Legend of Spyro - Four Pillars of Aether Book I

by Blazcowitz43

Twelve years after the Temple raid, the four survivors of that dreadful night live a happy, carefree existence. They are Spyro, Cynder, Flame and Ember; the four who lived. Spyro is a rare purple dragon who has been taught his whole life that great things await him, but as darkness approaches can he and his friends truly stand up to the evil that threatens the world? Book II soon.

18. Chapter 17: Pyrrhic Victory

Chapter 17: Pyrrhic Victory

'A Pyrrhic victory is a victory that inflicts such a devastating toll on the victor that it is tantamount to defeat. A Pyrrhic victory takes a heavy toll that negates any true sense of achievement or damages long-term progress.'

Spyro barely took note of the path of the tunnel as it rose and curved and leveled out numerous times as he pushed behind the rear of the mole at arms making their way towards the surface. He seemed to be in an almost trance like state, his attention narrowed to the fineness of a needles point as his mind raced with every scenario, fallback, deviation and consequence that it could muster. He heard the others huffing as they stayed just behind him, but not once did he look back at them, keeping his eyes forward to the backs of the mole at arms in front. The tunnel eventually levelled out for a long straight which took a few minutes for them to reach the end of. Looking ahead, Spyro saw the stairs beginning to head upwards as the moles traversed them. He was anxious to be out of the tight confines of the tunnels, eager to put his plan into action before he thought too much longer of how dangerous it was.

"Steady on, lads!" Louie called down from the head of the line, "We're almost there!"

"Finally!" Spyro muttered to himself as he strained to look over the crammed line of mole soldiers ahead of him as the sound of tapping claws behind him came to a halt.

"You trying to leave us behind?" asked Cynder sardonically as she squeezed in to his left, Flame and Ember squeezing together on his right.

"No," he replied softly, still looking ahead.

"Are we really sure we want to go through with this?" asked Flame skittishly, "Mason maybe had a point about us staying out of danger for a while."

"We're all in danger, Flame," Ember told him sternly, "We're getting out of here and we're doing it together, right Spyro?" she asked with a confident smirk, Cynder rolling her eyes at her attempts to impress the dragon she liked to think she was an item with. The emotional gymnastics of the pink dragoness from tearful sorrow to spiteful anger to flirty confidence were almost comical, at worst concerning for her state of mind.

More worryingly, however, Spyro did not give a reply to her question as he watched the end of the stairs suddenly light up as the sound of shifting masonry rumbled down the tunnel. He winced as the light shone down into his eyes, irritating him enough to raise his wing in front of him as the moles did the same with their tiny hands. There was another explosion from somewhere above, the sound no longer a faint rumble like it had been as the sound travelled down to them. Spyro's heart quickened its pace as the anticipation of danger took over.

"Come on, lads! Quick and smooth now, don't trample over yourselves!" Louie shouted down as the moles began shuffling up in a steady stream towards the light, the sound of their feet and clanking weapons and armor enough to necessitate speaking loudly over them.

"Let's go!" Spyro roared, grasping at the bottom step with vigor as his claws lunged forward into each one like a hawk grasping at a helpless mouse. Cynder, Flame and Ember found themselves three abreast as they followed after him with the Professor waddling up behind them with his big crossbow. More voices could be heard the further they marched up, the distant sounds of battle becoming clearer as the light gave way to the ornate interior of one of Warfang's grand towers. As the last of the moles finally marched out, Spyro scaled the last of the steps as did his companions as they finally emerged back on the surface. The purple dragon's eyes widened as he and his companions stared at the glorious interior of one of the many hotels of the city.

A glistening red and white marble tile floor arranged in the image of a great astral star shone beneath their feet as they stood near the center of the circular lobby that was slightly larger than the temple dojo. To the right was the polished oak reception desk that was taller than they were and beyond it was a colossal double staircase leading to the first floor. To their left where the soldiers were already gathering was the grand open doors leading to the street while all around them was more shining examples of ornate stone masonry. The circular lobby had curved walls that partitioned off the library and lounge areas to the left and right of the doorway, with a pair of life-sized golden dragon statues on each side. The four who lived looked behind them as they saw Mason finally emerging from the hidden passage between the two statues, the hidden door rising from the floor and sliding back into place as if nothing had happened. Spyro and Cynder, Flame and Ember, walked closer until they were right in the middle of the lobby, Spyro turning his gaze straight up to the ceiling.

The building was several stories high with Spyro looking up past the balconies of the numerous floors as they spiraled upwards towards the top. At the very top was a magnificent stained-glass ceiling depicting a map of the dragon realms and hanging down from it was a beautiful blue glass chandelier in a shape similar to an upside-down arrowhead. It shuddered as the explosions throughout the city rocked the building making it sway worryingly from side to side. Spyro was not immediately concerned, instead looking towards the glass ceiling and wondering with only one thought in mind.

'I wonder if I can get out that way…'

"Alright, you four," Mason announced as he strolled up behind them, "Let's see about getting to that tunnel…"

Mason was cut off as explosions raged outside the building, the gathered mole at arms hastily retreating inside as more explosive barrels were dropped by Dreadwings into the streets. Spyro and the others struggled to keep their footing as the whole building was shaken as the chandelier swayed violently. A heart stopping creak drew all eyes towards it as the chains holding it in place began to screech and crack.

"It's coming down!" Cynder cried as her eyes shrank, "Everyone run! Run!"

There was no order or flow to what happened after that, the moles scattered in every direction as the first chain snapped like a twig, sending broken links in every direction, some striking and cracking the glass ceiling above.

"Get clear!" Spyro yelled as he dashed to the right, aiming for the opening to the lounge area around the wall, the other young dragons following him. He looked up as he ran and regretted it, for at that moment the other chains broke loose and sent more shattered links through the air, the glass ceiling breaking apart as the chandelier dropped like a stone towards them.

"Hurry!" Flame screamed as he bounded like a raging bull for safety. Finding themselves running four abreast as if by intent, the four who lived dived from the lobby into the lounge area as the hailstorm of glass crashed down onto the floor. They scurried like cats for cover behind the wall as their claws dug into the carpet, the chandelier slamming into the marble like a great piece of an iceberg. The sound of the floor cracking from the impact added to the tingling chime as glass was scattered across the lobby like autumn leaves on the forest floor. Spyro and Cynder, Flame and Ember were all stacked up behind one and other behind the wall and breathing heavily as they listened to the sound of the broken glass settling across the floor. Spyro edged closer to peek around the wall as the others followed cautiously behind. He scanned across the scene of destruction as he saw the faces of various moles peeking around the other wall as the other young dragons walked around to see for themselves.

The beautifully made floor was cracked like a spider's web as the mountain of glass and steel had come bearing down like a giant fist. Fortunately, nobody had been caught in its path when it came down. The glass shimmering all across the floor was strangely appealing to the eye in an odd sort of way, but it was immediately obvious there was no reason for anyone to try and traverse the new hazard. As Spyro breathed a sigh of relief, Ember reached up and clutched her necklace anxiously, as though fearful it too could suffer a similar fate.

"Such a shame. It was so pretty too," she remarked lowly.

"That would've torn us to shreds!" Flame said frightfully.

"Never mind that now," Cynder proclaimed urgently, "We've got to get moving."

Spyro stood silently looking over mess before eventually turning his eyes back up to the ceiling. Where the stained-glass window had been was now a gaping hole with only a small ring of the original glass remaining. Through the hole he saw that it did not immediately lead to the open sky, instead to seeing the underside of a stone dome that was typical of most towers of Warfang, but nonetheless it allowed much more direct exit than finding the staircase.

"Spyro! Cynder! Ember! Flame!" shouted Mason as he came running through the lounge with several soldiers in tow, skidding to a halt as he saw them together, "Are you alright?"

"We're okay," Cynder replied swiftly.

"Yeah, that was a close one!" Flame said tensely, "Seems like everything's trying to kill us today!"

"The let's get out of here before anything else falls on us!" Ember remarked hastily, moving quickly towards the Professor and the mole at arms.

"Good idea, Miss Ember," Mason nodded gravely, "Come on you lot, we've no time to waste!"

"Come on, Spyro," Cynder told him with a quick glance over her shoulder before she galloped off, expecting that he would follow. For a moment, the purple dragon remained still as he watched their backs turn, contemplating what he was to do next. He knew what he believed he had to do, but also knew what to expect if he tried to explain it to them. But if he didn't try to, then they would surely just follow him of he tried to leave now. He owed them an explanation, even if they wouldn't like it. As Ember, Flame and Cynder moved briskly after the moles, he finally turned as if to to follow, even though he knew he wasn't going with them.

He opened his mouth to call them, but hesitated. His stomach was tying itself in knots as his chest burned with the guilt overflowing from his heart. The group made their way around towards the grand entrance to leave the building, but as they all headed for the doors, Spyro came to a halt just on the edge of the now broken star on the lobby floor.

"Just wait a minute…" he said only just loud enough for them to hear. The first to turn their head back to him was Cynder, just as he expected as the second pair of the four who lived and the moles all stopped in their tracks and looked at him. Spyro turned himself to the right as he closed his eyes guiltily and avoided their gaze. Cynder's brow darkened as she eyed him suspiciously.

"What's wrong?" she asked as she slowly walked back towards him, Flame and Ember beside her. Spyro opened his eyes slowly as he sighed and shook his head shamefully.

"I'm not coming with you," he said bluntly. Cynder looked aghast as his words while Flame and Ember questioned him.

"Not coming? Why?" the pink dragoness asked forlornly as her expression sunk.

"We can't go without you!" Flame protested heartily, "We need you!"

