Forgetting Who You Are

Chapter 2

Before they had time to blink, they were somewhere else. Before them lay not the barren wasteland, but instead a small paradise. Trees so vibrant and green, they looked fake. Water so clean and clear the pools looked empty. Birds of every color imaginable. It was a cave, an enormous one but a cave nonetheless, with a hole in the ceiling to light up the beauty. The stranger picked Spyro up from the ground.

"This way please". He said as he led them through various caves lit by an unseen light. The two dragons saw many others like their guide. One similarity they all shared was that they all wore bandages. Covered in them from head to toe. Even going so far as to cover their eyes. This however did not seem to impede their vision in any way.

"Hey, I have a question". Said Cynder. "What's your name? You know ours but we don't know yours".

"I don't have one. We grow up without being bound to this world by such hollow words".

"Hollow words? What does that mean? What do we call you? Bandage head seems rather rude".

He pondered her question for a moment. "I'll have to get back to you on that. As for names being hollow, it means they have no impact. It's easy to remember names. But remembering what one did is much more honest. Remembering how someone made you feel is truly pure memory".

She shook her head. "I still don't get it".

"I'm not surprised. You didn't grow up in my culture".

They arrived in another large area. Not as large as the previous, but large nonetheless. It had stairs leading to different floors, but they remained on the bottom. He placed Spyro on a pad on the ground. "Who did you bring to me this time? Not the usual. I can feel it". A bandaged elderly sounding woman came to them and stood over Spyro. "You have many wounds. But so few of them are physical". She looked up at Cynder. "It has been a long time young one. Thank you". She turned away and began tending to Spyro.

"Uhh.. You're welcome. I think". Said Cynder confused. "What was that about? What did I do"?

"Our elder will tell you our history. You'll understand soon enough. This way". This time he led her upwards. So far up that the air was becoming thin. They reached two large ornate circular doors with guards on either side. He pushed through the doors and into a Sizable room. It was decorated with red tapestry laced with gold patterns. In the middle of the room sat a very tall and imposing figure. They must have been at least fifteen feet tall. Like all the others it was covered head to toe in bandages. Except this time, they were dyed red and gold.

"You have brought two guests into our home. One of which happens to be she who saved us". When the elder spoke, it's voice. sounded like a choir. Many different voices speaking at once in perfect unison. Should it sing, the song would bring peace to even the most evil of creatures.

"How could I have saved you? I've never even heard of a desert this expansive".

The elder smiled. "You might know it by it's old name, The Vale of Lourndas".

She gasped. Memories filled her mind of an invading army. Her army. And her burning the vale until it was nothing but ashen ruins. Tears filled her eyes as she began to cry. "I'm so sorry. I.. I didn't know. I destroyed such a beautiful place. And now"... The elder placed and enormous hand on her shoulder.

"Do not cry, young one. Long ago, we were a proud people. But misguided. We were bandits, raiders, murderers. We took everything we wanted without a second thought. How many lives we must have ruined is beyond counting. And then you came. Our visions foretold our destruction, but we denied it. We were always too strong, so we grew careless. There were always those who believed what we saw was the truth. They became the emissaries of the various record keepers, like the one known as the Chronicler. Who would give insights of what could be, and work under the keepers. Then there were those who called it nonsense. When you came we thought it was going to be easy. Just another fool to crush. How wrong we were. We had never felt the pain of loss, We did not know how it felt to watch your family die. You showed us what we were doing to others, and we changed because of it. If not for you, so many more would have died. You must remember that your past does not have to define who you are now. It could very well have no meaning. But it is up to you to make that decision. Are you that same dragoness"?

She shook her head. "No. I'm not".

"Then accept it. Don't forget your past, instead you must move beyond it. Right your wrongs even if they weren't yours to begin with. You saved us from ourselves, now it's time to do the same with yourself".

Cynder Looked upwards at the elder. "Thank you. I'll try. But I'm not sure if I'll be able to change the minds of others".

"The only one who needs to forgive you is you. If others cannot understand, then it's their choice. Guilt is a poison that tears apart ones soul, mind and body. Remember that".

