Edit: I actually posted this on Sunday, but because I replaced the A/N chapter rather than making a new one, it didn't inform anyone of an update. Oops. Well, it's here now. Enjoy!
A/N: It's been almost 6 months since my last chapter :s Anyway, I'll let you read it now, and save the excu- er, I mean, explanation, for the end.
Chapter 2:
Winds of Change
The sounds of war roared in her ears as she beheld the battlefield below her, the foul stench of blood and death strong in her nostrils even from her vantage point in the clouds. Hordes of apes clashed with an army of dragons, the latter group slowly pressing their advantage. The world below was rent with piercing cries as explosive blasts of magic, originating from both sides of the fray, mingled with the harsher sounds of claws and horns against flesh, of metallic weapons against scales. Neither side were aware of her position, of the sleek black dragoness hidden just above the lowest layer of clouds.
That was about to change.
She gave one swift beat of her wings before pulling into a great dive, unleashing an ear-splitting, blood-curdling roar to strike fear into the hearts of her foes. The combatants below her all seemed transfixed as she hurtled through the air, and it was already too late for the army of dragons to do anything when they realised that the apes were not her target.
With an almighty roar, torrents of fireballs erupted from her mouth and exploded into cascades of bright flames that engulfed many of the dragons before they could so much as cry out in shock. In a blizzard of claws, horns and the deadly scythe-like blade at the end of her tail, she tore through the ranks of bewildered and terrified dragons as easily as cutting through grass. It was only when she reached a male earth dragon that she slowed her pace. Her orders were to capture, not to kill.
She quickly tackled the earth guardian and, before he had a chance to react, bit down on the back of his neck, temporarily paralysing him. She then grabbed him with her claws and beat her wings with all of her strength, returning to the air and unleashing streams of molten fire into the recovering draconic forces as the Terror of the Skies returned to her master with her prize.
XXX
Cynder awoke with a start, panting as the terror from her dream slowly abated. She managed to calm her breathing, allowing rational thoughts to overcome her panic.
It was just a dream. She told herself. Just a nightmare. You're not there anymore, Cynder. It's happened. It won't happen again. She had been waking up this way every morning since Spyro released her from her curse, yet it still didn't get any easier.
She sat up from her resting place to look around the small clearing in which the group had made their camp; from Hunter, poring over a map of the surrounding area; to Sparx, fluttering around the camp purely out of boredom; and finally to Spyro, who lay in a defeated slump on the edge of the site, away from the others. It pained Cynder to see him like this. She felt completely helpless, being unable to bring comfort and reassurance to the dragon that had done so much for her. Spyro hadn't spoken a word since their departure from the Well of Souls two days ago; eyes downcast, head drooping, he simply followed Hunter's lead, and ate hardly anything. Cynder was worried about him.
She stood up, stretched her muscles, and walked over to stand next to Hunter, peering over his shoulder to look at the map. The map showed various forests and mountain ranges, as well as a few villages and other notable locations. To the west lay the land of Malefor and the eponymous mountain, to the east the mushroom forest, along with the Dragon Temple. Between them, the mountainous Shattered Vale and the rolling plains and dense woodland of Avalar. In short, the map displayed everything on the island.
"So, Hunter, whereabouts are we?" She asked after looking at the map.
The cheetah turned to look at her briefly before pointing to the map and saying, "We've travelled through most of this area, and are about to enter this mountain range, here." He pointed to said mountains on the map, showing that they had nearly travelled the entire length of the desolate woodlands they were currently in. "We should come across an abandoned market town on the other side, and from there we can find the source of the Silver River. We can then follow the river through this forest, before reaching the border of the Shattered Vale. The river passes between these two mountains," He indicated the area with his finger. "So all we have to do is follow it and we should reach Avalar. With any luck, it should take us about four to five days to leave the Vale; maybe less if we are quick enough."
"We still have a ways to go, then." Cynder noted.
"I am afraid so, although it shouldn't be too difficult if we follow the river. It runs right past the Dragon Temple, and through the entirety of Summer Forest. There are no settlements in the forest, so we shouldn't encounter too many problems."
Cynder nodded after taking this all in, before asking, "How long will it take us to reach the temple?"
Hunter stroked his muzzle in thought for a few moments. He then shrugged, saying, "At a rough guess, I'd say… somewhere between two and three weeks…"
"What!?" A voice suddenly exclaimed, and both Hunter and Cynder looked up from the map to see Sparx hovering over them, his arms folded and a distraught expression on his tiny face. "What do you mean, 'two or three weeks'? We've already been travelling for two days, and you're telling me we're not even close!?"
"You didn't honestly think we could walk from one end of the island to the other in a matter of days, did you?" Hunter asked incredulously.
