Act 2, Chapter 6

It was some time before Noon.

Denzel slowly woke up, surprised to find himself wrapped up in his mother's arms. The last thing he remembered, he was lying on her back, resting his head against her neck.

"Mommy and the other lady must have decided to go to sleep some time." He decided.

The Purple hatchling looked around. Orange sand stretched onwards forever in all directions. Denzel frowned.

"This place is boring." He said. "There's nowhere to play."

Suddenly, Denzel heard his stomach growl.

"I'm hungry again." He realized. "Where can I find something to eat?"

Denzel looked around again, trying to spot any small mice or rats wandering around.

At fist, he didn't see any. But then, he saw something.

A small rat was running across the sand. It was bigger than what Denzel was used to, but the hatchling was excited to see it anyway.

"That looks yummy!" He declared. He turned and looked at Tyrrany. "I'll be right back, Mommy!"

Denzel readied himself and chased after the rat, remembering the techniques his mother taught him to catch it.

…

A few minutes later, Denzel was a short distance away from Tyrrany and Angela, sitting on the desert sands and eating his rat. It didn't taste as good as what he was used to back in the Mountain lands, but it was still okay.

I wonder what kind of animals live in Glehavey?, Denzel thought. I can't wait to find out…

As Denzel was eating, another thought came to his head.

I wonder if I'll get to meet my Daddy soon.

Ever since Tyrrany told Denzel that he had a father, the hatchling wondered who he was, what he looked like, etc. From what his mother said, Denzel's father sounded like a nice dragon, and probably missed his mother every day.

I can't wait to meet him, the hatchling thought.

As Denzel was thinking, he suddenly heard strange noises coming from behind him.

"Huh?" He asked.

The Purple hatchling turned around, curious. To his surprise, several strange black creatures were crawling out of large black pools on the ground.

As the creatures walked towards him, the hatchling immediately recognized them: They were more of those monsters that attacked him and his mother the other day.

Denzel took several steps back, frightened.

"S..Stop!" he yelled. "Don't come closer!"

Something strange happened. As soon as Denzel said that, the monsters stopped approaching him. And they weren't growling anymore.

"What..?" Denzel asked, confused. "Why did you stop?"

None of the monsters answered. The hatchling scratched his head.

"Did…did you stop because I told you to?"

Still no response.

The Hatchling thought for a minute.

"Uh…" He said. "…Sit down."

Immediately, the monsters sat down on their haunches, focusing on Denzel. The hatchling's eyes gleamed.

"You're really listening to me!"

And so, Denzel decided to have some fun.

"Let's wrestle!" He declared.

The hatchling charged forwards, leaping onto the nearest creature he saw.

…

Tyrrany slowly woke up. She began stretching her back. She had lost all feeling in the wing she was sleeping on top of.

"That's going to take a while to get back to normal." She stated through a yawn.

The Purple dragoness was slowly getting onto her feet, when she suddenly realized something:

Her son was missing.

"Denzel?" She asked, looking around. "Where are you, little one?"

The Purple dragoness looked all around at the Desert, getting hysterical.

"DENZEL!"

Suddenly, Tyrrany spotted a group of Black monsters flocked together off to the West. She could here faint cries coming from the center of the flock. It was Denzel.

Immediately, the Purple dragoness teleported away, and reappeared before the flock, roaring like a mighty Beast.

Tyrrany ripped and tore at the creatures, which she discovered were Crepsculi, which only served to enrage her more.

One by one, Tyrrany slaughtered the Black monsters, until she reached her son.

"Mommy?" He asked. "What are you doing?"

To Tyrrany's surprise, Denzel was completely unharmed. Not a single claw mark or bleeding wound anywhere.

"Weren't those monsters hurting you?" Tyrrany asked Denzel.

"No." He replied. "We were just playing."

"PLAYING?"

"Uh-huh. Why did you have to hurt them, Mommy?"

"I thought they were trying to hurt you, little one." Another thought came in to Tyrrany's head. "What were you doing 'playing' with them in the first place, Denzel?"