Tears filled her eyes again, but these were not tears of sadness, or guilt. They were happy. "Thank you".

"No. Thank you".

As they left, "It's weird. I thought for sure she'd ask for your help looking into the writing of a new prophecy".

Cynder stopped. "What prophecy? How could I help"?

"We are the writers of the prophecies. We deliver them to the Chronicler and he does what he will with them. We see them through the plains of time, and you dragons are connected to it directly. Spyro especially. But he is unstable with his control over it. Guilt and confusion make for a bad connection".

"What could he be confused about"?

The stranger shrugged. "You'll have to ask him. And it's good that he's at our next stop". Back to the healers they went. Speaking no words, but thinking many. When they had arrived, Spyro was nowhere to be found. The healer from before gestured for them to follow. She led them down a set of winding stone stairs with numerous rooms right off of them. They had a pool of strange grey liquid in the middle of them. The healer stopped at one of these rooms, and inside the pool, laid Spyro. All that was visible was his head.

The stranger walked in and stood over him, looking him over. "How do you feel"?

Spyro shuttered. "This is the single weirdest, most invading feeling I have ever felt. I hope. What is this stuff"?

He shrugged. "No idea. Feels good though, right"?

"The pain is gone. But I would not describe this as a 'good' feeling".

"Why not"? Asked Cynder.

"It goes everywhere. And I mean everywhere".

"But I thought you liked experiencing new things"? Said Cynder with a smile on her face.

Spyro shuddered again as the liquid shifted. "Why does it keep moving like that"?

"It's gotta make sure there isn't any internal damage. The worst kind of wound is one you can't see".

"How much longer do I have"? Asked Spyro impatiently.

The healer from before popped her head in. "Two hours. One for healing, one for proper removal, of the solution".

"Removal"? Whimpered Spyro.

"Hey," started Cynder, "think about how good you'll feel afterwards. Isn't that worth it"?

"You don't know what I'm going through".

Stepping in an breaking their line of sight to each other. "Alright, you've disturbed him enough. We need to thicken the solution".

"Thicken"? He whined.

"Remember to at least try and enjoy it, okay? Cynder and I will be here when you get out".

As they walked away they could hear him complain and beg for them to stay. They made their way back to the area in which they started. "So have you thought of a name that I can call you"? Asked the dragoness.

"I've given it some thought. I'm kind of torn between two names".

"Can I hear them"?

"Well there's Merek, which means dragon in my language. And then there's Kynth, which means war bringer. I like the meaning of Merek, but Kynth sounds better to me".

"The last thing I want is to think about war. And you are probably as far from a dragon as possible. Can you at least breathe fire"?

He shook his head. "Not even close. I think the healers can if you get them angry enough".

"I don't doubt that".

"What about Caepherus"?

"I couldn't repeat that if I tried".

"That's a no".

Cynder considered for a second. "What do you call yourself? Like as a species"?

He puffed out his chest, looking strong and proud. "We are called the Thrask"! His pride and chest fell flat again. "Our culture names us either the Ashen, or the Burned ones. It depends who you ask. Why"?

"Well 'Thrask' isn't a very nice sounding name. And Burn sounds pretty lazy. What about Ash"?

He thought for a moment. "It's not bad. It does still sounds pretty lazy though".

"Do you like it? Is what I'm trying to ask".

"It's a Hell of a lot better than bandage head".

"Then it's settled. We'll call you Ash".

He extended an arm. "It's nice to meet you Cynder, I am Ash of The Burned Ones. I hail from the scorched deserts of Lourndas".

She looked at his bandaged hand. "The burned ones doesn't sound like a name given for no reason. And I'm scared that that reason might be me. Is it"?

Ash lowered his arm. "In a sense I suppose so. We named ourselves to honor you and what you showed us".

"Which was the truth in your visions"?

"Precisely".

"And you call yourself the Burned ones because I scorched your land, right"?

Ash scratched his head. "Well... Not exactly". He began unwrapping his arm. When he reached his elbow he stopped. Cynder stared at the scars of burnt skin cause by a dragons breath. "I'm the only left who has a use for the bandages, but the others wear them to honor what I lost. It's kind of a tradition".

