Disclaimer: I don't own the Legend of Spyro, or its characters. I own all characters in this fanfic that are not from the Legend of Spyro or the original Spyro the Dragon games.

Chapter 11

Collision of Paths

The Poisoned Mushroom looked better than the buildings that stood around it. The wood wasn't as old and rotten, nor did it have more then one type of moss growing on it. The lobby inside looked warm and regal with a soft red carpet underfoot and large comfortable-looking chairs. A fireplace stood in the far corner, an oak table in front of it.

The innkeeper directed them to sit down when he heard they were waiting for Jirin, who apparently was a regular customer here. Cynder spotted a nest of blankets, no doubt there for any patron that couldn't make use of the chairs. She went over and sat down on it, facing the door.

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Neither Spyro, nor Pyris were catching up with the shape stealer. They could have dropped their backpacks, but then they would be in the middle of the wilderness with only their hunting abilities to supply them with food.

The shape stealer glanced back at them, every minute or so to make sure they were still there.

After several hours, Spyro began to tire and he could see from Pyris' slowing wing beats that she also was losing energy. The shape stealer seemed to be as energetic as when they had first started following it and if they got any more exhausted, it could probably turn and beat both of them in a fight.

Abruptly the shape stealer dived towards the ground. Spyro looked down and saw she was heading towards a group of buildings built over top of a poisoned lake. Pyris began to dive after the dark shape, but Spyro darted out in front of her and cut her off.

"What are you doing?" Pyris demanded.

"We can't fight her right now," Spyro said, surprised at how angry Pyris sounded. "We should rest."

"That thing could have slipped away by then," Pyris argued. "It's not as though we'll be able to recognize it if it takes another shape."

"I know, but I think we'll see it again," Spyro said. Pyris frowned and relaxed a bit. "It led us here for a reason. So whatever it's after, we're definitely going to play a part in it."

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The shape stealer smirked as she saw that the dragons were too cautious to pursue her. She landed on a deserted pathway and melted into the shape of an ape. Edord hovered out from a window.

"Where is she?" the shape stealer asked.

"In an inn not far from here," Edord replied.

The ape melted into a mass of black liquid and shrunk back into the shape of a dragon, turning purple and yellow. An uncharacteristic smirk appeared on Spyro's face. "Lead the way, bug."

Edord scowled and flew forward, the shape stealer following.

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Jirin still hadn't shown up and Cynder was getting bored. She had laid her head down on the blankets and began to drift off to sleep, when the door to the inn swung open and slammed into the wall with a loud crash.

She glanced up and saw the purple dragon step into the room. She was confused and surprised to see him all at once. Then confusion overwhelmed surprise as she saw the malevolent expression on his face. She growled and launched herself off the floor and at the shape stealer, who dashed back out of the door and took flight. Cynder leapt into the air and flapped her wings furiously, quickly catching up to the fake. She slammed her paws down on his back, forcing him a bit lower than was prudent and he flew head first into a building's roof. The old, rotten wood broke under the impact and the shape stealer went falling into the building. Cynder dived in after it and landed in the middle of what looked like a stable. She whipped her head around taking in her surroundings and finding that the fake Spyro was nowhere to be seen.

Cynder dashed out of the building and glanced around. The fake Spyro was trekking down a pathway towards the inn. She turned and leapt at him, a look of surprise appearing on his face. She slammed into him and the two went rolling across the path, both nearly went tumbling into the lake. Spyro ended up on top of her, but Cynder's front claws were free to slash at his legs which were pinning her upper half down. Cynder tilted her head to the side as the other dragon tried to bite her, instead his nose slammed into the wood. Hot blood was dripping from the wounds she had made in the dragon's legs. The sensation of the liquid dripping on her scales snapped her out of her angry rage as he realized that the shape stealer didn't bleed when she had slashed it.

"Spyro! Wait! It's me!" Cynder exclaimed as Spyro's mouth closed around her neck and his teeth sunk through her scales. She tried to shout again, but all that came out was a strangled gasp.

"Spyro, stop!" Pyris exclaimed as he spotted the red blood that had dripped from around Cynder's neck and made the same realization Cynder had about Spyro.

The purple dragon raised his head and caught sight of Cynder's bleeding neck, realizing his mistake. His mouth hung open in horror at what he had almost done. "Cynder! I'm sorry! Are you okay?"

Cynder gasped for breath and nodded. "I'll be fine. I guess you meant the shape stealer?"

Spyro nodded, feeling ashamed to have hurt Cynder so. He wrapped his front legs and wings around Cynder, hugging her tightly. "I missed you."

"I missed you, too," Cynder said returning the hug.