The next two days were relatively quiet. Having returned to her old life and job, Cynder's days had been rather busy in terms of organising and supervising training sessions for each of the soldiers and guards, but it had been quieter than the past few days. The siege on Urgussen, being attacked by Spyro and having her essence core sucked out of her, the fight with the titan wolves, the revelation of Muras' identity, and most importantly, the fight to get her essence core back… the list was long, and Cynder was happy that it was all over. She was happy to be back in full health, and back at home, at her job, where she was needed.
Muras had distanced himself a decent amount, however, cautious around being around dragons again. He was not used to being around so many people, and nervousness filled him, terrified what would happen if his true identity was to be leaked. With Cynder's help, Muras had managed to be acquainted with Aerus, although when he learned that Aerus was her brother, Muras had started taking extra care around the wind dragon as well. Cynder knew very well why. If Aerus was to find out who Muras really was, he'd have the purple dragon's heart in his claws in a heartbeat, after all he did to Cynder.
The only time Muras was ever able to be open was when he was with Cynder, mainly because she knew something that no one else did: his real identity. However, this made it look like something that it wasn't, and false rumours began to go around through Warfang about her and Muras. Cynder hated it, but until Muras was somewhat comfortable with being in Warfang, she would let it be. For now. She already had a lot on her plate.
She also had to keep a close watch on him and make sure he wasn't trying to do anything malevolent.
That night, however, things got even more complicated. Cynder was taking a calm, late-evening stroll in the city before she went to bed for the night, walking past the large gates of Warfang as she calmed her mind from the day's training and constantly having to think about the war. Suddenly, a loud banging was heard at the gates, causing Cynder to stop with a shocked jolt. Quickly following the banging was a loud, frantic shout from the other end. "Open up! Open up, please!"
The voice sounded familiar, but Cynder couldn't pinpoint a name to the voice. The voice spoke again, terror and urgency edging the masculine voice. "Dragons of Warfang, open up! We have two dying children here and an unconscious woman! Please help!"
At this, Cynder cursed with a gasp, looking around. The posts were empty, devoid of the mole guards that were usually present at the gates. Where are the moles?! There's meant to be different rounds for the gate watch! Where could they have gone?! Cynder thought with a growl. Damn it, lazy moles, I'm opening the gates myself!
She ran towards the cranks, grabbing a firm hold on them and turned them around as fast as she could, causing the doors to open with a loud creak. In the dark of the night, illuminated by the light of the torches from the streets of Warfang that shone through the opening gate doors, stood two male cheetahs: one yellow, one dark orange. The orange one supported an unconscious she-cheetah, her arm slung around his shoulder as he held her around the abdomen, pulling her close to him, and the yellow one held an unconscious child in his arms, male, with another unconscious child slung over his shoulder, this one female. Each of the five cheetahs were equally bloodied and wounded, tunics and robes ripped to shreds, exposing bare fur, skin, and bloody wounds.
Blood streamed in hideous amounts from the cubs; the male one had a massive cut tearing across his little chest, blood staining his torn tunic, and the female cub that was hung over the shoulder of the yellow cheetah had a cracked head, blood streaming from the back of her skull and spilling out all over the ground and the arms of the cheetah holding her. The adult female that the orange cheetah was holding had a hideously misshapen face, her lips and nostrils streaming blood, her jaw crooked, left eye swelling and dark, and her right arm horribly broken, wrenched out of place at the shoulder and streaming with dark blood as bone stuck out of the skin.
The dark orange cheetah supporting her had a swollen right leg, and blood and dirt was smeared all over his face, his fur matted with the grime and left eye terribly bloodshot as visible specks of dirt were seen dotting his eyeball.
The yellow cheetah holding the two cubs had a nasty cut on his left leg, bloody cuts on his forehead just above his eyebrow, as well as horrendous amounts of blood that streamed down his back, staining his torn tunic dark red. Blood also streamed from his nose, dripping into his mouth.
Cynder blinked. There was something about the yellow cheetah in particular that struck her. He was familiar, very familiar, and it took her a couple seconds for her to recognise him, gasping with shock as she realised who this cheetah was. "Hunter?!" she exclaimed.
"Yes! Let us in, damn you, Cynder!" Hunter snapped angrily, voice raw with emotion and exhaustion. Cynder hurriedly obliged, stepping backwards as the bloodied cheetahs rushed in. She had flinched at Hunter's unusual snappy attitude, but they were definitely not in the mood for catch-up time. Cynder knew she would be snappy if she was wounded that badly and had to support three other mortally wounded comrades, so she couldn't blame him. Hell, she was already snappy; it had pretty much become a part of her personality after Spyro's betrayal. "Where's the infirmary?!" Hunter demanded, before coughing twice.
"I'll take you there!" Cynder said, before the adult she-cheetah's head began to hang downwards, her body slumping forward in the arms of the other male.
"You got her, Derilan?" Hunter asked the dark orange cheetah as he caught the body of the she-cheetah, before rearranging his hold on her into an easier, more comfortable position.
"I'm alright, Father," the cheetah named Derilan replied. "I got her."
Father? Hunter's a father now?! Cynder thought, surprised. Eight years had passed after all, but the cheetah looked too old to be eight or younger. Hunter must have had a family and a son for much longer, and Cynder just didn't know about it.
"Cynder! Are you listening to me?!" Hunter scowled, his growl tearing through her thoughts.
Cynder jumped. This wasn't how Hunter normally acted… this was more than just snappy. It was almost as if Hunter had… changed. "Yeah, what?" she asked, initially forgetting Hunter's previous request.
"The infirmary, you damned idiot! My mate is dying, as are these two cubs!" Hunter shouted angrily. "Get us there now!"
Cynder quickly apologised before she turned around, jogging off towards the infirmary as Hunter and Derilan sprinted off after her, as quick as they could. They got there, quickly getting Hunter's mate and the two cubs into intensive care as they were rushed away. Hunter insisted Derilan went to get a bit of healing work done too, as did some of the other healers there. The healers even insisted that Hunter went in as well since he was in a much worse state than Derilan was, but Hunter refused, saying that he would go last. He was their protector, and he would make sure the other cheetahs were safe before he went in to be looked at. The healers tried arguing with him to get him checked up on, but Hunter insisted on him going last, even threatening to get violent with the healers if they tried to drag him in. He wanted to make sure everyone was safe first. The healers had eventually given up, before they left to go check up on the other four cheetahs in dire condition.
Hunter quickly went to sit out in the foyer, and Cynder decided to go sit with him in an attempt to keep the distressed cheetah company. A dark, distant expression was on his face as he stared down at his bloody paws, leaning forward in his chair. He didn't seem to notice Cynder was sitting next to him until she cleared her throat, causing him to jump slightly. "Uh… I'm sorry I was snappy earlier, Cynder," Hunter murmured, his voice filled with absolute despair. It almost sounded like he was choking back tears. "I just…"
"No, I understand. There were people close to you on the verge of dying; I know what it feels like. There's no need to apologise. At all," Cynder replied, and Hunter sighed sadly, resting his chin on his paws, folded up into fists as he rested his elbows on his knees. His arms were shaking, and it wasn't from pain. The blood staining the fur on his arms did not belong to him. It belonged to the cubs he had held, and Hunter was terrified that they may not make it, knowing how much blood the tiny cheetahs had lost.
