Sentinels: Emerald Squad

Spyro and Sparx came to a dead end. The jagged granite cliffs met the vast rolling ocean and the golden sands ended. The only way to go from here was up. Many boulders littered the place, protruding from the ground and providing many opportunities to hide away from the seeking eyes of the world. Thunder still zipped across the sky, like a battle between two electric dragons. It was beautiful in a frightful way as the dark clouds continued to loom above. The storm that rumbled in the north was approaching fast, heading in their direction.

"Yo, buddy of mine, where do we go now?" Sparx asked, trying to sound positive and improve the gloomy mood.

"We go up," Spyro replied bluntly, staring at the white cliffs above.

"I know, I know, but I mean where after that, what is the plan?" he continued, unsatisfied with the answer. He had asked this question many times in the long month before, but each time the conversation ended the same.

"Honestly, I don't know."

"Then why don't we head back to the swamps with mom and dad? They'll never find us there!" He brightened up at his own suggestion. They hadn't seen them ever since their departure from the swamp and Sparx missed them dearly.

Spyro stopped in his tracks and turned his head to his brother.

"You can go back if you want Sparx, no one said you had to come with me," he said with a blank, unreadable expression on his face. He really wanted to see them too, but the guilt imbedded in his mind was just too deep for him to dare face his parents.

"I'm not going anywhere, brothers stick together. So we either go back to the swamps together, or continue wandering aimlessly together. That's how it works Spyro. So let me repeat the question. Why don't we skedaddle back to mum and dad and put this whole thing behind us?"

"I can't go back, not after what I did to this world," Spyro solemnly shook his head.

"Dude you saved it," he waved his tiny hands in a circular motion, indicating on how big a thing that really is. "No matter how you slice it, this world would've been gone without you."

"But I also made it a worse place."

"Then what are you going to do about it?" he cunningly asked, jabbing his finger out at Spyro.

"What do you mean?"

"The brother I knew always bounced back with a plan to make things better, and I think it's time to put that big, beautiful, purple mind of yours to use!" Sparx was simply happy he managed to get the conversation further than he had done in the past.

"I guess I have got to tell you."

"So, you do have a plan?" Sparx asked eagerly, fluttering about like golden dust, barely able to contain his little annoying excitement.

"Kind of…" He rotated his head to the side slightly. "Like a third of a plan."

"That's something at least. Let's hear it!" He placed both hands behind his head, relaxing like he was laying on a bed.

"Hang on Sparx, you have just given me an even better idea!" A new burst of unexpected energy emerged from the purple dragon.

"Phew, where did this enthusiasm come from?" He pushed outwards in exaggeration like Spyro's happiness was a blinding and unfamiliar force, beaming at his brother's renewed hope.

"I'll build a new Warfang!"

"That's a bri- hang on. You mean rebuild Warfang…an entire city?"

"Yes!" He sharply nodded his head, unable to detect the disbelief in his little brother's tone.

"And how do you plan on doing that, with sticks and stones?" he asked sarcastically. He crossed his arms, unable to withhold the cheeky grin he was known for.

"I…I don't know," Spyro sighed once he realised the many flaws in his plan. He fell back into his glum state.

"Sorry to burst your bubble but you're going to need an army of builders to do that, and right now, I doubt anyone's going to do that." Unfortunately, Sparx's extensive comments weren't helping the mood of the amethyst drake, who sank his head closer towards the ground; he felt like a useless burden.

"…You're right."

"So, what's your plan then?"

"I…I don't know, okay!?" He spoke harsher than he intended, and immediately regretted it. However, the bubbly nature of his oblivious brother remained unburst.

"Riiight, alert me when you have one…All this planning has gotten me tired, I know this whole thing is about you, but I still have needs that have to be attended to. I'm going to take a quick nap on your head so please don't wake me unless you see some nice butterflies or actually come up with a plan…Good night," He waved.

Some of the comments the little golden dragonfly came out with were nothing short of bizarre to Spyro, but he was still grateful for them; it kept him sane, company and homely in a way only a brother could do. Sure, he could go from being a sincere meaningful individual to an annoyingly familiar gnat in the span of a second, but at least it meant his brother wasn't as under weather as he was.

The little insect planted himself carefully on the dragon's scaly head, while Spyro remained still. He had done so now so regularly he even had a posture specific for these moments: he would lay down and rest his head precisely on the left horn.

