A/N: Ahoy, me hearties! I've got another chapter for you! And it's really long again. Sorry about the wait; a pile of assignments fell on my head and crippled me...metaphorically speaking. Enjoy~!

12.

Eyes closed, his senses heightened to the air that caressed his scales, Spyro let his essence grow. He could feel the tug and the pull of the wind, not just against his scales but inside his very being, yearning to be released. He felt its alluring whisper in his mind and its cool tendrils on his body. It felt alive.

Inhaling deeply, slowing, Spyro paused for a moment and let it out in a long breath. The winds around him whirled like a frenzied storm, throwing up dirt and grass, slapping against his scales. Then suddenly it died, the air stilled abruptly, and Spyro coughed and staggered.

"Are you ok?" Zephira asked anxiously, "You almost had it that time."

Spyro took a few deep breaths and gave her a strained smile, "I'm fine. I just couldn't hold it. It's just so…wild. So hard to keep control of."

Zephira smiled understandingly, "The wind is like that. It's a free spirit."

It was dusk. The gang had decided to stop in the shelter of the forest for the night before they began the long flight over the sea to the Dragon Temple and the Ancient Grove. Zephira and Spyro had been at it for about an hour now, but the element of wind did not come easily to the purple dragon. It was a little unnerving with everyone watching him, too.

"Come on Spyro, you can do better than that!" Sparx called.

"Do you want to try again?" Zephira asked timidly.

Spyro hesitated and shook his head. "I think we'll call it a night. I don't think I'll get any better tonight. I'm tired. You probably are too."

"Flame should be back soon with food anyway," Ember added, stretching and yawning.

They were crowded in a small clearing littered with pine needles. Flame and Zannak had gone hunting while Zephira and Spyro trained. Everyone else had lounged around watching them, talking lazily. The Celestial Moons were already high in the sky and the sun had long since set.

"O-Ok," Zephira stammered, "We'll try again tomorrow."

Spyro opened his mouth to respond, but at that moment Flame crashed back into the clearing and interrupted everyone.

"Guess who's back with dinner?" the fire dragon crowed proudly.

He and Zannak were carrying a large boar between them, which they dropped loudly in the centre of the clearing before landing. The thud of the boar's body hitting the ground flung up a cloud of dust and pine needles, which made Zephira sneeze. Saffron stared incredulously at the slain creature.

"Where on earth did you find that thing?" she gaped.

"It was sniffing around the forest," Zannak grinned, "We brought it back just for you, little sis. Knew how much you love pigs."

"Ha-ha," Saffron muttered, rolling her eyes. Everyone was getting up to inspect the boar. It wasn't a pretty creature. Its entire body was covered in short, bristly black hairs, and it was as short and squat as a death hound. Two large white tusks curled out and up from beneath its flat snout, grimy with dirt.

"It's a good thing it didn't manage to gore you with those nasty things," Ember pointed out, glaring at the tusks with her snout wrinkled.

"It almost did," Zannak said grinning, "but I saved us."

"Yeah right," Flame snorted, "Who saved who, now? Nimrod here almost got himself gutted. Thought it was a good idea to taunt the beast. At least he provided the distraction I needed to slaughter it."

Saffron nudged her brother playfully, "You never learn do you, numbskull?"

It wasn't long before everyone was feasting on roasted boar, courtesy of Flame and Kazan's fire. Cynder had to admit that, for an ugly creature, it sure didn't taste bad. Flame set the rest of the carcass on fire and they enjoyed its light and warmth for a little while, until it all crumbled into ash. Then, with bellies full of meat and scales warmed from the fire, they fell one by one into slumber.

It was Sparx who heard it first. He had been sleeping on Spyro's head, snoring uproariously, when a strange sound had woken up. The dragonfly sat up quickly, rubbing his eyes and staring into the forest around him. But it was dark and he could see nothing within the closely packed trees. But he could hear something.

It sounded like claws scraping in the undergrowth, just outside the clearing. Sparx hovered into the air, glowing faintly, trying to see through the shadows. There was something moving out there, he was sure of it. And there wasn't just one.

"Spyro," Sparx hissed as loudly as he dared, "Hey. Spyro."

The purple dragon didn't respond. Sparx shivered as a faint chattering sound reached his ears. Whatever it was, it was coming closer.

"Spyro!" he tried again, shaking one of Spyro's horns frantically, "Wake up! There's something out there!"

Spyro grumbled incoherently and shifted in his sleep, turning his head away from Sparx. Seconds later, he started snoring softly again. Chills were creeping down Sparx's back as the chattering sound became louder and more frequent. The sound of scrabbling claws was getting closer. Desperately he flew over to Spyro's muzzle and tapped his nose.

"Spyro! Spyro, wake up! There's something…"

Sparx glanced into the shadows again, but this time he saw something. A pair – no, several pairs – of glowing green eyes. The dragonfly couldn't help the squeal of fear that passed his lips. Spyro woke up suddenly with a snort, and several gasps told Sparx that he had woken up mostly everyone else too.

"What is it?" Spyro hissed.

Cynder's voice drifted through the gloom, "Spyro?"

"What's going on?" Saffron's voice added, sounding annoyed at being woken from her slumber.

"Eeek!" Zephira screeched.

"What is that?" Ciro's stunned voice exclaimed.

"Where?" Ember's voice yelped.

Flame's gruff voice joined in the confusion, "What's happening? Hey – whoa!"

There was a scrabbling sound, a gasp, and Zannak growled, "Oi! I'm here!"

"Quiet!"

Everyone froze as firelight filled the clearing. Kazan stood in the centre of everyone, his crest and tailblade glowing like fireflies in the gloom. He was glaring suspiciously into the surrounding trees. In the light from his glowing crest, the group of confused, worried dragons could be seen. Flame, who had been startled by the glowing green eyes in the shadows, had jumped backwards into Zannak, who was now looking very disgruntled.

"There's something out there," Kazan muttered quietly. Zephira shifted nervously towards her brother.

"I know!" Sparx added, "I woke up and I heard things moving out there. And I saw something – eyes – over there!"

He pointed, and everyone looked. But there were only shadows outside of the pool of light cast by Kazan. Spyro frowned and was about to say something, when a high pitched chattering sound made them all freeze.

"What was that?" Ember squeaked, jumping backwards into Cynder.

"There's definitely something out there," the black dragoness said grimly, her keen eyes picking out movement in the shadows.

"Something tells me we're in trouble," Saffron mumbled, pawing the ground anxiously. Unconsciously she edged closer to the source of light, which just so happened to be Kazan.

Spyro listened closely, hearing the sound of scrabbling claws that Sparx had heard moments ago. He felt prickles of fear creeping up his spine as he hissed, "I think we're surrounded."

A pair of poisonous green eyes peered through the shadows. Ciro yelled when he saw it, and suddenly it was joined by several more. Kazan was the first to recognise them.

"Oh no," he moaned as the chattering started, "not these things."

At that moment, all hell broke loose. The creatures, whatever they were, rushed the group of startled dragons, filling the clearing with their high pitched calls. Spyro fell back as one of the creatures leapt at him. He caught a glimpse of yellowed bone and bright green eyes before he was forced to roll sideways to avoid it.

"Apes!" Spyro yelled, "It's the apes!"

"They're spectres!" Kazan yelled back and a burst of fire lit up the clearing for an instant, "I've seen them before!"

"What do we do?" Saffron yelled, slashing at one of the skeletal beings with her silver claws. It hardly seemed to notice the blow.

"Fire!" Kazan called, "They don't like fire!"

"Got it!" Flame roared, and fire gushed from his jaws in waves. The spectral apes squealed and chattered as several of them were caught in the flames and melted away.

Saffron rolled to the side as one of the creatures tried to take a swipe at her, "Not all of us can use fire, in case you hadn't noticed!"

A burst of flame disintegrated the skeletal ape suddenly, and Saffron found herself staring instead at Kazan. His crest was still glowing, and his golden eyes almost looked like they were shining too. The electric dragoness felt a blush colour her cheeks.

"Thanks," she muttered grudgingly. Kazan grinned roguishly and turned around, charging into a pair of the spectral beasts, his paws on fire.

"Take this, you beasts!" Cynder screeched, slashing her poison-imbued tailblade through the chest of an ape. It shattered like glass upon impact.

"Stick 'em up!" Sparx said to one of them, holding his fists up as though ready to box. The creature took one look at the dragonfly and gave an unearthly screech. Screaming, Sparx shot towards the nearest hiding place – the hollow of a tree.

Back to back, Spyro and Flame poured wave after wave of fire over the skeletal creatures. But they just seemed to keep coming, appearing out of the darkness, poisonous eyes blazing. Ciro was backed up against a tree, freezing any that came near him and head-butting them back into the others. Zannak, on the other hand, seemed to have disregarded his element completely and was smashing the spectral creatures with hefty swings of his paws.

A screech filled the air as Saffron opened her mouth and expelled an electric storm that rippled through several apes at once. They screamed and writhed on the ground, but managed to stagger upright once again, to her dismay. She tried again, several times, but the spectral creatures just kept coming. Zephira noticed her friend's predicament.

"Saffron!" she called, running over to join the yellow dragoness. She opened her jaws and expelled a gust of wind that tossed many of the creatures head over heals to the edge of the clearing. But even more seemed to take their place.

"Look out, Zeph!" Saffron yelled as the creatures leapt for the white dragoness. Zephira gave a cry of shock and covered her head with her wings, preparing to feel the pain of their claws at any second.

Suddenly a wall of rock shot up in front of the wind dragoness, and the leaping creatures crashed straight into it with sickening crunches. There was a loud bang as a ball of earth struck the wall, shattering it into several large pieces of rock that fell and crushed the skeletal apes. Zephira uncovered her head, stunned, as a dark figure landed nimbly in front of her. Whoever it was hardly spared her a glance before he charged the remaining apes, shooting projectiles of rock from his maw.

The earth rumbled and split, throwing many of the creatures off balance. Those that were fleeing from Flame and Spyro's fire stumbled directly into the stranger's path, and were shattered by bullets of stone.

"Keep going!" an unfamiliar male voice called, "You've almost beat them off!"

The dark figure stamped his paw and a line of jagged rock spikes shot from the earth, impaling several of the spectral apes. A wave of fire from Spyro finished the shrieking creatures off. And then, suddenly, it was over. The last of the apes disappeared into the trees, howling mournfully, and left the panting group of dragons in silence.

