Cynder arrived back at the entrance to the wolves' cavernous village within a few hours flight. She paused outside the cave entrance and panted heavily trying to get her wind back. She remembered her mentor's words in her mind and inhaled deeply, calming her senses. Almost immediately she began to feel her mind return to its tranquil state. She could hear the sounds of the forest beyond the cave and the nocturnal birds and insects singing their routine songs. But there was something that puzzled the dragoness: that was all she could hear.
Cynder shrank back to normal and entered the cave. She looked around expecting to see a cluster of wolves standing around but found none.
"Well, that makes things slightly easier," She thought to herself as she ducked into the shadows of a nearby adobe hut. She poked her head out and scanned the cave walls. There were fires lit, but no signs of any movement. Cynder's lip curled suspiciously but she continued on. She crouched low to the ground and merged into the shadows. Like liquid she slipped from one hut to the next, keeping a close watch on the cave walls and waiting for any signs of movement.
Soon she reached the entrance to the catacombs. As she emerged from the shadows she looked back over her shoulder. "Where the hell is everyone?" She pondered to herself. She hadn't as much as come across the slightest resistance. Not even so much as a yip could be heard within the vast cavern. "I hope they all just decided to leave for Munitions Forge." She muttered to herself as she walked through the busted doorway she had created before. The darkness of the dungeon seemed exceptionally cold this time and Cynder shuddered.
As Cynder entered the cell block she sniffed the air. There was something different about it yet still familiar. She crept up to Exile's cell only to find the doors opened. Cynder's eyes grew wide when she found no trace of the old wolf.
"Looking for someone?" A voice sneered and Cynder jumped with a startled yelp. "You won't find any wolves around here. I sent them all packing, just in case you decided to show up here again."
"Who's there?" Cynder demanded, her teeth bared. "Show yourself now!"
The voice laughed in amusement and Liun stepped out of the shadows.
"Liun?" Cynder cocked her head to the side. "What are you doing here?"
The black dragon only laughed. "The answer to that, my dear Cynder," The distortion in his voice took on a more maniacal tone as Malefor's consciousness rose up within the young dragon. "Is that I'm here to kill you."
Cynder felt her blood run cold as two words came to her mind.
"Oh no."
Time seemed to drag on for Spyro and the other guardians. Hours had passed in relative silence as Ember went about healing the wounded lightning guardian. Flame had started up a new fire to help keep them warm. Meanwhile Tremor and Candice were out hunting, hoping to stumble across a creature in the night while it slept. As they walked on through the trees Candice kept making side glances at the earth dragon. After what seemed like the hundredth time Tremor finally spoke.
"Is something wrong?"
"I'm just thinking." Candice shook her head.
"About..."
"It's nothing," Candice insisted.
Tremor stopped and wrapped his clubbed tail around her hind leg. "Candice, you wouldn't let me get away with pulling that kind of stunt, and I'm not going to let you do it either. What's on your mind?"
Candice sighed. "I don't know. I guess I was just a little taken aback by how you were acting with Stella."
Tremor's brows jumped in surprise. "Are you jealous?"
"N-no," Candice stammered. Tremor just stared her in the eye. "Alright fine! Maybe a little."
"It's alright." Tremor chuckled and gave her a playful shove. "But you do know why I was volunteering to help her out so much right?" Candice shook her head. "Because I feel that if it weren't for her, I wouldn't have you right now."
"Wait, what do you mean?" Candice looked at him skeptically.
"When I beat the crap out of Liun I found Stella off to herself and we ended up talking about you..."
"Me?" Candice felt her cheeks flush.
Tremor nodded. "I wasn't sure if I should give up on loving you. But Stella kind of convinced me otherwise."
"She did?" Candice looked back towards the campsite then back to Tremor. The earth dragon seemed to sense the sadness in her voice. Candice hung her head. She knew that it was her fault that Tremor had nearly been killed, and now she had almost made him give up on loving her.
"Hey!" Tremor raised her chin up with his paw. "I'm not mad at you," He whispered as he gazed into her violet eyes. "I'm just thankful I took her advice and didn't quit."
A tear fell from Candice's eye. "Me too." She choked back a sob and without another word pressed her lips to Tremor's in a deep kiss. Tremor leaned into her more and the two let the sounds of the nightlife swirl around them.
Back at the campsite Spyro continued to stare off into the distance.
"Hey Spyro, you alright?" Flame asked. His friend hadn't so much as moved a scale since Cynder had left.
"Y-Yeah. I'm fine." Spyro nodded without so much as looking at the fire guardian.
"She'll be fine." Flame tried to assure him after another moment of silence passed.
"I hope so Flame." Spyro sighed. "I just never know with the Dark Master." Spyro trusted Cynder but deep down he couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen soon.
Cynder slammed against a wall. Liun lunged at her again and the dragoness ducked. Liun smashed head first into the wall, nearly knocking himself unconscious. Cynder bit down on his tail and flung him through the nearest hut. The adobe crumbled into dust as Liun rolled across the floor of the cave.
The fight had begun in the dungeon but had quickly escalated out of control. The two black dragons had destroyed the catacombs deep under the village and were wreaking havoc throughout the main chamber.
"Die!" Liun fired a concentrated stream of mark magic only the have Cynder dodge it. The beam burned straight through the rock leaving a charred hole in the stone.
"You first, you bastard!" Cynder charged Liun again as he charged up another shot. At the last second she vanished into the shadows as the beam fired overhead. Liun felt a crushing pain in his gut as Cynder burst up from the shadows below him. Cynder knocked him into the air and drop-kicked him into another stone hut.