"So if only you have the scars, what does a normal thrask look like"?

"I'm the wrong one to ask. If you wish I could get one of the others to show you".

"I wouldn't want to make anyone uncomfortable".

He laughed. "Nonsense. We are far from ashamed of our bodies. We are a proud race". Together they walked through more caves to a room. In this room two bandaged Thrask sat in a meditation position. As the two entered, Ash bowed and they gestured him in.

"Greetings brother". Said the one on the right. A feminine voice indicated a female. "Have you come to remember what was forgotten by you long ago"?

Ash nodded. "As usual you are right, sister. However it is more for my friend".

The one on the left spoke in a deep and booming voice. "You wish to see the Thrask as they are ideally then? Very well".

They began removing their bandages. They did not have skin. It looked like a solid smooth scale. The male was white from the fingertips, but it slowly faded to a calming blue and the elbows. His entire front facing torso was white, while his sides and back were the nice shade of blue. The white to blue fade was also on his feet, that had three large claws instead of toes. The face was creepy to say the least. There was a hard plate of bone that covered from the tip of his nose to his forehead. It overshot his forehead a bit, looking like a small crown. The hair itself was white as snow and went to his lower back. The bone plate had six well sized holes that looked like piercing red eyes. They were arranged in columns from his cheek bones, the middle of the plate, and near the top of the crown. The most disturbing feature was the mouth, that stretched from ear to ear and moved the entire lower jaw when he spoke. They also had a smooth, slender blue to white tail they wrapped around one of their legs.

The female was similar, but with only 4 eyes, a darker shade of blue, and no crown. Not to mention she was smaller by a few feet.

"Now you see". Spoke the female. "We are the ideal bodies of our species. Born to be adored, and admired. What of you? Are you the ideal body of your species"?

Cynder blushed. "Well, I wouldn't go That far, but, I think I'm rather desirable. Aside from the whole, was once evil thing".

They looked at each other and smiled. They turned their attention back to her. "Desirable will not suffice. Come, we shall make you ideal".

She backed away. "You don't have to do that! Thank you but"..

"We insist. Don't we sister"? She nodded and together they grabbed Cynder by her front legs and brought her to a room farther to the back.

Ash chuckled as he turned and left. "Have fun". He made his way back to the grand garden. As he did Spyro was taking slow, shaky steps out of the healing rooms. Ash walked to him and smiled under his bandages.

"How do you feel"?

Spyro glared at him angrily. "Physically I'm fine. Mentally I'm scared for life. Did you know it just gets worse? Or that the 'removal' process actually involves them physically removing whatever that stuff was from your body"?

"Oh, I know. Some enjoy it and find it relaxing. You obviously don't".

He rolled his eyes. "What gave it away? My screams of discomfort? Or the grapefruit sized sphere that was passed through my body"?

Ash put a hand on his shoulder. "Be thankful they passed it through orally".

His eyes went wide. "Orally"?

The thrask gritted his teeth. "You know what, forget I said anything".

Spyro nodded. "Yeah, I'll try". An awkward silence hung between them. "Sooooo... where's Cynder"?

Ash was quick to answer. "Oh, she's being made ideal. So pretty much a makeover".

"When do you think she'll be done"?

Ash crossed his arms. "In a hurry are we"?

"It's not that I want to leave to be rude, but we really get back to... uh... where are we from"?

"Warfang. The dragon city".

"Right. I gotta start remembering this stuff".

"How are you going to fake knowing all of your friends when you get back? You can't make up memories that you share".

The purple dragon panicked "I didn't even think of that! That's a good question. But what if I can't? What happens if I can't remember"? He turned to Ash. "You can help! See things"!

Cocking his head to the side, he spoke with heavy sarcasm. "Because I control when I see the prophecies".

"I don't know! I don't know anything about you! Or me for that matter".

"Complaining about it won't change it. By the way, have you thought about what to tell Cynder"?

"Well, things are going fairly well, so hopefully I won't have to say anything. And pray I remember anything".