"Well, when I woke up, I was hungry." Denzel replied. "So, I went to look for something to eat. When I found something to eat, the black creatures appeared. I thought they were going to hurt me, but then they started doing what I said. So, I decided to wrestle with them."

Tyrrany was dumbstruck by what the Hatchling said. The Crepsculi followed his orders? How was that possible? There must have been more to what happened. However, The Purple dragoness decided to focus on that at a later time.

"If you wanted to find something to eat," Tyrrany scolded, "You should have woken me up."

"But I didn't want to disturb you, Mommy." Denzel responded.

"That's no excuse, Denzel. I can't allow you to run off unsupervised. It's dangerous out here: You need supervision."

Denzel looked down at the ground, frowning.

"I'm Sorry, Mommy."

The Purple dragoness sighed.

"Denzel, look at me."

The hatchling did as she said, and she continued.

"I don't want you wandering of alone because you could get hurt. If you were ever badly hurt when I could have prevented it, it'd make me sad. And when I saw those monsters surrounding you, I was afraid of what they might've done to you."

"They weren't hurting me, Mommy."

"Even it that's true, it's not normal behavior for those creatures. The next ones we see might-"

Suddenly, Tyrrany heard growling and hissing coming from all around her.

Tyrrany and Denzel were surrounded by Crepsculi, which had just crawled out of pools of Darkness.

…

Moments later, Angela was woken up by the sounds of a struggle. She bolted up right, shaking the drowsiness away, and looked in the noise's direction.

She was shocked to see the Purple dragoness locked in combat against several black monsters, of which there were over a dozen. Anny was standing over her son Denzel, protecting him from attack. The hatchling was asleep; His mother had used her Memory element to place him in that state, so that his crying didn't distract her.

"ANNY!" exclaimed, running to her aid.

Angela unleashed her Earth breath to strike several of the beasts out of the air just before they could get the drop on the Purple dragoness.

"Thanks." Anny said.

"Your welcome."

As Anny stood in place, Angela circled her, attacking any of the monsters that got too close.

"I recognize these beasts!" The Green dragoness declared. "They're the same as the monsters that attacked my village."

"They're called Crepsculi." Anny replied, slashing at one of them. "They're creatures born of darkness."

After fighting for a while, it seemed like the dragoness would be victorious.

However, to their alarm, more Crepsculi crawled out of the ground, replacing the ones that fell. And there were at least twice as many now.

"We can't keep this up forever!" Angele exclaimed. "We need to flee!"

"Right!" Anny agreed. She scooped Denzel up off the ground and took to flight.

"To Glenhaven!"

Immediately, Anny and Angele fled West, towards the city of Glenhaven. The swarm of Crepsculi chased after them.

Little did they realize that help was already on its way.

…

As Flame raced towards the approaching dragonesses, he spotted something he hadn't before. The smaller dragoness, a Purple one, was holding a hatchling in her arms.

I need to move even FASTER, before the kid gets hurt! He decided.

The two dragonesses seemed surprised by the red dragon's sudden appearance, but that didn't matter now. Instead, he focused on attacking the Crepsculi.

…

Tyrrany couldn't believe her eyes.

Flame was here. He was flying right towards her, presumably to help her and Angela shake off the pursuing Crepsculi.

Tyrrany hadn't seen Flame in over six months. Not a day went by when she didn't long to see him again. And now, here he was.

She wanted to embrace him. She wanted more than anything to hold him close. But she couldn't. Not now.

Right now, Tyrrany had to focus on getting Denzel to safety. And besides, Flame wouldn't recognize her in her disguised state.

So, Tyrrany continued onwards towards Glenhaven, not even stopping to glance at the red dragon. She shed a few tears as she traveled onwards.

Flame…

…

The first Crepsculi Flame targeted were the ones directly at the front of the swarm, closing in on the Earth dragoness. The Red dragon opened his mouth and burned the Black beasts to a crisp.

Flame then tailed behind the Green dragoness, attacking any Crepsculi that got too close.

