Disclaimer: I don't own Spyro. Yes, it's sad, I know.

Chapter 2

Thanks a lot, Sparx!

"Tara's looking over here again," Crystalis said.

Spyro sighed and glanced across the clearing at the yellow electric dragon. A small group of her friends were with her and a muscular earth dragon seemed to be trying to talk to her, but her attention was fixed on Spyro.

"Dude, you should totally go talk to her," Sparx said. "I think she likes you."

"She likes me because I'm a purple dragon," Spyro said. "It has nothing to do with who I am."

"That wouldn't stop me," Sparx said.

Crystalis rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Her being a different species wouldn't stop you either, would it?"

"Of course, it would!" Sparx said, sounding offended. "I'm not about to romance some overweight lizard."

"You better not let her hear you say that," Spyro commented.

The earth dragon had given up now and stalked off, glaring at Spyro as he went. He was barely out of sight, when Tara stood up and started toward the three of them, eyeing Spyro the same way he had seen Sparx eye a particularly juicy-looking butterfly.

Spyro glanced back at Crystalis. "Quick! Start a conversation!"

"About what?" the ice dragon asked.

"Anything!" Spyro glanced back and saw that Tara was almost within hearing distance.

"So that training session today was really tough, wasn't it?" Crystalis asked nervously.

"Yeah, Cyril really doesn't know when to let up," Spyro nodded.

"Guys…," Sparx said. "Today is Saturday, there was no training session."

The two paused, at a loss for words and Tara took advantage of the momentary silence.

"Hey, Spyro," she said. "How are you?"

"I'm fine," Spyro replied, standing up and turning to face her. "What about you?"

"Well, I have nothing to do later tonight," she said. "If you're not doing anything, maybe we could go on a stroll through the forest?"

Spyro frowned. He wasn't doing anything later and he couldn't lie to Tara's face.

"He's not doing anything," Sparx said.

Tara glanced up at the dragonfly for a moment and then back at Spyro. "Okay, I'll meet you at the temple gates at sunset."

She turned and strolled off, before the stunned Spyro could refuse. The purple dragon's mouth gaped in amazement for a moment, and then he rounded on Sparx. "Why'd you do that?"

"Well, you weren't saying anything," Sparx shrugged.

"Great."

"You could just not show up," Crystalis suggested.

"She'd come find me if I didn't," Spyro heaved a heavy sigh. "It's just one date. I'll get through it… somehow."

--

Cynder swung her tail at the undead's head. The blow connected and sent the ghoul's skull flying through the air. The body stopped and dropped its sword, reaching up and feeling the empty space where its head should have been.

Another one charged at her, but the one that she had decapitated blindly wandered in front of it and they collided, landing on the floor in a heap of bones and armor. A third leapt over his two comrades and swung his weapon at Cynder's head, but she tilted her head to the side and the sword bounced off her horn. She slashed at its chest, knocking away a chunk of rusted armor. It swung its sword again, but Cynder blocked it with her tail blade and then slashed her tail blade at its leg. The blade sliced straight through the armor and bone and the skeleton suddenly found itself off-balance. A head butt knocked it on its back.

Jirin shouted something in a language that Cynder didn't recognize and a purple glow appeared around the piles of bones on the floor. The bones slowly melted into the rock.

"So that's the last of them?" Cynder asked.

"Looks like it," Kadie said rolling the decapitated head over towards them. The head was snarling angrily. Kadie shoved it and it rolled to Jirin's feet. The llama repeated his previous incantation and the head sank into the cave floor.

"Finally, I'm too old for this," Jirin sighed, sitting down on a boulder and leaning back against the cave wall.

"Where did those things come from?" Cynder asked, sitting down across from him.

"There are legends," Jirin said. "About a huge army that swept across the world many years ago. They lived for nothing, but war and conquest. Every nation that they swallowed just added to their numbers. They destroyed a small village of wizards that refused to surrender to them. The survivors placed a terrible curse on them. They would never die; they would live and conquer forever."

Kadie scoffed. "Those wizards weren't very bright. I mean, they just let those barbarians do what they love to do forever? That's a real punishment."

"Yes, it is," Jirin said. "They can be destroyed, but they suffer the pain of their wounds until they pull themselves back together and they can't eat, or sleep. I imagine there are other pieces to the curse as well."

"So how do you know how to make them stay dead?" Cynder asked.

"My spell just stops them from reassembling themselves by burying them," Jirin explained. "If I did not renew the spell, they would break free."

"So, they're stuck under the ground in bits and pieces?" Kadie asked. "Gee, maybe those wizards did know what they were doing."

"They knew," Jirin nodded sadly. "We should return to the hut."

--

"Hey, mom, I'm home!" Crystalis said, pushing the door to the chamber open.

"Good, you really shouldn't stay out so late," Crystalis's mother, a white ice dragon said. "Hello. Spyro, Sparx."

"Hello, ma'am," Spyro greeted. He glanced around the room. A large cut of flame-broiled sheep lay on the floor behind her and Crystalis was already ripping chunks of meat from it.

"Do you want to stay for supper…?" Her voice trailed off as he looked back to see her son already eating.

"No, I sort of have something I have to do tonight…," Spyro said, shooting a glare at Sparx.

"Well, maybe next time," she shrugged.

"Sure," Spyro shot one last longing look at the sheep and then turned and headed toward the temple gates.