Spyro could only stare back at her with wide eyes, finding himself totally and utterly lost for words, his mouth falling wide open in disbelief. He couldn't quite bring himself to take in the enormity of what she was trying to say at first, and for a few tense and uneasy moments everything fell deathly silent, neither of them daring to move a muscle. His gaze roamed desperately all over her face however, searching for further clarification with the utmost urgency, his heart skipping several beats in the process.
She... She can't really mean what I think she does, right...?
"Cy… Cynder..." Spyro managed to cautiously stutter, his voice coming out as scarcely a whisper. His head was spinning, his mind rapidly filling with all kinds of crazy thoughts and ideas, and for a second or two, he wasn't sure what to do about it at all. However, considering the context of what they had just been talking about, there was really only one question that needed to be asked, clearly.
Tilting his head in a morbid kind of curiosity now, Spyro leaned closer, his eyes widening imploringly.
"Wh... What do you mean?" He stammered uneasily. "Are… Are you...?"
The faintest ghost of a smile tugged at Cynder's lips and she dipped her head ever so slightly in response, her cheeks burning bright red with what he could only assume was embarrassment, judging from her awkward body posture.
Before Spyro had time to consider what this might have meant though, she quickly reached forwards to grab his forepaws tightly, drawing herself up to meet his snout in a brief nuzzle. She was shaking fiercely, and almost without conscious thought he found himself returning the gesture in kind, his brow narrowing in both confusion and concern when she pulled herself away barely a second later, quite deliberately avoiding his questioning gaze as she did so.
"Well, there's no easy way to say this, so I... I guess I'll just come out with it..." Cynder eventually sighed, looking up at him with a weak and nervous kind of smile.
She gave his forepaws another quick squeeze before taking a deep breath, seemingly to steady herself for what was to come, and even though her next words came out somewhat croakily, those two bright green emerald eyes were filled with such powerful emotion that it compelled him to listen intently with baited breath. It felt like time had slowed to a crawl, and even though he saw her lips move, he didn't at first comprehend the meaning until a few seconds later when her words reverberated around inside his mind, almost like an echo.
"I'm... I'm gravid, Spyro..."
If it would have been physically possible for his jaw to hit the ground, it probably would have done at that point. Speechless didn't even come close to describing how Spyro felt at hearing this information. It was like he had been frozen solid at first, his entire body going rigid at once; his eyes nearly popping out from their sockets in both surprise and disbelief, and all he could do was just stare, not knowing what else to do. His heart was racing like crazy in no time at all, every beat pounding away furiously inside his ribcage, his throat tightening so much that it became nearly impossible to breathe.
He eventually staggered on the spot and fell to his haunches, feeling totally and utterly overwhelmed, his mind struggling to form a single coherent thought for what seemed like an age. It was like he had just been slapped in the face, hard, and he didn't know how to respond in the slightest. His mouth opened and closed several times in an attempt to say something, anything at all, but nothing came out. It was just too much to take in!
Gravid? She's… gravid? He eventually managed to ask himself, still very much in a state of shock, scarcely daring to believe his own words. By the ancestors!
Realising that Cynder was watching him with a guarded and slightly nervous glare now, Spyro quickly forced his gaping mouth tightly shut and looked up to her, his mind still struggling madly in order to catch up. Despite this initial confusion and hesitance, he soon found his expression morphing to one of wonder and amazement, the enormous implications of what she was telling him very slowly starting to sink in, bit by bit.
Eggs...? There are eggs inside of her, right now?
"Oh my gosh..." Spyro finally whispered, his eyes widening even further, his vision rapidly blurring with tears that seemingly came from nowhere without warning. Everything was suddenly starting to make sense to him now, almost like the last pieces to a puzzle had just fallen into place right in front of him, and even though he couldn't see any obvious outwards signs of her condition when he looked, he didn't doubt Cynder's sincerity for a second. It just felt right somehow, in a way he couldn't quite explain.
