At Warfang

Things were slow as the mole soldiers ran their patrol routine. Ever since Static and Tremor's deaths, the city has been on full alert. The soldiers were on constant surveillance and guarding the wall, determined to keep their city safe.

One of the soldiers was running his daily watch shift when he noticed something. There were vibrations echoing through the walls. He looked out to find its source. As he peered out upon the forest, nothing immediately seemed out of the ordinary. Then, he noticed a wolf hiding in the foliage. He didn't think anything of it at first. But more and more wolves started to appear. They were marching towards the city. That's when the soldier realized what was actually happening.

He called out, "SOUND THE ALARM!" Everyone hastily prepared themselves as the alarm bell was sounded. It rung throughout the city. Citizens began moving towards the nearest war defensive shelters.

The elder guardians and the candidates had heard the alarm and were heading towards the wall. They jumped on top of the wall.

Terrador spoke, "What is the situation?"

The commander responded, "It appears that dang wolf pack has returned sir! Except they brought an army this time!"

"Fortify the wall's defenses! We cannot allow them to reach the city!" The elder dragon turned towards the candidates. "Listen, I understand that we have put you through hell and back. But we need your help to defend this place. This is our home and they have no right to take it. My only question is which of you are willing to do whatever it takes to protect it?"

With almost no hesitation, Ratha stepped forward. She sternly said, "I would lay down my life to protect what I considered my family."

"Well, I guess that makes my decision." Seeing that his sister stepped up, Rathal joined her.

Surprisingly, Quake also answered the call. "I'll do it… for Gaia!"

Bolt didn't move. "I… I can't."

The elder seemed surprised, "Why not?"

"The last time I tried to help someone, I got them killed." Bolt took a step back. "I don't wanna risk anyone else's lives. So just go! You don't need me."

Rathal said, "But Bolt-"

"He has made his decision," Terrador interjected, "Now go! May the ancestors look after you, may they look after us all!" The candidates leaped off the wall and glided down towards the ground

As the dragons descended, Grimm was standing in front of his pack. He wore an orange-tinted sword at his side. He started, "Brothers! Today is the day we take back what was once ours. Today, we rebuild the legacy of the wolves. Today, we become the apex predators. They took our city from us! We will relieve them of their lives! We will forge the path forward for our kind! And we will send the dragons back to where they belong… to hell alongside their pathetic ancestors! Are you with me?!" His audience roared with pride and confidence.

"That's what I thought! The time has come, my brethren, CHARGE!" The army turned into a stampede as the invasion of Warfang was now underway.

…

Frost had wasted no time when he woke up. He left his house and immediately began searching for Dawn. The forest was quiet other than the crunching and snapping of twigs beneath Frost's paws. His footsteps were easily visible in the pure white snow, but no one seemed to be following him. He knew he probably shouldn't be out here hunting down his friend's kidnapper, but he couldn't stand by knowing he could do something. He wasn't going to let what happened to his father happen to anyone else.

It was extremely cold, but Frost wasn't too bothered by it. As he explored, he focused on the temperature around him. He had quite a unique ability from which he discovered while training. He found that his scales respond to major changes in temperature, which also includes body temperature. If there was any way he was going to find Dawn, this is likely how it will happen.

Things weren't going too well though. He had been out for a couple of hours now and he hadn't found anything yet. Also, his body's resistance to the cold began to weaken. He was in luck though; there was a cave nearby. It was warmer in the cave than it was outside; so he decided to settle there for a bit.

As he approached the cave, he heard something. It was faint and he couldn't really make it out. He drew closer and closer to the cave, and the noises became more distinct. It sounded like something was screaming in pain. It grew louder as the mouth of the cave drew near. He reached its entrance and called out, "Hello? Is anyone there?!"

It went silent. It felt drastically warmer near the back of the cave. He knew something was in this cave so he continued. The floor was cold but definitely not as chilling as the snow outside. The cave was also quite dark, and he found it difficult to see. Frost just tried to use the heat to find his way.

