Chapter uploaded: February 9th, 2023
Last edited: August 21st, 2024
More Than One Heart
Chapter 2 - Soul Phrase
"…Where am I!?"
The young male voice called out into the void, but he didn't get any response. The gnorc slowly turned himself around in an attempt to ascertain his surroundings. To find something he recognized to ease his nerves.
This place was unlike anything he had ever seen before. From what he could tell, he was currently suspended high above the clouds in a dark valley that seemed to stretch on forever. Looking to the skies, he could see both celestial moons, Adrano and Zella, looming above him, but unlike any other night where the sight of them would help him relax, right now they looked almost threatening. As if they were a premonition of an imminent and unperceivable danger.
The looming sense of dread was completely overwhelming, causing the gnorc to stumble back in discomfort.
"I've got… to get out of here…!"
Steeling his resolve, he started to run away as fast as he could.
Minutes passed and his firm strides gradually grew sloppy as he became increasingly desperate to escape. But as he raised his head, he realized that he hadn't made any progress to that end. He could still see nothing for miles in all directions. It was as if the ground had been moving underneath his feet with him. He may as well have not run at all.
Then suddenly… There was something new that he wasn't expecting.
"Spyro…"
He couldn't tell if the voice was trying to comfort or threaten him, but hearing anything at all at this moment was enough to snap him out of his delirium.
A shiver crept up his spine as he came to a stop, now feeling completely powerless.
"…What? Who… Wh-What is happening?" he called out breathlessly.
"Spyro…"
"I'm HERE! …Just show yourself already!"
The gnorc turned around once more to confront the dark voice that kept saying his name. Unlike before, something was waiting for him this time. Instead of seeing both moons shining above him like before, only the green celestial body, Zella, was high in the night sky. And it had somehow grown in size to where it blocked out most of the surrounding stars.
"Wha… WHAT!?"
Falling to his rump, Spyro found himself engulfed in a powerful gravitational wave. With the moon so close to him, the force it was exerting was impossible to ignore, and the light it emitted forced him to turn away to shield his eyes.
"No… I don't want any of this!"
A tear fell down his cheek and he swore his body was beginning to bruise in several places.
"…Just let me go."
Out of nowhere, he felt a smooth paw gently caress the top of his head. Opening his eyes, he saw a person at his side, looking down at him. Had Spyro been standing upright, the mysterious figure would have only come up to his shoulders.
"Ikiro…" they whispered calmly. Their voice sounded young yet mature, as though this wasn't a scary experience for them. How anyone could act so calmly in the midst of what felt like the end of the world, he couldn't begin to understand.
While the word itself was foreign to him, Spyro could infer a lot from their tone. It was hard to make out their face through the blinding light, but Spyro could just barely see that they were smiling with those pale blue, almost grey eyes. There was a warm, comforting quality to them, but it also felt ominous, and he didn't like it.
"What are you saying…!?"
Instead of answering, the person turned around to face the green moon and slowly walked in its direction, without saying a word.
"Come… back." Spyro tried to reach out and get them to stop. His vision was starting to get hazy as he struggled to stay focused. "Get… back here, DAMN IT!"
Gradually, the figure vanished from sight.
The instant they disappeared, a second, stronger light suddenly covered the open field, enveloping Spyro on all sides. His mind grew foggy and he lost all feeling within his body as he drifted into unconsciousness.
'No! I don't… I… CAN'T…!'
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The young gnorc's eyes snapped open.
The blinding white light was gone, and he found himself lying on a familiar bedspread with his face buried in a massive pillow. Like a piece of paper being placed over an open flame, the dark valley disintegrated before his eyes, giving way to a wooden attic.
Sitting up and looking outside the only window in the room, he saw both the red and green masses in the sky with no irregularities to speak of. The two of them worked in tandem to cover the village in a calming blue glow, devoid of any threatening doomsday scenario.
He was safe at home, back in Terrace Village.
"The hell…!? Since when are dreams THAT realistic?" he muttered while rubbing his forehead. He laid back down on his pillow and tried to go back to sleep. "Is it too much to ask to go a night with NO interruptions…?"
"Spyro? Are you all right up there?"
Instantly, the teenager shot up. He had apparently been making a lot of noise in his sleep, and it had woken up his parents. Or at the very least, his mother. And if the footsteps were any indication, she was coming upstairs to check on him now.
"No! Watch your step!" he tried to call out to her, but it was too late.
Whether it be due to laziness or a lack of care, Spyro had yet to clean his room last night, and every surface in the attic was littered with various gadgets and other equipment that fueled his countless hobbies. A variable minefield for anyone who didn't know how to navigate it.
His warning came too late, and his mother stepped on an arm gauntlet that he had been tinkering with recently. The moment her foot landed on it, an internal mechanism activated and a short wooden blade protracted out of a hidden compartment in the wrist, striking her in the leg.
Spyro winced and tensed up. Even if the blow hadn't been enough to pierce her tough skin, he could already hear the inevitable scolding he would be getting now.
"This is why I always tell you to clean up after yourself," Nina said through gritted teeth as she tossed the gauntlet to the side.
Spyro didn't say a single meaningful word in his defence. Normally, he would have had a witty response prepared that would cause her to roll her eyes, but he wasn't motivated to give any of his usual quips right now.
Sensing that Spyro was feeling listless, and remembering the actual reason she came up to his room, Nina carefully tiptoed her way across the floor and sat on the bed next to him.
