Chapter 2

"Speech"

"Native Dragon Tongue"

Night time can bring out the most interesting creatures. From crickets chirping with the fervor, to owls hunting rodent prey that dare stray out into the fields and meadows when the warm glow of the sun is replace by the harsh chill of the moon. It is also the time silent hunters emerge, one who either fear the light or would rather bathe in the softer glow the night sky offers. Gasping awake with a start and coughing fanatically, the scene was interrupted by a dragon waking up in the woods. The sudden appearance of the apex predator quickly hushed away the ambience of the trees and grass surrounding the groaning beast. "Damned blue lizard...didn't say anything about nearly drowning to death when stepping into that pool." The dragon said in a distinctly male voice, raising a paw to his head. Open his eyes, letting a small crimson glow from his sockets due to his iris color, the dragon made a vain attempt at standing on its haunches before flopping back down on the ground with a thud. The impact cause it's huge grey and black wings to unfold revealing their length to be nearly as long as the torso of the dragon itself. "Right...forgot I'm not exactly human anymore..." The dragon stated, using his forepaws to pick itself up from the ground first, using the hindlegs as support to stand fully on all fours. Looking down to his now stabilized form, the dragon's eyes went wide for a minute.

Fully examining his new form, the dragon noticed each and every obsidian grey scale upon his body. His torso was lean and aerodynamic, leading into not so much toned legs, but clearly feeling the power behind the muscles. Moving onto the tail, and subsequently his back, the dragon noticed a hair like trail leading up from the base of his neck all the way down to the tip of his tail where it broke into two tail spines on the 'top' and 'bottom' with two smaller wing like appendages on the sides. 'Weird, I don't exactly look like what Ignitus did. Unless he was also an exception like this 'Spyro' Is supposed to be I'm going to stick out like a sore thumb as well.' The dragon mused as he turned his attention to his wings that were sprawled out across the ground on either side of his body. 'Now I have these things to deal with...' He thought as he tried forcing the wings to close only to find nothing happen. Trying again, the dragon held his breath and concentrated hard on finding the neural pathways connecting to the new foreran appendages upon his back. Grunting a bit as they slowly raised up before he had to stop and pant a bit which cause the wings, and the blade on the tip of the ridge, to hit the ground again with a thud. A small growl escaped the dragon's lips as he tried again, and again, and again. Finally after the 5th attempt, his wings caught up with his brain to the point where it was easy enough to close the wings without them weighing nearly half a ton. Smirking some triumphantly, the dragon raised his head proudly, which intern broke his concentration on holding his wings in place and causing them to fall back to the ground again. "Oh fucking come on!" The dragon shouted/roared out, scaring into hiding any would-be spectators of the hilarity of the sight. Dropping his head the dragon folded his wing back again, determined to keep them in that position, and slowly walked into the undergrowth of the forest ahead.

The first few steps were like trying to ride a bike all over again, a constant balance of either putting to much weight on his front or rear, It felt to the dragon as if his forelegs were both arms and legs at once. Grunting in annoyance, the dragon huffed as if there had to be an easier way to do this when he felt his brain catch up with his body again. Logic gave way to primal instincts, and he defaulted to what his new instincts screamed at him to do, managing to not only walk, but at a pace that was faster than his old running speed. Huffing a bit, he also noticed that his wings felt even lighter than before, almost as if they were not there at all. A quick turn back quelled his fear of them falling off, but still slightly confused the dragon as he reached a clearing where the forest canopy parted enough to allow an aerial entrance in and out of the dark woods. Looking up into the starry night sky as the sounds of the forest began to fade briefly behind him. The dragon took a deep breath of air and closed his eyes, basking in the environment. A slight breeze picked up around his form, brushing past his scales and fur with the silk touch of a gentle, calming caress. Unconsciously, his powerful wings opened to the full length, as well as his tail flaps. The wind brushed past these appendages as well and sent entirely new feelings and sensations to the dragon's mind. A feeling, no a call to the sky, to soar above the world and experience the air in a way never thought possible to who he was before he became a dragon. The dragon felt this primal urge rise, manifest into a being in his subconscious that fought to override the dragon's conscious mind just enough to take control, to teach the conscious mind what the body knew by heart how and what to do. And so the conscious mind gave way, allowing the new imaginary mentor it had stimulated to take form and guide.

Arcing his bodying in a pounce, the dragon's crimson eyes snapped open, slits forming where once round pupils were, and launched with all his might into the sky. Swiping his wings down to add thrust and adjusting his fins for the take off, the dragon sent a shockwave of air through the clearing, brushing the grass clear of his way and rustling the leaves of the trees around him. within the span of a few seconds the dragon was already 100 meters aloft and hovering in place, scanning the surrounding landscape for any points of interest before spotting a mountain range in the distance. The tutor gave way, just a bit, more to his conscious and active mind, merging ever so slightly as his mindscape adapted and learned what these carnal instincts wrought. Taking in another sharp breath, the dragon let out a roar, a roar that would carry for miles upon miles of landscape, alerting everyone to his prescience. Taken aback by the act, but loving it all the same, his rational side did not object and absorbed the knowledge his body fed it as his tail fins arced and repositioned, causing his wings to start pushing forward and moving the dragon along the sky. The thrust was not one of simple gliding either, but sent another ripple through the air, as it daring the sky to challenge it's might. Arcing his body with the gust, the dragon sped off to the mountain range.

