AN: Hey again, sorry I've been so absent, over a month without any updates. Been through a move finally and have been juggling college. Also I've been distracted with Baldur's Gate 3 – I will have this chapter done as soon as possible.
EDIT: I guess I should say after getting 15 chapters in I apologize for clear grammatical or typo errors which are made. I do a lot of these chapters when I get into a groove and that usually means I'm up pretty early in the morning writing some of these.
R & R!
Hunter and the secondary search party were growing more on edge. Hours and hours of avoiding grublin parties was growing more tiresome as the day faded into dusk. The poor moles were having a hard time keeping up with the far more prepared cheetah warriors, the dark not being their usual environment. Their eyesight was poor, their smell and hearing were at least working better. The cheetahs on the other hand could see, hear, and smell in the dark far better, thus the moles began to fall behind some.
Hunter couldn't blame them; sleep had been scarce with the constant need to have some from their group on watch. No fire meant no warm meals, only lukewarm and flavorless rations filled their bellies…hardly a fitting meal for the journey they had made from the city on foot. Moles valued their daily meals just as much as their work, seeing it as a reward to their labors. The rations they had been provided with were anything but rewarding.
"Keep moving, I'm smelling more of them!" Hunter spoke in a hushed shout, the moles moving faster to keep up with the group of cheetahs. They crept along the dirty ground, their fur on their paws started to show the hours of crawling and creeping they had done for the entire day since reaching the grove.
They had crossed paths with some of the wildlife, wild creatures of various twisted shapes nearly alien to the cheetahs and moles, being from Avalar and Warfang where everything was so recognizable to their eyes…this place was something else.
A mole felt his right paw accidentally slip on a rather prickly bush, recoiling in pain and nearly crying out in pain, but a cheetah clamped their own over his mouth and muffled the pained sound from the mole!
"Quiet!" Hunter hissed, nearly drawing his blade as he waited to see if they had been discovered…when several long moments passed and it hadn't seemed they'd been discovered, he'd remove his hand from the hilt. The mole who had been muffled was finally allowed to breathe once again, shaking his hand in agitation.
"Curse this place, such a place shouldn't exist!" The mole whined, picking up his crossbow which he had dropped by accident after grasping the bush.
"No…it shouldn't." Hunter would comment, turning to face the mole who had spoken. "It is said this place was the site where something awful happened…something the Dark Master did leading to the war to wipe out dragon-kind. What he did, I couldn't say…but whatever it was, it created this grove from the corrupted magic he wielded so long ago." Hunter would say all this as he pushed through the brush, his nose and ears guiding him currently. "Keep moving." He'd let out, gesturing for the group to follow after.
For some time, the group would silently trek and duck between roaming groups of grublins…Hunter felt that now was the time where they should have turned back…the awful feeling that they were walking into a trap.
If only he had listened to his instincts when he first felt it.
It began when they first began to hear the low beating of drums, vibrating the ground beneath their group as they continued to travel through the ancient grove. The closer they got to the source of the pounding drums, the more the very land around them seemed to reverberate with the sound.
Hunter had heard such drums before, war drums of the grublins, employed in their hidden layers underground…or during the siege of Warfang, they were used to inspire fear in the hearts of moles, the closer they got tended to mean that the grublins themselves were getting closer to their defenses.
But here, in the grove, it meant that their party was growing closer to the grublins instead…this didn't comfort the three moles in their search party of cheetahs. Hunter's fellow cheetahs began to grow unnerved by the grove…so much wildlife and so many grublins they had to avoid for an entire day now.
What Hunter and the search party found once they nearly cleared the brush was anything but what they expected.
They eventually found a clearing in the grove, finding a circling of elevated ledges overlooking a central area, each of these overlooks lined with grublins beating on drums, ranging from the smaller foot soldiers to the larger orcs, even some of their champions and ogres gathered in the masses. Hunter could only marvel at the sheer scale of the grublins amassed in the grove…with a question sinking into his gut.
"How could they still field so many? How were they not broken following the demise of their master?" Hunter asked quietly, his eyes drifting lower to the central spot where he spotted something else which made his fur stand up on end.
A dark and shrouded dragon, inky-black scales and blue tattoos lining his body, easily as large as the guardian dragons…a little larger in fact. He had never seen a dragon such as this before, the only one which came to mind was Cynder…but this dragon was in fact not her.