The two sat in silence together. Nina didn't press him to talk about what had happened; she respected her son enough to let him speak up when he was ready, just like always. After what felt like ten minutes of silence with him trying to find the correct words, he finally opened his mouth.
"Is this normal? Growing up, I mean…"
Nina sighed in a pacifying tone.
"I wish I had an easy answer for you… It's different for every person, no matter who they are. Life is unpredictable in that way."
The young gnorc fell silent again.
"There was something more to the dreams this time, wasn't there, Spyro?" He raised his head with his mouth open, instinctively ready to respond. "I thought so…"
Noticing the lingering hesitation in her son, Nina pulled him in close, hugging him as gently as possible and running a hand down his back.
"Voices," he muttered from within her grasp.
"Hm?"
"I've been hearing a voice talking to me the last few times. It calls out my name, and sometimes preaches stuff to me like it knows who I am… I usually just yell at it to shut up before it finally leaves me alone."
"And that scares you, does it?"
"Scare…" He pondered the feelings he experienced during the dream. It didn't feel right to condense it all down to one word. But even if he tried, 'fear' wasn't the first thing that came to mind.
"It's moreso I'm overwhelmed. I want to 'wake up' so bad that I lose control of everything."
Nina caressed her son's cheek earning a coo from him. Despite the "tough guy" image he worked so hard to maintain, Spyro still always melted under her touch.
"Don't let it weigh you down, Spyro. You're a strong gnorc, stronger than you even realize. And you'll always have people by your side to support you. You won't ever be alone."
A memory of the dream flashed in his mind.
The short figure with grey eyes.
'That's right… even then, there was that one person…'
Nina held him for another five minutes. By then, Spyro's mood had calmed down significantly.
"It's well past midnight now." She leaned in and kissed him on the forehead. "You should try to get as much rest as you can, Spyro. Keep in mind, both you and your father leave early tomorrow."
Spyro frowned slightly. In recent months, he rarely got to see his father as their schedules had few overlaps. Tomorrow wouldn't be any different from the sound of it.
"Right… If I don't see Dad tomorrow, could you say 'goodbye' to him for me?"
"Oh, I don't think you need to worry about anything. If you get to sleep now, you should still bump into him."
"Really…!?" he sprung up with newfound energy.
"Yes. But only if you get to sleep now."
"Roger that." Spyro smiled while waving two fingers out in a mock salute.
Nina chuckled at the sudden change in his behaviour and bid him good night before leaving. Gradually, the footsteps died down, leaving Spyro to his thoughts once again.
He laid back down, tossing the blankets over himself.
"That said, I doubt I could get to sleep anymore. Unless just having your eyes closed even counts as sleep…"
He rolled over onto his side, still very much awake. He repeated the same action minutes later. His brain refused to settle down and focused on any and everything it could. The temperature of his body, the subtle buzzing of the dragonflies outside.
Sleep was all but impossible.
"Nope! This isn't going to work. I need something to take my mind off of things."
Getting up out of bed, Spyro slid over to the other side of the room and leapt up to the attic ceiling. The roof was just as disorganized as the floor below, the gnorc not wasting any available space on hand.
Settling down on a wooden rafter, he picked up a small portable music player and scrolled through his expansive collection to find something to distract him from his growing headache. Dozens of song titles flew by as he browsed through his virtual library. Many were from old and outdated genres, but they all had a place in his heart.
Eventually, Spyro settled on a track to listen to. Placing the headphones over his ears, he closed his eyes and relaxed his heavy mind, not caring that he was subtlely mumbling along to the lyrics or making elaborate gestures with his hands in time with the song's rhythm as the night went on.
"Write me an endless song (When you let go)
I feel so alive
I can hear my soul's PHRAAASE! (I'm walking my way)
Now, write me an endless song. (When you let go)
I feel so alive…
As we soar across the edge of the darkness…!"
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A warm light broke through the window, hitting the gnorc directly on the face.
"Mrgh…?"
Rolling over to shield himself from the morning light, Spyro was quickly reminded that he wasn't resting on his bed at the moment.
Spyro yelped as he fell from the rafter. He was able to latch onto the wooden post in time, preventing himself from falling all the way to the floor, but his headphones weren't as lucky, and fell from his head, landing in the mountain of clutter below.
"That… didn't hit the guitar, right?" he winced, "I don't think I'm mentally prepared to go an entire month without it!"
He slowly lowered himself to the floor, too tired to perform any complex acrobatics on the way down. With Sol already in the morning sky, Spyro knew he had less than an hour to get ready.
"Okay! Deep breath…" he inhaled slowly.
"Light stretch…" he flexed his spine back and then leaned forward to touch his toes.
As he rose back up, his expression had sharpened and was devoid of any drowsiness.
"And… let's do it!"
The gnorc immediately got to work preparing himself for the day.
Many years had passed since Spyro was brought into the realms, and in that time, he had grown into a strong and healthy gnorc. Standing up straight, he stood just shy of two metres tall with a build that was very muscular and powerful. He had a mane of golden hair that he typically styled into a mohawk, creating the appearance of a trail of yellow flames running down his spine.
Spyro, however, had many physical attributes that set him apart from the rest of his kind, beyond his powerful physique. His underbelly from the neck down had a thick layer of gold plating that added to his bulky appearance, and two crooked golden horns jutted out from his skull. But what stood out most of all, were the two large, ruby-red bat wings that adorned his back, and his long muscular tail.