Kazan was still glowing, but only just. With every pant, the glow on his crest and tailblade flickered like a dying flame. But everyone's gaze was on the dark stranger, standing at the edge of the clearing in the shadows. They could tell just from his build that he was a young male dragon, about their own age. His eyes shone an unnerving green in the light from Kazan's glowing crest.

"Who are you?" Spyro asked, after a moment, "And why did you help us?"

"Because you needed help," said the mysterious dragon, ignoring Spyro's first question, "But the real question is, what are you doing out here in the middle of the night?"

"We could ask you the same thing," Flame growled, glaring suspiciously at the stranger.

The dark dragon smiled, "I guess so. But here is not a good place to dawdle at night. We should leave before those creatures come back."

"We're not leaving until you tell us who you are!" Spyro argued, feeling annoyed. It was unnerving being unable to see this dragon, who was hidden half in shadow. How did they know he had good intentions?

The dragon paused for a moment, but when he spoke, he hardly seemed to acknowledge Spyro's statement, "It will be dawn in a few hours. We can talk elsewhere. It isn't safe out here. Follow me."

He turned away.

"I said we're not moving until you tell us who you are!" Spyro yelled again. The dragon paused and looked back.

"Look, I understand your suspicion, but I'm not here to hurt you," he said, sounding exasperated, "I'm just trying to help. I can take you back to my city. We'll be safe there. Then we can chat."

The gang hesitated. At last it was Zephira who stepped forward and said, "I think we should trust him. He did help us, after all. I'm going with him."

"But…" Spyro hesitated. It didn't feel right, running into a strange dragon out here. Where could he have come from and where had he been all this time? It wasn't right. He was reminded, quite unnervingly, of Alta. Judging from the look Flame gave him, the red dragon was thinking the same.

"Let's just go, Spyro," Cynder insisted, "He's right. This place isn't safe. At least let's trust him for now. Until the sun rises."

Spyro sighed, "Alright, fine. We'll do it your way."

The stranger nodded, "Thank you. Now, follow me. It might take a while."

He bounded away into the night, and the gang had to hurry to keep up with him. For a long time he led them through the tightly packed trees of the forest, always one step ahead, as though he knew the way like he knew the back of his own paw. After about an hour of slow loping through the forest, the strange dragon turned sharply into what seemed like a vein of rock in the earth.

Down, down they ran, the earth becoming rockier as they ran. Several times they almost tripped and stumbled, but the mysterious dragon kept ahead of them, nimble as a cat. He kept taking sharp turns and pushing through prickly undergrowth, as though following a path that wasn't there. At last, when the sky was lightening to a steely grey as dawn started to break, he stopped.

The strange dragon turned to wait for his followers, who stumbled to a halt in front of him, panting and puffing. Flame glared at him with unconcealed distrust, but the mysterious dragon didn't seem entirely bothered. In the growing light, they could now see that his scales were smooth black and his underbelly and wings were silvery grey. A pair of thick white horns curved back from his head and kicked upwards. On the end of his swishing tail was a cone-like club of white bone.

"Through here lies my city," said the stranger, "It might come as a bit of a surprise to you. It has remained undiscovered for many years."

His bright green eyes fell on Spyro, roving curiously over his vibrant purple scales. There was a brief flicker of interest and distrust in those green eyes, but it was only for a second. Ember was peering around the black dragon, frowning. He had stopped in front of what looked like a large outcropping of stone, covered by a thick dried clump of weed.

"Er…where is your city, did you say?" the pink dragoness asked.

"Through here," the black dragon said, brushing the weed aside to reveal the mouth of a dark tunnel that led down into the rock.

Flame groaned, "I think I've had enough of underground caverns to last me a lifetime."

The black dragon grinned, "I think you'll be surprised. My name's Roku, by the way."

Spyro stared distrustfully at him, "I'm Spyro. But why are you doing this? You don't even know who we are!"

Roku the black dragon let his eyes wander over Spyro and his friends. His green eyes twinkled with interest. At last he met Spyro's lilac eyes and said, "You do not seem like the minions of the Dark Master. And besides…I'm curious."

Then, with a nod at the purple dragon, he turned and stepped into the dark tunnel. Saffron and Zephira moved to follow him, but Spyro and Flame hesitated. They looked at each other, knowing they were thinking the same thing.

"Look, maybe we should go…" the purple dragon sighed, turning ever so slightly away from the mouth of the tunnel.

Flame shifted uncomfortable, "Yeah, I mean, we've got a job to do..."

The two males turned away together, but Cynder's voice called them back. "He isn't Alta, you know."

Spyro froze at the sound of the name, but Flame sighed heavily and turned back.

"I know that," the fire dragon muttered grudgingly, "but you can't say that this isn't a little familiar…unnervingly familiar…"

"He doesn't seem like a bad dragon," Ember pointed out. Flame glared at her.

"Neither did Alta! And look what happened…"

"You can't mistrust all new dragons just because of one bad experience!" the pink dragoness argued.

Cynder stepped forwards towards Spyro, who was still standing rigidly with his back to her. "Spyro?"

The purple dragon sighed, "Do you think we should trust him?"

Cynder turned her head. Everyone else, with the exception of Flame and Ember, were standing in the mouth of the tunnel, waiting curiously. They had spent the majority of their lives underground, she realised. This tunnel held no fear for them.

"I think we should try," the black dragoness said gently, pressing her muzzle comfortingly against his neck. Spyro nodded hesitantly.

"Ok…ok," he took a deep breath and turned back. Flame stared at him incredulously.

"You're really going to go in there? After what happened with Alta?"

Spyro met his eyes unwaveringly, "He isn't him, Flame. And Ember's right, we can't mistrust him because of that."

"Besides," Spyro added as he followed the others down into the tunnel, "there's nine of us, and only one of him."

Flame snorted, exchanged a glance with Ember, and followed anyway. With a sad smile, the pink dragoness trailed after him.

The pale morning sun shone through a blanket of grey skies to light up the streets of Warfang. Its weak rays crept through an arched window and along the ancient wood of a weathered desk, illuminating the green scales of the thickset dragon sitting at it. Terrador paused for a moment, his quill hovering above the parchment, and reread what he had just written.

Hunter,

I received your message just this morning. It is indeed troubling that the panthers have yet to make another appearance in Avalar. I do not believe they would have moved on so quickly. Nevertheless, I am grateful that for now you and your village are safe and unharmed. Remember, keep on your guard.

There have been no sightings of panthers here at Warfang, either, but they cannot be far away. Just recently, young Spyro was summoned by a legendary dragon known as the Chronicler. We fear that this summons may somehow be connected to the threat of the panthers. Spyro left Avalar yesterday morning, to seek him out. Cynder, Flame, and several of his friends have accompanied him. Should you see them, let me know as soon as possible.

I fear for their safety.

Despite Spyro's absence, life in Warfang is as normal. Our guards are roaming the battlements, waiting for the panthers to show their faces. Our lack of knowledge regarding our enemies troubles the other guardians and I. We will continue to watch and wait.

Be wary, Hunter, I fear the worst may be yet to come.

Give my regards to your chief.

Terrador hesitated before signing his name in elegant cursive writing at the bottom of the page. Then, setting his quill down, he deftly rolled up the parchment and turned towards the falcon perched on his desk. The sleek, handsome bird had been waiting there since it had delivered Hunter's message. Clearly it expected a reply. The earth guardian beckoned it over.

"Take this to your master," Terrador said, slipping the scroll through the leather strap tied to the bird's leg, "Be swift."

With a nod of its regal head, the bright-eyed bird turned and soared out through the window. Terrador limped over to the window to watch as the falcon slowly disappeared into the gloomy sky. An uneasy feeling was stirring deep inside him, but he wasn't entirely sure why. Something would happen soon – something big – he could feel it in his bones.

Shaking his massive head, Terrador turned and strode across his room towards the door. He opened it to find Thasos standing there, his paw raised to knock. The fire guardian smiled sheepishly and lowered his paw to the ground.

"Forgive me, Terrador, I was coming to see if you were awake. Classes start in less than an hour."

"Yes, I know," the earth guardian responded, stepping out of his room and closing the door with his tail, "I was merely replying to Hunter's letter."

"A letter? What did it say?" Thasos asked eagerly, following Terrador down the corridor into the guardians' common room. Cyril and Volteer were there, arguing animatedly about the difference between moles and manweersmalls.

"…always wearing those odd little hats…" Cyril grumbled, waving his paw.

"Oh, so you have never even acquired a diminutive glance of a mole covering one's head?" Volteer interrupted with heavy sarcasm.

Terrador glanced at Thasos, "They've seen no sign of the panthers, either. I fear they are planning something, waiting for the right moment to strike."

Thasos frowned, "That does not bode well. What should we do, Terrador?"

"Wait," the green guardian grunted, "watch, and be ready. It's all we can do for now."

"And those long, hairless tails…" muttered Cyril, "More like mice than moles."

"Do not expend on the truth! I find it most implausible that you would ever catch even a fleeting glimpse of such a rodent!" Volteer snorted.

Terrador beckoned Thasos towards the door, "Come. We'll need a good breakfast if we are to withstand a day of lessons with the young dragons."

Thasos's brown eyes twinkled merrily and he followed Terrador out into the streets.

Orpheus was in trouble. He had been searching for his brother Erebos when he inadvertently found himself in the path of one of the guards that were constantly patrolling both the battlements and the inner perimeter of the city. The swift panther had instantly flattened himself against the nearest building, behind a bush of prickly leaves, dearly hoping his dark coat would hide him in the shadows. Luckily, the guard dragon didn't seem to notice him and continued on his way.

But Orpheus was far from safe. Looking around from his hiding place, the panther noticed that there were dragons everywhere. If he didn't move from this place soon, he'd be spotted for sure. But he'd have to be stealthy if he wanted to get away without being seen. Swallowing nervously, the panther slunk on all fours around the building, keeping behind whatever greenery there was, and slipped into a nearby alleyway.

He lent against the wall, panting, only to dive behind a stack of wooden boxes when a pair of dragons entered the other end of the alley. They strode past his hiding place without sparing it a glance, chatting idly. Heart pounding, Orpheus waited until they were gone before climbing carefully out from behind the boxes. He slunk to the end of the alley and peered out, crouching.

Orpheus hadn't seen his brother or any of the other assassins for over a day now. He wondered where they were – if they had left the city, if they had been captured. He hoped neither was the case.