"You don't need me, Flame," Spyro replied with a slow shake of his head, "What you need is to get as far away from me as possible. All of you."

Cynder scowled and strode up to him moodily, "What are you talking about? What are you doing?"

Mason walked through the ranks of moles and waddled over next to the young dragons, "What's the row?" he asked curiously.

Spyro sighed reluctantly, "It's safer for you guys to go on without me. If I stick with you, it will only draw more danger. You stick with the moles and head for that tunnel," he said as he turned his back, looking up at the broken ceiling.

"No, Spyro!" Cynder cried angrily, running up and standing in front of him, fanning her wings out aggressively, "Whatever you're thinking, stop it! You're not going to go out there all alone!"

"It's what I have to do," he said apologetically.

"No, it's not!" she yelled, leaving the others to question if the sudden rumble in the ground was from another explosion or from her voice, "We've come this far together and we are going to see it through, all of us!"

"Cynder is right," Ember concurred as she moved up to Spyro's right, "We need to stick together."

"It's what Ignitus wanted," Flame added as he appeared on his left. The purple dragon shut his eyes as he shook his head again, opening them again slowly as his pupils began to moisten.

"The apes are tearing this city apart and they'll kill anyone who gets in their way to get to me. Me being around you only makes it harder for you guys. I'll find my own way out of here," Spyro declared solemnly.

"Master Spyro, with all due respect…" began Mason as he approached from behind.

"No, Professor," he cut in sternly but not harshly, looking over his shoulder, "This is what I have to do."

"You keep saying that!" Cynder growled coldly, drawing his attention back to her, "Don't you remember what happened last time you tried being the hero all alone? You nearly got yourself killed, Spyro, and this time the Guardians might not be there to save you."

"I know that!" he snapped tensely, "You think I'm enjoying this? You think I like having the weight of the whole world on my shoulders?"

"You don't need to shoulder it all alone, buddy," Flame said reassuringly, "We want to help you all that we can."

"You can help me by letting me do this," Spyro replied cynically, "You guys can slip out of this city without drawing much attention, but if they saw me with you, they'd send the whole army after us straight back to the temple. I won't risk that."

"And what is your plan for getting there yourself, Spyro?" demanded Ember, more sad than angry. "If I can draw enough attention, maybe I can relieve some of the pressure on the city and give us a chance to fight back. Maybe I can lose them in the forest…"

"And how long ago did you decide on this insane idea?" Cynder cried ruefully. A frayed nerve was struck as he eyed her with a deathly cold stare.

"Right after I saw all the bodies down there," he answered in a shaky voice, silencing the gathering. Cynder gulped as she felt the hurt in his voice like it was her own, Flame and Ember eyeing each other morbidly. The black dragoness cleared her throat with a short breath as she said to him in a soft tone,

"Spyro, on the ship you asked us if we were a family and we all said yes. Then as a family, it's important we stick together."

No word could have induced such a feeling of weight in Spyro than 'family' at that moment. He had asked the question rather impulsively, clarifying something when he already knew what answer they would give him. He regretted ever asking it now, for how much worse it made him feel for what he had decided to do.

"Families sometimes have to go through hard times," he said in a heavy voice, "This is one of them. I'm sorry guys, but I can't come with you and you can't come with me. Once you're clear of the city, head for the temple and I'll meet you guys there, okay? Please… please just do this for me," Spyro pleaded with an agonized expression. Cynder, Flame and Ember looked between themselves grimly as another explosion outside made the building quiver.

"I hate to interrupt you in this emotional time," Mason interrupted anxiously, "But whatever you're going to do, please do it quickly!" he said as he and the mole at arms watched their surroundings warily.

Spyro panned his head slowly between the faces of his three companions as he awaited their response, seeing through their eyes the blend of sadness and anger that brimmed inside them. His own heart felt gripped in an icy hand as it squeezed it for all the pain it could muster. He had indeed heard Mason's warning and considered simply leaving at that moment, the purple dragon having said all he wanted to justify his choice.

"Well, I'd just slow you down anyway," Flame shrugged with a coy smile as he sidestepped to his right, "You know what's best, Spyro."

"Of course, I know you'll be fine," Ember said with an effort to remain composed, "I just don't want you showing us up too much," she explained as she stepped to her left. Cynder remained standing in front of Spyro as she dipped her head and shook it with vain infuriation. When she lifted her head again, her eyes rolled and looked up at the wall past him to his right, muttering, "This is the craziest, stupidest, bravest thing you've ever done!"

She then marched up until she was near nose to nose with him, her emerald eyes as sharp as daggers as Spyro quietly held his breath. "If you survive to get back to the temple, I am so going to kill you for all this," she threatened crossly.

Spyro smiled grimly, "Then let's hope nobody beats you to it."

The black dragoness smiled with dark gallows humor, though her smile quickly dissipated with the seriousness of the whole matter. The purple dragon gave a short nod of assurance to her as she stepped backwards and moved herself parallel to his left shoulder before coming to a halt as he slowly passed her by. He took a sharp breath as he moved to the edge of the collapsed chandelier and the ocean of glass across the floor. His claws brushed away a few specks of the shattered glasswork as he looked up at the place where it had once been, open like a wound inflicted on the great city. One of many that day.

A few more loose specks of glass cracked and fell downwards like tears as Spyro covered his face with his wing as a precaution. He quickly quashed any thought of possibly shedding any tears of his own, at least while the others were still here. As the falling glass clinked onto the floor, he turned around slightly and gazed back at the entourage all gathered like an audience waiting to see him perform some dazzling trick. Cynder, Flame and Ember all stood together as Mason stepped up carefully behind them, the assembled mole at arms all stood to attention as they prepared to see the purple dragon off.

"I hope you know what you are doing, Master Spyro," Mason said worriedly. From behind him the two figures of Louie and Anton shuffled through the other mole at arms until they were standing shoulder to shoulder with the Professor. Louie tapped a clenched fist against his chest plate as he nodded to the purple dragon while Anton more reservedly gave a shy wave.

"The boys and I are grateful for your assistance, Master Spyro," Louie said gratefully, "May good fortune follow you."

"Yes, err, thank you," Anthon stuttered with a nervous grin. Spyro smiled to them and nodded thankfully, his voice seeming to evaporate as he looked across their faces and those of his companions. Cynder, Flame and Ember all wore looks that said the same thing, the three of them trying their best to keep their emotions contained. Spyro was faring little better, but he was able to muster a cocky smile as a last assurance to them, even if it felt like a lie.

"I'll see you guys later. Goodluck!" he wished them before he swiftly turned his head forward and leapt into the air, carried by his wings. He heard Cynder half say his name as he soared upwards towards the hole in the ceiling, but he acted though he hadn't heard her, not wanting to risk going back on his decision. He quickly passed by the several floors until he reached where the glass map had been, flying through the hole and quickly entering a hover as the full weight of his decision now fell on top of him.

'Am I really sure about this?' he thought anxiously. Taking a look at his new surroundings, he saw that he was inside the enclosed stone brick dome of the tower with a low stone balcony and walkway surrounding the shattered glass ceiling, allowing guests to admire the glass map up close. Draped over the sloping ceiling were the red, blue, green and yellow flags of the main elements and several now extinguished torches. A quick thrust of his wings bought him over the floor as he set his feet down quickly. Straight ahead of him was the doorless opening to the roof, but he turned himself around to the left as he looked back towards the hole. His eyes passed over the staircase heading back down as he trotted back to the edge, standing on his two feet and peering over the ledge.

Spyro's heart ached as he saw his three friends below, standing around the edge of the wrecked chandelier, paying no heed to the risk posed by the carpet of broken glass that glistened like stars across the floor. He waited for a moment, expecting to see them take flight and zoom up to him in well intentioned defiance of his wishes, in which case there would simply be no time to argue with them and they would run the gauntlet together. Some part of him actually hoped they would. But he saw no movement on their part to show that they would, instead seeing Mason waddle up behind them and say something, probably that it was time for them to go. They all looked at the mole Professor before looking back towards him for the last time.

Spyro's heart grew into his mouth as he leaned over and shouted, "It'll be fine! I'll see you guys at the temple!"

"Goodluck, Spyro!" Cynder shouted back, her voice echoing through the tower as she, along with Flame and Ember, finally turned around walked out of view. Spyro felt three large parts of him being torn from the inside as they did. Once they were gone, Spyro hopped down and turned his back, not uttering another word or giving another glance as he faced the doorway, wondering for not the first time if this was the worse decision he had made in his short life. Spyro looked to his left and right just to be sure that he was indeed now all alone. His expression nearly crumpled as fear and regret assaulted him, but he stiffened his pose as he fixed his eyes on the war raging outside.

"Nothing worthwhile is easy," is told himself, thinking it was something Ignitus might have said if he was here. At that moment he would have given anything just to know if the Fire Guardian was still alive, but such thoughts were useless now. Spyro knew it was time for him to act. He had to trust that Mason would get the others to the tunnels and out of the city. They had to trust he would survive to reunite with them.

Spyro swallowed his fear and began walking out through the doorway to the roof. Beyond the stone balcony was more of the city scape with numerous streaks of black smoke rising into the air. As he finally stepped out into the open, he saw countless dragons and Dreadwngs chasing each other through the sky all around him. He calmly walked out until he was standing on his hind feet and dreadfully soaking in the bleak picture. He at least gained some bearing on where he was after the journey underground. They had crossed the city in a more or less horizontal path with the hotel tower they had emerged inside in the southwest district of the city. Spyro looked up to his right and saw that the tower was almost parallel to Castle Hill, its great stony ridges blocking off view of a great many of the city's buildings.