Feeling lazy, Spyro decided to use rift magic to get dressed.
Gripping his right wrist and holding it in front of him, a purple glow suddenly enveloped his arms. He quickly flicked two fingers on his right hand in a long series of directions. Once he finished the combination, he released his grip and thrust his hand outwards. The purple glow grew more intense, covering his entire body. When it died down, the clothes he had been wearing the day before materialized on his body, as clean as they had been previously.
A tight-fitting white tank top hugged his torso, greatly accentuating his broad chest and shoulders, and a pair of rich black pants covered his legs. In addition, a black cape with a golden trim was tucked underneath a large belt, wrapping around his waist and flowing down past his knees while parting around his tail.
It wasn't uncommon for adolescent gnorcs to wear punk-inspired clothes. Spyro, himself, loved how it simultaneously made him look both imposing and stylish. And as a result, he tried to incorporate that style into most of his vesture. Fortunately, his parents had no objections to his choice of clothes, provided he didn't take it too far, saying things along the lines of "letting him be a teenager while he has the chance".
Teenager… Spyro mused silently on the derisive word as he put on his arm gauntlets.
For reasons nobody knew, Spyro has had the physical appearance of someone in their mid-to-late teenage years for over a decade now. He had seen many people in his life grow up and mature. His childhood friends were now full-grown adults, with their lives seemingly all figured out. Some even had kids his apparent age! Yet, he always stayed the same as time went on.
On one hand, a part of his mind was brimming with arrogance at his apparent immortality; it could feel very liberating to have his childhood last for so long. But the other, more rational side, was concerned. Why was he always the one gnorc that was different from the rest?
Looking into the taxonomy of his species, and seeing how… varied they were, he could excuse his wings, horns, and tail. But this was something else entirely. He had tried asking many times around the village for an explanation, but no one could ever give him a clear answer. He knew that nobody was hiding anything from him, however. There were no secrets to be had amongst gnorcs!
Maybe it had something to do with that strange dream or the voice in his head…
"No, no, no– That can't be it." He rubbed his temple in irritation, "Argh! Snap out of it, Spyro! Nothing will come from worrying about it now."
With that, he threw on the final piece to his wardrobe, a sleeveless black jacket that he always wore open and with the collar popped. Regardless of how young or old he actually was, Spyro had no intention of letting go of his signature look. These clothes felt as much of a part of him as his wings or tail, and he'd keep wearing them well into adulthood if he could get away with it, whenever that would be.
Now finished with getting dressed, he turned to the mirror to look himself over one last time. Instantly falling in love with what he saw, Spyro couldn't help but pose to see his reflection from another angle… And then he turned to the other side while flexing one of his powerful arms… Then from behind while spreading his wings.
This went on for at least a minute as he flaunted his impressive body to himself in as many ways as he could think, each time being more elaborate and vain than the last.
"You are one ~sexy~ beast, you know that?" He puffed his chest out, causing his tight shirt to protest and threaten to rip. "Yeah, it's a curse. It's almost scary how good I am!"
Spyro took great pride in both his figure and his abilities, especially when gnorcs were normally known to be very rotund. However, due to being raised in a community of brash and assertive people who valued self-confidence above all else, his pride quickly developed into a massive ego that only grew bigger each year.
Pumping his thick arm in front of him, Spyro took a moment to admire the tattoo on his left bicep. It showed four claw marks that joined together to form a wing, much like the ones on his back. Spyro had had this mark on his arm since birth, and while it initially bothered him, over time, he grew to love the unique and striking design and decided to have it inked. And now, he proudly showed it off to the world, treating it like his own signature emblem.
Finally done admiring himself and satisfied with his appearance, Spyro left the attic and headed downstairs.
As he entered the dining room, he saw his parents either in the middle of breakfast or doing morning chores. He was happy to see that his father hadn't left yet, but from the looks of things, the adult gnorc was already halfway finished with his food, having started early. Combined with the fact that he needed to hurry up himself, Spyro knew they wouldn't be able to spend a lot of time together before they both had to leave.
'Unless… Yeah! That could work!'
With a new plan in mind, Spyro entered the room and wished his parents a good morning before leaping into an open chair beside his father where a stack of greasy-looking food was already piled up on a plate waiting for him. Not wasting another second, he tore into his breakfast as fast as he could physically manage. His father chuckled at the sight.
"Late start to the beginning of the week, huh? The weekend goes by so much faster for you now, doesn't it, bud?" His father said in between bites of toast.
In the years since becoming a father, Flash had changed a lot physically. He spoke a lot clearer, no longer using a thick accent full of slang, and his overall physique had changed in some ways, having gained some muscle from physical labour.
But at the end of the day, he was still a gnorc, and carried all the excess weight one would expect from his kind and then some. What was considered morbidly obese for most species was completely normal for them, as all gnorcs had the strength needed to support their impressive bulk. Flash was a prime example of this, as evident by his massive, round belly that hung over the waistline of his already large pants by a great amount, making him potentially the heaviest gnorc in the entire realm.
"Understatement of the millennium!" Spyro replied with his mouth partially full, mirroring his father's large appetite. "Three days is not enough time to do anything! I don't know how you manage it with, like, two!"
"Who says that I do?"
The two shared a loud laugh.
