango scoffed. "Hiding information is not protection for the one receiving, it's for the one giving it. Keeping this from me is doing you more harm than you think because don't think I haven't been reading you this entire time. I know I was striking all sorts of nerves. Actions speak louder than words."

What are you doing, Tango? These two raised you since you were seven. You can't break them down like this! It's not right. They deserve better! Don't say something that you will later come to regret. Whatever wounds you create now may never heal! Please don't put yourself through this emotional torture anymore!

Tango moved away from them, pacing back and forth trying to maintain a strong front. The inner angels and demons starting a war in his mind. He was collapsing in on himself, his very foundation of reasoning crumbling beneath him. Yet, his train of thought finally hit him with a saving miracle. His paws halted as he squared his shoulders directly as his parents.

They're still hiding something that you deserve to know. Just look at how guilt-ridden they are? If they really loved you, they'd tell you everything! You'd better say something now while you have control of the reins. If this is so important to you, bending them to your will be easy. Unless you're too big of a coward?!

"How did you find me that night?"

"What?"

"The night you found me on the verge of death outside the Whispering Wilds," Tango jabbed through gritted teeth. "How did you find me? Because it couldn't have been by some stroke of luck. Neither of you could've made that sound believable."

Both of his parents were lost for words, looking into each other's eyes, seeing the fearful dilation of their pupils surrounded by white. They knew something that they didn't want to share, but Tango had them on the end of a thin rope, threatening to let go if his question wasn't answered.

Gotcha!

"Well…!" Tango demanded, almost spat.

Spyro and Cynder still remained silent, trying their damnedest to recollect and rebuild their collapsing thoughts. But while Spyro somehow managed to maintain his bearing, Cynder sighed in utter defeat, looking at her baby with a sad face.

"Tell me now!"

"It wasn't by some stroke of luck that we found you that unforgettable night," Cynder admitted, closing her eyes in shame.

"Cynder!" Spyro hissed under his breath, begging her to stay quiet. "What are you doing? He can't know about them! We vowed to keep this information a secret!"

Them!

Tango felt his chest seize and his stomach turned itself entirely inside out. His parents knew about his birth parents the whole time. It felt like his beating heart was ready to burst from his rib cage. He couldn't have predicted a bigger betrayal than this. Now his mind was reverting back to before he knocked on their door. All this time, he had been living under a roof of lies and deception, committed by the ones he thought he could trust.

"He would've found out sooner or later," Cynder replied blandly. "We can't keep hiding behind this curtain of lies forever. Besides, I think it's time we told him everything. We owe it to his parents, and we owe it to him. The truth deserves to be brought to light."

Spyro groaned but chose not to argue with her decision. His whole body slumped in defeat, the realization that what he had been hiding all these years was finally rearing its ugly face, mocking him and completely breaking his whole foundation to dust. The Legendary Purple Dragon that saved the world was also a liar and a cheat.

"What do you mean them?"

Tango shuddered as his mother looked him directly in the eye, the unbelievable amount of hurt covering the entire surface of her once beautiful, trustworthy eyes revealed the stranger beneath. He could see that this has been eating at her the most, keeping the truth from one of the two things that kept her grounded: her little electric dragon.

"I'm so sorry, Tango," Cynder rasped. "We should've told you the truth from the very beginning."

Please don't say it, Mom! Please don't tell me what I think you're going to say! No! This can't be happening! Why did I have to open my mouth?

"Tango…," Cynder croaked, doing her absolute best not to cry. "It's time we told you the truth about your parents. It's time we told you the truth… about everything. It… all goes back to the Festival of the Saviors nearly eighteen years ago…"

A/N: As promised, here is the second update! Got some nice feedback as well as a few new favorites and follows! I hope I can break fifty and fifty with the next couple of chapters.

I am going to continue to keep you all updated on the progression of chapters via my author page. It's something I've seen on other writer's pages and figured it would be a smart addition to my page as well. I'll be updating it randomly, but at least you guys will have an idea of when the next update will take place.

Finally, I give another big thanks to my Beta-Reader, TheDragonPhylakas. Check out his story, The Link to Connect Them All

Until next time, I hope you enjoy!

Atlas FF Out!