I'm pumping out these chapters much quicker than normal – just finished writing Chapter 45 (I'm way ahead lol). I guess it's because I'm not as busy as I don't have as many videos to record for my YouTube channel and I'm not busy editing them. 'Coz school's back on and I don't have the time to make videos (yet I can do this – huh…) so I can focus slightly more on this until assignments and stuff get really intense (which I gather will be very soon), so updates on this story will be slightly more frequent.
Anyway, 'LoNeWoLf' is kind of hoping that Aaron will, by a miracle, somehow avoid the chaos coming his way. Absolutely not. It's kind of inevitable at this point. And I've already written so far into the story that I know exactly what happens, and man, Aaron's in a lot of trouble, let me tell you that much. And the point Terrador made last chapter about Cynder only caring for Spyro was just a little special thing I added when I originally wrote it back in May last year, before I started reading Spyro fanfics, and I must say I agree with you. Lots of fanfictions make Spyro/Cynder ignore everyone else in their life because they're too focused on their love life. So I guess it makes much more sense now.
If you have anything you want to ask me about Broken Perceptions, or let me know about anything you liked from this fanfic, please PM me or review, because I would really love to know if you're enjoying this and what bits of the story make you enjoy it. But enough of my rambling, onto the story. Lots more violence coming up - you may be able to tell what happens by the name of the chapter.
He's seeming a lot more angry than usual. Cynder thought. I understand why he would be angry at me, but to just burst through the doors of the Warfang Temple exploding with rage is even unlike him! Aaron's sudden appearance must be doing something to everyone here!
Terrador and Volteer spluttered, stepping backwards with fear. Cynder followed suit, rushing back behind the two guardians, not wanting to get caught up in the mess with General Icebreath. "COME ON! SPIT IT OUT! WHO WOULD DARE DRAW BLOOD FROM CYRIL?!" General Icebreath roared before catching the fearful gaze on Cynder's face. "IT WAS YOU, YOU HORRIBLE LITTLE FIEND! WHO ELSE WOULD IT BE?! THE GUARDIANS ARE LIKE BROTHERS TO EACH OTHER, AND I KNOW THEY WOULDN'T DARE DO THAT SORT OF DAMAGE TO EACH OTHER!"
This time it was Cynder's turn to splutter and speak wordlessly as she made unintelligible sounds, trying to find the right words to say to prove her point that it wasn't her who attacked Cyril. She understood General Icebreath's reasoning and judgement, but now this was just getting too far. Volteer was about to open his mouth but was interrupted by a loud crash as Cynder was knocked to the ground by a freezing beam of ice, the ice shards freezing around her shoulders and weighting her down, rendering Cynder unable to stand. General Icebreath ran towards Cynder, causing Volteer to let out panicked shouts as Terrador felt his face heat up. Cynder saw Terrador's face go red, and she begged for General Icebreath to stop the attack, but he wouldn't listen. General Icebreath was silenced as a dusty explosion ripped through the marble chamber.
Or so they thought.
With a roar, General Icebreath leapt out of the cloud of dust at Terrador, a sharp fragment of rock pointing out of his shoulder as blood oozed slowly from it. General Icebreath flung himself at the enraged earth guardian with a deafening roar. Extending his claws, General Icebreath grabbed a firm hold of Terrador and attempted to pull the earth guardian to the ground, but Terrador created a barrier of rock around his hind legs, stopping him from toppling over, and he raised his forepaws and sunk his claws into General Icebreath's abdomen. The ice dragon guard roared with pain as he jerked his head backwards, his fangs bared and saliva spraying from his jaws. Cynder thought he looked like a savage animal, like the dumb predators that weren't intelligent like them or the cheetahs. General Icebreath increased the might behind his grip on Terrador's shoulders, drawing blood which dripped down Terrador's green arms and spilled onto the once stainless marble ground. Gathering as much energy as he could, Terrador pushed with all his might, causing General Icebreath to slip backwards as he fell backwards, landing on his back. There was a loud popping sound as General Icebreath howled with pain, and Volteer and Cynder knew that one of General Icebreath's wings, if not both, had been dislocated, the loud pop reverberating vividly in their ears.
Terrador released his hold on the rocky foothold he had and rushed forward, leaping into the air with his claws raised, ready to penetrate the hard scales along General Icebreath's stomach that ran down his body as part of his underbelly. General Icebreath released a beam of ice at Terrador's hind legs, knocking the earth guardian off balance and sending him somersaulting in the air. Terrador only managed to give General Icebreath a tiny scratch across the stomach, white claw marks showing on the ice dragon's dark indigo underbelly, but no blood was drawn. Terrador's head slammed into the marble ground with a crash and cracks appeared in the ground as the earth guardian's rock-hard skull penetrated the hard marble. Terrador recovered quickly, and General Icebreath also managed to stand up. The two infuriated dragons hurled themselves at each other. Terrador brought his claws up underneath General Icebreath and made a clean cut across the ice dragon's chin all the way down to halfway down his neck. General Icebreath let out a pained snarl as he opened his jaws and brought them down on Terrador's arm. Terrador let out a howl as he slammed his skull into General Icebreath's head, causing the ice dragon to yank his head away and roar with pain, his teeth and lips dripping with blood.