"There's the Sparx I know. But to be fair, sleep does sound like a good idea. I'm beat…"

Spyro scanned the granite cliff above; even the pure white chalkiness of it didn't look all too bright in the shadows casted from above. The smooth rock surface didn't yield many surfaces or wedges big enough to support his weight.

At last he found one of interest, a ledge pointing sharply outwards with a little cove to provide some protection from the impending storm above and searching eyes below. Carefully he spread his tired wings and flapped, using the downward momentum to carry himself upwards into the bitingly cold air. He came level to the ledge. It wasn't flawless; a little on the small side so dangling appendages were a guarantee, plus the hole was shallower than at first sight. But then nothing in Spyro's life had ever been perfect, and anything close to that word had been taken away from him. However, it was because of these imperfections he'd begun appreciating the benefits of the little things in his life, like the fact the platform wasn't slanted so he wouldn't have to worry about rolling off.

He carefully placed a purple talon on it and pushed down. "Okay, seems stable…" He slowly lowered the rest of his exhausted body onto to it, making sure the little dragonfly didn't slip off his head and back down to the gritty sands below.

"Boom!"

"The storm will be here soon…" He cast a watchful eye to the clouds above.

Spyro carefully lifted the dragonfly up and placed him in between a crack that ran into the cliff. "That will at least protect him from the rain… Sparx even though I don't say it, I'm grateful you came."

He then curled into a lavender ball, hanging a talon over as he suspected before blocking out the booming thunder and trying to go to sleep. However deep thoughts of him and his fluttery brother still echoed in his head.

"But can I do…I can't go back. But even if I could…why does the idea of city life not appeal to me?"

He did wonder though how Warfang was doing…

Two long hours passed, and the storm had finally rolled in from above, battering them with thick rain that splattered all along the white cliffs. Thankfully the scales of dragons were thick and waterproof, and the large cliff that loomed over casted a natural shield over the purple drake. Spyro was accustomed to the wetness as well, so any rain that did touch his scaly skin simply ran off, leaving him and his much-needed sleep mostly unaffected.

Another hour and a half passed. Another skill, that other dragons such as Cynder possessed through long intensive times of prolonged danger out in the wicked wild, was a keen sense of hearing. Spyro learnt to ignore the common sounds heard in storms, and instead focus on the noise of talking and footsteps of adult dragons; it had gotten him out of a lot of dire situations. Some though may claim this skill is simply selective hearing.

Despite this very useful talent, Spyro had only ever had to use it for loud bumbling adults and their heavy feet or oblivious orcs and grublins making no effort to conceal their location. Never had he had the chance to use it against small dragons trained in stealth that knew exactly where he was…

Four dragons softly contacted the cliff's head without a sound. Two males and two females quietly crawled to the cliff's steep edge, scanning the beach and their surroundings. Their attentions were then drawn to one of the males, a fire dragon, pointing at the purple dragon sleeping precariously on a ledge down below them, slightly to their right.

The fire dragon was a deep, crimson-blood colour, with a sunset orange underbelly. He was bulky but not veiny in the muscles department, which taking into consideration his colours and looks added up to be a very handsome drake. Yet his looks weren't everything; he held an air of leadership that you would associate with the likes of Terrador than a youngling like himself. But not only that, he also held the calm unnerving edge to his face, while not wrinkly, the emotionless expression made him look far more mature than his age showed. Lastly to accompany his body, he had tail that had four boned spikes jutting out, two at either end, and four horns that extended from the back of his head and curved down towards the earth like a ram.

He waited patiently as he formulated a plan in his mind, cutting off escapes in case the purple dragon made a run for it.

Next was the lean, pure white Ice male with a dark blue underbelly, who stood out like a candle in the dark. He had two grey thick horns sticking straight up like a gazelle, only being much shorter and thicker in width. But despite his striking appearance his was plagued at the tail end section, only having the basic horned tail much like Spyro. While he most likely would deny it and instead get angry, he was often described as bold and arrogant.

He impatiently darted his head back and forth in between his leader and the purple dragon, tapping lightly on the grass, waiting for the signal to jump their prey.

