Me: Blazer? Blazer X? Where are you?

*checks bedroom*

Me: Not in here...

*checks living room*

Me: Where the hell is that dragon at?

*checks kitchen*

Me: *sigh* Where is...huh? *finds a note*

Midnight, gone to pay my respects. Blazer X

P.S. – Midnight is the owner of all the OC's and the story.

Me: Well, better go find him. You readers out there enjoy this chapter.

Chapter 4

Fights, Sacrifice, and Escape!

The apes were relentless, but they were quite predictable to the young trio. The hairy monsters blindly charged to attack but ended up resting in their pool of blood. The cave had erupted with battle cries and bloodcurdling screams from the apes.

"What are you idiots doing? Kill them already!" the leader shouted.

In the middle, Blazer, Aeolus, and Maria were doing better than they expected. Once in a while Dairu – still struggling to stay alive – would give short but quick advices about what to do and mostly give them a heads up when an ape or two would try to kill the kids from behind. Blazer's scales and talons were stained by ape blood. His teeth would have small traces of blood because he kept spitting out hair whenever he sunk his teeth in the enemy. He was holding his own despite the bruises and very little amounts of small cuts he received.

Aeolus was pretty much the same as his foster brother. His green fur was sticky from all the blood that splattered on him. His face was covered with ape blood. He'd sometimes use his beak to either peck their eyes out or peck a big hole their skull with one powerful movement. His talons were stained as well. However, he and to refrain from constantly using them. In battle, griffin talons can wear out faster than dragon talons but they were easy to sharpen. Aeolus did have a few minor bleeding cuts and bruises but with his body covered with fur, they went unnoticed.

Maria was surprised by what is happening. Her brothers were pulling tricks out from under their wings. She was also scared; scared of what might happen if either she or her brothers made one mistake that would cost them their lives. That and the fact that Dairu might die in the heat of battle and would no longer help them in this fight. She had lost small patches of fur and received minor cuts. She wasn't as messy as Blazer and Aeolus. In fact, since the upper half of her body was a dark color, blood was difficult to see.

"Ha! These guys are too easy!" she heard Aeolus shout.

"Aeolus, don't get to cocky!" she interjected as she ducked under a swing from a spiked mace. Maria took advantage of the position and struck the ape in the stomach with her fist. It made no sound for the wind was knocked out the savage creature and leaned over clutching its stomach. She reared back then brought her paws down on the stunned ape, thus crushing its skull into dust.

"Hey sis, is it me or is majority of these guys targeting Blazer?" Aeolus questioned.

"Why do you ask that?"

"The number of kills. Blazer killed almost half of these apes while we only killed half the amount he killed." he stated

Blazer heard the whole thing from an earshot. His brother was right. The two griffins weren't doing that much fighting since the apes were mostly coming after him. One question popped up in his mind. Why? He knew they wanted him dead for some unknown reason but the way the apes were fighting, something wasn't right about all of this. His thoughts didn't last long when he heard his father.

"Blazer...behind you!"

When he heard this, he had already avoided being sliced in two from an axe. It became stuck in the ground. The dark blue dragon saw the ape struggling to free its axe. He wasted no time and slashed at its neck, killing it in a heartbeat. Blazer ignored the blood that splashed his face as he faced another ape. He sidestepped from a downward sword slash then struck the back of its head then at the waist. It stumbled back then growl in anger before it went at him with a horizontal slash. The young dragon ducked under it then hit it in the gut with his wing. The ape keeled over and received a hard knock in the back of the head. The ape backed away from Blazer and is now really pissed off at him. It thrusted the sword...and missed. Blazer wasn't sure why it missed him but he didn't care for he noticed the slight pause after the thrust. He clamped down on the apes wrist and twisted it until he heard a loud POP. A shrill scream came from the ape when its whole arm snapped. Blazer slammed a paw in the ape's hamstring while keeping his hold as it fell on one knee. The dark blue dragon then leaped in the air, slightly loosening his hold, and finally kicked its face, sending it tumbling head over heels into a horde of its comrades that were making their way towards the young dragon. Blazer looked from the corner of his right eye and saw an ape charging at him with a dagger hand. He leaped in the air once more and curled his body into a tight ball. He then executed what was probably the fastest rolling somersault and split the ape down the middle with his tail blade. Blazer smirked at his work.

