Disclaimer: I don't own ANY characters of TLOS, the only character I own is Ivor. I also own Ignitia and Blitzen and some other upcoming dragon OCs.

Shadow scales

Flap.

Flap.

Flap.

Flap.

Flap.

Flap.

Terrador soared through the skies, beating his wings hard and fast.

So far, the flight wasn't too strenuous on his ageing body and he had a lot of time to think to himself whilst thinking of navigation and coordination yet the wellbeing of the fledgeling dragon kids in his charge was the first and foremost of his list of priorities so he continuously questioned if the little ones straggling across his back needed anything. Said youngsters spread across his back passed the time by popping their heads out the side of his body to get a view down to the ground (one even lolled his tongue out and let it flop about in the air like a useless piece of blubber), chatting amongst each other or playing some game with one another to pass the time. The fledgelings that were flying alongside the much larger dragon also had to be considered as they glided alongside him, being careful not to stray or anything.

Terrador tried not to lose anyone as he flew along, his head full of memories.

He hadn't been counting how long it had been since he and the class had departed from Warfang and were now on their way towards the Northern region of Avalar which was around where the original temple was. That thought made him pause, almost in midair, but he kept flying as his thoughts briefly returned to the old temple and he felt a pain of sad nostalgia hit his heart.

It was the very same temple where Ignitus had first brought Spyro to and the place held so many memories for Terrador and the other Guardians: It was the place where they first failed to protect their eggs during the Year of the dragon, their greatest failure and, not only that, but it was the place where Spyro and Ignitus had reclaimed after Spyro found Ignitus hiding out in a cave (as mentioned already) and made as their home base. It was the place where the Guardians had called home until that fateful night where Gaul and his apes raided the temple and attacked it (and them) once more and Spyro was sent to find the Chronicler and was then instructed to return upon finishing his quest…he never did.

The giant earth dragon recalled how he, Cyril, Ignitus and Volteer had to evacuate and leave the temple after the Dark master had officially returned and it was decided that they abandoned the temple and journey across the realm to get to the dragon city where they had hidden ever since.

Ignitus was initially determined to wait for Spyro and Cynder's return which didn't happen and it was soon enough that the guardians started to assume the worst but the fire dragon guardian had adamantly refused to believe that Spyro and Cynder had perished. It was only after waiting for over a year and, four more years later, Ignitus was proven right when Spyro along with Cynder had finally returned from their time practically vanishing off the face of the entire planet only to be later discovered in a cave and fighting a giant Lava golem as they had just been released from suspended animation.

The two dragons had also found themselves tethered to one another using dark magic, much to their initial dismay.

It wasn't until Cynder and Spyro had finally made it to Warfang that a bright flame of hope had flickered to life inside of everyone and Terrador remembered the hope and courage that shone in Spyro's eyes, especially during his youth, and the earth dragon couldn't help but see that exact same courage shine inside of Ivor's eyes; it was very nostalgic to say the least.

Even though several medium-sized whelps were either sitting or lying across his back as he not only carried them but also their belongings that were contained in saddlebags whilst the rest of the class, the fledgelings, were flying/gliding closely along behind him, the giant earth dragon guardian also felt his heart prickle with pain every single time it beat. Despite how long it had been, it didn't make any of what happened any less painful. He would always miss his greatest friend and leader and, he had to admit, that he sometimes got cross because he couldn't help but see Flame as a replacement.

Granted, Flame was not a bad dragon.

He was Ignitus' nephew.

But there were times that he just wished to have Ignitus back…

"Hey! Guardian Terrador?"

Terrador snapped out of his thoughtful state upon hearing his name being called.

"Hmmm?" He looked down and saw that Ivor had apparently taken to flying alongside him. "Yes?"

The white fledgeling whelp, his big purple eyes soft and overflowing with worried compassion, continued to fly alongside the big Earth dragon while his scarf tails fluttered and bristled in the breeze behind him as he allowed his still-developing wings to carry him deftly through the air.

"Are you okay?"

Terrador was caught off guard.

"O-Of course! I am perfectly alright, Ivor!" He exclaimed in gentle surprise. "Why do you ask?"