He was surrounded by grublin leaders, all chanting in their strange language that none of the cheetahs or moles could make any sense of…almost ritualistic in nature as they continued to perform around the dragon at the center of their formation.
"Hunter, who is that?" A cheetah would whisper, getting a lost look from their leader.
"I…I don't know." Hunter held his bow close now as he drew it, already pulling an arrow from his quiver to keep at the ready should such a thing be necessary.
The mysterious dragon seemed to channel a foggy haze of shadows before raising his wings high, as if demanding the attention of all who bore witness to him…and just like that, the entire army of grublins fell silent. Every drum was no longer being hammered, the chanting ended…all that could be heard in the grove now was the rustling of trees and bushes as wind blew. It almost scared Hunter how quickly this dragon could silence a crowd of usually savage grublins, so eager to cry out and chant in their alien tongue.
And then he spoke.
"Grublins!" He announced, his voice deep and filled with unbridled hatred and cruelty. "In the wake of Malefor's tragic defeat, we find ourselves in a rather precarious position! The grand design of his plans has failed, and it falls to us to pick up the pieces and forge a new way forward. The dragons, mighty as they may be, are lacking in numbers…weak! I, Adimere, can never replace Malefor…but I assure you we shall NOT fail where he did…but we've a long road ahead of us. The plan has already changed, for this world must not be destroyed as Malefor sought to do…it must be subjugated! Which starts with the wind dragons!" The dragon, Adimere as the group had heard him announce, would shout aloud so all could hear.
"In this grove…hidden like frightened rabbits are the wind dragons. Day and night, I want constant search parties scouring every inch of this grove until we root the cowards out! You will not stop until they are found and buried! And once we're finished with the wind dragons, we'll spread throughout the old dragon kingdom to keep rooting out more of their hiding places…until finally we turn our attention back to Warfang. When our plans are complete, not even the great dragon city will be able to withstand our might!" Adimere continued now glancing around with his piercing blue gaze…until he did something which made Hunter's blood run cold.
His eyes met directly with Hunter's!
"We have uninvited guests…BRING THEM TO ME!" Adimere roared, and with an uproar of noise and torches, the grublins immediately began moving…and it was clear the search party had been found.
"Everyone, FALL BACK!" Hunter called out. "Draw bows!" He ordered, raising his own bow as he made hand signals for the cheetahs and moles to follow-suit. Like an earthquake, the grublins began converging on their small band, already on the verge of being surrounded by the hideous creatures from all sides.
Hunter knew they couldn't truly escape in time, there was no way they'd be able to outrun the wyverns once they were sicked upon them…they only had one chance to come out of this alive now…at least he hoped.
Hunter would whistle out as they ran, calling to Ana and praying she'd arrive soon. For now, they had to make a stand…this was what Hunter was banking on once they found a clearing in the grove.
"Form a firing line, nock arrows!" Hunter called, drawing his bowstring back with a sharpened arrow prepared…he knew their ammo wouldn't last. They each only had around twenty arrows with no way of replenishing their ammo stores.
"Draw!" Hunter would call out once more, each cheetah in the party drawing back their bowstrings and ready to let loose their volley…but the order didn't come just yet. Hunter kept his skilled eyes trained on the grove ahead, no longer able to rely on hearing alone as the sounds of drums and screeching ringing against their eardrums now…but he could feel the vibrations of their movements as they grew ever closer, and smell as they approached.
When the first sickly shade of green crossed through the brush, his eyes narrowed.
"LOOSE!" Hunter ordered, every cheetah letting loose a volley of arrows that crashed into a party of grublins almost as soon as they fully emerged from the trees around them. Their arrows had little issue piercing the grublins' hides, dropping each one almost instantly. But these were mere cannon-fodder grublins, bred for one purpose: to die in droves to wear down defenses.
By the time the longbow volley was done, several grublins looked like pincushions. Any stragglers were picked off by the moles with their impressive crossbows, the bolts sinking into their artificial skin with ease. Hunter didn't like crossbows, seeing them as clunky and lacking in elegance, but he couldn't deny the results of their capabilities, and the moles seemed to manage them better than traditional bows.
Even as the group finished off the first group of grublins, it was mere seconds before the next was descending upon their party! With another command, the arrows were loose once more as the cheetahs drew back their longbow strings back. This time the group was larger, forcing the cheetahs to nock even more arrows from their quivers in order to dispatch the party of grublins before they could close the gap with Hunter's group.
