Note: I do not own any and all "Spyro" characters and/or locations. They belong to Activision and the other companies that they belong to. I claim no copyright over them. I do own all of my own original characters (Namely, Lily) and claim copyright over them. Do not use them without my knowledge or permission, and do not steal them.
"Lily! Hellooo, are you in there?" the sounds of a person knocking on a door rang throughout the small wooden cottage. The sound was loud enough to cause the black-haired teenage girl to look up from the washing that she was doing, her aqua colored eyes mildly startled due to the sudden noise. She had been doing the laundry in a wash basin full of hot soapy water, her arms wet as the scent of soap and wet clothing hung heavily in the air like a thick fog.
With a tiny grunt of annoyance at the idea of being interrupted, the girl hastily stood up from her spot on the floor and wiped her soapy wet hands on the seat of her dark grey shorts. She hurried over to the heavy wooden door, undoing the latch and pulling the door handle. She wasn't surprised to see who was standing there before her.
In the doorway stood a blonde-haired and brown-eyed teenage girl, her freckled face bright and bubbly as usual.
"What do you want, Amani? I was kind of in the middle of doing the laundry; those clothes don't wash themselves, y'know?" Lily said matter-of-factly. Amani ignored the serious, stuffy, no-nonsense tone that her friend had taken and merely smiled wider.
"Come oooooon, Lily! It's your eighteenth birthday today! Why are you working?" Amani mock-whined as she playfully jostled Lily. Amani did not once lose her cheerful attitude, despite the fact that Lily hadn't bothered to smile at her joking manner.
"Because, Amani. Because my father is a fisherman, my mother is a seamstress, and they're both very busy and are usually tired after working all day. I do all of the chores around here because they do enough." Lily explained to Amani for what seemed like the umpteenth time. She felt a slight pinch of annoyance at constantly having to re-explain it to her best friend.
Amani's parents were wealthy, and they were able to hire others to do all the chores around Amani's elegant two-story cottage. Amani never had to do a lick of work; she was always a bit spoiled and pampered by her parents. While Lily shared a room with her parents in their too-small cottage, Amani had her own room with a large canopy bed. Lily made her own clothes or had her mother attempt to try and help her, while Amani bought hers all new (mostly from Lily's mother's shop). Lily and her mother did all of the cooking for the family, whereas a lady cooked for Amani's family everyday.
In other words, Amani had a much comfier and cushier life than Lily did. Despite this fact, the two girls were best friends, hardly separable.
"I already asked your mom if you could skip your chores for the day, and she said to just finish up with whatever you were doing. That means finish up with the laundry so that you can go exploring with me!" Amani exclaimed, her brown eyes seemingly twinkling with excitement, her tone filled with her usual happiness.
Lily mentally rolled her eyes, but smiled at Amani. She wasn't sure how much truth there was to Lisa's story (she swore that she would ask her mother later on that night), but she figured that she could let it slide.
Just one day. One day of not doing anything won't kill you, Lily She thought as she continued to wash the laundry.
After all, it was her birthday today.
Lily couldn't help but shiver at the sudden breeze that she felt. It ghosted across her skin and left goose-bumps all over her flesh.
"Yikes! That felt really weird!" She exclaimed as she hugged herself in an attempt to try and calm the sudden cold feeling that she got from the breeze. Why, though? Why did this wind suddenly feel very… Ominous? Dangerous?
Amani laughed loudly, her laugh echoing softly off of the massive stone walls. Lily wondered if she stood up on top of the Gorge, would she hear it from up there.
"We're in the Gorge; of course it's going to feel different!" Amani said as she kicked a small stone out of her path. She watched it skitter away from her, coming to a stop when it hit the massive white stone ring that was embedded within the earth. Lily and Amani both walked up to the stone structure, Lily placing a hand over it. For some odd reason, she felt a strange tingling when she touched it…
"Do you ever think that we'll know or find out what this thing is or what it did?" Amani said as he brushed away some of the vines and foliage that had built up on the white stone to clear a spot for the two of them to sit on. As they sat down, Lily's aqua eyes looked over the strange structure.
"It was probably just used to hold a giant bonfire back then; it's nothing special." Lily said as she watched a lizard rush past the two girls. Amani looked over at her friend and gave her a look that plainly told her that she thought that Lily was very much wrong.