Looking around, Orpheus noticed no dragons were watching, and carefully crept out of the alley and into a small garden. He spotted a large green dragon watering the flowers with a bucket hanging on the end of his tail. The dragon hadn't seen him, but Orpheus dived for cover anyway, slipping underneath a thick hedge.

With leaves and twigs catching the fur of his back, the panther slithered and crawled all the way along the length of the hedge, trying to get as far away from the gardening dragon as possible. He peered out and saw four green paws walk past, barely an inch away. Holding his breath, Orpheus waited until the paws wandered away before slithering on. His olive green eyes peered out from under the hedge at the street, and he saw he was near the base of the tallest building in the city. He wasn't sure what this building was for, but a place that big had to have somewhere to hide.

Making up his mind, Orpheus waited until he thought it was safe and then slipped out from under the hedge and dashed as quick as lightning towards the building. There were arched windows on the bottom floor, he noticed, and bushes with dark purple leaves planted all around its perimeter. Interested, the young panther hid himself in the oddly-coloured bushes and peered through the small, arched window.

There were dragons in the room, lots of them. Orpheus noticed they were all young dragons, except for the large icy blue dragon, who was speaking. The young dragons were all seated along low wooden benches, with pieces of parchment and pots of ink spread out in front of them. This was a classroom, Orpheus realised with surprise. Interested, the panther listened.

"…was when the council of Warfang was named," the large blue dragon was saying, "Before then, the city was run by nobles whose great wealth exceeded the rest of dragon population. The council of Warfang, which would later become the council of Avalar, was formed by the four guardians of the time, designed to settle disputes and maintain order amongst the citizens of the great city…"

"Sir," said a green dragoness suddenly, raising a yellow wing.

The blue dragon, who Orpheus assumed to be their teacher, looked sternly at the dragoness who had spoken. "Yes, yes, what is it?"

"I was wondering…" she hesitated, "Could you…tell us about the Chronicler?"

The blue dragon froze, "Where did you hear that name?"

The little green dragoness blushed for a moment and replied timidly, "Ciro told me, before he left. He said he was going to see the Chronicler, with Spyro."

Orpheus shifted, suddenly interested, and listened closely for the blue dragon's answer. Who or what was the Chronicler? And what did the purple dragon want with him?

The blue dragon looked around at his class, who were all watching him with sudden interested, and sighed.

"Very well, then," he said, pawing the ground anxiously, "Well, some of you may have heard the name before, but I doubt any of you know of the tales. The Chronicler, so they say, is an ancient dragon whose wisdom is far greater than that of any other living dragon. In fact, some say that the Chronicler is not a living dragon at all, but a celestial spirit who knows all and can see all."

Orpheus frowned, 'A dragon that knows all and can see all. I wonder what the masters would think about that.'

"Now, the Chronicler is said to reside in a place known as the Celestial Caves," the ice dragon continued, "situated somewhere between our realms and the realm of spirits. No one truly knows where it is or how to get there. In fact, no one had seen nor heard from the Chronicler for a thousand years – that is, until shortly before the Night of Eternal Darkness four years ago, when the purple dragon was summoned in dreams."

"But there have been stories of the Chronicler from long before. It is said that he only appears to those worthy, and only when great darkness has come upon the land. Many have grown to fear his name for this reason, for the re-emergence of this wise dragon often coincided with great decades of war and chaos."

Orpheus couldn't suppress the shudder than ran down his spine at those words. He wasn't sure he liked the sound of this ancient, all-knowing dragon.

"What happened, sir?" the same green dragoness asked, "When Spyro was summoned the first time, I mean. Four years ago."

"Four years ago, the purple dragon was contacted by the Chronicler on a night when Gaul's forces attacked and almost desecrated the already fragile dragon temple," the great ice dragon said darkly, "Shortly afterwards, Spyro left to seek him out. He did not return for three whole years."

Outside, the young panther's eyes widened. No panther had ever heard about what had happened during Malefor's more recent reign of terror. But now it seemed that Orpheus was about to find out.

"During that time, Malefor escaped from the Well of Souls and began his domination over the entire land," The blue dragon looked down, "Without Spyro, our cause seemed hopeless. The land was scarred by his malice, and we did all we could just to protect our great city of Warfang. For three years, our world suffered under the hands of the terrible Dark Master."

"So it's true!" a red dragoness suddenly exclaimed, "The appearance of the Chronicler does foretell doom and chaos!"

The ice dragon looked down at her, "Perhaps. We did indeed enter a darker period of war after his emergence…"

"So what's going to happen now?" the green dragoness asked quietly, and everyone stopped to look at her, "If the Chronicler has summoned Spyro again, what does it mean for us? What does it mean for the world?"

Orpheus gripped the sill of the arched window, wondering the same thing. Were they destined for war? And did this have anything to do with his masters' plan to retake Avalar? Unease was growing inside him.

The blue dragon hesitated for a while, as though reluctant to answer. But at last he looked up and said, "The Chronicler's re-emergence may indeed spell disaster for us, but we cannot be certain. There have been…troublesome happenings as of late, however we must have faith in ourselves. We must have faith in the purple dragon. He has never led us wrong yet. But we shall not turn our backs on a challenge! My ancestors did not, and nor shall I! If chaos will soon be upon us, then I will stand and fight!"

The ice dragon paused, noticing the stunned looks on his students' faces, "Er…that is to say, if we are plunged into war. There is no proof that the Chronicler appears only in times of disaster. Let's not be too hasty. Let us hope, at least, that it does not take Spyro three years to return this time, hmm? Now, where was I?"

"But, sir," the green dragoness attempted to interrupt, but the ice dragon shook his head firmly.

"That will do, young dragoness, no more distractions. I have a history lesson to teach. Now then…"

Orpheus slipped away from the window, having heard enough. What he had heard disturbed and worried him. If the purple dragon was indeed seeking out this Chronicler, what could it mean for the panthers? That blue dragon had mentioned war and chaos…but what could bring that about? He stared at the dark pad of his paw, frowning.

'Could we be the cause of it? If this Chronicler foretells the beginning of war, could it be us who start it?'

Shuddering, Orpheus hoped that wasn't the case. A war between panthers and dragons was not something he wanted to be caught up in.

'I just hope the masters know what they're doing.'

Nalu strode slowly through the halls of the academy. Cyril's history lesson had given her plenty to think about. The green dragoness had indeed spoken to Ciro not long before he left the city with Spyro. She'd been curious about whom the Chronicler was, but now that she knew, she wasn't entirely glad she had asked. Her heart felt heavy with worry.

A part of Nalu had always disliked Ciro. The ice dragon was a joker and a teaser, and he had always pulled pranks on her and picked on her friends. Sure, he wasn't as rambunctious as Zannak, but he sure had his fair share of immaturity. She'd gotten annoyed with him several times, but he'd never let up.

But, at the same time, she couldn't help liking his company. He was funny and kind, and even charming at times. Her friends had never liked him, but they'd never seen the cheerful grins he'd passed her in the street, or heard the off-hand compliments he'd give her every day. No matter how immature and annoying Ciro was, Nalu couldn't deny the way her heart fluttered whenever he smiled at her.

And now that he was away on some quest, with no guarantee that he would return in the next three years – Spyro hadn't last time – Nalu couldn't help but fear for him. She hoped he was safe wherever he was, and that he would return soon. She missed his charming smiles in the street, his flattering comments in the classroom that made her flustered, even his goofy pranks that often left her steaming.

'Be safe, Ciro. If we are about to enter an age of war…I hope you'll be there beside me.'

Nalu stepped out into the street as other young dragons rushed out around her, eager to get out of the academy and enjoy the hours of daylight left before dusk. But Nalu was still feeling anxious, and turned to take a stroll in the gardens around the Academy. She was just nearing the rear of the tall building when she saw a shadow move out of the corner of her eye. Startled, the green dragoness snapped her head around to look.

Orpheus had been so preoccupied with his thoughts that he didn't notice someone enter the gardens. He'd been lying on the ground amongst the bushes, hidden, but had decided to find go Erebos and tell him what he'd overheard at the Academy. Without thinking, the young panther stood up in full view of the green dragoness who'd just been walking passed.

She stared, her apricot eyes wide with shock. He stared, stunned into silence. A frozen moment passed, and it seemed as though the wind itself had stopped. Suddenly she screamed, and it was like a knife cutting through the air. Orpheus scarpered.

Nalu didn't stop to see where the black creature had gone. She turned and ran as fast as she could back towards the entrance of the academy, desperate to find one of the guardians. Other students gave her weird looks as she ran pell-mell into the building, pushing others out of her way. Without warning she crashed headlong into something solid and unmoving, and fell back with a yelp.

"Careful!" said a deep, hoarse voice, followed by, "Are you hurt, young dragoness?"

Nalu blinked dazedly and looked up to see the earth guardian Terrador looking down at her. She jumped back to her feet in an instant, eyes wide and fearful.

"Master Terrador, there was a…a creature…in the bushes! It fled! I-I didn't see where it went, I just ran back here as fast as I could to tell someone! I-!"

"Slow down," Terrador interrupted and she froze, panting, "Now, what did you see?"

The green dragoness took several gulps of air before calming down enough to answer, "It was black… It looked like a cheetah, kind of. But with pitch black fur. It was in the bushes just outside the academy. I don't think it meant me to see it. It ran away as soon as I… Master Terrador?"

The earth guardian was staring blankly at her, his green eyes glazed over, a horrified expression on his face. Frightened, Nalu took a step back. No dragon had ever looked at her like that before. She wondered what she had done. But the next second, Terrador had spun around and roared as loud as he could, "SERIPHOS!"

Nalu almost jumped out of her scales. There was a crash from somewhere upstairs, and seconds later a green dragon came racing downstairs looking startled. He skidded to a halt in front of the earth guardian, saluting him with a wing. It was Seriphos, the battle tactics teacher.

"What is it, Master Terrador? Is something wrong?"

"Find the other guardians immediately," Terrador ordered swiftly, "Tell them there is a panther loose in the city. Alert the guards and have them mount a search for the creature. It can't have gone far."

Seriphos was stunned, "What?"

"Immediately, Seriphos!" Terrador roared, the sound of his yell making both Nalu and Seriphos jump. The earth dragon captain saluted smartly and raced off without a word, looking more serious than ever.

"M-master Terrador, what's going on?" Nalu asked anxiously, fear causing her heart to race.

"Do not fear, young dragoness," the earth guardian replied, though he sounded grim, "I need you to take me to the place where you saw this creature. Right now. Can you do that?"

