Woah, this is taking off a lot faster than my other stories. To give you an idea, at the time of writing this chapter, this story has several hundred views in only a couple of weeks. It took my other stories months to reach that.

Thanks so much for reading, everyone, and for the reviews and feedback. I really sport here!

L0RD3N: Thank you for the kind words.

Snicker Toodles and AuthorSan: Thank you both for the kind words and in-depth feedback. I will try to address each of your critiques and I think they help a ton.

A big thank you to everyone who has reviewed it so far. I really appreciate all the feedback I have been getting. Forgive me for not being able to address all reviewers, many were left as I wrote the chapter and it will be hard to try and address all from here on. I probably won't list name by name as often from here on, but I wanted to let you know I appreciate it.

Of note, those who did not see my edits in the previous chapters retconned her Meredy's age to 3, as I felt that might explain her smaller size and mannerisms better. Also, I edited a few things in the other chapters. Namely, I realized Meredy is a bit too self-aware and smart. While she needs to be a bit smarter than an average toddler for sake of the story, I don't want to break the suspension of disbelief. I edited the scenes with her being questioned by the doctor and such to seem more plausible. As well as Spyro jumping to conclusions so fast.
A bit of elaboration here that I had trouble explaining, in a 'natural way, in the story proper, Meredy would be considered psychically an infant, more or less, as far as how dragons age. But, as I noted, she is mentally three. Without going into spoilers, that involves the weird aging differences between humans and dragons in this setting. This will be addressed more in-depth at a later point in the story. (When we get there, you will see why its a spoiler)

Please forgive me if there are spelling errors. I try to get them all, but I only have so much free time and energy to work on these, and finding every single little error is tedious. I will keep correcting the story as I re-read it of course. I still want to get these out in a timely manner.

Meredy pouted as the doctor continued her physical examination. They did not get any more information about the note from the girl. In fact, Ignita was a bit surprised she could speak so well at all, but she still had trouble pronouncing certain words. Currently, they were making her hold her jaw open to examining her teeth. Further examinations were at Cynder's behest, as she was worried for the hatchling. She wanted to make sure they did not miss anything about her health.

"Hmm, looks like her baby teeth have fully developed," Ignita said, capping off her examination.

"Other than her size, she seems healthy. I would say you will be clear." She said as she handed Cynder the pouch of supplies. "Alright, instructions and some ingredients I had from the store room should be in there." She state. The appointment had gone on for another hour, and Ignita had a mole assist bring the hatchling supplies a little bit ago.

Cynder smiled. "Ok, thank you Ignita." She said.

The pink dragoness smiled and nodded. She than spoke. "Now remember, feed her the milk at least twice a day, and make sure you give her ample play time and sleep. It's important for her development." She noted. She had been giving Cynder a few pointers in very young children. Though Cynder had dealt with hatchlings before, the ones she helped with at temple training sessions and such were normally older children. She had little experience with toddler-aged hatchlings, especially in the capacity of a primary caretaker. Any guidance would help.

"Alright. Thank you again Ignita."

Cynder responded. The doctor nodded as Cynder departed the room.

Taking the hatchling in her maw again, Cynder walked out towards the lobby and the reception desk.

She paid for the services rendered, then began walking out.

As she did, Cynder thought for a moment. She did want to take Meredy out to see the city, but Spyro was still on business at another end of the temple. Maybe she could visit with him and show the girl around.

Finding a place to sit in the hallways on the way out, she sat the girl down.

"Little one, how would you feel about seeing some more of the temple?"

Meredy looked up enthusiastically. "Ok." She replied.

Cynder smiled. She took the girl in her maw again and left.


Very soon the pair made it out to a lush garden area. There, both dragons spurred Spyro to converse with a guard. When they saw the pair of dragons approaching, he bid the guard god bye and came over.

Cynder sat Meredy down and nuzzled her mate.

"Hello, Spyro." Meredy heard Cynder say.

"Always good to see you, Cynder." He spoke back.

After they broke the embrace, the purple dragon knelt down to Meredy.

"Why hello again, little one. I hope you slept well this morning." He joked about Meredy sleeping in late. "How was the doctor?" He asked her.

Meredy thought for a moment. "I like her, she was nice." She stated.

Spyro nodded and looked back up at Cynder. She leaned in and whispered something in his ear. Meredy could not hear it, but it made the purple dragon flinch in surprise.

Cynder then leaned back down to address Meredy.

"Sweetie, Spyro and I need to… discuss some grown-up things. Are you ok with playing for a moment?" She said, a bit nervously

Meredy smiled. She was excited, she had not gotten to play normally since she got to this… dragon world? Whatever it was.

"Ok." She said.