"Thank you, young man!" The dragoness said to him.

"Your welcome!" Flame responded.

As the three dragons fled towards Glenhaven, over a dozen dragons dressed in silver armor flew out from the city and towards the trio. Most of them flew past, but one of them, a large Lightning dragon, stopped before the trio, causing them to slow down.

"Follow me back to the city." He commanded. "I'll escort you to the city."

"Okay." Tyrrany and Angela agreed.

The Lightning dragon led Tyrrany and Angela to the city, Flame tailing behind them for support. Meanwhile, the dozen dragons combated the Crepsculi, making short work of them.

…

A short while later, Tyrrany, Denzel and Angela were now safe within the confines of the city. The Lightning and Red dragons had taken them to a shelter for dragons who passed through the city on business, as well as dragons with no homes.

"You may stay here for the time being." The Lightning dragon said. "At least until you can get back on your feet."

"Thank you." Tyrrany replied. Angela, however, frowned.

"As nice as that knowledge is," She stated, "I need to speak to the leader of this city immediately."

"On what business, ma'am?" The Lightning dragon asked.

"I'm the former leader of the northern settlements of the Mountains of Kilon."

"Former?" the young Red dragon asked.

"I say former because the Mountains of Kilon, and all of its settlements, are now no more."

The two male dragons gasped.

"Impossible!" The Lightning dragon declared.

"I speak the truth!" Angela replied. "You can have a Memory dragon search my mind to see if I'm lying."

"Fair enough. I'll take you to see Lady Mimet immediately." The Lightning dragon said. He turned to face his younger companion. "You're free to go."

"Alright." He replied. "See ya."

As the Flame turned to fly away, Tyrrany sighed. Meanwhile, the Lightning dragon spoke again.

"Follow me." He said, turning in a different direction.

"I'm going to explore the city with my son." Tyrrany said to Angela. "It was a pleasure to meet you."

"Will you be alright on your own?" The Earth dragoness asked.

"I'll be fine."

"Alright. May the ancestors look after you, Anny."

Tyrrany nodded, and then turned in the other direction and flew off. Angela and The Lightning dragon left in the other direction.

After flying off in that direction for a while, Tyrrany started to make a bee line around the city, heading in the direction she thought she saw Flame take.

There's no way I'm hiding from him, she decided.

After flying around for a bit, she spotted the red dragon flying towards the Grasslands area. The Purple dragoness flew followed him there. And then, once she got as close to him as she felt was necessary, she took in a deep breath.

Here goes….

…

Flame flew towards the Grasslands area, looking for Ember and Arthur. He didn't know if they were going to return there after running off to alert the guards.

It's as good a place as any to look for them, he decided.

As the red dragon approached the Grasslands, something unexpected happened: Someone called out to him.

"FLAME!" They shouted.

"Huh?" He replied, startled.

Flame turned around to see who was calling him.

A Purple dragoness flew up to Flame. And it wasn't just any dragoness: It was one of the two dragonesses he had helped earlier. She was still carrying the sleeping hatchling in her forelegs.

"You again?" He asked, an eyebrow raised. "And how do you know my name?"

"You don't recognize me? Or my voice?" The dragoness asked, frowning.

"Uh, should I?"

The dragoness sighed.

"Do you have a few spare minutes?" She asked. "I'd like to show you something."

"Umm…"

"It won't take long."

"Okay." Flame said. "What do you want to show me?"

"We'll have to go somewhere else."

"What?" the Red dragon exclaimed. "Why?"

"I promise that it won't take too long."

Flame rolled his eyes.

"Fine." He said. "This had better be good."

"Thank you." The Purple dragoness turned around. "Follow me. I know a good spot."

The dragoness led Flame clear across the city, towards the southern section. Along the way, the Red dragon couldn't help but wonder who this dragoness and her son were.

What's with this girl?

Eventually, she came to a landing in front of an old abandoned house. But it wasn't just any old house: It was the same one that Flame used to stay in.

