Hello and welcome to another chapter of Love of My Life! The last time where we left off, we saw Spyro and Cynder handling the aftermath of the cheetah warrior's devastating attack on the Artisan Valley where the two are now seen as menaces rather than heroes. Spyro, meanwhile, is also dealing with the loss of Sparx which he struggles with thanks to his newfound notoriety.
Wanting to put Prowlus, the one responsible for the attack, to justice, Spyro makes a deal with the cheetah's nephew Hunter to take him down once for all… and potentially find his mother in the process.
With a new ally to help out, will Spyro find the answers he's been craving for so long? Let's find out… enjoy!
(Chapter 8: Tie Your Mother Down)
A deal is struck…
(CYNDER's POV)
"Deal."
I sat in shock as both Spyro and the prisoner, Hunter, extended their paws and shook them. I couldn't believe what was happening: Spyro had just made a deal with someone that had ties to our adversaries. Someone that was related to the psycho that killed his best friend! How gullible could he get?!
"Right, so once I'm out of these chains then we can make our way to Concurrent Skies," Hunter said, dangling his cuffs. "I'm going to need my equipment, of course."
"Hang on, there's no way I'm letting you out of here scot-free," Spyro muttered. "Firstly, I need to convince the Guardians that you won't turn traitor on us, then I can let you out."
My eyes widened. There was no way that the Guardians would even consider letting this guy help Spyro; he was untrustworthy! Who knows, he could have spies listening in right now as we speak…
Unsure about the logic in Spyro's thinking, I tapped my boyfriend's shoulder with the tip of my wing. "Uh, Spyro… can I have a word with you in private?" I asked him quietly.
Spyro turned around and noticed the look I was giving him, his face looking cautious towards me. "Sure, y-yeah," he mumbled. Judging from the tone he was giving me, he knew exactly what he was about to receive: a stern talking-to.
The two of us then left the small room and strolled in silence down the corridor until there was nobody around. Once the coast was clear, we both sat on our haunches, where Spyro was the first to speak.
"Look, I know what you're going to say…"
I gave my boyfriend a frown. "Damn right, you do. What the hell do you think you're doing?" I hissed. "Why did you strike a deal with the cheetah?"
"Cynder, you heard him," Spyro tried to convince me. "He has a point, we don't know what his uncle is capable of. I need him if I'm going to survive any traps Prowlus has put out for me."
I? Me? Why did it sound like Spyro was going by himself? Surely that must be a mistake, right? Urgh, that's not important right now. That would be an issue for later; there were more pressing matters currently at hand.
I shook my head, not believing Spyro's words. "I'm sorry, but I just can't trust him, Spyro. There's no way the Guardians are going to let him go."
Spyro raised an eyebrow. "Why not?" he wondered. "If we just explain what he told us then…"
"What? That he had a sudden change of heart?" I exclaimed. "That everything that he ever knew in his life was wrong? You think they'll believe that?"
"They did when that happened to you…"
I stopped dead, words failing to fall out of my mouth. Flashbacks of Malefor brutally murdering that singular Gnorc out-of-the-blue after they raided the Artisan Valley in search of Spyro flooded through my head. Other memories such as hesitating to kill Spyro the first time we met, or seeing Terrador covered in blood after an ordeal with my father also came into mind.
Those moments I remembered all too well. Those were the moments when I realised that my father wasn't the great and powerful purple dragon he was made out to be… but that didn't mean that Hunter should be trusted! Besides the similar revelations, he was nothing like me whatsoever.
"That… that was different," I murmured. "It wasn't a snap decision; I changed over time."
Spyro shrugged. "Well, I can change him as well. I can be very persuasive, well sometimes."
"Honey, I'm not sure about this," I said, rubbing my eyes in frustration. "It doesn't seem like a good idea bringing this guy along. This has 'trap' written all over it."
"Cynder, do you trust me?"
I was caught off-guard by that question. He should already know the answer to that.
"Of course I do," I replied back. "But—"
"Then you have to trust that I've made the right decision here," Spyro interjected. "If he's willing to help and give away his uncle's position, then I'd believe him."
"And if you're wrong?"
"Then I'm wrong," Spyro said. "And you're free to slap me, scratch me, blow wind in my face, whatever satisfies you… hopefully that won't happen now that I've mentioned it."
I couldn't help but chuckle slightly. "Hmm, it does sound tempting. I'll look forward to slapping you when everything goes to shit."
Spyro's eyes flashed briefly before clearing his throat to ease the tension, staring at me half-amusingly. "Good to know," he said. "So… are you with me?"
I briefly glanced over Spyro's argument. A part of me believed that Spyro was right to think that the cheetah was willing and able to help us, while the part of me that thought everyone was untrustworthy was constantly fighting back inside my head.
But Spyro did have a point; he managed to change me for the better so maybe he could change Hunter as well. That was if he turned out to be a bad guy, of course.
"Okay, I trust you," I eventually said. I just hoped I wouldn't regret this.
Spyro gave a small smile, relieved that I was able to trust his judgement. "Thank you," he muttered, nuzzling my cheek. "Now all we have to do is convince the Guardians. That's going to be interesting…"
"Do you think they'll listen?"
"I don't know," Spyro sighed. "But what other choice do we have?"
With our optimism soured, the two of us started to return to the Pool of Visions room where the Guardians were stationed. With everyone being against us over the last few days, I just hoped that Spyro would be able to convince the Guardians. I mean, he was able to persuade me… surely he could persuade them too right?
Right?
(-)
"Absolutely not, Spyro."
Wrong.
Spyro stood close to the Pool of Visions, sitting on his haunches as he faced the four dragons that raised and mentored him since birth. I sat quietly next to my boyfriend as he pleaded for Hunter to be free so that he could join us on our quest. But, strangely, he was once again seemingly leaving me out of the picture, using 'I' or 'me', which only confused me even more.
