A/N: Hi guys! I suppose I have some explaining to do, considering that this chap took about two months to get up (which I am extremely sorry for ^^; ). My trial exams and School Cert. came up shortly after posting the last chapter, so I had to put my head down ( and arse up XD) for that, which did actually pay off (I got all A's except for maths, which was B8). I also had a few issues with what was happenning in this chap, so a lot of the time I spent working on it consisted of deliberation and excessive deleting/editting, but I'm happy with how this had turned out though. A huge thanks goes out to Lord Lithos Maitreya for betaing this chapter, which would have quite a few typos in it if Lithos hadn't stepped in :D

Also, I got Skyward Sword for my birthday! If you don't have it, you should definitely get it (or at least consider it). It is a really, REALLY good game (as well as one of the main reasons why this chapter was up so late).

As usual, thanks to everyone who has reviewed this story, I really appreciate it! I'd love to hear your thoughts and opinions about this chap! (As well as any rants or raves concerning how late this chapter was (just for the lulz))

That aside, I hope everyone's been well and that you enjoy the chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own The Legend of Zelda or Legend of Spyro. They belong to Nintendo and Sierra respectively.

Edits:
- Minor grammatical, formatting and phrasing errors

Chapter 7 – Whisperings

"Uh…hi," Spyro said, an uncertain look crossing his features.

The dragon peered up at the creature named Zelda, the bitter smile she had plastered to her features moments ago beginning to fade. He continued to watch her, unsure of what else to say. 'Sorry' would've been a good start, but for some reason the dragon couldn't bring himself to form the simple apology. It wasn't that he felt any resentment towards her; his voice had just managed to elude him somehow.

As a compromise, he gave the peculiar creature a shy, yet sheepish grin, and lowered his head into a small bow.

Zelda's previously tense gaze softened at the dragon's gesture, accepting his apology. Naturally, she had been rather peeved at having snow hurled at her already freezing back, but Zelda wasn't going to hold that against her acquaintance. After all, she had more important things to be worrying about than misfired snow or first impressions.

"Zelda, I'd also like you to meet Hunter and Meadow," Cyril continued, pointing to the cheetahs respectively. They both gave a curt nod in response, still trying to steel themselves against the icy slush that a certain dragon had just launched at them.

Zelda looked at the cheetahs curiously. The princess had never seen creatures such as them before. She looked them over, taking note of their appearance; their feline build, the tunics they wore, the intricate blacks markings that covered their orange hued fur…

"So, I assume we'll be leaving immediately?" asked Hunter, who shifted uncomfortably under the princess' curious, and rather tense gaze.

"Well, I would like to say that, but…" Cyril trailed off, his throat tightening uncomfortably.

"…But?" the cheetah pressed, a concerned tone lacing his one-worded response. He never liked the word 'but'; it always meant bad news. That was one of the many lessons he'd learnt during the war against Malefor.

The ice dragon opened his mouth, trying to find a way to say what was on his mind without distressing his friends.

Zelda cleared her throat softly, drawing the cheetah's attention away from the flustered dragon.

"My friend is injured and very ill, and I'm afraid we cannot travel while he's in such a bad state," she said quietly.

There was a brief silence within the room, which was soon disturbed by Hunter's soft voice.

"Meadow here is an excellent herbalist and physician; perhaps there is something he can do about it,"

Zelda bit her lip slightly. She knew exactly what their next few words would be; 'Can we see him'. The sedation medicine Cyril had given Link had only just kicked in, and they both knew from previous attempts that it only managed to lull him into a light, restless sleep. An examination would surely wake him, and Link wasn't the kind of person who took being woken up by strange creatures carrying weapons all too well.

Not to mention seeing him in such a state would tear mercilessly at her heart.

"May I see him?" Meadow asked.

The princess hesitated somewhat, taking a few moments to think of a story that would deter any visitors from disturbing her friend's already restless sleep, as well as put them at risk of any bodily harm. "…I'm sorry, but no. His…his illness resembles one of the more deadly ones from my homeland. For all I know it could affect your species in a similar or more lethal way, and I don't really want to put any of you at risk. I can tell you the symptoms though."

The lie left a sickening taste in her mouth, but it did the trick. The purple-eyed cheetah gave a small nod, a signal for her to continue.

"The symptoms showed up a few hours ago; he at first he was feeling rather dizzy and nauseous, and not long after that he broke out in a fever and started throwing up..."