"I… I wanted our reunion to be a lot less… rushed and intense… a-a-and a lot sooner as well, but I just… I guess I just never had the time to come and see you, especially after I became chief of the village."
"Chief? What happened to Prowlus?"
"He was killed as the world fell apart eight years ago. Crushed by a massive boulder that fell on his head, crushing his skull immediately and literally shoving his head into his neck and shoulders. I was next in line for chieftaincy. Prowlus said that he trusted me with his life, and said to me a while ago that if there was anyone he would want to pass his title to, he would rather it be me, with my clear mind and decisions. I just… I just never thought that time would've had to come so soon. Prowlus was still a young chief," Hunter mumbled. "His mate mourned hard, especially since she was carrying their very first child."
"I… I'm sorry, Hunter," Cynder apologised sadly. "Is… Is the village alright?"
"The village is the least of my problems now."
"What?! But you're chief! Why would you just not care?!"
"BECAUSE IT IS GONE, CYNDER!" Hunter roared, turning on her with wet, bloodshot eyes, standing on his seat quickly. She flinched, and he faltered at her surprised face and his own sudden outburst, his gaze going hazy. Cynder was right; this was not the Hunter she'd gotten to know and love as he had very obviously changed. It was clear that it was due to trauma and grief, which was all betrayed by his bloodshot blue eyes. His arms shook and he flexed his claws, trying to calm himself down. He dug his claws into his palms, causing small beads of blood to run out of them. With a heavy, shaky breath, Hunter slowly sunk back down into a sitting position in his chair, letting out a distressed grunt, followed by a hiss of pain as blood splattered on the ground, getting pushed out of the wounds on his legs as the muscles inside them moved.
He breathed heavily, before he spoke again, his voice shaky and hoarse, not used to yelling as loud as he did. "It's gone, and it's all my fault. Us five are the only cheetahs left from the cheetah village: me, my son Derilan, my mate Kassaan, and the two cubs, Rasha and Mumblon," he croaked quietly, trying to blink away the onslaught of tears threatening to overtake him. "Mumblon was Prowlus' son, the one his mate had been carrying when he died. Rasha is my niece. I swore to myself that I would look after them and protect them, no matter what. After Prowlus died, his mate died in childbirth when Mumblon was born, and I immediately took him in; my brother died two years ago from a lung infection when he somehow inhaled a thorn, and since he was a single father as his mate left him, that left Rasha to my care too.
"I swore I would protect them, and I am terrified that I'm not going to live up to that promise. I'll never forgive myself if I let them die. More importantly, I'll never forgive myself if Kassaan, the love of my life, dies at the claws of those… those… those f…"
"What happened, Hunter?" Cynder interrupted, urgency edging her voice as she placed a calming paw on Hunter's back, feeling the wet, hot blood caking it stick to her pad. Hunter flinched, with pain or anger, she didn't know.
"He came. The Dark Overlord," Hunter murmured, his voice dark.
Cynder's heart broke, and she felt tempted to cry, to grieve. It had been Spyro that had decimated the cheetah village? Why? What had the cheetahs ever done to him? She felt terrible for Hunter. Learning of Spyro's corruption so suddenly and so violently would not have been easy for him. Hunter had always believed Spyro was a good dragon, and he was captivated by the purple dragon's friendly and selfless character. Now that was gone. It was also Spyro that made Hunter appreciate the dragon race as much as he did. What did Hunter think of their race now, now that Spyro had gone corrupt and destroyed the cheetah village?
Hunter was choking on his emotions, his throat bobbing as he swallowed and tried to hold in his sobs. Tears were already making their way down his face, slowly, with an excruciating, burning pain. His breathing was ragged and shaky. It was clear that he was trying to calm himself down, but was failing miserably. Cynder needed to make sure she was okay. "Hunter? Are you alright?" she asked softly, worry edging her glance.
"No, I'm not okay," Hunter hissed, before taking a deep breath and trying to talk to Cynder with a calmer tone, his voice shaky as he tried to suppress his anger and despair. "I looked up to Spyro. I knew about Malefor's darkness and corruption when Ignitus first contacted me to find you and Spyro, and although I was scared because not only were you of his kinds, but you two were… dangerous, in my eyes. Spyro was a purple dragon, a war-machine, and I was proved right watching you two take down all the enemies you came across. And then there was you. You know full well why I was cautious of you.
"But when Ignitus came to contact me, I saw that he was a calm, kind soul, and I knew just by the way he held himself and the way he communicated to me… that I could trust him. I knew I could. When I saw you and Spyro for the first time, I knew you two were safe to be around because of the way you treated each other. Sure, you two argued to start off with, but… there was a friendship there. Respect for each other. Trust. Spyro especially just… captivated me as well. Spyro made me realise the true beauty of dragonkind, and that they were not to be feared. I was honoured to be his ally. But now? Now, I couldn't be any more ashamed."
"What happened when he attacked the village?" Cynder questioned. "What did he do?"
"He… He accused us of… so many things. He said a lot of harmful things, but then he started speaking about eradicating us for the greater good, because apparently we discriminate against others. Like the hermit, and like how Prowlus chained us up back in the Dark War. Including me. And then, to top it all off, those damned venom-spitters flew in for the attack, and countless cheetahs were killed, right in front of my eyes. They didn't hesitate to spill blood, nor did they hesitate to slice the head off a newborn cub. Spyro… He… He even ate one. Without hesitation. He bit it in two with a display of gore that utterly sickened me… terrified me.
"Meadow was killed by a venom-spitter, trying to save me from it. Kassaan was already unconscious by the time I found her. I got her, Derilan, and the two cubs, and ran out of the village, but Spyro almost blew us up with this strange power I've never seen before: deadly red beams of energy that were extremely volatile. He was also the one who clawed up Mumblon. He was wounded so badly, and I'm terrified he won't make it. If Mumblon dies, I will have broken my promise to Prowlus and his mate that I would take care of their son. If Rasha dies, I will have broken my promise to my brother. If Kassaan dies… well then I will have broken my promise to her… my own mate. 'I will always protect you, and never forsake you, my love,' I vowed to her. 'If the time comes, I will take your place.' Why does it have to be her in critical condition? As much as I don't want it to be me, I'd much rather me than her!"
Cynder's heart broke even more from him as he grit his teeth, hissing air through them as he tried to keep his emotions under control, but the longer he spent doing it, the more despair seemed to be slipping through, breaking down his walls. Hunter had lost so much in a very short amount of time. She would hate it if he had to lose anything else, especially the promises he had made to his predecessor, his brother, and his mate. Hunter didn't deserve this, not after what he went through during the Dark War. That should have been enough for him. That should have been enough for everyone.