After him was a very tense electric female, who would jump at the littlest sounds. This wasn't helped by her body, thin and quite fragile. But underneath this sunny-yellow dragoness lied a strong and kind spirit who cared very deeply for her friends and would put herself in harm's way for them. Her bright cheery colouring was contrasted by her easing pale underbelly. She had three horns protruding from her head that were short but still had a considerable curve. She too had also the very standard tipped tail.

She visibly flinched when a particularly nasty piece of lightning clapped in the thick clouds above; showing a bit of her timid personality.

The last of them, a bright green female who resembled more of a green winged bull with a sour attitude watched the leader carefully and awaited instructions. She had a light brown underbelly and single drill like, spiralling horn that stuck straight up and out, the only thing standing proud on her. Lastly a thick blunt tail to accompany the rest of her powerful body, for the moments she needed to smash things into pieces.

"Come on, come on…" Blizarus, the icy white male whispered; the waiting was intolerable. This was the legendary purple dragon they were about to catch, so he had reason to be eager, and he would be the one to take him down. It would've made Spyro laugh had he heard the dragon, the resemblance his attitude had compared to Cyril, all the pompousness and without any of the wisdom. He was beginning to think that an true ice dragon, he would need plenty of self-respect.

He was quickly hushed by Charditus, the leader who spun his head around his way. This in return made the icy dragon bite his tongue and instead grizzle.

Charditus finalised his plan. He indicated to Volterra, the lighting female to move down to the beach and lay in ambush. Which to that she nodded nervously and with silent movements pushed off the cliff and glided gently to the wet sand below. The heavy rain helped mask any sounds they made.

Charditus waited for her to be in position before waving his talon and signalling to Blizarus to do the same on the other side. However, he wasn't about to allow himself to be put in the position of back-up. Instead he frowned and with strong defiant gestures pointed at himself, then forcibly in the direction of Spyro.

Charditus though stood his ground, giving Blizarus a look of disapproval before pointing with his head for the ice male to do as he was told.

To someone watching it looked like mimes having an argument; flailing talon gestures and zero speech.

In annoyance Earthena, the huge female earth dragoness shoved passed the ice dragon and despite her hulking appearance quietly flew down to the position opposite Volterra.

Charditus let out an inner sigh and gestured for Blizarus to follow him, which to the ice dragon's delight did. They crept along the top of the cliff until they were directly above the purple dragon, peeking over to get a good view, like a giant juicy steak being waved in front of a hungry lion…It was to irresistible to wait.

Charditus eyes grew wide as he desperately reached out for any part of the over-excited male he could grab. But he was too late, the white drake descended upon the purple dragon with open talons, screaming at the top of his lungs.

Spyro's eyes snapped open as he saw the whirling white male drop rapidly towards him in maniacal fury. Despite his surprise his instincts kicked in. He quickly rolled off the side of his platform, directly onto the wet sand below, moments before the mad dragon smashed into the platform with a satisfying thud. His yelling got cut off as he went from very quick to a complete stop in a second.

Spyro even winced as he watched this bizarre attack take place, watching the young drake clearly so intent on killing him struggle to find his bearings.

Spyro's focus though quickly shifted from Blizarus's injuries to the dragon himself, as he looked remarkably young for someone trying to attack him…his age even. Which he found strange considering the well-known story of the night of the raid.

His attention though was quickly brought back into reality when he heard a whistle sound loudly from above. He shifted his gazed upwards and saw Charditus standing noble, gazing back at him.

He found his concentration drawn to behind him, where he saw the two dragonesses appear from behind.

"How many of them are there?" he thought as he realised how bad the situation was getting. A part of him also wondered how they found him. Had they been tracking him for a while?

He sensed a pattern forming though. These young dragons lacked the armour that Warfang guards always wore. Which meant these dragons were from another party. Whether that was a good or bad thing though was yet to be decided.

No one else moved apart from the grumpy white dragon still recovering from his collision and the more graceful Charditus who glided down in front of Spyro, finishing the triangle that surrounded the dragon.

"Spyro!" Charditus spoke clearly with stern authority. "We are the Emerald squad of the Sentinels, dragons trained our entire lives to catch criminals like yourself. Give yourself up so we can turn you in at Warfang," he warned.

"I can't go with you, not until I find a way to restore the realm."

"That wasn't a choice, we will use force if we have to."

Spyro tensed up, carefully watching each individual dragon, trying to plan their movements ahead of time and figuring out a way to counteract it.