"You also said he was injured; can you tell me what the injuries were?" the herbalist inquired, mentally connecting the listed symptoms to numerous illnesses and poisons as she spoke.

"He's got a few flesh wounds; none of them are infected, I've cleaned and checked all of them myself. He also took an arrow to the right shoulder," she said, her hand lightly circling the area on her shoulder that would've been where Link was hit with the arrow, the sound of his agonized cry echoing through her mind as she did so.

The cheetah nodded, quickly taking mental notes. "Has he eaten anything out of the ordinary recently?" the herbalist inquired quirking an eyebrow as he spoke.

"No, not that I'm aware of," the Hylian replied. A small smile crept to her lips, and a soft laugh escaped her lithe form. "No, I'm pretty sure Link learned that eating brightly coloured fruits from foreign plants isn't a good idea, no matter how hungry you are." She gave a quick sigh before continuing, "It was one of the many lessons he learnt the hard way."

"Don't worry, he's not the only one," Hunter interjected, tossing his feline head in Spyro's direction.

Fighting off the urge to stick his tongue out at the snide cheetah, the dragon immediately sent a spiteful glare in Hunter's direction, before slinking around a corner into a more secluded part of the cave. He didn't particularly want to stick around for Meadow's diagnosis; it reminded him too much of the council meetings in Warfang. Not to mention he didn't want to be around if Hunter started reminiscing about their previous adventures, telling stories about some of Spyro's more regrettable moments (you know, the ones that we often associated with the phrase 'perhaps that wasn't such a good idea after all').

Meadow folded his arms across his chest, his purple eyes trained on the snow at his feet. He stood like that for a short while, his brow furrowing as he delved deeper into his thoughts. The names of toxins and illnesses ran through his mind like the waters of the Avalar River; both swift and clear. Link's symptoms matched the effects of various poisons, but the cheetah still had one question burning in the back of his mind that needed answering before he could come to any conclusions; How did it get into his system…

The next few moments seemed to crawl by, each one taking an eternity to pass. Meadow could feel Zelda's intense gaze boring into him as he mulled all of the possibilities around in his mind. All had gone silent, removing any distractions that could disrupt the thoughts churning around inside the herbalist's head.

His ears twitched slightly and his eyes widened.

"Do you still have the arrow?" Meadow asked, shifting his gaze from the ground to Zelda.

Zelda stood there for a moment, confusion making itself obvious on her features. The princess' once calm demeanor became flustered, and upon seeing that he wasn't going to get an answer Meadow repeated his question.

"I said, do you still have the arrow?" the cheetah asked, his tone firmer than before.

"…No." she replied, still somewhat confused by the question. "Why would I…"

"Was the arrow tipped?"

Spyro simply stood there and stared at the thing. If he'd taken just a few more steps he would've trodden on the fleshy creature before him.

It was lying on its side, blankets wrapped tightly over the sleeping creature. Its chest rose and fell at a steady pace, remaining in sync with the sound of its breathing. Both scars and wounds alike crisscrossed its flesh, creating strange jagged patterns on its skin. Bandages wound their way around various wounds, reeking of the scent of blood. A mop of dirty blonde hair adorned its head, as well as long, pointed ears, each pierced with a single silver hoop. A faint, golden triangular symbol was also visible on the back of its left hand.

The purple dragon easily figured that, whatever it was, it had to be related to Zelda somehow. He continued to watch it, the sound Meadow's voice beginning to echo in the background. His mind had vaguely registered the lack of conversation coming from the other section of the cave earlier, but he hadn't really paid much mind to it.

After all, he'd just discovered where that strange scent was coming from, and quite frankly he was rather pleased with himself.

The sound of hurried murmurs echoed into the smaller chamber, drawing Spyro from his thoughts. Curious, the purple dragon began to make his way back to the others, notions of finally being able to leave the cursed fortress entertaining his thoughts. The anxious feeling that he'd experienced shortly after their arrival continued to tug at the corner of Spyro's mind, and the dragon was sure that once they left he'd finally be rid of its presence. He rounded a corner, only to come face-to-face with Zelda and Cyril.

"Ah, it seems you have found him already…" Cyril said, peering over the top of Spyro's head at the mass of blankets behind him. Zelda quickly weaved around the purple dragon, heading over to the sleeping creature with a troubled look on her face.

"Sooo… Are we heading off now?" Spyro asked, a small spark of hope in his eyes.