Nalu nodded quickly and turned around. With Terrador on her tail, she hurried out the doors of the Academy and skirted around the building towards the place she had seen the panther. She skidded to a halt and pointed with a paw at the wall and the purple-leaved shrubs growing against it.

"It was right there. It looked at me for a second and I screamed, then it ran." Nalu looked anxiously up at the earth guardian, wondering what his reaction would be.

Terrador took one look at the scene and deduced that the panther was no longer there. Out of all the ways the panthers could have shown themselves, the earth guardian would not have picked this. His heart was hammering with worry and exhilaration. There was a panther loose in the city. In the city.

"Which way did it run?"

Nalu pointed towards the northern wall, "That way."

Terrador nodded, "Good. Thank you for reporting this, young dragon. Nalu, wasn't it? You have been a great help. Now, I suggest you head home and leave this to us."

"But…"

"You have done enough," the earth guardian said sternly, "The creature you saw was a panther. He may be dangerous. We will deal with him. Now, off you go."

"Y-yes…Master Terrador." Nalu gave him one last anxious look and ran off towards home.

Seconds later, the earth guardian was in the air, his deep voice booming throughout the city.

"All dragons, be on the lookout for any black cats in the area! There is a panther loose in the city! There may be more than one! Anyone who has seen anything is to report to Captain Seriphos or the guardians immediately! Be on your guard! I repeat; there is a panther loose in the city!"

Orpheus ran like he had never run before. He wasn't sure where he was going, only that he had to find somewhere to hide. There seemed to be dragons around every corner, and they were all searching – searching for him. He tried to keep in the shadows as much as possible, in tiny alleyways and nooks, but he knew he was in trouble.

Suddenly a hand grabbed the back of his tunic and yanked him backwards into an alley, behind a pile of wooden crates. Orpheus almost shouted out, but a paw covered his mouth roughly and a voice hissed in his ear, "Quiet! It's me!"

Orpheus struggled out of his grip and turned to face his brother, "Erebos! Where-?"

But the taller panther cut him off by roughly shoving him up against the wall, "What did you do?"

"Wh-what?"

"The entire city is on high alert!" Erebos snarled, shaking his younger brother roughly, "They know we're here! What did you do?"

Orpheus gulped, "I-It was an accident! I didn't mean for her to see me, I…!"

Erebos shoved his paw over his brother's mouth again as a dragon cantered past the mouth of the alleyway they were in. It peered into the alley for a moment, saw nothing, and continued on its way. When the dragon was gone, the purple-eyed panther glowered angrily at the trembling Orpheus.

"We'll talk elsewhere. We're not safe here," He yanked Orpheus up roughly, "Follow me."

It wasn't easy navigating through the city when it seemed the entire population was out looking for them. Several times the panthers were almost caught, but Erebos somehow managed to keep them out of sight. Eventually, feeling highly strung and anxious, they wound up in front of a small, dingy shop. It looked abandoned, judging from the boarded up windows and the grimy bricks.

Erebos lead his brother into the dark shop, stepping around empty crates littered all over the floor. He stopped near the back of a shop, grabbed a broken wooden pole that was leaning against the wall, and tapped three times on the dusty roof above him. Suddenly a section of the wooden roof fell open, revealing a trap door and a disgruntled black-furred face. Agra, the oldest of the assassins, glared down at them.

"I see you found him. Come on up, before those dragons find you."

A crudely made rope ladder fell from the trapdoor, and Erebos pushed his brother roughly towards it. Still feeling panicked, Orpheus grabbed the ladder in his trembling paws and hauled himself up. He found himself in a dark and dusty attic, dotted with specs of light from cracks in the wooden roof. He could make out two figures seated in the shadows in the corner. The attic was entirely empty, save for three wooden crates stacked up against the wall.

Was this where everyone had been hiding since they'd come to the city? Orpheus felt a small spark of jealousy. He'd taken to sleeping in the gardens, under bushes or in trees, always worried that he'd be discovered. But they'd been here all along, in their own little house, hidden and sheltered from the dragons.

"Why didn't you tell me you'd been hiding here?" Orpheus asked, looking around the dusty attic. Erebos hauled himself in through the trapdoor and pulled the ladder up after him.

"Tell you?" sneered a female voice from the shadows. Nyx stepped into a shaft of light streaming in from the cracked roof, her yellow eyes glinting with malice.

"This hideout is for assassins only," she snarled, playing with her dagger idly, "And I don't care what the Masters say – you are not an assassin. What did you do? Get yourself seen?"

Orpheus faltered, "That…that was an accident! I didn't intend her to see me!"

"An accident?" Nyx shrieked, stepping closer, "We are the Elite Guard, we do not have accidents! The entire city is out looking for us! Now that they know we're here, the element of surprise is gone! You could have ruined the entire plan! The Masters will be here in little more than a day! We had orders not to be seen!"

"It was a mistake!" Orpheus argued, "I made one tiny mistake! That's not going to ruin everything! You can't say that you've never made a mistake!"

Nyx moved as swiftly as lightning. Her dagger flashed in the shaft of light and sheered across Orpheus's cheek, just below his left eye. White hot pain lanced across his face as the steel cut deep into his flesh. A scream of pain tore itself from his throat, and suddenly he found himself on the dusty floor, half-blinded. Blood splattered the floor and rolled down his cheek in rivulets, clumping in his fur. Something sharp was pressed to the vulnerable skin of his neck.

"Do you know why you're here, Orpheus?" Nyx hissed, her voice as cold as ice. She was pinning him to the floor now, her dagger pressed to his throat. "Do you know why the Masters made you an elite?"

Orpheus swallowed nervously, feeling the blade scrape against his throat, blood streaming from the gash below his eye. "Because…because I showed promise. Because the Masters thought I was worthy…"

"You're here," Nyx snarled, pressing her dagger harder against his throat, "because of him!"

She jerked her head at Erebos, and Orpheus glanced pleadingly at his brother. But Erebos was pointedly looking away, his eyes fixed on the dusty wooden floor. A drop of Orpheus's blood hit the floor with a hollow plunk.

"You're here," Nyx continued viciously, "because your brother is one of the finest assassins the Masters have ever had. You're here because they thought that you might turn out just like him. And you know what? They were wrong."

Orpheus felt his face heat up beneath his fur, "Sh-shut up…"

"You don't deserve to be an elite! You don't even deserve to be one of the Masters' soldiers!" her blade was cutting into his skin now, and beads of blood were formed along its edge, "You're a weak cub, Orpheus, a disgrace to the name of the Elite Guard, to the name of your brother, to what it means to be a panther! I knew you weren't assassin material from the start. Soon enough the Masters will realise it too!"

Orpheus swallowed. He could feel tears welling in his left eye as his bleeding cheek burned like fire. Nyx's yellow eyes burned into his own, sick and deadly. She was going to kill him.

"That will do, Nyx," said Agra calmly. In the shaft of light from the roof his greying fur looked even paler, as though he had aged several years in an instant. "Let him go."

Nyx snarled viciously, but withdrew her dagger anyway. Her paw plunged in Orpheus's tunic and yanked out the tracking gem he'd carried in his pocket. Orpheus made a sharp movement as though to snatch it back, but thought better of it. Nyx bared her white fangs at him as she held up the dark crystal.

"You don't deserve to contact the Masters. I'll be keeping this from now on."

With a rough shove that pushed Orpheus onto his back, Nyx released him and stood up. She spat on the floor next to him and spun on her heel, striding back into the shadowy corner to sit with Steel, who had watched the whole thing with a satisfied, sadistic grin on his face. Agra considered Orpheus for a moment, before he too turned and walked away.

It took a while for Orpheus to recover. He lay on his back for a long time, dust clinging to his fur, blood drying on his cheek. Eventually he heard someone approach, their pawsteps muted by the dusted floorboards.

"Stop grovelling on the ground and get up," Erebos muttered scornfully. Slowly, Orpheus pushed himself into a sitting position.

"Why didn't you stop her?" he asked bitterly, looking up at his brother. Erebos's deep purple eyes burned angrily.

"Why? Why should I have?" he snarled, kicking dust up angrily.

"Because you're my brother!" Orpheus exclaimed, sounding wounded and betrayed, "My flesh and blood!"
"I am an elite!" Erebos growled, grabbing his younger brother by the neck of his tunic and hauling him up, "And you know, being related to you only gives me a bad name! I've tried my hardest to become one of the Masters' best assassins, to make them proud to call me an Elite Guard! And now you come along and ruin that! They all expected you to be like me, but you've only proven yourself to be a burden! I've got a reputation to uphold, and every time you do something wrong it comes back to me! You're a disgrace of a brother!"

Stunned, Orpheus could only stare at his brother. He didn't know what to say, how to respond, so he said nothing. Erebos released him roughly, glaring.

"Grow up and stop acting like a cub," he snarled, "or I'll no longer call you my brother. Maybe Nyx was right. You're not cut out to be an assassin. So shape up or get out! I'm not cleaning up after you…"

With a last bitter look at his brother, Erebos turned and went to join the other three in the far corner of the attic. Orpheus was left alone under a tiny shaft of light, dried blood on his face and a look of utter shame in his olive green eyes. He looked up through the crack in the ceiling and saw only grey sky choked with clouds.

His feelings in a tangle of shame and resentment, the young panther sat down heavily, hugging his knees to his chest, and buried his face in his arms. In silence he sat for a long time, salty tears matting his fur.

Roku was waiting for them near the end of the tunnel, his green eyes piercing through the gloom. The black dragon was almost invisible in the darkness, had it not been for his pale silver wings and underbelly. He looked scrutinisingly at Spyro and the others as they join him.

"I was wondering whether you'd decided to turn away," Roku said with a small smile, "Come on; it's just around this bend."

He turned and disappeared around the corner, the club on the end of his tail bobbing behind him. Spyro glanced at the others, shrugged, and followed. What met him around the bend was nothing less than extraordinary. Beside him, Sparx's jaw almost hit the ground.

"Whoa…what the-?"

Spyro drew breath in through his teeth in a short, sharp gasp. An entire city was laid out before him. And, the strange thing was, half of it seemed to be upside down. Domed and cone-shaped buildings and temples seemed to grow from the roof and the ceiling simultaneously, like giant stalagmites and stalactites. They were built from a rich, gold rock, much like that at Warfang, and carved with the utmost precision. The ceiling was entirely stone, as though they had wandered into a massive cavern. Which, Spyro reminded himself, they had.

"Welcome to Ethra," Roku said beside him, in a proud sort of voice.