Then, he spotted something; a dim light shining ahead of him. He approached it cautiously, curious as to what was the source. It grew brighter as he came closer. When he came around the corner, he saw what looked like a torch. It was the only thing that was lit, but it wasn't generating all the heat in the cave.

Then, he noticed something setting beneath the torch. It was a black object of some sort. Since the lighting was poor, Frost approached the object with a very limited idea of what it actually was. But as he got closer, he noticed something else. There was blood under the object and around it. That's when he realized it wasn't just an object.

He yelled, "Dawn!" He sprinted over to the injured dragon. He was shocked by the black dragon's injuries. His tail and one of his legs were broken in multiple places. There was a large gash across his chest and two of his smaller horns were broken. There were burns all over his body, including acidic burns on his wings. The webbings on his wings were almost completely gone.

"Dawn, wake up! Come on!" Frost put his ear up to his chest. His heart was beating but faintly. Frost attempted to pick him up, which got a loud groan of pain out of the black dragon. He quickly put him back down. "Sh*t, come on Dawn; I can't get you out of here without your help!"

Then he heard a female voice, "As if I would even let you leave." Suddenly, Frost was struck and sent skidding away from Dawn. He looked around for his attacker but it was still too dark to tell.

"Who are you? Why don't you come out and stop fighting me like a coward?!" Without warning, she hit him again and he slid back.

She responded, "I don't care how you die, child. I don't want to waste my time fighting you!" She prepared another attack. But Frost used his temperature ability to detect her body heat. He could feel her moving to attack as he dodged her tail swipe. She swung her paw at him only to have him dodge again.

Taking advantage of her position, Frost fired an ice spike at her. Though surprised by his sudden offense, she let the ice spike fly past her.

"You've lost the element of surprise," he remarked, "So why don't you just show your face?"

She growled in frustration. He was right; there was no point of fighting him in the darkness when he could feel her every attack. "Very well!"

One by one, the torches around them began to light themselves. Frost readied himself as his attacker was revealed. It was another black dragon like Dawn, except her body was slimmer, indicating that she was a female like he thought.

"Who are you?!"

She chuckled, "Out of all the faces you've seen in your life, I thought you would remember mine. I mean, you're an orphan because of me."

He thought about it for a second. His eyes narrowed into slits as he realized who she was. "You… you killed my parents!"

"Why yes, I did! And I enjoyed every second of it! They were both pathetic! I'm surprised your father was even a candidate for guardian." He knew she was trying to work him up into a rage. But he didn't care.

He formed four ice spikes behind him and fired them at Cynder. She launched acid at them, melting them away before they even touched her. But he was charging at her at the same time and he struck her in the chest, catching her off guard. She barely flinched and knocked him back with her tail.

She smirked, "Guess you're not as weak as I thought you were, but you're nothing to brag about."

"I don't care what you think about me. All you need to know is that I will avenge my parents' deaths!" An ice path formed in front of him. The ice froze Cynder's feet in place and he charged her again. She just laughed in his face.

She pulled her front paw out of the ice and slammed down on the back of his neck, stopping him dead in his tracks. She held him there and brought her snout close to his. "You will never beat me. Unlike you, I have four elements at my disposal while you only have one, And you don't even know how to use yours properly."

He responded with gritted teeth, "Well, you obviously don't know that when you're fighting an ice dragon, you don't want to touch it!" Suddenly, an ice spike formed on Frost's neck and pierced her paw.

She yelled in pain, "Why you insolent little brat!" She wrapped her claws around him, picked him up, and slammed him against the floor again. He coughed up a bit of blood. Cynder pulled her paw off the ice spike, inciting a grunt of pain. Her rage consumed her and she was through with him. "You actually drew blood, I'm impressed. But that was the last mistake you're ever going to make!"