"Fine…I didn't want it to go this way. Sentinels-" Charditus stopped mid-sentence as a golden dragonfly lazily fluttered by him.

"Hey…" he grumbled to Charditus as he bumbled by, completely ignoring the other dragons and hovering slowly to Spyro. It became apparent to Spyro he hadn't quite woken up yet… Everyone else just watched on in dumbfounded surprise as this oblivious dragonfly loitered past them to have a carefree conversation with Spyro.

"Oi…mind telling your friends to keep it down…" he murmured. His eyes lain half open and half closed.

"Sparx we're under attack, they aren't my friends," Spyro hastily explained.

The word attack quickly brought the dragonfly to his senses.

"Under attack!?" he yelped.

"Sentinels attack!" Charditus yelled.

"Sparx get out of here!" Spyro yelled as he prepared for the onslaught. Without a moment's hesitation the dragonfly dashed upwards for the cliffs.

Blizarus charged forward while Charditus shot out a fireball at Spyro.

Spyro quickly rose an earth barrier from the wet sands in front to protect him from the oncoming fire, which collided into the rock wall with a loud boom as sparks exploded outwards. He then saw on his left Earthena sprinting full speed, head lowered with her horn directly aimed at him.

He quickly leaped back and breathed a path of ice in his place. Earthena, unable to change her course in time slipped on the ice and fell flat on her stomach, skating past the purple dragon.

He didn't intentionally mean to hurt them, he was only using his elements to protect himself.

Spyro didn't get a moment to rest though as Blizarus jumped over his previous earth barrier and leapt at Spyro with his fangs bared.

Spyro rolled to one side but just as he did Volterra released a spark of electricity that struck his side, causing pain to shoot up his leg and paralyzing him long enough for Blizarus to land a painful blow to his Spyro's head with his talon. It knocked him sideways into one of the many rocks that scattered the beach. He grinned at his magnificent punch while Spyro quickly shook off the pain; the punch hurt but he had suffered worse.

He was about to face the two dragons again when the red drake appeared from above the rock he was forced against. Charditus leapt over him and joined his comrades in the three versus one confrontation.

However, Spyro was in no mood for a bloody battle right now that could potentially end fatally. This had been his one rule when dealing with these situations: not to hurt or kill anyone. The only exception being wildlife for his dinner and those of Malefor's army.

But he had to get out before things got ugly. While taking off may give him a chance to escape he doubted he could out manoeuvre the four dragons. He had to cut off their line of sight first before attempting anything otherwise they would just thwart his plan.

Blizarus was quick to re-engage the fight, leaping forward and shooting a breath of ice. Spyro retaliated by ducking underneath the chilling breath and shooting out flames on the sand in front, creating a fire barrier that covered most of the front. This sudden burst caused the three dragons to back up and conceal the their bounty long enough for him to retreat into the maze of rocks behind.

The flaming wall disappeared quickly as a mixture of heavy rain and lack of flammable substances forced it to die out. But the few vital seconds it provided meant only Charditus caught a glimpse of the fleeting dragon before he disappeared behind the many rocks.

"Stay vigilant, he's still in there. Split up and search," he swiftly ordered. He leapt up on the rock for a better sight, but the dragon was gone. He used the lightning to his advantage as it would occasionally light up the entire beach.

The other three delved into the rocky labyrinth and begun searching.

Spyro took a quick sneak peek from his position and saw the dragons closing in. When Charditus was looking away he shifted himself to the next rock along, trying to sneak around behind them for a chance to get away. But unfortunately he was pinned in a corner with the ocean behind him and the cliff to his side so getting out of here will be difficult.

However, an opportunity for information presented itself when he saw Volterra splitting further apart from her team who were heading up the beach while she headed down. Even better was the fact she was approaching him. If he could catch her off guard, he may be able to push her for more information.

Volterra was being desperately cautious, very scared of the fact that the purple dragon was lying in wait ready to pounce her at any given moment. She was just about to circle around the boulder he was currently hiding behind.

Spyro crouched low without making a sound…and just as she came into view, he ambushed her.

He forced her onto her back and quickly placed a talon over her snout and one across her chest and forelegs. His last two talons were used in conjunction to hers, so that she had no way of fighting back. But even then, she began flailing, trying to free her mouth so she could scream for help.