With every second that passed shortly thereafter, a warm and bubbly sense of euphoria quickly began to build up deep inside Spyro's very being, and without even thinking he leapt up to embrace Cynder tightly in his forearms, a sound somewhere between a laugh and a cry escaping his muzzle as their bodies came together. Her head quickly found its usual place in the crook of his shoulder and she started squeezing back just as fiercely, several sobs suddenly and quite unexpectedly racking her body as she did so.
"I... I wanted to tell you so much Spyro, but I... I was scared..." Cynder tried to explain rather hurriedly then, before he could say or do anything more. Her chest was starting to heave and hitch with every breath, almost as if she were about to break out into hysterics at any moment, something which gave him great cause for alarm. "I only just found out about this last night, and I...I didn't know what to do! I am so, so sorry for not telling you sooner, I... I didn't mean to..."
Spyro quickly silenced her with a gentle hum of reassurance and understanding, admittedly feeling more than just a little unsteady and emotional himself right now. Whilst choking back on his own tears he simply pulled her even closer to his chest, not fully trusting himself to speak without turning into a pathetic blubbering mess. After all that would have been the last thing that she needed right now, of that he could be fairly certain at least.
Nevertheless, his excitement continued to grow unabated, any doubts or worries he might have had about this situation rapidly becoming eclipsed as yet another incredibly profound revelation suddenly came to the fore of his mind. As a result, his smile quickly grew so wide that it almost felt like his face was about to split in two, his tail wagging happily back and forth without restraint.
Oh ancestors, we're going to have little hatchlings! I don't believe it!
Fairly soon, it all reached a point where he simply couldn't hold it back any longer. He laughed croakily a few times before crying out loudly with pure and utter joy, the sound of his exuberant elation reverberating all over the hatchery, leaving Cynder watching him in a stunned sort of silence as he pulled away to hop several times on the spot, his excitement very quickly getting the better of him. It felt like he was flying without wings, and he wanted the whole world to know it!
"I'm gonna be a dad!" He cried out giddily, completely disregarding the deep gouges his claws were carving in the soft stone flooring as he continued to prance on the spot, "Oh my gosh Cynder, this is amazing! I... I don't know what to say!"
There was a brief pause, but as soon as he heard the beautiful sound of her laughter ringing in his ears a second later, that was it. He just utterly surrendered himself to the heat of the moment, rushing forwards to embrace his mate tightly in his forepaws once again, simply wanting nothing more than to share his enthusiasm with her in any way that he could.
The tears quickly began to flow freely without shame then, both of them sobbing, laughing and crying all at the same time, letting it all out at once. It washed over them in waves, the combined outpouring of all kinds of emotions making them both very quickly forget about the wider world in general as they lost themselves in each others affections. It was simply beyond words, beyond description of any kind, this precious moment seemingly lasting forever.
The two of them could have probably stayed like this all morning quite easily, but Spyro soon found his mind filling up with so many questions and concerns about this situation now that he thought about it more rationally, that he eventually had to force himself to pull away rather reluctantly, looking down at his mate with a soft and tender expression. As she looked up to meet his gaze in turn, he could see that her eyes were still glistening with wetness, but also filled with such love and affection being reflected back at him that it made his heart feel like it were about to leap out of his chest at any moment. His entire body was shaking, but after taking a deep breath in a poor attempt to calm his racing nerves, he opened his mouth to speak.
"B... But, how...?" He managed to ask, his voice wobbling unsteadily in the midst of his confusion, "Cynder, I... I don't understand. When did we even...?"
The faintest trace of a wry and knowing smile tugged at Cynder's lips in response, and she even managed to laugh a little when she saw the look of embarrassed realisation forming on his expression as she whispered an answer in his ear, his cheeks feeling rather flushed in no time at all. He fumbled his words slightly for a second or two, but his curiosity spurred him to continue, regardless.
"I... I mean, you're sure about this, right?" He also asked, tilting his head slightly, "Is that why you wanted to come here? Do you think Ariya might be able to tell you...?"