We promised each other that we would be handling this ordeal together, so I wasn't sure why Spyro was second-guessing himself. Did he not think I could handle what lay ahead in Concurrent Skies? Was he worried that I would get hurt again? Spyro knew what I was capable of; he knew that I was willing to do anything… so what had gotten him so precautionary all of a sudden?
As Spyro kept on debating, the Guardians' opinion didn't change so easily. Cyril, as always, was the most vocal against it, while Terrador and Volteer's faces remained neutral for now, but something told me that the electricity dragon was already weighing pros and cons in his head. Ignitus, meanwhile, was listening to everything that Spyro had to say before making a full decision. Out of all of the Guardians, Ignitus would normally be the one to fully support Spyro in his endeavours, but this time, however? I wasn't so sure; I couldn't read his face.
"This is an absolutely ludicrous idea, young dragon!" Cyril scolded. "There is no way we're letting you ally yourself with an enemy warrior; it's out of the question!"
"But Hunter didn't do anything!" Spyro said. "He didn't even kill anyone that day; he told us so himself."
"Spyro, you have to admit that something is particularly dodgy, shady, slippery about all this…" Volteer chimed in.
Terrador nodded with a grunt. "I agree with Volteer, this smells like a trap."
Spyro stared at everyone in disbelief, his maw slightly open. I wished I could say something to help him but I highly doubted the Guardians would believe me either. At this point, I was just a silent supporter.
My boyfriend then turned towards Ignitus, the last bit of desperate hope seeping through his eyes. "Ignitus, please… you know I'm right about this, don't you?"
The Fire Guardian stayed silent for a moment, processing Spyro's words as he looked down at the ground in thought. After a quiet and steady 'hmm' had escaped his mouth, he then looked up and gazed towards me.
"What does Cynder think?" he asked calmly.
Cyril rolled his eyes. "You can't be serious…?" he scoffed. I merely frowned at his reaction. Wow, rude.
Ignitus merely flashed the Ice Guardian a disapproving glance. "I want to hear what Cynder thinks," he muttered before facing me again. "What do you think, young dragoness?"
I edged closer to Spyro and placed my paw onto his. "I think you should listen to Spyro."
Terrador raised an eyebrow. "Care to elaborate on that? I know you aren't usually one to trust so easily…"
"Look, I don't totally trust this cheetah either, but I trust Spyro. More than anything," I started to answer. "I know because I've been in a similar position; I was literally the adopted daughter of the Dark Master after all. Back then, I wanted nothing more than to stand by my father and see the realms burn before my very eyes…"
At the mention of my past, I stopped talking for a moment to regain my composure. Every moment of my childhood flashed a brief second in my head but it was enough to upset me. I felt Spyro's paw squeeze mine softly, which was comforting enough for me to continue.
"But then, I changed. I finally saw the true monster inside my father and that wouldn't have happened if I didn't cross paths with Spyro," I resumed, taking a deep breath. "He made me who I am now: a better dragon than what Malefor wanted me to be. So, yes, I think we should let the cheetah help us. He knows the ins and outs of what Prowlus is planning; it could be a great strategic advantage…"
The Guardians spoke soundless words to each other as they stared at each other thoughtfully, a hint of guilt plastered on their faces. It was Ignitus who eventually spoke up after their silent deliberation.
"Alright, I'll allow it," he said. "You have my support."
"You have mine as well, Spyro," Terrador murmured. "If both Cynder and Ignitus are able to trust your judgement, then so shall I."
"As do I, young one!" Volteer added. "After all, there are many advantages to this that overwhelm the disadvantages."
Ignitus looked over to Cyril, noting the Ice Guardian's silence. "And you Cyril?"
Cyril grunted, twitching his lip. "I'm sorry Ignitus… but I still don't think this is a good idea. We're literally walking into the lion's den here."
Volteer simply cleared his throat. "Cyril, my friend, should I explain to you the many pros and cons of this situation? Well—"
"But…" Cyril quickly talked over the electric dragon, his eyes widened. "Since I am outnumbered here and I want Volteer to stop talking, I have no choice but to relent. You have my support."
Spyro smiled. "Thank you, I promise I won't let you guys down."
"I know you won't, young dragon," Ignitus said. "Volteer, you and Cyril meet us in the Portal Room. Terrador, I want you to get the prisoner's equipment while I'll escort him from his room. Spyro, you and Cynder make preparations to leave then meet us in the Portal Room. Understood?"
"Will do, Ignitus," I said. Spyro, however, only acknowledged with a silent nod and a smile. Something was wrong with him, I could tell. But what had gotten him so quiet all of a sudden?
Once Ignitus and the Guardians had left the Pool of Visions room, Spyro too was about to leave when I stopped him in front of him just as he was about to open the door.
"Spyro, wait. We need to talk…" I murmured, shoving a wing between Spyro and the door.
Spyro sat on his haunches and shuffled in his spot. "Yeah, sure. What's wrong?"
"I couldn't help but notice that you were only referring to yourself whenever this mission is mentioned," I pointed out, sounding a little frustrated. "Are you suddenly going by yourself now? I thought we were doing this together…"
My boyfriend's eyes widened. "What? Of course we are!"
"Please don't lie to me, Spyro," I muttered, shaking my head. "Tell me what's going on, please."
Immediately, Spyro's face instantly saddened like a flick of a switch. He was looking down at the ground in shame, trying to put on a brave face just for my sake. Judging from his body language, there's no way he was going to be saying anything good and that worried me.
"Cynder, I can't let you come with me…" he mumbled, almost in a whisper.
I blinked, confused by what Spyro was saying. "Wh-what do you mean?"
Spyro took a breath. "I want you to stay here where it's safe."