Spyro brought his head into full view of the dragoness. Her eyes shrank into her skull when she saw how close he was, that along with the frightening thunder and menacing clouds was almost too much for her. She thought she was going to die.

"Don't scream, I am not going to hurt you. Just breathe in and out," he said in the most reassuring voice he could. She continued to struggle regardless though. "Easy, easy…just relax." Gradually she stopped squirming, as her breathing slowed and became more manageable. "Okay…good. I am going take my talon off your snout now. I just want you to tell me how you managed to find me."

Despite what many thought and believed - in spite of the vicious lies and hateful words destroying his image - Spyro was not a monster. He had a strong, kind-hearted soul, that not even the dark and gloomy atmosphere could fully wear down. His spirit was washed and battered but it remained intact.

"Okay, are you ready?"

Volterra quickly shook her head.

"Right."

Spyro removed himself from atop her. but kept his claw pinning her down.

"Three…two…one…" he counted down.

Spyro removed his talon, but the instant he did she opened her maw and screamed. A high-pitched wail emitted from her mouth, forcing Spyro to clutch his ears and back away from her towards the ocean. It was as if a dozen dreadwings screeched into his ear simultaneously, it was unbearable.

Close by, Charditus rose his head quickly to the sound of the scream. As did the other two, who had climbed the rocks to scan their surroundings.

"Volterra…!" Charditus panicked, breaking into a sprint across the wet shoreline, weaving in between the rocks.

"Hold on Volterra we're coming!" Earthena yelled, bounding through the rough terrain as well, kicking up handfuls of sand with each hefty push and practically barged one or two of the rocks out of her path.

All three ran over to the source of the disturbance, where as they approached they saw Spyro scrambling away from the piercing screech. Using this time, Charditus charged over and placed a wing over to sooth the crying dragoness. The other two dragons placed themselves in between Spyro and Volterra, snarling at him.

"What did you do too her?!" Charditus yelled in anger.

"I haven't done anything, I just wanted to ask her a question," Spyro countered back. His soft nature easily replaced with a fiercer, defensive tone. He arched his back, instinct telling him to get ready to run. He now had an escape in place.

Charditus examined Volterra's body, but as Spyro said there wasn't anything; no bite marks, no scratches, nothing at all.

"Are you okay Volterra? Did he do anything to you?" Charditus checked her over once more.

Volterra shook her head, tears still coursing down her face. "N…no."

Charditus eyed her carefully. "Earthena get her out of here."

"On it," She replied, taking the weeping dragoness of Charditus's hands and escorting her away.

Charditus then joined Blizarus in the confrontation.

"Who do you think you are to pick on our teammate like that!" Blizarus yelled, dangerously close to charging recklessly again.

Spyro patiently waited in defence for them to make the first move.

Charditus though, realising that Spyro was prepared to flee and that there was nothing they could do to prevent it. Instead he tried appealing to Spyro's sense of reason, to try and get more information about where it is he is headed.

"Why does an honest dragon such as yourself run instead of facing justice?"

Spyro seemed to think this question through carefully, before letting out a deep, sad sigh.

"Because no amount justice will not satisfy the evil deed I have caused…" He momentarily closed his eyes, remembering the darkness he had brought upon the land.

"But where do you plan on running to? You can't always run from your problems. Sometimes you've got to face them."

"I do not know…away from here, that is for sure. A place none of you will ever have to see me again."

"Some running you're doing!" Blizarus sneered. "You've gone in circles."

"I know my actions don't show my words very well right now…but in truth, I am looking for someone."

"That's enough Blizarus. Who exactly are you looking for? They might be in Warfang. We can guarantee you'll get to see them, but only if you come with us right now," Charditus extended his paw out, like an invitation.

Though Spyro thought about this carefully he knew she most likely wouldn't be in Warfang, but at the same time he saw no reason not to share this information.

"Cynder," he spoke plainly.

"Cynder?" Charditus repeated. "Terror of the skies Cynder?"

He brought himself back from his thoughts to reply to the purple drake. "No she isn't in Warfang," he shook his head.

Blizarus punched the clumpy sand in irritation. "Dammit Charditus, you could've lied to him!"

"No Blizarus, that is not how we work," he growled back. Spyro had eased himself at that comment. Neither him or Charditus could explain it, but there was an unspoken trust between them.

