Chapter 12: Coming Home Part 2

Bright light filtered through the trees as the duo of dragons reached the edge of the forest. Leviathan sighed in relief while Jokull groaned.

"Finally! Done walking through brambles and thorn bushes!"

Leviathan trotted in front of him and turned. "Oh hush. Your scales protected you from most of it."

"The scrapes are still there!" Jokull whined. "How does that even work anyway? I thought scales were supposed to protect us from getting hurt."

"They do." Leviathan said. "But, they are like a second skin. It cuts and bruises under extreme stress and pressure and we can fell the pain through them, but it does keep our tender under skin from being damaged. They also scratch really easily. Having scales has its benefits and does have its drawbacks."

Jokull raised his head as he contemplated the idea. "So our scales are like a living suit of armor?"

Leviathan nodded. "Yes."

Jokull nodded his understanding and stored the information for later. He looked around and took in his surroundings. Warfang was off in the distance to the right and a few villages dotted the plains that separated them from the city. Far off mountains dominated the skyline all around them making like they were in a large bowl. He could see sparkling waterfalls cascading off cliffs in the distance and valleys with shining rivers flowing through. Green grass covered the large plains and dark green pine tree forests were surroundings the mountain bases. It was beautiful.

"It's beautiful." Jokull said, in awe of his surroundings. "I've never seen anything like it." He turned to Leviathan. "And you get to live in it everyday."

He turned back to stare at the beauty that lay before him. It was better than anything on Earth. As Jokull took it all in, Leviathan took her own look around. She saw something and happily cantered off.

Jokull glanced off at her as he saw her move away. She was walking toward a cluster of glowing red gems on a rock near the forests edge. Jokull immediately recognized them. They were like the healing gems that Ignitus had gave them! He watched as Leviathan drew back her tail and have them gems a healthy whack. They shattered into a million pieces and scattered all over the place, a few landing near Jokulls front paws.

Jokull wonder what they do. He had seen Cynder take a handful of them and press them up against Spyro. A glow had happened and the gems had disappeared from her hand, but they had no physical effect on Spyro. Jokull assumed they were some kind of energy booster or something. He reached his paw forward and grabbed ahold of the gem shards.

As Jokull expected they started to glow, but to his amazement all the cuts on his foreleg started to heal. Not fully, but enough to be noticeable. His wings started to hurt less. He had discovered a while back that he couldn't fold them up to his body so they had been dragging on the ground the entire way and gathered a plethora of new scraps and tears. The pain throughout his body was starting to dull and become even more bearable than before. He close his eyes as he tried to figure out what was happening.

Jokulls mind blanked. These gem things didn't give you energy, they freakin healed you! The logical part of his mind tried to fight it but lost. He had seen and experienced to many weird things to even think about doubting this strange thing. His mind slowly started to accept the argument when a sudden relief flooded his system. He opened his eyes to see that Leviathan had moved more of the gems closer to him and they were floating towards him being absorbed into his body. That's when his mind decided to quit. He stared off into the distance with a glazed look on his face, not comprehending anything as his mind tried to sort out what was happening.

It could have been that he had been turned into a dragon, it could have been that he and Kira were children of people from this world, it 'could' have been gems healing him but nooo. It was gems freakin 'floating' towards him that caused his mind to crap out! A rush of pain centered around his cheek snapped him out of his dead brain mode. His eyes focused on Leviathan who had a smug smile on her face and was withdrawing her right paw.

"Payback?" Jokull asked as he rubbed his cheek.

Leviathan nodded in conformation. "Payback. And don't worry about your reaction to the gems, it happens to everybody the first time. You just learn to accept things as they are and not think to deeply about them." She shrugged her shoulders. "It's just how things are and you can't change them."

Jokull nodded and started to inspect his body. It was completely healed! The only trace of the wounds were a few of the deeper ones had left a slight scar! The scrapes on his scales were gone. The deeper cuts and punctures were healed and only left slight scars as evidence. He started to look back but Leviathan stopped him.

She placed a paw on his shoulder. "Before you look back I want you to know that you lost something. It will grow back in time. A few months at worst a few weeks at best." She slowly brought her paw away. "Please don't freak out."

Jokull noticed the desperation laced in her voice. What was wrong? The only thing that he could think of was his tail was gone. But that wouldn't grow back. Would it? He quickly snapped his head back and saw something that he least expected. Part of his tailblade had been snapped off. He turned his head back to Leviathans worried face and then back to his tailblade. The left side had snapped off leaving behind the serrated blade down the middle and the right blade behind. The round flat part had a jagged crack that went about halfway through it and to his amazement, was slowly disappearing. A jagged edge was all that was left of the left blade and it protruded about an half an inch from the base.

