Speeding through the night sky, Spyro could not feel the howling wind or the pouring rain. He couldn't see the lightning spreading across the sky, and he couldn't hear the booming thunder. All of his mind was devoted to one thing: finding and saving Cynder. She was in danger, and he needed to get to her before anything bad happened.

Though he flew as fast as he possibly could, the journey to the foothills felt like an eternity. He had no time to dip down above the tree tops or soar between clouds. Even as lightning bolts came dangerously close to him, his straight path never faltered. He would do anything to reach her; he would die for her.

Eventually, he reached the hills. He darted between each hill searching for any sign of a cave covered in an avalanche.

"Cynder!" he cried over the roar of raindrops. "Cynder! Where are you?"

Cynder was laying on the cold, wet ground of the cave floor. Her wounds were still bleeding even now; they were severe, the rock having penetrated deep through her scales. The deafening roar of raindrops hitting stone outside the cave seemed to fill her ears, when she heard a faint cry.

"Huh?" she mumbled, dazed from being hit in the head, as well as blood loss. "Who…Wha?" Eventually, the cries became clearer.

"Cynder!" she heard. Someone was calling her name from far away, but she couldn't quite make out who. Once again, the voice became even clearer, sounding nearer.

"Cynder? Where are you?" she heard the voice. It was a familiar voice, one which softened her heart and made her smile. It was Spyro calling for her.

Though she was weak, she knew she would have to gain his attention. She summoned up what felt like the last of her strength, breathed in deep, and belted out in a blood-curdling roar,

"SPYRO!".

Spyro heard a reply. He looked down to where the sound seemed to come from, and saw a huge pile of boulders. In a heartbeat, he raced down to the pile, and began destroying as many as possible with his Earth Missile.

"Cynder!" he called. "Cynder, it's alright. Just hang on!" He was pulverizing huge boulders now, turning ten-ton stones into powder in a desperate race to reach Cynder. Eventually, he got down to what was certainly the largest, and the last, boulder. His Earth attacks were useless against it, merely chipping it.

He put himself on the side of the gargantuan stone, aligned himself properly, and pushed with all his might. Slowly, the huge ball of earth began to roll. As it gained momentum, the rock rolled out, exposing the mouth of the cave. Spyro rushed in, cradling Cynder in his arms.

"Cynder…" Spyro said. "It's alright. I've got you."

"Spy…Spyro?" she mumbled, opening her eyes a sliver. Everything seemed to be fading, and she could barely make out the purple face staring into her eyes with a comforting glare.

"Yes, Cynder. It's Spyro." he said quietly, nuzzling her gently. "Look, I've got to get these shards out of you before we get out of here, or you'll only get worse."

He counted ten shards wedged in her, deciding to start with the smallest ones.

"Cynder, this is going to hurt." he said, warning her. "A lot."

"Alright…" she mumbled. He decided to use a trick he learned from Flash and Nina, his adoptive dragonfly parents, when they would remove thorns he got stuck in his side. He slid his forepaw up to her open mouth, and pinched one of the stone shards with his other. He tugged the stone fragment out in one swift motion, Cynder biting down on his paw to muffle her cries of anguish.

Following suit for the other shards, he could tell he was bleeding from where Cynder was biting, but he knew he was merely experiencing a fraction of the pain she was feeling. After what felt like an eternity, all the shards were gone, lying bloodied on the floor, turning puddles a tint of red. To carry her, Spyro climbed onto her back, ignoring the sensation he was feeling from so much contact with her. He grabbed her underneath her arms, and took off into the night sky.

The last thing Cynder could remember feeling before she faded off was the two strong arms carrying her, and the muscles beneath Spyro's slick scales flexing every time he beat his wings.

Though he grew tired from carrying Cynder, Spyro flew on, determined to get Cynder back to safety, taking no concern for any feeling he had. Eventually, he could see the broken walls of Warfang appear over the dark horizon, and raced on towards safety. When he landed at the entrance of the lodge, only Cyril and Terrador awaited him inside the lobby. Spyro set Cynder down and carried her in over his shoulder, feeling her chest rise and fall on his back with every tired breath she took.

"Spyro!" Cyril cried. "Is she…alright?"

"Yes…" Spyro panted wearily. "She's hurt…but at least we're…safe." .

"Well, get some rest, Spyro." Terrador said. "Cyril, Blaze, and I have to talk to you tomorrow, but it's important you get some sleep now." Spyro began walking up the stairs to his room, the unconscious dragoness still over his shoulder. Everyone in the building seemed to be asleep already, so Spyro figured it was very late in the night.

When he reached his room, Spyro threw the sheets onto the floor and laid Cynder out on the bed. He examined her wounds. They had stopped bleeding, finally, but he could see just how deep the stone had penetrated. He ripped several lengths of fabric off of the sheets on the floor, licked each of the wounds clean with his long tongue, and wrapped the fabric around the wounds snugly. Once he was confident that the bandages were secure, he took a step back and examined the slumbering dragoness laying on his bed.

She was gorgeous, even in her current state. His dream he had the night before entered his mind as his eyes ran up and down her beautiful, curvy body, but he shook the thought out of his head as he laid down in the bed beside Cynder, snuggling up against her back. Covering the two of them with his wing, he drifted off into a deep sleep, comforted that the one he loved was safe, and with him at last.


A smaller chapter, but I felt it was approptiate to end the chapter where I did. I think that from here on out, there will be less "major" drama (i.e. avalanches) and more "minor" drama (i.e. typical relationship problems), as well as the long-awaited lemons! Just wait!

Thanks to all readers, reviewers, and favorite-adding-ers!

--L/M