Looking along the viaduct he could see battles raging on it from the western gate to as far as he could see towards the plateau, the apes presumably having opened the gate to allow their troops to march straight into Warfang. It was from the castle balcony that the green blast had come and still he saw no sign of the Guardians. The sound of battle cries and clashing swords rose from the street below as did the screams of the dying and the innocent trying to escape the carnage. Looking around there was no respite from the cataclysm as countless fire burned out of control. A barrage of cannon fire drew his attention upwards. Looking up in the sky, Spyro saw the mighty Doxantha blazing her guns away at the half a dozen Dreadwings swooping and strafing her, the sight of the airship instilled some hope that not all might be lost.

Looking ahead, he gazed out towards the western wall behind the numerous towers and buildings in front of him and the fields and forests beyond it. He knew it would normally only take a few minutes to reach the wall by air, but that didn't take into account the siege currently raging around him. Getting their alive, much less losing the legions of foes that would surely pursue him in the trees was a longshot. But he had to let that happen if he was going to try and relieve some of the pressure on the city's defenders. If it was going to help save lives.

Spyro let out a frustrated sigh as he shook his head at his own hesitation, "You know what you've got to do. Now do it!" he told himself harshly, hoping it would spring him into action. But still he remained where he was, feeling alone and powerless without the company of his friends and the Guardians to motivate him.

"Come on!" he growled, forcing himself to climb up onto the ledge, his front and back paws clenching down hard as he held his balance, his eyes unavoidably staring down at the huge drop below. It was much the same as before, loose debris, abandoned stalls and carts littered the streets among the clusters of apes battling against dragons and moles, sometimes back-to-back. He saw them fighting and knew every second he wasted, more of them would die.

"I've got to remember my training," Spyro told himself as he spread his wings out, wiggling his tail in preparation to take off, for real this time.

"Alright, let's do it!" he cried and with one impulsive leap, Spyro jumped and then plunged straight down, angling his wings behind him as he streamlined himself by tucking his legs close to his body. With the air rushing past, he aimed straight down as he saw a large group of allies filling the full breadth of the street as they clashed with a swarm of apes. He picked his moment with precise timing, spreading out his wings as he pulled up sharply, swooping over the heads of the moles and dragons as the first of them looked up and saw him.

"Heads up!" Spyro warned as he soared over the startled ranks, the apes calling out in alarm at his appearance. Before they could act, the purple dragon unleashed a wide blanket of fire upon them, only just missing the front ranks of his allies as he shot overtop like a flaming comet. It only lasted a few seconds as he was keen to preserve his energy, but the fire spread quickly as the remaining apes panicked and fell into disarray, the moles and dragons cheering as they pressed the attack. Spyro didn't let himself look back and see their faces, knowing he had only won this single battle for them when there were hundreds more going on throughout Warfang. Being able to use his powers again boosted his confidence, but he knew he was unlikely to replenish them again until he was out of the city where hopefully the wild Spirit Gems were untouched by the destructive energy cloud. The purple dragon soared on, staying only a few feet above the heads of those battling as his eyes frantically searched where to go next.

As he reached the end of the street, Spyro flew into a wide-open square, most of which was taken up by a great public park surrounded by a low wall of rocks and mortar. The square was nearly a mile side in each direction, the park standing out like a little green island amongst all the stonework. Filled with green grass, lush trees and a massive water fountain in its center, the park was one of many scattered throughout the city for the pleasure of the citizens, but the beauty of the scenery was tarnished by the sight of warfare as more clashes took place all around it. Spyro set his sights on the park, zigzagging erratically as he tried to intervene as much as he could in the battles below. He dived down on a group of surrounded moles as they fought back-to-back against a circle of apes entrapping them. Spyro opened his mouth and a shot a sizzling orb of yellow lightning straight into an ape's back, the lighting chaining through him and his comrades as a ring of lightning shook them violently as the moles froze in mid fight. Spyro swept over top as the lightning flashed and the apes all fell limb, the moles cheering as he soared on.

This act soon drew attention as every ape soldier not engaged in battle ran towards him. Spyro scowled as a hulking ape Commander ran at him with his hammer, a quick blast of frozen breath turned the hammer into an ice boulder as the Commander fell over, carried down by the weight of his frozen arm. Spyro swopped low and made a running landing, lowering his horns and charging across the cobblestones as several ape soldiers with a Lieutenant at their head rushed at him. As they raised their swords and clubs, the purple dragon made a running jump, stretching his forelegs out as he sailed through the air at them. As his front feet touched down first, the ground shook with the force of an avalanche, followed by another as all four feet hit the ground, the cobblestone bricks beneath the apes exploding from the ground and sending them all flying through the air as Spyro took flight again and shot through the shower of debris.

He heard more cheers from the moles and dragons in the square, but Spyro didn't let it distract him and hoped it would not distract them from the battles they were fighting as he flew on towards the park. Ahead of him, a dragon warrior was overpowered by a swarm of apes, pilling on top of him and pulling him to the ground as a Lieutenant raised an axe to deliver the decapitating blow. Spyro gasped as he bared his teeth and shot towards them fiercely. "Hey!" he shouted, the Lieutenant turning his head towards him as a burst of fire engulfed him. Spyro swept around tightly and used the power of Electricity to make a lightning quick dash, crashing through the apes on top of the dragon warrior in the blink of an eye as though he had stopped time. Sparkling like lightning, the sizzling apes were sent hurtling across the square as Spyro soared upwards and paused midair to regain his bearings. He looked behind to see the dragon warrior pulling himself to his feet hurriedly, eyes bright with gratitude just before Spyro dived down to the left and swooped into the park. The grass passed by in a blur as he zipped around and over the trees, casting bursts of Fire, Ice and Lighting on any foe in his path. The apes had evidently not expected to encounter any elemental attacks, thinking that Gaul's energy surge would eradicate such a threat. Spyro found that arrogance darkly humorous as they found themselves being singed, frozen or electrocuted.

Throughout the park there were numerous skirmishes going on, dragons slashing, biting and clawing as moles parried and fought with swords and spears. Spyro flew past them, helping as he could, even if it was just knocking an enemy off his feet as he charged an ally. Through the tress he saw the great fountain ahead, comprised of a white stone statue of two dragons wearing full robes adorned in the insignia of Ice and Fire. Both had their heads raised up with water flowing from the mouth of the Ice dragon on the left. The second Fire dragon had red flames made from a cluster of red crystal protruding from its mouth into the gushing water, representing the flame being used to turn ice into water. Beneath them were the joyous figures of four moles holding up a great cauldron to fill, the water spilling out and filling the rest of the wide fountain bowl. Several Apes were clambering in and over it as they vandalized the monument even as fights took place around it, including one large Commander preparing to smash the fountain with his huge spiked mace.

Spyro set his eyes on him as he zipped towards him in a flurry of anger. One of the soldiers hooted as he saw him coming, but Spyro responded by knocking him down with a whip of his tail as he soared over him. The Commander roared as he held his mace up to strike, but the young dragon answered by spitting a crackling orb of lightning at him, the ball of electricity instantly surged through the water and annihilated the apes standing within it, streaks of yellow lightning buzzing around the statue like a coil. The Commander's jittering body collapsed in a ridged pose beside the statue as Spyro circled around the fountain, swooping down repeatedly at every ape in sight as the moles and dragons fought with renewed vigor at the sight of the purple dragon.

"Give 'em what for, lads!" Spyro heard a mole shout somewhere nearby as he swooped down and charged into an ape Lieutenant, stunning him with a quick barrage of swipes of his paws and whacks of his tail, finally throwing him into the air with his horns before leaping up and kicking him hard back against a tree. Another that swiped with an axe was frozen on the spot and a third was set alight with a burst of flame, the screaming ape diving for the now static waters of the fountain for relief. As he heatedly searched for more foes, he saw the remaining apes either fleeing or being dealt with by the other allies. With only a brief pause to catch his breath, Spyro leapt into the air again, hovering in place as he decided on his next course of action. The mole at arms and dragon warriors all gathered beneath and cheered his name, bringing him attention down to them.

"The Ancestors smile upon on!" said a dragoness warrior.

"Smited them back to Malefore Mountain!" laughed a mole.

"Cheers for Spyro! Cheers for the purple dragon!" said a number of them together. Their praise was a temporary warm glow in his heart, but Spyro was frantically searching the sky for any sign that his appearance was raising alarms. He wondered how long it would be before the apes began sending forces to hunt him down.

"I can't stay, got places to be! Let's keep fighting until they learn this city doesn't bow to invaders!" he cried, hoping his words would sooth any unease at the fact he was not going to stay with them. The mole at arms and dragons all cheered for his sentiments, probably assuming that he was about to go save the day for some other beleaguered allies. But Spyro was torn between running for the forest now or trying to do more to help the battle in the city.

Turning his eyes upward, Spyro propelled himself up, flying vertically towards the clouds as the soldiers below continued to cheer him on. As before, he didn't give them another glance, fearful that he may have only temporarily saved their lives. His breathing intensified as he climbed higher, various Dreadwings and dragons passing over his eyes as they battled each other and the smoke of numerous fires rose in his peripheral vision. He finally turned his head around as he continued to gain altitude, the air filled with the smell of smoke and burning embers. When he finally stopped in a hover, Spyro was close to a thousand feet above the city, likely going unnoticed by friend or foe due to his small size as the air was thick with aerial battles. He gazed about in a wary excitement as he saw the occasional flashes of Fire, Ice or Lighting from the few dragons that had managed to regain their powers. All of Warfang was sprawled out beneath him, with many buildings destroyed by the huge explosive crates carried by the Dreadwings.