Sure, she felt she didn't deserve it either, but she could deal with it, having been around war her whole life. It was almost a second nature to her, as harsh and upsetting as that sounded. While it wasn't a good thing, she was able to cope with it… somewhat. Hunter, on the other paw, had no way of holding himself together the way she could, as was evident by his broken, depressed, mournful state, and if he was to lose Mumblon, Rasha, or Kassaan, let alone multiple or all of them, she feared he would step over the line into insanity.
They sat in silence for a while, both Cynder and Hunter lost in thought. They lost track of time, but eventually, a middle-aged ice dragon bearing a stylised cross tattooed on his left cheek, identifying him as a healer, walked out around the corner, a downcast, grim expression on his face. Hunter immediately stood up upon seeing him.
"How are they?!" he demanded, running a few steps forward. "Please, please, please tell me they're all alive! Especially the cubs! Tell me the cubs are still in the land of the living!"
Hunter's desperate pleas made Cynder's heart lurch. The amount of emotion in his voice was unbearable to witness. Cynder looked to the healer, who sighed after some hesitation. That sigh was enough for Hunter to know what had happened, and Cynder knew Hunter was gone, given into depression and mourning as he started sobbing softly, letting go of all his composure. The healer then confirmed the death of the cubs verbally, but what he said next broke Hunter even more.
"Both of the cubs died just a few minutes ago. We've cleaned the she-cheetah's wounds and sealed them, but she's still deeply unconscious. It appears she's in a very deep coma. She'll be lucky to even wake up."
Hunter turned with a furious, grief-stricken growl, pacing back and forth with heavy pawsteps for a few seconds before letting out a loud roar of uncontrollable anguish as he rushed forward and kicked his chair over. He remained standing, legs shaking, glaring at the fallen chair with a murderous stare as he huffed and growled, flexing his claws, almost blaming the chair for the death of the two cubs he'd sworn to protect. The look of unadulterated rage on Hunter's face was unlike anything Cynder had ever seen, and it honestly frightened her a little.
The yellow cheetah continued growling, but his rageful snarl wavered, turning into a despairing wince, his face contorting with grief. The forlorn, lonely cheetah reared his head back as he let out another grieving howl, tears streaming down his face, his throat red and raw, arms and legs shaking as he let go of everything. He sank to his knees, bending over to sob pitifully in his shaking, bloodied paws, unrestrained whimpers and wails leaving his throat.
Cynder felt horrible for her friend. He'd lost so much in one damned day. Not only an entire village, but both cubs he had sworn to protect, and it seemed he might lose his mate. Life couldn't seem to go any worse for him.
She wanted to help him, but she didn't know how. She didn't know what to do. So, she just sat there, watching as Hunter bawled his eyes out, wailing and howling in agony as he mourned, and she hated herself for just watching.
Hunter calmed himself down as best as he could after a while and turned towards the ice dragon again, tears streaming down his forlorn, blood-smeared face. The healer's face was expressionless, and Cynder felt the need to walk up and slap some compassion into the dragon's face, but she thought against it. The healers here had experienced so much death in the last few weeks since Spyro's betrayal, and even longer if the Dark War against Malefor was included; they would have been immune to the emotions associated with losing someone by now, as if death was second-nature to them.
Hunter drew in a shaky breath. "How's my son?" he asked, voice wobbly and filled with grief.
"He's fine. All the blood has been cleaned off him, and his wounds have been stitched together. The wounds will scar however, as they will on the female too," the dragon replied. "His wounds were not so severe either. He should be out of here by tomorrow, but needs to rest."
"Fine. Take a look at me now if you want," Hunter said, standing up with shaking legs and walking towards the dragon. "I want to see them."
"Alright, follow me. Cynder, you're free to go."
Hunter and the dragon walked off. Cynder stood, leaving the infirmary with a sad sigh, feeling terrible for Hunter. She would return to visit him tomorrow to see how he was doing. But right now, she needed some rest. Tonight had taken a big, unexpected turn, and to be honest, she was not looking forward to what the future held for her, and for Hunter.
Especially the grief-stricken cheetah.
"Spyro. You look… different," Hunter murmured, staring at the large dragon's deep indigo scales, bright crimson, slitted eyes, and long, curved claws and spiked that covered his body.
Spyro's lips widened in a grin, before he opened his maw with a large intake of breath. It was large enough to fit a whole cub inside. The dark purple dragon spoke, his voice devious, raspy and distorted. "Well, it's been a while, Hunter. I see you're the chief here," he said. Hunter opened his mouth to reply, but Spyro quickly interrupted before he could speak. "But, as much as I hate to say it, I am not here on good terms, Hunter."
"What? What's wrong? What happened?" Hunter inquired, his eyebrows furrowing with confusion.
"Let's just say that I've… woken up. I've discovered some truths that… that I wish weren't true, but they are. Dragonkind has become so full of themselves as of recently, thinking that they are better and higher than everyone else. No one cares about those on the street that struggle, all turning blind eyes towards them. All I want now is to bring equality among different classes in the social world, and that means ridding it of all those that lift themselves up!
"But as of recently, I realised that it's not just the dragon species that does this. I recently reunited with my pathetic dragonfly 'family' and found out that even they participate in this practice too. I then realised that every species does, including your own, Hunter! You must all pay for ridiculing others because they're not as privileged as you!"
"No, Spyro! You've got it all wrong!" Hunter protested. "Here in the cheetah village, we care for each other! We care for every single soul in this village, no matter if they're fully intact or falling apart, if they're mentally stable or have disorders! Everyone has a place in this village; it's been like that for centuries! You don't have to worry about us being like that!"
"Oh, but I do, Hunter. What about Prowlus?" Spyro challenged. "He tied us up, and when I say 'us' that includes you! He tied up one of his own kind, Hunter! He wouldn't let you go until Meadow was brought back to him, and, to make it worse, he originally outright refused to let Cynder and I go and look for him! He thought himself better than his own kind and tied one of them up, and left the other to suffer with a broken leg!
"And what about the Hermit? He thought himself better than Cynder, thinking he could ridicule her for her past! He didn't care for her feelings! She was a troubled, changed dragoness, as clear to the eye as the cursed apes were, but he let his authority get the better of him, and he ridiculed her, calling her names and saying hurtful things to her! You cheetahs are all the same!"
"Prowlus was scared and confused!" Hunter protested, defending his predecessor. "Malefor's forces had terrorised the cheetah village countless times before you and Cynder showed up here, and he was terrified knowing you were a purple dragon, and you were with Cynder! He didn't know any better!