Jokull shrugged his shoulders and continued his inspection. After a few minutes he finished only finding a few more scars on his underside. Now want really worried him was his wings. He knew the that both of them had been severely damaged and broken to the point were he couldn't even move them. He faced forward and was met by Leviathans dumbfounded expression.

Jokull drew his head back in surprise and blinked. "What?"

Leviathans face grew from dumbfounded to confused in a split second. "Your not freaking out? Most dragons would freak out if part of their tailblade was missing. It's part of them and most don't know it grows back."

Jokull almost face pawed himself. She had just told him that it would grow back! Why would she expect him to freak out about it?! What he really wanted to know was if he could fly again. He hadn't been flying for very long but now he could not imagine life without it. The wind in his face, the clouds rushing by him. Even the birds that thought they could outfly him. It was like a way of life for him now.

Even when he was with Ignitus training, when he didn't get something he took a flight to calm his frustration and clear his mind. He loved the wind rushing over his scales and whipping his tail about through the air. He still didn't have his landings down pat. They were a bit wonky. Well, to be fair the only landings he had to do other than the training flights with Ignitus had been either life or death situations or he was carrying something in his paws. Anyone could mess those kind of landings up.

Jokull spread his wings and to his delight, no pain was felt. He slowly started to flap them up and down. No pain. Good he started to flap them faster and faster and lifted off the ground. He was flying! The air whistled through his ears as he looped and dived through the air.

He chuckled quietly to himself. "Looks like my fears were unfounded."

"What fears?"

Jokull let out a strangled yelp and turned to Leviathan who had somehow snuck up on him. "What?"

"What fears?" Leviathan repeated.

Jokull turned to look back at his wings. "I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to fly anymore with how bad my wings were injured."

Leviathan just looked at him with a weird look on her face. It looked like a mixture between shock and amazement. She opened her mouth and closed it like a fish. Jokull felt a heat rush to his cheeks as he observed the scene. It was extremely cute! He tried to fight it but some of it showed because Leviathan noticed.

"Are you ok?" She asked in a concerned tone.

Jokull didn't trust his voice so he just bobbed his head twice and shot ahead of Leviathan. Then he realized he had no idea were he was going. With a sheepish smile on his face he turned back and stopped next to Leviathan. She had an amused look on her face that spoke volumes to Jokull.

He pointed a claw at her. "Not a word."

Leviathan giggled and pointed a claw in the opposite direction where Jokull could see Warfang. He groaned and slammed his paw into his face. Of course it was in the opposite direction.


Warfang approached in the distance. Jokull was panting heavily; they had flown full speed from the forest they had came out of and as if some god was playing joke, they had to have come out of the side of the forest that was the farthest away from the city. They were almost to the city though, it was just a few more miles as the bird, or in this case, the dragon flys.

Jokull strained his wings to make the last few miles to Warfang. Clouds flew by as him and Leviathan tore through the sky. Leviathan was slightly In front of him, her endourance level was higher than his and she 'was' a little faster. Just a little. Jokull had stared at Warfang for almost the entire flight. It was huge! He hadn't gotten a good look at it when Terredor had rushed him and his family to the Temple. The only part of it he had gotten a loo at where the walls.

The architecture puzzled him. It seemed like it was made for dragons but had to fine of detail to be made by dragon paws. As much as he liked being a dragon, there was something to be said for opposable thumbs. It certainly made gripping things a lot easier. Except the dagger that Ignitus had given him. That was 100% made for a dragon.

"Jokull!"

The voice thundered through the air making Jokulls head vibrate. He recognized the voice. It was his grandfathers! Jokulls head swung around madly as he searched for the large green dragon. Concussing thuds filled the air around the flying dragons causing them to stop and hover in the air. Where was he? A veritable mountain of green scales wasn't that easy to miss in a blue and white backdrop.

Jokulls eyes roved the sky looking for his grandfather. He picked through cloud after cloud. Wait a minute. There! There was Terredor speeding through the air in an effort to get to him. Jokull stopped the easy glide he was in to flap his wings faster. As Jokull tore past clouds and birds to get to his grandfather, the only thought in his head was faster, faster!

A sudden whoosh later, he collided with Terredor, knocking the breath out of both of them and causing Jokull to lock up his wings. He started to fall but was caught by a large, green paw. It squeezed him to the owners chest in a living embrace.

"Young dragon, you are in a heap of trouble and how in the name of the Ancestors did you fly that fast?"

"My my." Said Jokull as he looked cheekily up at his grandfather and hugged him around the middle. "Aren't you happy to see me."