From high up it seemed that every street, rooftop, causeway and alley was the sight of a battle, with victories and losses on both sides. Looking out towards the west, Spyro could see a huge column of apes pouring out from another mined opening in the ground, marching across the viaduct headed right into Warfang like a giant snake slithering into a hen house. He was aghast, horrified. Even if he expended all his energy to destroy the column, it wouldn't stop the countless more apes that would follow. It seemed to him nobody could stop Warfang from falling.

A thunderous, repeated roar down below to his left caught his attention. Spyro looked down and saw the great masts of the Doxantha as she fired her cannons at the swarm of Dreadwings that harried her. Among the swarm he saw three dragon warriors that had flown to the ship's aid, but they were starting to falter in the face of overwhelming odds. The airship pulled hard to starboard as he saw the crew fighting back with everything from crossbows to pikes to keep the marauders at bay. The sight of her guns gave him an idea, something that could stop the column or any other apes from marching right into the heart of Dragon City; destroying the viaduct. The Doxantha's cannons would easily achieve that.

'Take that out, they'll be trapped outside and easy pickings,' Spyro thought with an excited gasp, realizing what an effect that could have. He recalled something Terrador had told them in a lesson about the importance of aerial superiority in a battle, "Controlling the air, gives you control of the land and sea!" With the Doxantha still in the fight, that chance still remained. But another voice suddenly entered his mind that gave him pause for thought,

"You must take the others and get away. If you cannot make it to Freezer, you must find somewhere to go. If Warfang is not safe, try and make it back to the temple with all due haste. Don't stop or wait for anyone, not even me. Go there and wait until help arrives. Am I clear, young dragon?"

Spyro grimaced as the voice of Ignitus replayed in his mind. He could see the ocean down to his left and the beach where his friends would be headed. He could just go now and forget his long shot plan to escape to the forest. He could do as he was told and go straight to the temple and leave the battle for Warfang behind. Discretion, as he had heard, was the better part of valor. But Spyro had never been a dragon of discretion.

"Do this, and then go!" he told himself vehemently. Shaking his head at his own disobedience, the purple dragon breathed deep as he dived down towards the airship.

He watched in horror as the last of the three dragon warriors was savagely mauled by a Dreadwing, falling from the sky with a trio of the bat monsters chasing him down. Spyro scowled vengefully but did not pursue them, knowing it was too late to make a difference. One of the creatures making a loop to attack the airship again spotted him and let out a howl as its rider steered towards him. Spyro, brimming with anger, launched a spinning fireball from his maw which struck the flying beast, erupting in a flower like pattern of scorching flames as the Dreadwing howled and plunged towards the ground. The explosion caught the attention of the others as they swung around and set off in pursuit of him. Spyro spat another fireball at them, not waiting to see if it hit as he banked hard left, swooping around above the stern of the Doxantha before pulling sharply to the right with the Dreadwings on his tail. He heard the crew shouting as they saw him, a barrage of arrows and ballista's following after him as they aimed at the Dreadwings that were chasing him.

Spyro quickly looked behind as he saw three of the monsters being shot down, zooming alongside the portside of the ship as he saw another formation of a dozen or more Dreadwings approaching them head on. In their claws he saw they held more of the great explosive barrels, intent on using them to destroy the Doxantha. He gasped as he saw the formation split into two large groups, opting to attack the airship from different sides. Spyro knew he couldn't hope to stop both groups before they set upon the airship, especially not with the several monsters still snapping at his tail. He looked around, hoping to see any allies who might be able to help, but the only dragons he saw were too preoccupied fighting or were too far way to be of any help. Still, he flew on towards the approaching Dreadwing bombers, not knowing what he could do to save the ship.

There was one thing he could try; something he had never attempted outside the training dojo; summon all his energy reserves into a concentrated Elemental Fury Attack. But he wondered if he had the strength to pull it off, and even if he did, what state would he be left in? Would he even he able to fight on? Would he simply collapse from exhaustion and fall from the sky? He might, but if he did not try then the Doxantha would be doomed for certain. Spyro looked behind again to see the swarm of hostiles howling and snapping at him as they left the airship behind. He looked ahead and saw the incoming bombers, now wide of each other in their separate groups, closing fast. Once again, there was only time to act, so act he did. Spyro exposed his fangs as he flapped his wings harder, aiming to soar right in between the two groups, the pursuing Dreadwings struggling to catch up to him as the two other groups stayed on their course, their heavy payloads not allowing for quick maneuvers.

The young dragon was sailing at breakneck speed across the sky, the howling of his foes and the heavy beats of their wings drowned out as he focused inward. His body flew on as if possessed as his mind narrowed to single, all-encompassing thought of one thing; fire. He closed his eyes as his breath suddenly became hot and steamy, his nostrils letting out puffs of grey smoke as his lungs worked tirelessly to keep his straining body going. Spyro felt a wave of heat sweep over him inside and out as he recalled more of Ignitus's words from years earlier;

'It is clear you share a strong kinship with the flame. But now it is time you learned to unleash its fury. Feel the fire consume and flow through you. And when the time is right; release it!'

As these words ran through his mind, Spyro's body began to change as his eyes remained closed and he continued to fly straight. Orange sparks exhaled from his mouth, flowing over and clinging to his body like a garment of embers, covering his purple scales in a sheet of glowing orange specks. The thin, cold air began to heat up as more glowing sparks trailed behind him in a glistening wake. Suddenly he unconsciously stopped in mid-air, stretching his limbs out as far as he could as the coattail of sparks gained a mind of their own; swirling together and forming something like a fiery bandanna that shot forward and twirled in a corkscrew around the purple dragon in the blink of an eye, his body suddenly becoming bathed in an aura of magical flame. The Dreadwings fearfully veered away as they saw what was coming, the bomb laden monsters beginning to pull away further. Too late.

There was flash as the fiery aura around Spyro shot into the sky, the purple dragon surrounded by a ball of deep blue flame that left him unharmed as he floated inside its sphere, geysers of orange fire a hundred feet long shooting out above and below him. The sphere of blue flame spun rapidly, becoming a blur with the purple dragon in its centre as the flames shrank to match his bodies width, a moment later exploding outward in a blast that outshone the sun. To those who witnessed it, it was like a falling star had exploded above Warfang, a thunderous shockwave ripped across the sky in an expanding band of flame that reached for several hundred feet from its center.

The blast exploded the barrels, incinerating the Dreadwings all around and catching Spyro in the deafening barrage as he was violently blown away by the resulting shockwaves. The shock alone nearly killed him as he was thrown about the sky like a ragdoll, spinning wildly as he began plummeting from the sky. He screamed in fear as his vision jumbled into a haze as tried to control himself to regain flight, but to no avail. His veins were sizzling and his throat was burning from the Fury attack, but they were far from his mind as he continued to spin and fall uncontrollably. His screams went on he saw the city below getting closer, not able to see if the Doxantha had avoided the blast, fearing that his last act may have harmed his own side. Spyro squirmed desperately to try and slow his spin, but his momentum was too great for his wings to have any effect. He hoped for a miracle, but braced for the crash as he passed by the dome of one of the taller towers of Warfang. He was nearly killed by shock again as he was hit from the side by something massive that seemed to catch him as he fell. His head and eyes were still spinning when he finally realized, he wasn't falling anymore, but sailing across the rooftops of Warfang while clasped in the muscular forelegs of a large crimson dragon. He looked up past the massive chest to see the face of his savior.

"Ignitus!" he cried almost tearfully, Spyro's elation brighter than the fiery blast he had just unleased over the city.

"Hold on!" Ignitus told him fiercely as he clutched the purple dragon all the tighter, weaving tightly around a pair of towers that were engulfed in flames. Spyro's heart was racing and felt like it was bouncing around loose inside his body as the Fire Guardian swooped across the city, chaos reining everywhere they could see below. Spyro took the opportunity to catch as much breath as he could, the Fury attack leaving him feeling drained and fearing he had no mana left that he could call on, especially knowing the chances of replenishing it in the city were slim to none. He struggled to move his head without his horns potentially injuring Ignitus, straining to try and catch a glimpse of the Doxantha to see if she was still in the fight.

"Where are the other Guardians?" Spyro called loudly as the Fire Guardian pulled up sharply to clear a three-story building, his back feet kicking out as he did and knocking a pair of unsuspecting apes off the roof to their demise on the ground.

"Not now!" Ignitus replied hastily, banking to the left and sweeping over another series of rooftops as he let loose a quick burst of flame that drenched a group of apes atop one of the buildings they swept over, Spyro averting his gaze from the scorching plume of fire. When they were clear, he noted that the Fire Guardian was heading towards the city ramparts, right in the southwest corner of Warfang. Spyro twisted his head to the right as far as he could, seeing the distant viaduct which he had hoped to draw the Doxantha to. He squeezed his right foreleg out of Ignitus's grasp and tried slamming his fist against his massive paw to try and gain his attention.

"Ignitus! We've got to take out the viaduct! Where's the Doxantha?!"

"What?" Ignitus shouted as they finally reached the wall, flying only a few feet above it as he followed its path over the skirmishes taking place along the ramparts. The cannons were useless unless firing at targets outside the city walls, which fortunately meant that were less useful for the apes should they fall into their hands. Ahead of them, Spyro could see only moles and dragons as they flew above them, indicating that this section of the wall at least was still firmly in allied hands. One of the large turrets with its ornate dragon cannon lay just ahead, Ignitus reeling back and making to land on it, mole at arms and dragon warriors running to and fro as they rushed to reinforce the sections of the wall that were under siege.