Cynder's expression softened, but before she had a chance to say anything else, the door to the nearby office suddenly squeaked open, making both of them jump in surprise. Peeking out through the narrow gap that had appeared, a familiar sapphire scaled head could be seen poking out, a pair of bright blue eyes staring at the two younger dragons quite curiously.
"Goodness, am I interrupting something?" Ariya asked after a brief pause of awkward silence, apparently unsure of what else to say. "Is everything alright?"
In that single moment, it was like something snapped. Cynder's smile rapidly faded away and she scrambled hurriedly to her feet, wiping her face clean as quickly as she could, sniffing loudly a few times in the process. Purely out of habit Spyro rose to his feet as well, his brow narrowing in both confusion and alarm as Cynder's tail promptly whipped out to wrap around one of his forepaws, her suddenly fearful and desperate looking expression making his blood run cold with only a single glance.
"Come on, Spyro!" She hissed urgently, nodding towards the office and giving him a sharp tug at the same time, "We really need to go talk to her..."
Spyro blinked a few times before dipping his head in somewhat dazed acknowledgement, the million and one questions on the tip of his tongue vanishing into nothingness as he stared deeply into her eyes, the look of absolute terror hidden just beneath the surface frightening him back to harsh reality at once. All of a sudden, it all started to feel real.
So horrifyingly, terribly, real.
Are we even ready for this? Spyro had to ask himself worriedly, the seriousness and immense responsibility of this development starting to sink in at last. His stomach churned uncomfortably as he only now started to understand the true gravity of what they had gotten themselves into, and truthfully, it terrified him just thinking about it. His stomach started to feel like it was being tied in a knot, his throat tightening so much that it was almost painful. He could barely breathe!
"H...Hey, Cynder, wait..." Spyro said softly in an attempt to do something to reassure her, but it was already far too late for such platitudes by the look of things. Cynder was already starting to walk away at a brisk pace, forcing him to stumble a few times in order to keep up as she half-dragged him with her. His legs felt very much like jelly right now, but he somehow managed to stay with her, thankfully.
Oh ancestors, guide us...
"Come in, come in, make yourselves comfortable!" Ariya smiled warmly in greeting as she saw them approaching, though her gaze seemed to linger thoughtfully for a moment or two as he and Cynder passed the threshold together. Spyro chose to pay little attention to this however, instead taking the opportunity once they were inside to trot closer to his mate, nuzzling into her cheek in an eager attempt to show his support in any way that he could, meagre as he knew that it was at this point.
"Hey, it'll be okay, you'll see..." He cooed softly in her ear with a weak smile, trying his hardest to put on a brave face to conceal his own anxieties, all too keenly aware that anything he said to her would probably hold significant weight in time to come. Briefly pausing to collect his thoughts, Spyro then continued a little more confidently. "Look, whatever it takes Cynder, we'll make this work- I promise. I'm with you no matter what, alright?"
She turned to study his expression intently for a few moments before simply letting out a long sigh of resignation, nodding a few times in reluctant agreement, the faintest hint of a smile appearing on her expression. She began to lean into his shoulder, to which he responded by deftly resting a wing over her body almost instinctively, pulling her into a light embrace that elicited a contented purr from the back of her throat. As usual he could also feel their tails entwining together almost on their own accord, something which made his smile suddenly feel far more genuine.
This won't be so bad, right?
After a short wait, Ariya eventually stepped inside to join them, closing the door to the office with a gentle flick of her tail as she did so. She smiled then, still apparently quite oblivious to what was going on, and gestured with an outstretched paw in invitation towards a set of comfortable looking cushions laid out on the floor nearby. It didn't take long at all for Cynder to get up and lead Spyro towards them, and once she was settled he quickly followed without complaint, sitting closely by her side.
"Well then, here we are..." Ariya sighed tiredly then, folding her forepaws as she sat herself down on one of the opposite facing cushions, her entire body sagging with clear relief at being given the chance to rest after what Spyro could only assume must have been a very long night indeed. She stretched out and yawned, a brief shiver of contentment running all the way down her spine as she did so, a pleased smile tugging at her lips.