Cynder knew she needed to stop the battle, but she didn't know how. She was stuck on the ground, and Volteer was panicking so much and too scared to interfere with the outrageous duel that Terrador and General Icebreath were engaged in. She brought all her might into her chest and shoulders as she gritted her teeth, pushing forward with her shoulders to break free from the ice that had not only grounded her, but had begun to stick to the ground, freezing Cynder in place instead of merely pinning her. She watched in horror as Terrador stumbled, lifting up his left forepaw so no pressure would be put on the arm, which was dripping freely with blood. Cynder, through narrowed and strained eyes, turned her gaze onto General Icebreath, who was dazed, his head bruised and cut, with small amounts of blood dripping out of the cuts.
General Icebreath let a loud guttural growl rumble from his throat as he charged towards Terrador. Still recovering from the shock of his injury, Terrador swayed a bit, and when he looked up to see General Icebreath charging at him, it was too late as General Icebreath slammed his head into Terrador's chest, his spiky indigo horns leaving several scratches on Terrador's scales. Terrador stumbled as he fell backwards. He noticed something hard had broken his fall, but he didn't know what. But suddenly there was a smashing sound, followed by shocked gasps from Volteer and Cynder. Terrador tried to calm his breathing as he looked down at what had broken his fall with the hard marble ground.
A disembodied stone head of Ignitus lay on the ground next to Terrador. Standing up, Terrador felt dust and rubble fall from his back as he stared at the crushed statue with disbelief. "HOW COULD YOU?! THAT STATUE OF IGNITUS WAS THE ONLY THING WE HAD LEFT OF HIM!" Terrador roared, his gravelly voice cracking under the pressure. "THAT STATUE MEANT EVERYTHING TO US AND FOR SPYRO!"
"If I remember correctly," General Icebreath said with a menacing chuckle. "It was you who crushed the statue, not me."
"HE WAS LIKE A BROTHER TO ME! HE WAS SPYRO'S MENTOR AND FATHER FIGURE! HE DIED A HERO, AND YOU DO THIS TO HIM?!" Terrador roared as Earth energy began to swirl around him. "SPYRO WILL BE SHOCKED TO SEE THAT YOU DID THIS!"
"Why are you protecting Spyro like this?! He's not your son! Stop trying to play 'daddy' for him!" General Icebreath scowled. "If you want someone to be 'daddy' to, why don't you go to your disgrace of a son?!"
"THERE WAS SOMETHING WRONG WITH HIS EGG WHEN HE HATCHED! DON'T DARE SPEAK ABOUT SOILROUSER LIKE THAT!" Terrador screamed. "HOW WOULD YOU LIKE IT IF I SPOKE OF YOUR DAUGHTER LIKE THAT?!"
"Don't you even dare!" General Icebreath warned.
"JUST GET OUT!" Terrador shrieked, his voice dangerously low, causing Volteer and Cyril to flinch in fear. "I WILL NOT APPRECIATE THIS BEHAVIOUR ONE BIT! YOU ARE A DISGRACE FOR YOUR TITLE OF GENERAL, ICEBREATH!"
"Wait, what are you saying?!" General Icebreath exclaimed, his voice nothing but a shudder. "You don't mean…?!"
"GO! AND NEVER COME BACK!" Terrador howled, and he released his energy with a deafening roar.
Cynder ripped her body from the ground, shattering the ice that had frozen her to the ground. She leapt at Volteer and knocked him to the ground as they huddled together, the roaring rumble of Terrador's earth fury deafening them as rocks and pebbles hit them, scratching and cutting their scales and drawing small, insignificant amounts of blood. Cynder looked up at Terrador, who's body glowed a violent green as the ground cracked under his claws and raw energy of the earth element rippled through the air from his body. The first ripple hit Volteer and Cynder, causing them to shout in pain as the ripple tore through their bodies in a violent tremor. Cynder knew that furies were created by one of two things: Purple gems or intense rage that couldn't be controlled; but Terrador's rage had surpassed the amount needed to initiate a fury, and his fury was unlike any other Volteer and Cynder had ever seen. It was incredibly destructive. Cracks appeared all around the Warfang Temple and dust went everywhere. A loud scream was released, and Cynder looked over at General Icebreath, who was hammered hard by the earth fury as he was closer to Terrador, meaning the ripples of energy were much stronger than the ones that were hitting Volteer and Cynder. General Icebreath was covered in bruises and blood, mostly Terrador's blood, as he stumbled back. General Icebreath pleaded for Terrador to stop, but with another enraged roar, the ripples came faster as Terrador's rage intensified even more. General Icebreath was thrown into the air, landing hard against the wall and falling down to the ground with a pained shout. He struggled to all fours, groaning with pain.