Like Spyro, Flash spent a lot of time away from home. The gnorc's natural affinity for machinery had inspired him to join the Gear Grinder's guild not too long after his son's birth, and his talents were in high demand across the realms. Especially in recent years, when many species had to rely on traditional electricity-powered technology while minimizing their use of magic. What this resulted in was Flash often leaving the village by ship, and coming home very infrequently.
Spyro was halfway through his plate when his mother spoke up.
"Spyro, from what I understand, you've been well-fed every day that you're away. Do you still want me to pack these dinners for you?" she said, gesturing to a stack of premade meals she prepared for him, resting next to a leather travel bag.
Spyro chuckled at the suggestion. He paused his meal briefly to help her sort out his belongings.
"What? And miss out on your meat and potato stew? Are you kidding!? You know it tastes better when reheated!"
Across the table, Flash was gazing at his son while lost in thought. He had briefly been told about the night before, about how Spyro was tormented by weird visions in his sleep. Yet right now, Spyro was full of life and energy as if nothing had happened. Deep down something was telling Flash that there was more to Spyro's behaviour than he was aware of.
From a young age, Spyro hated bottling up his emotions, opting to let his feelings be known to the world instead. If something was truly bothering him right now, he would actively choose to talk to them about it. It was possible that whatever was going on in his life was so new and difficult that he didn't know how to go about it. This and many other subtle changes in the teenager have been cropping up over the past few months, around the same time they had arranged private lessons for him.
Spyro had been open—excited even—to the idea when they first brought up the possibility of him getting additional physical training beyond what they were able to provide him at home. But once he found out that he would have to take extended time away from the village, he began to show signs of discomfort. He had spent his entire life amongst other gnorcs, and he wasn't comfortable venturing out into the world on his own. It took extra persuasion from his parents and new instructors to convince him.
In recent months, Spyro had seemingly settled into the routine of leaving the house every third day by himself and returning on the weekends to recuperate, and the results spoke for themself. But ever the over-protective parent, Flash couldn't help but worry.
In the time Flash had spent pondering, Spyro had returned to his food and finished eating.
"And… Done!" He slammed the plate into the sink. "All right, I've got to get going now–Busy day and all that. Later!" He gave both his parents a warm hug before darting off.
Both adults blinked in confusion. He spoke so fast that they barely had time to process everything that just happened. Flash made sure Spyro had left the room before turning around to face his wife.
"Did something else happen last night?"
The look she gave told him that she had the same suspicions. The two sat down as Nina went over everything in more detail.
"I see…" the male said as she finished talking. "Sometimes I wonder if it'd be best to stop his training now."
"Would that really be the right thing to do?" Nina questioned, "There's more to it than him getting exercise. He needs a good environment to nurture his instincts and learn to take care of himself for when that time comes. He won't get the life experience he needs by being cooped up in the village his whole life."
"We're his parents. We should be more proactive in his life…"
"Flash, our son isn't a little boy anymore. He turned 54 this year! We've done more than most people could have dreamed of in our position! But that doesn't mean we have to be the only people in his life helping him grow."
Flash leaped to his feet, cutting her off.
"I know, I KNOW! But… he's my son! I hate seeing him like this… I want to be there for him."
He quickly realized that he raised his voice and sat back down, his cheeks both flushed pink in embarrassment.
Nina giggled and gave him a quick kiss.
"I know, dear. And there's nothing wrong with that."
The male's blush deepened to where he had more red on his face than purple and his eyes glossed over.
"Nina! Not in front of… Oh, right." He remembered that Spyro wasn't in the room anymore. "Where did that boy run off to in such a hurry? I didn't hear the front door close, but I don't think he's still in the house."
"If I had to guess, he's trying to make up for lost time. He did wake up very late, after all."
"Our boy acting responsibly at home without us reminding him? What is the world coming to!?" Flash said sarcastically. He then gathered his own belongings and headed over to the front door. "But he does have the right idea. I have to head out now, myself."
Kneeling down, Flash slipped on a pair of knee-high black boots. They were tall and heavy, adding a few centimetres to his already impressive height. He then pulled on a pair of tight-fitting black leather chaps over his blue pants, which were held in place by a belt with a massive buckle. Finally, after grabbing his padded arm gauntlets, he threw on a familiar, well-worn leather jacket.
Even after several decades, some things about the gnorc hadn't changed.
Within minutes, Flash was fully dressed in his riding gear and ready to head out. His clothes carried a permanent scent of both grease and sweat, but he didn't particularly care. If anything, the scent was nostalgic. It gave him a sense of both pride and confidence.
"Have a good time at work, dear," Nina said from across the room with a loving smile. The male's face went red again for a brief second.
"R-right, same to you. Er-I mean, have a good day here… Ahh! You know what I mean!"
"Do I? …Yes. Somebody has to." Nina giggled.
Flash quickly left the house before he could embarrass himself again.
Stepping out into the brisk breeze, he plodded over to the garage to get his bike. His vehicle of choice was obvious to anyone who knew him, especially when he was dressed as he was now. Some would even say Flash's passion for bikes he developed late into his young adult years was what inspired his occupation in life, as you just couldn't keep him away from machines for too long.
Unlocking the garage door, he was met with an unexpected sight. Leaning up against one of the two bikes was a certain purple gnorc with red wings and golden blond hair.
"Spyro!? What are you still doing here?"
