Chapter 14 Mya's Protector
Standing tall before a wall of a blue dragon, young Malefor refuses to back down from the shouting Guardian of Water, upset that he was disturbed from a calming rain storm pouring upon the balcony that he was resting. Monsoon's rage now fills the halls of the Great Palace of Dragons, but the tiny purple and gold replica of Spyro stays defiant to his aggressions.
"He is so much like his father it's scary!" Crystal whispers to her fellow Guardian, and the only other female in the Order of Eight.
"I know..." Storm replies, staring at Malefor across the hallway, and admiring his strong profile as he postures against the two-toned blue Water dragon, easily twenty times larger. Both watch with surprise, as Spyro's son gently speaks an apology, bringing the grumpiest Guardian on Avalar down from his angered rant. "...so along with that charm, he's gonna have his father's looks as well."
With a flick of her tail, the white dragoness slaps her Windy friend, knowing her thoughts already, as this promiscuous near thirty year old sizes up the adolescent version of a dragon she cannot have.
"HE'S TEN STORM! What is wrong with you?" Crystal barks, startling both Malefor and Monsoon, and the white dragoness blushes with embarrassment as they look over at her.
"So! He's gonna get older, and quicker than you think! " Storm remarks snidely, staring at Malefor, and making him blush as well. The young purple dragon returns his distracted attention to Monsoon, as the two beautiful adult dragoness begin chatting amongst themselves, and quickly notices the smile fill the old dragon's blue muzzle.
"What!?"
"Well now young dragon, I see you have the same weakness as your father!" Malefor snaps his eyes hard to the Master of Water, showing a change in his emotions with a strict glance, and Monsoon begins laughing. "Yup! Just like your old man!"
Malefor opens his wings and leaps into the air, holding eye level with the huge two-toned blue dragon.
"What weakness?" he grunts in his face, and Monsoon quickly grasps the youngster with his huge paw.
The two female Guardians become worried for a moment, as Monsoon turns a bit aggressive. However, they quickly calm down hearing the Water Guardian's more jovial tone of voice.
"Hey, Storm..." he barks with a smirk, easily spinning Malefor's tiny hovering body to face her, allowing the Guardian of Wind to see his reaction. "...he said he can't wait either!"
The young purple dragon freaks out in Monsoon's paw, as Storm and Crystal begin giggling to each other, and Malefor pulls himself from the Water dragon's grasp. With great emotions he quickly pushes someone who outweighs him by twenty tons, back into the room he just came from, showing pure embarrassment in his eyes.
"ARE YOU NUTS? She's gonna hound me every day after my twelfth birthday now!" Malefor barks with a great deal of anxiety, knowing she has not stopped bothering Sparx since his ascension to adulthood.
Monsoon's grin increases seeing Malefor squirm.
"That's what you get for bothering me my young friend!" The old dragon replies, placing his paw upon the purple dragon's head, and rubbing it aggressively before looking into his somewhat disturbed eyes. "Now...what's so important that you decided to interrupt me during a rain storm?"
Monsoon watches Malefor's glare change from embarrassment to rage in the blink of his purple eye lids.
"Oh...I was only coming to tell you my father is fighting in the arena with my brother!" he responds angrily, still hearing the two females laughing in the hallway, and snorts a stream of fire from his nostrils.
The Water Guardian shows his own embarrassed look, realizing the young son of Spyro was just doing him a favor, as everyone in the palace has waited for the two purple dragons to start training together. A sight seen only a few times before, and not for several years now. However, after a moment, Monsoon shows his arrogant grin again, and remarks with a snide tone.
"Why didn't you say so earlier...little one?"
Malefor quickly becomes fired up and his scales begin to darken, as the most sarcastically annoying Guardian on Avalar acts like he is annoyed he wasn't told beforehand. But this it is not the real reason Malefor starts becoming angry towards someone he has come to love as his own family...oh no. With the combination of yelling in his face earlier, being embarrassed before the female Guardians, and then acting like it was his fault, Malefor finally snaps as the large dragon picks at his size...again.
"I thought I told you to stop calling me little?" Malefor growls loudly, and Monsoon shows a very arrogant expression.
