Chapter 20:Where A Legend's Story Began
Dusk was growing near, the sky darkening across the swamp with a gleaming gold sunset lowering in the west. The fireflies emerged from their homes, making the mushroom caps glow. The natural light was bringing out the spirit of the dragon flies that were beginning a celebration. Cheering for the arrival of a long lost brother that once visited nearly the entire world. The very dragonfly that now searched for his brother, and lifelong legend he himself ventured with.
Hunter was currently making small flow bundles with the other dragonflies, hoping to show common courtesy to the people that were celebrating their arrival to the swamp. And so far, they were welcomed with open arms, food, drink, fires, and warm spirits.
Except for Asher, who chose not to be a part of the celebration due to tensions with him and the dragon flies. They clearly had a grudge with him still, and to them, he was still an Alpha. So they offered as little as they could without being seen as unfair, they offered him water instead of their traditional drinks. He politely declined by slapping their offerings away and growling at them. Their hate meant nothing to him, all that mattered was the mission, and nothing was going to break him.
So he simply looked to his bracelet, grazing his claw against it as he lay on a mushroom top, wondering what Cynder could be experiencing out there, alongside this legend. Where could she be looking now? How far ahead could she be? Did her and Spyro run into some hairy situations like he did so far?
Slowly his gaze went from the bracelet on his wrist to the mountain he could see in the distance. And like that, he already knew where he was likely about to search next, as soon as they were done here. He hoped it would be soon, because a night with passive aggressive dragonflies were cringy to watch.
Suddenly he heard the buzzing of wings, and was quick to raise his defenses for yet another dragonfly.
"Look, you don't like me, I don't like any of you. So you can go ahead and just piss-"Asher sighed and got through almost a full rant.
Only to see it was Sparx that had kindly flown up to check on the dragon after the tension between him and the other dragonflies.
"Nice to see you too… My people giving you a hard time? I thought you were telling me, they're just bugs."Sparx antagonized, but got no amusement out of Asher.
"They are. They're bugs with a damn attitude that's gonna get them killed."Asher looked to his bracelet.
"Look… I gave them a talking to, and I got them to agree on letting up on you,"Sparx decided to be forward and relaxed for a moment with Asher,"Just…feel free to come down from here and join the celebration. We're about to start a get-together to speak about the things that happened while Spyro and me were gone."
"We can't stay too long… We have my old family on our tails. They'll kill anybody who helps us,"Asher reminded Sparx of the Alpha's ruthlessness,"We need to be ready to leave by sun rise."
"Whatever you say, big boy. Now can you at least sleep on my offer?"Asher turned his head away in response.
With that, Sparx scoffed and flew back down to leave Asher to his privacy, giving him a chance to graze his finger against the bracelet, lightly tapping the gem. The gem nearly made him fixated on it's shine before laughter could be heard from down below.
He sighed, and leaned over to take a peek at the festivities, and there he saw Sparx, speaking of his adventures alongside his brother, his mother in front of the crowds of dragonflies, learning of all the furthest reaches Sparx and Spyro reached. From the coldest tundras to the wildest jungles they ventured, the only place Sparx wouldn't follow was Mt Malefore. Something he now thought about, and felt a sense of regret, not being there for his brother till the very end.
Sparx admitting this made Asher groan and rub his head, he was starting to get deep and humble. As much as that change up would be nice, even Asher hated that Sparx was doing it in front of his own people. So with a growl, he finally stood up and hurled himself off the mushroom tree.
"I mean… I don't know where he is… But I'm back now and…I'm gonna find my brother,"Sparx was concluding on his story before Asher landed behind him,"I got Hunter watching my back, alongside Cynder's giant burly twin, and believe me that dragon is…"
"Yes…?"Asher questioned what Sparx was gonna say in that regard.
Sparx got spooked a little bit by Asher's sudden and almost immediate appearance after their talk. This kept Sparx from answering, and this left Asher to assume another bit of mockery from the dragonfly. So the dragon just gave a huff and walked through the crowd to sit alongside Hunter.
"He's determined… And he doesn't show any signs of giving up…"Sparx finally manage to spit out what he really wanted to say.
These words only reached the ears of his own people, preventing them from offering more scorn to Asher. Allowing the black dragon to sit back on a stump alongside Hunter, sporting quite the fancy little flower crown.