He turned to look at her and spat blood in her face. "F*ck you!"

She raised her tail blade, "Such poor last words!" He closed his eyes awaiting the fatal blow. The black dragoness prepared to strike, but something hit her in the side. She went flying and hit the cave wall. The sudden attack stunned her for a brief period, but she quickly recovered. She growled but was surprised to find that Dawn was on his feet.

He was covered in blood, but his face was that of determination. His purple eyes seemed to shine with a tinge of anger. "You will not be victorious today! And I won't let you kill anyone else!"

"You have an admirable resolve, but you're an imbecile for attacking me instead of running," she remarked, "Actually, you wouldn't have gotten far anyway."

Dawn choked up some blood, "Unlike you Mom, I don't want to run from my problems."

"I am not your mother!" She started pacing towards him. But a sudden gust of wind pushed her back. She scowled, realizing what was happening. The wind was circling around Dawn, providing him with a shield. "Your element… you're a wind dragon. How amusing. You finally discover your element moments before your death."

She started walking again. Dawn used the wind currents to push her back. Cynder responded with her own, canceling his attack out. She started sprinting and brought her head low to ram him. He wanted to move out of the way, but he was barely able to get up earlier. She was creating a current of wind so his element wouldn't affect her. So he could do nothing but just stand there as her horns struck him head-on.

He went flying into the wall, and a jagged rock protruding from it also impacted his back. He screamed in pain as he felt several vertebrae in his back break. Then, he went limp and fell back to the ground.

"You monster!" Frost screamed, "I'll kill you!"

She turned around, "In your dreams! Now it's your turn!" She raised her tail blade again.

Someone spoke from behind her, "No, there has already been too many that have fallen by your blade, Cynder."

She turned around to the sight of Kyron. "So, you finally decided to show your face after your two students have already tried to kill themselves fighting me?"

The grey dragon ignored what she said and inspected the room. Kyron had already noticed Frost's condition, but he was shocked by Dawn's. In fact, the black dragon hadn't moved since Cynder slammed him against the wall. Kyron didn't want to take any chances.

"Frost, get Dawn out of here. Take him to Amethyst, now!"

The ice dragon got up, "But Kyron what about you?"

"Do not worry about me, now go!" Frost nodded and sprinted over to the unconscious black dragon. He picked him up and draped him over his back. He froze Dawn's front paws to his shoulders to secure him, then carried him out, leaving Cynder and Kyron to face each other.

Now, give me the crystal," Cynder demanded. "You know I'm willing to do anything to take it!"

"I know… that's why I have to stop you." He slowly assumed a battle position

"You seem reluctant, why?" She chuckled, "Are you scared of what I might do to you?"

He shook his head, "No, I'm scared of what you have done to yourself. You are a shell of the hero you used to be. It hurts seeing you like this."

"You're hurt? You don't even know me that well."

He sighed, "Actually…" He took off his crystal and held it in his hand. He contemplated whether what he was about to do was really worth it. He shunned the thought and clutched the crystal. "I think I know you better than anyone else."

He raised his paw and threw the crystal to the ground, shattering it.

Cynder was dumbstruck by the sudden action. "What have you done?! Why did you do that?!"

Kyron took a moment before responding, "I broke the symbol of my suffering. I'm done trying to hide. I'm done running from who I am." The energy from the crystal began swirling around the grey dragon. It started getting brighter and brighter in light until it was almost blinding. Cynder used her wing to block out the light. But it dimmed down just as quickly as it came.

Standing before her was a dragon she thought had gone. His scales had turned from a dull grey to a vibrant purple, and his faded gold underbelly had intensified, leaving him with a new gold finish. His horns, tail, wings, and back spines were also gold.

She stood there awestruck, "I-Impossible!"

"Actually, it is quite possible. For my name isn't Kyron," He opened his amethyst colored eyes.

"My name is Spyro, and I'm not going to leave you this time!"