Liun fired a black bolt. Cynder moved her head to the side slightly allowing the attack to miss her by mere centimeters. She took in a deep breath and released a shower of venom across the pile of rubble. Liun burst out from under the stones and shot into the air just as the stones began to melt.
"That was too close." He thought to himself.
Cynder flapped her wings hard and sent a gust of wind up at the enemy dragon. The wind caught Liun's wings and sent him spinning out of control. Cynder focused the wind to her back and flapped again, propelling her into the air as well. Liun looked down in time to get slammed into the roof of the cave. He coughed on his own blood as a small stalactite jammed into his back, breaking a rib. Cynder dug her long talons into the stone and locked herself to Liun.
"How could you join the Dark Master!?" Cynder shouted her eyes blazing with red fury. She head-butted the black dragon causing his head to snap back and hit the stone ceiling again. "After all we've done for you!" She drove her knees into his gut, forcing the wind out of him again. Her tail flexed dangerously and she drove it deep into his side. Liun let out a howl and spattered Cynder's face with blood. The dragoness ignored his cries. She wanted his blood; bad. She bit down on his shoulder and shook her head violently, savagely tearing his flesh away.
At last Cynder dislodged from the ceiling and yanked Liun with her as she plummeted towards the floor. She flapped her wings once creating a swirling vortex of wind that rocketed them even faster.
"Take this!" She shouted and plowed Liun into the roof of a hut and into the floor of the cave. The ground shook from the impact and several stones from the ceiling fell onto the village below.
Cynder blew the dust and debris away allowing herself to get a clear look at the cave floor. It was littered with smashed huts and demolished boulders. She snorted in disgust and spit a glob of venom onto the floor below. As the stones began to melt away from the acid Liun broke free from the wreckage. Cynder's eyes widened in surprise but she managed to keep the same stern glare fixed on the black dragon.
Liun shook himself, sending more blood flying. He looked up at Cynder and smiled. "That was a good shot. You've definitely gotten stronger over the past two years." Malefor's voice came from the young dragon's mouth.
"I wish I could say the same," Cynder hissed, black flames flickering around the edges of her mouth. "But I'm glad to know I can still kick your sorry, scaly ass even without Spyro's help."
"Oh you think so, do you?" Malefor sneered and Liun's voice turned to normal.
"Get her!" He ordered.
"What?" Cynder turned to see a pack of wolves lunge from the shadows along the cave walls. "Damn it!" She curled into a ball and dropped below them. The wolves collided together in midair and scrambled over each other as they fell towards the ground. Cynder hit the floor and rolled away as the canines fell in a disgruntled mess. The sounds of bones breaking could be heard over the snarling and yelping. Cynder blew as hard as she could and another tornado sucked the wolves up off the ground. They howled helplessly as they were spun around in sickening circles at blinding speeds. Cynder's tail twitched slightly before she leaped into the center of the vortex. She let loose a terrifying roar as she unleashed a burst of convexity. The cries of the wolves died away as they vanished for good, their ashes blowing across the cavern.
Cynder breathed a sigh of relief and turned her attention back to Liun. He was gone. The black dragoness looked around the cave floor searching for any sign of him but found none.
"Why you sneaky little bastard!" She cursed and a puff of shadows blew from her nostrils. She sighed as she drifted back down to the floor of the cave. The cave was suddenly quiet again and Cynder began to feel the discomfort of loneliness settling in again. "I hope Exile got away at least."
"I think you should be more concerned about yourself," Liun growled as he emerged from the shadows under Cynder.
"Shit!" Cynder cursed as she tried to leap away from the dark dragon but Liun had caught her off guard. His shadows wrapped around her legs, keeping her from getting away. The black dragon tackled Cynder to the ground and the two rolled over each other in a pile of hissing teeth and slashing claws.
"You're not getting away this time!" Liun snarled as a pair of mutated wolves came charging through the cave entrance.
"Damn! Reinforcements?" Cynder growled to herself and kicked Liun off of her. Liun fired a bolt of dark lightning, briefly stunning the black dragoness. Cynder staggered on her feet but didn't go down. The wolves had gained the time they needed and pounced on her, pinning her to the ground. Cynder snarled menacingly as her eyes began to glow red again.
"Hold her!" Liun snapped. Cynder turned her head to unleash her fear but the wolf clamped a hand over her mouth while the other pinned her neck to the floor. She struggled to free herself but the wolves held the advantage. They pinned her body down as she clawed at the stones beneath to try and get away.
Liun laughed in amusement as he watched her efforts to escape fail. "Save your energy, you're not going anywhere Cynder." The black dragoness glared daggers at him out of the corner of her eye as he approached her. His shadows spread across the floor and danced around him in a joyful fashion. As he walked up beside one of the wolves the beast held her head up in front of him so she was at his eye level. Cynder's eyes raged red with hate.
Liun only smiled. "You know, that's what I've always liked about you Cynder." He stroked her cheek with the back of his paw and Cynder tried to jerk away but was held fast. "You're such a strong fighter. I don't think anyone could ever physically hurt you..." He pressed his lips to hers in an impetus kiss. Cynder's eyes widened and she tried to scream and jerk away from him. Liun broke away from her and gave her the darkest smile he could muster. "But... "He paced slowly around the wolves until he was by Cynder's backside."I know of a way to hurt you and Spyro in a way you never imagined." Cynder's eyes grew wide with horror as she came to realize what he was saying. Liun's laugh echoed throughout the cave and his eyes flashed violet with evil intent.