It was my turn for my eyes to widen. "Safe?! Spyro, our home was attacked and burned to the ground! Nowhere is safe!" I exclaimed, my wings spreading out to show my inner frustration. I then edged closer to Spyro and placed a paw on his cheek. "Why are you pushing me away? Whatever is going to happen out there, I can handle it. You know I can!"
"I have to do this alone; you wouldn't understand," Spyro replied calmly, removing my paw from his cheek.
"Then help me to understand! You're my boyfriend, for better or for worse. I'm here for you but I can't do anything unless you talk to me."
Spyro shook his head to stop any emotions from coming through. "I can't…"
"That's not an answer, Spyro!" I started to raise my voice. "You're telling me that I need to stay in the Valley and you're not explaining why?! What is this? Leave me here so you can be the solo hero again?"
"What? No! It's not like that at all!"
"Then what? What is it like?!"
"I CAN'T LOSE YOU AS WELL, OKAY!" Spyro then roared before covering his mouth at the sudden shock of shouting at me. I stood there, lost for words as Spyro lowered his head in shame while a tear slowly trickled down his eye. "Please… I can't lose you too."
Seeing how emotional my boyfriend was getting, all of my frustration died away as I stared into his amethyst eyes. While it still hurt that Spyro had boiled all of these emotions until the last minute, my heart still dropped drastically. Did this have something to do with his mother and father being separated in Concurrent Skies? Was this why he didn't want to bring me along?
"Spyro, you're not going to lose me. Where did you get that idea from?"
Spyro stared at me, his body slightly twitching and shivering as he struggled to put a sentence together. "H-Honey, I love you… I love you so much, but my entire fricking life is crumbling a-apart! Sparx is g-gone, I have a strained relationship with Ignitus, everyone thinks I'm some kind of f-freak like Malefor and now I have this raw power that I can't contain!" he stammered. "I f-feel like I'm going to lose m-myself each time I turn into that m-monster and I can't let y-you get into the centre of all that. If you… if you die, then I… then I…"
Before Spyro could collapse in a fit of tears, I quickly wrapped my wings around him and leaned my head into his neck while Spyro buried himself into my shoulder. All of this was so unfair; Spyro didn't deserve any of the torment that he was going through. To see him being reduced to a whimpering mess broke my heart; he'd done so much for the realms, yet was only paid in pain and suffering. Just because he was a purple dragon, didn't mean he needed the entire universe on his shoulders.
"The ancestors have not been kind to you lately, have they?" I muttered.
"W-What did I ever do to deserve this, Cyn?" Spyro murmured.
I sighed. "I wish I knew, sweetheart." I then separated myself from Spyro slightly and placed a paw on his cheek, stroking his face gently. "But I do know this… whatever happens, we're going to get through this and we're going to get through it together. Okay?"
"O-Okay," Spyro whispered, nodding his head slowly.
We then leaned our heads against each other and I could see Spyro relax with every passing moment of our embrace. I could feel myself relaxing too; everything had been so frantic lately that quiet moments like this couldn't happen as often as I wanted to. Just me and Spyro, and nothing else.
"I love you," I heard Spyro say.
I smiled. "I love you too."
I then moved away from our embrace and pulled my boyfriend in for a soft kiss. As our lips connected, Spyro was initially surprised by the suddenty of the kiss but eventually, his eyes closed and he took a relaxing breath through his nostrils. It had been a while since we shared a kiss like that and it still felt magical every time.
After a few seconds, Spyro and I separated from our kiss. "Come on, we shouldn't keep the Guardians waiting," I said.
Spyro nodded. "Right, yeah… of course."
With my wing wrapped around his back, Spyro and I began to make our way out of the Pool of Visions room and back into the corridor where we headed to our room to pack for the journey. Last time Spyro and I were working alongside each other, we were only kids that had no clue what they doing and only managed to survive by sheer dumb luck.
This time, however? We were going to be ready; Prowlus or his band of traitorous felines won't know what hit them.
(-)
Since most of our stuff had been lost from the attack, packing for the journey was short and sweet. In our satchel, we only had a handful of healing gems, since we didn't know if Concurrent Skies had any clusters sprouting out.
From what Spyro told me when he was recollecting his dreams, Concurrent Skies was apparently a frozen wasteland, so Spyro and I had to gather our winter gear. Spyro had his long multicoloured scarf, while I had a shorter rainbow coloured scarf. Don't ask me why I had that; it was a Christmas stocking gift a few years ago.
Even though our preparations were short, everyone, except Terrador, was already there waiting for us at the Portal Room. Hunter was there too, standing by Ignitus with handcuffs clasped tightly to his wrists.
"Hey guys," Hunter greeted in an oddly friendly way.
Spyro and I exchanged glances. Never had we seen a prisoner being so… calm; he should be uncooperative and currently should be plotting various ways to escape. Seeing him greet us like we were friends was kind of weird.
"Um… hey?" Spyro reluctantly greeted back, trying to be polite before turning his attention to Ignitus. "Is everything ready?"
"Not quite, young dragon," Ignitus answered. "We're still waiting on Terrador to bring the young cheetah's equipment."
"But he's handcuffed," I then pointed out, gazing over at Hunter's handcuffs. "How's he going to use them?"
"Hunter's only cuffed until everything is set," Volteer clarified. "Once Terrador comes back, he shall be released, freed, loosened from his shackles."
"I did tell them that I wasn't going to go anywhere," Hunter then chimed in. "Me against six dragons? The odds are in your favour!"
Cyril's eyes narrowed. "And then we told you to stop talking," he grumbled.
"Really?" Hunter raised an eyebrow. "When did you say that?"
"Just now." That response was enough to quieten the cheetah. Even though he was a prisoner and worked alongside our enemy, that felt rather harsh. He wasn't even talking that much.