A pale light washed through the entire city of stone, to Spyro's great confusion. How could there be light underground? He considered asking the black dragon, but what came out instead was just an awed, "You live here?"

Roku nodded, "All my life. I think you'll find this place a little surprising. But it wasn't always this way…"

"What do you mean by that?" Sparx asked suspiciously, folding his arms.

Roku began his way down the rocky path that led to the heart of the city, saying over his shoulder, "You'll see."

The group followed him, unable to tear their eyes away from the strange city of stone and the temples and buildings that clung to the roof. The place seemed deserted, though it was barely dawn, which meant the inhabitants could still be sleeping.

"It's sort of beautiful, really," Ember murmured to Flame, "A little eerie, but beautiful."

Flame grunted, "The sooner we're above ground, the better."

Saffron kept turning this way and that, as though searching for something. Zannak nudged her, "Why so fidgety, sis?"

Ignoring him, the yellow dragon asked aloud, "Where's the light coming from?"

Up front, Roku heard the question and called back, "I can show you later, if you'd like. But first I think it's best that we all go and see the Master."

"Who?" Spyro asked. He looked away from the domed stone house he'd been staring at to glance at the black dragon.

"You'll see."

"I wish he'd stop saying that," Sparx mumbled under his breath.

"Where is everyone?" Cynder asked moments later, her piercing eyes peering at every house and building they passed by. It was eerily quiet.

"Sleeping," Roku said shortly.

"You know, we haven't even told you our names," Kazan pointed out from the back of the group. Roku glanced back at him.

"There'll be time for that when we see the Master," he replied. Moments later, he frowned and stopped, one paw raised in the air. He seemed to be listening hard.

"What is it?" Spyro asked. Roku shook his head with a smile.

"What is he doing up again…" the black dragon said, more to himself than anyone else. Sparx gave Spyro a glance that said 'he's crazy, right?'

But, moments later, everyone else heard it too. It was the sound of someone yelling in effort, followed by what sounded like a gust of strong wind and the dull thud of something hitting the ground. Roku cantered towards the sound and disappeared around the side of an oddly cone-shaped building. Everyone else followed.

They found themselves at the edge of a round courtyard that reminded Spyro of the dojo back at the old Dragon Temple. What's more, several straw dummies were littered across the stone ground, mostly intact. A small black and white dragon stood in the middle of them, panting. He looked about ten years old, and Spyro couldn't decide whether he was black with white splotches, or white with black splotches.

"Domino!" Roku said as he approached the small dragon, "What are you doing up so early?"

The splotchy dragon almost fell over with shock, but recovered quickly and spun around to face the larger black dragon. His green eyes were challenging, but exhausted.

"Training," the young dragon said in a high, childish voice, "like you do! I want to be a great fighter like you are!"

"Well you're not going to get any better if you don't get any sleep," Roku chided fondly. He glanced around at the dummies lying around the courtyard, "Why don't you show me what you've been practicing?"

But the little black and white dragon was no longer looking at Roku. He was staring wide-eyed straight at Spyro. For a moment it looked like he'd been turned to stone. Then, seconds later, an expression of the utmost disbelieving excitement crossed his childish face.

"You're a purple dragon!" he whirled on the older black dragon, "Roku! There's a purple dragon in the city! There! See? A purple dragon!"

"I know, Domino," Roku extended a wing over the small dragon, stopping him from bouncing up and down excitedly, "I brought him here. He and his friends ran into a little trouble outside."

"Did you rescue them, big bro? Did you, did you? You're so brave!" the splotchy dragonling crowed happily, gazing up at Roku with adoring eyes.

"I helped," Roku said modestly, "We're going to see the Master. Why don't you come with us and we can all get acquainted with the purple dragon and his friends?"

The little dragon's eyes went so big they looked like saucers, "Can I?"

At Roku's nod, he gave a shrill cry of excitement and scampered away calling, "Follow me, everyone! The Master's this way!"

Spyro stared blankly after him. Roku beckoned for them to follow, and the purple dragon fell into step beside him.

"My younger brother," the black dragon murmured to Spyro, "Domino. He's very enthusiastic."

Ember and Cynder were in quiet conversation with each other. The black dragoness lowered her voice and murmured, "Who do you suppose this 'Master' is?"

"I don't know," the pink dragoness whispered back, "but he must be very important. Maybe he's like a guardian, like Terrador and the others."

Cynder grimaced, "Well I hope he's friendly, whoever he is."

It took them several minutes to reach their destination, which was a large temple near the centre of the city. It wasn't as large as the Dragon Temple, but as big as the Atrium back at Warfang, if not larger. By the time they got there, little Domino was bouncing up and down in front of the huge cedar doors.

"Come on, come on!" he crowed impatiently as they approached.

"Patience," Roku said sternly, setting his shoulder against the left door. He pushed with all his might and it creaked open silently, revealing an interior of stone. The black dragon beckoned the others inside and followed in behind them.

It was dim lit in the temple, with small torches burning in bracket on the walls. There were three doors, each closed with a golden insignia in the centre. While Spyro and his friends were gazing around curiously, Roku approached the door straight ahead, Domino bouncing at his side. Quieting his little brother, the black dragon tapped the clubbed end of his tail on the polished wood of the door three times. A brief silence followed.

The doors creaked open inwards minutes later, revealing a shadowy figure beyond. Spyro blinked and squinted, trying to make it out in the dim light.

"Who's disturbing me so early in the morning?" asked a disgruntled, feminine voice. The figure stepped forward and into the light. Spyro couldn't stifle a gasp.

The Master was a massive dragoness with deep navy blue scales and rather mischievous yellow-green eyes. Her underbelly and wings were a slightly paler blue, and her wings were tipped with curved black barbs. Two black horns struck almost straight upright, with the slightest angle backwards. A third, smaller horn, stood upright on her forehead. But what was most breathtaking about this elegant dragoness was the set of brilliant gold armour that adorned her body. A huge domed sapphire was set in the centre of her chest plate.

"Judging from your armour, you were already awake, Master," Roku replied, rather bravely in Spyro's opinion. This massive navy dragoness was more than a little intimidating.

But she gave a loud laugh, reminiscent of the chiming of brass bells, and replied, "At the crack of dawn, as always. What can I…?"

She stopped, suddenly noticing Spyro and his friends. Her greenish eyes widened ever so slightly and she glanced back to Roku, "Do we have guests, Roku?"

The black dragon nodded, "It's why I came to see you, Master. I figured you would want to know. I came across them in the forest on the surface. They were being attacked by spectres. I helped them fight the beasts off, and brought them here."

"Indeed," the navy dragoness turned her eyes on Spyro again, "and what were they doing alone in the forest at night?"

Feeling challenged, Spyro opened his mouth to angrily respond, but the massive dragoness cut him off with a raised wing. He faltered.

"Now, now," she said, noticing his disgruntled expression, "there'll be time for explanations later. Why don't we introduce ourselves first? Welcome to the underground city of Ethra. I never thought I'd ever meet you, little purple one."

"My name is Spyro," he replied quickly, "This is my brother, Sparx. I grew up with him."

Sparx raised a hand, looking a little intimidated by the large dragoness, and uttered a small, "Hi."

The dragoness nodded sagely, "I see. Well, you may know me as Selador. Or, as the citizens of this city call me, Master Selador. It seems you have already met Roku and his little brother Domino. And what about all of you?"

One by one, everyone introduced themselves to Roku, Domino and Selador. When they finally came to Cynder, Selador almost did a double take. She stared hard at the black dragoness for a long time in which no one spoke. Cynder shifted anxiously, feeling as though her very soul was being searched. Selador's yellow-green eyes were piercing.

"I only heard stories about the legendary Terror of the Skies," Selador said at last, "But disturbing stories they were. And yet you, young dragoness, seem nothing like the Cynder from those tales. Only your colour and name are the same. Could they be coincidences, or is there something more to you than I realise?"

Cynder swallowed and looked away, "I'm…not proud of the things I've done. I'm not the Cynder I used to be, but I don't deny who I once was…"

"That wasn't her fault," Spyro cut in suddenly, "she wasn't the one who did all those horrible things. It was Malefor. It was all Malefor."

Selador turned her piercing eyes on him, "You speak his name. Strange. Back in the days before the raid on the Dragon Temple, most referred to him only as the Dark Master. Perhaps we feared that if we remembered his name, he would return. What do you know of Malefor, young Spyro?"

"More than you realise," Spyro replied darkly, meeting her piercing gaze with his own, "and what do you know about the Dragon Temple?"

Selador looked taken aback, "Why, everything! Up until the raid, that is. After all, it was once my home!"

Spyro's eyes snapped wide with surprise, "What! You mean you lived there?"

"I did," Selador gave a wistful smile, "I knew you when you were just an egg, Spyro. You were our greatest hope… but the raid on the temple ruined everything…"

"Tell me what you know!" Spyro pleaded, "What happened to you on the night of the raid? What have you been doing all this time?"

"Patience, little purple one," Selador soothed, "I will tell you, but only if you agree to tell me your tale. I know you have one to tell. After all, many believed you were lost on the night of the raid. And yet here you are, standing before me like a returning hero. Yes, you have a tale to tell. But first, let us hear mine…"

The navy dragoness stepped aside, clearing the doorway, "Why don't you come in and make yourselves comfortable? I think we may be here for a while."

With words of thanks, Spyro and the others entered the room and found themselves in what seemed to be Selador's private chambers. There was a large bed of cushions in one corner, and a massive stone basin against the left wall. Spyro supposed it was filled with water whenever she wanted a bath. Stone shelves had been carved into the far wall, filled with rows of dusty books and volumes. Extra cushions were stacked away in a wooden cabinet beside the shelves.

"Take a cushion each," Selador invited, spreading a blue wing towards the cabinet and her bed, "There's more than enough."

Roku and Domino hesitated at the door, while everyone else rushed to get a cushion. Selador beckoned them in, and the door creaked shut by itself.

"Come on, boys. You can join us," Selador winked at the brothers. Roku nodded respectfully, while Domino bounced up and down eagerly.

The black dragon grabbed a red cushion and dragged it over to sit with the others, who had seated themselves in a semi circle around Selador. An excited Domino tripped over his own paws as he dragged a yellow cushion over. Once everyone was seated and quiet, Selador began her tale. She had a strangely melodious voice.

"As a young dragon, I attended the Dragon Temple academy with others of my age. Those were peaceful days, even with the rising threat of the apes. By the time I graduated, the Earth Guardian Gaius had already chosen his apprentice – a young dragon by the name of Terrador. Not that I would have been chosen…it is a long running tradition that only males should become guardians."