"Yeah, well I had hoped we would have actually made some progress by now." Sparx answered sounding incredibly annoyed at their situation.
"If you had been paying attention, you would know that we are making progress." Hunter said in a frustrated tone. "At any rate, we should be going soon." He stood up and turned towards the mountains in the east. "With any luck, we should reach the town before nightfall."
Twenty minutes later, after Hunter had packed up all of the supplies and the group had eaten a few slices of meat from a wolf Hunter had killed and cooked several days past, they set off towards the mountains. The journey was very uneventful; the landscape was unremarkable, its thin leafless trees, dry brown grass and general dead appearance made the woods a very gloomy place. Even when they reached the mountains, the area was still bleak, the lifeless brown colouring of the woods slowly changing to the dull grey of cliffs and rocks. The group walked in moderate silence, which only broken by Sparx' occasional attempts at starting a conversation. This proved to be futile, however, and after a while he stopped trying. The sun had almost set by the time they reached the town.
Or, at least, what was left of it.
Not a single building remained intact; some only had partially collapsed walls or roofs, others had been completely reduced to rubble. All of them bore numerous scorch marks, and whatever plant life there had been had either been burned away, or else had withered and died from the lack of nutrients.
Cynder looked upon the scene of utter devastation with horror, wondering who could have been responsible for the destruction of this once-peaceful town.
Could… could I have done this? She thought fearfully. Was this town a victim of my search for Ignitus, its only crime being on the same island as the fire guardian's hiding place? Her feelings of guilt and shame intensified at these thoughts; no matter how hard she tried, her past always found some way to come back to haunt her. When she had run away from the Dragon Temple, she had hoped that things would get better - for Spyro and the Guardians, if not for her - but somehow it had only seemed to make things worse. Her departure had given her more confidence in her skills in combat, true, but the fact that Spyro had gone out of his way to search for her made her feel like she caused more trouble than she was worth, and Spyro getting trapped in the Well of Souls because he was trying to rescue her only accentuated those feelings.
Her discomfort must have shown clearly on her face, for at that moment, Hunter addressed her.
"It wasn't you, Cynder." He said, giving her a reassuring smile. "This attacked occurred not long before the Night of Eternal Darkness. Whilst I was not there for the attack, myself, my village did receive word of it. Eye witnesses claim that it was a black dragon that destroyed this town, but it did not fit your description."
Cynder was greatly relieved to hear this, but a small voice in her mind still seemed to say, "So what? This one small settlement wasn't destroyed by you, but countless others were. You still have blood on your paws." Still, she was extremely grateful for Hunter's words, yet there was something about his last statement that puzzled her.
"If it wasn't me, then who was it?"
"As to that, I cannot say." Hunter replied. "All we know was that it was a black dragon. Nobody who was there managed to get close to it and lived to tell the tale."
This news sent shivers down Cynder's spine. This dragon sounded absolutely terrifying, not to mention completely unstoppable.
Just like I was, she thought glumly.
She looked over to Spyro, who stood looking at the remains of a large building several yards away. His expression remained impassive, as it had for the past few days, yet Cynder could see a brief flicker of anger cross his features, as well as a hint of determination. Cynder smiled inwardly at this sight. Well, it looks like he's still in there, somewhere.
It was at that moment that she noticed that Sparx had been completely silent this entire time. Whilst this wouldn't usually trouble her – not having to put up with his constant insults and complaints was always a blessed relief, albeit only a temporary one – right at that moment she found it rather unsettling. She looked around the area, only to find that the dragonfly was nowhere to be seen.
"Hey, do you know where Sparx is, Hunter? I haven't seen him since we got here."
"I expect he's probably gone to explore. He was beginning to look bored on the journey here. I'm sure he'll turn up sooner or later."
Sure enough, Sparx returned within the next few minutes, a slightly panicked expression on his face. Cynder was the first to notice him, and she quickly pointed this out to Spyro and Hunter, whom she had been helping to find a building where they could take shelter for the night.
"Guys, guys! There's something I've got to tell you!" The dragonfly sounded agitated, and Cynder could tell that he had found something that had greatly unsettled him.
"What is it?" Hunter questioned, instantly on the alert.
"Well… you see, I was exploring the town, and… and I saw this path, so I followed it, and I came across this cave. I decided to go in and…" He paused, seeming to ready himself for something horrible. "And… there were two dragon skeletons in there!"
"What!?"
Cynder was genuinely surprised by Hunter's exclamation; it was disturbing news, yes, but she hadn't expected such a reaction from the usually cool and collected cheetah.
