Chapter 10: A perfect start to an almost perfect day.
"So, Bruneth is no more." Zevron stated.
"Yes, master." Vitari replied.
After the Blood Red dragon was slain, Vitari returned to the Cave in the forest to tell Zevron and the others the news.
"Good riddance." Vincent declared. "That fool was only a crutch from the start, with with his control of the Fear element."
"So, you are saying that I made a mistake to grant him status as a Fury." Zevron sneered.
The Grey dragon gasped.
"N-No, Master!" He stammered. "I didn't mean you any ill will! I misspoke."
"Whatever." The Black dragon said coldly. He turned his gaze back to Vitari. "So, who dealt the killing blow?"
"It was those two lice." The Dragoness replied. "They still have control over their magic, and used it to burn Bruneth to a crisp."
"I see..."
"However, they were not the ones to weaken him beforehand."
"What?" Vlad asked.
"Who did so, then?" Zevron demanded.
"Altough Bruneth was as competent on the battlefield as ever, he was eventually brought down by a strange, Black-and-White hided dragon."
Zevron's eyes lit up in surprise.
"A Black-and-White dragon?" He repeated.
"Yes, Master. And he wielded a strange energy that had a matching color scheme."
The Black dragon became silent. He was deep in thought.
Could it be the same dragon as the one I encountered in the forest? No, that's impossible. He couldn't have moved across such a great distance so rapidly. Then again, he vanished before my eyes when I encountered him last...
"Master?" Vincent asked.
The Black dragon shook his head.
"Vincent, you will take Bruneth's place and spy on Spyro and Cynder, as well as this Black-and-White dragon. We will need to know the full extent of their powers."
"As you command, Master." The Grey dragon responded, bowing his head.
"In the meantime, the time has come to prepare for an assault on Warfang. Vlad, you will summon forth what remains of Lord Malefor's Grublins and bring them here to mobilize."
"What of the Apes, Master?" The Green dragon queried.
"Apes are useless. They will only get in the way. Ignore them."
"As you wish, Master."
"Both of you, go. Now."
"Yes, Master." The Green and Grey dragons said in unison.
The two vanished in clouds of smoke, leaving Zevron and Vitari alone. The Grey dragoness approached the Black dragon, an inviting smile on her face.
"What shall you have me do, master?" She asked playfully.
The Black dragon gave her a stoic.
"You may aid Vincent, or aid Vlad." He said coldly. "I have no use for you here."
Vitari frowned.
"Aww, are you sure that there isn't something you can think of?" She asked. "Something... intimate?"
The Grey dragoness rubbed up against Zevron's side.
Immediately, The Black dragon's eyes glowed Blood Red, and Vitari suddenly fell backwards onto the ground. She grabbed her own neck with her forepaws, and proceeded to choke herself. She gagged, eyes filled with horror, as Zevron glared down at her with anger.
"Learn your place, wench!" He bellowed. "We are not equals! You are my servant! My PAWN! You have no right to attempt to arouse me like a common whore!"
"But..." Vitari gagged.
"SILENCE!" Zevron roared, making the dragoness yelp through her choking. "If you wish to continue living, you will put aside any pathetic feelings you have. UNDERSTAND?"
"Y.." The dragoness whimpered. "...Yes."
Instantly, Vitari regained control of her body, and she stopped choking herself. The dragoness got up onto her feet, her head bent low.
"I'll be aiding Vincent in Warfang." She said solemnly.
"Fine." Zevron stated, stoic once again. "Go."
"Yes, master."
The Grey dragoness proceeded to vanish in black smoke, while the Black dragon proceeded to think to himself once again.
A Black-and-White dragon... Why does that feelfamiliar to me?
...
The next morning.
William slowly woke from slumber as the sun's rays shined through the glass wall and illuminated the stone floor of the room.
Before he opened his eyes, he realized that something was strange. He felt a strange warmth against his scales, which did not come from him. When he opened his eyes, he was surprised to find that Blizzard was cuddled up against him , with her tail wrapped around his.
What the? When did THIS happen?
The Black-and-White dragon was about to get up and away from the dragoness, but stopped when he realized something.
Wait... What am I doing?
William lied back down, wrapping his forelegs around Blizzard. He smiled.
She's so beautiful...
A moment later, the Ice dragoness woke with a start. She realized that William wrapped his limbs around her, and turned her head to face him. The Black-and-White dragon let go of her, embarrased.
Blizzard was embarrased as well.
"Uh, good morning, William." She said nervously.
"Morning.." He replied.
Blizzard got up off the couch, turned around, and looked into William's eyes.