The human-turned-dragon at first looked straight down in fear for a split-second, causing a stutter of his flight plan, but upon realizing his body would work with him, allowed it to subside and looked forward. The new feeling of air resistance upon his scales and parting his fur made him mentally chuckle a bit. 'As if this simple air can stop me now' He heard a voice say in his head which startled him at first, but quickly realizing the voice belonged to the draconic instincts and natural abilities he possessed he accepted them as his own and accepted them into his mind. With a smirk, the dragon arced back up, not enough to stop in place, but enough to cause a raise in elevation, trying to reach some sparse clouds that rested above him. A small bit of fear entered his mind, wondering if at any moment his tutor, his foundation he was relying upon would fade away before this was over Though upon reaching the desired altitude, the dragon entered the cloud and came out the other side. Gone was any shred of fear and instead it was replaced by pure joy as the dragon visibly smiled, showing off his various rows of sharp teeth. He felt his instincts give way to his rational mind as it fused with it. recombining the two parts of his brain into one complete picture. As this happened a new thought entered his mind, the sky was his to explore, his haven of safety and a place to meditate. The sky was where he belonged, where his soul yearned to be. Taking this in, the dragon smiled, 'I got to hand it to Ignitus...this is fucking awesome!' he thought to himself as he dived bellow the clouds, viewing the landscape bellow with his enhanced eyesight. As the mountains started to slowly draw near, the dragon spotted something bellow.

A village of sorts appeared bellow him, the lights being the first thing he saw before the wooden and stone structures came into view. Squinting a bit, the dragon noticed figures walking around between the buildings, seeming like dark spectral shapes between the lights. The altitude made determining who or what he was seeing made it nearly impossible, the only defining feature he noticed was a long, cat-like tail flowing behind the figures. 'Maybe they would know something about who I'm looking for." The dragon thought, 'The sooner I get it done, the sooner I can live free as a dragon. Away from any hustle and bustle of social life.' Arcing downwards, the dragon folded his wings slightly in a diving fashion, causing the air to flow faster and faster upon his body and a small screeching to form as the air flowing between the edge of his wings and body became trapped and forced a fast, high-pitched scrapping upon his scales. No discomfort was felt by the dragon, but as he drew closer, he saw the villagers start to look around in a small panic to locate the source of the sound, unaware of the dragon diving upon them. Upon passing 25 feet above the ground, the dragon sharply pulled up, extending his wings wide and stopping nearly on a dime. Slowly descending, to the ground and landing outside of the village with a thud, all eyes were upon him as he folded his wings closed and stepped into the 3-5 building area before him.

The residents were finally able to be recognized by the dragon due to the elevation he stood upon. The citizens looked between a mix of short, mole like creatures, cheetahs that stood on two legs, as well as wolves that shared the cheetah's height and posture. The sight confused the dragon a bit as he stepped by a house, nearly half as tall as the building itself, 'I though this place was called the Dragon Realms?' the dragon thought, "That kind-of implies this place only being inhabited by dragons and their food. Then again Earth had a lot of various creatures upon it calling it home so who am I to judge?' One of the Cheetahs, wearing what seemed to be a suit of leather armor and a spear in his hand approached the dragon arrival with a small twinge of fear in his eyes. The crimson eyes of the dragon locked onto his, causing the guard to gulp a small bit. "C-c-can we help you sir?" The guard asked looking up to the dragon, taking a few steady breaths to calm his nerves. 'Guess I'll try to act like I know what is going on to some degree.' The dragon mused.

"Sheesh dude, what's got you worked up?" The dragon asked with a cocked brow, looking at the guard who managed to compose himself a bit.

"Well, its just..." The guard started before stopping again. A clear restraint formed on his lips, keeping him from answering the dragon any more than that.

"Just what? Is there something in my teeth?" The dragon asked trying in vain to lighten the mood.

"Just that we are a little...apprehensive...about dragons of well, your scale color." The Cheetah said causing the dragon to sigh.

"Jesus Christ dude don't tell me you still like in the 60s." The dragon replied with a flat tone, his long fae-like ears dropping a bit. "So just because I am grey you fear me or something?" The guard threw his hands up and shook his head.

"No, no, no, not like that...it's just darker color dragons usually mean one is corrupted or evil. The one who taught us this was Cynder, Terror of The Skies..." The guard stated, earning a confused glare from the dragon, "...have you not heard any of this at all?" The dragon shook his head sheepishly.