"I've always wanted to do that." he muttered to himself. He simply touched the ape and watched it fall to either side in a bloody mess. He then returned to the fray.

It was so fast that the leader was left speechless. It saw Blazer first curl himself up as a ball in mid-air then it sees him stretched out in mid-air, back facing the ground before he righted himself and landed on all four. The leader knew that dragons were good fighters but this was indescribable.

"Graunx!" the leader shouted.

An ape the same size as the leader approached. This one was white and wore thick metal armour of the same color but it carried a gray shield. Around the waist was a black belt with several dynamite sticks strapped on. On the back were two scimitars with leather sheaths. He can to a quick halt and saluted the leader.

"Take care of them! I gotta report to Cynder!"

"Sir, might I suggest you not tell her about this one. Cynder is seeing that the plan is complete." Graunx interjected.

"You want me to let this go untold?"

"No, sir. I have a better plan. Tell the other one about this."

The leader felt a deadly shiver run through the spine. "Have you lost your mind?"

"I know what you speak of sir, but it is wise that we not anger Cynder with more than she can burden."

The leader growled in frustration but mostly in fear. Graunx seemed to notice this but remained silent.

"Alright, take care of them Graunx. You know what to do."

In the middle of the fray, Blazer had spotted the leader fleeing. He wanted to chase down the ape and do nothing but tear it to shreds. His attention was brought back when he heard one of the hideous soldiers scream. What confused him the most was when suddenly started backing away from him, Aeolus, and Maria. Something wasn't right about this. He eyed Maria who was doing the same to him. She must've read his eye for she had the same suspicion. They faced the hairy bipedals once more. The griffins and dragon were taken aback when the apes leaped forward with their shrill cries and landed right in front of the trio, causing them to take a few steps back. The apes leapt back to their original spots and watched with evil eyes. The trio raised a brow at their...weird actions.

Aeolus' eyes rolled left and right in his sockets. Something had happened in that little performance. Nothing was out the ordinary. However, he did spot one ape in the back of the group. It snickered as its eyes barely looked down, as if it was looking under them. He looked under him and his heart dropped. A stick of dynamite...with a short fuse!

"Maria! Blazer! Under you!" he shouted.

They looked down and saw the same thing. They jumped back but were a hair too late. The blast sent them flying into the walls. Blazer fell to the ground with signs that he remained conscious. He struggled to stand but he only had enough strength to hold his upper body. He winced in pain as he strained himself to stay like that. The explosion gave him a small burn mark on his chest and his left shoulder had a medium burn but was colored with blood slowly flowing freely from it. Blazer heard the apes cheering victoriously which was silenced in an instant. Heavy footsteps touched down on the ground slowly grew with each step.

"Well, what do we have here? Who would've thought that the mighty purple dragon would be defeated easily by a stick of dynamite?" Graunx broke out in laughter. The others followed him but they stopped when barked at them. "Now then, where was I? Oh yes, I was about to kill you." He pulled out a scimitar from his sheath. The blade was a rust color and the hilt was gold. There were no patterns or unique designs. It was a plain scimitar.

A low growl resided in Blazer's throat as he watched the ape twirl the curved blade with his fingers. He saw an evil smile work its way across Graunx's face.

"O-Obviously you didn't...hear me before. I'm not purple." Blazer's voice was weak due to exhaustion and possibly the loss of blood. He wailed in agony as he was kicked right in the open wound in his shoulder. He fell to the side, tightly grasping his shoulder. The pain had intensified ten-fold when he was struck again in the same spot and almost caused him to pass out.

"I don't care if you're blue, gay, or smart. You and those fools are nothing more but filth in this world." he loomed over the injured dragon.

