Hey everyone! Look whose back. XD more importantly, the chapter! :D This is a very special chapter I bring to you today. Why you ask? Because it's on a very special day of course. XD CHRISTMAS DAY!
BTW, I REACHED 10! XD chapter 9-10
And I wasn't suppose to update this chapter today, you know why? Because the world was suppose to end on the 21st but look, we're all here, imagine that. XD
Just a few things I want to say first. Um… I have received a lot of offers of other peoples' OC's, people wanting them in my story. I really, REALLY appreciate the offers but I'm going to turn them down for the time being. I don't want to sound rude but I have plenty at the moment and can't think of adding any more. Plus, I like to keep most of the OC's in my story mine. However, doesn't mean I won't accept any offers, I will one day but right now, I'm pretty full. Sorry
Anyway, I think I said enough. ON WITH THE CHAPTER! XD
Chapter 9
A lone purple dragon rested on the stone hard ground near the a great hourglass. Hundreds of book were sprawled out in the chamber, all stacked on each other and not one appeared to be placed back in its spot on the bookrack. Not long after, the purple dragon started to flinch and churn as he slowly began to wake up. Spyro started to groan a little as his body regained consciousness. He then finally opened his eyes but was surprised by what he saw. He hoped to see his beautiful black dragoness, Cynder all curled up next to him but instead all he saw was an hourglass and a room filled with hundreds of books, but not neatly.
Spyro instantly knew he was in the Chronicler's world, and he felt joy that Ignitus had summoned him to meet again. However, a thought just entered his mind, is it good or bad? Spyro was a little worried now why Ignitus had brought him here but one other thing entered his mind: where was he?
After Spyro scanned the whole room with no sign of the Chronicler, he began to get up. The purple dragon slowly rose to his feet, feeling a bit stiff from his nice sleep. Once he was on all fours, he began to stretch out his front paws until he heard a blissful pop from his joints. He opened his mouth wide in a big yawn with his tongue curled. Finally, he felt a wave of weakness flow in but only for a short while, and then a wave of relaxation settled in.
Spyro stood all the way up and was about to walk around, however, his mind thought back on Ignitus. He still wasn't to be seen. This puzzled the purple dragon, for usually he was here.
"Ignitus?" Spyro called softly, but there was no answer.
"Huh…" he sighed.
Spyro then was about to walk around in search for the pale blue dragon but something caught his eye. He looked over and two different books stacked on top of each other stood out to him. He walked over to the books curiously. Once he reached them he could see that the book on top read 'Singe' in fancy lettering. Spyro's eyes widened once he realized whose book it was. Nevertheless, there was still a book on the bottom. The purple dragon dragged the top book off and sat it down closer to him. This one read 'Zackary' in its fancy lettering also.
Spyro looked back in forth throughout the chamber, now hoping the Chronicler wasn't in the room to see him sneak the books. Once he noticed the room was clear, he grabbed the two books in his jaws, walked back over to the hourglass, and sat down back on his hunches.
Spyro first started with Singe's book. He opened the hard cover up and the first thing on the first page was a picture of a redish egg with orange strips. "This must be his egg." Spyro thought.
Spyro spent the next ten minutes reading as much as he could about the red dragon. Spyro noticed how caring he was, how much he cared about his younger brother, and what he would do to protect him. But unfortunately, he also read about the day when Cynder attacked their home. The pictures of what happened that day were truly heartbreaking. He felt for Singe and Cynder, both going through something so tragic. Nevertheless, he then noticed all the good things about Singe after the war in his tribe; he seemed much happier and more loving to his brother.
"Maybe this wasn't a bad thing." Spyro thought. He then quickly looked into Zackary's book; like with Singe's, the first page was a picture of a charcoal black egg. Spyro thought the same and again, started to read it.
He too noticed how loving, affectionate, sensitive, and well helping this dragon truly was, not the way he acted towards Cynder. But then Spyro read a little deeper into the book, to when the attack was brought forth. He noticed in the words and pictures a young hatchling completely heartbroken and terrified by what was going on around him. Spyro felt for both of them. However, same as Singe, he looked at all the good things after the fact. He found something that is hard to find in good relationships between brothers; love, trust, and companionship stronger than Spyro have seen before. Almost like Sparx and him.
He looked into Zackary's book a little longer, getting deeper into the pages, until he noticed something that all made sense in regard to Zackary's anger and fear towards Cynder. Spyro found a page that showed Zackary having a nightmare. But not just any nightmare, a horrible dream where Spyro and Cynder met up with a young black dragon who was laying down in comfort on a peaceful day. He read that Zackary became excited to see his hero stop by, but then he learned about the purple dragon's friend, Cynder. Spyro told him she wasn't evil but Zackary wouldn't listen. Cynder agreed with the black dragon and turned on the purple dragon. Just after, Cynder grew back into her massive evil self and killed the purple dragon, then turned towards the black dragon and advanced on him to take his life. However, Zackary was woken up by the shaking of his brother.
Now Spyro knew. He knew why Zackary was so frightened of Cynder. What he saw in his dream, he thought it was really going to happen because it was so real to him. This was the reason why Zackary was so defensive. This was why he said the things he said. He thought he was being tricked.
"Oh, wow. So this is why Zackary said those hurtful things to Cynder. His dream lead him to believe what wasn't true," Spyro spoke quickly.
"Yes, dreams can become so powerful, that they seem almost real, don't you think?" a familiar voice echoed in the chamber.
Spyro flinched at the sound of the voice and instantly turned towards the source. He noticed a pale blue elder dragon walking around the mighty hourglass.
"Ignitus!" Spyro said in shock. "Um, uh, I-I was just uh…" He stuttered in his words feeling a little guilt for looking in the Chronicler's books.
Ignitus laughed at the purple dragon's babbling. "Not to worry, young dragon, these books are for anyone worthy enough to read up on their knowledge and you so happen to be one of them," Ignitus smiled.
"Anyone worthy?" Spyro repeated. "So, is that the reason that you can summon me here?"
