We were headed back to Warfang, Flame, the new fire guardian, Ember, his mate, and myself. The trip was spent mostly with them asking questions, which felt weird. They were old enough to be my parents. They were the same age as my parents! I answered to the best of my ability but most of the time I just said, "Ask the guardians, they know more than I do."

About halfway back we saw a dragon flying toward us, as we drew nearer I could recognize Perrin. I shot off ahead of the couple and flew full tilt to her. We met each other a few minutes later, circling each other.

"James! Your back early!"

I chuckled "No Perrin, you're late. Flames passed, he's the new guardian."

"Oops… I guess I lost track of time." She said, blushing. "Who's she?"

"That's Ember, Flames mate. She has healing and fire abilities. It's really rare."

Perrin watched them approach. "Huh." As they caught up with us, we turned back to Warfang and the four of us introduced one another before continuing our journey.

Warfang

Zoulu wandered the city restlessly. Her feelings weren't normally this hectic, what's wrong with me? She wondered. She'd been thinking about Valcor, what she really thought of him. She was normally quick to a decision, but this time she went back and forth like a loose barrel on the deck of a ship. She wandered into the outer part of the city, where the market was. There she felt an incredible power, that same feeling of imminent lightning. She looked up, a storm was gathering, but it was on the horizon, to the east. Then she turned a corner and saw him.

Or at least it looked like him, the scales were a dull amber, but it looked just like Valcor. She walked up behind him. Before she could speak, he said "Hi Zoulu."

"Valcor! It's you! What are- what happened to you?"

He chuckled, that deep laugh, "It's a disguise. What are you doing here?"

Caught off guard, Zoulu could only get out "I-I, uh… don't really know."

Valcor let out a loud laugh at that, which he quickly stopped as people stated to stare. Quietly he said, "Well, do you want to accompany me? I was just about to grab a bite."

Zoulu smirked "Are you asking me out?"

Valcor just closed his eyes and shrugged "If you want to think that, then yeah. I guess I am."

"You guess? What's that supposed to mean?"

"Just that I never actually said that. It's interesting how your mind works."

Zoulu blushed. "Not as weird as going into a trance all night."

Valcors face darkened as he recalled that night… and all the others. "Maybe you're right, what do you like?"

Zoulu walked away "Follow me."

A while later they got to an odd restraint, Valcor had seen nothing like it before. Rarely did he eat anything but meat; here he smelled the overpowering smell of vegetables, tomatoes primarily. "Uh, Zoulu? What is this place?"

She shrugged, "Something called an Italian restaurant."

"What's an Italy?"

"No idea."

Despite his initial wariness, Zoulu convinced him to try the spaghetti. Whit meat of course. Zoulu had to keep from laughing as he went for the first bite as if it would bite him back. Afterward, the look of surprised delight spread across his face and he started to gorge, Zoulu would normally follow suit, but for some reason she wanted to seem more sophisticated to him. After two more helpings of spaghetti, which he ate at a more leisurely pace, Valcor was finally sated. They spent the rest of the time talking to each other, Several times Zoulu almost let something private slip, she felt incredibly at ease with him. There was definitely something about him that wasn't in other dragons, even the boys she had crushes on as a child.

By this time the clouds from earlier had covered the sky, lightning flaring from cloud to cloud as a precursor of the storm to come tonight. When it stated to get dark, Valcor volunteered to walk her home. As they walked, they shared more of their lives, Valcor did most of the talking. As Zoulu found out he had no home, no family. He was orphaned as a child, though he refused to say any more, a look of hurt and guilt across his face. Maybe he blames his parents deaths on himself. Zoulu thought. He had lived nomadically since then, teaching himself everything he knew about fighting and more advanced elemental control his parents hadn't had time to teach him. He had known few dragons and befriended fewer.

When they got to her house, They found Spyro and Cynder in the front yard, laughing at something, Valcor, just ahead of Zoulu froze as soon as he saw them. He didn't like crowds, but this was unusual, Zoulu could tell from the look in his eyes. Spyro looked up and looked from Valcor, to Zoulu and back to Valcor. After a few seconds, Valcor seemed to regain control of his body. He turned back to Zoulu. "I, uh, gotta go." He said quickly

"Where…" Zoulu started, but he was already gone. Zoulu looked back at her parents, who had a confused look, then to the sky. It had started to rain.

The night before, far side of Warfang

It was at beautiful moonlit night on a hill overlooking the city, upon which both Selena and Ryan were lying, side-by-side against the soft, green grass. Ryan looked over to Selena, and found how beautiful her pink scales looked underneath the bright intensity of the full moon's light.

He remembered how earlier that month he had finally worked up the courage to ask her out. How terrified he was of her answer and how delighted he had been when she agreed. How that month they had done things like going out to eat, seeing plays (he especially enjoyed the one that recalled the events with Byancyra. He thought it was hilarious that they had to dye a dragons scales purple to play Spyro. Tonight they had opted for a quiet night. Tonight he would say it.

