Chapter 5

Cynder packed a few provisions in a small leg-pouch, keeping an eye on the sleeping form of Spyro. He mumbled quietly in his sleep, turning over and settled down again. She smiled softly.

They hadn't spoken in the three days since their arguement, maintaining a stony silence as she quietly prepared for her secret journey. The Guardians had known better than to ask questions when they sat at different tables at meal-times, meetings and generally stayed away from each other. They didn't even sleep in the same chamber any more.

She looked once more at Spyro, longingly, lovingly. Then she turned, ran and leaped out the window, spreading her wings to catch the small draft, gliding over the same forest Lunar had so long ago. She lighted down in the forest. When she lit a small fire, it reflected of something large nearby. Something large, branching and purpley-black. She walked over to it, sniffing. She frowned.

Lunar had been here. She just knew it.

XxXxX

Spyro awoke to find he had a crick in his neck and the window wide open. He opened his eyes and looked around. He could smell Cynder had been here, and recently. He leaped to his feet and ran to the chamber downstairs where she had been staying as of late. It was empty, and she hadn't been there since yesterday, judging by the untouched bed. He dropped to his knees.

'No,' he whispered. 'No, Cynder. Why have you done this to me?' He collapsed on the floor, sobbing. After about fifteen minutes, he pulled himself together. He leaped out the window and caught a draft, gliding down to the "Creepy Dragon Room". He burst in, startling the Guardians from their meeting on where to find a dragon suitable for the job of Fire Guardian. Terrador stood up. 'Spyro, what's wrong?' he boomed.

'Ye-es, quite, my good fellow,' added Cyril in his British accent.

'Pray enlighten us, old comrade,' bleated Volteer.

Spyro drew back his head, the full implication finally hitting him. 'Cynder's missing as well!' he exploded suddenly. Fending off the elderly dragons' exclamations of 'what?', 'excuse me?' and 'eh?' he burst out with, 'She probably left last night, there was a full moon and she's been acting weirdly recently...'

Here he trailed off, looking at the Guardian's serious faces. Terrador bowed his head. 'I expected as much,' he thought to himself. Aloud, he said, 'Well, Spyro, you know it was coming, she'll be back soon-'

'NO SHE WON'T!' howled Spyro. 'SHE'S BEEN ANGRY EVER SINCE LUNAR DISAPPEARED, THIS WAS BOUND TO HAPPEN-'

Here he broke off as Terrador gave him a hefty smack on the head with his paw. 'Get a grip, will you,' he said irritably. He then turned to the other Guardians. 'Now, regarding the Fire Guardian problem...'

He didn't even have to look around to know that Spyro was going to start yelling again, so he just said, 'Cynder's a fully grown dragon, she can make her own decisions. She's not a baby. As you insist on treating her,' he added cruelly.

At that, Tyraidor and Mithura burst in. 'Dad! Mom's-'

Spyro turned to them. His normally lilac eyes were bloodshot and swimming with tears. But there was an angry scowl on his face, and determination as well as misery in his eyes.

'I'm going to-'

'Don't you dare,' snarled Tyraidor menacingly. 'We need you to stay here. You're the only thing we have left of our family.' Here her eyes filled with tears. Mithura picked up where she had left off.

'Dad, we need you more than Mom does. She's fully grown, and probably angry. Nothing and no-one will mess with her when she's like that. You would know.'

Spyro had recoiled at these rebuffs, but now he stood up straight. 'Y-you're probably right. But that won't stop me from worrying.' He smiled weakly at his son and daughter.

Then, Terrador turned to Tyraidor. 'Young one, I am going to offer you something, and I will give you two weeks to make your decision.'

Tyraidor tilted her head.'What is it?'

Terrador looked at her gravely. 'Will you become the next Fire Guardian?'

XxXxX

Lunar waited for Elm to fall asleep before she left. She didn't even bother to sneak; she figured that the small golden dragon was a deep sleeper judging from the massive snores issuing from her nose.

She wriggled out of the entrance, looked around, and began to head North once again. She travelled without the landscape changing for many hours, the hunger growing in her stomach, wearing away her concentration and determination.

Suddenly, a dark dot appeared on the horizon. She sped up moving towards it, straining to get there before her strength wore out completely. Her breath came in short gasps, her vision blurred, but still she went on. She felt as if she had always been doing this – walking, starving, searching.

Mere yards from the gates she had striven towards, she collapsed. Here she lay for hours more, just getting her strength back. She struggled to her feet, pushed herself on through sheer willpower. She laid a paw on the gates, but they melted away, leaving her path unimpeded to the gates of the Temple.

Then, she began to walk slowly through the gardens of the place she had almost killed herself to reach.

There were strange things in the garden. Things that reached out at her, snagged at her scales, tried to grab her. She squealed and writhed away, half-sobbing with terror. As she passed the last thing, she reached and passed through the door with a triumphant yell.

As she went in, the doors slammed behind her and she was left in darkness. She gasped involuntarily.

Through the darkness came a smooth, mocking voice. 'Well, well, what have we here? If you want to study with us, you will have to pass the tests.'

Author's note: Sorry this took so long! I had an extreme case of writers' block. Chapter 6 coming soon!