A/N: Hi everyone!

*Sighs* First of all, I'm going to apologize for my absence and the long wait for this chapter. My HSC year and dance teaching diploma have left me with very little time to work on this story, and since my future and career opportunities will depend a lot on how well I do at school this year, I really haven't been able to set time aside for myself to sit down and get writing (I'm not being melodramatic either; just Google search "Australia ATAR" and you'll get a bit of an insight as to why it's so important).

Also, just as a quick note though, there's a good chance that the next chapter won't be up for another month (a fortnight at the earliest, depending on how quickly I get my crap together) due to the following:
- Mid course exams
- Final session for my diploma, including my Panel Assessment and exams
- Essays for said diploma will also be due soon
- Three assessments for school that are all due in three consecutive days (they're the first three days back too D:)
(I'm saying this solely so that those who follow this fic will have some insight as to what's going on and as to why updates are so far apart; I simply don't want to leave anyone in the dark).

That aside though, I've finally managed to put together the next chapter for Entwined Destinies! :D I'll admit though, it was really nice to be able to get back into writing this; I've missed it quite a lot actually (it's a nice change from writing essays XD). I'm also planning on making a cover for this book (if and when I get the time, that is), so if anyone has some ideas for the cover feel free to send me a message or leave a review about it!

Also, feel free to leave a review with your thoughts and feedback on the chapter; I love hearing what you all have to say!

Well, I suppose I'd better not hold you up with my idle chattering any longer XD Here's chapter 9 of Entwined Destinies!

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Legend of Spyro or Legend of Zelda franchises or any characters, concepts, etc associated with them.

Edits:
- Minor grammatical, formatting and phrasing corrections

Chapter 9 – Ricochet

If only I hadn't slept!

A vicious snarl tore from the dragon's throat as he watched the creature dash around the corner and out of the small room. For the second time, he attempted to heave himself onto all fours, only to have his paws slip from beneath him as they refused to separate. He fell to the floor with a resounding thud, glaring daggers at the doorway from which his assailant had just fled. Frustrated and panting heavily, he continued to squirm, trying desperately to wrench his paws from their newly found bonds. Unfortunately, the dragon hadn't been awake enough to completely register who or what had done this to him, and he cursed himself for allowing his conscious to slip into such a detached state that he failed to notice the intruder.

Lifting his head, Spyro looked over the room, noting that several items had been taken from the scene, as well as the two empty vials that had been carelessly discarded at the entrance, one of which was shattered, its broken fragments tossed haphazardly across the icy floor. Drops of blue liquid still clung to the ruined glass, some of which was slowly running down the contours of the shards before finally pooling on the ice below. He drew his gaze to his feet, his forepaws bound together in the same hurried (and evidently effective) fashion as his hind paws. Ceasing his struggles, Spyro took a closer look at the knots. By no means were they complex, as they looked so simple that anyone could have tied them at a second's notice. He gave his wrists an experimental tug, only to watch the knot grow tighter.

"Hmph, clever." The dragon muttered to himself. He knew little about the subject of knots, and began to wish that he'd paid more attention to Hunter and his little survival lessons that he gave Tharros every once and a while; the two had spent an entire hour fiddling with ropes and creating all sorts of knots, whilst Spyro had simply watched them from afar, leisurely splaying himself out across the emerald grass of the Valley of Avalar in a detached state of bliss.

Bringing himself back to his current predicament, he huffed and brought his front paws up to his head, dragging the restricted limbs across the ice. He did not know much about untying knots, but the dragon also knew of another remedy that would certainly free him of his bonds.

Before setting to work, the dragon began to channel his magic into his fangs, opening his mouth slightly as it began to engulf his sharpened teeth. His mouth began to grow hot as he concentrated the fiery element onto the surface of his fangs, causing the surrounding air to condense, forming a light mist that spiralled and rose before his face. Minding his own paws, Spyro began to chew at the rope that encircled his front wrists, the heat in his fangs making it easier for the dragon to sever the rope without setting it alight. It only took a few good hacks for the dragon to free himself, and as the last of the rope was severed he gave his paws a good flick, sending the ropes flying towards the back end of the room. Not being able to help himself, he cracked a triumphant grin and pushed himself into an upright position, beginning to shift the concentrated fire energy from his fangs to his free talons, ready to sever the remaining bonds. His smile however, left his face as quickly as it had come.