"Didn't know you swung that way, Hunter? That flower crown making you come around?"Asher teased the one comrade he was starting to respect.
"Sure… Next thing you know, I'll be wearing a matching dress,"Hunter was sarcastic, and it got a chuckle out of Asher,"Just try to enjoy the evening while you can. This place is more special than you know."
"Really? How might that be? Will breathing in it's stink of decay and piss long enough grant me three wishes?"Asher questioned and waved away normal flies.
"No… This is where Spyro's story began. It started with him floating on that very river,"Hunter pointed to the main yellow river they had followed towards the village,"He was a mere egg, just floating away from the dragon Temple decimation. And fate just carried him here."
"This is where he grew up? A dragon among dragonflies?"Asher looked towards the crowds of dragonflies.
"That's what I'm told by the scriptures and Sparx as well."Hunter admitted.
"And it's all true,"Sparx mother suddenly intervened after overhearing the conversation,"Every last bit of it is true… From the day my Spyro was an egg, till he was breathing fire and searching for his destiny."
Asher looked to Hunter, and then back to the mother, torn between hostility and curiosity.
"Would you… Care to show us?"Hunter took control, and allowed curiosity to win the day.
"Of course… Follow me."She insisted and slowly floated past them.
"Really…?"Asher was not amused, having control taken out of his claws.
Hunter only snickered and gestured Asher to follow him as he stood up to follow the elder dragonfly. With the choice taken away, the dragon got up and followed the both of them. Leaving them to navigate through the muddy paths and the mix of mushroom and sharp trees.
Once she saw they were both following, she took them through a clusters of trees. Letting them relax and enjoy the rushing of the river, the crickets coming out and chirping, and the fireflies that lightened the path they walked, even lighting up an old broken down bridge.
"Ever since he was first hatched, we kept Spyro safe and happy. Him and Sparx played all the time,"She explained while casually crossing the gap,"And for years, our lives were peaceful."
Hunter and Asher looked to each other, and simply jumped with impressive height and air. Before making it to the other side, just before their guide made it to the other side.
"So…what changed afterwards?"Asher questioned, his curiosity finally peaked.
"This way…"She walked past the two and continued to guide them.
Asher gave a slightly annoyed huff, but they both decided to continue on the path. Even when the light began to fade from the sky, the fireflies continued to show them all the way. At least until the light stopped at an ominous entrance, one that was almost completely closed up by a strange sort of door. A door entirely made from the skull and jaws of a great and ancient beast. That was where the fireflies ended, and a great danger to the dragonflies now awaited, frog weeds.
"No…! Curse it all, I didn't think frog weeds could grow around those infertile grounds…!"The elder dragonfly stressed a bit on this issue.
"Frog weeds?"Asher had seen them before, but they never caused him trouble before.
"To us they may be a silly nuisance. But to dragonflies these plants are the bane of their very existence."Hunter explained, and it did in fact make sense.
"If I so much as get near those bloated, croaking monsters. I'll be eaten for certain,"She emphasized, along with the long tongued croaks the plants made,"Could either of you please-"
"Just give me a minute. I got this."Asher grumbled, but was willing to deal with the frog weeds.
Their faces were not so interesting to look at upon approach, those drooling carnivorous plant heads made Asher cringe. So he would get a kick out of crushing their heads in. Especially when two of five that stood before him suddenly went on the attack.
Their tongues suddenly shooting from their mouths and wrapping around Asher's arms. He got the initial surprise, but was then merely growling as his arms tightened up and pulled back. Ripping the croaking plants from their roots, and sling shooting them into his claws. Where he grabbed their heads and crushed them to mush and plant water that he shook off.
Before he then began to approach the rest of the frog weeds and raise a fist to his chest, letting it crackle with strength and firmness. The frog weeds panicked and shot their tongues, hoping to hit the face. But Asher raised his fist, letting the tongues wrap around it, just so he could yank their heads downward, leaving them completely vulnerable and helpless as he then stood before him. He towered over the puny plants, and stared them down as they groveled and groaned for their lives.
But Asher only offered a swift death as he roared out a dense wave of fire. Forcing them to scream and let out death rattles, while their bloated bodies, their stubby plant paws and all blackened to charcoal. Before incinerating away to ash and crumbled debris that floated in the soft breeze.