"Enough talk, you're wanted for the destruction of the realm, and because of it you're coming with us!"

Spyro tried to plead his innocence, "I swear I never meant to do anything like this…"

"And I'm sure you mean it sincerely; your voice says it all," Charditus defended.

Blizarus snarled and leapt at the purple dragon. Who realised his time was up, turned and dove into the ocean.

"What are you waiting for, help me find him," Blizarus growled, desperately scanning the thick water, unable to see anything through the dark murky surface.

"Enough Blizarus, we are done for today. We'll get him next time," Charditus started heading back up the beach towards the white cliff face and through the countless rocks, with Blizarus growling in tow heading to where he could make out the shapes of the two dragonesses.

"You let him get away," Blizarus accused, his eyes following the red dragon's movements.

Charditus turned his head towards his icy counterpart but continued walking straight. "He let himself get away, there was no way we were going to capture him, not now at least."

"That's what you say," Blizarus started walking after him. "I'm calling dibs on him though."

"By all means do."

The two drakes stopped their bickering and made their way back to the females. The gushing rain made it hard to see, but unlike Spyro the dragonesses weren't trying to hide. They had just found a rock formation that sheltered them from the rain. Volterra had her head hung in shame. Earthena had lain her paw around her neck, trying to sooth her.

"Are you feeling better Volterra?" Charditus asked.

"I am, thank you," she replied, glad they were all reunited.

"Of course, she is alright. She's a trooper like us." Blizarus smiled, getting over his anger rather quickly.

"I'm guessing he got away?" Earthena removed her paw from Volterra's neck and settled down on the soggy sand.

"More like he let him get away…" Blizarus sneered, finding his place not too far from Earthena.

"I'm sorry…it was my fault, he jumped me, and I was too scared to move," Volterra hung her head in shame.

"No, this isn't anyone's fault. We haven't lost anything, instead we have gained more information about Spyro and his intentions," Charditus said, settling himself beside Volterra.

Seconds of empty silence ticked by, only filled by the strong winds and drizzling rain.

"…Something's up isn't there Charditus? You're pulling that face again."

"There is something tugging at me yes." He pulled himself out of his thoughts to commune with his teammates. "Spyro isn't our normal run-of-the mill criminal outside of being a purple dragon. He was expressing remorse."

"And? Many criminals have, saying how they accidently committed a crime but are too scared to face punishment. Let's just bag and tag and get the dough. Capturing the purple dragon will seriously bolster our reputation," Blizarus casually commented, taking the more relaxed posture of shifting his weight on the rock just to his left.

"I have to agree with Blizarus on this one. I'm sick of the others getting all the credit…But it's not going to be like that is it Charditus…?" She sighed. "Come on, Charditus out with it already, you know we don't like it when you keep information to yourself, it usually means either something bad is afoot or we're about to do something Umbrafor asked us not to do." Earthena tried to relax as she said this, satisfied she knew the

"What I was just thinking is that Spyro has earned a reputation as a dragon of legend," Charditus shook his paws, as if that would somehow better explain his hypothesis.

"I don't mean to be rude…but I think we know that," Volterra politely interrupted, turning her gaze in Charditus's direction.

"No, listen for a moment. Spyro didn't just earn his reputation for being lucky or being a purple dragon, but because he constantly steps forward to help anyone in need. So, I believe he may be planning something to correct his wrongs, regardless of what he said about running away."

"So, you think he's innocent?" Earthena interpreted, leaning her head in so she could better capture what Charditus was prodding at.

"Not at all. He is still wanted for causing this problem in the first place. What I do think though is that this fact will give us a lead on how to find him. We are not letting this case get handed over to one of the others."

"Good, we don't need to give the other two teams more reason to ridicule us," Earthena soundly sighed, taking her head back in.

"Ha, as soon as we wrangle that purple son of a bitch it will shut them up for good," Blizarus slammed the ground with a fist, sending sand flying everywhere.

The four settled into a comfortable stillness, Simply enjoying the company of one another and listening to the roar of wind and thunder. They had been teammates for a long time and friends even longer. Regardless of the tough times they'd all been through they still trusted in each other to help each other pull through.

I believe I have nailed something here that I lack in my other story. First impression personalities.

I hope you as the reader are enjoying the story, I like to think it has a unique premise and likable characters. But leave your thoughts and comments in the reviews below as to what you think so far.