"Well, no, I can summon anyone to this sacred place. However, a Chronicler only summons those who are in need or bring help to the world." Spyro didn't say a word, only nodded. A few moments went by in which neither dragon spoke, but Spyro finally broke the silence.
"It's so nice to see you again, Ignitus, but why did you summon me here again?" Spyro questioned.
"Ah, yes, I summoned you here so we can talk about a few things," the Chronicler responded as he walked around the hourglass until he was right next to Spyro. The purple dragon stood up but stayed in the same place, just so he didn't have to look up to the tall dragon as much.
"…I see you've met up with other dragons," Ignitus spoke.
"Yeah, they—" Spyro was cut short when Ignitus waved a paw.
"No need, young dragon," the blue dragon said as he brought his paw down." I knew about your entrée into the cave from the storm, and I knew who was inside. I've been expecting you to meet them quite some time now."
Spyro thought about what he said before answering.
"So wait, does that mean…you lead us to Zackary and Singe?" Spyro questioned on his theory.
"Ha-ha, your mind has endless wonders, young dragon. But yes, I did lead you and Cynder to Singe and Zackary. They need your help," Ignitus stated
"Huh, why would they need our help?"
"Spyro, they need your help because like you and Cynder, they have achieved new abilities. However, it's still out of their knowing. They have had slight appearances, but nothing they've noticed. It is your job to help them find their new gift and master them. It is the only way to help in this upcoming war."
"Ok, I'll do it," Spyro exclaimed, not wanting to let his idol down. But after a moment Spyro realized the words Ignitus said, the words about the upcoming war. Was it true? Was the war really back? But who was it lead by? The purple dragon began to worry as the words echoed in his head.
"Ignitus, what are you talking about this war? All you told me last time was the war wasn't over, and then Cynder and I had to fight off a few grublins. Please tell me what's going on," Spyro pleaded. He stared at the elder dragon with a confused look across his features, desperately waiting for an answer.
"Spyro, this is the main reason why I brought you here today. Please, sit down. This isn't going to be easy to say." The pale blue dragon sighed and slowly sat down on his hunches. Spyro on the other hand didn't sit down just yet, his expression showing fear. He feared what the elder dragon was going to say.
"W-what are you saying?" Spyro blurted out but didn't realize he yelled. But he suspected he already knew what the elder dragon was going to say.
"Spyro, this isn't easy to say but…" He trail off. Spyro had to know but it was so hard for Ignitus to tell him. "Malefor has returned."
Once the words slid out of his muzzle, Spyro's heart sank to his stomach. A much bigger wave of fear and anger flooded inside of him.
"What!?" Spyro shouted as if he was surprised, but he had already expected that was the case. Still, the sound of the other purple dragon's name sent spikes of fear through every single bone in Spyro's body.
"Bu-but that's impossible. Cynder and I, we defeated him. How…how can he come back?" Spyro felt his rage and anger grow stronger at the thought of Malefor's return. However, a new feeling came to him and this one was guilt. He felt guilt for not stopping Malefor for good.
"I'm not sure, but the main thing is, you must stay out of his path. He's much stronger and you're not ready to face him again, y—" He was cut short when Spyro interrupted.
"This is all my fault," Spyro whispered.
"Come again?" Ignitus asked.
"Malefor returning. It's all my fault. If I had just killed him myself instead of the spirits dragging him into the ground, then he wouldn't have returned." Spyro stood there with his head hanging down in shame.
"Spyro, you shouldn't blame yourself for an unpredictable predicament. You have done what you were destined to do. There is no shame in that," Ignitus said, trying to cheer up the purple dragon.
"But, I didn't complete my quest," Spyro hesitated.
"Spyro, you've done more than a young dragon your age could ever dream of doing. You've defeated Malefor and reformed the world, and let's not forget you've brought peace to the lands," he declared proudly in excitement for his young pupil's achievement.
"Yes, but only for a short while," Spyro cut in before turning his back towards the blue dragon and walking a few steps away.
"That may be so, but your accomplishments are far greater than anyone could expect, even yourself. Spyro. Even though the war hasn't ended entirely, you stopped the world from disintegrating and I know you can do it again. You're now stronger, and you have companions to help. In your future, you will become a friend to many," Ignitus said, inspiring the purple dragon a bit in his words.
"Yeah, thanks, Ignitus. You always help me when I need it." Spyro smiled at the blue dragon and he smiled back.
"Just remember, your friends will be with you to help. You may only have Cynder and Sparx for now, but I can assure you, you'll have lots of friends that will care about you in time." Now it was Ignitus' turn to smile and make the purple dragon smile back.
"Hm…" The blue dragon thought about something.
"Anything wrong, Ignitus?" Spyro asked worriedly.
"Ah, why don't we take a little stroll through the chambers, just talk for a little, hm?" he asked. Spyro didn't say a word, he just nodded in agreement.
Ignitus slowly rose to his feet while Spyro was already up and standing next to him. Once he had fully risen, he nodded his head forward, telling Spyro to head on. Now both dragons were slowly walking, passing room after room through the Chronicler's sacred habitat. About ten minutes passed and the two dragons didn't say a word to each other, just enjoying their walk and looking around the place. Then, after another five minutes or so of walking, Spyro finally broke the silence.
"Ignitus, do…do you happen to know about our new…abilities?" Spyro hesitated at first but managed to finish his sentence.
"Why yes, of course I do." Ignitus chuckled a little. "Yes, you have the ability to see in the future and Cynder has the ability to heal. And might I say, you two are really getting the hang of it."
"Yeah, that's kinda what I want to talk to you about…" Spyro paused. "I don't know how we managed to get new powers. I thought that wasn't possible."
Ah, yes, it's quite possible, young dragon. But only certain dragons can have the chance to gain new elements. You and Cynder just so happened to be two of them."
"Yes, but how, how are we able to have them and from what, for what?" Spyro asked, hoping to get his answer *from* Ignitus but he didn't receive the answer he was hoping for.