Ivor's frown never faltered as he responded.

"…You looked sad so I thought I could help."

Terrador smiled warmly but sadly, touched by the young fledgeling/whelp's sincerity and compassion.

Admittedly, the earth dragon guardian was not one to wear his emotions on his (nonexistent) sleeves and he preferred to keep all his burdens where he felt they belonged —tucked away inside of him. However, he felt his heart swell with happiness at the fact that someone had cared about his well-being…but he also knew that it was not the burden of the young to care solely for the old. Terrador came to realise that Ivor almost resembled his father during his younger years back when he was but a small purple fledgeling adolescent —Spyro cared for the well-being of all dragons, even elders like himself.

Terrador decided to try and assuage the youngster's worries and concerns but he couldn't help the crack in his voice as he spoke.

"I am perfectly fine, young one. Don't fret over an old dragon like me."

Ivor didn't seem to believe the older earth dragon and frowned worriedly but he kept quiet since it worried him how his teacher was so quiet and he could almost see the hardened emotions shudder through his large, aged, rugged wings with each beat; each flap of those mighty yet worn wings caused a chilling breeze of cold reminiscence to shudder through Ivor which threatened to blow him right out of the sky yet he kept on flying and he became more and more determined to try and help his teacher in some way.

He just…didn't know how to help.

There had to be something he could do!

But what?

Unbeknownst to Ivor, though, Blitzen flew alongside him with his face still glaring and pouting as he had been stewing in his frustration the whole flight as he couldn't help but be cross of the fact that he was in trouble and he really wished he could just dropkick the little pest right out of the sky but he knew that would land him in even more trouble.

All remained (mostly) quiet for moments more until Terrador called out, his loud voice shattering through the silence like glass.

"Now you all!"

His voice captured the attention of the fledglings gliding along (or flying rather flimsily) behind him. He made sure to amplify the volume of his voice to make sure his instructions could be heard over the loud and turbulent wind currents that whistled in their nonexistent ears.

The giant earth dragon used one claw to gesture pointedly down groundwards and, of course, everyone —whether they were on Terrador's back or gliding through the air independently— peered down to see that they were flying straight over a large patch of land that was mostly made up of trees which were grown close together. The grass was a teal/green/turquoise hue despite it being daytime and the tree trunks were a lavender purple colour, the tree canopies varied from violet to indigo, yellow to jade green and copper orange to azure blue.

It looked like a really strange woodland from where they were flying.

Terrador kept speaking, his voice loud and authoritative.

"We are all going to land in the forest clearing and then we shall discuss our next move!"

It was difficult to hear Terrador through the turbulent wind currents but the airborne whelps proceeded to recall what they had been taught in regards to landing.

They knew that, whilst there are exceptions, the general idea was that they were to tilt their bodies backward also while raising the front of their wings just prior to touchdown all while maintaining their momentum in the skies. Flying was the easy part while landing was a touch more tricky then actually taking off into the air. All they needed to do now was lift their wings and let the skin catch against the breeze while straightening their legs out and forwards in preparation of hitting the coming ground.

Ivor, Ignitia, Blitzen and the other airborne fledgeling whelps spread their wings in preparation while they began to descend alongside Terrador, who did the very same thing but with way more practiced experience; beautifully, like a bunch of birds, the flock of dragons all proceeded to descend lower and lower towards the woodland clearing until all four feet collectively touched the ground.

Some even crash landed face-first but that only happened to the less experienced fledges.

This place was so beautiful.

The purple tree trunks surrounded the place with the branches and leafs above grew so close together that there was little room to see much of the skyline at all, it was difficult to tell whether or not it was day or night. Vines hung down from the tree branches like thick reeds and hung limp and loose from above, earning the temptation to swing from said vines but also fighting back said urge. The teal grass was sparse and rather long as it had yet to be trimmed for some time. What the group had not been able to tell from up in the sky was the fact that small gems and crystals sprouted from the ground like weeds. They were so tiny, barely worth anything, but the enchanting glow radiating from them was enchanting all the same —one could say they were the size of a single rose petal so they were big but not too big either, the smallest was comparable to the size of a single fingernail from the pinkie finger and the biggest was the size of a smaller-than-average apple.

