This one's slightly longer than the last chapter, but still so short… I don't know why these are so short. I'm trying to make these a little longer, but it's quite hard sometimes…

The next few chapters will be longer; they're all mainly minor action sequences. Another major action sequence coming soon in about six chapters, so you don't have to wait too long to get to the good stuff. And the story's almost done as well, so I'm really happy about that! It took just over a year to write Broken Perceptions (with a large three-month break or so in between to start my other fanfic), and it's turned out better than I expected, and people are liking it a lot. Like I mean wow, it's on the fifth flippin' page of the most favourited fanfics in the Spyro the Dragon category. Like… I was just going through the fanfic list of Spyro the Dragon sorted by favourites, and to see my fanfic on Page 5?! I was ecstatic.

Anyway, enough of my rambling, here's the next chapter. You all deserve it for those last two tiny chapters that were absolute crap.

"So, what did the elders want to talk to you about?" Cynder asked as Spyro stomped angrily into their apartment.

"What the heck do you think?!" Spyro snapped, his eyes widened dramatically and his lips pursed as though it was obvious.

Cynder was taken aback at Spyro's sudden outburst. She stood, staring at Spyro with disbelief, not being able to comprehend what had just happened. He had never yelled at her like that. Ever! He continued shouting when Cynder didn't give an answer. "Come on, answer me!" he shouted.

"Um… well…" Cynder stammered, before closing her mouth.

To be honest, she didn't know what the elders wanted to talk to Spyro about. He growled with anger and frustration. "You fool! Have you completely forgotten that massive battle in that underground city, you traitor?!" Spyro shouted, raising a claw and striking Cynder in the left foreleg, causing her to lose balance and half fall to the ground.

"What was that for?!" Cynder screamed through gritted teeth, pain flaring through her leg.

"Because you're a traitor and you're a fool! I thought you'd be smarter than that!" Spyro scowled.

"I'm not the one to pry into your personal life, and the only thing I heard was that the elders wanted to speak with you! I. Didn't. Know!" Cynder shouted, articulating her last three words to get the message clear in Spyro's head.

"Great! Now you're angry at me!" Spyro groaned.

"Because you yelled at me for no reason!" Cynder shrieked.

"You calm down, young lady! I've just been scolded and shouted at by four damn old coots and I'm not particularly happy about it!" Spyro roared.

"Maybe you need a good shouting at to get things in that tiny head of yours!" Cynder screamed before turning and storming up to her own floor, where she slumped to the ground as thoughts began filling up her head.

What is wrong with him? He's not like this normally. I'm beginning to think that this is more than just stress. He's gotten angry at me almost ten times, just within five days! This is crazy! Cynder thought, tears brimming in her eyes.

The night was haunting and eerily silent as both Cynder and Spyro stayed up for almost the entire night, unable to fall asleep, their thoughts lingering in their minds and distracting them from their sleep. When Cynder did fall asleep, however, she fell into a deep dream. The beginning was truth. She saw the four apes that had died by Spyro's claws, blood covering their bodies and their eye sockets empty. She saw the massive, bloody wounds across their bodies, and they all screamed for Cynder to take revenge on the one who took their lives. And then, the dream went spiralling out of the truth. The rest of the ape population, bloody and maimed, stepped out of the darkness, surrounding Cynder, with Aaron and the cheetahs among them. A dragon silhouette was among them. The body was black, invisible against the black darkness surrounding them, but the thick red blood spilling down its chest was clear to the eye. Above Cynder, appeared two blinding white eyes that reminded Cynder only of Dark Spyro, whom she had not seen since Ignitus' death. Dark Spyro's shadowy jaws lunged at her, and Cynder woke up with a sharp gasp.

Cynder winced and put a paw to her throat, the cold air she had taken in making her windpipe go cold, her throat hurting from the rasping in her gasp. She swallowed, feeling her throat soothe and settle, the cold pain disappearing slowly. Her thoughts then went to her nightmare, which was confusing. She didn't know of the killings of the three other apes, only that of Pazakore. But the sight of the entire ape population, covered in wounds and their own gore, as well as the cheetahs, and worst of all, Aaron, terrified Cynder. And then there was the dragon. What did it mean? She knew they spoke for revenge on Spyro, but she didn't want to hurt him. Especially with the amount of stress among him. And whatever else it was that Cynder suspected was making him lose his mind.

Her thoughts were moved elsewhere when her name was screamed out from below her. It was Spyro. Quickly, she left her room and ran down the staircase, gasping as she saw the sweat caked over Spyro's scales and heard his whimpering cries. "Cynder, don't leave me!" Spyro whimpered. "Please don't! I… I…!"

Spyro struggled to continue, but Cynder knew what he wanted to say, and she now knew what his greatest fear was. They had been in love for almost a year now, and they had promised, even before Cynder had confirmed her feelings for Spyro in the core of the world, that they would never leave each other in a time of need.

Spyro was frightened that Cynder would leave him to fall victim to the apes and his own stress, frightened that she was reverting back to her old, dark ways, and that she would turn on him and attack him out of the blue. Cynder knew this, and she immediately felt bad for the whimpering, shaking, sweating purple dragon lying on the ground, paws hiding his tear-stricken face.

She knew that Spyro needed her company for the time being, and after a nightmare like that, one about Cynder leaving him, reducing him to tears, it would not have been good for Spyro to be alone when he awoke. She knew she couldn't be next to him, or it would be awkward, for they weren't mates yet, so she walked over to the other side of Spyro's apartment, in the kitchen, and settled down there, where they could see each other when one of them woke up, for Spyro was, once again, sleeping on the couch. Well, that was until he had rolled off it after waking violently from his dream and slamming into the hard ground below him.

Morning came quickly, and Cynder had not slept a wink for the two hours of moonlight that had still remained. Spyro woke calmly, and was half startled, yet half relieved, that Cynder was in the kitchen not too far away from him. He wasn't sure how he felt. He wasn't sure how to react, how Cynder would react, so he acted as if he was very uncomfortable.

"Have you… have you been there all night?" Spyro asked, although he knew the answer.

"Only for the last two hours since you woke from your dreams, screaming my name." Cynder scoffed, a smirk on her face.

Spyro frowned. Then he glared fiercely at Cynder. Cynder returned Spyro's frown and stood up. "Fine, if you don't want me here, I'll leave." Cynder scowled, walking off and leaving their apartment.

Spyro tried to speak up to stop Cynder, but it was too late. Spyro frowned maliciously and stood up, pacing around the room for a few moments before leaving the apartment and leaving to go find something to hunt so he could eat.

Next chapter's gonna be great, guys! That one is one I'm really proud of, so look forward to that one!