Meredy turned and began walking over to an open spot of the guardian.

'Wait, don't leave sight of us. Just stay there, we will be with you in just a minute." Cynder said.

Meredy nodded and walked off.

Within a moment, she found a spot full of grass to roll around and play in. She wasted no time in running around, releasing the energy she had pent up from being carried everywhere. She needed to stretch her legs a bit.

However, only a minute or two into playing, she looked over to where she came from, the exit to the garden. The halls looked rather lavish and ornate. In fact, compared to the little dragon, they were massive. The more she looked at this building the more it seemed like some kind of fantasy castle to explore, just like her mother's stories.

The thought of having an adventure in a fantasy world, like what she was apparently in, ignited some spark in the girl's imaginative mind.

With barely a second thought, she ran off towards the garden entrance, unbeknownst to the pair of adults..,


"That's worrying Cynder but-" Spyro had been saying, as he glanced where the baby was supposed to have been a second ago. The purple dragon grew a nervous expression.

"She was supposed to be there, right?" He asked, nervously.

Cynder grew wide-eyed and looked over. "

Spyro frowned at what he heard.

Cynder panicked inwardly and looked around the garden. No sign of the hatchling.

"Where'd she go? She was just right here." She said.

Spyro looked nervous as well. "I-I don't know, I was just looking at her not even a few minutes ago." He said. He began searching, looking around as well.

Cynder's heart started pounding. "She can't have gotten far, right? She's hardly more than a baby." Cynder pointed out.

Spyro sighed and began moving towards the temple. "Only place she could have gone is into the temple. We need to tell the guards, I am not taking any chances." He said firmly.

Cynder nodded, and after calling out for Meredy and looking around one final time, she followed him, but still nervous. They knew they needed to inform the guards, a hatchling could not just be left alone to wander.


The hatchling wandered the halls of the temple in wonder. The intricate stone walls and floors, and the various medieval fixtures, made her think of the castles from the picture books her mom showed her. This was like an adventure!

She noted how there were no other individuals present in this hallway.

All the more room to play!

She started running at a brisk pace, wanting to see it all. There were so many cool things on the walls, including banners and symbols, all different colors, of things she did not know. There were even drsgon sdatues.

As she paces through the halls, an open door caught her attention. Unlike the other doors nearby, it was larger and had a dragon's head on it, like a knocker. It looked important, but what piqued her curiosity was what was inside the room.

"A new place to explore." She thought.

Entering the room, she cocked her head in awe.

The room she found herself in was made of more lavish bright stones and had a very large layout. Overhead, a massive, open ceiling, almost like that of a church, sprawled.

In the middle of the room, sat a massive table, the length of the room nearly, composed of wood, but with red fabric draped over it. Kind of like a large dining table but without any accommodations set out. Glancing around, the toddler noted other tables with things set on them as well, such as vases and decorative figurines of dragons. Additionally, it looked like all manner of murals were set up, including the elemental logos and a mural of a purple dragon.

Meredy did not know what these were for but she wanted a better look.

She walked over and hopped onto the table, aided by some chairs. After climbing her way up, she began getting a better look around.

However, the sound of several paw steps came her way. She could not even get off the table before she saw a guard dragon, covered in red armor.

"Nothing around, as always…" the dragon muttered, in an irritated tone. He had red scales and a red underbelly, from what Meredy could see. He did not seem to notice the girl at first.

She would try to back away slowly but ended up tipping over a vase that was on the table.

"Huh?" The guard muttered. He turned over to where Meredy was, then his eyes lit up in shock.

"A dark dragon hatchling?! How is that-?" He muttered. He shook it aside and attempted to lower himself lightly, likely in an attempt to not scare the girl.

"Hey little one, are you lost?" He asked, in a sympathetic tone.

Meredy's little heart started beating into overdrive. She looked at him nervously.

As he got closer, she screamed in fear. The guard's massive stature combined with the plate armor covering his body only made him look more imposing.

Any thoughts that he might be friendly were lost on the girl as her raw fear of being alone with such a massive creature surged through her kind. No matter how many times she was told, she still find the adult dragons scary, barring a few.

In impulse, she bolted out of the room faster than the guard could react. Still reeling from the shock of a shadow dragon, he it took a few seconds for it to click in his mind a hatchling was on the run down the hallways. This was not helped by the fact she had run around him, under tables he could not reach.

As she bolted out of the room, Meredy could hear his footsteps behind her, giving chase. She only quicker her pace, but she had a hard time keeping her balance. She was getting the hang of walking but Wes was still a bit unstable in her four paws. The guard would have caught up to her if not fit the fact she had just wandered into a group of adult dragons, who all seemed to be leaving from some other larger room. It seemed her timing was convenient enough to link up with their arrival in the hallway, and they were not far from the dining hall. Each one present was wearing a cloak or formal armor. None seemed to notice the hatchling approaching.