"Anyway…" Sparx continued. "I went to check some of the other caves, and they're all the same! There were at least two in every cave…"
"Oh no…" Hunter muttered, looking incredibly distraught at this news. "This is not good…"
"What's wrong, Hunter?" Cynder asked, despite knowing that, in the current circumstances, it was a rather feeble question.
"My father told me of these caves when I was a child." Hunter began, composing himself. "He told me that they were home to a large number of wind dragons. If what Sparx found in those caves is anything to go by, then that must mean…"
"…That they were all wiped out…" Cynder finished, cold dread clenching her gut. This hadn't simply been a random attack, the mindless destruction of one town.
This had been genocide.
Cynder felt sickened by the very thought of it; of the fact that an entire community had been eradicated by a mysterious black dragon that sounded even more dangerous than she had been; of the memories of being forced to do similar atrocities under the Dark Master's paw; and the knowledge of the day the Dragon Temple had been raided by Gaul's forces, and all but Spyro's egg and her own had been smashed.
She wasn't just sickened by this; she was enraged by it.
Why would they do this? What purpose does this serve? Do they take pleasure in ending countless lives? In murdering the unborn without a hint of remorse?
She turned to face Spyro, and instead of seeing the distant expression he had adopted recently, his face was scowling with anger akin to hers, a hard, determined glint in his eyes. As she met his gaze, an unspoken agreement seemed to pass between them.
We will find the ones responsible for this. And we will make them pay for it.
"We shouldn't stay here." She said suddenly, catching the attention of Hunter and Sparx, both of whom looked perplexed.
"What do you mean, Cynder?" Hunter asked after a moment of silence.
"We shouldn't disturb this place more than it has been already. Many dragons died here, and we should respect that." She stated firmly. "Besides, I don't think I could sleep here anyway."
Hunter nodded his head in understanding. "I can respect that. We still have a bit of sunlight left. If we follow that path," he pointed towards a trail that lead out of the town and down the mountain and into the forest. "We should reach the banks of the Silver River before long. We can rest there."
Cynder nodded her head in affirmation and, with a renewed sense of confidence, took a running start and leapt up into the air. The beating of wings behind her told her that Spyro had also taken flight, and she slowed her pace to let the purple dragon catch up. They flew together in silence for a while, before Spyro finally broke it.
"Cynder… I'm sorry…"
"What for?"
"For blanking out like that. It was selfish of me, and short sighted. I shouldn't have shut you all out."
"There's nothing to be sorry about." Cynder offered him a warm smile, which he happily returned. "I know what it feels like to despair over something I had no control over."
Spyro's voice took on a more sympathetic tone when he asked, "And how are you holding up with that?"
She took a few moments to think on this before answering.
"What we discovered in that town made me realise something."
"Oh?"
"It made me realise that it doesn't matter if we failed before, or something happened that we couldn't control, or could have prevented but didn't. They happened, and if we don't do anything, things like that are going to keep happening." She turned to face the purple dragon, staring straight into his eyes. "It doesn't matter what personal turmoil we're feeling. We have to put them aside for now, and focus on stopping these things from happening."
Spyro seemed momentarily stunned by this. Then he turned his head to face forward again and said, "You're right. It doesn't matter that I was gone for all those years. What matters is that I'm back now, and that I won't rest until this war is over." He turned to face Cynder again and gave her a grateful smile.
"Thank you, Cynder."
No, thank you, Spyro. For everything." With that she flew on ahead towards the banks of the Silver River.
XXX
She awoke to find herself lying on a strange, rocky surface, and when she opened her eyes she was greeted to the sight of a seemingly endless iridescent void with several large pieces of rock floating within, partially obscured by a grey mist.
Oh great, she thought. I'm dreaming about my battle with Spyro in Convexity again.
She began to stand up, and was startled to see that her body was her normal size. Looking around, she noticed that the environment was different to that of Convexity in a number of ways: this realm appeared to have more of a blue tinge to it, and there were some remains of an ancient white temple floating amidst the rocks. There was also a distinct lack in the strange creatures she had encountered in Convexity, for which she was extremely grateful.
"Where am I?" She wondered aloud.
"You are dreaming, young one."
Cynder yelped in shock, turning frantically to find the source of the unexpected answer. When she saw no-one, she cautiously asked, "Who are you? What do you want?"
"I am known as the Chronicler." The voice spoke again, sounding as if its owner had lived since the dawn of time. "And I am here to help you, Cynder."
"How? In what way can you help?"
"Do you see that old temple over there?"
"Yes…"
"Fly to it."
Cynder spread her wings and took flight towards the old ruin that the Chronicler had directed her to. She didn't know why, but something about that voice seemed reassuring, trustworthy.