"Wait," Spyro interrupted, "You're an earth dragon? Did you know Terrador?"

Selador looked surprised, "Of course. Terrador was several years my senior, but we crossed paths in the academy every now and then. He was a kind soul, if not a little too serious. You sound like you know him, Spyro."

"I do," the purple dragon said, nodding, "he's the Earth Guardian. He's at Warfang now with the other guardians."

"Indeed?" Selador's eyes widened slightly, "Warfang still stands? I'll hear your story soon enough, I suppose…"

She paused for a moment and continued, "The Earth Guardian gave Terrador a student of his own during his guardian training, to test him. Young Seriphos was a little more than a test, though…"

Suddenly it clicked in Spyro mind and he almost slapped himself for not realising sooner. "It's you! Seriphos's other mentor! He mentioned you when we first met him! He…he said you were killed on the night of the raid."

Selador paused, her eyes misted over, "Seriphos is alive?"

"He's at Warfang now."

A smile crossed the navy dragoness's face, "I am glad. Yes, after Terrador left for Warfang to complete his guardian training, he left Seriphos to me. We were very close, Seriphos and I. He was quite a pawful, but I managed. We were together for many years, training. However, soon the Dragon Temple Academy was shut down. The world was becoming a very dangerous place, and only Warfang was deemed safe enough for young dragons to be trained."

"Seriphos and I joined the patrol around the Dragon Temple, led by a fire dragon known as Thasos, and lived off the land for many years. Then the year of the dragon came around and eggs were sent to the Dragon Temple, as was tradition. We knew it was up to us to protect the temple, while the guardians within protected those precious eggs. News spread of a purple egg…"

Selador glanced at Spyro briefly before continuing, "We thought we would be ready for anything. But the raid that night caught all of us off guard. The apes surrounded us from every direction, even from the sky, riding on those hideous Dreadwing beasts. Seriphos was still young, and terrified. We knew we couldn't fight them all off, so we retreated to the temple, determined at least to protect the eggs. But we failed."

"The apes overwhelmed us with their superior numbers, and fire ravaged the temple. The entire forest was burning. In desperation, Thasos raced inside to help the guardians. He escape with only two eggs and the horrible news that the rest were being smashed and the guardians were down. We entered the burning temple to help, but there was little we could do. We tried to drive the apes out, but there were so many…and then he appeared."

"A great ape, larger than any I had ever seen, holding a sceptre that glowed with evil magic. His power was too great, and there were too many apes for us to fight. We fled, unable to battle them. All I remember is screams, fire, and darkness, swirling around us in a vortex of terror. I knew I had to protect Seriphos, whatever the cost. I told him to run, to stay close to Thasos. Then I turned and faced the apes. Alone."

Selador broke off and looked away. She was silent for a long time, and Spyro could tell she was remembering what had happened that awful night. A part of him was glad he had just been an egg when it had happened, and that Ignitus had rescued him.

"The apes left me for dead," Selador continued after a moment, "and the guardians too. They had what they wanted…though at the moment I wasn't sure what that was."

Spyro glanced sideways at Cynder. The black dragoness was looking at her paws, her green eyes unreadable. Yes, the apes had gotten what they wanted, and Cynder had suffered for it.

"When I awoke, I was alone," the navy dragoness murmured, "The fires had gone out and ash settled on the ground. Thasos and the others were nowhere to be found. All of the eggs were smashed, and I believed the purple egg to have shared the same fate. The guardians were gone; I wasn't sure where. I had no idea what had happened to Seriphos and to Thasos. I wasn't sure what to do or where to go. But I knew I had to let someone know what had happened to the temple."

Selador closed her eyes, as though the memories pained her, "My wounds were great and I could hardly walk. But somehow I managed to get myself in the air. I flew all the way to the mainland, determined to get to Warfang and let someone know what had happened. But I never made it. Weak and on the brink of death, I collapsed while flying over a forest. The fall snapped one of my wings, but I was already unconscious."

"When I awoke, I thought I had died. But the pain returned and I realised that somehow, miraculously, I had survived. I was in a temple of sorts, surrounded by dragons I didn't know. They were earth dragons – all of them. They had found me injured in the forest and carried me here to their underground city, a sanctuary where they had lived in peace for many generations, crafted by their ancestors. They called it Ethra. But it wasn't only earth dragons who lived in this city – there were several wind dragons too."

"It took a long time for my injuries to recover. For many months I lay on a bed, swathed in bandages, wondering what had happened to my dear Seriphos and everyone I had befriended on the isle of the Dragon Temple. Many of the dragons in this city had eggs and hatchlings. It was peaceful here, but outside the wars raged. Eventually they came to me with a proposition."

"They were going to join the war, to help the dragons on the surface world protect the realms. They asked me to remain here and care for their children until they returned. Too weak to join the war myself, I agreed. And so they left, every adult in the city, and journeyed into the war-ravaged outside world."

A pained look crossed Selador's face, "They never returned."

Spyro shuddered as a chill crept up his spine. Selador blinked as though coming out of a trance and met the stunned eyes of her enraptured audience.

"That was about twelve years ago," the navy dragoness said, "I have been here ever since, caring for the hatchlings who will never know their parents. Many were still eggs when their parents left."

Roku's face darkened, "I was only five when they left, but I remember. I wanted to go with them, but I was told I had to stay here and care for my younger sibling, who had yet to hatch. I always believed they would return, but I gave up hope when I turned thirteen."

The black dragon turned to Domino, who was looking oddly subdued. The splotchy black and white dragon wasn't bouncing any more. He was just looking at his paws sadly.

"Some still believe their parents are coming back," Roku sighed, "but Domino and I know they're not. Master Selador is all we have now."

Spyro and his friends exchanged glances. Many of them had never known their parents either and those that had, like Saffron and Zannak, had lost them long ago.

"Does that mean you're the only adult in this city?" Ember asked Selador curiously. The navy dragoness nodded soberly with a sad sort of smile.

"The one and only."

She turned her bright eyes on the purple dragon, "Now, you've heard my tale, young one. Why don't you tell me yours? Tell me, how did the purple egg manage to survive the raid on the temple? How did you manage to survive the war as just a hatchling?"

Spyro smiled hesitantly, "It's a long story."

Selador settled down comfortably on her own cushion, folding her dainty paws in front of her armour-clad chest, "I'm in no rush."

So, for the next half hour, Spyro spoke of everything that had happened to him, from the night of the raid when Ignitus had rescued his egg, to when he had left Warfang the previous day on his search for the Chronicler. Selador never interrupted, though she did give a little start of shock when Spyro spoke of his rescue of Thasos and the others from their home in the hidden forest beyond the swamp. Roku and his brother were also listening intently.

Spyro's voice was a little hoarse by the time he had finished, and he was grateful to finally stop speaking. It felt like he had told that tale a thousand times, and it never got any easier. Many of his memories still made him shudder to recall.

"You have been through a lot, haven't you?" Selador murmured when he was done, "Thank you for telling me. It is good to know there is still hope for the dragon race, and the Dark Master is finally gone. But it is troubling to hear about this new threat."

Spyro only nodded. Selador stood up, stretching her long limbs and unfurling her wings. She looked over the weary group of young dragons and couldn't help but smile. They had hardly gotten any sleep the previous night.

"Stay for a few days, won't you? Regain your strength before you continue your journey," she offered, "You look worn out."

Spyro wanted to refuse, but Cynder spoke up before he could, "Thank you, Master Selador, that's very kind of you. I think we could all use a rest after last night. Which reminds me…"

The black dragoness turned to Roku, who cocked his head quizzically.

"Thanks for helping us. We really owe you one."

The black dragon smiled and shook his head, "I didn't do much. You were the ones who beat them off. But you're welcome."

Domino grinned adoringly at his older brother, "You're so awesome."

Sparx glanced from the splotchy black and white dragon to Roku, and nudged Spyro with his elbow. "Hey, Spyro, why don't you treat me like that? You really should acknowledge my awesomeness once in a while."

Spyro glared at the dragonfly.

Selador was walking towards the door, "Well, everyone should be awake by now. What do you say we go greet them?"

When Selador had said she was the only adult in the city, Spyro hadn't really thought about what that meant. But when he stepped out of the small temple and looked around the underground city, he realised. There were dragons everywhere, laughing and playing like children. In fact, they were children, every one of them. Most looked between the ages of ten and fifteen, and there was not an adult in sight.

"The youngest are about Domino's age," Selador said, appearing at Spyro's side, as though she had read his thoughts, "That is, about eleven. They were just newly laid eggs when their parents left. Roku is the oldest, at seventeen. The rest are anywhere in between. They can be quite a pawful, but I wouldn't have it any other way. They are like my own children – a whole city of them."

She laughed softly. As Spyro looked over the cities inhabitants, who had yet to realise they had visitors, he realised something. There was a distinct pallet of colours present in these young dragons – green, brown, grey and white tones. He spotted a few black dragons, like Roku.

"Are they all earth dragons?" the purple dragon asked, frowning.

"And wind dragons," Selador said, "Just like their parents. They've taught each other how to use their elements. I can assist the earth dragons, but the wind dragons have had to learn how to control their element on their own. But they're very enthusiastic, especially young Domino."

Spyro glanced at the bouncing black and white dragon, "He's a wind dragon?"

"Like his mother and father," Selador sighed wistfully, "But Roku takes after his grandfather, an earth dragon. I've taught him myself, just like I taught Seriphos. He's very talented."

But any more idle chatter was forgone when Domino ran forward and yelled to the entire city, "Everyone! Guests!"

There were several gasps, a sudden silence, and then excited chatter broke out amongst them. Suddenly, Spyro and his friends found themselves surrounded by a vast, chattering crowd of excited hatchlings. They were all asking questions at once, and Spyro's head spun as he tried to keep up. Suddenly Selador threw back her head and roared, "QUIET!"

A hush passed over the crowd. Every dragon sat down quickly and turned eyes on the imposing navy dragoness. She glowered at them for several moments before a smile broke across her face.

"Now, let's be a little more civilised," she said, "This is Spyro and his friends. They're going to stay for a few days. Why don't you all welcome them?"

A chorus of 'hi, Spyro' followed. The purple dragon grinned hesitantly at Cynder, who hid her giggle behind her wing.

"Make yourselves at home," Selador offered with a wink, "We haven't had visitors for many years. I think you'll find you're very popular."