Before the tension could get any thicker, Terrador suddenly burst through the doors while grasping a large beige bag in his mouth by the straps.
At the sight of his fellow Guardian, Ignitus let out a sigh of relief. "Ah, there you are, Terrador. I trust that it wasn't difficult finding Hunter's equipment?"
Terrador shook his head and tossed the bag towards Hunter's feet, which didn't seem to please the feline. "Hey, watch how you throw that!" Hunter protested. "There's valuable stuff in there!"
I snorted. "Like what?"
"Personal stuff! There's more to me than just badass samurai weaponry, ya know…"
"Weaponry that killed—" I began to mumble under my breath before Spyro bumped my arm with his elbow.
"We should get a move on…" Spyro interjected. "Can Hunter be released now?"
Ignitus nodded and, using the key that he had wrapped around his neck, walked towards Hunter and unlocked the cheetah's handcuffs. The cuffs unlatched from Hunter's wrists and fell down onto the ground with a heavy clang.
After the handcuffs were removed, Hunter rubbed his wrists and gave a breath of relief. "Thanks for that; those cuffs were really starting to chafe."
"Now remember, you are only released to accompany Spyro and Cynder," Ignitus explained. "Once your uncle has been apprehended, we can discuss the terms of your freedom. Until then, these two will be watching you closely."
I smirked. "If you step out of line, you'll be answering to me."
Hunter raised his paws in defence. "Okay, okay. I get it," he muttered. "But you guys have nothing to fear; I want to bring my uncle in as much as you do. What he did… wasn't right."
"Good. Let's hope you stay true to those feelings," Spyro murmured.
As Volteer started to prepare the portal, Hunter knelt down and opened the bag that had his equipment inside. I saw that his armour, katana, bow and a handful of arrows were packed neatly inside, ready to be used whenever the opportunity arose.
"I can't believe we have to work with this guy…" I mumbled as I glared at Hunter, who was innocently rummaging through his bag.
My boyfriend, however, didn't share the same feelings as me. "It's only for a couple of days, Cyn. It'll be fine," he assured me.
Knowing that I promised Spyro that I trusted his judgement, I decided to drop the subject. "I hope so," was my only response.
Hunter had managed to get his armour strapped on as Volteer got the portal to Concurrent Skies working. Blue, purple and white lights swirled around each other to form a gateway between this world and another. It had been so long since I felt the breeze of another realm on my scales, although I had hoped that this realm was a bit warmer than what was described.
"Alright you three, it's time to go," Ignitus said as everyone approached the portal. "Find Prowlus and come back, that is all."
"Understood, Ignitus," Spyro said.
"May the Ancestors guide you… and stay safe, my son," Ignitus then muttered, causing Spyro to falter for a second.
Not expecting Ignitus to call him 'son' so suddenly, Spyro's face fell and simply just nodded towards the Fire Guardian. There was still a look of betrayal in Spyro's eyes and being called that by someone he considered a mentor just opened the wound slightly more.
Spyro then shook off those feelings and gazed into my eyes. "You ready?" he asked me.
I stared into the swirling colours of the portal, wondering what dangers lay ahead. It had been so long since I'd been out there for non-vacation purposes; did I still have that fighting spirit within me? Or had it disappeared from spending so much time at the Artisan Valley?
No… I could do this. I had to do this. Spyro needed me.
"I'm ready," I muttered.
Hunter, at that moment, leant down towards us. "I'm ready too," he said, receiving glances from Spyro and me. "What? Weren't you going to ask me as well?"
Both Spyro and I stayed silent and rolled our eyes simultaneously. This was certainly going to be interesting…
Hunter was the first to jump through the portal, disappearing completely as he made contact with it. Spyro followed soon after while I stayed behind, still slightly reluctant about this whole ordeal.
Everything about this mission sounded fishy… What if Prowlus wasn't there and there was a bigger and badder enemy out there waiting for us? And what about Spyro's mum? Was she even alive? I just didn't know.
Shaking off those thoughts, I leapt through the portal in pursuit of my boyfriend and Hunter, leaving my peaceful life behind for now, but mark my words, everything will be back to normal in no time.
(-)
Once I left the Artisan Valley behind, I was immediately swept into a land of cold. Snow plastered my paws as I landed while a strong icy breeze tickled my scales. I looked over to the horizon to see what Concurrent Skies had to offer, and I was surprised by the scope of this new realm.
The realm was a desolate and foreboding place, just as Spyro described it, with no signs of any intelligent life anywhere. A thick mist blocked me from seeing what lies beyond where we were, although I could see faint traces of a large, dark tower. The same tower that Spyro mentioned in his dreams.
There was no indication of grass or even trees, instead a blanket of snow covered the terrain. What differed from Spyro's description of his dreams was the enormous amount of crystals that were present. Large crystal spires surrounded the land like a border, the occasional spark of electricity hitting the tip of the crystals.
I shuddered. "Creepy…"
"Yeah, it's like my nightmare has come to life," Spyro said as he stood by me before turning his attention to Hunter. "So, where to first Hunter?"
Hunter looked over the horizon, squinting his eyes and putting a paw on his forehead to get a clearer view. "Hmm, there's an old fortress west of the tower. My uncle should be there."
Spyro raised an eyebrow. "Should?"
"My uncle never told me where his meetings in Concurrent Skies took place," Hunter shrugged. "The fortress seems like the best bet, the tower seems too obvious for someone trying to hide."
"Unless that someone had a taste for power," I chimed in. I mean, if I was bad, I'd totally choose the dark tower. A good place to plot and brood.
Hunter shook his head. "Not my uncle… but maybe the client that hired our clan is there."
"Well, once Prowlus is dealt with, we can deal with this mysterious client next," Spyro muttered.