The teeny crystals was a great indication that they were in the right place.

Terrador allowed the young ones to disembark from his back and let them visually explore their surroundings for a couple seconds before he cleared his throat, the noise causing everyone to look up at the big dragon as they stood in a single and precise line while he (in turn) spoke in that same authoritative tone of voice from before but it was more tinted with kindness this time.

"Alright so the crystal caverns we seek is not far from here. It shall take us a day or so to get there but worry not, as we are surrounded by foliage and vegetation, I am perfectly equipped to deal with any dangers that may come our way-" To make an emphasis on his point, Terrador smirked confidently while he raised a claw and it became engulfed in a powerful and rich green glow. "-so we shall make a plan as daylight is starting to dwindle."

A single flower and a few roots began to sprout at a rapid pace and coil around one of his toes before the glow died down and the flower and roots vanished into thin air and only then did he put his paw back down on the ground.

"Just encase, we'll set up pairs. Blitzen shall be paired with Gaius, Neko and Flare, Electroy's with Gale…" Terrador continued to rattle off and name the numerous pairings until he got to the last two dragons. "…And Ivor and Ignitia."

Ivor and Ignitia smiled at one another, happy to be paired up.

Terrador grinned warmly as the young dragons buddied up and the earth dragon guardian ordered the small pack of young dragons ranging from whelps to fledgelings.

"Now that we have separated into proper pairs, let us work together and set up camp as I believe it is best that we leave for the caves at dawn to evade the dangerous beasts and monsters whom inhabit these harsh crystal wildernesses."

It wasn't long for the setting up of their resting quarters to be underway.

Blitzen and his young Earth dragon partner, Gaius, both grabbed some firewood and kindling from the woodlands and gathered it into a pile —the young hot-headed male fire dragon wanted to set the fire himself, being a fire dragon, but was prevented from doing so when a certain overhyped fiery female not only performed the task instead but had also done so before he could even seize the opportunity to show off his abilities.

Ignitia, being one of the most strongest fire dragons in the group, was the one who lit the campfire with relative ease and she practically soaked up the attention which she received from the younger ones who saw the female fire dragon as some kind of role model for her much-stronger abilities then most fire dragons her age…and that included none other then a jealousy-stricken Blitzen.

Ivor had managed to forage for some (non toxic) berries from some nearby shrubs and he even procured a huge fish from a nearby river creek as he (quite literally) scared up dinner for himself and the rest of the group. It wasn't long until he had finished his foraging task and placed the berries and fish aside so someone could cook them, his mood as bright as the sun.

The rest of the young whelps/fledgelings grabbed some particularly large leafs from the trees to make themselves each a temporary nest to sleep in.

Terrador watched over the group, proud, but made sure to assist if anyone struggled in their task.

Night had finally fallen by the time camp was set up; the two Celestial moons, Zella and Adrano, had risen high in the Avalarian skies and the stars had began to appear and dot across the dark blue/pitch black backdrop.

Terrador had dropped the belongings of the young whelps off of his back and assigned them to their owners who had taken them to their nests, the group had began to eat at their dinner —the fish that Ivor had caught and the berries he procured— and chatted amongst themselves with eyes bright and moods jovial. Terrador even told them stories from days of old and they were so immersed that they hadn't even noticed the absence of a certain pair:

Ivor and Ignitia.

It was after that Ivor had completed his task that Ignitia had come to steal him away with the promise of doing a bit of stargazing as well as talking; albeit reluctant to abandon the campsite as they were given strict rules to stay close earlier, he hadn't had a proper yet heartfelt chat in sometime since that adventure they had went on when they were still small whelps. He longed to connect with his best friend again as he wanted to just sit with her and converse.

The young white dragon had a lot on his mind and Ignitia was the one dragon he could always count on to listen without judgement.

The two young dragons ventured away from camp.

They walked amongst the forest and it was difficult to see where they were going but they managed thanks to Ivor's ability to see in the dark (thanks to him being a Shadow dragon) and the fact that the tiny crystals that popped out of the ground seemed to light up in the dark.