It turned out the navy dragoness was right. Soon the young earth and wind dragons were showing their guests around the city. As promised, Roku led them up to the very top of the cavern to show them where the light was coming from. A small shaft of light had broken through the rock and stone, and the black dragon pointed out several mirrors that had been set around the city, made from polished metal, which bounced the light around the cavern.

"Sweet," Sparx said, hovering into the shaft of light and spreading his arms as though it was water trickling over his body.

They were also showed the wells in the city, which provided them with water from deep underground. Then, somehow, it slipped out that Spyro was trying to learn the wind element. He was dragged off to one of the courtyards by the young wind dragons, who were more than eager to give him a lesson. Zephira watched them go, feeling a little twinge of jealousy.

Hours later, the white wind dragoness was to be found sitting on top of a roof, watching the happenings down below her. Spyro was being given a lesson in wind, and Cynder had joined it. Across from them, in an opposite courtyard, Saffron, Zannak, Ciro and Kazan were playing a sort of game with the other young dragons. Flame and Ember had disappeared, presumably to spend some time exploring alone together. Zephira sighed and laid her head on her forepaws, watching the wind dragons in the courtyard.

The sound of claws hitting stone alerted her to someone landing behind her. She jumped and looked around to see Roku approaching her. The black dragon padded over to her side.

"Why are you up here?" he asked, glancing at her and then down to her friends in the courtyard.

A tinge of pink touched her cheeks and she looked away, "I was just…just…"

She trailed off, unable to explain. Roku looked at her, but said nothing. Zephira could feel his piercing eyes like twin spots of light on her back. She quickly looked back to meet his eyes, and was surprised by how striking they were against his black scales. The wind dragoness looked at her paws again.

"What was your name again?" Roku asked, sitting down beside her.

"Zephira," she murmured softly, still looking at her paws.

"You're a wind dragon, aren't you?"

Zephira looked up suddenly, staring at him with shock. It was strange; everyone who had ever met her had thought she was an ice dragon at first. But somehow he had known.

"How can you tell?" she asked timidly, her tail swishing anxiously.

Roku shrugged, "It's the way you move. I guess it's hard to explain, but I've seen enough wind dragons in my life to be able to tell when I'm looking at one."

He glanced down towards Spyro, who had ended up flat on his back after a failed attempt to create a mini tornado. "Why don't you join them?"

Zephira hesitated. She pawed anxiously at the rough stone beneath her paws, thinking over her answer. Roku's presence made her uncomfortable. Maybe it was the dark colour of his scales, or the vibrancy of his eyes, but something about him was a little more than imposing for the wind dragoness.

"Before…before we left Warfang, the Guardians asked me a favour," Zephira sighed at last, "They wanted me to teach Spyro how to use wind. I'm the only wind dragon in the city, other than Old Mother Seak, but she's too old to use her element anymore. I was scared at first, I thought I couldn't do it, but Spyro convinced me I could. I…I worked up the courage to teach him and now…well, now he doesn't need me."

She looked pointedly down at the group of young wind dragons who were training Spyro in the courtyard. They were laughing; the sound carried up to where Zephira and Roku were sitting. The white dragoness thought she caught the sound of Spyro's laughter. A strange sadness settled in the pit of her stomach.

Roku stared at her, "Of course he needs you. You're his friend, and he'll always need his friends."

"Look at him," Zephira sighed, "Look at them. They're so much more confident than me. He'll learn so much better from them than he would from me. I'm…weak. He doesn't need me."

The black dragon uttered a small grunt of laughter, "That's ridiculous. Just because you're not as confident as they are doesn't mean you can't help him. Besides, you won't be here forever. Once you, Spyro and everyone else leave, it'll be up to you to teach him. You're the only one who can, you know."

Zephira hesitated, "Cynder's a wind dragon, too. I wonder why the guardians didn't ask her to teach him."

Roku shrugged, "They'd have their reasons. And they had reasons for asking you, too, I'll bet. They must think you're trustworthy to give you the job of teaching the purple dragon. Believe in yourself."

The black dragon stood up, "You can sit here and feel sorry for yourself, or you can go down there and join them. I know what I'd rather do."

Zephira gaped at him, unable to find anything to say in response. Roku glanced at her, his brilliant green eyes glinting.

"You don't seem like a weak dragoness to me, Zephira." Then he spread his wings and soared down to join Saffron and the others.

Zephira sat for a while, mulling over what he had said. A part of her wanted to go down their and join the wind dragons, but the rest of her was too scared to do so. She felt useless, like a single leaf being blown in the wind, unable to control which way it was buffeted. She had always felt weak, but now, in the face of all these enthusiastic wind dragons, she felt even weaker. She'd never met another wind dragon before, other than Mother Seak; she'd always been the only one. And a part of her felt that had been her only strength.

"He gives good advice, you know," said a voice. Zephira jumped for a second time. Selador stood beside her, her armour glinting regally in the pale light that washed the city. She must have been very silent to have approached without Zephira's notice.

"M-Master Selador," the wind dragon stammered, standing up, "I didn't see you there."

The navy dragoness winked and lay down, "I can be very quiet when I want to be. I heard Roku speaking to you. He's quite wise beyond his age, that young dragon. You ought to listen to what he has to say."

Zephira sighed, "I know. But…I can't. I don't feel strong enough. I've always been a weak fighter. I should have known Spyro would find someone better to teach him."

"It's not about how strong you are in body," Selador chided, "That's not what the elements are about. As long as you have a strong mind and a kinship with the energy of the world, you can achieve anything. And you don't seem like a weak-minded dragoness, little one."

Zephira didn't reply. She sat down again and for a while the two dragonesses just looked out over the city and watched the young dragons play. Eventually, Selador spoke again.

"Zephira," she said gently, "tell me, did you ever know your parents?"

The wind dragoness looked up, "I…I knew my mother. Why?"

The navy dragoness shifted slightly, "Tell me about her."

Zephira stared wistfully into the distance, "She was an ice dragoness, and so was my father, I was told. I think I got my wind powers from my great grandfather. Mother was…sick when I knew her. When everyone fled from Warfang, my mother took my egg and my brother, who was just newly hatched at the time. My father, I was told, stayed behind to protect the city. Mother believed she had lost him forever."

"Eventually I hatched in the tunnels under the mountains, but mother was already wasting away. She couldn't handle losing my father, and slowly she withered away and died. I was only a hatchling. I suppose my brother and I weren't enough to keep her alive. She was…too weak."

The wind dragoness blinked, and it seemed as though her eyes were glistening with tears, "After that, Saffron's mother took us in. She was kind and sweet, and Saffron became like a sister to me. Her father had also stayed behind with the city. For a few years it was peaceful, but then Saffron's mother disappeared. She left the caverns where we lived and were safe, and ventured outside to see what was happening in the world. She never came back, and Saffron has never forgiven her for it."

"After that, we were on our own. But we were together, Saffron and I, and our brothers. That was all that mattered."

There was a sad look in Selador's yellow-green eyes, "Do you believe you are weak because of your mother?"

Zephira's head shot up, "Of course not! I…"

She faltered, a frown crossing her face. A part of her resented her mother, just like Saffron resented hers. She had let herself die, too weak to carry on without her mate, too selfish to care for her children. She had been weak, Zephira knew that. But was that the reason why she had always considered herself weak?

"You aren't your mother, Zephira," Selador said gently, "She may have wasted away without her mate to support her, but that doesn't mean you are just the same. You are a strong dragoness with a kind heart. I can tell that just from your eyes."

Zephira closed her eyes, "I don't want to be weak like her. If I ever have hatchlings, I want to be there for them. I want to be a strong mother, not one who wastes away and leaves them to fend for themselves."

Selador paused and then said, "You know, in my day it was traditional that hatchlings leave their parents at the age of ten. Most never saw their parents again, myself included."

Zephira was aghast, "But that's awful! Why?"

Selador shrugged, "It was a way of life. At ten we left to attend the academy on the Dragon Temple. We'd spend the next seven years there – ten if we underwent advanced training – and then return to society as adults ready to live our own lives. Our parents were no longer needed. I suppose it was a little bittersweet for our parents. But at least we got to spend the first ten years of our lives with them. Unlike these little ones."

Zephira nodded, "They'll never know their parents…like Spyro and Cynder."

Selador stood up, "Why don't you go and join your friends? I'm sure they'd like your company. If not Spyro, then why not your friend Saffron? They're playing that medallion game…goodness knows how many times I've seen them play that. I think I'll stretch my wings."

The navy dragoness spread her massive wings and jumped from the roof. She soared over the heads of the dragons below and disappeared into the city, dodging around the temples and houses that hung from the roof. At last Zephira stood up and glided down to join her friends.

The medallion game, she soon found out, was a game that involved a carved bronze medallion on a strap of leather. Someone took the medallion, and it was the aim of the game to catch whoever had the medallion and take it from them. The first dragon to seize the medallion was the winner. To mix things up, two medallions were used, but only one was the right one to steal. The other was a decoy.

The medallion was currently hanging on Zannak's horn, and the gold dragon was fleeing from a crowd of excited earth dragons. Saffron was watching from the sidelines, laughing and shouting encouragement to the dragons chasing her brother.

"Bite his tail!" she laughed as one of them caught up to him. Zannak yelped when the small earth dragon did just that.

"Hey!" he yelled to his sister, falling flat on his stomach, "Whose side are you on?"

"No one's," Saffron smirked as the earth dragon stole the medallion from Zannak's horn, "I'm the referee."

The young earth dragon trotted proudly over to her, the medallion's strap clenched between his teeth. Saffron took it from him, praising him with a wink. She then picked up the other medallion, which was lying next to her.

"Alright!" she called to the waiting dragons, "This time there'll be two medallions! The one carved with the earth symbol is the one you want to steal! The one carved with the wind symbol is a decoy! But you won't know which is which until you get close enough to see! Get over here, you two!"

"Why us?" Zannak groaned as he and Ciro plodded reluctantly over to her.

"Because I like torturing you," Saffron winked, and then turned to the earth dragons, "Close your eyes!"

They gave a collective groan, but closed their eyes anyway. Saffron quickly hung one medallion on Zannak's horn and the other on Ciro's horn. Then she called out, "Ready? Go!"

Zannak and Ciro scampered in opposite directions, and the crowd of earth dragons split in two to pursue them. Saffron grinned. Zephira glided to her side and landed daintily, watching the chase curiously.

"What's going on?" the wind dragoness asked.

"It's a game," Saffron explained, "They need to retrieve the right medallion."

