Chapter 10
Spyro awoke to the smell of smoldering wood and sat up slowly as every pain returned. He had quite a pleasant sleep and considering the problems he was faced with that was something. He sat up and looked around. The camp was in a sleepy haze that coupled together with the early dawn scene before him to make him blissfully unaware of his troubles. He stood and stretched as the sun rose slowly over the fields before him. No one apart from Flame was awake. He sat on a stump that was on the outskirts of the camp watching for trouble. Spyro walked over to him and asked him, "How long have you been on watch?" Flame started and looked at Spyro his gazed slightly unfocused and said, "Yes um… I have been on watch for about an hour now, Hunter had the last one." Spyro was slightly surprised by this but recovered quickly and asked, "Is all well?"
Flame nodded and began explaining his watch before Spyro cut him off, "No I mean is all well with you? You seemed distracted when I came over, unfocused." Flame looked a little sheepish as he answered, "It's nothing I was just thinking of some things, nothing important." Spyro continued to look at him and decided not to pursue the matter and instead looked back at the camp site. There wasn't much to be of any real interest until he noticed something. Ember, she had been laying a foot from him. He hadn't noticed this until now and now that he had he was slightly unnerved. Could her affection for him be coming back? He certainly hoped not because the last thing he needed was a romantic relationship on top of the problems of late plus he was almost a hundred percent sure Cynder would beat him to a bleeding pulp if he so much wiped a tear from Ember's face.
He pushed uncomfortable thoughts about what might happen if he and Ember grew to close and went back to the camp but not before he noticed the poisonous look Flame shot him. Spyro looked back at him sure he had imagined it and seeing as Flame was presumably staring back over the fields in a scouts watch he had no chance of confirming what he had seen. He shook himself mentally and returned to the camp. Everyone was roused in a matter of minutes after he got there and everyone agreed to bypass breakfast to get moving immediately. Hunter was the subject of particularly sharp comment but he seemed completely oblivious to everything the others said to him.
In fact when Ember came up to him and said that he had absolutely no amount of subtly and that it was possible that he had let others 80 miles away know where they were he took it his stride. He smiled bowed low and said, "I think that you have made more noise then I could possibly ever make." He had then winked at Ember whose scales turned bright red. Everyone except Ember had a great deal of trouble in suppressing laughter. Spyro wanted so badly to laugh but felt that it would be too unfriendly and so suppressed it. Spyro couldn't help but remember the little incident to which Hunter was referring. It had been on the eve before his wedding. Hunter had thrown him a surprise congratulations party.
Spyro hadn't wanted it but didn't want his hard work to go to waste so he went along for awhile. The moment had happened when Ember had come to give him a flask of Dragon made 'party' wine. This wasn't exactly what it was called; it was called this because one drink made a dragon instantly inebriated. Hunter had taken the drink and had poured himself a generous amount before downing it. Spyro had looked at him with a grin on his face that immediately turned into hysterical laughter as Hunter, mistaking Ember for Bianca, had swept Ember into a kiss that was unfortunately seen by Bianca who had just turned up. Ember had gone screaming into the night while Bianca had shouted herself hoarse at Hunter who seemed not to take in a word.
Soon Spyro found that he couldn't help but letting go of his laughter and began laughing long and hard as he remembered when Bianca had taken a drink of the same wine. She had instantaneously forgotten everything she was mad about and had begun a drunken waltz with the very person she had been screaming at. Spyro laughed harder as all these hilarious memories began to cut through his gloom. Bianca looking fearful for his sanity began trying to peer into his eyes. He pushed her away and continued to laugh. When hunter came over and asked him if he was alright Spyro stopped laughing only long enough to tell them why.
Ember turned if possible a deeper scarlet and walked away as the others began to laugh as well. Spyro seeing this slowly stopped laughing and made to go after her to apologize but before he had moved Flame had already started after her. Spyro supposed he felt bad about laughing at the memory and that he wanted to say sorry. He himself felt kind of bad about it but he was glad that he didn't have to apologize just yet; mirth was a greatly needed thing. After the laughter had died away Flame and Ember returned to the group, Ember still looking sour while Flame looked a little annoyed, Spyro didn't ask Flame why he looked annoyed and said he was sorry to Ember. She didn't answer but nodded to show that he had heard him.
After every thing was packed they turned back towards the path and continued of to the unknown the single moment of joy had faded and now the present had returned. Spyro wondered vaguely if Flame was annoyed at everyone else for laughing at the incident but why would he be cold shouldering everyone like he was now.
Spyro and his friends continued to walk on until they stopped just a little after noon. Flame offered to take first watch but he had seemed more tired than everyone else so Spyro took the watch while Flame napped. It wasn't going to be long, they had only stopped for an hour for a break.
Flame's dreams were troubled.
He dreamed that he was walking down a dark corridor that still seemed to shine even in the gloom. He couldn't see clearly at anything but he did see a door at the end of the hall. He looked at it warily unsure of what to do. Then he heard a voice. "Flame..." He jumped and looked around, there was nothing around him that could have spoken his name. The voice came again, "Flame..." Starting to feel a little afraid he asked, "Who are you?" The voice answered back but it didn't say who it was, "Flame, what you desire is possible but what you fear is also possible." Flame was unnerved by this comment and said, "What do you know of my desires?" The voice laughed and said, "So much anger for the one of whom your love wants more. She longs for him more than you and for this you are angry." Flame didn't speak. He couldn't wouldn't believe it, how could anyone know of it. The voice spoke again, "Oh, your heart burns with rage but why hold it back show her your strength. Prove your worth and take her for your own. Let Passion fuel your hate." Flame stood there as a figure that he knew all to well appeared and gently pulled him close as the voice spoke again. "Take what is yours."
Flame opened his eyes as the blue of his eyes was flooded with red. He spoke, "What is rightfully mine I shall take, none can stop me."
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