As it turns out, he hadn't left immediately and had been waiting here this whole time. Unlike Flash, Spyro had no reason to ride a bike to get to where he needed to be, as he had an even faster means of transportation at his disposal. But that didn't mean he could afford to waste a lot of time.
Lifting his head to face his father, Spyro waved a hand around in a heedless gesture.
"Yeah, yeah. I know Dad. But…" he fiddled with the handlebar of the vehicle behind him, "Just this one time, can we ride in together? At least as far as the docks?"
"You wanna ride in with me? 'You sure we– No, you have the time for that? I don't want you getting in trouble with–"
"I can worry about that later, okay!? Besides, it takes me all of a minute to get there. I can still make it!"
Flash looked back at his son. The look in his eyes was firm and unflinching like a true gnorc. He wanted this more than anything right now and was prepared to face the consequences, or at least try to mitigate them. While it was true that their lives didn't allow them to see each other often, this was a very last-second attempt to get some father-son bonding time.
Despite this, Flash himself had just admitted that he wanted to have a more involved role in his son's life in any way he could. It was almost as if the Ancestors had granted him that wish… and he wasn't about to pass up such a blessing!
"Sure thing, bud," he said with a toothy grin. "One ride won't be the end of the world as long as we're quick."
Spyro's face lit up and he quickly tossed his father a black helmet with a built-in visor. Before Flash could catch it, a burst of purple light enveloped the teen. Once it settled down, Spyro emerged fully clad in black biker gear of his own.
In addition to mirroring everything Flash was wearing, Spyro took it a step further by including several more layers of thick black leather to his outfit. The most immediately obvious additions were the sleek black pants, a vest that hung loosely over his jacket, and a thick shoulder strap to tie everything down. This was all for style and had no beneficial application, but Spyro was adamant that it made him look more striking.
A cocky look appeared across the teenager's face as he strutted forward with a wide stance and overexaggerated swagger as if he owned the place. Smug and arrogant, he was completely unrecognizable from before.
"Quick? 'You know who you're talking to? I was…"
He flicked on a pair of sunglasses.
"…BORN to ride!"
Flash grinned as he got on his own vehicle and started it up, letting the engine purr to life. Spyro followed behind him moments later.
His bike, the SuperCharger, was his pride and joy. He had customized it extensively under his father's guidance throughout the years, and he treasured the beast it had become.
As the bike powered up, the front and rear wheels pulled in, letting the anti-gravity systems take over and glowing a powerful blue in the process.
"Let's rock!"
With that, the younger gnorc sped out of the garage, driving fast enough to pull up onto the rear wheel alone as he tore off down the street, with the adult following in his wake.
Terrace Village, while still small compared to other populated areas within the realm, had developed significantly in the past decades, now large enough to be considered a town or small city. It was early into the day, meaning the village was mostly still asleep, and they effectively had the whole road to themselves. At some point, Spyro pulled back, letting Flash take the lead.
Everything felt so nostalgic to him at this moment. Spyro often looked up to his father as a role model, imitating him from a young age and picking up many of his hobbies. Many close friends of the family even referred to him as Flash's younger clone as he grew up.
He could still remember the time he had first tried riding a bike with his father. It had only taken him a few days to get the hang of everything, but he always lagged behind Flash when on the actual road, at first. The sensation he was getting now was the same as back then.
His goal was right in front of him. Something he wanted to become… and surpass!
Leaning forward and putting more into the gas, Spyro rocketed past his father in one clean motion, leaving him behind in the dust.
"It's been too long… I've missed this feeling!"
Time escaped both of them as they drove the rest of the way. Before they knew it, they had arrived at the port.
Flash was the first to dismount his vehicle. He looked around to see several people swarming the docks making sure everything was in place and ready for departure. In the distance, he saw some crew members waiting for passengers like him who had important and/or heavy luggage to be checked in, with a few of them being familiar faces. He was about to ask one of them to take care of his belongings when he spotted a face he recognized.
"What a coincidence. Hey, Spyro! It's–" As it turns out, Spyro wasn't beside him anymore. Looking off to the side, he saw the teenager reclined against a stack of crates with his arms crossed and looking around idly. "What are you doing back there, Spyro? Come out here!"
"Sparx is working today, isn't he?" the teenager huffed in annoyance.
"…Yes? Is that a problem? You two are best friends, aren't you?"
"Well… at one point, maybe. But things are different now! He's all grown up and…!"
"Hey, Spyro!" a new voice called out. The person Flash had seen, the same person they were just talking about, had noticed them and was coming over. With a groan, Spyro emerged from behind the crates to face the taller, green male.
"HeLLO, Sparx…" The purple gnorc's face and mood had completely deflated.
The two had grown up together since the latter's birth, the pair sharing a love for loud music and were known to get into trouble more than once. But the gnorc in front of him now was unrecognizable from that friend so long ago.
Sparx stood just as tall as Flash, was dressed far more presentably and, in place of his old troublemaker personality, he had what could best be described as an uncle's sense of humour, something Spyro detested and made worse by their difference in size and apparent mental age. It felt so wrong to be teased like this by a childhood friend…
"Hey, you've grown a lot more since I last saw you. It's got to be… a sixteenth of a centimetre now?" He bellowed before poking Spyro in the stomach. "Well, you are gaining some weight at least. But what's new, am I right?"
"It's all muscle!" Spyro bristled. "And I keep telling you, I'm going to hit my next growth spurt any day now!"