"Selena?" He asked her. Selena turned her gaze to him.

"Yes, Ryan?" she replied.

Ryan shifted nervously "There's something I have always wanted to tell you."

"What is it?"

Ryan started to speak, but his voice caught in his throat. Then he imagined it was just the two of them in existence, no one and nothing else, this helped his bolster his courage. He slowly inclined his head toward hers and gently whispered, "I love you." Selena gasped delightfully, as if she expected it.

"Really?" she said joyfully.

"Yes. I have always loved since the day James and I first rescued you, your family, and the other Guardians from your capture, Selena, my lunar beauty."

"Oh, Ryan!" Then they both inclined their heads forward and pressed their lips together in a brief, yet romantically deep and passionate kiss.

"I love you too, Ryan," said Selena softly after we broke away. "With all my heart." They then lovingly gazed into each other's eyes, and inclined their heads forward again in another amazingly deep kiss.

As they kissed, Selena positioned herself next to him so he felt her amazingly smooth side pressed against his, which brought intense warmth as they put their arms around each other. Throughout this second kiss, his tongue explored the depths of her mouth when it suddenly made contact with her tongue. They enclosed themselves in each other's wings and entwined their tails, attempting to be as close as possible. As Selena and Ryan gently caressed the other's tongues, Ryan felt his heart rate spike with her irresistible taste.

A sensation which was absolutely and ethereally beautiful to a magnitude of where no words to describe it, they both felt intense sensations coursing and tingling from their spinal areas and throughout their bodies. When the kiss separated, Ryan then reached up, started kissing Selena along the base of her graceful neck, and worked his way up until he found her lips again while she sequentially sighed with joy.

They parted lips again and turned to stare at the stars as they performed their slow dance through the sky. This they watched until the ruddy glow that preempted the sun cast light onto the world. from the east came the narrow band of clouds that looked like possible rain. Far ahead of the clouds but still an hour out of Warfang came four dragons. As the sun broke the horizon, the lead dragon gave off a silver twinkle. It was James.

Ryan and Selena looked to each other. "Suns coming up." Selena said.

"Mmhmm"

Selena gave him a quick lick on the cheek. "Want to come over for breakfast?"

Ryan smiled as if he had won the lottery. "Sure." So Ryan rose and hooked Selena under the arm with his wing "hook" and helped her to her feet, then as one they raised their wings and leapt into the sky, as they started to fall they pushed down, sending them into a shallow ascent, which they leveled of and headed to the city in a slow glide.

An hour later

Flame, Ember, Perrin and I touched down at the temple after a hard night's flight. Gratefully folding my wings I led the way to the enchanted staircase, Perrin decided to leave to go visit Spyro. I led them "down" to the top floor. When we came out to sunshine, Flame and Ember looked around with amazement.

"How-" Flame started, but Terrador walked around the corner at that moment.

I folded my wing over my chest, "Terrador, I've completed my mission, May I present Flame, who has passed the test with flying colors, and his mate, Ember?"

Terrador inclined his head "Welcome, Fire guardian" Flame and Ember looked kind of overwhelmed, but managed to return the greeting. I turned to them.

"Flame, Ember, may I present the Earth guardian, Terrador?"

They just stared at him. Terrador chuckled. "Please, don't act like a schoolgirl, We're equals remember?"

Ember spoke first. "Y-yeah, it's just we've heard so much about you from the war, you know?"

I smirked, "Wait'll you meet Spyro and Cynder." I noticed that Flame had remained silent during this exchange. I shrugged inwardly; figuring whatever it was they would get it sorted out. I turned to Terrador, "Speaking of which, could you excuse me? I'd like to let my family know I'm back."

"Of course, James, come back whenever your ready for your next assignment." I thanked him and left Flame and Ember in his care. They would be walked around and given a tour, probably by Volteer The guy's gonna talk 'em to death. I thought as I headed up to the bottom floor.

Once out I figured my wings were still sore so I decided to walk. When I finally got home, I saw Spyro, Cynder and Perrin waiting. Cynder spoke as I came up to them. "So, how'd it go?"

"Oh, you know, flying halfway across the world, getting my butt kicked on purpose, and then flying halfway around the world again, I had a great time!"

Spyro started laughing, "Jeez, you sounded just like Sparx there!" Cynder and Perrin joined in the laughter after that. I smiled.

A thought occurred to me, "Say, where has Sparx been lately?"

"He's been dealing with Lumi, adolescent years, you know?" He comes by now and again though." Spyro said, then, "Say; we've been thinking, Ever since you told us about what Ignitus told you about us and you, we haven't really had any time to bond, me and Cynder were wondering if you wanted to go somewhere and talk."

My heart seemed to leap. "Yeah, sure!"

Perrin spoke up, "I'm coming too, I would like to get to know them too."