When he said "those fools", he had been referring to the griffins. Blazer looked behind the white ape. His hope fell when he saw two unconscious griffins sprawled across the floor. Over to the right, Dairu remained still. It was difficult to tell if he was alive or not but he could see that the left eye was half closed. The axe remained was still wedged in his back and the bleeding seemed to have stopped; at least that's what it looked like from where Blazer was. His eyes fell back to Graunx who now stood right in front of Blazer's snout that it was almost touching the ape's foot.

"You'll make a good meal for my fellow comrades," Graunx raised his scimitar over his head. "And a nice trophy to mount on my wall."

Blazer knew this was it for him. There was nothing he could do. He closed his eyes and waited for his life to end. It never came. He slowly opened his eyes. They went wide at the first thing he saw. Dairu was on a rampage. He was killing apes left and right. Graunx was swatted away by his paw.

"Stay away from my sons and daughter." he spoke in a very icy tone. At this point, the small apes charged at him. He didn't even bother to move out the way. As they came closer, he eyed Blazer who was trying to say something but couldn't say a thing due to the excruciating pain. Dairu, with his massive beak, bit off an ape's head. The griffin took in as much air as he can get through his nostrils and spat it in the face of one of its comrades with such force that it knocked their head clean off. Two apes tried to flank him from the left but were sent flying by a powerful backhand. One ape managed to jump on his back and repeatedly stabbed him. Dairu managed to resist the urge to elicit a shrill of pain. Luckily, no vital spots were targeted. He tried to shake the vermin off his back but it held on tight. On top of that, the battle axe that was still in his back sent a painful irritating feeling through him every time he tried to shake the ape loose. Things went from bad to worse (more like worse to terrible) as more apes began to latch on and the adult griffin couldn't help but let out a bloodcurdling scream as he was stabbed continuously.

At this point, Blazer had struggled to stand on all four. Aeolus and Maria were still unconscious yet not a single ape was near them. He looked to his father who was now tearing the apes off him; at least the ones he could reach for. The dark blue dragon took a weary step. His legs began to shake. They couldn't support his weight and they buckled, making him hit the floor with a grunt. He shook his head and tried to stand. He then felt his body being restrained by apes. A few seconds later, he heard a loud thud as if something fell to the ground hard. He looked up and saw that it was Dairu who hit the ground. The sight of his condition made Blazer sick to his stomach. The axe combined with the fresh bleeding multiple stab wounds as well as the large open gash on the underbelly exposing the griffin's entrails was truly sickening. He couldn't help but mutter "Father". Only when an ape said spoke out did he realise his mistake.

"Graunx, I think that bird is this dragon's father."

"Foster child?" Graunx sounding rather surprised. An evil smile slowly spread across his ugly face. He walked over to Blazer grabbed his maw and lifted his face so that he was staring at the ape. "Well, for a whelping like you, I got a special surprise for you. But first, I'll need to sharpen my weapon."

Blazer just looked at him with a questioning look. His eyes suddenly widen with horror when Graunx slowly walked over to the two unconscious griffins. The dragon was drained yet he struggled to break the tight grips but had no success. He felt the hilt of a weapon behind his head which stunned him for a quick second. He tried to fight back but was helpless in his current situation. As he watched the big ape move closer to his siblings, he felt something swelling inside him. He didn't care about that at the moment. He was thinking of how he was going to save Maria and Aeolus.

Graunx picked up Maria and held his blade against her throat. The reaction he got from Blazer was an audible gasp. He evilly smirked as he took a whiff of her scent. In his sick mind, he found pleasing.

"Men, looks like we're gonna have us a feast tonight!" he exclaimed. The ape soldiers filled the cave with excited hoots and screams as they beat their weapons against their shield and hopped about like idiots. "The dragon will be saved for dessert. Bring that trash forth."

At this point, Blazer was terrified and angry at the same time. He was dragged closer to the griffins. His eyes were held open by their hairy smelly hands. He was being forced to see them die and there was nothing he could do.

"D-Don't kill them." he croaked.