"Impressive. Not as light hearted, but this one knows what he's doing."she admitted, and finally decided it was time to move on.
"Indeed… I do hope that entrance won't be a tight fit."Hunter pointed out a small situation with the entrance.
"It won't be."Asher was on top of that issue.
With their very swollen muscles he used against the frog weeds, he went to work on the giant beast skull. Standing on the lower jaw, he gripped the upper jaw and began to lift. It was a firmly closed jaw, but Asher's back was more than capable of handling it.
With a stretch of his legs and the strong lifts of his pumped up shoulders the upper jaw opened. Even to the point that the joints to the jaw bone snapped apart, causing both jaw bones to come loose. But even then, Asher was then able to simply lift the upper jaw over his head, and give it a toss to the right. Where it gave a loud crash into the mud and trees that broke like twigs against the heavy bones.
"Now, are you two coming or not?"Asher questioned, while the old dragonfly was agape from the show of strength.
"Um…very well…"She responded, slowly flying over and through the open entrance.
Hunter silently passed by Asher before the dragon himself followed behind his comrade. And before they knew it, they were walking through a dark stretch of the swamps. Everything was dark, even the fireflies did not dare to enter this part of the swamp. Thankfully, Sparx's mother glowed with brilliant pink lights from her body, her very self being a guiding light in the darkness.
"The heck would a young dragon wanna come this far to the other side of the swamp?"Asher looked around to the dark trees and eerie noises.
"Sparx… He would do whatever it took to avoid losing a game to Spyro,"The mother explained what Asher and Hunter could easily imagine,"So he came through here, hoping to avoid being captured by Spyro during a game of hide and seek."
"What's hide and seek?"Asher dumbfounded his company with that question.
"I'll…explain it to you later."That was all Hunter could say about that.
The noises only got more and more eerie as they continued along the path. To Hunter and Asher, this was merely a dark and foreboding walk with potential dangers for the dragonfly. But for her, it was a trip down memory lane, a trip through the small story that began Spyro's journey.
She did not realize the dangers that her escorts were feeling, and began to wander off. Hoping to reach the spot where Sparx was first taken, and held hostage by the servants of Gaul. And before she knew it, all had suddenly went dark for her and only dead silence came after. She saw nothing but darkness, all she remembered was flying around the corner and getting far ahead. The mother felt around, trying to let her light glow nice and bright, and all she found then was deep red walls.
The walls were slimy and secreting in a substance, and below her was what appeared to be water. But then the sudden heat and stink made her second guess that contents of that liquid. Thankfully she didn't need to wait long before a hole was torn clean through the walls with a sharp iron arrow.
She screamed, as the arrow was suddenly yanked up like a dagger to tear a hole open. Allowing her to quickly fly out of her capture, a surprise frog weed hidden within a dead bush. She could hear it let out a death rattle before Hunter stomped it's head flat.
Only when she was caught in the claws of Asher could she finally stop flying. Taking in her slightly brighter surroundings and familiar woodlands, indicating that she was now safe.
"If this path is that dangerous, then maybe you should stay close. Don't make your son's mistakes."Asher suggested before letting her fly again.
"Apologies… It's been so long I forgot my own rules about this place."she admitted and slowly went forward, and passed Hunter.
She merely continued on, and this time it was a slow and steady pace, allowing her company to follow, and thankfully it was not much longer before they had finally arrived. Once they had passed another curve in the road, they were in that very opening with a small ledge against a mound.
They were slow to approach, and the mother did not know where to first look. This whole area was made famous around the swamp, the day a dragonfly became a dragon. There wasn't much for her tagalongs to see, except for a lantern like cage that looked older than the old dragonfly. Asher was more than willing to gently pick it up, even when the lantern felt hollow and crisp, like dead leaves.
"This is where it happened. Where Spyro discovered his gift for breathing fire. One of many gifts."she explained through the creaking old branches around them.
"Apes… They kidnapped Sparx and Spyro chased him through here, right,"Asher deduced after a look at the design and age of the lantern,"I know their taste in weaponry and item styles."
"Yes… Then the apes attacked. Out numbering my son, but he still persevered no matter the numbers,"The old dragonfly floated over to the lantern to put her hand to it,"Then…when the leader dared to try and kill Sparx. Spyro's anger rose, and his rage turned to fire that overwhelmed the apes. Forcing them to leave our home."