"Yes, you did, didn't you?" He replies, recalling the last time he called him that, and the battle that ensued between the two friends, a fight that forced Spyro to intervene. Monsoon lowers his head down to a now posturing Malefor, and shows his smile close up.
"And if you want another butt-kicking like the last one I gave you...Tiny, we can use the arena after your father and brother are finished!"
Malefor's eyes light up with the thought of this rematch, as he has a bit of revenge on his mind, knowing he had lost the last fight. "You're on, you old water buffalo!" The young dragon replies, and shows his excitement for a good battle with several uncontrollable wags of his tail.
Watching Spyro and Sparx fighting side by side earlier on has spurred the young dragon, and cannot wait to return to the palace arena floor himself. However, his heart stops pumping this flow of adrenaline, knowing he still has to finish a task asked of him by his father.
"Damn! You'll have to wait, Drip Master." He remarks with anger in his voice. "I was told to go get the other Guardians in the palace first."
"Well then you're done, Jr Spyro!" Monsoon replies, hearing Volteer's voice echo a greeting towards the two ladies outside the room, and then continues with this reasoning. "Blanca and Excelcius are in Titan's Point helping Nightshade and those two idiotic wolves into the catacombs. And Cyril and Tycor are in Dragonfly Park erecting a monument for the souls of six dragons the moron twins stole."
Malefor smirks towards the old Guardian of insults, as they both walk out of the room. "Moron Twins?" he asks with a very sarcastic tone, not hearing Fang or Slate insulted so weakly, as most of the names Malefor heard shouted at them were far, far worse.
"I would say so...wouldn't you, Volteer," Monsoon replies, greeting the Electric Guardian with a nod of his head, before looking down at young Malefor to finish his thought. "I mean if I were them, I would have run like hell when they had the chance instead of waiting on that ship to be arrested."
Malefor grins again, and also greets Volteer with a nod of his head, who begins to show a look of confusion, being included in a conversation he has not heard a single word of.
"I bet Volteer would agree with me, as I think that is what makes them smart, Master Mongoloid." he replies, showing all three guardians a wide smile. "If my dad had to go track them down...he would have been aggravated, and those two would not be in Titan's Point at this moment trying to make things right. They would be dead!"
Storm, Crystal, and Volteer quickly understand to whom the young dragon is referring, and nod their heads in agreement.
"They are not Morons, Monsoon...they are just misguided souls...like yourself!"
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN LIKE ME?" The large dragon barks, spraying his element all over the young son of Spyro, as he is unable to control his magic with such rage.
Little Malefor wipes the water from his face, still showing the arrogant smirk he had before, and places a paw as far as he can reach up Monsoon's massive arm.
"You think you have a shot at beating me this time," he replies, looking over towards the other three Guardians again, and singling out Storm with a wink of his eye. He returns a confident look to the massive Water Dragon, and smugness fills his voice "And that makes you as misguided as Fang and Slate!"
"Damn, Crystal..." Storm whispers to her friend, as Malefor sits down nonchalantly before the large angry dragon. The blue dragoness' cheeks blush bright red, realizing Spyro's son just flirted with her "...are we sure he's ten? He's acting like his father already!"
After a few tense moments, the stare down between the largest Guardian and the smallest purple dragon ends with a good chuckle from both friends. "I cannot wait, Malefor...I enjoy the battles I have with you, but I don't want to miss the one going on right now." he remarks, suddenly feeling a shudder of power within the Palace of Dragons, and knowing where it is coming from. His eyes lose their rage, and his smile grows wider. "Come on...we will show your brother and father how to properly shake this palace."
The group quickly head for the large stairwell leading down toward the arena, a massive bowl dug into the bedrock, sitting on the north side of the palace. Making a perfect amphitheater for all to witness the training sessions of the Guardians, this domed stadium has seen its share of power. However today, even the dense stone walls and granite roof cannot keep the energy of two purple dragons contained. The solid stone floor of the palace shudders again under Malefor's paws and the grin on his face grows wider and wider. He glances smugly at the four guardians, now walking beside him, and shows off his proud smirk.
"My brother and father are really putting out some serious power today..." he says, approaching the large stone door that leads from the palace into the arena, and holding up as the ground shudders hard again. "...I'm almost afraid to go inside."