"Uh..." He stammered. "Why were you...?"
"I'm sorry." Blizzard said solemnly. "I couldn't help it. You've done so much for me, I guess I just feel safe when I'm around you..."
William got up to face her.
"It's alright." He said, smiling. "I don't mind."
Blizzard breathed a sigh a relief.
"William... there's something I want to tell you, but I'm afraid that I'll look stupid."
The Black-and-White dragon frowned.
"You won't look stupid." He reassured. "Go ahead and tell me."
"Okay..." The dragoness inhaled another breath of air nervously.
"William... I love you."
Blizzard let a few tears fall from her eyes.
"I know we only met recently, but I really do. You're the kindest dragon I've met in a long time. You brought me to a place to stay when you could've left me on my own. And then you saved me when that monster attacked me."
The dragoness cried even harder.
"I've been alone for so long. But when I'm with you, I feel complete."
William walked forwards and placed a forepaw on top of one of hers.
"I feel the same way." He said, smiling. Blizzard's eyes lit up.
"So, you..."
"I love you too." He stated happily. "When that Bruneth character hurt you, I couldn't bear to see you in such pain. And when he declared what he intended to do to you, I became so enraged that I went over the edge."
William began to tear up.
"I didn't want to lose you after meeting you so soon. I'd give my own life to keep you from losing yours."
Blizzard walked forwards and placed her head beneath William's chin.
"You'll never lose me." She promised.
The two dragons held each other in a loving embrace. They both cried, but the tears were of joy, for both William and Blizzard were happy to find the one they love.
As they held the embrace, a small Bronze mark suddenly appeared on each dragon's back.
"By the way," William said, "I got you something."
The Black-and-White dragon presented the Horn Band to Blizzard. He tied it around one of the dragoness's horns as she purred happily.
"Thank you for getting the band for me, William." Blizzard said gratefully.
"Your welcome." He replied, smiling.
The Black-and-White dragon leaned down and kissed the dragoness on the lips. The two dragons entwined their tails and held each other's forepaws.
Suddenly, the door swung open, catching them off guard. Cyril was standing there, slightly surprised.
"What have we here?" The Ice Guardian asked, an eyebrow raised.
William and Blizzard quickly let go of each other and turned to face Cyril.
"Uh, good morning, Cyril." The dragoness said nervously.
"I came to wake you two so you could get breakfast in the mess hall..." The older dragon stated. "... though it seems you two were already awake."
"Um, yeah..." William stated, feeling awkward.
Cyril eye them suspiciously.
"Turn around and face the other direction." He commanded.
"Why?" Blizzard asked.
"Just do it."
Shrugging, William and Blizzard turned away from Cyril, revealing their backs. The Ice Guardian inspected them both carefully. He discovered that they both had a mark on them, and that it was Bronze. The Ice Guardian sighed.
"I see that you two have declared your love for each other," He said, "but things have yet to get serious between you two."
The two younger dragons turned back around and looked at Cyril, surprised and confused.
"How do you...?" Blizzard asked.
"That will be explained later. For now, Blizzard, you should head off to the mess hall."
"Alright." The Ice dragoness kissed William on the cheek. "I'll see you later."
"Okay." The Black-and-White dragon replied, smiling.
The Ice dragoness pushed past Cyril and left the room, leaving him and William alone. The older dragon seemed unsatisfied about something.
"What's wrong, father?" William asked, concerned.
"Take a walk with me, William." Cyril replied. "We need to talk."
"If you say so..."
Cyril and William left Blizzard's chamber and walked down the hall. A feeling of dread spread throughout the young dragon's body.
This won't end well, will it?
"William," The Ice Guardian began, "How well do you know Blizzard?"
"Well, I know that her parents died, and she's been struggling to cope with it ever since." William answered. "I also know that she's been traveling by herself for a while, and that she's roughly my age."
"How long have you known her?" Cyril asked.
"Well, uh.. not long."
The Ice Guardian sighed.
"William, there's something that you need to learn about..."
Cyril spent a few moments explaining about the Multi-colored Marks that appear on a dragon's back when they find love, mate, and produce children. The young dragon was amazed.
"So, the first mark only appears when the love it true?" He asked.
"Yes." Cyril answered. "So, I know that you truly love Blizzard."
William frowned.
"You almost sound like it's a bad thing."
"No, no," Cyril replied. "I don't disapprove of Blizzard herself. It's just that... well, I wish you would have taken a bit more time first."
"What do you mean by that?" William demanded.