"Hey!" He exclaimed. "How do you know about this place?"

"Still don't remember me, Flame?" The dragoness asked, frowning. "Well, you'll figure it out soon enough."

The dragoness walked into the house, Flame following behind.

Once the both of them were inside, the dragoness set the hatchling she was carrying down on the floor and closed the door behind Flame.

"Okay, now that we're here," the Red dragon stated, "What is it you want to show me? And just who are you?"

The dragoness took a deep sigh. She raised one of her forepaws out in front of her.

"This form you see is a disguise, Flame."

"What?'

A moment later, a small black orb appeared in the dragoness's paw. And then, her Purple hide suddenly turned black, becoming covered in dark energy.

This alone startled Flame. But what happened next nearly made him jump in surprise.

The Dark energy covering the dragoness flowed off of her and into her paw, leaving her hide a different Color: White. Her Red mane changed to Black. Her eyes became Blood Red. And two Red Symbols glowed on her sides.

It was Tyrrany.

…

"NO WAY!" Flame shouted. "THERE'S JUST NO WAY!"

"Flame, it's me." Tyrrany replied, half-smiling.

"It can't be!" The Red dragon snapped. "You can't possibly…..It's not…. You can't…"

Flame started to tear up.

"Oh, Anny…"

The Red dragon ran forwards and wrapped his forelegs around the White dragoness, crying. Tyrrany accepted the embrace, holding Flame close. She cried as well.

For a while, the two young dragons were silent. After being apart for so long, they were finally reunited. Tyrrany placed her head against Flame's, and allowed him to kiss her forehead.

"I've missed you so much, Flame." She said, wiping tears from her eyes.

"Where've been all these months?" Flame asked. "I've been so worried about you."

"I was hiding in the Mountains of Kilon."

"How'd you end up there?"

"Rune teleported me there on the day when my father resurrected the Victiumirti."

"Rune?"

"Well, not Rune actually, but an evil being that possessed Rune's body. His name is Runefor."

"Runefor?" Flame asked skeptically. "That's not very original."

"Well, he was given that name by Rune. But in any case, Runefor sent me to the Mountains of Kilon, and I lived in hiding there for six months."

"Why did you decide to leave?" Flame asked.

"Don't you remember what that woman Angela said? The Mountains of Kilon have been completely destroyed."

The Red dragon was astonished.

"Destroyed? By who?"

"Runefor. He's planning to destroy the rest of the world as well."

"So he's in league with Bergan?"

"Actually, he's competing with them. He's even killed one of the Victiumirti already."

"Oh, right. I forgot about that."

Suddenly, a thought came to Flame's head. He turned his head and glanced curiously at the sleeping hatchling.

"Say, who's this?" He asked. Tyrrany sighed, approaching the hatchling.

"Flame, this is going to be very hard for me to tell you." She said solemnly.

The White dragoness created another orb of darkness in her paw, this time much smaller.

Suddenly, two small patches of Dark energy appeared on the hatchling's sides, and flew into Tyrrany's paw. In their wake were two small red symbols.

"Flame, this is Denzel." Tyrrany said. "He's your son."

Flame's saw hit the floor.

"WHAT?" He asked, completely amazed. "How's that even possible? When did…"

Suddenly, Flame came to realization.

"Oh…"

Tyrrany looked at the floor, ashamed.

"On the night when I… violated you, Denzel was conceived." Tears flowed from the dragoness's eyes. "He's living proof that I raped you. I'm so sorry."

Flame approached Tyrrany, saddened to see her in that state.

"Anny, I already forgave you for violating me months ago." He said reassuringly. "You don't have to keep apologizing for it."

The Red dragon glanced down at his son.

"And as for Denzel, well… I'll be honest: This isn't something I'm excited to hear about…"

"I guessed as much.." Tyrrany replied.

"But don't get me wrong, Anny. I've always wanted to be your mate, and to spend my life together with you. I even imagined that we'd have kids someday. This is just… several years earlier than I expected."

"So you're not mad?"