"So, what is it that I can do for you?" She asked, choosing to cut straight to the point by addressing Cynder directly. "You said that you needed to speak to me urgently dear, if memory serves?" Tilting her head, she leaned closer, "Is everything alright?"
Cynder hesitated at first, but eventually nodded rather meekly, picking at the cushion underneath her paws anxiously, as if she didn't quite know what to say at first. She shot Spyro a brief worried look, so he carefully reached out to place one of his forepaws on top of hers in response, giving her a little reassuring squeeze as he did so.
"We, um... We need your help, Ariya..." Cynder began, looking back to Spyro for a moment to shoot him a thankful smile, then back to Ariya again. "Something's happened and, well, I... I didn't know where else to go, or... or who else to talk to about something like this, and..."
Ariya shifted her body weight slightly and lowered her head curiously, her expression quickly morphing to one of concern as Cynder fell silent at this point, the younger dragoness seemingly not sure how to keep going. Eventually though, as always, her stubborn determination won out in the end. Drawing herself up higher, Cynder eventually continued.
"Well, what I mean to say is that... um..." She chuckled weakly, fidgeting with the cushion underneath her paws for a short time before glancing back to Spyro one last time. With a simple reassuring smile on his part though, she quickly turned back to the elder dragoness with an air of finality about her motions, taking in another deep breath as she did so.
"Well, we came to you today because I think we might be, um... expecting, Ariya..."
The complete and utter silence that followed this statement was absolute, and Spyro couldn't help but gulp anxiously as Ariya just stared at them with wide eyes, her mouth falling wide open in complete surprise and disbelief. For the longest time her expression was completely unreadable, but eventually though, the sapphire scaled dragoness blinked. Her lips slowly started to curl upwards in a hesitant smile, as if she couldn't quite believe what she was hearing, and she leaned closer still, her eyes widening rapidly in no time at all.
"Oh my goodness..." She whispered, raising a paw to her mouth, "Are you certain?"
Cynder simply smiled back and managed to laugh a little nervously, nodding to indicate that it was so. "Well I'm no expert, but yes," She replied, looking to Spyro with a soft and tender expression, "I... I think so, yes..."
Spyro wasn't entirely sure how it happened at first, but somehow within the space of about only a second or two, Ariya had managed to rush forwards and envelop both of them underneath her wings in a tight embrace, very nearly squeezing all the air from their lungs in the process. The only sound that could be heard was that of the elder dragoness' laughter, and after shaking off his initial surprise, Spyro soon found himself joining in without even thinking, the tension in the room vanishing at once as all three of them shared this moment of elation together. It felt like she would hold them like this forever, but eventually, she pulled back to release them, her eyes filled with so much emotion that it was nearly impossible to tell what she was thinking.
"By the ancestors, little ones..." Ariya chuckled weakly then, clearly trying very hard to remain calm and composed. After taking a deep breath to steady herself, she continued. "I knew that this day would come eventually, but I had never even dared to imagine that it might happen so soon! Congratulations, I am so happy for the both of you!"
Spyro couldn't help but feel his chest swelling with a strange sense of pride at hearing these words, a great big goofy grin pulling at his lips as he turned to catch his mate's eye for a fleeting moment before Cynder looked away, apparently feeling rather embarrassed by this whole situation. He simply laughed again as he felt Ariya leaning forwards to nuzzle against his cheek then, but when she moved towards Cynder a second later, it quickly became obvious from the way that the younger dragoness reacted by deliberately moving herself out of the way that something wasn't quite right. Her entire body posture was just off, somehow, and Spyro apparently wasn't the only one to notice.
"Oh Cynder, dear..." Ariya cooed softly before he could do anything, however, her expression morphing almost instantly to one of concern. "What's the matter?"