"A good relationship needs proper time to grow in order for it to be a happy one, my son. A great deal have tried jumping straight to mating in a relatively short time, and more often than not, those relationships ended in disaster."
"What about Spyro and Cynder?" William snapped. "Those two became mates in a really short time!"
"Not quite, William. Those two young dragons went through a great number of Ordeals together, and learned much about each other as well. You, on the other paw, have only recently met Blizzard, and know little about her."
The young dragon started becoming agitated.
"What are you saying, then?" He asked.
"Well, I'm cetainly not saying you should push her away." The Ice Guardian replied. William calmed down.
"You're not?"
"Of course not. What I am saying... no, asking, is that you take things easy with her for the time being. Don't assume that you're ready to jump into mating; things could become extremely complicated for you because of it, and I don't want to see you get hurt."
William sighed.
"Well, father, I hadn't even thought of that yet. And I certainly don't want to bring it up now; not after what that Bruneth bastard was planning to do Blizzard."
Cyril sighed with relief.
"Thank you, William." He said. "Now then, let's go join the others in the mess hall."
...
The caravan made its way through the front gates and towards the Temple at the center. As it went about its way, Sparx looked out the window at all of the citizens.
"Looks like this place is as bustling as always." He said. "It seems like only yesterday that everyone was in a panic over Male-something's army."
"Malefor." Zane corrected.
"Whatever."
"I wonder what Hunter's been up to lately.." Sparx stated quizically.
"I believe he said he was going to search on his own."
"That's Hunter for ya; Always doing things as a loner."
The Cheetah chuckled.
"Yeah... So, where do you think those to are?" Zane asked.
"If I knew, then I'd fly right over there and smack that big Purple idiot upside the head!" The dragonfly declared. The cheetah laughed.
"Maybe we'll get lucky." He said. "Maybe they're hiding right under our noses."
"Yeah, right.." Sparx replied, rolling his eyes.
...
As Cyril and William walked into the mess hall, they were greeted by Terrador, who sat at the end of the long table.
"Greetings." He said. "We've been waiting for you two."
On Terrador's left sat Volteer, Spyro and Blizzard. To his right was an empty cushion, followed by Cynder and a second vacant spot. Cyril and William took their seats in the places they assumed to be theirs.
"Now that we're all here.." The Earth dragon began, "We can discuss the recent attack that happened yesterday."
"We all already know about it, don't we?" Cynder asked. "What's there to talk about?"
"The Red dragon claimed to be a member of a group called the Furies." Cyril declared.
"The Furies?" Spyro asked. "Isn't that the name of the powerful elemental attacks that are achieved when enough Fure Gems have been gathered?"
"Well, yes..." The Ice Guardian dragon responded, "But the Furies is also the name of something else."
"Who are the Furies?" Blizzard asked.
"A long time ago, during Malefor's younger years, a group of dragons, one of each element, attempted to take control over evil forces in an attempt to augment their natural abililties. They succeeded, but not in an expected way. Their natural elements were lost, and replaced by newer, more frightening ones. Their eyes were changed as well, tainted by evil and mutated into hideous, demonic gazes."
"Everything comes with a price, I suppose." William said.
"Yes. Frusterated that they were transformed in such a way, the dragons all rampaged acorss the world, each one causing a different brand of destruction. So, they became known as the Furies, due to their unending rage and madness."
"If they caused so much trouble, how come I haven't heard of them before?" Spyro asked.
"When Malefor came to power, he saw the Furies as a nuisance, and hunted down and killed them, one by one. It was assumed that they were all killed, and the memory of their deeds faded were greatly overshadowed by Malefor's."
"So, why would Bruneth claim that they've returned?" Cynder asked.
"That's the question, isn't it?" The Ice Guardian stated. "A Purple dragon is born only once every ten generations. And the Furies were older than Malefor. Even if some of them escaped his wrath, then surely they would have all died of old age by this time period."
"Maybe he was lying." Spyro suggested.
"For our sake, let us hope so." Cyril stated. "The Furies, though not as mighty as the Dark Master, were still a force to be reckoned with."
"Even if these 'Furies' really are returning," Cynder declared. "We'll put a stop to whatever they're up to."
"Indeed..." Terrador replied. "In any case, I think we've discussed this enough for the time being. Let's begin eating."
Unfortunately, before any of them could even begin, a Cat messenger stepped into the mess hall and walked up to the Earth Guardian.
"Sir, the Search Party has just returned to the city." He declared
"Search Party?" Spyro asked, confused.
"After you two didn't turn up, we sent out a group to find you and see you returned safely to Warfang." Volteer answered. "Of course, you reappeared quite soon after they left, and we weren't able to send the Search Party any word of your return."