I nodded. "Cool."

So later we had arrived at one of the most popular spots in Warfang, the wall which overlooked the burned lands. This had become a tourist trap for one reason, on the fringe of the black scar on the earth was a lone scraggly tree, growing out of the perpetual ash. This was seen as an omen that life was coming back to the area and someday soon the place would return to haw it was before the war, a great forest.

We sat there for a while, Spyro and Cynder didn't have much to say that I didn't already know so they mostly let Perrin and I do the talking. We told them about our lives before we came to the dragon realms, our families, our friends, our experiences. In turn, Spyro and Cynder told us about the events that transpired between the fall of Malefor and Lucarios attack all those years ago. How they had lived in different places before finally settling down in Avalar. We had a great time just sitting there, laughing at each other's follies and relating to the others failures. About mid afternoon, we decided to head home for lunch.

At home, Cynder stayed in the main room with us and talked with us while Spyro went into the kitchen. After a few minutes of talking, we smelled smoke. Cynder went in the kitchen and I could hear them argue.

"Spyro, what's going on?"

"I'm making lunch, what's it look like?"

"It smells like the house's on fire." Suddenly there was a flash and a cloud of smoke rolled out of the kitchen along with Spyro and Cynder, coughing. Cynder glared at Spyro, "Yeah, you did burn the house down."

"Sorry" He replied sheepishly "I'm more used to cooking over a campfire." Cynder groaned and walked back into the kitchen, a second later, there was a breeze as the smoke seemed to be sucked back into the kitchen, then the air was clean again. Spyro sat down with a look that said he wasn't going to risk opening his mouth again.

Fever, Selena, and Zoulu were still out and an hour later, Cynder came out with a side of mutton, which tasted as delicious as it looked. Conversation resumed at the table and Cynders cool demeanor was soon broken as I told about the time as a child that I lost a fight with a rooster. Cynder joined in the laughter after that and the mood at the table lifted.

After lunch, Perrin and I excused ourselves and took off together. We headed back to our room in the temple and spent the rest of the day in each others company.

Spyros house

Spyro and Cynder were getting ready for bed after Zoulu came back with the boy. Cynder didn't see anything wrong with him, aside from his timidity. He certainly isn't bad too look at either. She thought she turned and looked at Spyro, no matter who showed up; there would be no one more attractive than him though. As they lay down, they focused their mana and extended their minds to each other.

So Spyro, what do you think of that boy Zoulu was with? Cynder asked/

His look said it all. Humph, I would have preferred to talk to him, know who my daughters getting herself into.

Well, he did seem terrified of you. Cynder pointed out

He should be, I don't want anything happening to her.

Spyro! Of all people, you should know Zoulu can handle herself.

A shudder ran up Spyros spinewhich in turn caused Cynder to shudder. You didn't feel him Cyn, since I can use electricity I could pick up the energy he was giving off, just like how you can sense evil, He wasn't even preparing for a fight and he was giving off more electricity that a hundred thunderstorms! That kid is amazingly powerful; the only other dragons I felt that kind of power in were Malefor and the Chronicler. And you when you were being controlled. If it came down to kill or be killed, I'm not sure I could beat him.

…Your scared of him.

No! He said quickly. I'm not scared of a persons power, it's the persons intentions that frighten me.

Cynder arched her long neck over Spyros shoulders and rested on him, sending him her confidence. Spyro, don't worry, from what Zoulu tells me he's a nice guy, if it turns out he's deceiving her, I'll back you. I think even if Malefor and the Chronicler were to team up they would fall to both of us, and we'd have Zoulu, James and the rest of our family and friends to help.

I guess your right. Spyro said in a tone that was shaking with relief. Speaking of James, what do you think of all this?

Spyro looked at her and saw her eyes were closed and she wore a grin that surprised Spyro that it didn't make it past her horns. Spyro, I haven't been this happy in a long time! I had almost gotten over the pain of losing the egg when he told us he was our son. I just about burst with joy! I'm so glad we could spend time with him today, I wouldn't trade that for anything. What about you?

Spyro smiled in turn. Well, you're in my head so you know, My emotions aren't quite as vivid as yours but I feel like a piece of me that was missing for nineteen years is finally back, I just wish dad were here to see this.

Spyro, Ignitus is the one who told James. Cynder pointed out.

Confusion, surprise and sadness all flashed across his face so fast if Cynders eyes had been open she still would have missed it. …I mean t- I meant Flash, Sparxs father. He took me in you know, I would have died as a hatchling without him. I miss him Cyn.

Wanting to comfort he love, Cynder looked for the right words to say and asked herself what she would want Spyro to say in this situation. She then knew what she should say in turn. I know, but you got to learn about Ignitus, and you said it yourself, James is back, and our families not going to be separated ever again. I promise you that.

Spyro smiled, relieved and put his head next to Cynders. Thanks Cyn, I love you so much.

I love you too.