"And why should I not kill these two." Graunx sounded more demanding rather than questioning.

"It's me you wanted right? Let them go unscathed."

The large ape dropped Maria and cackled. He had to admit, the dragon was right. They were only hunting him. "But I wasn't the one who said that." He saw his pupils dilate. "And since the leader isn't here, I'm in charge and I say..." He faced the two colored griffin and grabbed her by the beak. "We dine big tonight!"

Blazer couldn't watch yet at the same time, he didn't want his foster siblings to die and he didn't want to either. He began thrashing about in a desperate attempt to save everyone including Dairu. Try as he can, his efforts were still vain. He saw the giant ape pull his curved blade back, preparing to decapitate the helpless avian. He begged and pleaded Graunx but his words were ignored. He could clearly see that the ape was enjoying every second of this. Whenever he took a fast swing at the head, Blazer would yell over the sound of the whistling blade. The dragon's heart felt as if it was ready to suddenly jump out of his chest. Instead of seeing Maria being decapitated, he would see her receive numerous cuts on her body. Each cut either being wider, longer, or deeper than the last depending on how freely the blood flow from the limp body. Eventually, Graunx had an expression that Blazer can guess; boredom. This was it.

"I think that's enough torture. I shall put them out of your misery whelp and you shall watch us slowly devour them...RIGHT...IN...FRONT...OF...YOUR...EYES."

Blazer couldn't take it anymore. Suddenly, he felt that expanding feeling inside him; then he heard a voice in his mind.

"Unleash your power if you wish to save those precious to you. To do so, you must harness that power." It spoke in a voice so soft and gentle that it helped put him at ease. His mind was now focused on what the voice had told him. It was an easy task. It was as if it was being handed to him.

"Get away from my family!" And with that, he opened his mouth and fired a large dark blue beam. The beam came so fast that Graunx only had enough time to see before it hit him square in the chest and was sent flying into a wall. The unconscious Maria fell out of the apes grip. The smaller apes that held him released him and backed away. Free from their grasp, he quickly stood up and faced them. His emerald green eyes shone bright with determination and his heart burned with confidence as he stared down this enemies.

Graunx, who was at this point already joined the other soldiers, was exceedingly mad. One could imagine smoke coming out his ears.

"Kill that dragon! I want his head mounted in my room!" He shouted.

"You want? Come get yourself." Blazer spoke darkly.

"ATTACK!"

With his newfound strength, Blazer charged onto the sea of apes. He decapitated several apes with one claw swipe. Several tried to attack from the rear but they ended up being gutted alive by his tail blade. He ducked under a few horizontal slashes and some apes that flew over him and killed themselves on their comrade's weapons.

Soon, the air had reeked of rotting corpses and mercury. Blazer had pretty much taken out half of the enemies in a few minutes. He was feeling slightly exhausted but he pushed on. From time to time, he heard Graunx complaining about how useless his ape soldiers were. Blazer had enough of his whining and finally said, "If you think you can do better, then why don't you put your foot where mouth is!" All activity ceased and all the apes laughed while they stepped aside.

"You think I am a coward?" Graunx roared.

"Let's see...you stand in the back twiddling your thumbs, ordering your buddies to attack me, and complaining about how they're no good just like you. So...no, I don't think that you're a coward. I KNOW you are a coward." Blazer jumped to the side as the big ape leaped high in the air and tried to slash him. He then ducked under the scimitar as it whistled over his head. He quickly jumped back when he heard the other blade being pulled from its scabbard. It almost took his head clean off his shoulders but the tip nick him at his maw. He looked up to see Graunx's eyes. They were glowing with pure hatred towards him. He needed not to guess why. The best part was that his plan was working so far. He got the big lug to come out and fight. All he had to do was win the battle and he would send the apes packing.

"Now you shall see who the REAL coward is you pathetic little..."

"Blah blah just shut up already." Blazer interrupted. "You're boring me to tears with your talk."