"The hermit was mental! Insane with the thoughts of the cheetah gods punishing us! He thought that both Malefor and Cynder were punishments from our gods! He was mentally broken! He's passed on now, but we tried to help him, but he ran off, not wanting our help! We found him dead a few days after I became chief, and we grieved for him, because he was one of us! A damned cheetah!"
"Stop feeding me lies, Hunter. I know what you're like: so self-centred and egotistic that now you're in a position of power and authority, you can boss your subjects around like nobody's business!"
"Alright now that's a blatant lie if I've ever heard one! You haven't even seen me as chief yet, so don't try and make up tales to satisfy your twisted fantasies and beliefs! Just because two cheetahs came across as being discriminatory and condescending doesn't mean the rest of us are! Just because the last chief thought he could order everyone around doesn't mean the new one will! You've got this all back-to-front, Spyro!"
Spyro ignored Hunter and continued speaking. "As I mentioned earlier, I learned that to make the world equal, I had to eradicate a threat: those who think high of themselves. Including you, and your subjects. You deny it, which proves that you are a threat."
"Denial only means something bad when it's delusional! I'm right, you know I am! Since when have I ever tried to treat certain people better than others, and when have I ever thought myself better than anyone?! If that was the case, I would have never come to find you and Cynder; I would've said that someone else could do it! But no, I followed the orders given to me by Ignitus, and I left my damn family for months to find you!"
"Still in denial… I don't want to have to eradicate this beautiful place, but you're a massive threat now, so I'm going to have to do it." Spyro said with a sigh, looking out over the cheetah village and the beautiful valley that surrounded it.
Hunter suddenly picked up on the word as he froze. He looked at Spyro with disbelief, studying him carefully. Something malicious had happened inside Spyro, fear filling his heart as he realised his friend was literally becoming the monster that was Malefor right in front of his eyes. The thoughts of… 'eradicating' people? This was the way only a Dark Master would think. Spyro had become the next Malefor, and it terrified Hunter. "Spyro, where did these thoughts of killing even come from? This isn't you! You've gone evil, I can tell! Don't deny it!" Hunter said, his voice quivering as he took a cautious step back.
"Tapping into my dark form was required to achieve this. It's the only way I could begin to kill off those who are egotistical and think better of themselves than others, which is most of it. I don't want to have to do this, but it's a necessary evil to keep the oppressed safe."
"Spyro, stop it! Stop this now, please! You make all these stories up to satisfy your dark fantasies and to justify massacres, but I won't have it! Please Spyro, come back to me! I want the old Spyro back!"
"I don't think so, Hunter. You need to be eliminated, and with it, your legacy. This entire village needs to be burned down. And, by Malefor's name, this place can hardly be called a village now; it's at least the size of a town! You cheetahs have expanded significantly!"
"Does it look like I care about how big this place is? All that matters is that it's my home, and I will protect my home and my people with my life!" Hunter scowled, lowering himself in a battle stance, raising his paw slightly, ready to grab his bow should he need to, as much as he was sickened by the idea of drawing his bow on Spyro. "It's my job as the chief to protect this place with everything I have, and while I hoped it would never come to it, so be it! I will protect my home, and you will leave and never return unless you come back to me like the Spyro I know and love!"
"Well, have fun with that, because none of that is going to happen; not me leaving, and most definitely not returning as the old Spyro. The old Spyro is dead. He was too scared to do anything to try and stop this issue of oppression and rejection going on, but now I've stepped up and am finally making things right. I am ridding the world of those who reject others lower than them. I am the real Spyro now, and I will do anything in my power to accomplish my goals. And unfortunately, it just means that everyone who opposes me has to also be eradicated.
"Fight back all you want, Hunter, but you won't survive if you do. Plus, it makes it a bit more fun for me, which is something I need if I'm so focused on this pressing matter all the time," Spyro growled, before he spread out his wings and roared, the volume so deafening that Hunter lurched backwards, dropping his bow to cover his ears firmly.
By the time Spyro had finished his roar and Hunter had recovered, chaos had exploded throughout the village. The roar was a war cry… a signal… It was a signal to begin the attack, as black-scaled dragons sporting green stripes and markings began to dive into the cheetah village. Almost immediately, they began taking out the citizens of the cheetah village with heavy swipes of their large paws. Arrows flew everywhere as cheetahs tried to protect themselves and their families, but the dragons knocked down several of them, sending blood spraying everywhere as heads and limbs were chopped off, large claw marks running across the faces and chests of several cheetahs, their tunics torn and bloodied.
The dragons even began to spit venom at the cheetahs, something Hunter had only ever seen Cynder do, causing the cheetahs to go down writhing and gurgling in agony, before they lay still, skin rotten and peeling away, bloodied foam forming at their malformed lips. Screams rose up throughout the massive village, and Hunter's ears drooped in fear, anguish and rage.
Hunter grabbed the blow slung around his shoulder and whipped an arrow from his quiver, nocking it to his bowstring. He aimed and released quickly, sending the arrow soaring towards Spyro's snout. Spyro didn't flinch, his eyes flashing a bright turquoise colour, as did the arrow. The arrow stopped in mid-air, before it flew off sideways, colliding into the side of a tree, the force causing it to shatter into several splintering fragments..
The chief growled, moving to grab another arrow, but Spyro was quicker as he whirled around, bringing his tail around and slapping Hunter's bow out of his paw, causing it to land on the ground with a clatter. Hunter ran to get it, but Spyro quickly ran up to the bow and slammed his large forepaw down on top of the bow, snapping it into smithereens.
Hunter screeched to a halt. Spyro glared at Hunter ominously, a hideous smile pulling at his lips, exposing long yellow fangs that glistened with his saliva. Some small streaks of blood could be seen staining his fangs too. Spyro opened his mouth with a low, guttural growl, breathing three beams of crackling purple electricity at Hunter, who narrowly dodged each one of them. Spyro breathed a fourth, which hit Hunter square in the chest, causing him to fly backwards, slamming hard into the side of a hut.
With an unearthly roar, Spyro leapt towards Hunter, who only just had enough time to draw his sword from his scabbard to intercept Spyro's claws. It was in this moment that Hunter was thankful that cheetahs were obliged to learn close combat should the need arise; normally the choice of weapon was a dagger, but Hunter, as well as his son Derilan, had taken swords. Spyro snarled and swung his claws around again, as did Hunter with his sword, intercepting the attack. Hunter managed to slit Spyro's wrist slightly, drawing a thin bead of dark, sticky blood that oozed slowly from the wound. Spyro didn't seem to react to it, as he swung his large paw forward again, grabbing the cheetah's paw firmly and yanking the sword from his grasp, throwing it to the side and leaving Hunter defenceless.