The sarcasm in Malefor's words is easy to read, as well as his body language. The small purple and gold replica of his father opens the heavy door with a hard shove. He wants nothing more than to return to the spot he was sitting in the rafters, overlooking his heroes as they destroy thousands of sparring dummies. However, the young dragon's eyes open with shock as several elemental blasts streak across the arena, then slam into his father.
"DAD!" he yelps, watching Spyro knocked to his right flank with a tremendous impact of magical force, and he opens his wings to glide towards him.
"STAY THERE, MALFEFOR!" The large purple dragon barks before his youngest son can take a single step, showing rage within his pupil-less eyes. "Everyone be quiet for a moment...and try not to move!"
The four Guardians stare at each other with some confusion, before turning their attention to little Malefor, who also shows an uncertain look in his eyes. All remain quiet. A still calm settles inside the large room, and Spyro holds his breathing, listening to the sounds around him. Using more than just his ears, the purple and gold dragon feels for his oldest boy, focusing in on the familiar beat of his heart. A smug grin suddenly crosses his muzzle, and Spyro turns to his left as he hones in on his target.
"I see you over there Sparx, you can't hide from me in the Shadows or in the Light!"
A sudden barrage of ice pellets fly from Spyro's muzzle, peppering his son with a stinging reminder that he is not invisible to his father. The young adult dragon's silhouette begins to show as the multiple impacts quickly distort his Light camouflage.
"OK, DAD... OK! You got me already!" The two-toned purple and gold dragon barks out with a smile, returning to his normal form, and trying hard to shield his body from the shower of ice his father is still cooling him off with.
Spyro halts his avalanche after a few extra seconds, and returns the same smile to his oldest.
"That's, like, four times in a row now, Sparx...so I think I proved my point!"
However, Sparx quickly shows a smug grin of his own, and glides over to his father. He places a paw upon his shoulder, then looks down at his little brother, whom has joined them in the center of the large arena.
"No Dad...you proved my point!"
Both Spyro and Malefor show a bit of confusion, as Sparx places his other paw on his brother's head.
"You tell me all the time, that you cannot teach me a thing, Dad. But that's wrong, and I bet Malefor will agree with me," he continues, looking deep into his brother's now startled eyes.
"ME! What do I know?" The young dragon replies with more confusion, looking up to his father for an answer, not truly understanding what he and his brother are arguing about.
Sparx smiles smugly again, then disappears from view, bending the Light around his body to hide in plain sight. He quickly leaps back and to the left before opening his wings and taking off into the air.
"THERE!" Sparx voice barks out from above, as Malefor's eyes follow him, easily able to see the invisible dragon. "How can he do that, Dad?" the oldest son remarks with a humbled tone, returning to normal again as he lands before his younger brother, and showing a slightly depressed expression. "Because I can't!"
Spyro takes a deep breath, hearing the pain in his oldest son's voice, and feeling his pulse change. He grasps his youngest son by the arm, pulling him away from Sparx before the first tear falls from his eyes, making sure little brother doesn't see his hero lose control of his emotions.
"I need everyone out of here now, Malefor," he says calmly, then looks up at the gathered guardians Malefor just brought and shows them a stern set of eyes as several grunt with disapproval.
"Do you have an issue with this?"
"But you just called us here..." Monsoon replies, showing his own disapproval with his posture. "...I find that rude, Spyro!"
"Yeah tell me about it! Who does he think he is...the King?" Volteer remarks sarcastically, breaking the tension in a blink of an eye with his joking tone.
Monsoon balks hearing the Electric guardian's blunt response.
"We will make sure no one comes inside...Your Majesty," Volteer continues.
He knows Spyro's family well and the angst a father and son have been sharing for the past few years. The yellow dragon places a paw on Monsoon's side, and jolts him with a small amount of amperage, making him answer appropriately.
"Isn't that right, Monsoon?"
The Water guardian grinds his teeth in pain, as the polar opposite element is shot throughout his large frame, and quickly he changes his tune.
"FINE...I'll help watch the door!" Monsoon barks with anger, looking down at all three purple dragons with a very annoyed pair of blue eyes. "It will probably be more exciting than this!"