They could see in the trees all around the light of more torches quickly moving to encircle the search party, and it wasn't hard to tell that they were being surrounded.
"Hunter, what do we do?!" One of the cheetahs asked aloud, drawing his bow back to snipe out an orc which had the misfortune to poke their head from the trees. Soon enough more grublins, some of the flies joining the fray now, would emerge from the woods, a volley of arrows finding their malformed flesh as the cheetahs and moles did their best to keep their foes at bay!
"We hold out as long as we can, I need Ana here to send word to Warfang! Hold them off until she gets here!" Hunter would call out, pulling his bowstring back to sink another arrow into the skull of an armored orc, finding a gap in the armor as the creature fell over with a thud. They made sure to give the moles space in their formation to keep them safe. The cheetahs were forced to form a circle around the moles, the grublins coming from every direction!
"You heard Hunter, hold the line!" Another cheetah called out, the sound of bowstrings snapping back and forth sounding off over and over, arrows crashing into grublins and their armor for those with any on. But soon, some cheetahs began to run out of arrows, forced to stow their bows away in favor of their spears, forming a makeshift schiltron against the overwhelming grublins.
Hunter began to grow worried about Ana, the falcon was usually on his shoulder within mere moments upon calling her, afraid she was being actively tailed by wyverns…thankfully the cheetah's silent prayers were answered as Ana flew through the brush, flapping her wings as she flew near the leading cheetah. He could see the distress clearly in her eyes. He'd reach down into one of his pouches, retrieving a tiny scroll of paper, the very same one he'd written a message on in the grassland outside of Warfang. He'd offer the paper to her, the intelligent bird knowing to take it into one of her talons.
"Go Ana, fly to Warfang and send word to the guardians! Go!" Hunter ordered, whistling once more as the falcon would dart off past the trees. He could only hope she made it to the city.
'No, she'll make it. She always does.' Hunter thought to himself, drawing his bow to fire off one last arrow to drop an orc…now out of ammo, he'd draw his shortsword followed with a brandish of the blade.
Hunter would join the fray, slicing and stabbing at orcs as they pressed in on the cheetah line! By now, the moles had run out of ammo too, drawing their simple blades as they did their best to aid their cheetah companions. Their spears proved efficient in keeping the inferiorly trained grublins back from breaking their line. Every grublin that closed the distance finding a blade sinking into their flesh and dropping them dead on the spot, twisting his sword around to slice at another grublin that thought it could get the drop on the experienced warrior.
For what felt like ages, the cheetahs fought off the grublins and their orc superiors, but Hunter knew that when the fighting fell to a deafening silence…when their encircled formation was only surrounded by corpses, that they had already lost the fight.
His dread was confirmed when an entire horde of grublins emerged from the woods, accompanied by well over a dozen wyverns circling overhead above the desperate search party.
Hunter let out a heavy sigh, sheathing his sword in that moment.
"Stand down…we'd be dead by now if they wanted us dead." Hunter gestured for the cheetahs to stow their spears in that moment. His cheetahs hesitated, afraid of what would occur should they follow Hunter's command…but just like he followed Prowlus' orders (usually), they followed his. The moles, seeing their cheetah allies stow their weapons, would do so as well.
"Wise." A dark voice alerted their group, drawing their attention to that dark dragon landing before Hunter, the grublins moving aside for him to step forward. "You'll prove useful to my plans." He smiled cruelly, causing a feeling of rebellion to rise in Hunter.
"The guardians will know that you're here, whoever you are, they and the purple dragon will stop you." Hunter said defiantly, but soon his blood ran cold once again as Adimere let out a resonating laugh.
"We shall see."
The dawn came early for the hidden dragon village past the swamp, sunlight beginning to creep and peak through the canopy of the elder tree which shielded the place. Nestled comfortably were the dozens upon dozens of tenements which the occupants had used as their makeshift homes for over a decade now…but today that would all change for them.
Laying side by side in their tent together, Spyro and Cynder stirred awake as light crept into their temporary home from the prior night…Cynder was still groggy from the night following the news they'd received from Flame and Ember, discovering their eggs hadn't been the only ones to survive the Year of the Dragon temple raid…but as ever, she was comforted by Spyro.
Despite the despair she felt at times, he had a way of warming her very being with words alone.