However, as she ducked under their legs, this changed.

Some of the adults did a double take and had to step quickly to avoid stepping on the hatchling. They had been caught off guard, and barely had time to rest,

"What the-"

"Little one, hold up-

But Meredy was in too much of a frenzy to care.

Meredy kept running, dodging under the legs of various other dragons going around

"What the?"

"Little one, be careful."

"Kid, where are you going?"

Various voices called as the hatchling ran past or under the adults present. The hallway was starting to fill up as more dragons came out from the various rooms as if a meeting of some sort was letting out.

Meredy felt scared to no end: so many strangers, all massive compared to her. And they kept staring down right at her. Her anxiety only worsened as more gazes fell on her.

"Cynder where are you?" The hatchling thought as she ran further. She felt alone and scared again. Why did she leave the garden?

As she kept running, she came to be near a grey dragoness, with a cyan underbelly and wings. Her horns curved downward and she lack any kind of tail blade. The girl tried to duck under her but a paw was placed in her path, causing the shadow dragon to skid to a halt

Before she could even think to run around, she felt herself being grasped by the scruff of her neck quickly but lightly, and her limbs went limp.

"Going somewhere little one?" The dragoness who held her mouthed with a maw full of Meredy's scruff.

The toddler pouted. "No! Put me down!" She whined. She tried to squirm and shake herself loose but all she did was expend her remaining energy. The dragoness tightened her grasp on her just a tad in response.

"No, no, stop!" She wined again. She kept thrashing around but she could not do anything to escape her grapes.

The dragoness chuckled slightly.

Meredy gave in. She could not escape the dragoness' grasp, and that instinctual feeling made her body relax a few seconds later anyway.

So, the hatchling just hung there from the dragoness' jaw, limp. She felt vibrations from the dragoness' mouth, and heard her chuckling again.

The sound of pawsteps approaching alerted the odor and the dragoness turned with Meredy still dangling from her jaw, to see the guard who had discovered Meredy earlier. He stopped before them, and Meredy grew frightful.

His armor made him look scary to no end, and he was so huge. Meredy's eyes began to water.

"Councilor Fora, my apologies." The guard spoke.

"Hatchling trouble?" Fora mouthed.

"I found her in the halls. She ran off in fear but I could not just let a little hatchling wander alone-"

But they were interrupted by Meredy starting to cry. She started bawling her eyes out again, crying loudly. Dragons who had been walking nearby actually stopped to turn their gaze over towards the scene.

Meredy barely paid any heed to the ever-increasing number of stares in her direction, but the dragoness and the guard did. Her crying was growing louder by the second and many other adult dragons nearby turned their gaze in this direction.

Both adults seemed to pale. Fora set the girl down and wrapped a paw around her. Meredy buried herself in the dragoness' paw, sobbing.

"Where are her parents?" Fora asked, glancing at the hatchling. She was doing her best to ignore the gazes.

"I don't know, ma'am. She bolted the second she saw me." He said sheepishly. "I was trying to pick her up to go find her parents." He explained. He had to speak up as the girl's sobby became worse.

Fora laughed slightly. "You must have spooked her, being in full armor and all. That helmet and armor, I imagine, would be nerve-racking for a hatchling her age. It's rather intimidating." She said. With a quick glance down at the hatchling.

The fire guard sighed. "Fair point, madam." He said. " If you pass her to me, I can take her to the nursery until her parents are found." He stated.

Fora shook her head. "No, I think her parents are somewhere in this wing of the temple. No way she wandered out of the nursery on her own." She noted.

"Alert the other guards, I will keep her in my office until her guardians or parents are found. She seems a little… on edge."Fora responded, slightly deadpan.

The guard nodded and departed further down the hall.

Meredy felt herself be picked up again. Fora began waking elsewhere, with Meredy's fear still present. The toddler's cries echoed throughout the halls as they walked, yielding the council member some questioning gazes shot her directions as she walked to her office.


Fora had taken her back to a rather lavish-looking room constructed of white stone, with bookshelves full of scrolls and tomes. A wind elemental banner hung in the room, though Meredy would not know what that was. Fora set her on the desk after laying out a sheet of fabric for Meredy. The shadow dragon hatchling looked up at the dragoness who brought her here with tear-stained eyes. She had been crying the whole way over, not being able to process her own fear and anxiety of being lost and surrounded by strangers again.

"Well little one, can you tell me who your momma is?" Fora asked, in a calming tone.

This, however, only served to make Meredy sadder. She began to cry again.