"DIE YOU WHELP!" he dashed forward with his blades high over his head. As he brought them down, Blazer opens his mouth and tried to shoot another beam. Instead of a dark blue beam, he shot a small dark blue fireball like orb. It hit its mark and exploded. The blast was too close and both were sent flying in opposite directions into the wall. Both fighters grunted in pain from the collision. Blazer had a hard time trying to get back up. However, Graunx had already beaten him to it.

Aeolus began to stir at this point. His vision was blurry but he could hear what was happening right now.

"Well dragon, it appears you lose once more. So hold still while I kill you painfully." He heard Graunx say to Blazer. He also heard something else.

"Whazzat? A...a snake?" He mumbled which caught their attention.

"What did you say, Aeolus?" Blazer asked.

"I...hear a snake. But where?"

That's when the two fighters took the time to realise what he was saying. They listened. Hissing sounds were heard. They looked left and right but found nothing. Blazer listened closely. He heard several of them and it was coming from...Graunx? What did he have that could make several hissing sounds? A closer look at him showed that he had smoke trails rising from behind him. Graunx turned his body to his "weakling". The last thing Blazer didn't want to see made every scale and nerve he has stand on its ends. How could he forget? The dynamites! Graunx had been carrying them and that last attack had somehow ignited all of them. To make matters even more worse than it is, the fuse were short. If they tried to escape, Graunx would follow them until they blow. He couldn't just stand there. He had to do something and fast. He finally stood up and walked over to the two avians.

Aeolus looked up and saw the horrified expression on Blazer's face. The dragon whispered in his ear-hole.

"We have to go, NOW!" The strong emphasis on the last word was crystal clear. Aeolus didn't question and slowly stood. He shook the dizziness out of his head. His head and visions were back to normal. The next thing he saw was a shock to him. Graunx grabbed Blazer X by the neck in one hand and Maria in the other.

"If I go down I'm taking you all WITH ME!" He began to squeeze the life out of them. This act was cut short by Aeolus who rammed the ape in the gut; releasing the hold on the two siblings.

"Blazer, can you stand?" Aeolus asked. Sure enough, the dark blue dragon stood and weakly thanked his foster brother. "Listen, take Maria and go. I'll hold them off."

"Aeolus, are you insane?" Blazer exclaimed.

Before he could answer, Dairu weakly approached them. Both youngling mouthed "Dad" when they saw him.

"All of you...leave. I'll...hold." His voice sounded raspy and weak. There was no way to save him at this point and they knew it. Sadly, it was hard for Blazer and Aeolus to accept that.

"D-Dad. You can't. You just can't!" Aeolus cried.

Dairu slowly rose to his feet, his entrails hanging out of him. Everyone was surprise to see that he still had some fight in him.

"Go." Blazer hesitated at first, and then he placed Maria on his back and took off to the nearest path. Aeolus looked at his father with pleading eyes. He didn't want to lose him. Not like this.

"Aeolus...you...Maria...not be harsh on your brother. He has...no...family...and we...are the only...family he'll ever have. Protect...yourselves...and each other." Dairu said.

"Aeolus, let's go! This place is gonna blow!" Blazer's voice echoed from the path he took. Aeolus looked down it then back to his father.

"B-Bye father." He then left to catch up with Blazer. When he caught up with him, he saw a river of tears running down his face. He wanted to comfort him but now wasn't the best time.

"You ready?" The green griffin asked. The pain and sorrow of what was about to happen showed in his voice.

"Let's go." The dark blue dragon replied. Even though he showed how much he grieved for Dairu's sacrifice, he hid his voice well. Probably too focus on getting him and his foster sibling out alive. They both took off in a sprint down the long path. This path was unlike the one they took before. There were no crystals jutting out the walls and floor. Instead, there were some stalactites and stalagmites. Some of them were broken off but they were all covered with moss.

Back with Dairu, the avian had been gutted; save for the heart and lungs that his. No one knew why he was still alive after what he had gone through.

"No matter. There are more of us out there. They will kill those whelps of yours and that miserable dragon." Graunx said. "Your sacrifice will be nothing."