Zephira blinked and watched as Zannak narrowly avoided one of the earth dragons, who had leaped at him. Kazan was also watching from the sidelines, looking amused.

"Which one is it?" the wind dragoness asked.

Saffron lowered her voice, "Ciro has it. But don't tell them."

Kazan laughed loudly as Zannak was flattened yet again by the crowd of earth dragons chasing him. Saffron glanced at him and an evil glint appeared in her violet eyes.

"Oi, Kazan, get over here!" she yelled. The fire dragon jumped and, looking at her suspiciously, plodded over.

"What-?" he began, but Saffron cut him off by tossing a third medallion over his horn.

"Kazan's got the fire medallion!" the electricity dragoness yelled, "Whoever catches him gets an extra prize!"

The earth dragons who had flattened Zannak and realised he had the wrong medallion suddenly jumped up. They started towards the stunned Kazan, who took off in the opposite direction as though Malefor himself was on his tail. Saffron was suddenly overcome with a fit of giggles.

"You'll never catch me alive!" the fire dragon yelled, laughter in his voice as he fled from the chasing earth dragons.

Meanwhile, Ciro was running from the rest of the earth dragon gang, who now knew he had the right medallion. The ice dragon was fast and kept running rings around the smaller earth dragons, a wild grin on his face. A disgruntled Zannak limped over to join his sister.

"What's the prize?" Zephira asked Saffron.

The yellow dragoness gestured to a clay pot beside her, filled to the brim with bright red berries, "Raspberries. Selador sends Roku and some of the older dragons out to pick them every now and then. She keeps them as treats for the young dragons, and gave me these as prizes."

"Gotcha!" yelled one of the earth dragons, and Ciro was suddenly stripped of his medallion. The earth dragon trotted proudly over to Saffron, the medallion between his teeth, and Zephira realised it was the same one who stole Zannak's medallion before.

"Fast, aren't you?" Saffron winked, and tossed a few berries to the young dragon.

There was the sound of laughter from behind them, and they turned to see Kazan had been brought down. He was flattened to the cobblestones, the earth dragons clambering all over his back as they tried to retrieve the medallion. Kazan himself was laughing good-naturedly. For a moment Saffron just watched them, and a fond smile spread across her face.

'Maybe he's not so bad after all…'

"They seem to like you," Roku said, approaching them, "Or maybe it's just the berries they're after."

"Must be the berries," Zannak groaned, flopping onto his side, "If they liked us, they wouldn't be so rough."

"Just be glad that Domino is preoccupied with your friend Spyro," Roku said, grinning, "He'd show you the meaning of rough."

Saffron glanced towards the other courtyard, where Spyro had finally succeeding in creating his first ever tornado. Granted it was small and it dissipated after barely a minute, it was an improvement.

"You know, I think we're going to enjoy the next few days here."

A day passed in the city of Warfang and a night, too, with no sign of the panther that Nalu had spied by the Academy. A troubled Terrador doubled the number of guards patrolling the walls and the city, but still the panthers went undetected. But by the time morning rolled around, an even bigger problem was closing in on the city of Warfang.

Skelos peered through the trees at the mighty walls of the dragon city. Only a short stretch of open land stood between the forest, where his panther warriors were hiding, and the great city. The sound of leaves crunching under paw alerted him to Skulk's approach.

"Silt should be here soon," the cold-eyed panther said, leaning against the trunk of a tree. His sharp eyes pierced through the bushes, gazing upon the stone walls of Warfang. "Our Assassins are still inside the city?"

"As far as I know," Skelos replied, turning to face his twin, "I've been thinking about how we should go about this. It may not be best to attack them outright. We don't know what their motivation is."

"What's your point?" Skulk drawled, scraping lines in the bark of the tree with his sharpened claws.

"They might not be as closely allied with the cheetahs as we think," Skelos pointed out, "and our quarrel is not with them. If they're smart, we may be able to convince them to let us settle our differences with the cheetahs alone, without their interference."

Skulk looked sharply at his twin brother, "What are you saying?"

Skelos fiddled with his ash staff absentmindedly, "I'm saying I want to talk to them, face to face. I may be able to negotiate with them."

Skulk snorted, "Stupid. As soon as they see the army of warriors we've brought with us, they'll know we've come to attack. There'll be no negotiating."

"Then they won't see them!" Skelos argued, sounding annoyed, "They don't need to know all our warriors are here. I'll go to the city alone and speak to their leader, whoever he may be. We just might be able to avoid a battle. And taking Avalar will be that much less complicated if we don't go making enemies with the dragons. Trust me, Skulk, I know what I'm doing."

"And what if the dragons aren't as civil as you think they are?" Skulk asked bitterly, "You take one step into their city and you'll be cut down before you can say a word. There's no way they'll trust you long enough to negotiate with you."

"That's why I'll go unarmed," Skelos replied, setting his staff down and spreading his arms, "They're not savages, judging from what Orpheus has reported to me. They'll listen long enough for me to state our case, I'm sure of it. Without weapons I won't be a threat. They'll listen, I know they will."

"And if they don't?" Skulk snapped, but Skelos held a paw up and turned around.

Silt was standing there, his alarming orange eyes watching his twin masters curiously. Skelos smiled, revealing brilliant white fangs. "That's where Silt and the assassins come in.'

Silt raised an eyebrow, "Sir?"

"I'm going to negotiate with the dragons," Skelos said, "Alone. But I'll need some backup. Did you bring the rest of the warriors?"

"Yes, sir," Silt replied, gesturing behind him where the panthers were mingling amongst the trees, "They're all here. What did you need me to do, Master Skelos?"

"Skulk, the tracking gem," Skelos said abruptly. Still looking unconvinced, his twin fished the dark crystal out of his pocket. "Let's see what our assassins are up to."

In Skelos's paw, the tracking gem sparked and crackled until a projection appeared above it, wavering in the air. Nyx's cold yellow eyes glared into his brilliant blue orbs.

"Master Skelos!" she gasped, and then exclaimed, "The dragons know we're in the city! How close are you?"

A frown crossed Skelos' face, "They know? How?"

"It was that fool Orpheus," Nyx spat bitterly, "Got himself seen. Forgive me, master, but you may have made a bad choice when you elected him as an elite."

Skelos' eyes darkened, "I see. That does pose a problem…They haven't found you yet?"

"No, we're still hidden."

"Good, then it shouldn't matter. We are now in the forest just outside of the dragon city. The assistance of the Elite Guard is required."

Nyx's eyes lit up, "I shall assist you in any way I can, Master Skelos!"

"Good. I'm going to negotiate alone with the dragon leader, and I need you to cover my back in case they attack," Skelos explained, "Do you know who their leader is?"

"There are four dragons in the city they call guardians," Nyx said thoughtfully, frowning, "They're very big and rather old. The huge green one seems to be their leader. He's got these massive, curling brown horns and a club on the end of his tail."

Skelos nodded, "I see. I want you to let the other assassins know. I'll be entering the city via the main gates. I want you to be there to cover me. Stay out of sight and keep your weapons trained on the dragon leader when you see him. How many of you have bows?"

"Steel and I have crossbows," Nyx replied eagerly, her eyes shining.

"Good. Should the dragon leader make any move to attack, shoot him down instantly. I will be unarmed. With any luck it won't come to that. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Master," Nyx bowed her head, "We'll be there, watching your back."

"Good."

The projection wavered and dissipated, and Skelos tossed the tracking gem back to Skulk. He then turned to Silt, who was waiting stiffly for his orders.

"If the dragons refuse to negotiate, we will proceed with the attack," Skelos said, "I want you to borrow a longbow; we have plenty. Wrap an oiled rag around the head of an arrow and take some flint with you. You're going to sneak into the city and meet up with the rest of the assassins. Make sure you can see me."

Silt was nodding, a frown on his face as he took it all in.

"Should I raise my paw, you are to light that arrow and shoot it into the sky. That will be the signal to attack. Do you understand?"

Silt took a deep breath and nodded, "Understood, Master Skelos."

Skelos looked towards the great walls, "If we're lucky, we may get out of a battle today, and we needn't lose any warriors. It all depends on how close these dragons are to the cheetahs. Skulk, explain the plan to our warriors. You will lead them into battle should I fail to negotiate with the dragons."

"Fine," Skulk still didn't look happy, "Try not to get yourself killed."

Skelos smirked, "I won't. Not with our assassins watching my back. Go, Silt, it's time to put our plan into action."

"Sir," Silt turned and slipped away into the trees. He returned minutes later with a longbow and a few arrows, one with its head wrapped in an oily rag. He slipped two pieces of flint into his pocket. With a nod to his masters, the orange-eyed panther skirted around the edge of the forest, looking for the best spot to approach the city.

"Don't be seen, Silt," Skelos called after him, "Our entire plan depends on it."

Skulk turned away, and Skelos heard him calling a meeting with the warriors to explain the plan. Skelos waited at the edge of the forest for several tense minutes, wondering if Silt had succeeded. Moments passed. Skulk rejoined his twin brother.

"What now?"

Skelos opened his mouth to respond, but suddenly the crystal in Skulk's pocket began to crackle. The panther fished it out quickly and an image of Silt appeared.

"I'm in," the orange-eyed panther said in a hushed voice, "Give us a few moments to get into position."

The projection faded. Skulk pocketed the tracking gem and looked pointedly at his twin. Skelos removed the dagger from his belt and handed it and his staff to his brother.

"I'll be needing those if this doesn't work," he said, with a strained grin. Skulk glowered and didn't respond. After several minutes, Skelos straightened up and stepped out of the trees.

"It's time," he said, turning back to look at Skulk. His brother nodded stiffly, and Skelos set out across the open stretch of land towards the city.

In tense silence, Skulk could only watch as his twin strode alone and unarmed towards the massive gates of Warfang.

A/N: Wooo, new character! And this one was actually planned. You'll be seeing more of Roku...he's definitely one of my favourites. Does anyone recall in which chapter of ToaO Selador was mentioned? Bet you don't! ;P

You know, I love Orpheus as much as I love being mean to him. He needs hugs. Everyone send Orpheus hugs. :3

Exciting stuff next chapter! I hope. xP I'll try not to make you wait too long.

Extra thanks to GoldenGriffiness for writing Volteer's dialogue in this chapter. And just so you know, I'm beta to her story, Lingering Shadows. It's only got a prologue and a first chapter at the moment, but you should go read it! It's good!

Super thanks to my awesome reviewers! Have some virtual cake. ^^