Spyro brought his claws down on Hunter again, but Hunter managed to wriggle out of the way, getting to his paws and leaping out of the rubble of the hut, just narrowly missing the downward sweep of Spyro's massive claws. He swayed clumsily on his feet before he ran towards the sword to pick it up, but Spyro swung his tailblade around, slicing deeply through his back, cutting his cloak, his quiver, and all the arrows inside it in half, causing them all to fall to the ground, leaving Hunter in his short burgundy tunic and pants. Rivers of blood ran down his back, staining his tunic red. The tunic was torn as well, large shreds hanging over the bloodied wound, irritating it more. Hunter staggered with a pained cry, collapsing to the ground as he coughed roughly, before he got back to his feet as fast as he could. He continued to run as fast as he could, desperate for his sword.
Hunter dived for the weapon, grabbing it quickly as he narrowly escaped another swing of Spyro's vicious tailblade, rolling in the ground and smearing dirt and mud all over him, irritating his wounds even more. Spyro turned and roared, leaping at Hunter to claw at him again, but Hunter acted quickly as he dug the entire length of his sharp blade into Spyro's left palm. The hideous sound of squelching, tearing flesh registered in his ears, and blood oozed out of the wound as the blade went all the way in.
The purple dragon howled with anger, forcefully pulling his paw free, leaving the blade drenched in a thick coating in dark red blood, which also sprayed out of the dark indigo paw all over Hunter's face and tunic. The sound that tore from Spyro's throat was horrendous and deafening, making Hunter's heart race a hundred miles an hour.
But Hunter stayed strong, standing to his paws and rushing forward, gripping the hilt of his sword firmly as he let out a loud roar, leaping up into the air towards Spyro and swinging his weapon around violently, cutting open a large wound in Spyro's chest, which sprayed with even more dark red liquid. Spyro let out a demonic scream, rearing his head backwards as his eyes began to glow an even more intense crimson light. Spyro recovered, before looking down and letting down a bright red plasma beam at Hunter.
The chief tried intercepting the beam with his sword, but the wild energy was stronger, throwing him backwards, burns on his face and arms. The sheer force of the blast was enough to flip him around in mid-air, and he landed face-first into a heavy stone slab. Hunter picked his head up off the now blood-stained rock, blood streaming from his nose and a massive cut over his left eyebrow. The right side of his upper lip was also cut deeply, swelling with dark blood. He ran his tongue over his lips, tasting his own blood. He stood, swaying back and forth, feeling woozy from the sudden hit to the head.
Spyro breathed a stream of purple fire at Hunter, causing him to stagger sideways to dodge the head. The purple dragon ran forward as Hunter swayed back and forth, gaining his balance as he recovered from his disoriented state. With a savage snarl, Spyro swung his large tailblade around, slicing Hunter's left leg open, and he fell to the ground again, clutching his red, bloody leg in agony, crying out in utter pain. Hunter quickly grabbed his sword in his right paw, which he had dropped next to him, continuing to hold his bloodied leg with his left paw. He groaned as he tried to get up onto his paws, but his wounded leg gave a violent twitch and he fell to the ground yet again with a grunt.
Hunter looked up again, his heart lurching as he saw Spyro begin to advance on him once more, a hideous grin pulling at his lips. A pained roar suddenly burst out of his maw as an arrow embedded itself into the back of Spyro's head as he turned around, revealing a middle-aged red-furred cheetah aiming his bow towards him. The cheetah seemed to falter at Spyro's devilish gaze, before turning to run as fear overtook him. Spyro leaped on top of him as he began sprinting, trapping the cheetah underneath the indigo dragon's large paws. Hunter cried out in protest, trying to stand up again but without success as his wounded leg gave way. Spyro paid no heed to Hunter's desperate cry.
Spyro placed his claw on the cheetah's throat, ready to slice it across, until a youthful, feminine scream tore through the air. "DADDY!"
"Ivy?!" the cheetah choked under Spyro's grasp, coughing heavily, his voice trembling in terror. "I told you to stay hidden!"
"But I wanted to be with you!" the young yellow-furred she-cheetah cried. The cub trembled in terror, standing no more than a dozen metres away from where her father was pinned. "I'm scared; I wanna be with you!"
"Awwww, how touching," Spyro said sarcastically, chuckling sadistically as he dug his talon into the cheetah's throat, causing him to let out a howl of pain, his voice cracking due to the force of his scream. It suddenly ended as Spyro drew his talon quickly across the length of the cheetah's throat, leaving behind a hideous display of blood.
Both Hunter and Ivy let out a scream of protest. He tried to get up to his feet again, but collapsed yet a third time, cursing his bloody leg for not allowing him to get up and save Ivy. He tried a fourth time, managing to stand upright for a mere second before his leg gave way underneath him again, causing him to fall face-first into the ground. He cursed his leg even more, especially since Spyro was now moving slowly towards Ivy.
The she-cheetah cub was sobbing beyond all control, her voice raw and croaky as she choked on her tears. She fell into fits of wet coughing as she choked on phlegm and mucus, her nose running as Ivy let loose all composure the closer Spyro got to her. Her whimpers and sobs rose into fully fledged screams and wails, her throat constricting every time she howled.
Spyro chuckled darkly as he reached out with his large paw, blood staining one of his talons, grabbing a gentle hold of Ivy and lifting her up towards his face. Those hideous crimson eyes stared into Ivy's soul, making her cry harder. She did not fight back however. As terrified as she was, and as much as she was screaming, she just stood there, too frozen in her fear to move.
The dragon's lips parted to reveal scary, long, yellow fangs, and as Spyro inhaled to speak, it allowed Ivy to stare into his mouth at the long, twisting tongue that twitched, thirsty for the taste of her blood, as it slithered down into the dark, fleshy abyss at the back of the mouth that bulged with every breath that the beast holding her took. All this happened in slow motion to Ivy, before Spyro finally spoke.
"Don't be afraid, little one," Spyro said. "You'll be free from this hellish world in a few moments. I will take you to the afterlife and you can be free from being thought low of. It will only hurt for a moment, and then you will fly free."
Hunter gasped. Spyro was going to kill Ivy. He was going to kill a child!
It didn't matter if Spyro thought he was doing the right thing by 'setting her free'. It didn't matter if he thought he was doing Ivy, and the world, a favour by doing this. He was going to kill her!
A low, rumbling growl emanated from his throat, his wet tongue lashing inside his mouth, lusting for the taste of blood that he had grown to crave after devouring Flash. His tastebuds longed for more blood and gore. More raw flesh to be broken apart, releasing all the blood streaming through those veins. He salivated at the very thought, especially when taking into consideration how much larger this cub was than Flash… how much blood she held inside her.
He opened his mouth wide, giving off a great view of his terrifying dark throat, and only now did Ivy begin thrashing about in his hold. Ivy suddenly began to feel the heavy pressure around her weaken, but continued thrashing. As Spyro's hold reached the state where she could wriggle free, she did, but unfortunately, she was positioned directly over Spyro's maw. She let out a shrill scream as she plummeted down into his massive jaws.