"Let me down! Let me down!" Spyro begged desperately as he tried to squirm free of Ignitus's grasp. Looking up he breathed a sigh of relief as he saw the Doxantha was still in the air, sweeping alongside a building and firing her starboard cannons into the top of a building that was overrun by apes. As he squirmed and wriggled more fiercely, the Fire Guardian ended up obliging him as he released his grip and allowed him to drop the last foot or so himself. As soon as he hit the ground, Spyro hurriedly turned around as Ignitus made a heavy drop down to his feet, both of them behind the loading lever behind the cannon.

"Ignitus!" he panted near deliriously, "The viaduct…apes…marching through… we gotta blow it!"

"Calm yourself, young dragon," Ignitus said patiently but sternly, "What you just did has left you drained. You need a moment to recover, but first tell me where the others are." Spyro nodded as he struggled with his labored breath, letting himself sit down as Ignitus carefully looked at the sky for any imminent dangers.

"Cynder, Ember and Flame are with the Professor, er, that is, with Mason," he explained as he tried to catch his breath, his body still shaking from the energy it had just unleashed, "He's taking them through the tunnels out of the city, he said to near the beach. Maybe they've already made it out…"

"Why aren't you with them? I told the four of you to stay together!" Ignitus rasped icily, his brow darkening. Spyro gulped at his response, even if it was more or less what he expected.

"I'm sorry, Ignitus. But I thought they'd have a better chance that way, give them a shot at getting to the temple while I headed for the forest, trying to draw as many of them away as I could…"

Ignitus sighed as he shook his head sadly, "I can't say I'm surprised. I just hoped that I'd be wrong and you would do exactly as I said…"

"What happened to you?" Spyro interrupted quickly, "Where are Volteer, Cyril and Terrador?"

"I don't know," Ignitus replied, his voice laden with regret, "When that blast swept over the city, I was with them and we were all knocked down. I thought our time had come, but I was nearest to the doors to the castle and some of the guards were able to drag me inside just before the apes attacked en masse. When I regained my senses, I went looking for them but found no trace. They may have been captured or…"

"We'll find them, whatever happened to them," Spyro said assertively, standing back on four feet.

"Perhaps, but right now we must meet the others at the temple. Come," he ordered swiftly, turning his body to face the sea and spreading his wings.

"Wait, we can't leave yet!" Spyro protested desperately as he rushed in front of him, taking the Fire Guardian by surprise, "We've got to get to the Doxantha!"

"What do you mean?" Ignitus asked strangely.

"That's what I was trying to do," the young dragon explained hastily, "The apes are streaming right into Warfang across the viaduct! I thought if I could draw the Doxantha there, they could use their cannons to destroy it! It would do so much to help us defend the city!"

"And cut off our main thoroughfare," Ignitus said as he shook his head dismissively, "Such an act could only be made by direct order by the Council or a General. You are neither, Spyro, and I am no longer General of the Inferno Battalion…"

"Ignitus!" Spyro snapped tensely, the Fire Guardian's eyes almost popping out at the purple dragon's aggressive tone, "People are dying every second we waste! We can cut off their flow of troops and make it easier to deal with those in the city coming from underground!" The intensity of his protest was startling to the mole soldiers and dragon warriors nearby, but none more than Ignitus who had never encountered such a fearsome retort from his arguably most faithful pupil. It was borderline insolent, but he tried to not let it rile his emotions under the circumstances.

"Spyro, this crisis is far worse than I ever dared imagine," he said calmly but firmly, "I fear that such an act would be too late even if it was done under orders."

"Then they can put me in jail when it's all over," Spyro retorted, "I can't just let all this happen and do nothing to stop it! I'm going!" he declared, making a jump to fly into the air, but was met with a bellowing "No!" from the Fire Guardian as he slapped his great paws together and grab Spyro's tail, yanking him back down onto the wall. Spyro's eyes were a mix of anger and dismay as his mentor took an imposing stance above him.

"Since this attack started, I had feared the worst had become of you and the others," Ignitus growled, his control over his emotions fully surrendered, "Now that I have you here, I cannot risk losing you for foolhardy heroics!"

"Foolhardy?!" Spyro sneered coldly, "What about doing what's right? You told me that we each have to make the right choice, that night at the temple…"

"We don't have time for grandstanding!" Ignitus said with an anger the young dragon had never seen him use before, "I cannot let you endanger yourself when there is so much at stake!"

"And I can't let anyone else die because of who I am!" Spyro replied in a high voice, shaking like a leaf on a tree in a gale, "I've got to try. I'm doing this whether you like it or not."

"For heaven's sake, just do what I tell you for once and save yourself, Pyra!" Ignitus almost screamed, the sounds of battle seeming to go quiet for just a moment as the realization of whose name he had uttered hit him like an arrow to the heart. The Fire Guardian released his grip on the purple dragon and staggered back to the edge of the turret, his eyes and face white as though he had just seen a ghost. Spyro was completely taken aback by what he had heard, watching in shock as his mentor withdrew into an almost pitiful state, pulling his legs together and wrapping his tail around himself. He sat back on his haunches and clutched his elbows as he avoided his pupil's gaze with an almost deathly urgency. Spyro was suddenly overcome by an overbearing sense of guilt, knowing his defiance had triggered this momentary mind lapse that had led to the utterance of the name forever burned into the Fire Guardian's conscience.

Tepidly, Spyro walked closer to Ignitus as he stared about across the city that was in peril, the huge monolith that was Castle Hill staring back at them as smoke began to drift out of the tunnels that ran beneath it. With a nervous gulp, Spyro said delicately, "I know you see a lot of him in me Ignitus, but what good will his sacrifice have been if I run away from danger? If I don't try and use my powers to help? I think if Pyra were here, he would have come up with the same idea, don't you think?"

The Fire Guardian's head swung back to him in a flash, his eyes tense like they had been subjected to clouds of burning smoke. He looked upon the purple dragon scrupulously, who mustered as steadfast a look as possible to show his commitment to his belief. The sore, crimson eyes looked up at the Doxantha as she drifted away from the building she had been firing at and began to turn to starboard, preparing to head off further into the city. Spyro looked up at the airship just as a pair of Dreadwings dived from the clouds above her, but the beasts were swiftly cut down by well-aimed ballista fire. Perhaps it was this sight that led to what happened next as Spyro heard movement to his left that drew his eyes back Ignitus as he lifted himself up and stood resolutely. His expression hardened as he looked sternly down at the purple dragon who braved his stony look to say,

"Please, Ignitus. I promise I'll leave Warfang as soon as I do this."

"No, you will not, Spyro," Ignitus told him firmly, just before his expression softened by the smallest degree, "We'll do this together and then we'll meet the others at the temple."

Spyro's brow raised in surprise, as did the edges of his mouth as he smirked thankfully to the Fire Guardian, standing up on his hind legs and saying, "Yes, sir!"

Ignitus did not smile back, but just nodded obligingly as he sidestepped to keep his wings clear of the edges of the turret.

"But you will follow my every command and not leave my sight for an instant. And if I tell you to go; you go! No matter whether we accomplish our goal or not, you understand?"

The harshness of his tone sobered the young dragon and quashed the small lift to his spirits from Ignitus agreeing to his plan. Perhaps it was also because he only just began to consider how dangerous a plan it was, something he noticed was becoming a reoccurring habit ever since life had truly become dangerous for him in the last few days.

"Yes, sir," he nodded earnestly.

"Very well, then. Let's go!" Ignitus bellowed, his wings fanning out in a flash as he hunched down and made a powerful leap into the air, causing Spyro to duck as the large crimson dragon soared over him and shot up towards the Doxantha.

"Wait up!" he called out as he made his own leap and sprang into to the air, flapping his wings madly as he tried to catch up to the Fire Guardian who was it seemed almost trying to leave him behind. With a purposeful frown, Spyro closed the gap as he fought through the massive force of the Fire Guardians wings being pushed down on him. He saw his head arch down and look down at him as Spyro mustered all the speed he could to catch up to him. Suddenly he spotted a Dreadwing flying in from the right and screaming towards the Fire Guardian, but before he could even shout a warning, he watched as Ignitus with barely a flinch spat a cloud of fire towards it, the monster becoming instantly engulfed and spinning wildly past them both as it screamed in agony. Spyro watched it go down as they closed in on the Doxantha, the mighty airship up close was riddled with numerous scars, scratches and burn marks to her sides and masts, but still she and her crew fought on against the overwhelming forces of Gaul.

"Check your fire! Dragons coming in!" Spyro heard a voice shout from aboard as he and Ignitus swept up from under the airship's portside, coming in as a pair as the crew quickly made space for them as he and the Fire Guardian landed on the deck in front of the stairs to the quarter deck. The moles briefly paused to see the familiar but respected faces of the Purple dragon of Legend and the Master of Fire to the left of him aboard their ship once more.

"A welcome sight the two of you are, sir!" one of the moles said cheerfully before running off down the deck, followed by the others who scattered back to their posts. Ignitus briskly ran towards the stairs, making a great leap onto the quarter deck rather than take time to climb them. Spyro tried to mimic him but fell short, forcing him to run up the second half of the steps to join him as Ignitus rushed over to the Captain standing behind the wheel.

"Master Ignitus, Master Spyro…" he began but was swiftly cut off.

"No time for formalities," Ignitus said hurriedly, "We urgently need your ship to carry out an important task!"

"What task, sir?"

"Destroying the western viaduct! The apes are pouring across it!" Spyro blurted out, his eyes bulging intensely. The Captain's eyes nearly popped out from behind his spectacles as he rubbed his ears with one had to be sure he had heard right.