Cynder couldn't watch anymore. The immense glow coming from Terrador's body was blinding her, and the horrific sight of Terrador, who was normally immensely calm and collected, now exploding with uncontrollable rage as he began to stagger towards General Icebreath, became too much for Cynder to bear. She turned her head away and closed her eyes, only to let out a shuddering scream as a massive rock hit the back of her head, tearing away a couple scales and a little bit of flesh, drawing blood. Volteer cried out in pain as another ripple of raw energy went through his body, and Cynder scowled, realising she needed to stop this madness. She slowly got to her feet and let out a roar as she released a siren scream at both Terrador and General Icebreath. They shouted as the siren scream hit them, and they fell to the ground, writhing in pain. Unintentionally, Terrador's fury intensified even more, knocking Cynder off her feet. Volteer found the need to do something as he released an insanely strong bolt of lightning towards Terrador and General Icebreath, knocking them both unconscious as they convulsed violently. When Terrador fell unconscious, the energy died away and his fury ended.
Volteer and Cynder struggled to get to their feet, and Cynder sighed. "That got way too far." Cynder said. "Something is happening to these two especially, and it's not good. General Icebreath is known to get angry, but his anger was bursting at the seams that time. That was different. I'm worried for him and Terrador."
"Me, too." Volteer shuddered. "Just look at this wreck."
Cynder looked around the foyer of the Warfang Temple. Walls were shattered and crumbling, the floor had massive cracks in it, and a lot of the pillars had chunks of them ripped out by the Earth Fury. She looked down at her paws where a chunk of one of the pillars lay on the ground at her paws, and she realised that must have been what hit her. She winced as she recognised the feel of warm blood trickling down her head. Cynder looked over at the statues. Ignitus was shattered, and she was surprised that the other statues had made it through the earth fury.
Except for one other statue, however. Terrador was cracked across the body and a large chunk of his chest had been ripped out of the statue. There was even a chunk gone from his left arm, much like the bite wound left over by General Icebreath.
"We need to warn Spyro. I'm worried what he'll do if he explodes like that. I've seen him recently and he's a bit more angry than he should be. Scratch that, he's never angry. This is off for Spyro. If Terrador's never angry and he did this, I shudder to what Spyro would do with all four elements!" Cynder cried.
"We need to warn Spyro!" Volteer shouted.
"Agreed!" Cynder said.
Just as Cynder ran towards the door, she was interrupted again as a falcon flew in front of her face, chirping wildly and franticly. Cynder reeled back in shock as she hadn't expected the falcon to suddenly appear in front of her face. Blushing as she realised she had gotten scared by a bird, she calmed down and noticed a rolled up piece of paper in its talons. She realised that the paper must be from the cheetahs, as they always sent falcons to deliver their messages. Cynder reached out a paw and the falcon dropped the note in it, flying away as soon as it did so. "What's that?" Volteer asked.
"A note from the cheetahs." Cynder said, sitting down to open up the note.
"What does it say?" Volteer asked.
Cynder didn't reply as she opened the note and gasped. The note read:
We found another ape.
- Hunter
Cynder knew Hunter didn't mean Aaron. Hence why he wrote the word 'another' to explain that there was a second. And 'we' probably meant him and Aaron. Cynder sure hoped this ape was another stray from Aaron's world that had somehow come across the Dragon Realms like Aaron had. But deep down in her heart, Cynder knew that Hunter meant an ape. A real ape. Cynder's throat and windpipe constricted as her heart raced and her blood boiled.
"Cynder? Can you tell me what it says?" Volteer asked again.
Cynder let out a frantic cry as she spat poison at the note, which ate through the paper within seconds. Cynder ran past the smouldering, sizzling remains of the paper and out the Warfang Temple, launching herself into the air. She looked behind her as she saw Volteer yelling for her to come back, but she only guessed that that was what he was yelling for, as she couldn't hear him. She turned her gaze forward and sped up as she flew franticly towards the Cheetah Village. She didn't know if the ape had been captured or if it had led an entire army to a siege on the Cheetah Village. Cynder knew that there was more to these problems than she knew what to do with, and the realisation hit her that more violence was going to rise up from the entire situation with the apes. Somehow, Aaron had already turned Terrador and General Icebreath against each other, as well as Terrador with Cyril. She knew it wasn't his fault, but everything was perfectly fine before Aaron appeared. But she was concerned for Aaron. She needed to find him. She hoped the ape hadn't taken them down.
So Terrador fought off with Cyril's brother, this time. Calling out 'LoNeWoLf' due to his very strong approval of Cyril's fate back in Chapter 11, what did you think of General Icebreath's fate? Deserved? Up to you, readers! Anyway, we'll be back with Aaron and Hunter next chapter to see what this whole ape business is about.