Fora paled. "Uh, sorry I made you cry… Are you ok-"

"I don't know. I-I-I just g-got l-lost and I'm alone, an-and…" Meredy sputtered. Her crying was about to jump-start again.

Fora gulped.

Meredy bawled her eyes out again, all of her emotions pouring out at once.

Fora leaned down and shushed the hatchling, but brought up her paw and pulled Meredy in for a nuzzle.

'Shh, shh, little one… it's ok… it's ok.." she said, in a soothing tone. She did her best to comfort Meredy. Meredy, though still tearful, emitted a low purring sound, feeling comfort in the dragon's embrace. It was weird to her, to feel comfort from a stranger, much like Cynder, but she did nonetheless. She held the embrace

"Now… do you know your mommy's name?" She tried again.

Meredy looked up at Fora, tearful. 'I-I-I… She… She's not… "She said, thinking of her mother again, missing her all the more. "I w-w-was w-with… I... s-s-she…" the hatchling tried to form a sentence but she was too disoriented to articulate herself. She could not process her own thoughts like this.

"I want my momma!" She yelled before she broke into tears again.

Fora frowned, but shushed her and spoke softly. "You don't have to talk if you don't want to. It's ok; we will find your parents soon enough." She said. She nuzzled the hatchling affectionately.

"I will be right here if you need anything." She said, looking over at the hatchling.

Meredy would have spoken up, but was too distraught and emotionally wrecked to compose herself enough to answer back.

Fora pulled her muzzle back up and looked down at the girl. "Why not get some sleep? I will wake you when the guards come back."

Meredy would have responded but Fora then began humming a low tune. Almost like that of a lullaby. She kept humming it for a good minute or two.

Lulled by the sweet tune, Meredy already started feeling herself calm down. It reminded her of how her mother used to sing to her, before naps. Suddenly, the room seems so… cozy and peaceful.

Finding the bliss of the room comforting, the hatchling got cozy in her and felt comfortable on this spot. The peace and quiet were comforting; a sense made stronger by her lullaby. Meredy already felt exhausted from all her playing and running away. Aiding this feeling was the fact that Fora had placed a paw lightly on Meredy's back, and began scratching her slightly, in a soothing way. She felt calmed by the dragon's touch.

A sense of security washed over the child at this moment, Slowly, her eyes drooped. Finding warmth on the soft fabric under her, she started to drift from consciousness. Within a few moments, she was out.


Three of the guardians were walking through the hallways, having finished a meeting over the topic of the hatchling Spyro and Cynder had taken in. It had been a subject of interest amongst Volteer and, to a lesser degree, Cyril, as both taught in the temple school.

Volteer had been explaining the significance of the hatchling to Terrador.

"What I am saying, Terrador, is that this is a list of unprecedented, rare, and unheard-of opportunities. All dragons of the dark elements were corrupted by something else. So to have one born a shadow dragon? Why I say it is unheard of."

The electric guardian was saying.

The green dragon huffed. "Remind me again how we know for certain she was born as such and not corrupted." He said.

Volteer hummed.

" The corruption process is quite dangerous and sometimes lethal if one is weak; even to adult dragons. Spyro told us how young she was. No way a hatchling could survive." He noted.

The blue dragon then nodded. "Fair point. Come to think of it.., this could be most opportune. To think of the research we could conduct with this hatchling." He rambled. Terrador raised a brow.

Volteer seemed to note this. "To elaborate, he means the unprecedented chance to rear a natural-born dark dragon. If there have been others, we are not aware. The dark dragons we know have had those far been unable to produce hatchlings of their own. Why we don't know. Maybe it has something to do with their corrupted element but no one is quite sure."

Cyril nodded. "Quite right. As is obvious, this hatchling could be something of an anomaly."

Volteer hummed in agreement. Terrador glanced at him, still a bit curious. Volteer noted this.

" What this means, to be precise, is we could study her element as she develops; every dark dragon we are aware of had already developed their powers at the time of corruption. Is its a matter of their previous elemental aura being trained or just being grown enough to-"

Terrador sighed. "Alright, I believe I get the just of it." He said, glancing aside. " We will need to reconvene on this

The others nodded in agreement, as they wandered further down the hallways. However, as they did, they saw something that stopped them in their tracks. Two temple guards moving at a brisk pace.

The guardians knew from experience they only rushed if something were the matter.

Terrador addressed them first.

"Guards, is everything ok?"

The two guards stopped and addressed the guardians, nodded it in resistive.

"Guardian Terrador, sir. Just a missing hatchling that was found. Councilor Fora is keeping her in her office." He stated.

Volteer, however, hummed. "Hatchling? What's a hatchling doing wandering the temple alone?"