The largest Guardian dragon turns around, and lumbers angrily from the room. Though he says differently, he is truly disappointed he will not get to see the two purple dragons sparring. Volteer follows behind, escorting the two female guardians, and allowing the family to remain alone for a moment.
"Do I need to leave as well?" Malefor asks somberly, knowing his brother is upset, and wanting to stay behind for support, but Spyro's eyes reply in the negative. The young dragon's shoulders slouch with depression, however, Sparx changes his brother's attitude as he makes his opinion known.
"I would prefer if he stayed, Dad...if that's OK?"
Spyro smiles for a moment, then places a paw upon Malefor's head.
"Go back to your spot, and try not to move around too much," Spyro remarks, looking up to the perch his son was sitting upon earlier. "Tell your buddy up there not to do anything either or I will throw you both out...Got it!"
"Yes, sir!" Malefor replies, showing his father a pair of understanding eyes. He opens his wings, and glides over to his brother, placing his right paw upon his shoulder.
"You'll just need to listen hard, Sparx," he says.
He knows the technique Spyro is about to show, as the memory of it is fresh in Malefor's head, having learned to focus on his father's pulse a few months ago himself. The young dragon then smiles for his dad, before thrusting his wings down, and taking off for the ceiling. Malefor lands upon a wide support beam and quickly sits down by a white dragon, whom has been watching the whole time.
Diamond grins as the young dragon's aura lights up the arena around him again, allowing the blind elder to see a more clear picture of the room, since Spyro and Sparx' spirit keep darkening.
"It appears your father..."
Malefor quickly shows anger, knowing his voice can be heard down below as it echoes in the empty domed stadium. He clamps his paw upon the white dragon's muzzle, just as his father's eyes stare up at him again, showing his son rage for hearing a noise after only a second's time.
Be quiet, Master Diamond, or my dad is going to kick us both out! He thinks to himself, allowing the spirit dragon to hear his thought without sound.
Sorry! is replied from the albino elder, and Malefor calms when his father stops looking up at them.
"I can try to teach you this, Sparx..." Spyro suddenly says, returning his focus to his older son and showing a slight smile. "...but I'm not the one who Mastered it."
The purple dragon walks away from Sparx and over to a certain spot in the arena, knowing a large wooden dummy will pop up as he gets close. As soon as it appears, Spyro swipes his tail across the base, shearing it completely from the mechanism that raises it from below. He quickly grasps the large wooded statue of a grublin and drags it towards his now confused son.
"What are you doing, Dad?" he asks, as Spyro lifts up on his hind legs and holds the one ton object over his head.
"What's it look like, Sparx?" he replies sarcastically before smashing the dummy to the ground, splintering the wooden beast into a nice pile of kindling. "I'm making a fire."
A thin stream of flame flows from Spyro's muzzle, igniting a portion of the smashed training dummy, quickly engulfing the large bundle of tinder in a dancing inferno of red, yellow, and orange. The purple dragon's eyes open wide, mesmerized by the element that he draws most of his strength from, as Ignitus' influences early in life made Spyro a pyrotechnic dragon at heart. The Hero of Avalar finds peace within himself as he listens to a fire, hearing the voices of friends and family past, and gaining the strength to keep the bold face he always shows. However, this is also when he is most vulnerable, as his thoughts are of those he could not save.
Sparx immediately notices a difference in his father as he lays beside him, then lowers his head down to the ground in depression.
"Dad! Are you OK?" He asks with a concerned tone, placing a paw upon Spyro's side, and feeling the beat of his father's heart become rapid.
"I was thinking of my brother, and how he never got a chance to see his nephews." He replies with a voice that is not much louder than the crackling fire before him.
However, Spyro finds the strength within as the fire roars in his ear, and puts a smile on his face before looking up at his son.
"But he would be laughing at me...knowing how terrified I feel right now."
Sparx lowers his head down atop his father's, resting his chin between Spyro's long gold horns, just as he would when Sparx showed his fear.
"Why are you afraid Dad?" He asks with a very somber tone, feeling the sudden anguish inside his father.
"I don't want mess this up again, Sparx," he replies, raising his paw and placing it on his son's head, holding it down tighter to his own. "I lost my brother because I didn't listen to him, and I lost two more years of your life for the same reason."
Spyro suddenly raises upright and stares at his son, showing the seriousness within his eyes as he continues.