The black scaled dragoness hesitated for a short while before responding, her tail swishing back and forth uneasily, her claws digging tightly into the cushion beneath her feet. Her mouth opened and closed a few times, but after gulping nervously she eventually spoke, glancing to Spyro for a moment, then back to Ariya.
"It's just that I… I'm scared…" Cynder explained, folding her wings more tightly against her flanks, a single shiver running down her spine. "There's just so much I don't know, so many things I'm worried about! I… I don't even know where to start!"
She was trying her very hardest to remain calm, Spyro could tell, but it soon became obvious that she was doing a poor job of doing so. Her entire body was tense, and she wore that same look of complete and utter dread on her her face that he had seen earlier that morning, instantly making Spyro's heart ache in sympathy, his brow narrowing deeply with concern.
"I mean, I only just found out about this last night, Ariya..." Cynder sniffed, kneading the bedding underneath her paws more forcefully now, her breathing starting to come in short, sharp pants. "What if I've done something wrong without realising? The healers have been giving me all kinds of medicines to take over the last few weeks, and I... I've been running, and flying too, and ancestors know what else!"
Ariya's expression softened immeasurably in sympathy and understanding at hearing this, and for a moment it looked as if she were about to say something, but before she could do so, Cynder suddenly let out a choked sob and interrupted her, the younger dragoness' eyes going wider than Spyro had ever seen them before.
"Wh… What if I hurt them…?" Cynder rasped croakily, her chest starting to heave madly as if she were about to break out into total hysterics at any moment, one of her forepaws dashing up to her mouth in horror.
"Please, Ariya! I have to know that they're okay! I didn't know what I was doing was wrong!" She whined in obvious distress, "Oh ancestors, wh… what if they're…what if I… I..."
Before Cynder could get too carried away with this line of thinking, Aryia quickly stepped forwards and grasped one of her shoulders tightly with a forepaw, fixing the younger dragoness with an intense gaze as she did so, forcing her into a stunned kind of silence for a moment or two.
"Cynder, I need you to take a deep breath and calm your thoughts, dear!" The elder dragoness instructed calmly, but firmly. Her commanding tone of voice drew Cynder's full attention at once, and after seeing that this approach had the desired effect, Ariya's expression softened, her voice taking on a much more sympathetic and gentle tone.
"I know that this must all be so terribly frightening for you, but I promise, I will do everything in my power to help you..." She spoke soothingly, reassuringly. "All I ask is that you try and remain calm and listen to what I have to say. Try not to get so carried away, dear!"
There was a brief pause as she allowed this message to sink in, her sapphire tinted eyes glinting in the firelight as she searched Cynder's expression for some kind of a response. When none was forthcoming, she let out a brief sigh.
"So..." She then continued, a slight smile tugging at her lips. "Let's try and take this one small step at a time, shall we? Do you think you can you do that for me, Cynder?"
Cynder sniffed loudly and blinked back a few tears before rather sheepishly nodding her head in acknowledgement. Her posture was still tense however, and when she took a quick glance towards Spyro, the impression that he got was that she looked very much like a lost hatchling, afraid and alone, like she was right on the cusp of breaking completely. His heart twisted in agony at seeing her like this, and as soon as Ariya stepped backwards to give her some space, he rushed right to her side, no longer content to just sit and watch anymore.
"Hey, it's going to be alright..." He cooed softly, gently moving to nuzzle her cheek, a motion that his mate seemed quite thankful for. She let out a long and unsteady sigh then, leaning into his shoulder as he wrapped one of his wings around her body as well, giving her a gentle squeeze in the process. She was still trembling, her breathing incredibly erratic, but he could feel the tension in her bearing slowly starting to dissipate, regardless. He ended up offering her a weak smile and he gripped one of her forepaws in support, hoping to reassure her in whatever way that he could.
"Let's listen to what Ariya has to say, okay?" He suggested, tipping his head towards the elder dragoness who was sat on her haunches nearby, watching them both patiently. Cynder quickly followed his line of sight and opened her mouth to say something, but she hesitated at the last moment and remained silent instead, seemingly unsure of what to do. She looked back to him for guidance, but Ariya got there first.