I grasped Spyro's paw. "We should just focus on Prowlus for now. We don't know who we're dealing with yet."
Spyro nodded. "Come on, we should get going. I don't want to be caught in a blizzard."
While Hunter and Spyro started to make their way down the path near the portal, I stopped when I caught sight of something of a particular structure nearby.
"Hey guys, come and have a look at this!" I shouted out.
Spyro and Hunter exchanged confusing glances as they stopped where they were and turned back to where I was approaching. What I was looking at seemed like a big pile of rocks covered in snowflakes, almost like an old object collecting dust. I slowly walked up to the rock pile and picked up a piece of wood that was leaning beside it, wiping off the excess snow off the surface to see that there was an inscription written on the wood.
The inscription read: Demetrius, Electrika, Tyrax, Nobu, Kage, Kaze. May you now soar free with the ancestors, ssifisv persvek martivir.
My eyes widened at the text that was written; this was a grave, but for who? I'd never seen these names before; who could they be? Did they know Spyro's mother? If so, where was she?
"What did you find?" Spyro wondered.
"Do any of these names ring a bell to you?" I asked, passing the piece of wood to Spyro.
Spyro read the text to himself, shaking his head afterwards. "No," he replied. "I wonder who they were…"
"And who buried them?" I muttered before lowering my voice so that only Spyro could hear me. "Your mum, maybe?"
"Maybe," Spyro said, placing the wood back near the gravesite. "Then where is she?"
"More importantly, who was here recently?" Hunter questioned from behind us, gesturing to some pawprints leading down the path he and Spyro walked down before. "Look, pawprints… still fresh."
I gazed at the pawprints curiously. "Your uncle?"
"No," Hunter said, kneeling down at the pawprints. "They're larger; an adult dragon was here not too long ago."
Spyro's eyes lit up at that moment. "An adult dragon?! That could be her! We have to find her; she might not be far!"
Spyro then proceeded to sprint down the path before any of us could say anything. Immediately, Hunter and I chased after him, calling his name. I know that Spyro wanted to find his mother more than anything, but it was dangerous to just wander freely around a realm neither of us had any knowledge of. Who knows what's out there?
My boyfriend skidded to a stop in a clearing just a couple of minutes down from the pathway. Unlike where we were before, the area was hardly covered in snow, but rather sand. The crystal spires were closer, making us feel slightly claustrophobic. Spyro was in the middle of the clearing, searching frantically for more pawprints that suddenly just stopped where he was standing.
Eventually, Spyro groaned in irritation and swiped the ground in frustration. "Damn it, the trail ends here. I can't find any other pawprints anywhere!"
"She might've taken flight; she couldn't have gotten far in this weather," I assured Spyro. "Don't worry, we'll find her…"
"What's this dragon got to do with my uncle?" Hunter then asked. "Is she of any importance?"
"Uh, Hunter? Maybe that's—" I tried to say to the cheetah, seeing Spyro's head darting directly towards him in anger.
"Of any importance?!" Spyro growled. "We're trying to find my mother, for ancestor's sake!"
"Well how was I supposed to know that?!" Hunter barked back.
"You weren't!" Spyro exclaimed. "It's none of your business!"
Spyro and Hunter continued to argue while I just stood between them, unable to break the ongoing tension. However, before I could fully intervene once again, something strange caught my interest from behind me. There was a weird feeling in the back of my head, like something or someone was watching us.
I turned around to see that nothing was behind me, only the crystal spires that towered over us. Nothing? I thought for sure something was watching me… this doesn't feel right.
"Guys, something's not right here," I murmured. "We should keep moving…"
That seemed to fall on deaf ears as my boyfriend and our newfound ally continued to bicker. I mentally face-palmed for the second time today; why did I have to deal with all this right now?
Hunter merely frowned, his paw tightly grasping the hilt of his katana. "I'm here to bring my uncle to justice; if you have other things to focus on then go! I won't stop you!"
"And how can we trust you to find him by yourself with any supervision?" Spyro scoffed. "You haven't got a clue where we're supposed to go, do you?!"
Before the cheetah could answer, a blaring, deep roar erupted from out of nowhere. The sound of the roar was enough to stop Spyro and Hunter from tearing at each other's throats, the two of them simultaneously instantly turning to the source of the roar.
I spun around to face the crystal spires behind me and stared in shock as a giant creature emerged from the inside of the crystal. The creature resembled that of a bear but instead of fur, flesh and blood, it was made from a more crystalline material. The creature's soulless bright blue eyes gazed viciously at the three of us, making it very obvious that it was out for the kill.
The crystal bear, once fully out of the spire, made a lunge towards me while I stood stiffly on the spot, still trying to wrap my head around the suddenty of the bear's surprise attack.
"Cynder, look out!" Hunter called out as he drew his bow and aimed it directly at the bear's face. I saw what Hunter was about to do and dived out of the way when he eventually shot the arrow. The arrow went zooming straight to the bear's head… only for the arrow to bounce off the surface of its crystallised skin.
Hunter's face fell, perplexed that the arrow didn't penetrate through. "Uh oh."
The bear growled angrily in response and started to charge towards Hunter, who quickly switched to his katana and prepared himself for a fight. But before the bear could reach the cheetah, Spyro jumped in between and used his horns to prevent the creature from getting closer.
Like two raging bulls, both Spyro and the bear began to wrestle with their heads: a match the purple dragon was starting to lose due to the bear's larger mass. Spyro even tried to use electricity to subdue the creature, to no success.
I raced to where the bear and Spyro were fighting and used my shadow element to create a black plume of smoke around the bear's head, attempting to suffocate it. The bear tore itself from Spyro's horns and began to flail around, clawing at the air to get rid of the smoke.
"Keep it there!" Hunter shouted as he raced towards the bear.