As they walked, they talked.

"…So what do you think Guardian Terrador was so upset about?" Ignitia suddenly spoke up.

Ivor blinked in silent bewilderment.

So she saw Terrador's upset while flying earlier too?

Somehow, that didn't exactly shock him as it was clear that there was something bothering the older earth dragon…

Of course, thinking back on it and where they were flying, Ivor now had a pretty good idea as to what had been bothering his mentor at the time; he remembered his parents taking him to the old abandoned temple when he was younger and telling him the story of how Spyro and Ignitus met and how brave and amazing he really was. Hearing how he passed while leading his parents through the Belt of fire made him feel so bad and he wished that he could have met the dragon who was like a father to his own father.

"You saw that?" The white dragon inquired.

Ignitia nodded.

"Anyone with eyes could tell something was bothering him. What do you think it was?"

"I think he missed the old temple and…" Ivor hesitated for a moment, a pained look overcoming his facial features. "…Ignitus."

A pained look overcame Ignitia's face and it was not hard to figure out why.

The red and pink-spotted dragoness fledgeling whelp had never got to meet her great uncle, her namesake and the dragon who she practically worshipped to the point where she wished to take on his mantle when she was all grown up herself. She…She wished she could have met him but all she had to even know such a great dragon such as he was the stories told by her own father as well as those around her.

Ignitia stewed in her own sadness for what felt like an eternity before she perked up and forced a smile on to her muzzle, the falsehood in her smile was so blatant, and she tried to change the subject.

"U-Uh…! Lets just talk about something else, bud." She disguised her request as a suggestion.

Ivor was hesitant but nodded anyway.

"O-Okay…"

Ignitia's fake smile never faltered nor wavered in the slightest as she side-eyed Ivor while they walked.

"So you're gonna have a little brother or sister? That sounds pretty neat!"

Ivor, however, proceeded to scuff the ground with a paw.

Something was clearly bothering him.

"W-Well…the thing is…my mum and dad are gonna have to take care of the hatchling a lot now and…and I'm a bit scared that they might…th-they…might…forget about me…I guess?"

The words felt silly coming out of his mouth and he felt a great deal of shame and disgust at himself. Of course his parents were going to need to split attention between both himself and the new baby, that was a given, he wasn't going to be a child himself forever and his independence was growing in leaps and bounds.

How could he be so selfish?

He knew his parents wouldn't really forget about him, they loved them with every fibre of their beings and he knew this…but he couldn't help but fret over this big change.

Ignitia just stared at him as though he'd grown a second head. Her eyeballs had popped wide open in their sockets to the size of dinner plates, the furrow in the corners of her mouth deepened a fraction and the ridges above her eyes that acted as brows knitted together and sunk down a bit.

"C'mon, Ivie, you're just being silly. Your parents love you to the point that they would do anything for you. Sweet ancestors above! Your mum threatened to rip out Blitzens dad's throat because he looked at you funny that one time! Remember that? I doubt she'd do that for just any ol' dragon."

Ignitia saw a shred of doubt present on Ivor's face so she pressed onwards with her assurances.

The pink and red-splodged dragoness fledgeling whelp leaned over to Ivor and wrapped one of her wings around him, pulling him closer to her and essentially trapping him with a one-armed (or winged) embrace.

"A-And besides…you're never gonna be alone. You've got me and, if there is any time you feel bad or something, you can come over to my house and sleep over. We'd be happy to listen to whatever problems you have. I'm sure my mum would love to have you as a house guest!"

"….And your dad?"

"He's…He's gonna take a bit of convincing but I'll wear him down eventually!"

Ivor hung his head and sighed through his nostrils.

It wasn't that Flame disliked him or anything, he knew that the fire guardian thought him as a nice young dragon but it was clear that there was a bit of awkwardness between Flame and his father, Spyro, and said awkwardness tended to spread from father to son in some occasions. Flame just wanted to have little to do with Spyro and his family wherever possible and it was already exceedingly difficult as Ivor and Ignitia were friends and, therefore, he'd constantly hang around his house which would rub even more salt in the wound then necessary.