"Nah! I bet it was used by Dragon Tongues!" Amani said excitedly. Lily groaned in exasperation.
"Not that story again! Amani, Dragon Tongues and dragons aren't real! They only exist in the stories our grandmother's and parents told us when we were little kids! We were legally stupid back then!" Lily said, hoping that Amani wouldn't tell the story yet again.
"But it is true! Many many years ago, maybe before our parents were born, the people of Avalar would talk to dragons! The dragons would protect and help the people if they ever needed it! In return, Avalar became a home for not only dragons, but for other creatures and magic too! Flying ships, singing forests, wishing stones, fairies, fauns, talking animals; you name it! Avalar was a magical place… The people who were able to speak to dragons were named "Dragon Tongues" because they were the only ones who could talk to them." Amani explained, her tone serene and dreamy. Lily was annoyed at this point, but figured she'd better let Amani finish.
"But then… An evil sorcerer came to Avalar, and he used his magic to destroy the Dragon Tongues. All of them were completely wiped out. And without the Dragon Tongues to direct them, the Dragons saw no reason to stay in Avalar, and they just…vanished. They didn't want to stay where so many had been slaughtered due to them." Amani said sadly and quietly.
"But I think they still exist! They just have to!" Amani exclaimed as she looked up at the sky above them, almost as if she was looking for a dragon to come and take her away. Lily merely shook her head, wondering why Amani absolutely refused to grow up and to let go of those silly childhood stories. Amani would cling onto them as if they were a security blanket, and she would always tell the younger children in the village the same story she had heard from both her and her grandmother and parents. It was childish to believe in such stories, but they made Amani happy.
"But enough about that! I still have to give you your birthday present!" Amani said as she reached into the pocket of her dress. Immediately, Lily blushed in embarrassment.
"You didn't have to get me anything, Amani…" Lily said, ready to refuse whatever Amani had gotten her. Lily was quite used to not receiving gifts on her birthday; her parents simply couldn't afford them. It was better to be practical and use that money for food and supplies rather than waste it on silly trinkets.
"But it's your eighteenth birthday! And you're my friend, so I get to give you a present, whether you like it or not!" Amani explained as she slipped something glittery onto Lily's wrist.
"I hope you like it; I thought it would look good with the crystal on your necklace!" Amani said excitedly as Lily stared at her gift.
It was a silver chain, simple and plain. A small, clear crystal hung from it, adding a nice decorative touch. Instantly, Lily's hand went over to the purple crystal that hung around her neck on a silver chain. It felt oddly warm… The crystal had been passed down in her family for years and years. Each girl born in the family would receive it, and Lily had been the one who had been given the crystal (if her grandmother had a daughter instead of a son, then it would have gone to Lily's mother). Her grandmother had made Lily promise to never ever take it off until she had a daughter of her own.
And Lily had not broken the promise she had made to her grandmother, even after she had passed away. Besides, it was strangely comforting to always be wearing the purple crystal… Like it would keep her safe.
"Thanks, Amani; it's beautiful!" Lily said earnestly as she watched the faint light catch the little crystal. She enjoyed how it sent tiny rainbows dancing all around them.
And quite suddenly, that cold breeze blew once more, sending another chill up Lily's spine. For some odd reason, it filled her with a sense of dread... Almost like something terrible was about to happen.
"We should start heading back; it'll be dark by the time we climb all the way back up from the Gorge. And my parents will be home as well." Lily said as she hopped off of her spot on the stone ring. Amani followed suit, wondering if Lily would enjoy the birthday cake and dinner that would be waiting for her back at home.
All was silent in the Gorge that night. Up above, dark clouds gathered over the seemingly still land. The wind that blew was chilling to the bone as thunder rumbled in the black clouds. Suddenly, a bolt of lightening struck the circular stone structure that was embedded within the earth. The ground fell away from the center of the ring as a brilliant purple light shone brightly, rocketing upwards into the sky.
A figure stepped out of the light and looked around, taking a deep whiff of the surrounding area. All he smelled were humans… Excellent.
"Find her. Find the last Dragon Tongue. And bring her to me alive."
Here is a reference image of Lily, for those of you who are curious. Just remove ALL of the spaces to access it:
http : / / i181 . photobucket . com / albums / x 276 / tori – chan 80779 / Lily Spyro . jpg