The shriek was silenced as Spyro's jaws closed, her torso being bitten into two, sending blood, gore and entrails spraying in every direction, turning the yellow she-cub's body dark red with wet blood. Her waist and legs disappeared inside Spyro's mouth, her chest hung limply over Spyro's closed teeth, arms flailed in opposite directions and head slumped over. Spyro parted his jaws to let the rest of the cub fall into his mouth, and with loud crunches he began to chew, blood spilling from his mouth and down his lips.
She was dead, now set to the afterlife, like Spyro wanted.
There was a brief flash of sadness on Spyro's face, appearing to realise the true evil of what he had done, before it disappeared completely as he convinced himself it was the right thing to do. Ivy was free now. So were all the other cheetahs that were being slaughtered right now. The slaughter was to set them all free, as well as to feed fear into the world so that they wouldn't stand up against him, and that they would stop oppressing those lower than them.
Hunter missed the flash of sadness, just staring at Spyro in complete shock, unable to believe that Spyro had just eaten a cub. He thought Spyro was going to cut her throat, crush her in his grasp, or throw her to the ground and let the impact kill her, but he ate her. Most importantly, it was Spyro. The dragon who had fought to save lives, not to end them.
Who was this hideous creature? Hunter looked around and saw the venom-spitting dragons killing countless cheetahs, even taking the heads off many more little cubs… even off the adult cheetahs. But none of them ate the cubs like Spyro had.
Hunter's heart broke. Watching his people get slaughtered was terrible to watch. It sickened him.
Knowing Spyro was distracted, Hunter tried to stand up a fifth time, finally successful as he gained his balance carefully, trying not to let the searing pain in his bleeding leg distract him from the simple task of standing. He could feel the blood dripping down his leg, matting his fur, but he ignored it. He gripped his sword firmly in his right paw, flexing his muscles to try and distract him from the pain in his leg.
A new sound distracted him more, however. A scream tore through the air, mingling with all the other screams, but this one seemed familiar. The voice behind it was familiar. The scream sounded again, and Hunter's face fell as he finally realised who it belonged to. It was his mate, Kassaan.
Completely forgetting about his previous engagement with Spyro, he whirled around and staggered off painfully towards Kassaan's scream. He didn't even check to see if Spyro had noticed and chased after him, but luckily for Hunter, the corrupt purple had just been attacked by three other cheetahs, causing him to get distracted from Hunter.
Hunter ran as best as he could down the street, calling Kassaan's name. He turned the corner, seeing Kassaan in the grasp of a venom-spitting dragon, held by her head, which was severely damaged, her entire forehead stained red with torrents of dark, sticky blood. Blood spilled from her lips and nostrils, and her left shoulder was wrenched sideways, blood spilling from it where her bone visibly stuck out of her skin, the arm connected to it twisted back-to-front. Her tunic was ripped to shreds and covered with blood, as was her matted fur as it stuck through the holes in the tunic.
The venom-spitting dragon raised the blood-stained paw it held Kassaan in, before slamming her forcefully into the ground with a loud crash, face-first. Again, and again, and again her face met the ground. Kassaan didn't shout, let alone groan or move. She was out, potentially dead as blood streamed down her mangled face.
Hunter screamed in protest, getting the venom-spitting dragon's attention. It turned and growled at Hunter, throwing Kassaan to the ground, her blood pooling out underneath her. The dragon roared angrily at Hunter, fangs dripping with venom and dark green tongue lashing violently. Hunter growled threateningly, "Come and get me, you son of a…"
His breath was torn from his chest as the venom-spitter leapt at him, slashing its claws violently across his chest and sending him flying backwards into the wall of a hut. Blood streamed from the wounds in his chest, and he coughed violently, spitting out gushes of dark red blood. He still held onto his sword tightly, quickly thrusting it upwards as the dragon lunged on top of Hunter.
The sword drove into its chest, dark green blood spraying from the wound, which appeared to be fatal. The venom-spitter, however, remained very much in action despite the fatal wound as it staggered backwards, growling and snarling in pain. It got off, Hunter, allowing the wounded cheetah to struggle up to his paws, taking it slowly and carefully as he had before, using his sword to steady him.
Before Hunter could register what was happening, a dark orange cheetah leapt out at the venom-spitter's neck, sword drawn. Meadow drove his sword into the dragon's neck, and it screeched with pain. The venom-spitter thrashed its head about savagely to shake Meadow off, sending him flying into a brick post. There was a loud crack as Meadow collided with it, and blood began to spill from the back of the dark orange cheetah's head.
Meadow groaned as he tried to get up, his head throbbing and vision blurry, but the venom-spitting dragon leapt at Meadow, jaws open wide and claws outstretched. Hunter screamed out a warning, rushing forward to try and save Meadow, who managed to thrust his sword out in the nick of time, driving it into the venom-spitter's forehead. There was a crack and a shatter, as well as a massive burst of dark green gore, as the dragon collapsed on top of Meadow.
Unfortunately, its massive, sharp claws, which were placed heavily on Meadow's chest when it landed on him, slipped and gave way, clawing a gaping big hole in Meadow's chest, piercing deep into his heart.
Hunter ran towards Meadow with a shocked cry, hauling the venom-spitter's corpse off Meadow with all his might and gasping with shock at the massive amount of blood that welled out of Meadow's chest. Hunter looked at Meadow, placing a paw on his shoulder and forcing a groan out of him. Meadow croaked, taking in a hoarse breath, and began to speak in a croaky, hushed voice. "I've been… glad to… serve… by your side… Chief… Hunter."
"I've been glad to have you as a great friend coming up in training, as well as a close supporter, Meadow. You were someone I could look to if I needed help," Hunter murmured. There was no point trying to save Meadow. Hunter knew his friend was fading, dying, and it broke his heart.
"Evacuate… the town," Meadow croaked. "Take those… who… are… still alive… to… t-to… War… Warf…"
Meadow never finished as the light faded from his eyes and his head slumped sideways, eyes staring up at the sky sightlessly. Hunter let out a scream of anguish, tears streaming down his face. Never had he had to grieve like he was now. He mourned for all those being mercilessly slaughtered by Spyro's forces, but Meadow's death, the death of a friend, brought him past breaking point. He couldn't do anything to stop it.
Hunter sniffed, trying to stop the tears that choked him. Meadow never finished his line of thought, but Hunter knew exactly what he was trying to say. 'Take those who are still alive to Warfang.' He's right; we might have a better chance of surviving there, especially with dragons around to protect us, Hunter thought.
He turned and saw Kassaan, causing his heart to sink even further. Her eyes were closed, and her fur was matted with sticky blood as it caked her face. Most of her features were indistinguishable with the amount of blood on her mangled face. Hunter ran towards his fallen, bloodied mate and picked her up, wrapping her intact right arm around his shoulder as he held her with his left arm around her own shoulders, and his right arm holding her by the waist. He could feel Kassaan's decimated shoulder and twisted arm underneath his paw.