"I'm sorry Spyro, but I cannot share this information with you just yet," Ignitus murmured.
"Oh, ok…I understand," Spyro spoke timidly. He hadn't received the answer he was looking for, but Ignitus said he would tell him and that was enough for him at the moment.
"Cheer up, Spyro. I can't tell you because it'll rewrite what's already been written. Just let nature take its course and you'll know its true meaning," Ignitus said. Spyro didn't say a word. He just smiled at the elder dragon as they continued to walk down the halls.
Another ten minutes or so passed and both dragons continued to walk around a maze of rooms and chambers, but to Spyro, old memories started to flow into his mind. They walked into each and every element chamber Spyro had to defeat over three years ago, except, there wasn't any weird orb creatures after him, just the floating books and such Spyro chuckled quietly to himself as he remembered what he had to do to prove to the Chronicler that he was what he said. He thought about how young he was then; three years past, but it only seemed a few months to Spyro considering he and Cynder were crystallized for three years. Time had seemed to go by like a dream to him, Sparx, and Cynder.
The whole trip proved to bring back memories to the purple dragon. However he couldn't make out if they were pleasant ones. But the whole time they walked around Spyro maintained a grin across his features. After another ten minutes of walking in silence, the two dragons finally made it back to the mighty hourglass. Spyro stopped at the hourglass but Ignitus kept walking until he reached a pile of books.
"My, my, have I sure made a mess with all these books. Well, I guess I should start cleaning up," the blue dragon spoke before he used his mind to slowly hover the books back into their spot on the bookshelf. Spyro then sat back down on his haunches and gave a big yawn as exhaustion settled back in; his body was asleep when he was summoned, and now his mind *was starting* to feel it. Ignitus noticed Spyro's head bobbing and realized he should head back into the real world.
"Spyro, as much as I hate to end this reunion, I think it's time to send you back to Cynder and the other two dragons," Ignitus suggested, and instantly Spyro started to fade away.
"Wait, Ignitus, I still have questions to ask you," Spyro protested
"Go back to the real world. I will summon you back another time, don't worry. Oh, and tell Cynder about my appearance, but nothing else." That was the last thing Ignitus said. Spyro gave a nod just in time before the blue dragon vanished from his sights.
*.*.*
Spyro's eyes slowly started to twitch as he started to wake up. He moaned a little as he slowly opened his eyes and pushed up with his two front paws. He looked around but barley saw anything; the torch had burned out hours ago. He still felt tired and could notice the other dragons were still sleeping so he could tell it was still night. He then looked under his wing; he smiled when he could make out a dragoness under it. She hadn't moved since they've fell asleep just hours ago. Though Spyro hated to do it, he decided he needed to get up and walk around the cave. After what Ignitus told him, he felt a little restless that Malefor had returned.
Spyro then held his breath as he slowly rose from his spot and hoped he wouldn't wake up his dragoness. However, Spyro stopped immediately and held his breath a bit longer when he noticed Cynder's paw was lying against his right flank. Spyro then sat back on the ground, took a paw and, slowly and lightly, he grabbed her forearm and placed it on the ground next to her other paw. Spyro then released the breath he had been holding in a sigh of relief that he didn't wake her. Spyro was now able to retract his wing fully and slowly rise again. Once he was completely up on all fours, he slowly stepped around the black dragoness and out to the doorway of the room-like cave.
Once he was about to step out of sight of all the dragons, Spyro stopped and turned around to look back at the black dragoness. Even though it was hard for him to see, he managed to see a faint outline of her figure. This put a smile on the purple dragon's features to see her. After he was done staring, he turned back around and continued to walk out into the cave hall.
Spyro wasn't in a big hurry, and his pace was slightly slower than average. Spyro just couldn't get the thoughts out of his head. How was it possible? How could it happen? How could he have let it? The guilty thoughts ate away his mind and left only sorrow behind for him to dwell on. He wished he knew what he did wrong; he wished he knew what he could do to stop the Dark Master before he could regain power and become stronger like Ignitus mentioned. This was the main reason why he left Cynder and his sleep to walk around; to get the guilty thoughts out of his mind.
He wandered the cave, curious to see if there were any other rooms or chambers other than the one they were sleeping in. However, after a near twenty minutes of searching, Spyro didn't locate one other entrance, not even a crack in the wall that could stand for a potential lair. After his search with no success, Spyro became bored. He didn't want to head back to sleep. He wanted to empty his mind completely and he knew just what would work; if it was out.
It didn't take long afterward until Spyro reached the cave entrance where it opened up wide. In the course of his searching he had gotten closer to the beginning of the cave. Immediately, the cave started to light up brighter as he made it closer to the opening. Unlike the dull blue light from the odd crystals, this light was softer, brighter, more intriguing to Spyro's view. The light grew brighter as he went further, the full and shaded aqua light bringing joy and happiness to the purple dragon.
At last, Spyro reached the entrance of the cave and waiting for him was the warming light of the two celestial moons. Spyro was surprised that the moons would be out; the storm that covered their beauty had now fully vanished. Spyro slowly walked to the cave ledge and once he was close enough, he sat down on his haunches and stared at the glorious moons with a big grin on his muzzle. Now, the thoughts about Malefor seemed to melt away and all he could think of what the two moons.
Spyro breathed in deeply, the scent of fresh dew in the air sending a wave of relaxation through his entire body, cooling him with its fragrance. Then he slowly exhaled the soothing breath in a calming sigh. For once since after the battle of Malefor, Spyro was completely at ease. His body didn't feel pain or stress. The only thing he wished was for Cynder to enjoy such a beautiful night with him by his side.
Spyro stayed in the same place for over an hour. He never wanted to leave an opportunity like what he was witnessing. He wanted to stay and fall asleep in the same spot, enjoying every last second of it. However, Spyro did start to doze off, and after his head bobbed the third time, Spyro realized he was falling asleep. Spyro immediately rose to his feet. He wanted to stay but he also wanted to be with Cynder. He then realized that he actually left her alone with the dragon that didn't trust her, and this worried him a little but nothing too serious.