When she reached the ruin, she was met with a strange sight; an odd shimmering force seemed to block the way through a stone arch between two walls. In front of it sat an old circular pool, not dissimilar to the Pool of Visions in the Dragon Temple, only this one was a pearly white in colour. She approached it and gazed into its surface.
"I am rather impressed with you today, young dragoness." The Chronicle's voice spoke again, this time seeming to come from within the pool in front of her. "It takes a great deal of courage to set your fears aside like that."
Um… thank you…" Cynder stammered, taken by surprise at the unexpected praise, not to mention the way this "Chronicler" seemed to know everything about her. "I was just…"
"-So moved by the fate of the wind dragons that you wanted to do something to set things right?"
Cynder was slightly unnerved by this being's vast knowledge of her, but for now she decided to let that go. "Yes… it just saddens me to know that they're all gone…"
"Yes, the loss of this large community is indeed a sad one. But do not worry, young dragoness. There are still many wind dragons left in the world… I'm talking to one of them right now."
What? Me, a wind dragon?
"Have you not wondered how it is that flying comes to you so easily, almost as if you were born for it?" The Chronicler continued. "Wind dragons naturally have bodies that are better suited to flight than other dragons. Their larger wingspan makes take off and extended flight as easy as breathing, and their slimmer bodies make them more aerodynamic. Both your time as the Dark Master's servant and your current life show this."
"But…" Cynder was struggling to take this all in. "When I was corrupted by the Dark Master, I had control of the fire element! How could I possibly have the power of wind as well?"
"When he took control of you, he bestowed upon you the power of flame, as well as other more sinister abilities. The purple dragon has the power to grant an elemental power to another dragon if they so wish. When this happened, your birth element was suppressed, and has since lain dormant. Let us see if we might not awaken it…
The pool began to glow, and, almost instinctively, stepped in, her paws barely breaking the surface of the shallow water. Once she was stood facing the archway, she closed her eyes.
"Concentrate, Cynder," The Chronicler's voice seemed to echo all around her. "And feel the ever-changing movements of the wind. Allow them to calm you, to guide you when you are lost. In turn, they will allow you to guide them, and will follow wherever you direct them."
Cynder concentrated, and after a few short moments she could feel it: the wind. The free, unpredictable wind. A feeling of serenity swept over her, and she could sense the wind guiding her movement. Her wings began to beat softly, lifting her ever so slightly off the ground.
"That's it! Rise, and unleash the full force of the wind!" The Chronicler urged.
The wind around her began to whirl faster and faster, until all she could hear was the thunderous roar of the swirling vortex that surrounded her. Then, with a single thought, she commanded the energy to expand.
With a tremendous howl, the wind energy she had gathered exploded into a gale force wind that expanded in all directions, and when she opened her eyes Cynder could see the strain the walls of the old temple were under, groaning in protest, and for a moment she was afraid they would collapse.
The winds then died down, and Cynder panted heavily as she landed on the ground, the truth of what she had just done finally starting to settle in.
I just performed a Wind Fury.
"Excellent, Cynder! The Chronicler exclaimed. "I knew you had it in you! But now that you can feel the wind's flow and direct its movement, show me that you have true command of it."
As he said this, the rippling barrier of elemental energy in the archway dissipated, leaving the path ahead clear.
"Go forth, Cynder, and master the power that has been within you since birth. Go forth, and make your ancestors proud."
A/N: I have one word to describe writing this chapter:
UUGGGGGHHHHH...
I started writing it not long after the last chapter, and it was coming along nicely. Then, I suddenly got inspiration for another story, and I just had to write it down before I forgot. You know, despite the fact that I have a surprisingly good memory when it comes to story ideas. The idea actually takes place after this story, and I might actually post the finished first chapter when it's done to see if anyone would want to see more.
But yeah, this idea got in the way of the main story, and I entered a HUGE writer's slump. It doesn't help that I was distracted by trying to complete Sonic Adventure 2: Battle, which was incredibly aggravating. :|
Most of what you've read here was actually written on Friday, as I spent many an hour just trying to finish. I'm surprisingly pleased with this result, as I originally wasn't looking forward to this chapter. I also cut out a bit of travelling (Cynder's dream was gonna happen once they reached Summer Forest, with a little reference to Twilight Falls from DOTD), and look at it! Longer than the previous two chapters put together! Spyro's and Cynder's sudden determination in the town was mostly improvised, and yet I felt it worked rather well.
Anyway, I think I've rambled on long enough. The next chapter shouldn't be too long in the making (famous last words), as it's a bit shorter than the others, and I'm actually looking forward to it a lot.
I don't want to sound like I'm begging for reviews, but please do leave a review, as they can really help me out a lot with knowing how well I'm doing, or pointing out any mistakes that either Fire Shallows or I missed. Constructive Criticism is also appreciated.
Until next time!