GAH. ONE OF THESE DAYS, SATURDAY, I WILL FIGURE YOU OUT. Alright, alright, sorry I missed an update, yaddah-yah, something witty, on with the show.

You found a disclaimer!
Spyro the Dragon, both the game and all related characters (c) Insomniac. They own the Spyro that's in this story, so nyeh.
Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage / Gateway to Glimmer, as well as all related characters (c) blah-blah, same copyright.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: Ocean Winds

Sparx called it. Once Spyro awoke and Sparx had a few more butterflies in his system, the young dragon hero seemed in better shape than ever. Finally, with the six talismans of Summer Forest in hand, it was time to confront Ripto and save the day.

...After one brief detour.

"Spyro, what're you doing?" Elora asked, having to turn around and catch Spyro halfway through their walk towards the lower corridors. "Ripto's hiding THIS WAY."

"Yeah, I know." Still, the Artisan's eye was on another prize. It was the last portal in Summer Forest, one he hadn't seen until now. Ocean Speedway. "But, uhm...what's this portal here?"

"It's just a racetrack," Elora tsked. Extreme sports were never her thing, despite Hunter practically living in the speedways. "It's out in the water, there's a lot of wind; a lot of extreme sports junkies go in there to get an adrenaline rush or something. It's really not a big deal, so-"

The faun growled as she saw Spyro and Sparx disappear into the portal. This REALLY wasn't the time for speedway races. "Alright, fine, but hurry back!"

oo00oo00oo

Just as Spyro had hoped when he saw the word 'speedway', the Avalari were just as familiar with flight magic as the Dragon Realms. It was just like the speedways from home - just a brand-new course with brand-new obstacles to tackle. Spyro loved feeling the rush of wind under his wings again; if the adventure-hungry dragon could ever be homesick for anything, it would be the speedways that he declared his new home.

In no time, Spyro had mastered the obstacles of Ocean Speedway, and the fishy audience was cheering his name as he glided past. One such merlady, however, wasn't so impressed. "I bet you think you're hot stuff, don't you, little dragon?" she drawled, fanning her delicate face.

"Yeah, that's what I hear sometimes," Spyro shrugged with a cocky smirk.

"Well, it's one thing to master the obstacle course," Queen Finny pointed out. "It's another to be a racer. I'd LOVE to see you go head-to-head with the current champ."

"Alright, no problem!" Spyro wasn't the least bit concerned. What creature in Avalar could keep up with a dragon? "Where is your high-and-mighty champ?"

His question was answered by the loud flap of wings. The crowds' cheers turned as a figure shot up into the sky, descending down into the audience. At first, he seemed a monstrous competitor, lithe and limber with large, muscular wings...

...And then it turned out to be Hunter with fake dragon-wings tied to his arms. "Hiya, Finny!" he greeted. "I heard some newbie's trying to take my crown?"

Finny pointed cheetah to dragon and dragon to cheetah. "Spyro, meet our course champion, Hunter. Hunter, meet your new challenger, Spyro."

The crowd hushed as the air became tense between the rivals. "We've met," Spyro spat, still bitter about Hunter's attack on Sparx in Aquaria Towers.

"Dragon, what are you doing here?" Hunter snapped. "Quit following me around!"

"I'm not following you! If anything, you're following me!"

"I have better things to do than follow a dragon around! Y'know, like fighting off Ripto?"

"Fighting Ripto, my tail! You haven't done a single thing since I've gotten here, you so-called hero of Summer Forest!"

"Boys, BOYS!" Queen Finny clapped her hands, regaining the spotlight. "If you two are going to have it out, make yourselves useful and do it in a race!"

oo00oo00oo

The Ocean Racetrack was one of the most elaborate in Avalar. It was made up of wicked twists and pin-sharp turns that took countless laps to complete, much less master. Hunter knew the course like the back of his hand - Summer Forest was his home, and if home-field advantage didn't give him an edge, nothing would. Spyro, on the other hand, was unfamiliar with the course, so it took most of the dragon's effort just to keep up. As much as he hated tailing, staying on Hunter's tail was his only way through the markers.

"Why don't you just go home, dragon?" Hunter asked, right before dipping down to reach the next checkpoint within the Ocean tunnels.

"Because SOMEONE summoned a magic dinosaur that's destroying Avalar," Spyro pointed out, adding extra attitude since Elora revealed that it was Hunter's bumbling that brought Ripto to the Winter Tundra, "and I can't leave until I fix that SOMEONE'S mistake."

"Y'know, why do you always have to cop an attitude with me?" the cheetah snapped, he and dragon both spinning to avoid a hillside and glide through a checkpoint. "You don't OWN Summer Forest, dragon. This is MY turf, not yours!"

"I'M copping an attitude?" Spyro paused, clumsily running against a wall to narrowly make a sharp turn. "You're the one that's been copping attitude! I don't HAVE to save your precious Summer Forest, you know!"

"So don't! I'm perfectly capable of saving Summer Forest by myself!"

"Elora and the Professor don't seem to think-"

"I don't CARE what Elora thinks! Just because you've brainwashed her with your dragon-voodoo doesn't mean anything!"

"Do you know ANYTHING about dragons, Hunter?"

"Yeah, I know that they're rude and obnoxious!" In a moment of blind fury, Spyro took a shot at Hunter, briefly falling behind for a second as his wings faltered to accommodate for his flame-breath. "See?!" the cheetah snapped, narrowly avoiding the attack. "I haven't laid a finger on you, and that's the second swing you've taken at me!"

"You were asking for it in Aquaria Towers!"

"Why? 'Cause I took a swing at your pwecious widdle dwagonfly?"

"Hunter, if you would've hit Sparx, you would've popped his bubble, and he could've drowned or gotten seriously hurt! Sorry I decided to step in and stop you from KILLING my best friend!"

Hunter couldn't come up with a snappy comeback. It sounded really harsh when he put it like that. "W-Well...Well, I didn't-"

"Of COURSE you didn't know," Spyro spat. "Why would you care? All you want is for me to get out of your precious Summer Forest, so why bother taking a second to be friendly and learn a thing or two?" Hunter stammered for a retort, but the raging dragon just continued. "No, no, don't bother. I get it, fine. You want me out of your face so bad, fine!"

They came upon the final straightaway. While Hunter had been flying at full speed the entire race, desperate to stay ahead of the dragon, Spyro had been holding back to keep pace. Now that the final marker was in sight, the dragon pounded his wings, rushing ahead of his archrival just in time to pass him across the finish line.

The racers settled into the audience once again, but while the crowds were in a frenzy, demanding to see more, Spyro recalled his upcoming battle with Ripto and moved towards the portal back to Summer Forest. "Look, whatever I did to make you so mad, I'm sorry," he called back to the fallen champion. "Don't worry, I'll go fight Ripto, then be on my merry way to Dragon Shores, and you and your precious Elora and your precious Summer Forest will never have to see me and my kind ever again."

Hunter gave a sigh once the purple dragon disappeared once more. Great, now he was a jerk AND lost his racing crown.

Oh, Hunter, you're trying so hard to be cool. XD Will Spyro be able to flame Ripto out of Avalar? Will Hunter ever come to terms with his draconic rival? Will I actually remember to post next week's chapter on time? Find out next time, right here on Legacy! Thanks for reading, guys; hope you enjoyed! :)

§ Tucker's Mayflower, signing off! §