Hey guys sorry this chapter took so long I hope you enjoy!

Chapter Twenty-Three

The ground was approaching fast as Soul neared the cave. Soul tried to angle himself to land but failed, Soul braced for impact as he hit the ground hard. He bounced and eventually slid to a stop on the hard ground. His vision was blurry and everything. Soul lifted his head, but couldn't find the strength to hold it up as it fell again. Soul heard a scream, it was Snows. He tried to lift his head again and but his body failed to respond. Soul heard the sound of claws against approaching he looked up and saw a ball of shadows above him. The shadows started to part, revealing a dark purple adult female dragon. Soul strangely felt a connection to her. The dragon noticed the confused look in his eyes.

"Well brother," The dragon let the word sink in. This did nothing but vex him further. He had no other siblings only Cynder, "or so I thought".

"You put up quite a fight especially for a Light Dragon." She seemed to relish in his pain. The devious look in her eyes; she knew something she didn't. Then he remembered the scream.

"What...have you...done with Snow?!" He whispered with a slight growl. He tried to look strong, but truthfully, he felt fear, but not for what could happen to him.

"She isn't dead...yet, but you might be able to save her." She was taunting him since she knew how he felt about her.

"Why...should I trust you?"

She chuckled, "Do you really want to risk her life just to see if I'm bluffing?" He remained silent. She had him right where she wanted him.

"Fine! What...do...you want?" There was nothing this dragoness could do that would stop him from saving Snow

"It's simple really you have to travel that cave," She gestured toward the cave, "If the cave system doesn't kill you and you find your way out, she gets to live."

"What if...you're lying?" She rolled her eyes.

"Why would I go through the trouble of doing this knowing that you'll most likely die in the caves? You've got 30 minutes once you enter the caves." She turned to leave.

"Wait!" She froze where she was. He whispered, "Who are you?"

Without looking back, she answered, "I'm your big sister...Mara." Soul rose to his feet and limped toward the yawning mouth of the cave. He looked over his shoulder and saw that Mara was gone along with whatever had shot him down.

He stopped at the entrance of the cave the realization of the situation hit him "Snow could die if I don't make it in time. Am I really ready for this?" Before he could even contemplate those thoughts, he dismissed them from his head, "No! I can't let Snow die. I won't let her down." With an injured but determined stride, he willingly ventured into the dark.

Ten Minutes Later

Soul had no idea how long he had been in the cave but he knew he had to hurry. Soul felt like his shoulder was swelling and was starting to hurt more with every passing second. He stumbled and fell and struggled to get up. He decided, "I have to do something about this shoulder or I'm not going to make it." He limped towards the wall, leaned against it, and held his paw above his chest. Soul reached for Light, calling on it. But like before, he couldn't feel it. "I can't fail now, not when she is at stake!" He tried again and this time he felt something, a pinprick of Light. It was there and he called on Light again, stronger this time. Suddenly like a dam being broken, the Light surged into him. He felt more powerful than he had ever felt before. A ball of Light formed over his chest and he used his left paw to press the Light into his shoulder. The wound healed instantly as well as the scratches from the crash. The stab in his wing had also dissipated. "I..I did it...I summoned Light!" He stood on his feet this time there was no pain only the determination to save Snow.