The covers had been left in a heap, upturned and exposing the once warm mattress to the unfriendly cold. The bow that had been placed close to the bedding had been left at his feet, and the bed was empty.

Spyro's stomach dropped. The Hylian was gone.

The dragon's mind began to churn as panic set in. He looked around the room frantically, a small part of him hoping to see his charge lying hidden amongst the contents of the room. There was no sign of him, and the purple beast let out a small whine as fear began to grip him.

How could I have been so stupid! If only I hadn't fallen asleep, none of this would've happened… What if the intruder got him? Oh Ancestors, Cyril did say something about the apes earlier… I hope this has nothing to do with them; they may be a bunch of morons but they can be cruel when they want to…

The sound of clumsy and erratic footsteps echoed into the small chamber, derailing the dragon's train of thought. He stopped to listen, and his ears were met with a loud crash and some yelling. Whoever was out there, it certainly wasn't the search party.

The purple creature tried to stand, and in his hurry forgot that his hind legs were still bound, causing him to fall down for the third time since he had woken. The noises continued to grow louder, and despite his newly found annoyance he quickly began to slice through the ropes, hacking away at the fibres with hot talons. It only took two slashes for the ropes to fall, and as soon as they fell from his legs the dragon leapt to his feet and bolted, stiff limbs fighting to grip the icy floor.

The yelling was growing louder now, mixed with the sound of his talons scraping against the icy floor. Another crash echoed down the corridor, shortly followed by enraged chattering and a pained cry.

The dragon dug his heels into the ground as the end of the corridor approached him, the speed he had picked up during his run managing to balance out the backward force that his heels had created, allowing the dragon to skid to a graceful and elegant halt at the mouth of the corridor. He leapt boldly into the main chamber, his mind filled with his triumph over the ice. It took several more moments than it should have for the dragon to register the blurred object hurtling towards him, and his lack of precaution was rewarded a solid blow to the face.

The purple creature fell back, landing on the ground in a heap, his ears ringing slightly. He could still hear the commotion behind him, continuing as if nothing had happened. He forced himself onto all fours, taking several moments for him to regain his balance, a deep growl beginning to build up in the back of his throat.

He wheeled around to face the intruders, allowing a vicious snarl to tear from his throat as a new found rage began to boil beneath his skin. Purple irises locked on to the two intruders, both of whom had frozen at the terrifying sound. A large ape stared back at the creature, wary eyes refusing to shift from the dragon's purple form. A large metal club hovered at its side, as if its wielder was unsure of what to do next, the bluish glow that usually enveloped the primitive weapon missing. A spiked shield had also been strapped to its left arm, and the hides of several unfortunate animals served to protect the ape from both the cold and its enemies. It continued to watch the dragon with a calculating gaze, its eyes giving Spyro an almost perfect insight to the creature's thoughts:

Wait for an opening.

Not moving, the dragon shifted his gaze towards the second intruder, who had not dared to move since he had made his presence known. It took the dragon a few moments to register the creature that he was looking at, but once he realised who it was he couldn't stop his previous snarl from sliding off his face.

Unfamiliar orbs stared at the dragon from below, an unearthly blue glow giving the creature's gaze an unsettling appearance that disturbed the dragon somewhat. Dishevelled blonde hair hung around its face, and a ribbon of crimson had blossomed from its forehead, trailing down and along the contours of its face. Several bandages were visible from beneath its off-white shirt, and the unique, albeit faint scent of the creature's blood wafted towards the dragon's nostrils.

He had found his charge.

Spyro began to move towards the Hylian, whose eyes quickly darted between the approaching dragon and the ape, not daring to move anything else. The dragon stopped at about an arm's length away from the Hylian, who, much to Spyro's confusion, seemed as if he was free of whatever illness that had affected him so badly up until now. He frowned slightly, his senses beginning to register something radiating from his charge that he believed only dragons could possibly wield.

A spiked blow to the side wrenched the dragon from his thoughts, sending the creature to the floor once more.

The dragon rolled and stood up, the battle cry of the ape echoing throughout the chamber as it swiped at the Hylian; the sight making the dragon's stomach drop. His charge ducked before retreating several paces, producing a small dagger as he moved towards the edge of the cave. Seeing this, the ape turned his attention to the dragon, swinging its large club at its new adversary. Spyro ducked, raking sharp talons along the creature's side as it moved. Blood began to pour from the wound, and the sight of which only seemed to enrage the ape further rather than subdue it.