"This will be most awkward." Terrador said, getting up from the table. "Especially for Sparx."
Immediately, Spyro nearly choked on a grape in surprise. Everyone looked at the Purple dragon, alarmed.
"Are you alright?" Blizzard.
"SPARX!" Spyro exclaimed. "I haven't seen or thought about him in AGES!"
The Purple dragon banged his head against the table in embarrassment.
"Calm down, Spyro." Cynder said. "That dragonfly's pretty easy to forget about."
"That's not funny, Cyn!"
"Sorry..."
"Take it easy, you two." Terrador stated. "You two may go and greet him if you wish."
"Sure..."
Spyro got up from the table and followed the Cheetah and the Earth dragon out of the mess hall, still feeling embarrased. Cynder followed after him, while William chuckled.
"Who's Sparx?" Blizzard asked, confused.
"He's an old friend of Spyro's." The Black-and-White dragon replied. "You'll probably meet him later."
"Alright..." The Ice dragoness got up from the table. "Say, would you like to go to the gardens with me?"
"Of course." William answered, getting up. "Why wouldn't I want to spend time with you?"
Blizzard giggled.
The two young dragons walked towards the Temple Gardens, their tails entwined. Cyril watched as they left, smiling.
"I used to do the same thing with Crystal..." He mused.
"Young love is quite the magical, wonderful, incredibly thing, isn't it?" Volteer commented.
"Aye."
...
Sparx and Zane approached the front steps of the Temple as the other members of the caravan disperced. The dragonfly grumbled.
"Over a week and a half of searching, completely wasted!"
"It's not as if we didn't try." Zane reassured. "We combed over every inch of the Valley of Avalar."
"Maybe we should've tried that giant Jungle that's appeared next to it..."
"Well, that could be the place..."
The Cheetah and Dragonfly ascended the steps and approached the doorway. The Guards opened the doors and let them inside. When the pair entered the Temple's Main lobby, the Dragonfly's jaw nearly hit the floor in surpise.
Across the way stood Terrador, who nodded his head in greeting, and two young dragons.
It was Spyro and Cynder.
"SPYRO!" Sparx shouted happily.
"Hi, Sparx..." Spyro said nervously.
The yellow dragonfly flew across the hall, intending to hug Spyro's face. However, he remembered his annoyance, so he smacked Spyro across the top of the head.
"HEY!" The Purple dragon exclaimed, rubbing his head. "What was that for?"
"I've been looking allover the place for you, jerk!" Sparx snapped.
Everyone else in the room laughed. Despite his tone, everyone knew that Sparx cared deeply for the Purple dragon. After all, they were like brothers their entire lives.
Spyro sighed.
"Sorry.."
"Sorry? I've been worried sick, you stupid..." The dragonfly quit yelling, and just shook his head. "Nevermind. I'm just happy to see you're okay."
Cynder cleared her throat.
"Oh, and you too, Cynder." Sparx quickly added.
"Thank you."
"I guess I can tell the others that we can call of the Search Party." Zane said.
"Yeah, you do that." The dragonfly replied. "Thanks for the help the whole time, by the way."
"Your welcome, Sparx."
The Cheetach turned around and walked back out of the Temple. The dragonfly, meanwhile, turned to face Spyro and Cynder.
"So, what have you two been up to this past week and a half?" He asked.
The two young dragons exchanged glances, blushing.
...
William and Blizzard laid together on top of their boulder, looking up at the morning sky and holding paws together.
"I haven't felt this happy in ages." Blizzard said, smiling.
"Me neither." William replied, just as happy.
The two young dragons stayed there for a long while, admiring the beautiful landscape around them.
"Hey, Blizzard?" William asked.
"Yes?"
"Would be okay if I... uh... asked you some questions?"
"Questions?" The Ice dragoness became confused. "About what?"
"About your past. I... don't really know much about you."
The Black-and-White dragon felt uncomfortable.
He couldn't help but put his father's words into consideration, but he didn't want to put Blizzard on the spotlight either.
The dragoness sighed.
"Most of it is kind of painful to think about.." She said solemnly. William sighed.
"I understand. I'm sorry."
The dragoness wrapped her tail around his.
"Don't be." She reassured. "If you want to know, then I'll tell you."
"Are you sure you're comfortable with bringing it up?"
"Positive. I trust you with my life, William."
The Black-and-White dragon smiled.
"Likewise."
Blizzard inhaled a breath of air, and began her tale.
"I was hatched in a village in Dante's Freezer..."