"Perhaps it might be best if you started by telling me more about these medicines you mentioned, dear..." The elder dragoness prompted with a reassuring smile, leaning a little closer to catch her attention again. "Do you remember what they were called, or what the ingredients might have been?"
"R...Right," Cynder stuttered, pausing in thought for a moment. "Well..."
And so began the long and arduous process of Cynder being forced to answer a seemingly never ending stream of questions about her recent activities over the last few weeks, often in quite a surprising amount of detail whenever she was prompted to elaborate on certain points. She was shaky and nervous to begin with, certainly, but with both Ariya's and Spyro's encouragement, it all began to come out as a near unstoppable torrent of words once she got going- her more normal enthusiasm and confidence returning in no time at all.
Several times during this process Cynder had to take a moment or two to calm herself down, admittedly, but as the truth of what she had been suffering over the last few weeks gradually began to unravel itself at last, Spyro very quickly found himself with a confusing mix of emotions churning around inside of him as he struggled to take in all this new information. Even though she had told him most of what had happened since he had been away, she had been hiding quite a lot from him it seemed, and not just small things like her frequent visits to the temple healers, either. He was both shocked and dismayed to hear about the near constant sickness and tiredness she had been dealing with, as well as the various cocktails of chemicals and home remedies she had been given by some of the so-called doctors in an attempt to ease her symptoms, too. It was all coming as news to him, and the more that he thought about it all, the more guilty he felt about it.
Why didn't she want to tell me about all this? He pondered internally, scowling to himself, Was it because she scared about what I'd think, or something? Oh ancestors, I'd feel terrible if that's what it was...
Before he could think too much on these revelations however, the room suddenly and quite unexpectedly fell silent as Cynder and Ariya came to the end of their conversation, snapping him back to reality in short order. He looked between them both, feeling a little lost as a suspenseful kind of silence filled the room. Besides him, he heard Cynder taking a deep breath.
"Well..." Ariya eventually began, shifting her weight slightly, "From what you've told me dear, I don't believe that there's any major cause for concern at this stage, I'm sure you'll be glad to hear..."
"However," She continued with a note of caution, "I'd still like to take a closer look to examine you properly, just to be safe. I also have a few more final questions that I'd like to ask you as well, if you wouldn't mind?"
Cynder blinked a few times in response before letting out the breath she was holding as a long sigh of relief, the tension in her posture disappearing almost at once. She shot Spyro a weak and tenuous smile before looking back to Ariya, her expression one of stunned disbelief.
"You mean that I... I didn't do anything wrong?" She asked, tilting her head curiously. Her wings flared hopefully, and she sat up a little higher. "You really think they're going to be okay...?"
The elder dragoness simply smiled gently in return, moving a little closer.
"Let's just make sure, alright?" She replied, gesturing with her head towards a nearby set of unused cushions in the corner of the room, "Would you lie on your back for me please, dear?"
Cynder hesitated for a brief moment before dipping her head in understanding, hastily scrambling to follow this instruction after pulling herself free from underneath Spyro's wing. Once she was settled a second or two later, Ariya quickly went to sit by her side, those two bright blue eyes staring intently down at the younger dragoness for a short while before glancing up to Spyro, her smile faltering slightly as she met his questioning gaze.
"Actually, Spyro?" She asked, instantly drawing his full attention, "Would you be able to do something for me, please?"
Feeling slightly unnerved by Ariya's almost apologetic tone of voice, Spyro's brow narrowed in both confusion and concern, a million and one different worries and concerns coming to mind as to what she might want from him. Knowing that Cynder was watching him too, Spyro gulped anxiously and got to his feet. He walked towards them, trying to put such thoughts out of his head for now.
"What is it?" He asked cautiously, kneading the soft stone flooring underneath with his claws, "Is something wrong?"
Ariya let out a small sigh and looked to Cynder, then back to him again.