It wasn't long before Spyro finally settled back into the flow of combat. The dragon dodged and parried each of the ape's attacks, continually moving and attacking the primate in an elaborate and bloody dance. It wasn't long before the dragon gained the upper hand.

However, this would not last.

Unbeknownst to Spyro, the fight had slowly made its way towards the edge of the cave, where the Hylian was resting, the blue glow in his eyes dimming considerably and his breath becoming shallow once more. The ape feigned an attack, forcing the dragon back several paces, before whirling around and grabbing a handful of the Hylian's hair and pulling him into the fray.

The dragon wasn't able to catch himself in time.

He winced as he felt the spiked crest of his tail collide with flesh instead of fur, and the pained cry that accompanied the sensation made the dragon feel sick to the core. As he continued to whirl around, he saw the Hylian fall to the ground in a heap, his red blood sprayed upon the glistening ice. He did not stir.

In a short burst of fury, the dragon tackled the ape, sending the both of them tumbling to the ground. Spyro snapped and growled and snarled at the creature, his mind set on tearing it to shreds, spilling its blood as he had done to his charge. Everything became a blur to him for a few moments; all he could see was blurs crimson and white as he slashed and bit at the ape, bloodlust driving him onward and guiding him through every motion.

It wasn't long before the dragon felt himself being pulled from the ape, who had finally managed to get a good grip on one of his horns. He hurled the dragon to the side and onto the ice, the force of the blow dazing the dragon for a few moments; long enough for the ape to pin him to the ground.

The ape grinned evilly at him, taking pleasure in the pain that he had caused the dragon. Slowly and without taking his eyes from Spyro's, the ape pulled one of the crude spikes embedded in its shield from its recess before waving it in the dragon's face with a soft, sinister chuckle.

"And here I thought…" it said quietly, pulling its gaze from the dragon to the makeshift weapon in his hand. " And here I thought that you were destined to fall at the hands of a greater evil."

The ape's dark eyes flicked back up to the dragon's, its grin stretching just that little bit wider across his face in a taunting manner. "After all, one would imagine that a creature with as much power and prestige as yourself would suffer a far more spectacular defeat than by my humble hand."

The ape looked at the dragon expectantly, hoping that he would give him the satisfaction of a response.

Spyro offered no verbal response, but he could not stop himself from curling his top lip, exposing sharp and bloodied fangs.

"Well I suppose that's of no matter," the ape hissed, pushing Spyro's head back and exposing more of the dragon's neck he spoke. "Once you are dead and gone, I may finally be able to rest in peace, so I have no qualms as to how you go."

The ape raised the shield-spike above his head, and Spyro closed his eyes.

A battle cry sounded, but it was shortly drowned out by a screech of fury.

Spyro opened his eyes as he felt the ape move off of him. Not hesitating, the dragon pulled himself onto all fours and took several paces back, panting slightly in relief. He looked up, and watched for a few moments in fear as he saw what had latched itself firmly to the ape's back, refusing to be cast from it and onto the icy ground once more.

One arm was around the ape's neck, whilst the other clung to a small dagger that had been forced deep into the beast's chest. Bloodied legs had wrapped themselves firmly around the ape's torso, and as the beast whirled around in a violent attempt to shake its attacker off, a set of vibrant, blue eyes locked onto the dragon's for a moment, the slightest of glows emanating from them.

"Go! Get out of here!" His charge yelled, still fighting to steer the ape away from the dragon.

Spyro stood there in shock for a moment; his charge was alive, and now putting himself on the line to protect him from a creature that looked like it could shatter him with so much as a single blow.

The dragon began to make his way towards the struggling pair, only to be stopped by his charge's fierce gaze.

"What are you doing?! I said for you to-"

The ape wrenched the Hylian from his back and threw him across the room, releasing a shriek of triumph as the dragon's charge rolled to a painful halt. Spyro watched in horror as he saw the ape reach for his club.

Time seemed to slow as the dragon ran for his charge; he could see the ape charging towards the dazed Hylian, raising his club above his head, preparing for the kill.

He pushed himself harder, his subconscious allowing his magic to accumulate within him, giving him the strength he needed to reach the Hylian.

But perhaps not in time.

The ape was already there. He brought a second hand up to the club, and with as much force as he could muster, brought it down upon the Hylian, who had brought his arms over his head in a desperate attempt to shield himself.