Asher gave a snicker, not as a sign of mockery, but one of playful envy. However old Spyro was at this time and he could already breath fire like a pro, then there was Asher. He only learned how to use his fire about a week ago from three old dragons who didn't even have fire as their element.
"Lucky bastard…"Asher sighed and finally dropped the lantern.
"I…imagine there was quite a bit of explaining to do when they finally returned."Hunter stated the obvious, and she nodded.
"It was… But we told him nothing but the truth, about what he was, and where he could go to learn more. After some consideration, we allowed him to go upon his journey,"She admitted and looked to the star filled sky of the night,"The journey…towards his destiny."
"Interesting, quite the bright and strong start towards the beginning of a legend."Hunter admitted, and looked to Asher.
The dragon only corner eyed him and looked back to the lantern, before he kicked it away. It shattered from the kick alone, for a sudden battle within his conscious was brewing. The shrapnel from the old lantern littered and splintered against a large rock as he sighed.
"I think I've seen enough… We should leave before more trouble shows up."Asher decided it was time to cut the trip short.
"Yes… The…story is over. We can leave now-"The mother agreed, but was interrupted abruptly.
Suddenly, a thunderous crack of stone rumbled beneath them, Asher and Hunter froze. The ground was shaking, the elder dragon fly could not feel it, but she could see leaves falling from the trees. The trunks were cracking, allowing a great stone mound to slowly rise from the ground.
She backed away while the two fighters stood their ground against the rising creature. While a sudden giant four fingered hand full of claws suddenly clutched out of the dirt. She was frantic, and flew onto the shoulder of Hunter before the hand burst free from the ground. An arrow shaped head then exploded before the Hunter and Asher, along with a decently long neck. With that rising head came an echoing rattle like roar as a slender lizard body unearthed from the trees.
Asher took to the skies to get a better look at what was rising from the swamp. Once the green and brown eyes that looked like giant round boulders opened wide. Asher barely recognized it from a book he read, this creature was rare and potentially dangerous if provoked.
"You gotta be kidding me…! An earth monitor?! Here?!"Asher had to fly back the moment the beast freed itself of the ground.
"Asher! We have to move! This creature is moving!"Hunter warned, and Asher understood this.
He was quick to fly as the immense monitor slowly began to walk forward with a stomp. While its two back legs slowly freed themselves as well, the black dragon was nearly crushed by the next big step. Asher barely manage to make it to Hunter before they both ran for it. Thankfully, the giant monitor appeared to not be interested in them, and more interested in walking towards the nearby mountains. But its shear stomps made it hard for them to run and avoid the chaos.
Its very body was knocking trees aside and even in the air like a twister. The trees slammed and crashed, splintering apart upon impact, nearly crushing the group at every turn. Finally, Asher simply picked up Hunter, realizing that flight was their best bet for escaping the chaos. So he held the Avalarian by his arms and flew with him, while their guide stayed right at their side. Taking to the skies and moving at full speed until they were far from the traveling path of the giant lizard.
Finally, after half an hour of collecting themselves and walking back from the trip. They were approaching the swamp village, where Sparx and a group of dragonflies were currently searching the area. Thankfully their search was cut short when Sparx spotted his mother and his comrades returning.
"Well, there you are! Where did you go? I was telling stories and everything, then you three vanish,"Sparx exclaimed and began to rant,"On top of that I see what looks like a one night stand Smolder would have walking over the dark side of the swamp."
"We just went on a little trip, just relax."Asher groaned and sat down to rest his legs for a bit.
"Sparx, pay these two respect. They saved me from some frog weeds during our trip."The notion from the mother roused interest of the other dragonflies.
"That's not necessary. You were willing to show us where Spyro's journey began, the least we could-"Hunter was cut off.
"Nonsense, I owe you both my life for your brave acts."She insisted on offering praise to both Asher and Hunter.
"If you insist, but it's really just what we do."Hunter admitted, then Asher spoke.
"Think nothing of it. We…just did what was right…"There was great thought traveling through the dragon's mind as he spoke such words.
Even Sparx went silent for a moment, as Asher sat at a burning fire made by all the dragonflies. Taking in Asher's sudden kind response to the old dragonfly. But then the silence became uncomfortable, and Sparx needed to break the uneasy silence.