"Spyro, what we have to talk about next is very, well... private, in nature..." She explained, her voice carrying a hint of regret, "So I think it might be best if you were to step outside for a minute or two to allow us to discuss it properly..."
It took Spyro a moment to take in what she was saying, but when it sunk in, he found himself drawing his head back sharply with indignation, his mouth falling wide open in disbelief.
Forget that! He mentally scoffed, Cynder needs me, now more than ever! I'm not going anywhere!
Before he could voice this sentiment out loud however, he was caught off guard by the sound of Cynder's voice unexpectedly calling out his name, quickly snapping him away from such thoughts in no time at all. He faltered then, lowering his gaze to look at her with a quizzical expression, waiting to see what she wanted to say.
"It's okay, Spyro..." She spoke softly, smiling bravely at him, almost as if she could read his thoughts. "I'll be alright- I promise. It'll just be for a few minutes, right?"
"B...But-"
"-Look!" Cynder sharply interrupted, rolling her eyes sarcastically, the slightest hint of a sly grin pulling at her lips, "I think I can answer a few questions by myself without your help, you know..."
Spyro wanted to protest further, but soon found the words slipping from his mind almost as soon as they came to him. He looked between both of them several times, hovering on the spot in uncertainty for what felt like an age. No matter what they said, he couldn't quite bring himself to turn away, especially after having seen Cynder in such a distraught state of mind only a few minutes previously. To say that he was torn would be an understatement. His protective instincts were telling him to do one thing, but his mind the complete opposite. He didn't know what to do at all!
"Spyro, I know that you care a great deal about her, but I assure you, she is in safe hands with me, little one..." Ariya said to him, gently nudging his rump with her snout to get him to move towards the exit. Very reluctantly, and after some further prodding from Ariya, he eventually gave in and began to walk with her, shooting Cynder one final worried glance before she was out of sight completely, obscured by one of Ariya's huge sapphire tinted wings as she led him outside.
"I'll call you as soon as we're finished, alright?" Ariya smiled at him then, to which he responded by simply nodding mutedly in defeat, falling to his haunches in the corridor outside the office. She waited for a moment or two, probably to see if he would say something, but when he remained silent instead however, her smile simply morphed into one of sympathy and understanding.
"Try not to worry so much, little one..." The elder dragoness spoke softly, "She's going to be just fine, I promise..."
Spyro let out a long and unsteady sigh in response, wanting nothing more to believe her, but finding himself already starting to worry anyway, regardless of her reassurances. As the door closed with barely a squeak behind him, it occurred to him that this was probably going to feel like the longest wait of his life...
AN: Oh my gosh, finally, it's DONE!
So sorry to everyone that's been waiting for this chapter... I think the main it took so long is because I kinda figured this chapter would make or break the entire story, which is why I was so hard on myself for getting things to sound and feel "right". I hope I did a good job of it, but that's really up to you guys to decide, right? I'm really bad at self-critique, lol... D:
Honestly though, every word of this chapter really was a struggle for me, so I can only apologise to the people who have been checking here every day for updates only to be disappointed. ( Yes, I can see you guys on the story statistics, don't think I don't notice you, I really do appreciate it! ).
I mean, it's been like what, 6-7 months? Too long :( I know I said in the last authors notes that more interesting plot things would happen, but I really just wanted to get it out sooner than later, so that stuff will happen next chapter instead. Sorry. Besides, I guess this counts as interesting plot things too? :3
As always, a big thank you to everyone who helped proof read and offer suggestions whilst I've been struggling with this chapter. You know who you are, I couldn't have done it without you! If anyone has suggestions for improvements or general feedback, feel free to leave a review or PM! This whole writing thing is still a learning process for me, so any critique is welcome :)
See you guys next time! Like last chapter, I'll put updates here in the authors notes to let you know how the next chapter is coming along!
Update 08th Nov:
Sorry... procrastinating again. Been doing animations instead of writing and now I feel bad. Can't say for sure when motivation to write will come back, but I promise to everyone I'm not giving up on the story!