"Look, Ivie, it's not that my dad hates you or anything. Not at all! It's just that I think he still has a problem or two with your dad and that kinda sours things a bit is all."

Ivor tried for a gentle smile as he placed a claw full of gratefulness at Ignitia's kind-hearted reassurance upon her shoulder and patted it warmly and his purple pools were illuminating with earnest happiness tinted with guilt and sadness as he couldn't help but be touched by her sweet gesture and words.

"Ignitia…do you really think your parents want some weirdo to break into their house at whatever time of the day or night? Would they be okay with that?" He asked candidly.

"They will when I'm through with them." Ignitia smiled, an ominously evil twinkle glinting in her eye.

Ivor removed his claw from Ignitia's shoulder and he shuddered inwardly as he had forgotten until now how scary his best friend could be when she was angry and/or determinedly protective over him she was but he still tried his best to ignore that trickle that rolled up and down his spine as well as the warmth in his muzzle and the persistent pounding in his chest.

Ignitia giggled as she playfully bumped her shoulder into Ivor's and proceeding to almost knock him off of his fours.

"Anyways, back to the subject at claw, I just wanna tell you that this hatchling is gonna be really lucky to have you of all dragons as a sibling."

Ivor recovered from the sudden knock to his side and only just managed to catch himself mid-tumble.

"Thanks, Tia."

Ignitia's smile broadened.

It was no longer fake, her smile was now completely sincere and genuine.

"Don't mention it."

Yet another silence passed the duo by as they tried to think of something, anything, they could say in order to break the neutral silence that had brewed between them.

Granted, it wasn't a frosted tense silence like one would have expected but it was a little uncomfortable that the two besties couldn't think of something to smash this ominous silence; they could feel their hearts pound in their chests, their eyes refused to meet, their muzzles and faces felt as hot as magma and they couldn't help but be shy around one another despite being the best of friends.

The white-scaled, purple scarf-clad dragon and the pink spotted dragon wracked their respective brains to try and rid themselves of such a discomforting quiet which was only disturbed by the soft yet gentle chirping of the nighttime crickets that lulled the forests inhabitants to sleep with their sweet nature lullaby.

However, Ignitia suddenly had an idea and she finally spoke with an epiphanic smile spreading across her burning hot muzzle.

"H-Hey! Ivie! Ya hungry? I saw something earlier that could sate our appetites in seconds!"

Ignitia playfully crouched down on her front paws, raising her backside up into the air and letting her tail wag like a puppy.

Ivor blinked at her, confused.

"Erm, I dunno…shouldn't we go back to camp?" He inquired. "There's fish there."

But Ivor didn't get a chance to really argue or protest further as he was met with a look he could never refuse.

Ignitia smiled a cute little smile and somehow made her eyes not only enlarge but also become extra glossy and shiny, even sparkly! She looked so irresistible that he could never say "no" to that look —and she knew that all too well as she weaponised this look to make it so he could never refuse her; she was really pouring on the puppy-dog eyes that sparkled like twinkling stars in the night sky, a look that made Ivor's heart start to race.

"Aw, c'mon! I promise it'll be quick! I just wanna show you this and we'll go straight back to camp and, besides, I bet that all the fish is gobbled up by now!"

Ivor listened to the red and pink-blotched dragonesse's pleas with a dubious expression on his face.

'You're lucky that look is too cute to refuse…' Ivor thought to himself with an internal sigh of defeat.

He was admittedly famished as he felt his stomach curl and churn with emptiness. He also couldn't deny that there was the very likely possibility that there wouldn't be enough fish nor berries back at camp that could sate his growing appetite, he placed a claw against his growling tummy and even then he could feel his gut shift and vibrate beneath his paw pad. Admittedly it was just a tad unnerving but it also just gone to show just how hungry he was.

Ignitia hooked a claw around the white-scaled fledgeling/whelp and pulled him along behind her.

He didn't even get the opportunity to cry out.

The pair crept through the lush greenery and, soon enough, came to stop at a bunch of shrubs and bushes that covered another clearing that wasn't the camping ground; the wind whistled a low tune and rocked the branches of the trees that created a gentle cacophony which resembled wooden whine chimes "clanking" against the breeze.