Spyro gave one last glimpse at the two magnificent moons before making his way back into the cave. On the way back, Spyro walked a little faster than when he walked up. Now that he was free from the moons' trance he could now focus on Cynder. It only took Spyro about a decent ten minutes to make it back into the cave-like room. Once he entered, he slowed his pace so he wouldn't make too much noise to wake anyone up. Then his sights fell on Cynder. She was still lying in the same spot as when Spyro left, and he chuckled when he noticed.
Once Spyro finally made it back to his resting spot next to Cynder, he crouched down and wiggled his way back like he was earlier. Spyro then grabbed her talon, the same that was on his flank, picked it up and placed it back in the same spot as before. Before Spyro dozed off into his sleeping realm, he kissed Cynder on the top of the head and whispered, "Goodnight," to her. Cynder grew a grin across her muzzle, and she groaned a few times before going silent again. Spyro finally draped his leathery wing over the black dragoness to keep her warm and to stay close to her. Spyro then soon dozed off into a deep sleep with a grin on his muzzle.
*.*.*
Six years had passed and the dragon hatchling had grown to four times her original size. Her wings had grown even bigger and could almost support her weight in a full flight, but all she could do was manage a simple glide in the air. The horns on her head were no longer nubs, yet they were still too small for any protection. Her claws had grown even more and could do a little damage but still they were too small also. However, her whole appearance had changed and now she looked a lot more mature. Nevertheless despite her growth she was still too young and not ready to fight in the war just yet. She needed more time but time was what they didn't have. They named the black dragoness Cynder, as Rulock called her.
"Master Rulock, Master Rulock. Look at what I caught!" the little six-year-old dragoness shouted with a small rabbit in her jaws, running as fast as she could across the cave floor. She continued to run happily towards her caring master until she ran into a dark room. The room's only lighting was an eerie red glow from a few torches on the walls and in the middle of the room stood a dark shadow of a figure. The little dragoness looked a bit scared at the place's appearance but nonetheless she continued to walk towards the figure.
Once Cynder was only a few meters away from the dark figure, she stopped dead in her tracks once she noticed who it was. She gave a small gasp and dropped the tiny rabbit onto the ground. "Oh no," she whispered. When the dark figure turned around into the dim light, it was Gaul. She was instantly filled with fear at the sight of the monstrous ape. She started to slowly back away but didn't run because she had been told to obey the ape.
"Where have you been!?" the ape shouted, his voice echoing throughout the cave. "You should've been here hours ago training, not messing around!"
"I-I'm sorry, I, uh, just…" the young black dragoness stuttered and looked down in shame. Gaul then noticed the carcass of the small rabbit lying next to her on the ground.
"What is this!?" Gaul spat as he viciously grabbed the small, dead animal and shook it high in his bony hand.
"Uh, m-master Rulock sent me to hunt. H-he said it will help me lean how to kill," the black dragoness spoke in fear. She couldn't tell what the ape would do. All she wished was for her master to return.
"This is unacceptable!" he screamed. He then chucked the dead animal straight on the ground before grabbing his swords that was on his back and slicing the rabbit in two. He then stared at the dragoness with hatred in his eyes. The 6-year-old dragoness slowly stepped back in fear; she knew he was going to do something to her. The black dragoness had the thought to run away, but just before she could act on this decision the massive ape king grabbed her by the throat and jerked her off the ground and high in the air.
"Listen to me you little brat. You are being trained to kill, which means you should be killing things twice the size you are, not pathetic rodents!" he hollered. "I should end your life for this!" The black dragoness had tears that started to fall from her eyes. She then started to cry abundantly as she heard the ape say he wanted to kill her.
"That's enough, Gaul!" a voice echoed loudly throughout the cave. Both Cynder and the ape looked and saw a dim figure in a robe, only meters away.
"Gently lower Cynder to the ground," Rulock spoke. Gaul growled and delayed for a few moments but finally lowered the black dragoness and let her go gently on the ground.
"Rulock!" Cynder hollered as she bolted towards the mystery figure. Rulock saw the black dragoness running to him so he bent down to his knees. Once the black dragoness was close enough, Cynder jumped into his covered hands and he slowly rose. Cynder was so relieved he came when he did. If he didn't, she knew she would have been severely injured like many of her past encounters with Gaul. Once Rulock had his dragoness, he stared back at the ape king.
"Gaul, I thought we had an agreement when it comes to this dragoness," Rulock questioned the ape king.
"Rulock, it's not going to learn a thing if it brings back worthless rodents like this," Gaul retorted as he scooped up the two halves of the dead carcass and showed the hooded figure what she brought back.
"Gaul, first of all, it has a name and her name is Cynder. Second of all, you can't expect a young creature to bring you something twice as big as itself. You've got to start small, learn the techniques before handling something greater." Once he finished, he slowly petted the young dragoness from her head to her tail.
"I thought we had an understanding but it seems you ignored it like you usually do with anything else." Gaul gave a deep growl in response to the figures words. "Just return to your post and stay away from Cynder for the time being. She will be ready before the time comes. Just get your army ready," Rulock finished before turning around and walking out the entrance of the cave-like room he came from, leaving the ape king alone.
Rulock continued to walk down the hall. It got pitch black but only for a few seconds before even more torches lit up the rest of the hall but still had that eerie red lighting. Cynder kept looking up and down, between her master and the ground. She wanted to make sure they were further away from the ugly ape. She waited a few more moments before she finally spoke.
M-master Rulock?" She hesitated.
"Yes?" he replied back but maintained his stare on what was ahead of him.
"You didn't think my catch was pathetic, did you?" she whispered softly, worried if the ape was right.
"No, no, for your first catch, you did well." Rulock looked at the black dragoness but Cynder couldn't tell what his expression was. All she saw was darkness from a shadow.