"Mhmm. Sure. You say that every time, but with an appetite like yours, it's only natural that you'd be growing horizontally instead."
"Ugh… Why do I bother?"
Flash let out a small chuckle, breaking the two up from their 'reunion'.
"All right, Sparx. Lay off him. Spyro's obviously yet to have any real growth spurt," Flash ignored the glare that was sent his way, "but you can't call him big either. Heck, he's never developed the natural belly all us gnorcs have. His excellent training is to thank for that."
"Oh yeah!" Sparx beamed. "You mentioned before that you and Nina were sending him off for martial arts lessons or something like that. How's that been treating you, Spyro?"
"As well as it could, I guess. I already knew how to fight, so I don't always have a goal in mind…" Spyro didn't bring up the new regimen he was undergoing at the moment. It was something he didn't need to share with the world, and he knew Sparx wouldn't have any meaningful input.
"Hey, a gnorc who can't fight is no gnorc at all!" Sparx proclaimed, "But still, it's good to see you putting your attention towards something, Spyro. You've been… I don't know, aimless these past few years."
"So I've been told…" Now that they had moved past the teasing, Spyro felt comfortable with at least holding a conversation with the larger gnorc.
"Well anyways, we should get going soon." Sparx reached over to collect Flash's bike and travel bag. "Run along, purple boy! …Oh! And be sure to slip my name to your teacher!"
Spyro laughed loudly at the image that painted in his head.
"Sure thing, dude. I look forward to seeing just how black your eye will be once I do that!"
Hopping back onto his bike, Spyro gave his father one last parting look, to which the adult responded with an encouraging thumbs up.
"I'll see you again soon," Spyro whispered.
With a smile on his face now, he tore off down the road in the reverse direction he came in. The large ship behind him took off into the air minutes later.
Spyro knew the drive back home wouldn't be as pleasant as before. As much as he loved his bike, it could only be so engaging when he was limited to driving throughout the same small part of the realm they lived in. He knew every road by heart now, and he had a good reason to not go out into the world on his own. What this led to was him relying heavily on external factors to get his heart racing whenever riding. Getting to spend that extra time with his father was a perfect example.
Ten minutes into the ride, Spyro's eyes wandered upwards. Sol was hanging higher in the sky than he had expected. From what he judged, the morning was already halfway over. Looking around, he could see more activity in the streets and several other residents of the village were awake and going about their lives. At some point, he had lowered his speed into a gentle cruise, not paying attention to the passing day.
"Damn. That took longer than I thought…!"
Revving his bike once more, he sped down the road at higher speeds than what was legal in the area.
Eventually, his house came into view. Right as he approached the garage door, he jerked the vehicle back, powered it down, and vaulted off the seat. The change in momentum was enough to spin the vehicle around and park it perfectly in its previous spot. The young rider broke into a sprint the instant his boots touched the ground.
"Gotta be quick…!"
Spyro ran into the heart of the village faster than he even knew possible, actively seeking out shortcuts when he could and at times even running along the side of walls and over the rooftops. Even if he was smaller than the rest of his kin, Spyro wasn't puny by any means, and his strong frame made navigation at a steady pace difficult. His muscles tensed, straining tightly against his form-fitting clothes as he sped up.
With the speed of a cheetah and the raw power of a rhynoc, he slipped past many pedestrians and moving vehicles. He didn't stop to hear their reactions to him forcing his way through the large throng. No doubt they were all startled or angry at him, but he had no time to stop and apologize now.
He was a force of nature. A meteor of purple and black.
At last, he arrived in a dark alleyway hidden from the rest of the village. Coming to a stop, he turned his attention to the large pile of debris and rocks carefully bundled up on the floor. As he walked closer, the rubble started to levitate on its own, letting Spyro catch his breath for a few seconds as a magical portal materialized. The stones fell into position and the supernatural energy stabilized itself, as a blurred image appeared in the small opening.
A massive forest with the word "Lycanus" emblazoned above it.
No sooner was the portal complete that Spyro jumped through, letting the magic teleport him out of the gnorc village and across the world to that exact forest.
Travelling via magic portals was an extra-sensory experience that Spyro doubted he would ever get acclimated to. It was as if he had become a beam of light, devoid of any weight, and sipped across the world at impossible speeds.
It was magical in every sense of the word.
Looking around himself, he saw the familiar emerald-green ocean and the similarly green skies of his home beneath his feet and above his head, respectively. The wind pushed up against him as he soared through the air. Even if he couldn't use his wings to fly, nothing was stopping him from indulging in that fantasy in moments like this. Spreading them out, Spyro would pretend to glide like a bird, doing the occasional flip to the side or pretending to shoot a fireball from his maw at the clouds that passed by him.
Gradually, the green skies around him turned a dim blue, and the large ocean was replaced with a grove of enormous trees. A more gentle breeze caught his wings, breaking him out of his fantasy, the strong scent of the forestry also letting him know that he was approaching his destination.
With one last burst of speed, he emerged out of the other portal and landed in a small opening in the forest.
"All right, almost there!" He exclaimed as he got back onto his feet, "If I keep up this pace, I can still–"
The realization hit him as he looked at the eerie scenery encompassing him. In his hastiness, he had forgotten that to navigate through the Forever Forest safely, he had to follow specific directions given to him, and an important detail in those instructions was that they were made with a fixed, walking pace in mind. He couldn't run the rest of the way, which all but guaranteed he would be late now.