The first guard shrugged."Don't know, sir. But it's the oddest thing…her scales are black, like that of a dark dragon. We were going to report this to you, actually."

Each of the guardians paled.

Cyril took the chance to speak and explain the situation. "In that case, we know the caretakers; Spyro told us of this shadow hatchling earlier. If she was here, she would have been with Cynder. Why she was alone was beyond me, but we should inform her."

The guards nodded.

Cyril sighed. "She must be panicking… let us resolve this. Inform the other guards of the missing hatchling. . "He said, glancing at his fellow guardians. "I will see if I can assist in locating Cynder and Spyro. Terrador, you and Volteer can continue your other tasks. I think I can handle this." He stated.

Volteer nodded. "Very well then. It seems it is in order. Rather redundant, unnecessary, and unneeded for us to assist, with so many paws on hand already. I am positive

they can handle the situation."

Terrador thought again and sighed. "Fair enough."

Each dragon then departed to their respective tasks. The earth and electric guardians went back ti the council chamber to inform the present city councilors, while the guards and Cyril began searching for Cynder.


(a bit later)

Spyro and Cynder had been searching for the better part of an hour by now but could find no sign of the hatchling. The guards in this part of the temple were informed but he was not sure how far word had spread, but they were still no closer to finding the baby. Neither had said very much, as they searched frantically for their ward. Neither one of them had said very much, other than communicating about whether they had checked or not.

However, as the two rounded a corner, they were surprised to see Cyril walking the same path as them.

"Cyril! Fancy meeting you here." Spyro said, in surprise.

Cyril hummed. "It's mutual. I was just looking for you both: I think we found your kissing hatchling." He said bluntly.

Both saviors widened their eyes in surprise. Cynder rushed to Cyril and spoke. "Rally!? Where is she?" She asked, almost pleadingly.

Cyril noted the tone. "Guards told me she was running in the halls but was caught by Councillor Fora." He stated. "She should be in her office."

Cynder nodded. She was glad to hear the girl was found and by a good friend nonetheless.

"Thank you Cyril. Spyro and I will take it from here."

"Agreed. Thank you for informing us." Spyro added.

Cyril hummed. "Very well then. If that's all, I will return to my duties and inform the guard." He said, turning away.

Not wasting a moment, Cynder nearly bolted in the direction of Fora's office, followed by Spyro.


Within only a little bit of time, they had arrived at the office. Cynder knocked on the door, only to hear a voice from within tell them to enter.

Opening, she and Spyro saw the wind dragoness attending to some scrolls and papers. On the desk, Meredy lay asleep.

The adults lowered their voices so they did disturb the hatchling.

"Well, figured it would be you two of all dragons to have a shadow hatchling." She said, in jest. Both Spyro and Cynder blushed as they sat down.

"It's good to see you both again." Fora added, before looking down. "This little one was running through the hallway. She seemed scared, so I took her off the guards' paws. Poor thing fell asleep rather fast; it only took a lullaby." She noted. "She was already exhausted when I brought her here."

"Good to see you as well, Fora. Thank you for helping her. We… lost sight of her after letting her play in the garden while Spyro and I talked." Cynder explained.

Spyro hummed slightly. "It's crazy… you take your eye off her for one second and more or less teleport away." He noted.

Fora laughed slightly. "Oh, you have no idea. Many of my hatchlings were like that at her age. You look away for a moment and they vanish." She said light heartily, looking down at the girl. Fora soon grew a more serious look, as she spoke again.

"I don't mean to pry but… Is she yours? I don't recall hearing of Cynder being gravid, and a hatchling of her element is unheard of." She noted.

Cynder blushed slightly. "No, she was not ours. I found her alone in the woods and we took her in for the time being. Don't know why she was out there…" she muttered. "As for her element, it's anyone's guess." She said bluntly.

Fora nodded and sighed. "I see… poor dear. I have no idea what her circumstances are but I imagine the guardians will want to look at her at some point, given her element.' Fora stated.

Spyro sighed. "I believe so. I already informed them. Come to think of it… " he said, glancing at the wind dragon. "I imagine this may be of interest to the rest of the council?"

Fora sighed. "Probably. Nobody has seen something like this." She said bluntly. "I will be direct, I can already sense something special about her. I've trained many dragons in the art of magic for a long time but her aura… is something else. Have you sensed it Spyro?" She asked.

The purple dragon nodded again. 'Of course." He said. The ability to sense a dragon's magic aura was an ability that took much practice and skill. Only certain dragons even had it. Spyro had been trained on how to use this ability years ago after the war.

"I have… but that's a topic for another time." He said, glancing at the relieved look on Cynder's face.