"You really think so?" Cynder asked as she started to get excited.
"Absolutely," Rulock announced, and even though the young black dragoness couldn't see his features he had a small grin behind the shadows of his dark robe.
Deep down, Cynder wanted to shout out in excitement but she held it in as she did not was to act as if she was five. She wanted to act older in front of her master.
Three days later, Cynder wanted to go out on another hunt. She wanted to really impress her master so she was on the hunt for something bigger than a rabbit. Her hopes were to catch a young doe of if she was lucky, or maybe a bobcat, but she could only hope for so much. Anything else would be too big for her to carry back, especially if she was far out. Cynder wandered for hours. She started to tire out and wanted to head back but she didn't want to disappoint her master. She wanted to show him she had potential.
A few more minutes passed by and still no luck for Cynder. She had now became very tired of looking, and she also realized she was too far out, so she called it quits and started to head back. Depressed, Cynder moped with her head hanging in disappointment as she slowly walked back to her so called home.
As she walked back empty-handed, she thought about the place she lived, her home. Was this truly home for a young dragon, with the punishments and beatings she received almost every time she encountered the ape king? Was this life for a dragon or was there something else she didn't know about? Her mind wandered over the questions. What was her true reason in life?
More time passed and the young black dragoness started to get closer to her home. She still felt disappointed for not catching anything, let alone see anything. She tried not to dwell on it but as the minutes ticked by, the thoughts grew stronger. It wasn't until another ten minutes passed when Cynder heard something in some bushes nearly ten meters away from her. She froze instantly, took her tiny wing, and brought it forward, close to the side of her head to get a better sound of the ruckus. Her heart pounded when she could make out what the sound belonged to; it was a fairly large animal, just as she'd hoped for.
Cynder instantly crouched into a pouncing position as she crawled to some trees on the far side of the shrubs. She didn't know what the animal could be, or if it was something that could be hunting her. She didn't actually know what kind of creatures could hunt her; she was too young. Nevertheless, in disregard to her lack of knowledge, young Cynder slowly crept closer, from tree to bush, to the possible catch.
Finally, after what felt like hours of sneaking closer to the prey, Cynder finally reached the other side of the bush. Now it was only a few leaves that separated her and her anonymous pray. She crouched even lower, her wings draping back, close to her tail. She then slowly walked into the bush until the branches thinned out enough for her to see, but not too close for the catch to see her. Finally, at long last, Cynder could finally see what she had been hearing. It was a young deer, just the size she had hoped for; not too big but just about twice her size. The perfect prey for her to prove she wasn't worthless.
Cynder waited for the right moment. The young deer was facing right at her eating the lush green grass so if she attacked now it would see her and Cynder could miss her chance, so she waited for several more minutes. However, she started to get tired of waiting, since that was all she had ever done that day. Deep down Cynder wanted to abandon her hunt but she was too close for that. As soon as the animal turned around she would have her chance to attack it and hopefully bring down the larger animal.
Finally, after an agonizing ten minutes, Cynder had a chance; the deer turned a complete one hundred eighty degree turn and started to graze the grass on the other side. Cynder's crouch was low, her teeth were gritted and showing. She gave a deep growl in the back of her throat even though it wasn't that intimidating, ready to pounce. She wasn't waiting any longer. She barraged out of the shrub and leaped at the unsuspecting deer. Once she was close enough, she wrapped her tiny talons around it and clamped her jaws on the deer's neck, penetrating through the skin and into the vertebrae, killing it instantly. Cynder and the dead deer fell to the ground with a thump. Cynder then felt a wave of joy that she managed to kill the deer, although she did feel bad for taking its life, but she needed to survive herself.
"Yes, I finally did it," she said to herself in excitement. But now she came to another problem: she had to get it back. But as excited as she was, she didn't care. She wanted to bring her prize home. Therefore, she clamped her jaws around the neck of the animal and struggled her way back to the cave.
After another twenty minutes or so of walking, Cynder finally made it back to the cave entrance with her catch of the day, the one that didn't get away. On her little trip back, she was full of joy and excitement about her success, and she couldn't wait to show her master. However, as she was about to enter the cave, a thought entered her mind and her stomach churned. She thought about last time she caught something. Gaul was the first she ran into and things didn't go as she'd expected it would. Nevertheless, she just hoped that she would see Rulock before she ran into anyone else, and so she continued into the cave with her catch.
Cynder slowly walked through the dimly lit cave with the deer still dragging along in her jaws. She spent several minutes wandering the cave but still there was no sight of Rulock. It wasn't until a few moments later when Cynder notice a robed figure in the middle of a large room that she just entered. She instantly picked up her pace into a light run as she knew it was her master.
"Master Rulock!" she shouted, although it was hard to make out what she said with something in her mouth. Nevertheless, the figure heard it and looked in her direction.
"Ah, Cynder, it appears you managed to catch something much bigger than your own size. I'm proud of you," Rulock spoke in a soft tone. Cynder liked the sound of his voice when he spoke to her; he was the only one who wouldn't abuse her badly.
Cynder stopped a few meters away from the hooded figure, then dropped the animal from her jaws to speak properly. "Thank you, Master Rulock."
Rulock chuckled quietly before grabbing the carcass from the ground and chucking it over his shoulders. "Come on; let's go prepare your catch for dinner in celebration of your success, shall we?"
"Ok." Cynder leaped for joy, she was so happy that she impressed her master, and for once, she was relieved she didn't run into Gaul first. Both Rulock and Cynder walked out of the chamber they were in and into the hall, on their way to the appropriate place to prepare the deer.
The next day, Cynder walked the halls in fear. Her head looked everywhere rapidly as she feared someone was going to beat her again. She had just run into the ape king a few minutes before and he had thrashed her around because she wasn't learning fast enough and was still too young for any combat. Tears trickled from her eyes as she walked away. She didn't know where she was going, as long as it was away from Gaul.