"Okay! How about we close with some roasted butterflies!?"Sparx suggested to the crowd.
They promptly agreed, and moments later as the night was full in motion. The dragonflies were surrounding the fire with butterflies and moths stacked up on sticks. Roasted them over a fire till crispy and dark, like a natural BBQ. They shared more stories and jokes among each other, some ranging from kid stories to immature adult stories. Even Hunter admitted a story about a girl he once felt for when he was a novice hunter and teenager, while Asher quietly listened.
"So you actually got her behind the tree and then what happened?"Sparx was more than interested in Hunter's story.
"We spoke so long of times past, and our love hate relationship we had as children,"Hunter explained the relationship with a special someone,"She admitted that she hated what I did because it was dangerous at times. And she wondered when I might never come home from a hunting trip. It…scared her."
"She certainly has a weird way of showing it. Tying your bow and arrows together, hiding your quiver."Sparx was listing the ways a special admirer teased Hunter.
"What that girl did was do everything she could to keep him from danger. She was ready to do anything…"Asher admitted, and thought of the very cat that tried to bed with him to keep them all in Warfang.
"Uh…I guess. So what was the special cat's name?"Sparx asked.
"You already met her at the palace of Warfang."Hunter hinted, but Sparx being Sparx, he was puzzled.
"It's Catra, genius. The maid and caretaker."Asher groaned and gave it away to the dragonfly.
"How did you know?"Hunter asked, realizing that Asher knew long before Hunter said anything on it.
"I've seen the two of you at times in the palace… You both seem happy together."Asher answered and even complimented Hunter's relationship.
"Yes…we truly are."Hunter responded and started noticing the deep thoughts Asher was having.
Silence took over and Asher simply laid across a log to look up at the night sky. A sigh left him, and his thoughts felt clouded, all these stories of good people helping Spyro, the love Spyro shared with his family. Not to mention the love between Catra and Hunter, the things she was willing to do in hopes of protecting Hunter. All these things that were intended to protect and care for others. While all he did alongside with the Alphas was take and take and take, treating the weak like dirt.
For the first time in his life, he started to care about the actions he had committed. He looked to Hunter, his face confusing them all, to the dragonflies he looked to simply be tired. But Hunter could see there was much more to that look than weariness, but now was not the time.
"Well then… I think it's time for us to hit the sack! Asher's gonna have us up at dawn to leave,"Sparx decided to beat Hunter to defuse of awkward silence,"Best get as much winks as we can, good night everyone!"
Sparx was quick to pick out a tree to sleep on nice and high up off the ground. The other dragonflies were slower to leave the bonfire, now that their was only more mixed feelings for the black dragon. But they knew of his wrath from the past, so persisting with him was out of the question. So they disappeared, Sparx's mother was the last to leave, glancing at Asher once. Sensing the conflict that was growing in Asher's mind, especially now that she saw the better side of him.
Once she was gone, Hunter only remained silent and watched Asher. The crickets were all they could hear along with the chirps of tiny frogs barely glinting from the light of fire flies. The bonfire began to slowly die down, and once Asher took notice of the fire. Only then did he see Hunter watching him, his look was sharp and somewhat solemn.
"You feel guilty, don't you?"Hunter finally spoke, questioning Asher's conflict.
"Guilty? About what?"Asher grumbled and looked back to the night sky.
"You feel guilty about what you once were, and the things you did."Hunter pointed out what he believed to be the issue.
"I'm an ex mercenary. Mercs don't feel guilt or remorse, Hunter. Thought you knew that already."Asher passively defended against the notion.
"But like you said. You're an ex mercenary now. And now you know a bit more about your sister's savior,"Hunter retorted with details that proved the point,"You know what a good dragon is and how a legend came to be. He saved your sister and your actions you committed on his family is eating away at you."
Asher sighed and turned his back, hoping to ignore Hunter's words that were eating away at him as much as the actual guilt was.
"You can't stand that you treated Spyro's surrogate family like dirt as an Alpha now,"Hunter continued on, even when Asher clutched his stomach in irritation,"And above all else, you're afraid to admit these feelings cause Felious kept your mind locked in the world of a merc, but that's not you anymore, so-"
Asher couldn't stand it any longer, so he rolled off the log bench and kicked away the bonfire. Till only a charcoal pit remained, barely allowing a red glow to illuminate his enraged face.