Spyro was secretly wrestling with his own feelings on the information which had been brought to light the previous evening…so much information to process in a single day. Finding around a hundred dragons in hiding, meeting the wife and son of Ignitus, and discovering that others had survived the brutality of the apes that terrible night nineteen years ago.
His thoughts drifted to Ignitus as he quietly began waking up and stirring back to reality, his paw intertwined with Cynder's own as they lay side by side on the makeshift leaf mat which was weaved together. He could only hope that Ignitus was watching over them even now…Spyro also wished to get to know Magnacia and Ignius, to meet and learn more about his mentor's family.
If only he knew the extent of reality regarding Ignitus' fate.
Spyro would turn his purple eyes onto Cynder now, offering her a weak smile.
"Morning." He said softly, earning a returned gaze from Cynder. "Did you get any sleep?"
She'd let out a yawn, taking a long stretch as she leaned her head against their intertwined paws, to which he'd do the same.
"A little…not as much as I'd like but I'll be okay for the flight." She says quietly, muzzle brushing against Spyro's own as his wing draped over her back like a blanket. Her scales seemed to warm approvingly at the contact, but she'd let out a soft sigh of disappointment as she rose to her haunches, letting out a yawn.
"We should get up though…it won't be long before-." As Cynder began speaking, a golden glow burst into the tent.
"Morning lovebirds! Get up get up get up get up! Pretty red dragon lady's sent out the call, we're leaving soon." Sparx said aloud, earning a groan from the pair of dragons as they woke up some more.
"Where have you been, Sparx? I thought you were still sleeping." Spyro grumbled, reaching up to wipe his eyes some.
"I got an early start, got some grub before the flight…speaking of which, you've only got a little while to get some food in you for the flight home! …not that you need more on you, porky." Sparx jabbed at the purple dragon, who just gave him an evil glare.
"Is everyone else awake?" Spyro would ask while Cynder went over to a small bowl of water which had been left behind in the tent the previous night, wetting her face some to clean up a little.
"Granite and the others are up; I think it's just some of the older lizards holding things up. They've gotten most of their wounded either ready to move or have groups of dragons ready to carry them to the city. Big Red's kid asked me to come and make sure you two had time to come get a bite to eat." Sparx would hover near Spyro and give him a shrug.
"We'd better get ready then…don't want to keep them waiting." Spyro would say softly, walking next to Cynder as she washed her face off some. "Ready?" He asked, earning a nod from the black dragoness as she finished up, turning to follow Spyro and Sparx out of the tent to find the new commotion.
A bustle of dragons rushed through the village, leaving their tenements behind as they began to gather in the center of the place they had called home for around a decade...they could tell anxieties were high. So many were nervous about leaving, not truly able to believe that the war was over just yet…others were overly excited to finally leave for the first time in so many years. Spyro, Sparx, and Cynder would soon notice their party and some of the other dragons they'd met the previous night gathered in the center excluding Magnacia and Ignius who were nowhere to be seen yet.
Granite was actively biting down on some fish which was leftover from the feast last night, the others doing the same as they prepared for the flight home to Warfang.
Granite offered the trio a wave with his wing, drawing some attention their way from the others. Storm and Eletara both silently ate their own fish, it appeared she was helping prepare the electricity drake for the flight ahead. Nix and Galacion were conversing with Emera…who knew what they were discussing. Ulris and his fellow Warfang Guard dragons were helping prepare some of the supplies for the trip back to the city, it seemed the guards weren't fond of sitting idly by when there was work to be done still.
Typhoon sat alone, surrounded by a few younger drakes they hadn't met…Spyro and Cynder just assumed they were the drake's groupies of sorts, as it was clear he didn't fully get along with Ignius and the others in their group. Flame and Ember were sitting to the side enjoying their breakfast, Spyro and Cynder sharing a glance- not noting Sparx's confused look before the two made their way over to the two fire dragons.
Ember was the first to notice their approach, growing a bit nervous in the eyes, Flame snapping back to reality as he also noticed them sit down near their spot. Spyro, Cynder, and Sparx could have all three sworn that a more calm feeling rushed over them…they couldn't really explain why, but a sense of warm compassion seemed to wash over the trio as they settled down near Flame and Ember.
"O-oh, hi again…I hope you both slept well." Ember said nervously. Cynder couldn't help but smile at the pink dragoness' nervousness, reminding Cynder of herself a little from when she had first gone to the temple after Spyro saved her.
