Chapter Three: Cutting the Wind
(Nineteen days prior to Spyro's death)
"Ok, that should be it." Spyro said as he shoved the boulder back in front of the cave. The surprisingly warm breeze in the early morning, dew covered grass lifted Spyro's spirits as he stretched to the cool breeze which pricked at his scales.
"The weather is beautiful, I'm sure glad that winter is over!" Cynder protested as Spyro nodded his head in agreement.
"Yeah, the whole task in searching for berries for your spices in the dead of winter proved to be a chore all together." Spyro laughed as the two stared at one another for a moment.
"That was our first winter together; I remember the days being cold and the nights even colder," Cynder said with a smile as she remembered the most brutal of winters in the history of the land. "You kept me warm by molding a fireplace for our cave with your earth element while wrapping me in your wings. I never felt so close to you until we fell asleep together on the living room floor with you holding me in your wings."
"That was the coldest night that I could remember, the cave was so quiet when I sealed the cave closed," Spyro said as he smiled to the thought. "All I could hear was the fireplace snapping to the sticks and straw batches you were feeding the flames. We told numerous stories that night to keep our hearts warm. I remember us kissing to our love before we finally just sat there in front of the fireplace until we began to dose off into sleep. The next morning brought promise of spring being right around the corner."
"Are you sure you don't want me to come with you?" Cynder asked as she hoped Spyro had changed his mind.
"I'm positive Cynder, I will be ok with Hunter, I promise to hurry back when I succeed." Spyro said after kissing his wife goodbye and turned to Warfang.
"Each wound I see from you will mean a slap from me!" Cynder called as Spyro took off towards Warfang, laughing to his wife's joke as she took off in the opposite direction towards Flame and Ember's cave.
"Keep your mind free flowing of any thoughts or worries, focus your mind on the task ahead." Hunter whispered to himself as he practiced his fighting techniques outside the city walls of Warfang on a group of practice dummies set up exclusively by him.
"Hunter, may I intrude for a mere moment?" Volteer asked as he approached the focused Avalarian.
"What is it Volteer?" Hunter asked as he sheathed his sword.
"Spyro should arrive any moment now, allow me to give you this veil and map of the land to help guide you two to the cave." Volteer handed Hunter a small satchel with the objects needed for the quest.
"I shall meet you and the Guardians and Spyro in the temple in a few moments Volteer, I have some things to attend to at the moment in the marketplace." Hunter explained as Volteer nodded his head.
"I will inform the Guardians of your business and will speak with you soon." Volteer said while turning back to the main gates as Hunter made his way to the marketplace inside Warfang. Hunter slowly made his way through the marketplace as the bustling Moles and other races of beings made their way through shops and vendors, hoping to cut a deal on merchandise for their lives.
"These people have been through a great deal of pain and loss in these past years, I pity them no less than the next homeless or ill being." Hunter thought to himself while buying only a single apple at one of the various market vendors. The apple was ripe, perfect for eating as he rubbed the apple surface against his cloak resting on his shoulders. Tossing the apple playfully in his hand as he smiled to the thought of tasting the delicious fruit, Hunter then noticed a small, young Cheetah cub that was what looked no older than five years old. The cub was a boy, weak and fragile as he begged for small shillings of bronze to buy the smallest amount of bread for himself.
"Even today after all this time after the war," Hunter said as he tossed the apple to the boy who grabbed the apple with open paws and smiled for Hunter's kindness as he bowed his head and took off running through the city streets. "Poverty and disease still renders poor individuals helpless to obtaining money for everyday needs." Hunter then began to walk towards the temple, down to the fact that he didn't get the chance to eat his apple, but found happiness into knowing that the cub would be happy to taste the sweetness of the fruit as Hunter strolled through the streets of Warfang.
"Spyro, I see you've made it here on time as promised," said one of the Cheetah guards posted outside of the city gates. "Hunter and the Guardians are awaiting your arrival in the Dragon Study."
"Thank you my friend, I will see to it that I reach there." Spyro nodded his head once as he took flight up towards the Dragon Study.
"Young dragon, we have just informed Hunter of the situation as he is ready to depart with you whenever you are ready." Volteer said as Hunter nodded his head.