"It's the life I got! It's the life I lived by! I wasn't privileged with the life of playing tag or this…hide and seek with dragonflies,"Asher snapped and revealed something else that was tearing at him,"I wasn't allowed to do things like play in the flower fields or mushroom trees till mommy called me home for dinner! I busted my ass, got my body pounded in to toughen it up, and I killed whoever and whatever I was told to kill!"
Hunter fell silent, guilt was confirmed to be a cause of this behavior, but envy was showing itself as well.
"I wanted a life like that more than anything…! A life where I could have been a kid like Spyro was, a life where I had no worries growing up,"Asher continued ranting and raving about his life and Spyro's,"I…wanted to know good people like this… To actually try to be good to other people like these dragonflies did. There was not a day that goes by that I wish I could do the good things your hero did, but we… We were born into completely different lives…"
Hunter remained silent, knowing that Asher needed to vent a bit more before he spoke.
"He got the life that taught him about caring for others and doing the right things,"Asher sighed and slowly went back to the bench to relax and lay down again,"I was only taught how to be cruel to others, kill who I needed to… And work for myself and my group…"
"That may be so… But that isn't who you are now… It's not too late,"Hunter insisted now that he saw Asher cooling down from the moment,"Your sister was once the same, and you saw in the stories how she turned her life around with Spyro's help. You can do it too."
Asher remained silent, whether he was listening or not was up to Hunter to decide. But after the moment they had, Hunter felt it was best to leave the dragon alone to rest.
"It all begins with choice… Trust in your conscious and heart when a choice needs to be made."Hunter concluded his words of advice before laying down to rest as well.
Asher closed his eyes and tried to sleep to the silence that followed, the chirps of frogs and crickets were all he wanted to hear. He got that wish as the night went on and the fire finally went out. The light of the fireflies were all the light he needed to sleep and still feel a sense of ease. But his mind only found more conflict that ate away at him, even his professed envy faded away to shear guilt. These were good people that raised the very dragon that saved his sister, and he repaid them with pain and cruelty.
And now within one day, half of the people were starting to come around to him, regardless of his past. His eyes finally forced themselves open while a slow sigh left him. He clutched his right claw into a fist and pressed it against his chest that felt cold, as if an icy hand was squeezing at his heart. He turned around a bit to try shaking off the feeling, but all he did was turn himself around to look to Hunter. Who was sleeping soundly, and yet it felt like his words were still coming.
The very words that preached for a chance to do the right things instead of what he always did. It only put more of a grasp on his heart as he looked to the fist that had harmed so many. While his wrist spike had spilled so much blood in the name of the Alphas, it was haunting. This guilt was now starting to evolve into self hatred, but then he felt something, a foul breeze shivering his spine.
His natural instincts flared, and a sudden unease began to crawl up his spine as well. Something that warned him of danger, a familiar danger that he once only felt for his enemies.
So he quickly got up and started sniffing the air a few times, till he caught a whiff of a familiar scent. A cologne he knew of from one person only, and that thought put him into a panic. So he ran for the nearest mushroom tree and started to climb fast for a bird's eye view.
He climbed the tree like a professional, even the apes would be impressed. His panicked state would only serve for his speed, as he made it to the top of a mushroom tree within seconds. Only to jump to other trees that were even taller, until he found the tallest one around.
With his bird's eye view made, Asher started searching around for the source of the cologne. And that was when he saw them in the damage, there was only three torches glowing about half a mile to the east, but he could see the activity rustling through the swamp trees. Asher felt the cologne get stronger, and that's when the worst possible scenario was approaching the village.
"They're already here…!"Asher feared, knowing exactly who was coming.
Felious was leading his platoon of mercs through the swamps, their weapons drawn and ready. The filthy cologne belonging to another designated tracker known as Night Raid, a panther Avalarian who was trusted with assassination and night time tracking. His hood and masked covered everything but his piercing yellow eyes as he sniffed and checked every tree they cut down. Asher knew trouble was coming, and it would arrive to the village soon in this case.
"No…! They might get to the village in the next hour. They won't stand a chance…!"Asher feared for the first time, then paused.