The sound of rocks crumbling behind him suddenly caught his attention. Turning around, he saw the portal he had just come out of had collapsed. Magic portals were inherently very fragile, and setting up two of them on opposite ends of the world was something that couldn't be done whenever you wanted. As it was right now, Spyro couldn't return to Terrace Village for at least a few more days. For the time being, this was his home. And it also meant there was no turning back and avoiding the inevitable.
Letting out an angry groan, the gnorc straightened himself out and continued on.
Each and every tree in the forest reached high into the air, threatening to breach the clouds above, blocking out most of Sol's light. Even at this time of day, one could easily mistake it for a late night due to how overwhelmingly dark it always seemed to be. Spyro was not afraid of the ominous forest, having taken the occasional stroll beyond his designated pathway, but he knew better than to wander off on his own for too long. The Forever Forest was a mysterious entity that had a mind of its own. Its exact layout seemed to magically change every night, forcing Spyro to relearn the route to Lycanus every week or risk getting lost.
What's more, the wildlife that lived within was unlike anything you could begin to imagine. Large beasts that could kill a person with so much as a stomp of their foot, predators that thrived in the shadows that could strike you down before you even spotted them. Even if Spyro could, in theory, hold his own against these creatures, he'd inevitably get lost the moment he turned his back. Nobody would hear from the purple gnorc ever again.
Eventually, the dirt pathway beneath his feet faded away, blending in with the green grass. The gnorc pulled out a small note from his bag to refamiliarize himself with the directions and kept walking.
"Two minutes at the set speed… Don't turn until your path is fully blocked. Angle yourself against the opening in the shrubbery… And keep going until the scenery has stabilized and you recognize where you are…"
As he walked, he could feel the presence of someone watching him. He quickly flicked an eye over to the trees above while not veering off from his course. No visible signs of movement, but the feeling was strong, and he had an inkling of what or rather who it was.
Even if they couldn't be seen, several inhabitants of this realm were out there protecting their homes from intruders and dangerous wildlife. It also meant that they saw Spyro every time he came through.
"Getting close…" The gnorc's suspicions didn't go away for the rest of the walk.
Eventually, Spyro came to a stop and called out to the forest.
"Okay, you can come out now, Luke. I KNOW it's you."
Over the past few months, one of the late-day watches, a young adult wolf named Lucas, had reached out to try and befriend the young gnorc, even abandoning his duties temporarily to greet him in the evenings. Or as was the case now, try to "ambush" him.
Everything lined up perfectly in his head. Spyro had gotten used to Lucas' habits and knew that he was only moments away from–
A surge of wind broke him from his thoughts.
Reacting to the sudden surprise attack, Spyro leaped backwards into the air, launching himself out of the way. His travel bag slipped off his back in the process, falling to the earth below.
With the added weight now gone, Spyro's body spun gracefully through the air, with his leather vest fluttering in the wind. Sensing that he was about to collide with a nearby tree, Spyro widened his stance, landing cleanly against the large trunk with his feet while using his wings for added balance.
In the split second before gravity could pull him downward, he looked below to see a large cloud of dust where he had just been standing and a blur of blue and white that was mostly camouflaged in the dim light of the forest.
"Just as I thought…"
In one quick movement, Spyro launched himself off the tree at the wolf he knew was Lucas. The canine was ready, and brought his fist out, causing the two of them to clash together. A massive sonic boom rang out around the area as they exchanged blows, neither of them wanting to actually hurt the other, only to force them to yield.
As formidable as Lucas may have been, Spyro was faster and stronger. The wolf eventually backed off to create more distance, to which the gnorc threw out one final kick upwards that he followed through into a backflip. Lucas was able to dodge in time, but now airborne and defenceless, his assault was over.
Spyro continued his trajectory backwards and, while still soaring through the air, opened his arms and wings as his travel bag fell back into place, the four limbs slipping through the arm straps mid-rotation before he landed cleanly on his feet.
A smirk appeared on his face as the intense winds died down.
"Man, Luke! You should just not even bother anymore!"
Across from him, the wolf stood up with a look of annoyance. Lucas, like all wolves, was taller than Spyro and wore high-quality clothing that was a mix of blue, black and gold. Most notably, he had the traditional black mask common to his species tied around his eyes.
"It's not my fault you keep getting better," the wolf folded his ears back and scratched the side of his head, "I'm more surprised you knew it was me so early."
Spyro shook his head and crossed his arms.
"Dude… Stealth was never your strong suit. I could hear the creaking of the branches the whole time. You're the only one I know that does that."
As much as he tried to hide it, Lucas flinched slightly from Spyro's gaze; something that the gnorc noticed. Spyro had gotten used to this kind of reaction, not just from Lucas. Gnorcs like him all had a particularly intimidating mien, primarily due to the permanent fierce look in their eyes and their bulky frame. It was even more potent in his case due to his enormous wings.
He found it ironic that he was able to intimidate a wolf of all people. Their entire species were very firm and unflinching. But then again, Lucas was never the most formidable of wolves.
"I've been working on it! I just… don't get as much time to practice lately. Sirius has had me on guard duty in the mornings now in addition to my usual shifts!"
"Hm? The alpha's finally cracking down on you?" Spyro smirked mischievously, "About time, I'd say!"
The wolf whined in mock hurt at the jab before adopting a more serious tone.