"Destroy it, sir?" he asked looking up at Ignitus, "But we are badly damaged and under crewed, sir! We had to evacuate our wounded onto an empty rooftop not long ago! We've had no orders for such a task…"

"I'm giving you the order myself of my own accord," the Fire Guardian replied grimly, "I'll take full responsibility, but right now you must turn your ship back towards the western approach. It is vital we cut off the flow of enemy troops. Spyro and I will be here to assist you in whatever way we can."

"Please, Captain," Spyro pleaded sincerely, "This might be our best chance to save Warfang!"

The Captain looked into his purple eyes gravely before turning his gaze back over the deck at the remaining crew as they scurried tirelessly back and forth loading weapons and bringing supplies from below deck. Spyro knew he was fearing for their lives, just as Remy had done with his merchant crew. The purple dragon was weighed down with this concern too, knowing he was asking them to risk so much because of a plan he had conjured up on the fly to find some way to make a real impact on the battle. Ignitus it seemed was trying to make him believe it was his idea and not Spyro's own.

"Very well, sir. We'll do it!" the Captain nodded firmly as he tightened his grip on the wheel, bellowing across the deck "All hands, we've a change of course! Hard to port, make for the southern viaduct!"

With that, the mole swung the wheel hard to the left and the flying behemoth banked slightly as the ship began to slowly turn around, Spyro and Ignitus turning to face the front of the ship as they watched her swing around. In his peripheral vision, Spyro saw Ignitus turning his head to him, making him turn his head to meet his gaze. The Fire Guardian gave him a firm nod but, in his eyes, Spyro saw a dose of unfiltered fear at the fact he was allowing this whole venture to happen. He could see that the crimson dragon truly believed that he was taking far too great a risk with letting Spyro have his way to be part of the mission but in any case, it was too late now.

As the Doxantha surged forth through the air, Ignitus suddenly jumped down onto the deck, Spyro quickly following him as he ran towards the front of the ship, passing by the numerous moles as they readied for action. Ignitus easily clambered over the short staircase on the portside as the young dragon leapt up those on the starboard side. The Fire Guardian rushed to the bow and put his two front paws on top of the railing as Spyro rushed up beside him. Staring ahead they could see the western wall the great viaduct that was their target. To their right they saw the streams of ape soldiers pouring through the open gate as more kept coming from across the bridge. Numerous dragons were diving and swopping on the columns of enemy troops, but few had the use of their elements to make a real impact on their numbers. Spyro and Ignitus could see that the gatehouse had been overrun and now apes were running amok across much of the western wall, pushing the defenders back along the ramparts as they tried to stop them advancing any further. Ignitus suddenly leaned forward as they drew closer to the wall, Spyro climbing atop the railing to try and see what he saw.

"What is it?" he shouted over the heavy wind and the cacophony of war ranging all around.

"They've taken the cannons!" Ignitus shouted in alarm, suddenly turning around and bounding back along the deck, Spyro choosing not to follow him but instead stayed at the bow and looked ahead.

"Change course! Change course!" The Fire Guardian shouted towards the Captain, "They've taken the western batteries!"

Spyro saw what he meant as he looked down at the ramparts that they were almost on top of. The ornate dragon cannons that made up the backbone of the perimeter defenses were still mostly intact and now in the hands of the apes, Spyro gasping fearfully as he saw them rotating and their muzzles aiming towards the sky. Without warning, the Doxantha swung hard to port, nearly causing him to fall as the ship swerved to avoid their arches of fire. Spyro clung hard to the railing as the ramparts suddenly vanished from view below the ship's hull, holding his breath as he prepared for the inevitable volley from below. He heard Ignitus calling his name, but he remined frozen as he heard the first cannon shots firing off as the airship straightened out into a dead-on course towards the south. Spyro peered over the side as he saw cannonballs fired from the ramparts shooting up past the Doxantha which, by sheer luck, had made it to within a few feet of the wall but remained outside the arches of the cannons which, he had just remembered, could not be rotated around to fire into the city in case they should be captured.

"Phew!" he exclaimed in relief as the deck rumbled to the heavy feet of Ignitus as he ran back over to him from the rear of the ship.

"You must stay close to me!" he bellowed furiously at the young dragon as he stood over him. As Spyro looked up at his eyes, the Fire Guardian sighed apologetically as he saw how unused the young dragon was to being addressed so frantically by his mentor.

"Are you alright?" he asked more carefully.

"For now," Spyro replied uneasily. Ignitus stood over him and peeked over the starboard side at the wall that was passing on below them. All along it were apes that were pointing at the colossal airship and gathering around the cannons in anticipation that they would be attacked. The sight of these weapons in their hands was infuriating, with all but a few along the western wall having been taken intact as some had been destroyed by some brave moles and dragons before being overrun. So long as they remained so, the Doxantha could not make an attack on the viaduct without being blown out of the sky.

"Come with me!" Ignitus ordered, Spyro not hesitating as the Fire Guardian chose to fly across the deck back to the stern with the purple dragon on his wing. The captain watched them as the swopped around and landed down to either side of him, turning to Ignitus first on his left.

"We can't make a clean run with those guns pointed at us!" he protested sourly.

"Maintain your course and head towards the sea!" Ignitus told him fiercely, "We must move quickly before they realize what we are up to! Swing back around just before you reach the shore! Spyro and I are going to eliminate those cannons!"

"I hope so!" the captain retorted sardonically, "If they are still there when we get back, we'll be a sitting duck!"

"We'll take care of it," Spyro replied resolutely, "I promise."

The young dragon felt daggers piercing his scales as Ignitus glared disapprovingly at him making such an uncertain promise, but he did not react to it as he nodded firmly to assure the mole Captain that it would be done.

"Very well, we'll come back around give them a heavy dose of our broadside! We're all counting on you," he said grimly as he tightened his grip on the wheel as Ignitus and Spyro turned and moved quickly towards the stern of the ship. Spyro avoided his gaze as he felt him continue to stare down at him, eventually looking as he was towards the ramparts and the cannons that were their target. Within a few moments, the Doxantha crossed over the southwest corner of the city walls, Ignitus placing his paws on the top of the stern railing as Spyro hopped atop them.

"We've no room for mistakes, Spyro," he told him heavily, "Stay with me, remain alert and watch for crossfire. Understood?"

"Understood," Spyro replied with a determined scowl.

"Right. On three. One…two…three!"

With that, Spyro and Ignitus leapt from the stern of the Doxantha and dived down wing to wing towards the overrun defenses. The air swept over them as the airship carried on towards the shoreline, mentor and pupil heading once more into the breach as the old saying went. Spyro was filled with a certain exhilaration to be flying into battle with Ignitus like the stories he had been told of his exploits, especially those of the Fire Guardian and Pyra fighting alongside each other. He just hoped his fate would not be the same. As they approached the southwest corner of the ramparts, they could see a great mass of apes battling a wall of moles and dragons who were determined to stop them getting any further along the wall. On the western approach they could see the cannons pointed up towards them, waiting for their attack as they came swooping in.

"Save your energy! I'll take the first one!" Ignitus shouted in caution, "Remember your training! Take evasive maneuvers to throw them off target!"

"Got it!" he shouted back just as the first cannon balls were fired up at them, Spyro and Ignitus both swerving wide of each other as the iron balls zipped past with alarming speed. They swept back and crisscrossed each other as they reached the corner of the wall, both dragons laying down a sweeping curtain of fire upon the apes battling with the defenders on the wall. More cannonballs shot past them as did the first arrows, spears and crossbow bolts from the apes upon the wall. Spyro's heartrate quadrupled in a split second as he twitched and turned to avoid every missile that was being shot or thrown at him, moving too fast to shoot anything back from his mouth. He felt something sharp graze his right knee, but he didn't think about it as he barrel rolled across the width of the wall, somehow not riddled with the dozens of arrows being fired at him. The first cannon was just moments ahead, Spyro struggling to keep Ignitus in his sight with all the fast maneuvers they had both made. Already he could see several arrows imbedded in the huge wings of the Fire Guardian whose great size made a much bigger target, but still he flew on. Spyro climbed sharply to get clear as Ignitus dived down and unleashed a torrent of raging fire on the cannon, the flames enveloping the whole turret as the ape soldiers defending it were bathed in fire.

"I got the next one!" Spyro called out as he dived down, using the speed he gained to overtake Ignitus as he swept around and used his great mass to bowl several apes off the wall and plummeting to their doom.

"I'll back you up!" Ignitus shouted back as he surged forward with the both of them now flying on opposite sides of the wall, splitting the volume of incoming fire in two directions. Spyro dived out of view and down to ground level, seeing a group of ape soldiers and death hounds battling some friendly moles. He swept over and unleashed a stream of freezing Ice picks that turned them to frozen statues on impact, the moles cheering as he passed over them. He was surprised he still felt empowered after his near fatal Fury attack, but decided from then on to save his energy as he climbed again swiftly as he saw the next turret coming up. He caught sight of Ignitus swooping around in front of the turret as the distracted apes fired the cannon at him, turning to see him only when it was too late. Spyro saw the fear in their eyes as he converged, feeling surprisingly affected by it as he cast a glistening cloud of Ice across the cannon, freezing it and the nearby apes in a blanket of hardened ice crystals as the others dived for cover. He soared over the wall and flew up alongside Ignitus who yelled across as the flew along the outside of the wall,

"Keep it up, young dragon!"

His praise was stirring, but Spyro looked behind and saw the Doxantha was almost completing her loop and coming back around, making him realize him little time was left.

"It's coming back! We've got to hurry!" he cried despairingly.