"You're wrong." Dairu weakly spoke. "They are...brave young kids. They...will conquer against...the evil that plagues this world. There is nothing...you, your men, and your master...can do about it."

"We shall see." Graunx walked under the griffin who was looking down the path the younglings ran down.

Dairu smiled weakly. "Farewell...my children. May the air gods protect you all...especially...young...Blazer...X." The second he finished, the flame on the fuses disappeared in the dynamites. The whole place was ignited in a giant ball of flames, swallowing all everyone alive and erasing them from existence.

Blazer and Aeolus heard the explosion that broke the silence. Aeolus quickly skidded to a stop but Blazer had to bring himself to a slow pace before stopping. He didn't want to risk Maria falling off him. They looked back. The pain of Dairu's loss intensified in Aeolus. Even the dark blue dragon felt the same. He hung his head low, tears welling up in his eyes and ready to flow freely. Something prevented him from doing so. He quickly lifted his head back up and his tears went back down.

"Aeolus?" He called out.

"He's...he's gone." The male griffin sobbed. Right now, Blazer would not mind comforting his brother, but something else was happening and he didn't like it.

"Do you smell that?" He asked.

Aeolus slightly lifted his head then lifted it up in the air. Something was burning. "I-I do." He croaked, wiping away his flowing tears. "But I also feel and hear the ground shaking a bit."

"That I do, too. I have a very bad feeling about this."

"Let's keep moving." He said, walking past the dragon.

Blazer didn't need to be reminded about that. He only took about ten steps when the whole cavern started to shake more violently. Stalactites fell around them and broke into pieces. They almost lost their balance and nearly got struck by a falling stalactite. Next, they felt a wave of heat slowly growing stronger. They turned to each other and then slowly looked behind. A bright orange light illuminated the darkness they trekked through.

"Oh shit, run. Run!" Blazer said. He and Aeolus took off in a sprint further down the path. Aeolus looked back and saw what they were running from. The cave moss that grew out the ground and clung onto the walls and ceiling were set ablaze. It was catching up to them

"We have to get away from the cave moss!" He shouted.

"This path as a lot of it! Just keep moving!"

The cave grew hotter and hotter with each second. Falling stalactites and other debris slowed them down a bit, allowing the torrent of flames to move in closer on them. Nevertheless, they still ran. They were doing good until the ceiling collapsed in front of them and blocked their path. Aeolus almost panicked at this but Blazer opened his mouth and launched several orbs at the obstacle. Shortly, the pile of fallen rocks gave away and the path was open once more. Aeolus was shock by this.

"Now is not the time! Move!" Blazer barked. They quickly bolted as some debris crashed at where they once were. The flames were much closer and the heat was almost unbearable at the moment. Both of them were exhausted; Blazer the most. His wounds from the apes were still open and his blood ran down his arms and legs. There were a few times he nearly lost consciousness but thanks to the adrenaline that coursed through him, he was always up. The heat went down slightly and a cool breeze blew from the front.

"We're getting closer! Keep moving!" Blazer shouted once more over the roaring flames that tailed them. They pushed themselves to the limits, slowly pulling away from the raging inferno from behind. They dodged a few more stalactites and other chunks of debris that threatened to flatten them underneath. There seemed to be no end to this. They hopes were slowly dwindling away until–

"Light! I see light at the end!" Blazer happily shouted.

"Come on! We're almost outta here!" Aeolus replied back. Because they pushed themselves to the limits, they gained quite a distance from the fire but the heat did not dwindle. They had to thank each other for all the times they would race through the forest or from their home to the river and back. This time, they weren't racing each other; they were racing against the fire.

The light was so bright, so enticing, the brother pushed themselves once more. But there was a problem; make that two. Blazer yelped when he slipped and fell forward. Maria, still unconscious, landed a few feet off to the side. He looked to see what the problem was. The blood that flowed down his forearms covered the bottom of his paws in blood. On top of that, he was running on moss. His blood acted as a lubricant which caused him to slip easily on the moss.