"If it's alright, I would like to take my mate and ward home." He said, thinking of Meredy. "We… could use some reprieve." He stated.

In truth, there was still much he and Cynder needed to discuss. But after the scare of having their ward disappear like that, both honestly just wanted to return home. Neither had any kind of duties to attend to right now anyways.
Fora nodded. "Right, of course." She said, getusring ot the girl.

Cynder lightly took Meredy and put her in the hatchling carrier on her neck.

Both dragons thanked Fora once more and concluded their business. Bidding her farewell, both departed

Both were too forlorn to want to do anything else. They opted simply to leave the temple and take Meredy back home.


The rest of the day had come and gone. Meredy has awoken a few hours after her guardians had retrieved her. Cynder had talked to her about not running off and for getting lost but knew she was only a baby so she was not harsh.

Cyndre and Spyro spent the rest of the afternoon simply playing with Meredy in their house and showing the various fixtures of a dragon's living situation. The girl had found someone of them odd but merely rolled with it.

As the day passed, the girl had much fun, but when her stomach growled, Cynder decided it was time to feed her.

Spyro had set Meredy on the table on a soft fabric and had begun preparing food for him and Cynder. Cynder herself had opened the bag of supplies from earlier and started mixing together the ingredients for milk,

Meredy sat patiently on the table as the pair did their things. Cynder finished preparing the bottle after about a minute or so and set it on the table.

"What's this?" The hatchling asked.

"Hatchling milk, to help you grow big and strong," Cynder said, with a slight smile.

Meredy frowned. It looked like it was like what her mother had her drink in the mornings. But a bit different.

"Does it taste funny?"

Cynder shook her head. "I don't think so, but sweetie, please drink it."

Meredy looked at it unsure. She did not know dragons drank milk.

"Dragons drink milk? What if it gives me tummy ache?" She asked.

Cynder paled. "It's just milk dear, please. I am positive it is perfectly safe."

"Isn't that for babies?"

Cynder sighed. "Still for little ones near your age. Please sweetie, just take the bottle."

Meredy looked at it funny still.

"No."

Cynder frowned and seemed to think for a moment. "It tastes good, from what I heard."

Meredy raised a brow.

"How do you know it's not good if you don't try it?" She reasoned.

Meredy looked lost in thought. It did taste ok back on Earth. And her mommy did say it was good for her…

She shrugged. She was hungry. If this was the best they got. She tried to take the bottle from the top of the table but found she could not quite hold it. She did not have much dexterity in her paws yet.

She looked up at Cynder. "Can you help me?"

Cynder nodded. She pulled Meredy and the bottle off the table. Taking the hatchling in one hand, she fed her the bottle to her.

After she finished it, Cynder discarded the bottle on the table.

Weirdly enough she felt a lot more tired than she normally would, in this body compared to her old one.

Within a few seconds, she was nearly asleep. . Her eyes must have been drooping, as Cynder looked over and laughed.

"Someone looks ready for bed." She said with a laugh.

Meredy could barely summon the effort to argue before she slumped over.

"But… I… want to play more…" she muttered.

Cynder, however, shook her head and began rocking her. Soothed by the sway, Meredy felt her eyes beginning to close and her consciousness fading. Cynder, after a minute or so, picked the hatchling up by her scruff and dropped the little dragoness into the pouch gently.

Already extremely groggy, the warmth of the bag overtook her. The milk seemed to take effect on her as well. Within a few more moments, Meredy was out like a light.


Cynder sat down and cooed at the sleeping hatchling.

"Adorable…" she thought.

She heard pawsteps approaching and turned to see Spyro walking back into the room, having been washing his paws again in their bathroom.

"Down already?" He said, with a slight laugh.

Cynde laughed. "Yep. Seems milk does that to hatchlings." She nodded. "I cannot imagine what it's like for creatures who actually secrete this stuff. Must be hard to..." She muttered, a bit sheepishly, thinking of what she knew of mothers from other species. Preparing milk like this had subconsciously caused her thoughts to drift toward that.

Spyro blushed and changed the subject.

"I would not be surprised. The little adventurer had a long day." He said, looking at the sleeping form of the hatchling in the bag.

Cynder smiled, but looked aside, forlorn.

Spyro noticed this. He diverted his attention to Cynder, and looked her in the eye.

"Cynder, what's wrong?"

She sighed. "… Are we really up for this? I know we talked earlier, but still. Maybe we are getting ahead of ourselves?" She began. She looked up at Spyro. "Neither of us have ever had to care for a hatchling in this capacity. I don't even know if I can keep up with her needs, Spyro. I couldn't even keep track of her on the second day she was in our care." She said, getting a bit agitated, and shaking. But she calmed her body movements when Meredy shifted in the bag.

