Disclaimer: I don't own the Legend of Spyro series.
Chapter 9
The First Round
Spyro leapt to the side and the hound went flying past him. There were three of the creatures. Two of them were standing in front of him, while the third was behind.
The purple dragon leapt as the one in front of him and the one behind him charged forward. The two canines slammed headfirst into each other. The third one leapt and sank its teeth into Spyro's tail.
He yelped and beat his wings, trying to gain altitude, but the hound was heavy and it's failing made flying difficult. The dragon twisted his head around and spat a fireball at the hound, it yelped and let go, dropping a few feet to the ground.
A hound leapt at Spyro. Its leap carried it high enough into the air to ram into him. He was sent tumbling back and slammed into a tree trunk. Spyro groaned and fell unconscious.
The small pack of hounds turned and headed towards the unconscious dragon. A black dragon leapt out of the bushes and blocked their path. The shape stealer glared at the three canines, which growled back. The dragon began melting into a black liquid, which rose up like a wave above the three animals.
They whimpered at the unfamiliar creature and deciding not to risk attacking it, turned and fled into the forest.
The liquid turned and flowed across the ground towards Spyro; it flowed up his tail and soon covered him completely. After a few moments, the liquid receded and rose off the ground, turning purple and yellow as it sprouted wings, a tail, legs, and finally a neck and head.
Edord swept down over top of the shape stealer and hovered in the air. It glanced up at him. "Where is she?"
The dark dragonfly didn't reply. He turned and flew off into the forest, forcing the shape stealer to leap into the air and fly after him.
They slowed and the shape stealer landed on a thick tree branch. It glanced down to see Pyris. She was dragging a large deer by its leg. The animal's fur was burnt and smoke was still rising from it.
Pyris dropped the goat's leg from her mouth and looked up at the sound of wings fluttering. Spyro slammed into her and knocked her onto her back. She rolled to her feet as the purple dragon leapt at her again. She barely managed to jump out of the way.
Spyro's leap carried him towards a tree, which he rebounded off. Pyris yelped as he slammed unto her back and pinned her down. She screamed as sharp teeth stabbed through the back of her neck. Her tail swung up out of instinct and the sharp tip stabbed into her attacker's back.
An undragon scream sounded as "Spyro" withdrew his teeth. The weight pinning her down lifted away and she turned and spotted the wound she had made. There was no blood pouring from the wound and instead of red flesh, a thick black substance was visible through the wound. The shape stealer's face wrinkled in concentration and the wound closed up.
"Pyris!" Spyro's voice shouted from nearby.
The Spyro imposter turned and flapped his wings, rising into the air and out of sight.
"What happened?" Spyro asked, bursting out of the forest and spotting Pyris, who had collapsed.
"You attacked me," Pyris replied, her voice sounded hollow.
"What?" Spyro spotted her bloody neck a moment later. "Hold on, I saw some crystals on the way over here."
"No, I'm fine," Pyris tried to stand and yelped in pain. Her tail went limp and fell to the ground.
"I'll only be a moment," Spyro said.
"What if that thing comes back?" Pyris asked. Her expression was one of pure terror.
Spyro hesitated, before he stepped forward and stood beside Pyris. She leaned against his side and he led her forward. "Are you okay?"
"I can't feel my tail," Pyris replied.
"It's not far," Spyro assured.
They rounded a corner and the red crystal came into view. Spyro led her over to the crystal and rammed his horns against it. The impact made his head throb a bit, already sore from his previous impact with the tree.
Several gems broke away from the crystal and floated around Pyris before she absorbed them. The horrible wound in her neck closed up and she flicked her tail, sighing in relief.
"Now, who attacked you?" Spyro asked.
"He looked exactly like you," Pyris said, shivering. Both of them were silent for a moment. "It had to be the same thing that's imitating Cynder. That thing… if we see it again, we have to kill it, it's too dangerous to let it stay alive."
Spyro nodded.
Edord turned and fluttered away.
--------------------------------------
"Now that the shape stealer has copied your form, we need to take precautions against it," Jirin said.
"We could always have a password, or something," Kadie suggested.
"It might be better if I could find a way to make myself distinct from her," Cynder frowned.
"You could buy a collar or something when we get to the village," Kadie suggested.
"Good idea," Cynder said.