"Hunter, wait!" Spyro tried to call out.
But it was too late, Hunter had already started his attack on the bear. His attacks were quick and swift, performing three consecutive blows at an excellent speed. The attacks managed to hurt the creature as a series of scratches were left on the creature's skin. However, it was not enough to kill the beast.
The bear managed to break itself free from my shadow fire and backhanded Hunter to a nearby rock face before turning its attention to me and Spyro. While Spyro was charging up his Comet Dash, I was providing support by using my wind blasts to distract the creature. My wind blasts didn't do much to hurt the bear but it managed to turn the beast's attention away from Spyro. Man, would I kill to be a poison or even a fear dragon right now?
"This guy needs to let off some steam…" Spyro quipped. If I wasn't so focused right now, I would've spoken about how bad that was. The bear wasn't even made of ice!
Spyro began to charge just as I became breathless from my wind element. The bear was too concentrated on trying to attack me to notice my boyfriend stampeding towards them. Spyro made contact with the bear, sending them both skidding across the clearing, leaving a massive burn mark on the beast's side. The creature retaliated by clutching Spyro's tail in its massive jaws and swung him back and forth before throwing him to the far end of the clearing. How tough was this bear?!
"Spyro!" I exclaimed. "SPYRO?!"
Spyro remained motionless and didn't respond to my pleas, but thankfully he was still breathing. Hunter, meanwhile, was trying to recover from being backhanded; he was still wobbly but he still held onto his katana confidently and pointed it straight at the bear. Hunter then stumbled towards the bear, only to find himself headbutted to the ground.
The creature then lunged at the cheetah, who used the remainder of his strength to hold the bear's mouth open.
"Go, Cynder! Get out of here!" Hunter grunted.
Wait… Was Hunter going to sacrifice himself to save me and Spyro? What kind of prisoner that nobody trusts does such a thing? Especially for strangers!
"W-What? No!" I shouted back.
"Just go!" Hunter barked. "I'll hold it off until you and Spyro escape!"
"I'm not going—"
"NOW!"
Before I could do anything or even argue back, a sudden wave of cold filled the atmosphere. Nearby where Spyro was lying unconscious, a cloud of ice and snow appeared out of nowhere. I squinted to see a shape in the fog, it wasn't Spyro but somebody else. I couldn't see any distinguishable features but I knew it was four-legged… a dragon maybe?
The ground then started to shake as ice spikes began to rise out of the earth in a straight line. The spikes made their way to the bear, who was still trying to eat Hunter. Oh no, those spikes were going to go through Hunter!
"Hunter! Get out of there!" I cried out.
Hunter briefly gazed at the incoming ice spikes and his eyes widened. The cheetah soon dived out of the way just as the spikes made contact with the bear, four large shards of ice penetrating the crystallised skin of the creature which killed it instantly. Wow, I'd never seen someone use ice in such a powerful way… not even Cyril, or Spyro! Or my dad!
Who was this creature?
I turned to see a dragon emerge from the icy mist, its features hidden in a dark cloak. Although what I could see was the dragon's snout that was not covered by the cloak's hood, which revealed light blue scales and had a small, curved horn at the tip of it.
An ice dragon? Could it be…?
"Is everyone okay?" the dragon inquired, their voice that of a female.
I nodded. "Yes, thanks to you."
"What are you two doing here?" the cloaked dragon then asked. "This place is unsafe."
"Well, I… we—"
"Cynder?" Hunter interjected, using his katana to get himself back up. "What happened to Spyro?"
The cloaked dragoness cocked her head slightly. "What did you just say?"
My eyes widened. Shit, I almost forgot about Spyro. He's still unconscious! "Oh ancestors! Spyro!"
Immediately I raced to where Spyro was thrown by the crystal bear and I saw that my boyfriend was waking up, slowly trying to get back on his feet.
"Spyro!" I yelled out, quickly wrapping a wing around him to support him. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah, I'm alright. Nothing a few red gems can fix," Spyro muttered. "The creature? What happened to it?"
"It's been killed," I replied. "It was about to get Hunter until someone saved him."
Spyro raised an eyebrow. "Someone? Who?"
At that moment, both Hunter and the strange ice dragoness approached us. As the cloaked dragoness locked eyes onto Spyro, her demeanour changed as her shoulders went into a slump and her maw slightly opened.
"Spyro? C-Could it be?" she muttered in disbelief. "You're here… I mean you're actually h-here! I n-never thought I'd e-ever see you…"
Spyro looked at the dragoness and there was a slight sense of recognition in his eyes. "Wait… I k-know you."
The dragoness nodded as she removed her hood. I was almost speechless as I saw that she had two curved horns that looked very much like Spyro's as well as amethyst eyes that was quite unnatural for an ice dragon to have.
Tears streamed down the dragoness' face as she stared at Spyro, a weak but happy smile on her face.
"It's m-me, Spyro… It's y-your mother."
(SPYRO's POV)
I was completely speechless. Stranding right in front of me was my own mother, the same dragoness who, until right this minute, I believed to be dead. True, I'd seen her in my recent dreams, but that didn't exactly prove that she was alive. She could've been a spirit for all we knew.
But now, here she was… alive and well. I was too shocked to show my excitement but my heart was rapidly beating like a steam train right now. My mum was alive! I actually have a mother!
"M-Mum?" I stammered.
My mother simply nodded, a smile plastered on her face. "Yes."
"You're a-alive?"
"Yes," my mother replied, nodding again.
"But how? I don't understand…"
"I know you have a lot of questions, Spyro, and I'll promise you that I'll answer them in due time," Mum murmured. "But right now, we need to move. We've made too much noise. Come, I'll take you back to my place."
I raised an eyebrow. "Your place?"
"Yeah, my place," Mum replied. "It's just up ahead, you can't miss it."