No!

With one final push, the dragon leapt to his charge's side, the club growing dangerously close to the pair. He grasped the fabric of his shirt, and with the momentum that he'd built up from his sprint, flung the Hylian across the room; out of harm's way.

The dragon felt time return to normal as he watched his charge tumble towards the safety of the other side of the cavern. A sigh of relief escaped his lips.

The club fell upon the small of the dragon's back, the brute force of the blow causing his rear legs to buckle and collapse under the weight of the club. Outraged, the ape screamed, before heaving the heavy weapon above his head once more; ready for a second attempt at the dragon's life.

Pushing through the pain, the dragon scrambled out of the way as the club fell once more, hitting the ice with a resounding thud. Seizing his chance, Spyro wound himself up and around the ape as his charge had, being sure that talons, fangs and spikes were all embedded in the ape's flesh. The ape immediately began to thrash about, trying to toss yet another creature off its back.

The dragon did not yield, biding his time as he allowed his magic to gather within him once more.

He shot a quick glance over at his charge, who had been watching the two from across the room. Spyro did not know why, but the Hylian gave him a small nod, before turning away as if to shield himself.

Unable to contain it any longer, the dragon released the magic within him, allowing it to manifest in the physical world as bolts of lightning that danced and ricocheted off the walls of the cavern. He could hear the ape's strangled whimpers as the electricity coursed through its body, robbing it of its strength and life. Spyro mentally cringed as he heard a choked scream coming from the Hylian, assuming that a stray bolt of lightning had struck him.

The carnage continued for several moments; until the ape's last breath had escaped its lips.

The lightning ceased, and the dragon and ape fell to the ground, the latter's body steaming slightly. Not bothering to give the ape a second look, the dragon forced himself over to the Hylian, who had not bothered to get up from his position on the floor.

The dragon fell down next to his charge, slightly curling himself around the bloodied creature in a protective manner. The Hylian did not object.

"…Thank you."

The dragon lifted his head slightly. "Sorry?"

The Hylian sighed slightly. "I said 'Thank you'."

"No problem." The dragon replied, weariness evident within his voice. "I just wish I could've gotten to you sooner."

The dragon paused for a moment.

"Thank you, as well. If it weren't for you that ape would've… well, you know…"

The Hylian shifted a little at the sound of the dragon's voice, before relaxing back into his previous position.

"That's alright… Spyro, isn't it?"

Spyro jumped a little at the sound of his name. "Wha… How do you…?"

"I heard the others talking about you earlier, that's all. My name is Link." The Hylian replied, a soft laugh lacing his words.

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you then, Link." The dragon chuckled, continuing their little introduction despite what had just passed.

The bloodied Hylian smiled faintly, before closing his blue eyes, allowing unconsciousness to claim his being once more.

The sound of footsteps echoed down the corridor, followed by the sound of familiar voices. At this, the dragon to reared his head; it had not been long since him and his charge had finally taken care of the ape, and being unable to treat either of their wounds himself (particularly Link's), Spyro had been left to wallow in thoughts of the worst, leaving him uneasy and restless.

He pushed himself up onto all fours, trying to at least look somewhat presentable to the incoming party, remaining close to his charge all the while.

Cyril was the first to enter, his previously jubilant expression sliding from his face as he took the carnage in. Others followed, their reactions similar to those before them with the exception of Zelda; she had dashed to Link's side as soon as she had caught sight of his sleeping form.

"Spyro, what in the name of the Ancestors happened here?" Cyril asked, shock evident in his voice.

Spyro shifted his gaze towards the fallen ape, allowing his eyes to rest there for several moments.

Cyril made his way over, confusion writing itself into his every feature. He checked the ape over and shook his head.

"It's not even from the faction that I attacked earlier this morning… What on earth would it be doing here?"

Spyro didn't say anything; he had no idea as to why the ape had wandered into the cavern. His charge would have to answer that question, seeing as he was the one out here in the first place.

Cyril sighed. "Meadow, please get Spyro cleaned up and analyse that poison for me. Zelda, would you mind…?"

"Of course not." She replied, deftly heaving the bloody Hylian up onto her shoulder and escorting him to the deeper chambers of the cave.

Cyril turned to Spyro, a somewhat hollow and angry expression painted upon his face.

"We shall discuss this further once Link is well, Spyro."