A few more moments and rooms later, Cynder came up to a long hallway. However, close to the end of it stood two figures. She couldn't make out their appearances in the dim, red light but she could swear one of them looked like Rulock. She picked up her pace to get closer to see who they were and hoped it was him, and as she got closer she could tell it indeed was Rulock. However, she also could tell who the other figure was; it was Gaul. She immediately stopped dead in her tracks and slowly backed away, afraid of what he would do next. However just then a voice spoke out and stopped her.
"Cynder, come here, now," Rulock spoke. Cynder was a little frightened by his words. Although his tone didn't sound hostile, his choice of words spoke otherwise to the black dragoness. Nevertheless, Cynder obeyed his command and slowly walked towards him, her body crouched low and her head hung. She trembled in fear; she didn't know what punishment she would receive next.
Once she reached both Gaul and Rulock, she felt even more fear wash through her. Gaul glared at her, and every time she looked into his eyes she felt like she was staring into a black hole of hatred and despair. All she could do was wait until Rulock spoke, to tell her what she had done.
"Cynder, despite how young you are, I can tell an improvement has been made in your skillfulness." Rulock took a breath for a few moments, and Cynder waited in confusion. This was going much differently than she'd expected it would, and she then thought maybe she wasn't getting punished again. "Now we need to proceed to a little more advanced level. Gaul and I have been talking about your progress and I know you're still young but we need to accelerate your training for what is to come."
Cynder stood with puzzled expression. What was he talking about, something more advanced? She had no clue what he was getting at.
"Train me for what?" Cynder asked while tilting her head to the side.
"Cynder, follow us and we will show you what you'll be training for," Rulock said before turning around and walking ever further down the hall. Cynder happened to looked at Gaul and saw an evil grin form. He gave a quite sinister laugh before he also turned around and followed the hooded figure. Cynder gave a heavy gulp. She feared what they were up to, even her master. She hesitated for a few seconds but then followed the two.
They didn't walk long, since they were already close to where they needed to go. Once Rulock was at the door to the room, he stopped and waited for the black dragoness. Gaul was already next to the hooded figure when he arrived, and now they just waited for Cynder. Once Cynder caught up to Rulock and Gaul, she felt more worried than before. They stopped at a large door which looked to be made from stone, and she was nervous to see what was held inside.
"Now, we begin your true training. This will help you prepare for what is coming," Rulock announced.
"Prepare for what? What's coming?" she asked with a puzzled look across her features.
Rulock didn't reply, instead just walking over to the large, stone door. On the side of the doorframe was a long lever that stood out of the wall. He grabbed it with one hand and forcefully thrust it downwards. Inside the walls made a loud clash before the doors slid into the walls, opening up a passage. Once the doors fully opened, Rulock and Gaul entered to room. Cynder waited a few seconds as she was fascinated by the doors. She had never been in this area before and had never seen doors work like that.
After a few seconds, she snapped out of her trance and walked in. Once she was inside the room, the doors behind her closed automatically. She jumped when she heard the doors slam shut. She ran towards the doors and then clawed at them, thinking she was trapped. However, a voice from her master told her differently.
"It's alright, Cynder, there is another lever in here for us to escape out later. You should not worry little one," Rulock announced.
Cynder stood back on all fours and gave a sigh of relief, then turned around to face the room. However, when she did, she was in complete awe at the mass of the chamber. It had to been the largest room she had ever been in or even seen. The sheer size of the room was massive; it spanned about fifty meters in diameter in a circle shape and stood more than twenty meters high. The room was a lot brighter than the eerie red dim from the torches. This one had a sort of skylight in the top of it that spanned a good twenty feet across, bringing in plenty of daylight.
Even though the outdoor sun brought the light, there were still lit torches along the walls of the circle room. Cynder gazed all around the room. She saw a ledge about half way up and on top of the ledge stood four large ape statues looking down to the floor. Next to each ape stood two smaller apes doing to same. Cynder was curious why they were facing down but it didn't bother her much. As she looked further down the walls she noticed a fancy design all over the lower part of the room. She couldn't make out what the decorative pattern was suppose to be but she found it fascinating.
"Welcome to our dojo, Cynder," Rulock spoke.
"Dojo? What's that?" Cynder asked.
"A dojo is a room where we train our apes for combat. Now it is your turn to train for such event."
"What!?" Cynder shouted. "You want me to fight?"
Rulock gave a firm nod. "It is your destiny to fight, to help us win this war. This is what your kind does."
"N-no, this can't be. It feels wrong," Cynder disagreed.
"You cannot fight what you have been destined to do," Rulock spoke in a louder tone.
"No! I can't. I won't do it!" Cynder shouted at her master. Deep down Cynder knew it was wrong to fight, to kill. However, her mind was confused by what her master told her.
"You will do what I say. I am your master and you will obey me. Now get in your fighting stance and wait for my command!" the hooded figure demanded.
Cynder was taken aback. Rulock was rarely the one to shout. The few times before that he did it were in similar situations where she resisted him. The first was when she didn't want to kill animals, but she soon learned it was for her own survival. Maybe this was for the same reason, to survive.
"Yes, Master Rulock," Cynder sighed. Immediately afterward, she got into her fighting stance and waited for her master's command.
Once Cynder was in her fighting stance, Rulock pulled a lever and four doors all around the black dragoness opened. A few seconds later, two creatures came out from each door. These creatures looked a little familiar to Cynder, and just then it hit her. They were dragons. They stood a little more than twice the size of Cynder and were completely made out of straw and sticks. However, they still had real weapons like their horns, claws, wing blade, and tail blades. Cynder gasped once she realized what she was fighting against. She was fighting her own kind.
"Master Rulock, why am I fighting dragon dummies?" she asked worriedly.
"Because, Cynder, your own kind has betrayed you. This whole war raging on is because of it. You must claim back what has been lost."
"N-no, I-I can't. I wont," Cynder spoke while shaking her head. She then started to back away from the dragon dummies.
"Cynder, you fight!" Rulock shouted.