"Of course not…" Flame answered, smiling. "If you want me to help you raise him, I'll be there for you. I'll just need to get used to the fact that I have a son now."

Tyrrany smiled back.

"Thank you, Flame. You always do so much for me."

"That's because I love you, Tyrrany."

"Don't call me that name anymore." She said seriously. "'Tyrrany' is the wrongful pseudonym that He gave to me. Please, call me 'Hope', from now on."

"Okay…" Flame replied. "May I still call you Anny?" The dragoness giggled.

"Of course you may."

Flame laughed.

"So, now that you've arrived in Glenhaven," The Red dragon responded, "What will you do now?"

"I want to be with you." Tyrrany answered. "I want to be your mate, even if it means telling the whole world where I am."

"I don't think revealing you presence would be a good idea." Flame replied. "Even though I know you were tricked into killing Queen Elenar, a lot of people think you did it with intent. There are beings out there hunting you down like a criminal."

Tyrrany frowned.

"I know that. That's why I used a Shroud of Darkness to disguise myself and Denzel."

"What we need is for you to find and talk to Lord Spyro, King Urobos, or Lady Cynder." The Red dragon stated. "Unlike most of the other dragons, those three will hear you out. Once we've convinced them that you were manipulated by Bergan, it won't be long before you're cleared of all charges."

"Do you really think it will be that easy?"

"I'll do anything in my power to help you, Anny. You can be sure of that."

Tyrrany smiled.

"If you say so, Flame.."

"Lady Cynder won't be back in Glenhaven for a while. Until she arrives, it's for the best if you hide out here. I'll be able to visit you during the afternoons."

"That's fine." Tyrrany replied. "Say, is Arthur here in Glenhaven too?"

"Uh-huh. Can I tell him about you?"

The dragoness thought about it for a moment.

"I don't see why not. He's still my friend, too."

"Great!" Flame cheered. "So, what do we do in the meantime?"

"Well, I have an idea…." Tyrrany answered.

She shut her eyes, leaned forwards, and kissed Flame on his lips. The Red dragon shut his eyes as well, and slipped his tongue into her mouth.

For a while, the two held this position. Both of these young dragons had spent so much time longing to be with each other. Now that they were together again, they were finally happy.

When the moment finally came to an end, Flame leaned back and looked down at Denzel.

"He certainly is a cute little guy." He remarked, smiling.

"Yeah." Tyrrany added. "He looks alot like you."

"But he's got your eyes and your hair."

"And your snout, and both of our sets of horns." Flame chuckled.

"Your right."

Tyrrany reached down and placed a forepaw on Denzel's back, lightly shaking him.

"Denzel, dear, it's time to wake up." She said sweetly.

The hatchling mumbled slightly.

"Wakey wakey, little one."

The hatchling woke up slightly.

"..I'm still sleepy, Mommy." He said, eyes still shut.

"But your Daddy's here to meet you."

As soon as Tyrrany said that, Denzel bolted onto his feet and looked at her.

"My Daddy?" He asked. "Where?"

"I'm over here." Flame answered.

Denzel turned around and looked at Flame. The Red dragon smiled down at him.

"Hello, Denzel." He said.

"You're my Daddy?" He asked.

"Uh-huh."

Denzel walked up to Flame and hugged one of his forelegs tightly.

"I'm so happy to finally meet you, Daddy!" The hatchling exclaimed, smiling.

Flame hugged his son back.

"Likewise, Den."

"Den?" Tyrrany asked skeptically.

"What?" The Red dragon asked. "That can be his nickname."

"If you say so, Flame."

Tyrrany looked on as Denzel started to wrestle with his father. She smiled.

For the first time in a long while, she was truly happy.

Not only was she finally reunited with Flame, but he accepted their son with open arms. And soon, once Tyrrany had gotten on good terms with Urobos, Spyro and Cynder, she would be able to openly tell the world that she and Flame had started a family. She didn't care if Bergan found out about Denzel: She would protect her son till the end of the world.

But, would "the end of the world" remain an expression, or become a reality?