"There is nothing I want more than to teach you what I know, but I have nothing to offer that is truly my own...including this technique!"
Spyro looks up at his youngest son, whose eye are transfixed on the fire below, and concedes who taught him.
"Your brother is an incredible tracker, Sparx," Spyro remarks, looking back down to the fire, and recalling the moment his youngest son startled him with this ability. "He was able to find me in the Forbidden Forest after only a minute!" He says, and watches Sparx' eyes open wide, knowing the test he took at Malefor's age, and the fact that it took him hours to find his father in the same forest.
"A minute?!" Sparx replies with shock in his voice.
He looks up at his younger brother, who takes his eyes from the fire at that exact moment. The two stare at each other for a second, and Sparx shows a wide smile, easing the tension he sees in Malefor's face.
"Now that's what I'm talking about, Dad," He suddenly says, as his brother smiles, and returns his attention to the roaring fire. Sparx snaps his eyes to his father, showing him a very arrogant look. "He was taught by the best, and this is why he strives to become a better dragon."
Sparx grasps Spyro by the back of his neck, and gently lowers his head to the ground again, returning his chin between his father's horns. They both stare at the fire for a few moments and Spyro remains silent, waiting on his son to finish this thought, who begins drawing strength from the raging inferno himself.
"His drive is amazing to me, Dad, and it reminds me of only one other," he says, recalling the countless battles his mother told him of, and the many others he has witnessed with his own eyes.
Sparx looks up at his brother again, and draws in more strength from him.
"He fights like you...making sure he never loses!" Sparx lowers his head down, staring into his father's eyes, showing a sudden look of anger. "And that is something you never taught, Dad, because you were afraid of upsetting me."
The two-toned purple dragon suddenly places a paw against his father's neck, holding it down tightly to the ground. Sparx wraps his wings down under Spyro holding his arms helplessly against his side, and uses his other paw to hold down his father's muzzle, keeping Spyro's magic inside his mouth.
"I want you to show me how to break this hold!" He barks, putting twice the amount of force his father would use on him when he was younger. "And I will not ease up like you used to do, Dad!"
Malefor is suddenly shocked at his brother's aggressiveness, but doesn't move a muscle, seeing the same hold his father has applied on him several times and the test of will power needed to break out of it. A debilitating grasp he has learned to free himself from because of his father's teachings.
Spyro also understands the test his son is now putting him through but does not understand the amount of strength he is using. It quickly begins to hurt, forcing the larger dragon to fight back. He immediately tries getting to his feet, but Sparx uses his tail to swipe his father's legs, making him fall back down on his side. The younger dragon cinches his grip tighter, and uses an almost evil tone to instigate his father's wrath.
"I thought you were stronger than this...little whelpling!"
Spyro balks hearing the same insult he would use, trying to get his kids to fight against the incapacitating hold. He begins struggling to move, allowing Sparx to tighten his grip more and more. However, the aggressive dragon loosens his grasp with anger as Spyro begins to ease up.
"COME ON, DAD... FIGHT BACK FOR ONCE!" He yells, and a wide smile crosses the pinned dragon's muzzle, as he calmly draws strength from within.
"I would hold on if I were you," is mumbled from Spyro's mouth, and Sparx quickly retakes his grasp, feeling a huge surge of power in his father's frame.
"By the Ancestors!" he remarks, as Spyro suddenly pulls his right arm out from Sparx' cocooning wings, and grabs the paw holding his mouth closed.
The younger dragon fights with every fiber of his being to hold on, but Spyro easily overpowers his son, and removes the grip on his muzzle. Helpless to stop it, Sparx is yanked from his father's back, and flung down to the ground. Spyro then immediately pounces atop his son, and applies the same hold.
"Well I know for sure I never taught you to give up like that!" he yells in his ear, before quickly releasing his son, and sitting back down on his hind quarters. Sparx scrambles to his feet, showing his father a shocked look at how much force he was able to use in a single moment, but also anger that he has stopped showing this power.
"Well, why did you stop?" he replies, looking for an answer, and not the smug look his father is showing now.
Spyro keeps the grin on his face, and looks up to the rafters. He smiles proudly at his youngest, who didn't interfere in a difficult situation, and quickly returns his attention to his angry son.