His mind screamed at him, and threw him into a sense of conflict once more. This time it was very one sided, a piece of him was begging him to abandon the dragonflies and leave quietly. But a bigger piece came forward along with the words of Hunter, reminding him that it was not too late to do the right thing. He looked back to the village and his comrades, then back to his former comrades. A decision needed to be made, so he closed his eyes and let his mind and heart decide for the first time.
While just half a mile away, Felious was leading his group through the darkness of the swamp. Some mercs were struggling to maneuver through the swamp and were assisted by the bigger members. Felious only kept his eyes forward and on their night time tracker, Night Raid. Who found some scratches on a tree that appeared to be of Asher's making. He then stopped and looked around, the breeze suddenly blew through his ears, and a sudden change went through the air.
"What is it, Night? Are we close?"Felious asked his tracker.
"I think so, but a sudden change in the wind is beckoning a new direction."Night admitted, but Felious was not convinced.
"What are you talking about? Our destination is the village, where we plan to interrogate the dragonflies!"Felious reminded Night of their destination.
"Yeah, yeah! We gonna pull the wings off them fruit flies till they start talking!"Laughed a lanky and short lynx with messy fur and no hood on his hunter outfit laughed wildly.
"Keep the madness to a minimum, Curage… Now are we going the right way or not?"Felious questioned again.
"Yes… We should be there in maybe less than an hour at this pace."Night sighed and finally carved down the tree with his sword.
"In that case, you should all be ready! The fight may very well begin here in the swamps,"Felious turned and addressed his crew of mercenaries,"Asher knows us to heart, and we know him! He's gonna fight like hell! Only together can we hope to defeat him!"
The Alphas roared and cheered, before some of their eyes began to glow green, just like Felious's.
"When we find him…! Show him no mercy…! Make him regret abandoning us all…!"He concluded, and got more cheers from it.
Before a sudden ball of fire made its mark in the water neck to the center of the group. Water and heat exploded from the fire ball, turning cheers to screams as three Alphas were sent flying. Two crashed into trees, falling unconscious while one was badly burned on the legs and chest. He laid there in the water till a medical merc rushed to his side to try and dress his wounds among the panic. The only ones that didn't go into a panic was Felious and Leo, and Leo was able to point out the cause of the sudden ambush.
Felious looked to where Leo was pointing, and that's when they saw him, their old top mercenary, Asher. Flying right above them, a solid twenty feet away, but their eyes were able to sharply meet. No longer as family, but as sworn enemies that were now ready to kill each other.
"There you are…! We knew you would be here, boy. You were always easy to track…!"Felious was the first to speak as the Alphas collected themselves.
Asher said nothing, for there wasn't anything else that needed to be said between the two of them.
"You know… I actually never thought it would come to this, Asher. You were our pride and joy,"Felious admitted as the eyes of his crew all met with Asher's,"But now… You went and broke us… Made us lost without you… And…I fear that is simply unforgivable."
The silence still remained, Asher darted an eye at the village and back to his old family. Knowing exactly what he needed to do now that a choice was finally made.
"So… You know what has to happen now. Are you sure you really want this sister so bad,"Felious asked, and Asher slowly nodded in response,"Then I guess… Tonight… We put a poor misguided Alpha to rest…!"
"We'll see about that."Asher finally responded and shot a smaller fire ball right at Felious.
Curage was quick to laugh and pull out his custom blade edged shield to defend Felious. Who had flinched from the sudden attack, and was thoroughly surprised by Asher's cold attack on him.
"If you boys want me so bad…! Come get me!"Asher yelled and quickly took off towards the small mountains that rested a few miles behind him.
Once Asher and his fellow Alpha members fully recovered from the attack, Felious was beyond outraged. And in a fit of rage that made his necklace vibrate, he roared in an echoing voice.
"Chase him down! Slaughter the filthy traitor!"His roars prompted his mercenaries to roar as well.
As they all began to give chase, leaving a medic behind to tend to the wounded. Their testosterone was through the roof and their emotions flared as they chased the black dragon. While Asher smirked and looked back to the village.
"Sorry guys… Just bare with me. This is my first time doing the right thing for a change…"Asher admitted and flew for the mountains with his mercenary family on his tail and out for blood.
Ok, it's been awhile since I wrote for this story, I know. It's just been a bit tricky trying to write for stories again, please just bare with me. I will eventually get back into the swing of writing, I promise I ain't leaving stories like this unfinished, it'll just take some time. For those of you still sticking around, stay awesome every one.