"Indeed! Follow me!" Ignitus shouted as he suddenly pulled into a steep climb, Spyro climbing after him as cannon balls from the remaining guns tore past them. The two dragons soared at a gradual angle to keep their forward momentum up as they eyed the remaining targets. The next two cannons had been destroyed before they could be captured, leaving just two this side of the gatehouse to contend with. The viaduct and its columns of apes was dead ahead and the Doxantha was coming around so that her portside cannons would pulverize the viaduct to cut off the flow of troops into Warfang, or so was the plan. As Ignitus looked over his shoulder to the airship, he came to an unhappy realization.

"Spyro, we must attack both targets at once or they may get a shot off at the Doxantha before she can bring down the viaduct! We'll need to split up."

"Alright," Spyro said aggressively, trying to mask how fearful he was about going after the cannon without his mentor's support. "I'll take the next one, you get the last. Watch out, they know what we're up to now!" Ignitus said warningly.

"Okay, let's do this!" Spyro cried, readying himself for the oncoming challenge.

"Good luck! Stay clear of the airship when she comes in!" the Fire Guardian told him the moment before he folded his wings and plunged into a dive, leaving the young dragon alone for a moment in the sky. Bracing himself, Spyro angled his wings the same way and tucked his legs in, streamlining himself for the dive. He closed his eyes as he dove, not opening them again until he had drawn in a lungful of the air rushing past him. As he opened them, he saw a cannonball pass his head by only a few feet, but he did not flinch as he set his eyes on the last cannon on the wall. Ignitus was already far ahead of him, diving for the nearest cannon as every conceivable missile was launched at him, but Spyro knew he had to trust that his mentor would destroy or disable the cannon just as he was trusting his pupil to do the same.

With the lives of all those aboard the Doxantha counting on him, Spyro sharpened his mind and eyes as he dove on towards the cannon beside the gatehouse. He saw another flash from it as it fired, swinging out to the right to avoid the incoming shot. While a preferable strategy would have been to attack it from behind, speed was more paramount than safety right at the moment. As he soared downward, Spyro's eyes widened as flight of six Dreadwings swarmed into view from the city, climbing upwards on an intercept course. The monsters let out their shrill scream as Spyro anxiously looked across to Ignitus, seeing a second flight of Dreadwings further in the city heading straight for him, though he couldn't tell if the Fire Guardian had seen them or not. Unable to warn him, Spyro just hoped he would be able to contend with them as the six Dreadwings ahead closed in on him. His speed was still increasing, making any maneuvers difficult as he realized in horror, he had misjudged how fast they were approaching, hurriedly trying to muster a ball of fire to burn them out of his way. He saw their jaws stretch open and at once his vision blurred as a deafening sonic wave hit him like a tidal wave, stunning him and drowning out Spyro's hearing as he cried out in pain but heard nothing.

Speeding too fast to maneuver and with his skull feeling like it was cracking, he braced to crash into his foes as they soared head on at each other. Hearing only his heartbeat, Spyro defiantly slashed with his claws and teeth as the Dreadwings spilt around him, the purple dragon shooting like an arrow through the formation, bumping his right shoulder hard against the side of one of the bat monsters as he just managed to keep a straight course. Still unable to hear, Spyro quickly looked right and saw a glimpse of Ignitus casting a great ball of fire across the second turret, surely destroying the cannon in the process. Success! Now it was all on him.

The last cannon fired at him again, Spyro diving down straight at the ground as it zipped over him, pulling up level as he followed the contours of the hilly approach to the western wall, out of the gun's field of fire. The massive wall was straight ahead, the purple dragon speeding toward it as if intending to crash into it, pulling up at the last second as his claws nearly scrapped the skin of the outer wall. Deaf or not, he knew the Doxantha was only moments away and he knew he could not fail, that he would not fail. Spyro's mind was narrowed to only the destruction of the cannon, no matter the danger to himself. A moment later he sprang up above the wall, the muzzle of the cannon pointed almost directly upon him as the horde of crossbow wielding apes standing before it staggered back at his sudden appearance. Without pause, inspired by his mentor's fire, Spyro cast a wide blanket of flame across the ranks of apes packed tightly in front of him, his deafness thankfully sparing him their screams.

The wall of flailing apes cut his raging torrent short of the cannon which remained just outside the reach of the flames. Spyro looked across at the single ape seated in the cannon, locking eyes fiercely with him through the wall of fire. The lone ape, even with the purple dragon in his sights, scrambled out of the seat and began running away from the cannon he was sure was to be pulverized. Spyro let out a cocky laugh, feeling like there was nothing that could stop him. That momentary pause before he prepared to summon the blaze that would destroy the cannon, was all that was needed for what happened next.

As he opened his mouth to direct a stream of flame at the cannon, a figure suddenly appeared behind the flames engulfing the other apes as a hulking ape Commander leapt into view. Spyro's hearing came back just enough to hear himself gasp as he saw the great hammer bearing down on him as the ape sailed through the air at him, roaring like a beast. Spyro lifted his left foreleg in front of his face as the hammer struck it with a sickening crunch. He bellowed an agonized scream as the shattered limb softened the blow to his chest as the hammer knocked him back, sending the purple dragon falling over backwards in the air as he tumbled below the wall, his body too stunned with pain and shock to do anything more. Sky, ground. Sky, ground, this was all he could see as he tumbled downward, his broken foreleg flailing about painfully as he somersaulted towards the ground.

"Spyro!" he heard Ignitus scream from somewhere. His hearing was now fully returned as he hit the grass before the western wall with a hard yelp back first. The force of the strike and the slope of the grass cascaded Spyro into a painful roll as he skipped and skimmed across the ground like a pebble across a pond. His vision was red with agony as he lost track of everything as he watched the world spinning around him. Tumbling, crying out with his eyes shut, his body begged him to find some way to make it stop.

The tumbling finally ended after what seemed like forever, his body riddled with bruises far worse than his ordeal outside the Mountain of Malefor. When he forced opened his sizzling eyes, the first thing that he made out was that he was laying on his right side with his now broken left foreleg drooping down his side. Ahead he saw the sea over the hills in the distance and the river far off to his right. His saw a huge shadow moving across the ground near him, drawing closer each moment that passed. His whole body was shaking with the abuse it had taken, his partially healed injuries reawakened with a terrible vengeance. His breathing was labored, as if his lungs had been wrung out like a wet towel, struggling to keep his ravaged body alive. He heard a massive boom off to his left, followed by the sound of a devastating impact somewhere above him. Looking up, he saw the blurry, colossal hull of the Doxantha passing over above him, pieces of shattered timber falling from where the cannonball had struck her. It was then he saw the towering arches of the viaduct which she had been meant to destroy rising behind him barely fifty feet away. He tried to gasp in horror, but was simply to drained to react at all as the realization came to him that he had failed. He had failed to save the Doxantha.

"Spyro!" he heard off to his left, the purple dragon slowly turning his head even as the pain was unbearable. Perhaps it was just the state his senses were in, how he remembered it or perhaps fate intervened to let him wallow in the enormity of his failure, but time seemed to slow down for him, letting him endure every detail of each agonizing moment of all that he saw. Ignitus was diving towards him, paws outstretched to reach him, but was soon blindsided by a pair of Dreadwings that slammed into his left side, sending them rolling across the ground in a fearsome melee. Spyro's brain told him he must get up and help him, but instead he just lay there, watching helplessly as the living nightmare played out before his eyes. He saw the cannon atop the rampart firing again, his weary head drifting back to the Doxantha as the shot ripped through the ship like a hot iron. Her cannons retorted in a fearsome volley, her shots slamming into and tearing away chunks of masonry from the wall which tumbled down to its base, yet seemingly to no result as yet another shot from the wall sailed across and ripped through the ship.

Spyro watched almost deliriously as the airship began to pass over the viaduct and turn to port in a desperate attempt to escape the fire, now added to by the captured cannons on the northwest wall. From the city a swarm of Dreadwings came diving at the ship, each carrying the massive barrel bombs in their claws. Alarm fought against the pain in Spyro's body, trying to force him into action, but like a stunned bird he just watched helplessly, hoping that someone or something would end him before he witnessed the end of the Doxantha.

The sound of a furious roar drew his attention back over his shoulder as he saw Ignitus slash his heavy claws across the face of a Dreadwing, lunging forward over its head and clamping his teeth over the creature's rider as he tore him from his seat. He threw the ape across the air where he struck the head of the second Dreadwing, knocking it over backward as Ignitus turned to face him, his tail slamming down on the head of the now riderless bat monster with a fatal, crushing blow. As the creature tried to right itself, the Fire Guardian pounced across the ground and pinned it down again, Spyro watching in silent, almost dead brained stoicism as he tore into the creature's throat. Blood was still dripping from his maw as he turned his head towards him, Ignitus's eyes a flurry of violent anger that cooled at once to fearful concern as he rushed towards the injured purple dragon. Spyro looked at him with dull, flat eyes as the Fire Guardian skidded to a halt and looked over him.

"Where are you hurt?" he demanded hastily.

"I… I failed…" Spyro whimpered softly.

"Can you move, Spyro?" he asked tensely, quickly scanning around for any inbound threats. As the cannon blasted again, Spyro said to the Fire Guardian critically,

"The cannon… you-you could have…instead of…"

Ignitus's face whitened in shock, his eyes overbearing with sorrow, "I must protect you, Spyro, above all else," he said with a crack in his voice.

A blast that lit up the ground drew the attention of them both as they gazed up and saw one of the barrel bombs exploding on the ground as it missed the Doxantha which was now completing it turn and trying to retrace its previous path as more Dreadwings attacked it. As Spyro continued to watch the stricken airship, Ignitus leaned down and tried to get him to stand, "We need to move, Spyro! We must go!"