"Because that is not what you asked me to teach you today!" He says with a sarcastic tone, reaching out his paw, and placing it upon his son's narrow muzzle. "Though it was necessary, and you'll see what I mean in a moment. We can fight some other time. Today I want you learn how to find me without looking."
Sparx softens quickly, hearing the sincerity in his father's voice, and nods his head approvingly.
"Good boy, Sparx!" Spyro replies, as if he were speaking to his youngest son, making sure Sparx hears a more fatherly tone, and not a Master's order. "Now I want you to tell me what did you hear when we fought just now? And I want you to think hard before answering that."
Sparx suddenly becomes confused, as his father asks a rather odd question, but begins to go over the quick battle they just had. His mind races with the moment, recalling the intense feel of a great struggle, both physical and mental. The sight and smell of battle, and the taste of defeat that still lingers. His sense of sound, deafened by the grunting dragon in his grasp and the crackling fire in the background. However, one other noise comes to his mind, as it pounded harder than anything else.
"My heartbeat?" he replies with a questioning tone, and shows more confusion as his father smiles with approval in his answer
"Yes...and NO!" Spyro replies, and places his paw over Sparx' eyes. "Now listen to it again, and tell me when you think you hear it."
Sparx again becomes slightly confused, but also feels a surge of joy, as his father begins teaching him like a dad. He listens as told, focusing his ears to pick up on something other than the subtle tone of the dancing flames beside him. However, after a few minutes, the young dragon begins to lose his focus, only hearing the loud crackling.
"I don't hear anything but the fire, Dad!" he says and opens his eyes.
Shock fills his expression, as his father no longer stands before him.
Who said you can open your eyes? Spyro's voice barks in head, and Sparx quickly closes them tightly.
He turns his head to the left, believing his father is now standing in that direction, but another order is yelled from his right side.
Don't try to follow my voice either, because it will only deceive you.
Sparx becomes frustrated, but again feels another surge of pure joy, knowing his father is being more forceful in his teachings already. The two-toned purple and gold chested dragon takes a deep breath, holding it like his father did before, and listens harder to his surroundings. However, Spyro decides to break his son's focus with a moment from his past.
Do you remember the day Malefor broke his leg? Spyro suddenly says, and Sparx' heart begins to pound in his chest, recalling whose fault that was, and the guilt he felt when his little brother yelped in great pain. You were so upset at what you did, because you felt his heart break, thinking he lost faith in his big brother.
Sparx shudders with the moment he can remember clear as a bell, and that long night he spent in the living room, unable to sleep in the same room beside the dragon he hurt. He laid alone before a roaring fire like this one, consumed with guilt, and hearing only the sound he couldn't get out of his head. His mind begins racing again, recalling that very moment he pounced Malefor too hard, and the noise that came from his brother's soul.
You felt so bad at what you did that I was heart-broken myself, Spyro continues, reliving the uncomfortable silence that came from his oldest son, as he sat beside him staring at the fire. However, the purple hero turns this terrible moment to a learning experience, and quickly Sparx understands the reasoning behind bring up such a painful moment in his life.
Do you remember what you heard that night when I held you? he asks, and Sparx quickly turns his head to the left, suddenly feeling and hearing a familiar pulse, just like the one that calmed him on that painful night. The young dragon, with his eyes still closed, reaches out his paw to grasp his father's arm, but his palm hits the ground with nothing but floor.
"Dad!" he cries out, startled by the fact his father is not sitting beside him.
He was sure he felt his pulse, however, a sudden touch to his right cheek snaps Sparx' head one hundred eighty degrees. His eyes fly open wide, knowing he will see his father, but only the fire sits before him.
Easy son, you almost have it! Try to remain focused. Spyro's voice is settling, but demanding in the same instance, and Sparx quickly closes his eyes again.
The young adult dragon takes several deep breaths, holding back the emotions of his mistake from years earlier, and concentrating on what he had felt only a moment ago. His senses begin tuning out the background, focusing in on one single sound in the arena, and realizing how it pulses like his father's heart. It's the crackling of a fire made by his magic and Sparx suddenly understands.