"Aye my friend, shall we be on our way soon or do you have something to attend to before we leave?" Hunter asked as Spyro shook his head no in reply.
"No, we should leave now so we can return sooner than later." Spyro said as he allowed Hunter to climb onto his back.
"Take care of each other you two; I will speak to you soon." Terrador said as Spyro leaped from the Dragon Study balcony and opened his wings during freefall. The wind caught the underside of his wings abruptly as Spyro found him and Hunter sailing high above the city scene below him. The course of a year had an effect over Spyro's body has he was more muscular than before and his horns became sharper. His tail blade hade became smoother and sharper for slicing and stabbing though the three small horns surrounding his horns stayed their constant size. Finally, his scales among his chest had hardened along with his eyesight which had increased over the course of the winter months. The only thing which remained untouched was the three scars across his face.
The scars told a separate story of when he almost died trying to protect Cynder due to the Dark Master, Malefor. He remembered the duel as if it happened a week ago, his broken and bleeding body humbly affixed on the sandy beach as the inevitable clinch of pain and death hovered over his head like a thought in his mind. His heavy heart yearned for death, but Cynder would not hear of it. Seeing her face in front of him while he bled continuously through his severe wounds gave him the strength to rise from the sand and fly back to his cave where Cynder treated his wounds with bandages and loving care.
The horn wound which impaled Spyro's body had faded to a mere small scar which would eventually disappear completely over time. The three scars among his face would never heal completely unfortunately, Spyro then remembered what Cynder had said about them, that they were a good reminder to him for his loyalty and love and devotion to her.
"Hunter, I never told you the whole story how I fought Malefor at the beach did I?" Spyro said as he wanted to pass the time with Hunter as they flew across the Valley of Avalar.
"No actually, you've never wanted to open up about it all that much." Hunter said as he looked among the land below him, gazing among the altitude which he was flying at.
"Might as well pass the time, we have a long way to go," Spyro said as Hunter nodded his head. "Have you ever had an experience which you wish you never had before?"
"Aye, one time I have in another story, this story is yours though to continue." Hunter said, showing respect as Spyro kept a steady rhythm to flapping his wings to keep a constant speed and altitude.
"I can remember the storm clouds which began to shift my way come to pass as I strolled along the beach, awaiting Tyrant for he crossed my path and I challenged him to a fight," Spyro then began to remember the facts as if it just happened. "The wind was cold; winter was soon to come as I was beginning to feel the pressure and adrenaline fill be to the rim. Then, he came, Tyrant. I felt the anger begin to boil inside of me. Then he spoke in his normal voice, Malefor. I didn't know what to think other than to fight, I had to. I felt pinned; I couldn't run nor try to kill him. I wasn't ready for a confrontation with him."
"Did you panic?" Hunter asked as he became more intrigued by Spyro's story.
"I wouldn't call it panicking, more or less instinct and impulse," Spyro said as he thought about the situation in his memories. "I don't know what I was going through, I felt close to him somehow, like we where connected in a way…"
"What did you feel?" Hunter asked, wanting to know more.
"It felt like I was fighting him for the right reasons, and it felt right in a way of honor and dignity if that makes any sense." Spyro explained as he thought he was rambling and fumbling on his own words.
"In other words, you thought it was a family member you were fighting, correct?" Hunter exclaimed, trying to make Spyro's story make more sense to not only him, but to Spyro as well.
"Yes, exactly," Spyro said, now growing a little quieter than how he was talking before. "I didn't find out that he was my father until I finally killed him."
"That must have been hard to learn of the truth, I am sorry for your unfortunate circumstance." Hunter said, regretting to ever agree with Spyro wanting to tell the story.
"His last words were that he was sorry for the terrible things he brought to this land and he finally said that he was my father." Spyro explained as he finished his story.
"A heavy heart is always the one that is dropped and broken the most, you are a good individual Spyro and you always will be." Hunter said, hoping Spyro would understand.
"I'm not for sure you worded that one correctly Hunter if you don't mind me saying." Spyro said as he was lost by Hunter's misunderstood statement.
"A fond heart is held by few in this world these days, you are among the few, even though they may be broken multiple times in the years gone by they are by far the most respected among many." Hunter said as Spyro then understood Hunter's words as the two continued to fly towards the Hallow Cave.