"No!" Cynder replied back as tears started to from around her eyes. Again, she was being forced to do something she felt was wrong, and she wanted it to stop.
With on snap from Rulock's fingers, the clan of eight training dragon dummies ran straight at Cynder with killing attacks. Cynder didn't fight, instead curling up into a ball and curling her wings over her body for as much protection as possible. However, it hardly did anything against what the dummies were going to do. Once the dummies surrounded her, they all started to attack the young black dragon without any mercy. Each dragon dummy clawed at her, leaving cuts in her body, also stabbing her with their tail and wing blades. Poor little Cynder didn't stand a chance. Blood covered her body which only made the dummies attack even more. Cynder hollered as loud as she could, pain filling her body as more and more powerful attacks were made.
"No, NO! Please stop, AH! You're killing me, no!"
*.*.*
"Cynder," a faint voice whispered.
"No, please, you're hurting me! No!" Cynder cried out.
"Cynder, wake up," the voice said, growing stronger.
"W-wha, who's there? No, stop!"
"Cynder, it's me. You're just dreaming. Wake up!"
The voice grew louder, and now Cynder could make out it's owner; it was Spyro, but where was he? Now Cynder didn't see anymore dragon dummies attacking her. She didn't see anything but darkness.
"S-Spyro? Where are you? I can't see you!" Now Cynder felt like someone was shaking her.
"I'm right here. Open your eyes, Cynder," Spyro answered.
Once the words left Spyro's muzzle, Cynder opened her eyes and could see a dark picture of a purple dragon; Spyro she thought. Cynder then realized he was the cause of the shaking.
"Spyro?" she muttered, but soon realized it was him. Cynder didn't waste a second. She thrust herself up and wrapped her forearms around him in a hug. This caught the purple dragon by surprise but soon he caught on and did the same.
"Oh, thank the ancestors it was just a dream," Cynder gave a sigh of relief. In her hug, Cynder glanced around the room and noticed Singe and Zackary were still asleep. To herself, she gave a sigh of relief that she didn't wake them.
"Cynder, what's wrong? What happened? Are you ok?" Spyro asked worriedly.
Cynder then ended the hug and rose to her feet. She turned around so she wasn't facing the purple dragon.
"I'm fine," she forced out. This caught the purple dragon off guard but he didn't dwell on it.
"…Do you want to talk about it?" Spyro asked in response.
"No," she blurted out. Cynder then realized how suddenly she spoke and apologized for her response. "I'm sorry, Spyro. I-I really just don't want to talk about it right now. I hope you understand."
"It's ok, Cynder. I understand. Just tell me you're alright," Spyro asked as a small grin formed.
"I'm alright, nothing to worry about," Cynder replied and also started a small grin. The sight of the black dragoness smiling caused Spyro to smile even more which caused Cynder to do the same. But then Cynder thought about something else and her smile disappeared.
"Spyro, I didn't wake you, did I?" she asked, hoping he was already awake.
"Well, yes, I was asleep, but don't worry. As long as you're ok, then I'm ok." Cynder's smile came back but smaller than before. "By the way, I think we should be getting up anyway."
"Um, Spyro?" Cynder asked the purple dragon.
"Yeah, Cynder?"
"I think I'm going to walk to the edge of the cave, get some fresh air. Care to join me?" Cynder asked. Spyro instantly rose to his paws and walked by Cynder's side, giving her a firm nod in agreement.
"I would love to," Spyro replied. He then wrapped his right wing over her flank and pulled her close to him. Both dragons then slowly walked out of the cave-like room, trying their hardest not to wake up the other two dragons. Luckily, they managed to exit the room without making a single sound.
Over on the other side of the room, Zackary was sound asleep with his older brother sleeping next to him about a meter away. Zackary was in a deep sleep but something, or someone could be heard inside the young black dragon's mind. Indeed, there was a voice, but Zackary didn't flinch as his mind was still at ease.
"Zackary, Cynder isn't the enemy. Your fear is the only enemy around you. Do not blame her for what she has done in her past, blame the fear you have carried on with you throughout the years. Let go of your fear, and you will let go of your enemy. Let the light shine in and start looking towards the future instead of the past. You might not see it in your eyes, but your enemy in your past will soon become your friend in the future," an older, calming voice whispered into his mind. Once the voice faded away, Zackary tossed a little and groaned before settling back down, growing deeper into his sleep.
*.*.*
A few minutes later, Spyro and Cynder were about half way out of the cave. They didn't rush their pace, walking a little slower than normal, just enjoying the silence and peaceful stroll. They weren't sure what time of day it was. They both thought it was still dark, however, they both didn't feel like they could sleep anymore and were even concerned that they overslept. Still, if that was the case, they wouldn't care all that much. They hadn't slept in really late in ages. Even though they've been sleeping in later than they have in a long time, they haven't had that all morning sleep.
A few more minutes went by in silent walking and both Spyro and Cynder could tell the cave was getting brighter. Both dragons looked at each other, now able to see each other a lot more clearly than before. This told the two dragons that the sun was up and shining. This also told Cynder than the storm had passed.
At last, the two young dragons finally rounded the corner and indeed, they saw sunlight from the outside. However, the sun wasn't high in the sky, just starting to rise over the mountains in the distance. Both Spyro and Cynder stared in awe as they woke up on such a beautiful sunrise. It wasn't night like they expected, nor late in the morning. It was dawn, a beginning of a new day. Spyro and Cynder still hadn't spoken a word, just staring at the glorious sight of the sunrise. They both continued to walk closer to the edge. Once they were about a meter or so away from the drop off, they stopped and stood there for a few moments.
"This is amazing," Cynder broke the silence. She then looked at Spyro and waited for him to do the same. It was only a second until Spyro looked at her with a grin across his features, telling Cynder he agreed with her.
"Shall we sit?" Spyro asked. Cynder gave a nod in agreement and both dragons sat down on their haunches, Spyro still having a wing around Cynder.
"It's so beautiful," Cynder spoke. The two dragons didn't say another word to each other for several minutes, just sitting there and watching as the sun slowly rose over the horizon.