The two-toned son of Spyro can feel the pulse of his father's inferno, but can also sense that same pounding rhythm coming from somewhere else. He turns his head to the right, keeping his eyes closed, and strides towards the spot where he feels another fire burning.
"He's got you, Dad..." Malefor whispers into his father's ear, as Spyro has joined him and Diamond up in the rafters. "...any second now he's gonna look up."
"Especially if you keep talking, Malefor!" Spyro whispers back, keeping his eyes focused down at his oldest, and smiling as he gets closer to finding his pulse.
However, just as Sparx begins tilting his head up, a loud buzzing sound comes from Spyro's right paw, startling all four dragons in the domed arena.
"SHIT!" The purple and gold dragon barks out as his Skylander communicator buzzes again, then looks down at his son whose eyes quickly lock on his. Both show how upset they are in this interruption, realizing this first lesson between father and son is broken before a triumphant end that was coming soon.
"NOW WHAT DO YOU WANT, GAVEN?" Spyro yells into the communicator, angry with the Portal Master's timing, and also with his continued calls in the past few days. "I told you several times that I was named the King, so I am no longer allowed to go out on these missions, and neither is Sparx...YOU GOT THAT, OLD MAN!"
Spyro's eyes open wide and Malefor begins laughing as a different voice is heard from the tiny speaker in his palm.
"Well, I'm sure that felt good to say out loud," Cynder replies, allowing her husband a moment to vent before returning a single word.
"It would have been better if HE had heard me, honey!" Spyro replies with a chuckle.
However, his smile goes away as another voice is heard across the communicator.
"Well don't worry, General...there is no need for you to repeat it to me later!" Gaven remarks, and Malefor starts laughing harder, watching his father's face fill with embarrassment, knowing how far he stuck his paw in his mouth. He turns to Sparx, who just joined the other three dragons up in the rafters, and flashes his thoughts to big brother, allowing him to understand Spyro's sudden anxiousness.
"I meant Old Man in the nicest way possible, Master Gaven..." the purple dragon says. However, as he looks at his oldest, his nerve returns again. "...but you are interrupting a lesson between me and my son, so this better be important!"
"I'm not the one that called, Your Majesty," the Portal Master replies, slightly agitated with Spyro's tone. "Your wife's wrist communicator cannot reach Avalar from where she is, so I am only redirecting this transmission."
"Oh!" Spyro says with embarrassment, knowing he is sticking his paw further into his mouth, and quickly back-peddles. "Sorry, Master Gaven...I didn't know Cynder was that far away." The purple dragon continues, looking over to his sons, and giving them a little wink. "I mean I can still feel her, as if she was standing beside me!"
"Oh please, General!" Gaven barks. However, Spyro can hear his wife take a deep breath with that last statement, and a wide smile crosses his face.
"What do you need, baby?" He quickly asks, and Cynder takes no time in delighting her husband with a request for assistance.
"I need you and Sparx to swear in a new Skylander!"
Standing just outside the cave she had spent the last six years of her life, a young red dragoness gazes upon the large orbiting planet that covers nearly a quarter of the night sky. This was her favorite spot to watch the small town below, and a slight smile crosses Mya's muzzle, believing she would never experience this view outside her home after being kidnapped. However, even as Mya stands here, only sadness fills her heart knowing that she is not quite home yet. Without her mother, this place is just like any other hole in a wall.
"Are you still angry with me, Mya?" Asks a concerned great-great-GREAT-grandfather, as he can feel her beating heart rush with anxiousness.
"I just wanna go with you Raptoria and help find my mother, Malefor." She replies, knowing the answer is no already, but still begging to be part of this dangerous mission.
The large purple and gold dragon, lays down behind his distant family member, and lowers his head beside her. "I know you do, Mya, but Raptoria has become a far more dangerous planet than when you and your mother were taken from it...and I will not risk hurting you."
Mya turns her eyes to the ground, showing a good deal of confusion in her expression. "How do you know all of this...when I don't even remember myself?"
Malefor takes a deep breath, knowing the lie she just told, as a single memory haunted the book he read in the Library of Time. He wraps his massive orange and red wing around her, and comforts the shuddering dragoness as she relives the worst moment in her life.
"Your father was a brave dragon, Mya, and I know how he lost his life protecting his daughter," he says somberly, holding Mya tighter as she breaks down crying.