Jokull did wonder how he had gotten there so fast. The same thing had happened when he had been racing after Leviathan. He had just willed himself to go faster and, he did. Jokull just shrugged his shoulders and nuzzled tighter into his grandfathers chest. He had just found out that he even had one and he wasn't about to let him go. His grandfather on his mothers side had been in jail a loot the time and that side of the family had slowly drifted away. He hugged Terredor tighter.

Terredor couldn't help it. He cracked a smile at the young dragons antics. It reminded him so much of his son in Reagons early years but he was still wondering how Jokull had shot through the sky like that. The only dragons that could fly that fast were... Terredors eyes widened in worry The only dragons that can use those Elements were dragons that had been possessed by them and Jokull had been turning the same color purple as Cynder when he had arrived here.

Terredor unwrapped his arms from the young dragon and grabbed Jokull under the armpits, forcing him away from his chest. Terredor held him forelegs length away and examined him. He was blue. A dark blue but, blue. Terredor continued to examine the dragon before him. He showed none of the signs of being taken over by the Dark Elements. The dark color was a little odd, but there were many dragons with naturally dark scales. Including his wife. Terredor inwardly cringed at the memories of the way she had been treated. That way of life had been steadily getting worse too, ever since the rise of Malefor You couldn't go anywhere without seeing that treatment anymore, even the cheetah villages.

Terredor felt something poking his face. It snapped him out of his thoughts and he looked up to see Jokull with a concerned look on his face drawing his wing back to his side.

"What's wrong?" Jokull asked. "Your crying."

Terredor hurriedly wiped off an eye with his claw. Sure enough tears had leaked out of his eyes. He quickly wiped off both eyes with the back of his paw. Terredor looked at Jokull and smiled weakly.

"I'm fine." He said. "Just a few old memories that I dredged up." Terredors expression grew hard. "Now. I have a question for you and I want you two answer it truthfully. Understood?"

Jokull nodded sagely. In the short time that he had known his grandfather he knew that you never lied to him.

Terredor cracked a smile. "Where have you been!? You've been gone for over a week!"

Jokulls mouth formed a small O. A week? That would make sense. It had been three days in the Human world so it would have been nine here.

"Warn me next time before you do that mister."

Jokull turned to see Leviathan flapping her way toward them. He smiled sheepishly at her irritated face. He had forgotten about her in the excitement of seeing his grandfather again.

"Sorrrrryyyyy." He whined. "I don't even know how I do it."

Leviathans unamused face caused him shrink back and latched onto his grandfathers back. The green dragon chuckled at the two teenage dragons antics. Jokull stuck out his tongue at Leviathan in a childish gesture. His eyes grew wide as Leviathan dive bombed him.

Oh shit! Oh shit!

Jokull released Terredors back and dropped like a rock. Leviathan wasn't far behind. Jokull looked back and gulped. Leviathans face was furious! And was that 'steam' coming out of her ears? Jokull turned to fly away. Yep, she was most definentally pissed. They chased each other around for a few minutes until Leviathan caught Jokull.

Uh-oh. Was all he could think before his head was encased in freezing cold water.

"Cold! Cold!"

Terredor laughed. He couldn't help it! The two younger dragons quarreled like new mates! Always finding a way to make it fun without hurting one another's feelings. Jokull had freed himself from Leviathans and was now chasing her around. As he chased her he was reaching for her tail. Terredors eyes widened. This was not going to end well for Jokull.

Jokull grabbed Leviathans tail with his paw and started to pull back. Finally! He caught up with her! He pulled back with the intent of showing her just how cold his ice could get without freezing. What he didn't expect was her response. Leviathan yanked her tail away from him and did a mid-air turn so that she was facing Jokull. Her maw opened wide and a torrent of scalding water rushed out.

Pain. Oh the pain. Jokull gasped as the water covers his entire body in a scalding bath. He met go of Leviathans tail as his wings folded to his body to escape the heat and plummeted. Jokull kept his eyes shut as the wind whistled through his ears. He tried to open his wings but cried out from the pain. It felt like they were deep fried! Well that's what his entire body felt like right now. Jokull tensed up as he prepared to slam into the ground once again. But. It never came. In fact it felt like he was slowing down. Then came a yank.

"Don't worry I have you." Came Terredors voice from above him.

Jokull looked up. There was his grandfather holding onto his tail and hovering in place with a worried look on his face.

"Are you alright?" Asked Terredor.

Jokull nodded his head as he swung upside down. It was getting a bit nauseating. He spread his wings and Terredor let go of his tail. Jokull flapped on place for a minute and shook his head to clear it. He twisted his neck to look over his body. That water had 'hurt' but it didn't seem to leave any lasting damage.