My mother then went ahead on her own, leaving me, Cynder and Hunter in the clearing. The three of us stood there utterly surprised as we, especially me, processed what just happened. I couldn't believe this was happening to me right now, thousands and thousands of questions whizzed through my brain like a carousel at a carnival.
"So… that's your mother?" Hunter asked.
"Yup," was all that I said.
"And you didn't know she was still alive until now?"
I shook my head. "Had no clue."
"How are you feeling?" Cynder then chimed in as she fished some red gems from out of her satchel. "All of this must be happening so fast for you…"
"Honestly? I'm not sure how to feel," I said, smashing the red gems on the ground to heal all the cuts and bruises the bear gave me. "I should be excited, and I am, but I'm also feeling a great sense of doubt as well."
Hunter also grabbed one of Cynder's red gems and smashed it nearby to heal himself. "What makes you think that? Not that it's any of my business or anything…"
"I've never met my mother before," I explained to the cheetah. "She supposedly died before I even hatched."
"Oh…" Hunter muttered as his face fell. "I'm sorry, I had no idea."
"And it was supposed to stay that way," I said, rather coldly. "But given the circumstances, it's better that you should know."
Hunter was about to respond when my mother returned, staring at the three of us with a confused look on her face.
"Are you three planning on staying here?" she questioned. "If you are, it's probably not the best idea."
"No, no, we're coming," I assured her. "We were just talking about some stuff."
Mum smiled once again, satisfied with my answer, before turning around again and heading back the way she was going before. This time, however, the three of us soon began to trail behind her.
It was a quiet walk towards wherever my mum had been living for the past eighteen years; not a word was said amongst the four of us. I wanted to speak to my mother so bad, but each time I thought about it, I hesitated. But why? Why was I so hesitant to speak to her? While I may be awkward about meeting new people, unless it was for a professional reason, surely that wouldn't apply to my mum, right? She's family, after all!
That was my first issue, the second being the cheetah walking behind me and Cynder. Hunter seemed harmless, sure. But I still couldn't bring myself to trusting him yet; it was like every part of my brain was on red alert. The fact that Hunter was pretending that there was an already established friendship between us just felt suspicious to me; I certainly wasn't falling for it.
"He saved my life, you know," Cynder then said, bringing me back to reality.
"He what?"
"Back when we were fighting that creature, Hunter was going to hold it off until we escaped," Cynder then clarified. "Call me crazy, but an act like that isn't something a prisoner would do."
I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't know, he might've just done that to gain our trust."
"Why are you so hard on him?" Cynder wondered, raising her eyebrow.
"I'm not."
Cynder looked at me, unconvinced. "You're acting like how you acted to me when you found out I was Malefor's daughter: all sulky and short-tempered."
I grimaced at that memory; I still felt bad about that even though it was a long time ago. "What are you trying to say, Cynder?"
"I'm saying maybe you should give Hunter a chance," Cynder replied. "He may be from a murderous tribe but that doesn't mean he's a bad person. Trust him more and you'll see…"
I considered Cynder's words for a moment. Maybe she did have a point; maybe the mission would've gone a lot smoother if I wasn't so hard on Hunter. Yes, his uncle killed Sparx and his tribe played a massive part in basically ruining mine and everyone else's life, but Hunter himself? If what he said before was true, then he was truly innocent in all this.
"I'll try," I then said to my girlfriend. If someone like Cynder, who was raised by an actual monster, can be redeemed, then Hunter could be too.
Mum, who had been oddly muttering to herself for the entire journey, stopped near the top of a cliff and turned to face us. "We've arrived," she murmured.
My mother stepped aside to reveal a large cave near the edge of the cliff, large enough to fit a group of adult dragons. The cliff was the same one as the one I found myself in my dreams, except there was less snow blocking my vision. The cave wasn't made of any natural materials found in this realm; it was made from ice. Outside the cave was evidence of a fire, pieces of burnt cloth, presumably a substitute for wood, was embedded into the blackened snow.
Strangely, pieces of battle armour were scattered all over the exterior, a mix of Gnorc, Ape and Grublin left in the snow like litter on the street. Had my mum been fighting Malefor's forces while I was growing up being oblivious about who I was? I couldn't imagine what life would've been like here for her over the past eighteen years.
"Well, here we are," my mother said. "Home sweet home…"
"This is where you've been for eighteen years?" I questioned, gazing around at the makeshift campsite.
Mum frowned. "Unfortunately."
"How did you survive? This realm doesn't seem like the best place to find food or water."
"There's a fortress further south, left abandoned during the war, where I get provisions every now and then," Mum replied, using a paw to gesture towards the south. "And when that eventually ran out, I had the many camps left behind by Malefor's forces."
"You managed to take out eighteen years worth of Malefor's army? Incredible…" Cynder chimed in, impressed by my mother's will to survive.
Mum's eyes widened, surprised by Cynder's response. "Oh, um, thank you… uh,"
"Oh, sorry, Cynder," my girlfriend introduced herself, rubbing the back of her head, forgetting that my mum doesn't know her name yet. "I'm close with your son…" I'm guessing she doesn't want to overwhelm my mother with too much information by saying that we were dating. Saying that we're close seemed like the safest option right now.
"And I'm Hunter," Hunter added. "I'm just… here."
"It's… nice to meet you all," Mum murmured, her eyes darting around as she slightly shifted her paws through the snow. Nurse Braya did mention that she had trouble socialising with others as a hatchling; maybe eighteen years of isolation had reset the progress she had growing up? "Come inside, we're due for a blizzard soon."
Mum was the first to head inside the ice cave before we followed suit. The interior was surprisingly more cosy than the outside. The only piece of furniture was a bed made from drapes and a thick block of ice was in the corner of the cave.