"Well enough." Cynder would say simply as she sat down near the two on her haunches. Flame would smile and would pass them a simple wooden tray with more fish on it, earning an appreciative nod from the two as they settled in.
"Are you both ready to finally see Warfang again?" Spyro would ask while Cynder leaned down to take a bite of fried fish. It wasn't as good as it had been the previous night, no longer freshly cooked and now simply re-heated over an open fire…but that in contrast to the dried rations they'd packed for an extended trip was far more welcome.
Flame would finish his bite first, taking a breath before he spoke.
"Ever since we were little more than hatchlings, I figured this day would come…where we finally return home. I just…" He trailed off.
"Something wrong?" Spyro asked, earning a sigh and shake of Flame's head, sunlight starting to bounce off his horns in a similar fashion to Spyro's own.
"No…it's just been a long time; I don't imagine it'll be very familiar to us." Flame admitted, earning a nod from Ember.
"Yeah…" She rubbed one of her shoulders with the opposing paw. "So much time has passed…I barely remember the city as is, but to see it over a decade later…I'm just hoping we only feel lost and don't resent it."
"Sheesh, and I thought Cynder was a nervous wreck three years ago." Sparx whispered to them both, earning a hard swat from Cynder's tail which sent the dragonfly tumbling to the ground.
"Hey!" He whined, rolling his eyes before going back to continue flying near Spyro and going opposite to Cynder now. Spyro just huffed and paid his surrogate brother no mind. Flame and Ember gave the dragonfly a curious look as they could see him whispering to the two dragons before being promptly smacked.
"Well…we're still learning about the city. We still haven't gotten to spend much time there…maybe we can traverse it together? You two can relearn the city and we can see more of it for the first time." Cynder offered, earning a broad smile from Flame and a nervous smile from Ember.
"W-well we don't want to inconvenience you two-." Ember started to say, but Flame was quick to place a wing over her back to comfort her.
"Give us some time once we get to the city…but we'll come find you two when we're ready to take up your offer." Flame offered an appreciative bow of his head; Ember would simply nod in agreement. The poor pink dragoness seemed to be afraid of her own shadow it seemed. Spyro was still wrapping his head around her appearance. The pink scales were one thing…but her horns were so elegant looking, on par with Galacion and Nix's own…the heart shaped tail end of her tail. It almost seemed artistically designed in a way which Spyro couldn't truly grasp.
Then again, he was a purple dragon who could wield all elements and various powers available to dragons…so he couldn't really judge. But it did fascinate him all the same.
"Spyro, Cynder…a word." A feminine voice alerted the two, drawing their gazes to Magnacia, Ignius at her side.
"You two go on, we'll be here getting ready. I'm sure we'll have plenty more time to talk once we reach the city." Ember said softly, now not sounding so nervous as she had before. Spyro and Cynder both gave the other two dragons a nod before turning to approach the elder fire dragoness, Sparx in tow.
"So, what do you make of them Ember?" Flame smiled, his eyes darting to meet Ember's pearly-blue ones. "Kinda funny how the saviors of the world are…well, kids like us." Flame said quietly, just to avoid Spyro and Cynder overhearing them as they had other things to worry about.
"It is…it makes me wonder what we could ever hope to achieve in comparison. I'm…not sure what good I'll be in the city." Ember muttered, Flame just shrugging his broad shoulders.
"You're great with the dragonlings Ember, I'm sure that'll come in useful, trust me." He gives her a broad smile to add onto his kind words.
"I think you'd make a good Fire Guardian apprentice." Ember responded sweetly to Flame, earning a chuckle from the drake.
"Fat chance, Magnacia has been grooming Ignius for the job since he could fly…but there's always a chance." Flame rubbed a paw over the mohawk-like fins going down his neck past his horns.
Spyro, Cynder, and Sparx stepped before the regal fire dragoness, Ignius by her side. Magnacia looked a little regretful, almost as if something was weighing down on her.
"Is everything alright, lady Magnacia?" Spyro asked, earning a soft chuckle from her.
"Please, just Magnacia…no need for formalities with me young dragon. Ignius dear, go help your friends get ready for the flight." She patted him on the back with a large paw, the young fire drake offering a simple nod.