Hunter began hobbling forward, running as fast as he could through the burning village. "Evacuate! Evacuate! Go to Warfang!" he roared to the other cheetahs several times, but almost every single cheetah who heard and acknowledged him fell dead a few seconds later, none of them surviving more than ten seconds.
The chief felt the grief well up even more. So many lives were being taken. How could Spyro do this? How could he order this? This was the madness that Spyro had set out to stop all those years ago, wasn't it? How could he be the one leading ad ordering this? Hunter felt rage bubble up inside him at the corrupt purple. Spyro had been his friend! He had trusted Spyro, and now Spyro was doing this?! Spyro had betrayed him, and everyone close to him. Hunter couldn't imagine how Cynder would feel about this, knowing her dark past.
It wasn't long before he ended up at his home, hoping to the gods that Derilan, Rasha and Mumblon were still there, safe and sound. Derilan was only seventeen and still lived with his parents, and as a family, they were looking after Rasha and Mumblon, both seven. Hunter opened the door and gasped as he saw the two cubs huddled in a corner, whimpering and screaming in fear as Derilan stood protectively in front of them, aiming a bow and arrow at a venom-spitter that had managed to thrust its head into the window of the hut, but was now stuck.
It snarled and snapped at Derilan, before it let out a loud roar, trying with all its might to pull its head free. As it did so, Derilan released the arrow he had been aiming at the venom-spitter, and it soared down its throat. It roared as it spat up green blood, before making a disgusting hacking noise as it gathered up venom along its jaws.
Hunter gasped, screaming out to Derilan, "Derilan! Get Rasha and Mumblon! We need to go, NOW!"
Derilan looked at his father for a split second, before turning and grabbing the two cubs, sprinting towards his father as he narrowly dodged the huge globs of venom that were spat at him.
Hunter turned and hobbled off, still holding Kassaan, and Derilan caught up to him. "Whoa, Father! Are you alright?!" Derilan asked as they ran, noticing his father's bloody body.
"I'm fine, Derilan!" Hunter replied with a cough. "As long as we all get out of here safely, I'll be fine! Now let's head over to Warfang; the dragons will be able to help us! And hopefully, Cynder hasn't turned like Spyro has!"
Hunter and Derilan ran as fast as they could, carrying the rest of their family with them. The cheetah village burned brightly around them, screams tearing through the air as the population of the cheetah village was massacred. After about a minute of running, they finally began to approach the outer gates of the cheetah village.
They were so close to getting out before a large explosion shook the ground, sending all five cheetahs flying into the air. Rasha landed on the ground with a heavy smack, blood immediately flying from the back of her head where it was cracked open. Her fearful shrieking was silenced immediately. Hunter ran to her, noticing she was still alive, but only just, her heartbeat weak.
He looked to Derilan, who had managed to keep Mumblon close to him, sheltering the little cub from harm. Mumblon suddenly let out a shriek, and both Hunter and Derilan followed his gaze up. Hunter let out a savage growl of hatred, and Derilan shouted in fear, scrambling backwards as best as he could, blood streaming from his right eyebrow, his head aching and dizzy.
Spyro emerged from the billowing clouds of smoke, chuckling demonically as he finally got to the cheetahs he wanted. The corrupt purple raised a claw and slashed it across Derilan's arms, cutting deeply into them, but also tearing open Mumblon's chest as it sat behind them. Mumblon's terrified screams were silenced too as blood streamed from his chest, and Derilan let out a scream of despair as the cub went limp in his bloody, throbbing arms.
Another set of claws cut up from underneath Derilan, throwing him into the air, and Mumblon fell from his grasp. Derilan cried out desperately before he landed on the ground with a heavy crack as his right leg was dislocated, and Hunter turned around and leapt forward, catching Mumblon before he could slam into the hard ground underneath him like Rasha had.
Hunter looked back towards Rasha and scrambled towards her, grabbing her and slinging her over his shoulder as he held Mumblon in his arms. Torrents of blood ran down her cracked head, dripping down over Hunter's chest and onto the ground below. He felt Mumblon's hot sticky blood streaming into his arm as he held him, and fear gripped Hunter's chest like a vice. He looked back and saw Derilan pop his leg back into place with a loud crack, before he made his way to Kassaan, grabbing her by her good arm and slinging it around his neck, standing up.
The chief staggered towards Derilan and Kassaan, tears filling his eyes, the salty moisture stinging as it ran over the terribly, bloody wounds on his face. He turned back to look at Spyro, taking a deep intake of air before he began to beg to him, despair breaking his voice. "Take the village! Do whatever the hell you want with it! But whatever you do, please spare us! Please! Take us as slaves or whatever, I don't give a damn! Just keep us alive!" Hunter pleaded, struggling to speak through his heavy sobs. Damn, he'd never cried this hard before. "I-I-I don't want a-a-any more bloodshed! Just s-s-stop this, please!"
"I'm sorry, Hunter, but that can't happen. I need you to die if I want to save this world. Especially you, Hunter. You are a threat to the innocent creatures you shun, and so you and your legacy must be destroyed. Being in such a high position as well, you are one of the biggest threats around," Spyro hissed, his low, demonic voice sending a chill down the cheetah's spine. Hunter looked back at Derilan and saw that he was unnerved as well, probably even more so than he was.
Derilan slowly lowered Kassaan to the ground, before, in one swift move, he grabbed his bow from around his shoulder, nocking his last remaining arrow from his quiver, and quickly sent it soaring towards Spyro. The arrow embedded itself clean into Spyro's chest, dark red blood spurting from the wound as Spyro let out a terrible howl that shook Hunter to the very core, raising a paw to yank the arrow out of his chest. Derilan's aim was off, so it had missed the purple dragon's heart, but it had left a decent puncture in the flesh. The shot had been in vain, and had not put Spyro in that bad of a position.
But Derilan had bought them time, which was precious. While Spyro was focused on the arrow and his chest wound, Hunter quickly stood up and turned to run, holding Rasha and Mumblon tightly, and Derilan grabbed Kassaan once again, discarding his bow as he turned to follow his bloodied father. Spyro's howls of pain and rage still sounded behind them, and suddenly, a blinding, heavy explosion shook the ground beneath them with a flash of red plasma energy. Hunter let out a shout, picking up the pace as he held onto the two cubs. Another explosion rocked the ground. Then another. Then a fourth.
Then, the sounds of battle and destruction began to fade into silence, and Hunter knew that they had gotten far enough away from them, and Spyro had given up on chasing them down. But they were in danger and mortally wounded; three of them were on the verge of dying. They had to get to Warfang as quickly as possible.
They ran like hell for the rest of the afternoon, and it was night by the time they reached Warfang, their bloody bodies aching, ready to give up.
Hunter opened his eyes and shouted as he leapt up in his bed. He suddenly remembered where he was. He was safe. He was in Warfang. He was in the infirmary. Tears immediately sprang to his eyes as he remembered Rasha and Mumblon who were both dead, and Kassaan, who was now comatose. She may never wake up. Hunter remembered the brutality of the venom-spitter that had beaten her face into the ground. Even if she did wake up, she may never recover from it.
