THIRD BRANCH:

Into the Woods

The woods were darker as I, Qualt, like my companions, began to be lost…

The day they passed the field went quickly as all happened according the plan: the guard got paid and kept his mouth closed and they had enough money to go. Everybody had their equipment, Milhrio and Doug especially, in case of more or less serious injuries. And Qualt brought a notebook, so he could tell himself his own story, without a chance for other to pick it and publish it without his permission. This last's breath was silent and his look afar: deep inside him, he was scared. He feared that the same thing as last time would happen, that they all would get killed. And, before they entered the forest where all began, he looked at everybody and asked if they were sure to continue. And you probably already know the answer, as he already knew it too. So they all penetrated those woods as Ironhorns tried to reassure himself: the situation wasn't the same as last time, after all, they were hunting the darker and not trying to avoid it, plus he trained himself before, they were prepared… and they also were now six, not five. Then Qualt's determination took over him: he wasn't scared, here, he had to find and kill this darker, to take his revenge of what caused the death of his team, and nothing would stop him to at least try.

It was the only thing that mattered to him, to his life. He swore it in front of his sister's grave.

But now, darkness surrounded them and they brought torches. They could see what was in front of them. They did not know where they were now but it didn't matter. The cheetah could now help by climbing the trees to see where to go, if needed. The ice dragon still took an eye on him: he still was not happy of him going outfield with them and he didn't want to have a child's death on his conscience. His son was enough. They all looked around them.

And night came.

And silence fell.

Qualt's eyes wandered everywhere, searching for any single movement, suspect or not. Sometime, he thought recognizing the place, multiple times he thought here was the place where Freat ended his life on the ground, or where Hyurt pronounced his final words, or where his sister decided to hold the darker in vain, multiple times he thought the cave near them was the one where Earthquake was killed or where his horns were for ever broken. But the truth was that he didn't know where he was. But he didn't care: he was in the right forest and that was the only thing that really mattered for him. Thus he knew that Usvork, or, as he called him, Myst, was maybe around. He could feel it in his guts. And he wanted him to be there, he wanted him to observe his nigh death, his near slaughter. He wanted him to be right next to them, so it would make the task easier and quicker.

He focused on the darker so much that he did not see Gloria putting her paw on his shoulder. He jumped and turn towards her, while she laughed.

"We should try to find a cave or something. Before the night was there, the kid climbed and saw the dark clouds coming. It's going to rain soon", she said.

"Stop calling me 'the kid', please!" replied Œl behind.

"I saw one not so far from here", said Milhrio, "it should be a good shelter."

"Plus", added Doug, "based on our experience with that darker, he should try to find us in there so it will help us."

"Yeah, you're probably right", answered Qualt.

"Then let's quickly go into that cave quickly. I prefer having that darker killing me instead of the weather", said Drer, even going in front of the entire group.

"Wait, Drer, I'll guide ya to it, stay behind me!" replied the blood dragon.

Qualt preferred staying behind to watch and protect the crew's sides and back. Gloria walked next to him. While they walked towards their direction, she said to him:

"You know, I wonder how many memories you have from before, when Warfang was better and when the Purple helped us… It's has been so long..."

"Yeah, even if it was a war against apes, it still was a better time, there was no such separation between the first, second and third class."

"No District… Fuck, what I would give to go back to that time!"

"Yeah. But without the eternal wars against apes, purple dragons and weird creatures like the grublins or the Golem from the Deeps that attacked Warfang… or even that Destroyer."

"Eh eh! It's true that this shit is old. I remember the Guardians. They were four. And they were great dragons. Nothing alike this joke of a princess or queen we have."

"Yeah… I remember them too. Ignitus, Volteer, Cyril and Terrador. When they were in Warfang, I even was a bit trained by the Ice Guardian. He was a bit over the top with how he considered himself but he still was a great guy, I really admired him. He even helped me to fight the creatures and my grief. You know, for the dragoness I loved. They shouldn't have disappeared, they would have helped us a lot. They were the ones who knew Spyro, after all. Especially Ignitus, from what I saw when the Golem attacked. It was sad when he died."

"It was. For Ignitus, I only could see him in the distance, at that time. Or maybe I could have had one or two words with him. But I remember that he putted so much faith in Spyro. I wonder what he would think if he would have seen what he has become."

"I could have talked to him. He had so much faith in him and he also had too much faith into the prophecy, for which a purple dragon would save us. Way too much. Like, when he was talking, sometime, it was 'uuuuuh! The prophecy, blablabla the prophecy, uuuuuuh!' I swear, if that Prophecy was a male dragon, there would have been no wonder why his family name was Firethroat for how deep it would have been in it!"

Gloria snorted when he was talking and taking an old voice for Ignitus. And, after a few seconds of silence when he finished, she added:

"It could have been worse."

"Ah?"

"Yeah, his name could have been his father's one: Assgard Firethroat, ah ah!"

And Ironhorns couldn't retain his laugh neither, which resonated throughout the woods.

Then resonated something else.

Brrrrrrrrr…

Thunder.

A lightning could be seen in the sky, illuminating everything in sight as rain drops fell on everyone, showing what was around them, including the entrance of the cave in front of them.

"Here it is", said Oster, covered by the thunder noise.

Mist began to form all around them as the heath got out from the ground and as the ambient humidity was great.

They quickly entered and went deeper into it. At the beginning, Qualt thought it was the place where Earthquake died. But when they entered a sort of room, he recognized where he was too much. He spent hours here, lying on the ground, his two horns broken and bloody, while he was saying his final goodbye to his sister… He stood at the entrance of the room. He was paralysed, his eyes and his memories wide open, his breath jerky…

"I don't want to be here..." he succeed to say with a lot of difficulties.

Drer was the first to know what was happening.

"Come on, Qualt", he said while going next to him, "you can do it. Even if it will be hard."

He could see tears coming up on the ice dragon's cheeks so he continued:

"Soon enough, we'll see that darker and we beat his ass."

"Hey, I'm with you, honey, don't worry", added Gloria. "And we are all alive. We'll go through this together..."

Meanwhile, the others could see that and decided to stay out of this affair. The cheetah sat, his back on one wall. The mole, though, was ruminating. So the blood dragon asked:

"There's something wrong, Douggy?"

"No… Yes, I fear that the darker won't be the only problem here."

"Ah?"

"You remember when I lost my eye?"

"Yes, and?"

"And there was another dragon, a blue dragon, that the darker did not attacked. I fear it also will be a source of problems..."

"Oh… Yeah, it maybe will be one, we'll have to watch out."

"Though, it might be where we can find Usvork!"

"Where? The castle?"

"Yes, the castle!"

"Yeah, probably. But I think it's better to wait that the rain has stopped before going towards it."

"Indeed. You heard that, the others?" finished the mole, turning his head towards the other dragons.

The three nodded, even Qualt.

"We should rest a bit, maybe sleep a bit, here. We can take turn and wake the others if something suspicious happens", proposed Œl.

The others looked at him so he added:

"What? This is how we do in the District when we want to protect each other in a dangerous place and a dangerous situation!"

"True", answered Milhrio. "Ironhorns, you go first. So you'll be able to sleep a bit after. I feel that you need it."

Qualt still was at the entrance and replied:

"Yeah… I'll watch out."

"Good."

"I'll take the second turn", said Gloria, so she could stay with him.

"Okay, I'll take the third", added Oster.

"And I'll take the fourth", finished Drer.

Thunder and rain drops resonated throughout the entire cave.

"I'll do the fourth with him", immediately said Œl to be with someone during the turn as he was a bit scared of thunder.

"And I'll do… none of them", laughed Doug. "Too old for that!"