"Good morning to you both." Ignius said with a wry smile, marching off to see to his duties before the colony evacuated to Warfang. Cynder tracked his movements, spotting the fire drake approaching Granite, who knew what they'd talk about.
Their attention turned back to Magnacia, who seemed to shrug something off.
"I apologize for my demeanor yesterday evening…my attitude towards you both was unworthy of me and you two didn't deserve that, especially you Cynder…you are not the monster I remember fearing and I very nearly took out years of aggression towards said monster on you. When I immediately saw you I only saw potential victors demanding respect after your besting of Malefor...Nix told me much and I could never guess how much this war has affected you both as well." Magnacia spoke in a low, sincere tone, catching the two by surprise.
"I can't exactly blame you…just three and a half years ago I was threatening all dragons, against my will or not." Cynder frowned to herself, not wishing to drag others down.
"You and your people have been through a lot; I can understand being indifferent towards us. We were two unknowns walking into your hiding place promising protection in Warfang." Spyro offered a reassuring smile in return to the fire dragoness, who shook her head quickly after.
"You're too kind…but I was insensitive despite knowing well the sheer scale of challenges thrown at you both throughout your time in the conflict. The worst part of the old war was seeing how it affected the hatchlings, unable to do anything about it. The guardians and fighters did all they could to prevent the war from reaching our borders…and still overtime I saw our once grand kingdom crumble all around us…and was forced to see it hurt the children. Despite this, I was ready to lay all the blame on you both last night…and for that, I am sorry." Magnacia said regretfully. "When we reach the city, Nix has told me of something which will lead to much change, but it can wait to be said after our return. But for now, I can say this…I still wish to hear the full extent of what happened to my husband but…know that you've my support in the future."
"Well, I appreciate it and we look forward to hearing this news…are your people ready for the flight to Warfang?" Spyro asked, glancing back towards the preparing colony of dragons in a bustle to prepare for the journey.
Magnacia's somber toned seemed to shift some, her eyes lighting up with some a more cheerful note to speak on.
"Yeah, are the wings all stretched? Gotta think they've probably gotten a little stiff after so long." Sparx spoke up, earning an eyeroll from Cynder.
"Fret not, purple dragon, they've been hidden away from the world for years, but these dragons are ready to leave this place…many haven't forgotten their true home and yearn to return. The younger dragons never knew it…and the eggs need a safe place to be born. This place is becoming less and less safe with the arrival of the grublins…it won't be long before they truly attack, and we don't have enough combatants to hold them back forever, it's time to go home once and for all." Magnacia would bow her head ever close to the two.
"Well, that's good, the city is…a little sad without more dragons present." Cynder smiled at the fire dragoness.
"Yes…what has become of Warfang since the call to go into hiding was sent out by the guardians? It's a wonder the city still stands." Magnacia inquired, her frills flexing some.
"The city has…seen better days." Cynder smiled sheepishly.
"That's putting it mildly." Sparx jabbed.
"The city stands but is in great disrepair. An entire section of the northern wall is destroyed, the academy and military districts have suffered great damage and, frankly, we're lucky they still stand. The market and residential districts are still intact but could use work as well…all in all, it needs repairs." Spyro described it all in detail, earning a firm nod from Magnacia.
"And I'm sure they could use more dragons aiding in the repairs." Magnacia said firmly. "If the city is in need of repairs, we'll lend our aid to the effort."
"Good, the moles will need all the help they can get." Spyro added, earning an appraising nod from Magnacia in turn.
"Now then, I've some matters to discuss with our carvers before we take off, you three be off and get ready for the journey." Magnacia would extend her wings to usher them away. The trio would do as requested, Spyro and Cynder with Sparx following behind going towards Nix and the entourage around her.
The older ice dragoness noted their arrival, offering the pair of them a slight smile.
"Spyro, Cynder…good morning." She said softly, earning a frown from Sparx.
"I'm fine too…" He muttered, which Nix didn't really take note of.
"I hope you both slept well, the tenements weren't really designed for comfort." Emera smiled, earning nods from both Spyro and Cynder.
"We slept well enough as can be expected, we're both just anxious for the flight." Cynder would answer the earth dragoness' inquiry.
"Well, that's good to hear. I look forward to sleeping with proper rooves over our heads once we reach the city…I never saw the great dragon city but have always wanted to." Emera glanced to the sky, as if expectantly for the journey ahead.
Heavy footsteps alerted the group, drawing their gazes to Granite as he approached.