He brought his paws out from under the sheets of his bed, staring at them in the dark lighting of the night. He had held Mumblon in those paws. He had held Rasha in those paws. He had held Kassaan in those paws. He had lost two of them, and was most likely going to lose the third. He had failed. Failed to protect them. Failed to hold onto the promises and vows that he made.
He had vowed that he would hold onto Kassaan and protect her. He had vowed that he would never leave her alone. He had left to find Spyro and Cynder, but he had vowed he would return, and that he did. He had found Kassaan and Derilan among the guardians, dragons, and half of the cheetah village in the Warfang Ruins; the other half of the village had gone with Prowlus, who had perished, to find refuge elsewhere. He had held Kassaan and Derilan firmly as the world ended around them, refusing to let go, vowing to protect them, vowing to never let them go.
But he had done just that. He'd let go of Kassaan. And as soon a she did so, she suffered for it. Suffered for his actions.
Why did they have to go through this? Why couldn't he be punished and not those he loved and cared for? He had more strength going through the trials rather than watching others go through them. He would prefer to die if it meant Rasha and Mumblon were still alive. Why couldn't he just take their place? Why did the world have to take things away from him, and stop him from protecting the people he loved dearly?
It was at this point when Hunter lost all composure. He lowered his head into his frail, weak paws that had let go of Rasha, Mumblon and Kassaan, and wept into them. And he wept hard. The tears forced their way out of his eyes and streamed relentlessly down his face, but he didn't care. He didn't try to hold back the tears; he'd lost too much to try. He'd lost his friend, his niece, his predecessor's son, and the two most important things: his village and his mate. The lump in his throat choked him and his eyes felt like they were getting stabbed by the savage claws of the demon that had taken everything from him, and he willed it all to end.
He'd tried to keep his weeping silent, but now he couldn't hold back as he let out a loud wail. There was the sound of rustling from the bed beside him, but he didn't register it as he let out another wail. Damn it all, he'd wanted today to be a happy day! It was Mumblon's eighth birthday tomorrow for the gods' sakes! He had promised the kid the best day of his life, and he had died! He hadn't even made it to his birthday!
Hunter couldn't help but think that it was all his fault, and that mentality turned into thinking that he couldn't do anything right, that he had no worth, and that he had failed. Failed Meadow, failed Rasha, failed Mumblon, failed Prowlus, failed Kassaan… Failed himself! Another grating howl tore from his throat, his chest burning from the lack of air as his throat constricted with each sob, each howl.
"Father! Father, are you alright?!" Derilan's frantic, frightened voice asked from beside him, and Hunter jumped as he looked to his left, Derilan's paw lightly touching his shoulder. Derilan wore a frightened, concerned look on his face. The large scar around his right eyebrow was visible despite the darkness of the room they were in.
"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine," Hunter choked, trying to hide his emotions as best he could but failing, as he tore the bedsheets off his body, attempting to get up out of bed.
"Father, the healers specifically asked you to rest. If you put pressure on those legs, you may open the wounds again. You were very badly wounded."
Hunter winced and let out a soft, whimpering sob as he took a step forward, before pausing. Warm liquid trickled down his left leg, before it dripped with a soft plip plop on the ground, piercing through the silence. "Too late, it's already opened," Hunter murmured, limping forward and out of the room.
"Father, where are you going?"
"For a walk," Hunter said, stopping and looking back at his son. "I need to think over some things."
"You dreamt of this afternoon, didn't you?"
Hunter flinched, the action visible to Derilan even in the darkness, and nodded, turning his head away from Derilan in a feeble attempt to hide the fresh wave of tears that came forth from his eyes. Hunter continued to walk forward, before pausing again as he heard pawsteps behind him.
Derilan walked up to Hunter, placing his paw back on his shoulder, before stroking his father's fur gently in a comforting manner. "Father, just relax. Rest for a bit," he said softly. "Just sit down if you want to think about it. Don't hurt yourself more than you already are. And if you want to talk about it, I'm here for you. I know you promised you would look after me, but you're family. You're my father. I can't just sit around and watch you suffer, so now it's my turn to look after you, to make sure you're okay, and to just… be there for you. And I know the dragons are willing to do so too. In the morning, you can go and talk to them about it. Cynder looked kind enough."
Hunter looked at his son with a sad smile. "Thank you, son," he wept, embracing his son and sobbing into his shoulder. After a few moments, Hunter broke the hug and hobbled back to his bed, sitting down on it. Derilan sat down next to him.
Hunter let out a sad chuckle. "I never thought I'd be back here so soon after becoming chief. I even say 'so soon' despite it having been eight years. But I always wished it would have been on better terms than this. Peace is so short-lived these days," he murmured sadly, sniffing and wiping his wet eyes which still produced tears. "And Spyro's… Spyro's gone. He's but a shadow of his former self. I don't know what happened to him for him to take a complete one-eighty. He was the saviour of the world. He was kind and selfless, and now he's out for blood and violence, no matter what his motivation is. He's become the next Malefor."
"There are some things that are just out of our control, Father. Even our ancient spirits can't control everything."
Hunter just nodded. "I never thought that I would have to fight in a war again, so soon after the last one. Those eight years went by so quickly. But in the name of peace and freedom, I will gladly fight again for what's right, and I will gladly do it among you, my family, and the dragons, my friends."
How was that for a nice long chapter lol? 11K words, longest chapter I've ever written and I'm pretty proud of it lol. What do you all think of it? Nice seeing Hunter again haha?
Anyway things have been interesting hasn't it? Hope everyone's faring well, staying safe and finding something to do lol. For me I'm in my mid-semester break for uni, which has now been moved to online, which isn't something I really wanted since I prefer on-campus but that's just how it is right now I guess. Really hoping things clear up soon. Other than that, I've just been spending my time writing music and fanfictions, as well as trying to learn 3D modelling a bit more.
[EDIT] Fixed up a minor inconsistencies with Mumblon's age in this haha. Thanks Derick Lindsey! I'm honestly surprised it was never picked up on tbh.
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Derick Lindsey: My view on Gaul's relationship with Malefor? Yes, very loyal. I feel like Gaul was the one keeping the apes behaving well, because we know how after Gaul's death the apes got greedy for power and focused on that rather than true loyalty to Malefor, which is why they became shadow apes in Dawn of the Dragon and the grublins replaced them.
Dragon of Mystery: Thanks for all your reviews on all the past chapters haha. I'm glad you're enjoying it and it's been good to see your thoughts on each chapter. And yes, Cynder's in a bit of an interesting position with that reversal, with Spyro and Muras/Malefor having switched roles essentially lol.
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Anyway thanks everyone for reading and reviewing! I'll see you all later with another chapter of either this or Grand Elemental Master! Have a good day and stay safe!