Spyro sighed, and urged Cynder to sit down with him. When she did, he draped a wing over her.

"I wish I could say I was certain, but I don't know. You are better with kids than me." He stated.

Cynder glared at him. "Not helping."

Spyro stuttered. "But what I mean to say is… aren't all parents like that at first? We haven't had any hatchling our elves…" he looked at Meredy again. "Until now. But my friends who have kids tell me it all works out, one way or another.

Cynder raised a brow. "How exactly?"

Spyro shrugged. "I guess they just figure out over time. Trial and error I suppose."

Cynder nearly rolled her eyes. Spyro never had a way of words. But he did raise a point. Surely no parent was an expert on the first try right? It took time to learn how to rear a hatchling.

She thought about it and laughed slightly. "Maybe you're right." She looked at the sleeping hatchling again, "It's funny, you know? All our powers and feats, yet a hatchling is still daunting to us? Who would have thought a little hatchling was so much trouble?" She said, light-heartedly.

Spyro laughed as well. "From what my friends tell me, it sounds harder than being a purple dragon." He said.

Cynder gave a slight laugh, but kept her voice down for to not wake Meredy.

"The great purple dragon, savior of the world, unable to take care of a single hatchling? That's just rich." She said ironically.

"Hey, kids are harder than saving the world." He said defensively.

Both laughed a bit.

Cynder, however, frowned again. "But Spyro…"

She said sternly. "You remember what I told you earlier, right?"

Spyro nodded solemnly. "Of course, I remember."

Cynder looked a bit sad. "She's barely more than a baby, yet the poor dear has gone through so much already. I may be jumping to conclusions here, but there is still so much we don't know about her past, and I don't even think she understands." Cynder stated. "Who knows what her situation was truly like, but it clearly was not very good. And you told me in the garden the guards had found no trace in the area of her parents, yet. Not even in the surrounding towns and villages." She pointed out.

Spyro nodded again. He had earlier gotten a report from a guard that Skadin already had a list of dragon citizens known to Warfang pulled and searched through reports of anyone named Lilith. Yet no dragon matching that description was found at all, not even in the list of dragons registered in surrounding towns. And a hatchling could not have just wandered off that far into the woods alone like Meredy did, they knew. She was too young to survive on her own.

Cynder gave a heavy sigh. "It seems more and more to me like she was abandoned, but that's just speculation. All we do know is she was malnourished and is scared of nearly everything, beyond what even a normal hatchling her age might be…"

She looked up at Spyro with tears swelling in her eyes. "How are we supposed to take care of her? I've never cared for a hatchling this young before, and Meredy needs so much care and attention. How can I be there for her in the way she needs? I can't even go a day without her disappearing!" She started crying a bit. "I know we discussed this earlier but after losing her, I have my doubts about myself." She admitted. "She deserves someone better than me.." she said sadly.

Spyro nuzzled her. "Cynder, don't undersell yourself. Nor should you blame yourself. It's my fault as well. But it was an accident all the same." Spyro stated.

Cynder agreed quietly but look him in the eyes. "Are we ready for this, Spyro? To be parents or guardians? I know it's still early but it what if her mother really is no longer around?"

Spyro was silent for a moment, contemplating something. After a few seconds, he spoke again.

"Cynder… I really don't know. I… would be lying if I said I didn't have doubts about myself either." He then looked her in the eyes again. " But I do know you are the most capable dragon I know. This girl needs someone to love her and guide her, and I know you can be that dragon." He insisted.

"But-"

"Cynder, you already have done a pretty good job of looking after her already. I think we can do this. We've been wanting children anyways, right?" He said. As for earlier, well accidents happen. But we learn from them. The important thing is we love her, and do our best." Spyro affirmed.

Cynder felt moved by this but some doubts stop lingered. Of course, she had been wanting to have children for some time now but never felt the courage to… try. She had so many doubts about her abilities as a mother. Hell, she was not sure if her dark elements would stop her from having children of her own or if her process was different. However, this girl was clearly attached to her and seemed to trust Spyro as well. They had to do something...

But it was still a hard choice. A child was a big commitment and this girl had so many mysteries to her. No dragon even knew how she was even born with her element either.

Cynder looked at Spyro again. "Thank you, Spyro. I think... you are right. I appreciate your support. But, even with that in mind… what if our best is not enough? The little one will need much care and monitoring." She was never very active on the council, to begin with, but Spyro has responsibilities during the weekdays. Sure, they can make it work, but the dragoness had doubts about her abilities at the moment. She was still learning. And Meredy needed someone actually capable of being a mother.