"Morning everyone, Emera, Ignius told me you needed my help with something?" He asked quickly, Emera nodded in response.
"Yes! Some of the earth dragons stone carvers and I could use some help opening the exit tunnel up more widely, if you think you can handle it?" She asked, earning a cheeky grin from the lumbering drake.
"Can I?" He laughed some more, before settling down. "…we'll find out." He gave off a broad smile, stepping aside to allow Emera to pass and lead him on, his eyes tracking her the whole way before following her.
Galacion couldn't help but glance at Cynder, a cheeky grin crossing her expression.
"I think there's already something blossoming between those two." Galacion grinned, to which Cynder could only giggle a little in return, quickly stifling herself and feeling a blush cross her cheeks.
"Did you just giggle?" Spyro asked with a toothy grin.
"I-no! No I did not…" Cynder deflected the question.
"No you definitely did, the mighty Cynder can giggle like a little girl when she wants to." Sparx laughed.
"I'll flatten you." She threatened, earning another laugh from the others gathered around them.
"As for those two, maybe! Give it time, Granite values strength in character and physique from what I've gathered, maybe she'll impress him and vice versa." Spyro would add onto the conversation.
"We'll see once we reach the city, Warfang has a history of bringing dragons together…plus Eletara and I are already talking about doing things to get them together." Galacion snickered deviously.
"You're secretly villain material." Sparx crossed his arms as he floated nearby. "Also don't think we didn't see you eying up Big Red's kid."
Galacion's cheeks blushed, far more visible than Cynder's whenever they became flushed.
"I did no such thing!" Galacion defended herself, earning a shy smile from both Cynder and Spyro, Sparx giving her an incredulous look.
"Uh huh…suuuuuure." Sparx smiled. "And the googly eyes you were giving him were just a coincidence…of course after he offered to let you sit next to him."
"You did give him a certain look last night, Galacion…I've given Spyro the same look before." Cynder smiled, earning a scoff from Galacion.
"I did not!" Galacion countered. "I was just…appreciative of him for offering the seat next to him as it was getting crowded."
"You absolutely did!" Spyro laughed, earning another blush from Galacion, the ice dragoness averting her gaze as to avoid it being so obvious.
A horn would ring out, drawing all eyes to the center of the colony and to Magnacia as she took her place on the standing podium so all could listen to her.
"Enough you lot, settle down and listen." Nix would speak up, leading the group to avert their gazes to the older fire dragoness as she began to speak. From below the podium Ulris and his Warfang Guards and two other dragons, a rather large fire drake and almost frail looking ice earth dragoness, took position around the podium
"Dragons of our sanctuary, hear me! The stone carvers have just left to work on the passage, once they are done, we leave this place once and for all! All healers, please tend to your charges and ensure they're comfortable leaving the cavern and are comfortable for the flight! To all parents and caretakers, ensure your charges are kept close! All fighters will make a perimeter around our formation! This is the last call, gather everything essential to the journey and gather at the entrance of the cavern!" Magnacia shouted so all could hear, and in a bustle of noise and commotion, all dragons in the colony went about their final preparations.
Several healers began seeing the wounded to the cavern entrance ahead of the crowd, soon followed by some of the elders and children with their families. Dragons of various ages and colors flocked to the mouth of the cavern, the sounds of effort coming from it as the stone carvers got to work on widening the old passageway from the inside.
Flame and Ember watched hesitantly; the pink dragoness was almost scared to start walking to the passage. Flame glanced down at her, his gaze turning somber. Flame was less so scared to return, more worries for the dragoness he considered his best friend and how this weighed on her mind.
"Are you ready to go home?" He asked gently, a wing brushing her back.
"No…" She inhales sharply, shuddering as she breathed back out. "Let's do it." She reopened her bright blue eyes. Fear in the pink dragoness was traded out for courage. With that, the two would approach the moving crowd exiting toward the cavern, ready to take the first steps back to their old home which they were born in.
Closing notes: I'm sorry this chapter took so long! I wanted to have it out sooner but every little thing seemed to pile on even after the move and I just kinda didn't ever have enough time to just sit down and write. BUT I hope you all enjoyed. I can't promise the next one will come sooner, but I'll try my best to get it out. I also just kinda had a hard time thinking about where I wanted this chapter to go.
Anyways, hope you all are having a good September, and here's to a good spooky month!