The two peered out, peeking their heads out from behind the bush.

"There it is…" Ignitia whispered while raising a foreclaw to point at the thing that she had wished to reveal to her friend.

It turned out that the thing that Ignitia wished to show Ivor was none other than….a lone sheep.

"Let's go get it!" Ignitia exclaimed, her voice quiet but full of enthusiastic excitement.

Ivor was sceptical whilst rubbing one foreleg against the other, ducking his head in between his shoulders timidly. He had a bad feeling settle in the pit of his stomach and he could see this go badly wrong if one bad move was made, nevertheless, he wanted to see if he could talk the excitable female dragon out of whatever bad decision she could be about to make.

"But…I thought we weren't supposed to hunt animals until we were a lil' bigger." He muttered.

Ignitia smirked but rolled her eyes.

"Aww don't be such a weepy Frogweed!"

Ivor stared at Ignitia in silent bewilderment, too stunned to say anything and it was apparently a look that bemused the young female dragon since she just stared back at Ivor.

"Now! Let's get some sheep meat!" Ignitia declared.

Ivor hesitated but he had to admit that he was hungry.

He felt his belly gnaw with hunger once again, churning and grumbling unhappily, which would undoubtedly make it so his hunger would cloud his better judgement. He huffed through his nostrils while deciding against putting up a fight against what was surely a terrible idea that could get both of them into trouble; he didn't know how it would get them into trouble but, given their track record, it promised not to end well for them.

Besides…cooked mutton did sound pretty appetising right now…

The mere idea of meat on his tongue almost made him salivate a rivers worth of saliva out of his maw.

As anyone could tell you, there was no arguing with a hungry youngster.

Especially not a pair of hungry youngsters…

Ignitia reluctantly followed Ignitia and the two younglings crouched down and stalked their potential prey through the tall green grass.

They tried to recall what they had seen their parents do when it came to hunting.

Their stomachs were inches from touching the ground, their gazes were as sharp as arrowheads, their backs and tails were straight, their wings were folded tight against their backs and their heads were foreheads while they crept through the tall grass; they kept their breathing quiet yet rhythmic to prevent themselves from breathing too hard and possibly scaring off their prey and they tried to make it so their steps didn't make any noise whatsoever. Their steps were slow and careful but it was difficult to maintain their own silence as their youthful anxiety began to get the better of them.

Idly, unaware of the fact it was being watched, the sheep bleated.

"Baaaah…"

Then the two winged reptiles pounced.

Unbeknownst to either one of them, they had pounced at the very same time.

They had lunged straight towards the grazing sheep…but missed.

They went soaring over the sheep and even collided once or twice, neither one of the two had the time to think before they were sent hurtling down the hill.

The two young dragons tumbled downwards as they rolled down the hill like little balls, their bodies bouncing a little each time they'd roll under a small hump or bump. They heard the lush green grass being crushed beneath their bodies and the wind howl in their nonexistent ears as they gained speed with each passing second. They both cried with discomfort simultaneously with each and every bounce and it didn't take long before they were both sailing through the air a final time.

They couldn't help but scream in perfect unison.

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH…!"

Then they found themselves falling into what looked like a ravine or river creek or something of the sort.

They heard a loud splash and their bodies were immediately freezing cold and wet.

Their worlds were abruptly plunged and submerged into the darkness of an unconscious mind. They had blacked out with no idea what was happening, why this was happening, what state they would be in, whereabouts they'd find themselves and when they were going to reawaken from this impromptu yet unwanted state of sleep.

They blacked out the instant they hit the water.

A/N: Heres a new chapter of Shadow scales!

Sorry it took awhile to update, I have been a bit busy.

So here we see that not only does Ivor air out his feelings about becoming a big brother but he also seems to have a chat with Ignitia about other things while Terrador goes through feelings of nostalgia and upset. Not only that but Ivor and Ignitia wind up getting separated from the group and going on ANOTHER adventure in a strange land they have never been before.

Will they find the others?

What dangers await them this time?

Stay tuned to find out!

-Chloemcg