"Um...no not really, who is that again? I'm not exactly from around here." The dragon replied putting a paw on the back of his head and rubbing it, showing his fur a small bit to the guard unintentionally. The guard calmed a bit more and nodded some.

"Oh I see, sorry for the confusion. Might I have your name dragon?" The guard asked, causing the dragon to freeze. 'Shit I didn't even think about that...new life, new name, new start that was the deal...here I am and I don't have a new name...'

"U-um...call me Ravenwing." The dragon, now named Ravenwing, replied. 'Beats out Trent Davis by a mile anyways.' He thought as he looked at the guard. The guard nodded.

"My name is Ali," Ali replied. "So you mentioned you were looking for someone?" To which Ravenwing chuffed a bit.

"Heh, yeah. Some old geezer sent me out here to check on a friend of his...some purple dragon named 'Spyro', 'Synro', something like that. All he said was that'd he'd stick out like a sore thu-paw compared to other dragons." Ravenwing replied with an shrug of his shoulders. "Idiot didn't even tell me where to start looking..." He mumbled. At the mention of the description and named, the guard's eyes went wide.

"You mean the legendary purple dragon Spyro?" Ali asked which earned a shrug from Ravenwing.

"Yeah something like that, basically just gotta find him, make sure he's ok, then I'm just gonna dip out." Ravenwing replied nonchalantly. Ali looked at the dragon in-front of him surprised.

"Surely that can't be just it...I mean aren't you even a little excited or nervous about meeting him?" Ali said. "All the legends about him talk up a big game." Ravenwing cocked a head.

"No..." He drawled out. "Why should I be nervous? I mean he's just another dragon, nothing to special right?" He asked which earned a small gape from Ali and the rest of the citizens overhearing the conversation. "What?"

"How do you not know about the savior of the world?" One wolf lady asked, "Have you been living under a mountain all your life?" A few other citizens looked at Ravenwing with confusion and expectantly for his answer.

"I don't know if that comment was calling me stupid or speciest..." Ravenwing replied flatly. Rolling his eyes some when he earned a glare from said wolf.

"Wh'r' ar' ya from?" A small mole asked.

"Um...way, way up north...near the poles honestly." Ravenwing replied quickly. "Look, just answer my question please...the sooner I get this done the better."

"Sorry 'bout that." Ali stated and sighed, gesturing to the civilians to part away a bit before turning back to the dragon. "We were sure all the dragons knew the tale since he was well...your 'kin' as you say." A chuckle escaped Ali's lips as he continued. "The last time anyone saw him was when him and his partner went off to fight the Dark Master though a big wall of fire." Ravenwing rolled his eyes at the explanation and sighed.

"I see, so where was this 'wall of fire' located?" Ravenwing asked.

"Just a few hundred links away near the great dragon city of Warfang." Ali replied. Ravenwing shot a confused look again, causing Ali to sigh. "A big city about 5-700 links away to the south. you can't miss it." He said gesturing towards the mountain range in the distance. 'Great, along the way I was flying anyways.'

"Thanks...um Ali." Ravenwing said with a nod and began to turn away. "You're help was appreciated."

"No problem, feel free to stop by again Ravenwing, we'd all like to hear about the dragon of legend if you find him." Ali replied as Ravenwing reached the edge of the town.

"I can't promise it, but maybe someday..." Ravenwing replied as he took off into the sky again, careful to be gentler on his launch before rocketing off into the night sky. 'That's so not happening. I'd rather loose my left arm than come back...' Ravenwing thought to himself. 'Then again...they were nicer than anyone back home has been in the last 4 years so I might just have to do it. To satisfy any of their morbid curiosity.'

After what felt like an hour of flight, Ravenwing began to grow tired, yawing midflight like one would when driving a car long distance. His instincts took over again and he began to scan the area for a place to land, picking up on a cave entrance a mile or two away. Diving to his prospective home, Ravenwing landed gracefully on the outcropping the small hill offered him before stepping inside the cave, careful to keep his head down as to not bump into the roof. The sound of water dripping mixed with the thuds of his paw-steps, filling the cave with a soft ambient noise that seemed to have a soothing rhythm to it. 'I guess this is why dragons like caves so much.' Ravenwing thought as he pushed onward, reaching a larger open area in the cave that was a dead end of the tunnel he entered from. The floor was a small bit wet, which slightly annoyed Ravenwing, but over all seemed like a good place for the sleep hindered dragon to rest. 'Just 5 minutes...' He thought to himself as he found a spot near the wall to get comfortable. 'No more...' Yawning a bit, the dragon stretched out and curled upon himself, appearing like a black and grew rock against the wall that could conceal a passageway. Closing his crimson eyes for the night, Ravenwing pondered on what Ali had told him. 'If this is some huge ass celebrity...then I'm in deeper than I was let on.' "Hate making deals with the devil..." Ravenwing grumbled in draconic, unbeknownst to himself before falling asleep.

Chapter End