Ash chuckled. "Hopefully she won't notice". He pointed behind Spyro, who turned around, only to be greeted by Cynder perched atop a rock, scales shining so brightly, if dropped, one might think they found a black diamond. Her iron jewelry had been changed to gold, and a web of gold chain was weaved through her horns.

"Whoa". Said Spyro softly.

The black dragoness glided from her perch and landed gently in front of them. Up close her scales were more like a mirror. "Well"? She said as she twirled, letting them look her over. "What do you think"?

After a few seconds of slack jaw staring, Spyro managed to choke out one word. "Yeah".

Ash cleared his throat. "I'm pretty sure he meant to say you look great".

The purple dragon managed to shake out of his trance. "Sorry. You look amazing. Like.. wow"!

Cynder blushed. "Thank you. I have to say your kind are very tough. Those brushes must have been made out of metal or something. They nearly took my scales right off. And it seems I'm not the only one looking good. How do you feel, Spyro? It wasn't as bad as you thought it would be I hope".

"Oh no, it, uh... really smoothed out after you left. It became really, uh... relaxing! That's it. Relaxing".

Cynder smiled happily. "It's good to know you enjoyed getting better". He smiled back at her nervously as a low, rumbling noise came from Cynder's belly. "Speaking of enjoying things, is there anywhere we can get something to eat"?

Ash pointed up a set of stone stairs. "Right up there, on the left. You'll smell it before you find it, trust me". She nodded and ran forward, following her nose. Ash turned to Spyro and crossed his arms. "Relaxing, eh? That's not what you told me".

The purple dragon shrugged. "I didn't want to worry her, okay? The last thing she needs to know about is... that".

In a very serious tone, the Thrask spoke out. "Don't worry. I doubt this is the last time something like That will happen to you". He began walking away as Spyro laughed.

After no laughter was heard from Ash, Spryo stopped and became nervous. "You are joking, right"?

"I guess you'll have to wait and see. Won't you"?

Spyro caught up with a few skips. "Your jokes are terrible".

Ash laughed, and spoke in a joyful tone. "Not to me".

The smell of food was rarely so hypnotic. So many exotic scents danced through the minds of both dragons. Fruit of so many different colors, and meat being cooked a variety of ways never before known to them, raised their curiosity and hunger beyond compare. The domed room was large and very open. The different styles of meat were being cooked in shallow caves dug into the walls all around. There was a single large fruit stand in the middle of the room. Around the room were sunken areas filled with cushions and pillows around a short, circular table.

Ash brought them around each individual meat stall, from which they took various cuts of numerous animals. They then got to pick from the fruits and vegetables from the large, center stall. They sat in one of the cushioned areas and began to eat. Ash unwrapped the bandages from his face to do so.

"Is something the matter, Spyro"? Said the Thrask looking up from his bowl of meat. "I understand my appearance is rather disconcerting, but I would ask that you not let it be a distraction". He went back to eating.

Disconcerting was an understatement. His face was charred black, fading to an ashy white near the right of his face. Spyro looked towards Cynder, who was gnawing meat off a bone of an unknown animal. He looked back towards Ash, who was doing the same, then down to his own food.

Slowly he came to eat his food. Afterwards, another Thrask came behind Ash and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Do you need help redressing your marks"? Ash shook his head, and the other nodded. "Very well. Call should you need any". They walked away.

The two dragons looked at him confused. Ash starred back at them, before he sighed and spoke. "Sometimes I ask for help. It's hard to tie bandages on the back of your head". He took another morsel of meat and stuck it in his wide mouth. "You might be wondering when you will be leaving. If so then I have good news, we send a shipment of our exotic meats to the dragon city monthly,. No thrasks are allowed aboard though. So you'd be leaving here without me. But the ship that carries the meat is due to arrive next week".

The two dragons smiled widely. "However", Their smiles faded. "you need passage through the Valley of Talons. Easier said than done. Especially since those who populate the area despise dragons for all they're worth. But we can hopefully convince the alpha to make an exception".

They glanced at each other, and Cynder spoke out. "What if you can't convince them"?

He gritted his teeth. "How fast can you fly"?