Spyro was caught off guard as the Fire Guardian actually clasped him in his mouth, gingerly lifting him off the ground until his feet were dangling beneath him, save for his left foreleg which he kept hunched close to his chest.

"You need to stand!" Ignitus's muffled voice said as he carefully lowered him down, letting his back feet touch down first before letting him put weight on his one good foreleg.

"I think it's broken," Spyro winced as he wobbled on his feet, shaking the saliva and blood his wings had collected in the process of being lifted. A heart wrenching shriek from above made him look up towards the city, he and Ignitus seeing a new Dreadwing formation high above the wall and looking down on them. It only took a moment for them both to recognize the particular menace that was at the head of the formation, the mask and glowing red eyes distinctive even from far off; the Masked Assassin.

"Him again?!" Spyro snapped in angry despair. Upon him exclaiming that, Ignitus rushed into action and suddenly pounced on the young dragon, grasping him in his massive paws while opening his enormous wings.

"What are you doing?" Spyro protested.

"There's no time! Hang on!" the Fire Guardian shouted as he clenched the young dragon tightly in his paws and sprang into the air with one great leap.

"No, wait!" Spyro begged, but they were already in the air and soaring up past the viaduct that was crowded with hundreds of apes as they roared and hurled insults and weapons at them. Ignitus pulled away from the bridge, holding Spyro tightly against his chest as a blinding explosion suddenly erupted in the direction of the Doxantha. The two dragons watched in horror as one of the barrel bombs landed square on the deck of the great behemoth, a flower like explosion of fire and debris blossomed upward, making the whole ship buckle as countless moles were sent flying through the air like ragdolls.

"No!" Spyro screamed painfully as he watched them fall, flames spreading across the deck and rigging of the airship as the captain tried still to keep control of her.

"We've got to help them!" the purple dragon pleaded as he tried to squirm free from Ignitus's grip.

"It's too late for them!" he replied heavily, his voice laden with regret as he saw the airship burn. The whistle of another bomb falling drew their attention up as another barrel plummeted towards the Doxantha from her starboard quickly ducked into a dive, ignoring Spyro's pleas as tears began to well in eyes at the tragedy he had failed to prevent, at the promise he had failed to keep. They swept low to pass under the ship as the barrel finally hit, slamming into her main mast and snapping its top half like a twig before it exploded. The fireball scattered debris through the air as the shattered mast was blown clear of the ship, spinning over with her once proud flag engulfed in flames. Spyro closed his eyes as Ignitus swept low under the Doxantha as her burning hulk passed over them and the mast crashed into the ground near them.

The Dreadwings pursuing them thought better and pulled away to avoid being caught in the way of the dying behemoth. When Spyro opened his eyes again, they had passed under the airship and were climbing again, the smell of burning wood and canvas filling his nostrils and heart. Further explosions came from the Doxantha as munitions were detonated by the fire now spread across the whole ship save for the rear quarter deck. But still the ship was turning, still under some level of control as she slowly lost altitude as she banked around in a circle towards the viaduct.

Spyro turned his head as far as he could as Ignitus carried him higher, both of them looking back on the flaming airship as they caught sight of movement on the not yet burning quarter deck; a dozen or so surviving moles gathered around the captain as he stayed at the wheel, turning his dying vessel back into the fray for a final time. Spyro's heart felt like it had been pierced by a shower of glass when he saw them standing together, looking up at him and Ignitus as they prepared for oblivion. The Mole Captain turned his head towards them and held a hand up in salute, his remaining crew doing the same as the Doxantha was steered towards the viaduct in a final blow to those who had delivered them to their deaths.

"I'm so sorry…" Spyro whimpered to himself as he watched them turn their backs and look ahead to their fate as the airship straightened out and ploughed headlong towards the viaduct. From up high they could see the apes marching across it begin to panic as the Doxantha came charging towards them in a final act of defiance; one way or another she would carry out her mission to cut off the flow of enemy troops to Warfang. Spyro's insides tightened into a rope as he watched the flaming, valiant airship speed towards the center of the second half of the viaduct as cannonballs and all manner of ordinance was fired at her in a desperate bid avoid what happened next. Every other sound in the world seemed to come to a halt as the mighty Doxantha slammed into the viaduct with a heart retching orchestra of splintering timbers and exploding masonry, even from far off Spyro and Ignitus could recall every sight and sound as though they had been right next to her. The flaming leviathan erupted into a blinding flash of orange light as she smashed though the viaduct, stone and scores of apes being decimated as she ploughed through as the cloud of fire swept over every inch of her. A thunderous roar followed as the last of her munitions detonated as the flaming hulk continued foreword even as she blew apart, Dreadwings trying to get clear of her were caught in blast and tossed through the air by the force of her death. The cloud of fire, smoke and dust it created filled the new void in the viaduct as the remains of the Doxantha slammed into the ground somewhere behind the veil, the airship's valiant heart scattered before the western walls of Warfang.

"There sacrifice will not be in vain," Ignitus declared solemnly as he levelled out and flew towards the forests in the distance, still clutching Spyro who watched the demise of the mighty Doxantha with a horror that dwarfed what he had felt while inside the Mountain of Malefor. He seriously began to wonder how much death his heart could take before it killed itself to end the guilt it was overladen with. Never in all his life had he wanted to find a dark corner where he could cry out his pain so badly, but cruel fate was not finished with him yet as he spotted a swarm of Dreadwings emerging behind the clouds, hot on the tail of Ignitus.

"They're right behind us!" Spyro cried, at once feeling the Fire Guardian's body twist as he swung his head around the threat behind them. They both saw the numerous creatures coming at them, the Masked Assassin among them as suddenly a ball of red fire came streaming from amongst the formation. Ignitus quickly ducked to the left, even if the missile was too far off to have much chance of hitting them. Meanwhile, Spyro tried to suppress the sadness that was overwhelming him long enough to put his mind to the task at hand; surviving and escaping. He looked down as they crossed over the river to the sea and the vast green countryside that was laid out beneath them. He looked towards the great forests that were their goal, but now wondered if trying to lose their foes in them was still the best option. Even if they lost their pursuers, trying to slip out without being spotted seemed unlikely, especially since they may then take the logical next step to occupy the temple, knowing it was their likely destination. Spyro hoped at that point that Cynder, Flame, Ember and the moles were still hiding out in the tunnels somewhere, trying to find another refuge.

Ignitus again swerved quickly to the right this time as another red fireball passed them by closer this time, Spyro looking down underneath himself and panicking when he saw how much closer the Assassin and his entourage were. The frightening screams of the bat monsters was intensifying, Ignitus dropping down through the clouds and heading towards the treetops below. Spyro was alarmed at the fact that even when literally in the grasp of his mentor, he didn't feel safer but more vulnerable at the fact he couldn't take any action himself.

"Ignitus, let me go, please!" he pleaded, "They're gonna'catch us!"

He didn't get a reply straight away, feeling in his movements that Ignitus was looking around at the impeding danger, trying to force a decision before it was too late. He felt the Guardian's great paws hold him in a thoughtful kind of way, the fate of the world's future once more in his grasp, but no longer just a helpless egg among four that he had saved twelve years ago.

"Spyro, can you hear me well?" he asked calmly.

"Yes!" Spyro replied, less calmly.

"Good. I want you to fly like the wind and don't look back, you understand?"

"What?!" he exclaimed. "Go and don't look back!"

"What?!" he repeated as he was suddenly thrown forward out of the Fire Guardian's paws, letting out a fearful wail as he found himself falling through the sky "Wahhhhow!"

Instinct kicked in as his wings spread out and started flapping, the feeling of weightlessness soon replaced with drive as he propelled forward through the air. Spyro did what he was told; he flew like the wind and didn't look back. He realized straight away that Ignitus wasn't keeping pace with him, presumably staying back to fight the Dreadwings to give the young dragon a chance to escape to the forest. No matter how much he wanted to, he kept his eyes forward and didn't look back to see what was happening with the Fire Guardian. This he was now prepared to do without question, now that he had seen what his own ideas led to; the destruction of the Doxantha and her crew. In his state he was prepared to take anyone's advice but his own.

With the sound and shouting and fire bellowing behind him, Spyro dropped down low as the forests fast approached. The perimeter of the trees had a shape like a horse's left leg with him speeding towards the knee of it. He zigzagged as he drew closer in case there was anything behind him, still refusing to look back. He hoped he would see Ignitus appear at his side at any moment, but as he dropped down just above the ground and flew into the cover of the trees, he knew he was nowhere near him. The sounds of battle were now becoming distant echoes as Spyro shot through the trees, sweeping over and under branches in equal turn as the shadows of the trees all but blocked out the sun. He was panting frantically, still struggling against the pain all over his body and in particular his broken foreleg. The frantic movements did it no favors, but he buried the pain as much as he could as he flew deeper into the forest.

"Which way do I go?" he asked himself as he just flew on, hoping he was heading into a deeper part of the forest and not towards a clearing as the trees closed in and the grass and plants became thicker. He gave no thought to slowing down, even as he began to skim and scrape against branches, snapping them off as he soared past them. The forest was becoming darker, making it impossible to see far ahead. He tried to memorize what the forest looked like from above, hoping it could orientate him and help his navigation. He knew the forest near the coast wasn't endless, it was broken up into several separate groups of woods by a number of clearings and fields but he'd never had a reason to explore them much. Only when the pain of going all out was too much did Spyro let himself slow down a little, but still he kept flying at a pace to try and put ground between him and the apes. And Ignitus.

"Whatever you're doing Ignitus," Spyro said to himself with a grim headshake, "Please don't let me go this alone…"

End of Chapter 17

Next Chapter: A Broken Soul