The second problem was right after Aeolus returned to his side and helped him up. The tremor became intense and they fell to either side. Loud cracks were heard from above. The entrance caved in quickly darkening the cavern that was being dimly lit by the flames in the back. Blazer pushed himself up and dashed towards the pile. He focused on harnessing his power but he felt nothing. He opened his mouth and tried to shoot it. All that escaped from him was a wheezed. He did it the second time, then the third. Same results.

"Hurry up and blast it!" Aeolus yelled. He now stood beside him with Maria on his back.

"I'm trying!" He yelled back. He kept trying and with every failed attempt, their fiery death came closer. They had to escape and fast and Aeolus' screaming wasn't helping Blazer one bit. "Gimme a break already! I not even sure how I was able to do it the first time!"

"Try something!"

Blazer reached over and smacked him in the head. "Now let me think!" As soon as he said that, a voice.

"Calm yourself."

Blazer looked around confused.

"What's wrong?" Aeolus inquired.

"I thought I heard a voice just now!" He answered.

"I think the heat is getting to you! Sooner we get out the better."

"Calm yourself. There is still time left." It was the voice he heard earlier. In his mind. That voice helped him before and no doubt it was going to help him again. He closed his eyes and felt the flow of adrenaline stop. His muscles relaxed and his breathing was normal. "Now search for your power; your element. It is neither gone or forgotten. Just lost and misplaced. Once you have found it, take it and let it expand."

Blazer looked deep within him and found (more like felt) that same power he had before. He then felt it growing bigger and bigger; almost as if it was going to consume his body. Blazer opened his eyes.

Aeolus was mainly looking back, hoping that the flames didn't show. It was the opposite. It came. He was about to warn Blazer when he saw his eyes. They glowed an eerie blue around the green. All he could do was stare in awe.

Blazer felt it all; the power growing within him was ten times stronger than before. He opened his mouth as a small dark blue ball formed and swirled quickly grew five times its original size. He held it at that.

"Now...release!" The voice shouted and it was gone.

Blazer's eyes flashed then narrowed. He slightly spread his legs and made sure he was firmly secured. A growl worked its way up his throat. Finally, he roared as he shot a powerful beam pierced through the rubble as if nothing was there. The blockade turned into pebbles. He and Aeolus used their wings as a shield from the pebbles that peppered them. When that was over, they rush out but they came to a quick stop at a cliff edge. They peered over and saw that they were in a forest with mushrooms of various height and sizes as well as a few trees.

"Now what genius? We don't know how to fly yet!" Aeolus complained.

Blazer had an idea alright. He backed up a few feet behind Aeolus.

"We don't." He took at top speed, leaped over his brother grabbing Maria in the process, and opened his wings. "We glide!"

Aeolus was startled by this but it was a good idea. He opened his feathery wings and pushed off the edge. He was glad he did it in time. The cave erupted with a burst of flame and rocks which didn't pose as a threat to them for they were out of reach of the falling debris. Seconds later, they were next to each other. They looked back at where they came from...and laughed.

"I never felt that rushed in my entire life!" Aeolus exclaimed.

"You and me both! What a rush!" Blazer hooted. "You should've seen the look on your face! You really freaked out in the end!"

"No I didn't!"

"Yes you did!"

The two brothers bickered back and forth; completely unaware of what was coming behind them until they heard wings flapping. They looked back and all they saw was a black and red creature that slammed into the brothers. Blazer nearly lost his grip on Maria as he and Aeolus screamed at the top of their lungs, spiralling out of control as they fell. They could not right themselves and they faster. Soon, they disappeared through the treetops. Then, there was silence.

Yeah, sorry for the late update. I'd ramble on and with excuses as to why I am so late with this chapter but I won't. VEEEERRRYYY LONG story. No not this chapter...then again, 14 pages and almost 6,000 words type is pretty long to me. Anyway, I'm done here. Just one more thing.

See this button?

Yeah, that one.

Click it.

R & R PLZ :)

C U NEXT TIME!

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