After another five minutes of silent staring, Spyro opened his mouth to say something but hesitated and closed his muzzle. But then he uttered a faint sound again but didn't finish. However, on the third try, Spyro went at it and completed what he was going to say but when he did Cynder spoke too.
"I need to tell you something," they said in unison. They both chuckled a little once they realized what they did.
"You go first, Cynder," Spyro spoke politely.
"No, you," Cynder cut in.
"Ok," Spyro whispered. He then waited a few moments, preparing what he was going to say to her. He took in a deep breath and released it into a long sigh before he spoke.
"Cynder, I have something to tell you." Spyro trailed off for a moment.
"I think we've established that," she chuckled. "So what is it, Spyro?"
"Well, I have a secret to tell you myself. It's about Ignitus," Spyro sighed.
"I'm sorry, Spyro, but he wanted us to continue and he—" Cynder was cut short when Spyro interrupted.
"No, no, that's not it. Ignitus told me when a dragon dies, his or her spirit lives on, doesn't truly die. And, well, Ignitus is still alive."
"What? But how do you know this?" Cynder spoke with joy but then was wondering how he could be so sure; they did see him die after all.
"I mean he's not alive as we are, but his spirit still lives on. Cynder, I don't think I told you this but when you left the temple three years ago, I went off looking for you. That was when the Chronicler summoned me to him in my sleep, and thus how I was able to locate you." He paused for a breath. Cynder just watched and listened. "Anyway, after Ignitus died, he received the role of the new Chronicler and now, he summons me and I have been talking to him. I'm sorry I haven't told you sooner," Spyro explained.
"That's great, Spyro! So you can see him any time you want?" Cynder asked, joy filling her heart knowing that the fire guardian hadn't perished.
"Well, no, he only summons me when there is something important to tell me."
"So what has he told you?" Cynder asked curiously. Spyro hesitated for a few seconds but managed to speak.
"I'm sorry, but I cannot tell you right now. I hope you understand." Spyro hated to keep secrets from the black dragoness, but he didn't have a choice. Ignitus didn't want him to reveal what he had been told yet.
"Spyro, you can trust me," Cynder pleaded.
"I know and I do, but it'll be against Ignitus' wishes. I'm sorry." Spyro felt guilty for keeping this from her but it was what Ignitus wanted, even though he didn't know why Ignitus would want him to keep this secret from her.
"It's ok, Spyro, I understand. I just don't understand why Ignitus would keep it from me." Cynder was a little upset but she knew there was a reason why. Ignitus would never keep anything from Cynder otherwise.
"I don't know either," Spyro added in.
"But that's great that you can still talk to him," Cynder said. Both dragons didn't utter a word for a few seconds, but then Spyro broke the silence.
"So, what did you want to say?" Spyro asked.
"Huh? Oh, right, sorry," Cynder snapped out of her trance from looking at the peaceful sunrise.
"I just wanted to say, I'm sorry for waking you this morning," Cynder apologized.
"Cynder, you don't need to apologize, it's alright."
"No, I need to. I was dreaming, of my past. I think I should tell you." Cynder lowered her head. She never wanted to think about her past but it somehow always crept back up. She thought if she told Spyro most of her past, the thoughts would go away.
For the next twenty minutes, Cynder told Spyro parts of her past she dreamt. She told him a little more about Rulock, how he took care of her, taught her how to hunt, and score pray twice her size. But she also told him about Gaul. The sound of the ugly ape king's name sent flares of hatred in the purple dragon's mind. Cynder told him how he would abuse her to the point where she bled and had serious gashes along her body. Spyro's flares of anger grew as she continued to talk about the evil ape king. What he was hearing made him wish he knew the full story before he fought Gaul, so he could kill him in the same way he abused his dragoness.
She also told him when she was forced to fight her own kind in a dojo but she refused to fight and was ripped to shreds by the dummies. Spyro felt so bad for the black dragoness, he still had his wing around her flank so he pulled her even closer. Spyro then took a paw and lightly stoked her neck.
"Cynder, you don't need to tell me this. I don't want you to be hurt by remembering your past. You can tell me when you become stronger and more comfortable," Spyro told her. Cynder looked at his light purple eyes and smiled before she answered.
"Ok, I'll tell you later," Cynder answered. "But, I do feel a little stronger talking about my past than before. Maybe I am feeling more comfortable."
For the next twenty minutes, both young dragons stared at the sunrise. The sun's orange color in the sky started to fade away and the normal blue was now more visible. They watched as they saw flocks of birds flying in the distance, barely able to hear their chirps but could make out a faint whistle, and could see herds of deer grazing the lands, as if they didn't have a thing to worry about. They watched as life started to restart as the sun grew higher, the lands becoming more active, though still peaceful.
Now that the sun had risen more than a sunrise, Spyro and Cynder had enough of such a peaceful view. It wasn't long after that until Spyro spoke.
"Cynder, do you want to head back and see if Singe and Zackary have woken?" he asked.
Cynder hesitated but soon answered. "Um, I don't know, what if Zackary is still mad at me?" She was worried what the young black dragon would do. Would he be better of worse than before?
"Don't worry, I'm here for you," Spyro smiled.
"Ok." Cynder returned his smile.
Once she agreed, Spyro retracted his wing and rose to his paws, and once he was up, Cynder did the same. Now that both were up, Spyro draped his wing around Cynder again and they both started to slowly walk back into the cave.
So, whatcha think of chapter 9-10? How did everyone like the dreams? And what the 'mystery voice' Zackary heard helping his trust with Cynder? Tell me what you think, in a review or a PM, I'd love to hear it.
This chapter actually got longer than I expected, I was hoping 7,000 but instead I got over 10,000. XD Oh well, I ain't complaining.
Well, that is it for me, MARRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY! Praise the lord with all his blessing he shares upon you and your loved ones. God bless all of you and have a very marry Christmas. XD
Til next time.