Cyril sighed. "We are, but I'm afraid you're going to have to stay here for a short while. Zelda, Meadow, Hunter, Levant and I have to go search for something, and we can't afford to leave Link by himself while he's in such a bad state."

"Surely Meadow would be able to stay and look after him instead," Spyro argued. "He's far better at these sorts of things than I am."

"Spyro, I'm afraid this topic is not open to debate," Cyril replied, an icy tone fortifying both his point and decision. He turned to leave the small chamber, but his path was soon blocked by an eager, if not desperate, dragon.

"But more wings would cover more ground," Spyro pointed out. "I'm a fast flyer, Cyril. The search would go quicker if you let me-"

"Spyro, the answer is no." Cyril said, cutting his pupil off. The ice dragon attempted to step around his student, but his path was blocked yet again.

"But I know nothing about medicine! What if I-"

"Spyro," Cyril said, his voice becoming dangerously low. "This topic is not open to debate."

"But I'd be of more use if-"

"Spyro," the ice dragon repeated, the previously calm expression on his face darkening into an angry glower. "Under normal circumstances, I would bring you with me and leave someone like Meadow to look after Link. All of your points are valid, Spyro, but after the events that have transpired recently, I cannot afford to leave Link without a proper means of protection."

Spyro's stomach churned anxiously. What kind of fortress denizen could be such a hazard that Cyril needed to enlist a purple dragon for protection?

That feeling I've had since I've arrived… perhaps it's not just me… What if…

"…Protection from what?" Spyro asked quietly.

Cyril's face softened slightly, surprise beginning to mark its presence on his features, which was shortly followed by concern. The abrupt change in demeanor on Spyro's part put the dragon off slightly; his pupil had just gone from practically grasping at threads in his desperation to go with the search party to quiet and anxious within mere seconds.

A small tap on his shoulder caused the ice dragon to jump slightly, his head jerking towards whatever had just startled him.

Zelda looked up at the ice dragon, an apologetic look on her face. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you like that,"

Cyril relaxed slightly at the sight of the Hylian. "That's fine. I presume you are ready to depart?"

Zelda smiled and gave a quick nod. She quickly stepped around Spyro, making her way towards the main part of the cave. Spyro didn't bother to hold Cyril up any longer, letting the ice dragon pass as he followed the Hylian. Spyro watched his mentor leave, anxiety dominating all other emotions as he contemplated what Cyril meant by 'events that have transpired recently' and the possibility of an unknown danger.

Before rounding the corner into the main cavern, Cyril stopped. Spyro should at least be told…

"Certain… things, have been going on recently, hidden behind the walls of the fortress and kept away from prying eyes by the shadows. Dante's Freezer may be a vast and desolate place, but rumors can sweep through its populations like the artic winds…" Cyril said, turning his head to the side so that he could view Spyro through the corner of his eye. On the outside, his pupil remained emotionless, but Cyril could sense the anxiousness and worry welling up inside the purple dragon; he could also see it in his eyes.

"I've heard whisperings from the Wraiths, rumors and secrets concerning the apes that dwell within the fortress." Cyril continued, his voice growing lower with each word he spoke. "Something's coming, Spyro, and they're getting ready for it. They say they have been regrouping for some time now, preparing themselves for whatever this new evil is going to bring upon them."

Spyro opened his mouth to voice one of his many questions, but was soon cut off by his mentor.

"Don't bother asking me for any further information. I have told you most of what I know, but the rest is for the Council's ears only. Until I've discussed this issue with them, I can tell you no more."

Spyro nodded, accepting the closure of the ice dragon's knowledge. The purple dragon had heard enough anyway; the information Cyril had provided him matched the hermit's cryptic messages far too well for Spyro's liking, and if the dragon was to take on another morsel of anxiety today he would surely be overwhelmed by the dreaded feeling.

"Are you ready to leave, Cyril?" Hunter's voice echoed down the corridor, bouncing off the walls and breaking the underlying tension that had built up during the two dragon's conversation.

"Yes, I'm on my way now," Cyril called back. He took a few steps forward and then turned back to the purple dragon one last time.

"Also, I had a bit of a… um, how to put this… a bit of a run in, with a rather large ape hoard this morning, and the encounter had been far from peaceful. It wouldn't surprise me if they came here to seek revenge of some sorts," the ice dragon said, his voice adopting a tone of nonchalance.

With that, the ice dragon disappeared around the corner, leaving Spyro in the company of the ill Hylian and his own troubled thoughts.

Perhaps the Ancestor's aren't quite done after all…