The large dragon raises up on his hind legs, allowing him use of his arms in this powerful embrace, making sure Mya is supported from every direction. Malefor lowers his head down beside her ear, and whispers softly and confidently.
"For this reason alone, I will not give them another chance to kill you."
Mya holds onto Malefor, feeling an almost soothing comfort in his grasp, as if her father was holding her himself. She nods gently against the large purple dragon's chest, and Malefor smiles hearing her concede to this request.
"OK Gamps...I'll stay here!" She remarks with a very nasally tone from her uncontrollable crying, and Malefor balks at the name Mya calls him.
"Gamps!?" He asks with a bit of surprise, and Mya suddenly balks herself, stunned she had called him by that name. Her eyes open wide as she looks up at Malefor and suddenly recognizes a face that was lost early in her life, as Danielle's father had died while she was still a very young whelpling.
"My mom told me it was the first word I ever said." Mya recalls, finally showing a smile, as her memory of a middle-aged purple dragon comes in vague flashes of joyful moments.
The feeling of déjà vu is overwhelming to Mya, as she suddenly notices the features that dominated the male side of this family in Malefor's face, and the young red dragoness hugs him tightly again.
"Gamps was what I called my grandpa. I remember so little of him, but he would also hold me whenever I was upset."
The red dragoness looks up at Malefor, keeping the smile she was showing him before, and asks a question that rings in his heart.
"If you don't mind...is it alright if I call you Gamps?"
Malefor is quickly overwhelmed with emotions, unlike anything he's ever felt before, holding this remarkable red dragoness in his arms. Even embracing the one he raised for ten years does not compare with the sensation of this unique bond between Malefor and Mya, as both of their hearts pound in rhythm together.
"I couldn't be more honored." he humbly replies, as several tears drip down from his muzzle, landing upon the bridge of her dark red nose.
They continue feeding off each other's feelings, allowing both dragons to keep their pulses in rhythm, until a loud voice distracts them both.
"Your Majesty...we are ready when you are!" A large polar bear barks out, as he approaches with three others.
Malefor pops his head up, greeting the group of pirates he chased off earlier, and gestures his paw for them to hold. He finishes his embrace with Mya, making sure she is completely calm before laying her feet upon the ground.
"I will need a few more minutes gentleman..." he replies, looking back towards the cave entrance, then down upon Mya. "...my granddaughter's staying behind, and I am just waiting for her guardian to arrive!"
The four white bears smile at the large dragon, but Mya shows confusion again, as she was unaware of anyone coming to protect her. However as a familiar voice echoes from behind, the young red dragoness becomes excited.
"UNCLE MALEFOR!"
Mya's tail begins to wag as her new friend's voice fills her ears, and is unable to contain her emotions as Malefor strides out of the cave. She quickly rushes to his side, showing pure joy in his arrival, but stops short of slamming into the small purple dragon when she notices the black and gold armor he is draped in. The red dragoness takes several long moments to look Malefor up and down before showing a very satisfied smirk.
"My goodness...you look good in that armor!" She says, and Malefor quickly blushes, before turning his eyes to his uncle.
"I've reported in to Commander Cynder and Captain Jak, sir. They informed me of my duty to your granddaughter. I promise you, I will guard Mya with my life," he remarks, then pauses as the smitten red dragoness' smile grows wider and wider.
"My hero!" She says, almost sarcastically, but Malefor blushes harder as Mya places a paw upon his chest, and pecks the side of his face with a warm kiss. "A big strong bodyguard to protect little ole' me."
Big Malefor covers his muzzle with a paw to keep from laughing as his namesake almost falls over from nerves. Both look at each other as Mya struts back into her home.
"I think I'm might be in a bit of trouble, Uncle Malefor!" He says jokingly.
However, the hard stare he gets from Malefor takes his humor away quickly. The large purple dragon steps up to the young son of Spyro and shows his teeth.
"You'll be in even more trouble if you don't keep your paws to yourself...UNDERSTAND?!" The former king grumbles, and young Malefor's eyes open wider with fear.
The large purple dragon holds his tongue, seeing the blank expression he left on his nephew's face, and laughs to himself as he enters the cave behind his great-granddaughter.