Jokull glanced around. Leviathan was no longer flying near them. He began to get worried. Maybe she flew off? Or maybe she had landed? A quick scan of the ground showed that that was the case. Leviathan was laying down on a small rise just under him and Terredor. Jokull narrowed his eyes. Was she crying? Jokull glanced at Terredor hoping for some answers. The elder dragon shrugged and motioned to the crying dragoness on the ground.

Jokull folded his wings and dove toward the crying dragoness's position. He landed with a small thump just behind her. Leviathan didn't even look up. Jokull slowly walked up to her worried. He had never seen the normally excited dragoness like this. He frowned. Maybe it had something to do with her spraying him with water?

He stopped just beside Leviathan and wrapped a wing around her middle. She jumped at his touch and tried to pull away. Jokull responded by squeezing tighter and pulling her in closer. Slowly Leviathan accepted that he wasn't going away and stopped crying, just leaning into Jokulls embrace. Her breaths came in short gasps and her chest heaved, Leviathans tail slowly wrapped around Jokulls their tailblades making a slight clinking noise as they connected. They sat there for a few minutes before Jokull lowered his head to Leviathans and gave her jaw a little nuzzle.

"Better?" Jokull asked giving her a small smile.

Leviathan nodded her head and wiped away the remaining tears. Jokull noticed that her tail was still around his but didn't say anything. Obviously her tail was a no-no spot so why was she holding onto his? He gave a mental shrug and decided to figure out later. The embrace lasted a few minutes longer until Leviathan pulled away. Her eyes were all bloodshot from crying and her nose as running a little. Jokull frowned. He hated seeing her like this.

Leviathan stood up to her full height and smiled up at Jokull, her head a few inches lower than his. Jokull looked down at her surprised. Why he hadn't noticed that he was that much larger than her was beyond him, but he was fine with it. It meant that he could protect her when needed. Not that she really needed it, but the thought made Jokull feel a little better for some reason.

He looked down at Leviathan. She smiled warmly at him and her head shot up. Jokulls face exploded into a deep purple color, his blush showing through his scales. She had licked him! It was most likely a friendly lick to show her appreciation but still! Leviathan drew her head back and started to giggle as Jokull stared at her with an incredulous expression.

A deep chuckle resonated throughout the air. Jokull turned his head to look at Terredor. The old dragon was laughing at them! Jokull didn't know whether to feel embarrassed or annoyed at him. Obviously his reaction to Leviathans lick was amusing. Even she was giggling at him. Jokulls face became even more red and he covered his head with his wings.

"You look so cute when you blush." Tittered Leviathan holding a paw to her maw. "Sorry about blasting you with water. Its just I've had a few...Bad experiences with male dragons grabbing my tail and you surprised me by grabbing it."

As soon as she said that Jokull groaned and if it was at all possible, shrunk down even more into his wings trying to hide his intensifying blush. Leviathan scooted over to his side and wrapped a wing around Jokull. He moved his wings a little bit and took a questioning glance at her. A sudden thought came to his mind that had previously escaped him in the excitement of seeing his grandfather again.

"Oh crap! We have to find Archer and Kira!"

Leviathan jumped away from him, surprised at his outburst. Even Terredor jumped a little. His embarrassment forgotten, Jokull spread his wings and shot off into the air to get a better view. Jokull spun around in place, his tail whipping behind him with the force of the turn. It connected with something. And that something was female and very familiar and now very pissed.

"Son of b*** Jokull!" Shouted Cynder. "Watch were you swing that thing. It hurts!"

Jokull turned and saw Cynder holding her paw over a small gash in her forehead. She looked mad. Peering behind her he saw Spyro carrying Sheilia and Kira's sister. He took one look at Spyros face and knew he was getting no help from him. He gulped. Turning his eyes back to Cynder he chuckled nervously. She had the same look in her eyes when he beat her in a training brawl during their time with Ignitus. Needless to say, he never tried to beat her again. She moved forward slightly. He moved back. She moved forward. He moved back again. Cynder narrowed her eyes at him. Jokull spun around and beat his wings. He risked a glance behind himself and didn't like what he saw. Cynder was right on his tail!

Jokull faced forward and thrust his wings up and down as fast as he could. He knew Cynder wouldn't hurt him all that bad. It was more like the dynamic of an older sister or cousin between them. So she wouldn't hurt him to bad but he still didn't want to get caught by her. She knew a few intriguing and painful tortures. The last time he had done something like this and she had caught him, he was tied to a tree limb upside down by his tail. Jokull shuddered at the memory. It may not sound bad but it was. Just something about being hung by your tail just scared the wits out of any dragon. Jokull blinked. Why was his vision getting all blurry? He blinked again. It wasn't going away. Then his vision started to go black. Jokull felt himself losing conscious. Then. Nothing...