Spyro sighed. "… If it… comes to that… there are arrangements I can make." But he looked at the sleeping hatchling and back to Cynder. "But Cynder, I think she needs us. I am certain about that. But if you don't feel ready for this… know I understand and I support whatever decision you will make." He said firmly.

Cynder looked back to Mereddy, still, asleep, and nodded. Despite it all she still had her doubts but… maybe they could find a way to make this work. She knew she was already growing attached to Meredy. She had to at least try.

After a final, heavy sigh, she spoke. "Thank you Spyro." She said simply, nuzzling her mate again.

"Come on, let's get something to eat." He stated, wanting to brighten the mood. Cynder nodded and got up with him.


The two dragons had eaten dinner rather quickly. Meredy slept through it all. Dinner was pleasant, but both felt mentally exhausted by the day.

Cynder looked at Spyro weary. She yawned. "I'm clocking in early tonight." She said a bit groggily, glancing at the girl. "I think I will keep Meredy in our room tonight." She added.

Spyro nodded in agreement. "Think I will join you.." he said, yawning.

With that, the couple made their way to their room. Arriving, they set aside the pouch and puked Meredy out. Setting Meredy between them, they laid out together and slowly fell asleep, cuddled together on in bliss.

(Elsewhere)

A cloaked biped entered a chamber. The chamber was made of stove brick, similar to that of a fortress. However, there were few things in the way of decoration for the room. However, in the center of the room, a large table was positioned, with various magic items, such as crystals and staffs, laid out. A pitch-black dragoness, with green eyes, was attending to some kind of crystal.

As she heard footsteps, she grumbled and turned around to face the cloaked feline.

"What is it?" She said inquired harshly.

The cloaked figure gulped. "Mistress… we have progress in tracking the… anomaly."

The dragoness narrowed her gaze. "How so?"

The feline tried to compose herself. "We found that one of the… entities landed near the Warfang region."

The black dragoness cocked her head in interest.

"I see. And the other?"

The feline calmed herself. "No signs yet. But we will keep searching."

The dragoness hummed. "Very well then. Dispatch someone to Warfang to look into it. If the… visitor did survive their arrival in our world, then odds are they would have ended up in Warfang, in some way. People always seem to gravitate to that city." She muttered. "Have someone further investigate the other as well."

The feline nodded. "Yes Mistress."

She said, before jetting out.

The dragoness hummed and smiled to herself.

"This could be the opportunity I have waited for…

What the frick is this? A mysterious scene with a vague cliffhanger? (Gasp) Who are these emo people, wearing dark cloaks and looking like maleficent as a dragon? I mean, of course, some kind of plot has to be happening right?

Not to worry, cute family moments and slices of things will happen. That is one of the main draws of this story, but I want to add an interesting plot to go with.

And yeah, I know the guardian's scene was a bit out of nowhere, but, between that and the scene at the end, really needed to drop hints about the greater plot and why Meredy is so important or noteworthy to the guardians. It would get boring if there wasn't something going on and I made you sit through this long chapter anyways.

Warning long rant about stupid things ahead

Additional note. I still am really surprised at how much attention this has been getting, and that I am as interested in writing it as I am. This was originally posted as an afterthought. I noted earlier how humans in dragon realm stories seem to are, or were, very popular in this site. The human into dragon seems more divisive, though. I know this is a divisive setup but I believe that it can provide an interesting and unique perspective and arc for the main character, as we saw with stories like Legend of Dwayne and Lisa or Fate Decides. It also feels a bit more natural to me that they would integrate into the universe this way. I know humans in the dragon realm is a popular story trope but I never really like that one; a modern human ( in human form I mean) showing up in the LOS always felt out of place to me. I mean, isn't the main focus of this universe, and what people like about it, supposed to be dragons?( and some anthro animals, sure)

For example: would you not find it out of place or jarring if I did something like putting the characters from Devil May Cry into the Alpha and Omega franchise? If I put Dante and Vergil in that setting and had them go on an adventure with wolves a, without a hint of irony, would that not be really weird? I mean, sure it could be fun but still jarring)

That's what I would compare the human in dragons realms thing to. But that's just my like there is anything inherently wrong with writing or liking those stories.

Woah, I went on a tangent, didn't I? Just like sharing my thoughts and I am curious about what others think.

So yes, more about the actual story: I knew I needed to give some hints to the grander plot and answers to the mysteries of "why is Meredy here?" Or "what is up with her magic?"

You will learn more in time…

Well, until next time, let the theories begin…

(About the DMC Alpha and Omega joke, funny thing, I actually read a fanfic that had OCs with powers on par with Dante like that but it ended up making me remember DMC 5 exists and so I went out and bought it. Funny how things happen )