But what caught my interest more was the carvings etched into the ice; a variety of sketches decorating the walls around us. Some drawings included: a mammoth, a sabertooth tiger and a floppy green thing standing side-by-side, a phone box that had the words 'police public call box' written at the top, another box-like object with a question mark in the middle and a mask that kind of resembled the one Jason wears in the Slasher Camp films.
Another sketch was near the bed, slightly larger than the rest. It was that of an egg, at least I think it was; it had scales etched into it but nothing to suggest otherwise. But looking at it closely, I then realised who the egg was supposed to be.
It was me. That was the only memory my mum ever had of me: myself as an egg.
"Now then, Manny, Sid, Diego, settle down…" Mum addressed the animal carvings as if they were real, discarding her cloak and throwing it out onto the bed. "We have guests. This is my son and his friends."
"Hey there," Hunter greeted innocently, waving at the carvings.
I exchanged a brief concerned glance with Cynder; Seeing my mum like this was something that we were going to have to deal with for a while. But that was the least of my concern right now…
Now that her cloak had been removed, I was able to see what my mother fully looked like: Her scales were a light blue with white spots shimmering on her legs, her back and the top of her head, resembling fallen snowflakes. There were many aspects that resembled parts of me such as the tailblade and the way that her crest was arrow-shaped, exactly how mine were.
Her wings were also light blue while her membranes were a shade of blue that seemed to get lighter as it got closer to the joints. However her right wing looked more sickly than the left; a smudge of black spread out across her scales, while the membranes were infected with a black streak of veins.
"Mum… your wing? What—" I started to ask.
"It's a long story, Spyro," Mum interjected, a haunted look on her face. "Which I'll explain to you now; you deserve to know. Have a seat."
My mother gestured to a space in front of her and the three of us took a seat, Cynder and I sitting close together while Hunter sat cross-legged a few centimetres away from us. Finally, for once, someone was actually willing to tell me something straight away; I could now get all the answers I've been craving!
"So, Mum, how did you end up here?" I wondered. "Ignitus told me that you went to help drive Malefor's forces from this place."
Mum sighed. "Yes, that's true. I volunteered myself to help out; the team that was tasked to travel here needed a leader so I stepped in. I had to leave you and your father behind so the war could end sooner… and we could be a family in a safer environment."
"That grave near where we arrived, I'm guessing that was your team?" Cynder mumbled.
"Unfortunately, yes." My mother nodded. "It was only mere minutes after we arrived where we found ourselves pinned by the Dark Master's army. We were unprepared and we were outnumbered… I was the only survivor."
I raised an eyebrow. "How did you survive? Did you run away?"
"Not quite," Mum responded. "I was providing air support, freezing anyone that was charging towards us. At that time, we did have a slight upper hand and we would've won too if a lightning bolt didn't get a lucky shot on me."
"Someone hit you?"
"No, nature did," Mum shook her head, spreading her right wing to show us the extent of her injury. "Concurrent Skies has a high risk of lightning strikes due to the crystal spires being highly conductible. I was just unlucky."
Mum retracted her wing and continued to tell her story. "I crash landed in a clearing quite far from the battlefield and when I eventually woke up, several hours had passed. When I got back, everyone was gone and the army had set up their base."
"Why didn't you go back for help?" Cynder asked. "We managed to get through okay."
"I tried to; there were two portals back when I arrived. One had been completely destroyed while the other one was tampered with by the Apes. So someone could arrive but never return."
I lowered my head and frowned. "Great… that means we're stuck too. Unless you know how to repair gateways, Hunter."
"Nope, not a clue." Hunter said, giving me a blank look. Well, so much for that idea.
Cynder put her paw on my shoulder. "Prowlus was able to get there without using a portal gate, so maybe we can as well," she assured me.
"Prowlus?" Mum questioned. "Who's that?"
"No one that's important at the moment," I shot down. "Please, continue your story Mum."
"Right, where was I?" My mother blinked for a moment, before recollecting her thoughts. "Ah yes, Malefor's army. So over the next few years or so, I fought off every single Gnorc, Grublin and Ape that ever set off in this realm. They weren't exactly keen on sharing this space with me…"
Mum then gazed at me directly. "Then around five years ago, they stopped coming. For the first time in thirteen years, everything was quiet and the sun shone across the sky. That's when I knew that Malefor was gone for good. I assumed that was your doing, Spyro?"
I nodded. "Yeah. Well, me and Cynder really. I can't take all the credit."
"I see," Mum said. "But unfortunately for me, the peace was only for a short time. That's when he showed up…"
I exchanged a worried look with Cynder. My mother also mentioned a 'he' in the last dream I had with her, in the same tone too. Judging from the tone, this unnamed 'he' can't be anyone good.
It couldn't be Prowlus, Mum hadn't heard of that name when we mentioned him. Was it someone else? His client, perhaps?
"He? Who's he?" I wondered.
My mother raised an eyebrow. "You mean you don't know? Isn't that why you're here?"
"We have no idea who you're talking about," I shrugged, completely clueless to what my mum was saying. "We're only here because a cheetah clan attacked our home. We're trying to bring the leader to justice."
"Then you've come to the right place, my son," Mum said, giving me a serious look. "The creature you're looking for is a vile dragon that wants nothing more but to gain ultimate power."
"Does this dragon have a name?" Cynder asked.
Mum simply frowned. "Kronos."
Alright, I think I'm going to stop there. I'll be honest, this one was a little hard to write. Maybe it was because of my personal life, maybe it was because of procrastination… I'm not too sure but I'm glad I persevered and managed to get it finished!
So what'll happen next? You'll have to find out whenever the next chapter gets released. Could be next month… or the next, I don't quite know yet. But I advise you guys to be patient, an update will come when it comes.
This is TARDIS1039, signing off… Allons-y!