"All right, all right. Enough about me, Spyro. You should head in now." He gestured to Spyro's backpack, "Keep in mind, you still have to unload your stuff at home."
"Right. I still have to do that…" he sighed, "Okay, let's go."
The two walked the rest of the trek together, making small talk along the way. Talking to someone like Lucas did wonders to calm Spyro's nerves, his agitation from a few minutes ago being temporarily forgotten.
"Has it really been that boring for you lately? I'd expect you to at least get some action out here."
"Well, I guess that's true. There has been some unusual activity in the area recently. Nothing we couldn't handle, though!"
"'Unusual activity'? Ha! You make it sound so ominous, dude! You think there are apes all the way out here or something?"
"Eh-heh… No. Fortunately. (And I hope it stays that way!)" The wolf said the last sentence under his breath, low enough for the gnorc to not hear him.
Eventually, the pair arrived at a large stone entrance hidden among the trees. Two more wolves dressed identically to Lucas were standing guard, both of them bearing irritated frowns on their muzzles.
"Spyro! Why are you so late?" the first one barked as they approached.
"Was Lucas causing you problems, again?" the other asked, annunciating the name with a level of contempt. The wolf in question shrank in on himself in fear. Acting fast, Spyro spoke up before Lucas could get punished for his own tardiness.
"Woah! It's nothing like that, guys! I just… had something come up at home. Luke had nothing to do with it!"
"Didn't he? You two seemed awfully relaxed just now, and your clothes are all dirty." Unlike Lucas, this guard wasn't intimidated by Spyro, and his red-on-black eyes met the gnorc's blue ones, daring him to make up another excuse. Any inaccuracies in his tales would be instantly sniffed out.
"Neither of those statements prove anything. I'd actually say they're both perfectly reasonable! We're friends, and we were walking through a dirty forest."
The wolf grunted in response but said nothing. Spyro was about to continue arguing his case, but Lucas sheepishly interjected before anything could be said.
"Um, shouldn't Spyro… head in now? He–" The wolf guard turned his glare over to Lucas, "h-has a long day ahead of him…!"
The guard begrudgingly backed down with a huff. Drawing out a small amount of his inner aura, he waved his paw over the entrance, dispelling the illusion concealing it. He then gestured to Spyro to walk inside before focusing back on Lucas. The gnorc muttered a brief apology to his friend before heading in. The voices of the three wolves faded into the background as he disappeared.
"This isn't over, Lucas."
"It wasn't my faaauult…!"
A warm light greeted Spyro as he entered the city. While it was morning in Terrace Village when he left, it was evening in this part of the world. And the orange glow that enveloped the place was a welcome change after being in the dark forest for so long. As his vision adjusted, he took in the familiar sight of what was essentially his second home.
Lycanus, the city of the wolves.
It was easy to forget that it was hidden within a dense forest and almost entirely isolated from the rest of the world. Large structures littered the entire city with every modern accommodation one could need. Being that the city had existed since ancient times, there was a distinct rustic charm to the place, but at the same time, it was anything but old-fashioned.
The wolves were living in luxury. Especially compared to the gnorcs.
'How did Mom and Dad get connections to this place, again!?' Spyro mentally asked himself.
He threw his hands into his pant pockets as he continued along the stone path. The metal accessories adorning his clothes jangled loudly with each step. As he walked, he looked around at the canines going about their daily lives. Evenings and early mornings were the times of day when they were most active, and today was no different with the amount of activity all around him. Several stores had their doors open, and he could see certain displays set up. Spyro hadn't been inside every building so far, but he had passed through enough times to feel familiar with his usual route and not have to pay full attention anymore. As big as the city was, it felt impossible for him to get lost.
The local blacksmiths were all hard at work designing new and better weapons for the pack, with the latest models on display out front. Their latest masterpiece appeared to be a broadsword made of a rare green mineral. Durable and deadly, but the weapon itself was very impractical unless the user was adequately trained in using larger weapons.
From the looks of things, the hunting squad had also returned with a successful capture and could be seen walking through town in their heavy combat gear. All of them wielded weapons twice their own size and weight while carrying back wild game that dwarfed all of them combined.
Being that it was late in the day for them, many families were preparing dinner. Appetizing scents wafted through the air, especially when he passed by one of the busier taverns in the area. Spyro saw a few wolves enter the building as he passed by, briefly stopping to return their warm greetings.
Even beyond his species, Spyro stood out horribly amongst the canines. His clothes and headstrong personality always attracted a lot of attention. However, everyone in the city knew him by now, so the only ones who still gave him odd looks were the young pups with their insatiable curiosities.
Continuing along the main road, he saw his destination come into view. A large temple that ate up a considerable amount of space, standing several stories tall and built from fine polished wood, and with several noticeably aged golden statues decorating the base. The dojo was arguably the most important building in the city, with every wolf dedicating a large portion of its life within its walls. They had an almost religious dedication to physical fitness that Spyro couldn't match. He respected their determination, but in the same breath, he didn't want that level of commitment forced on himself.
Standing at the temple's entrance was a female wolf, slightly older than Lucas. The presence she gave off was so strong that even Spyro could see stray embers of her blue aura as she meditated. It was his personal instructor, his master, Sapphire. And she didn't look too pleased.
As he approached the wolf, she opened her yellow eyes to face him.
"Spyro, I believe I made it clear when you are supposed to arrive every week." She panned her gaze all over him. "Is there something you should explain to me?"
It was only now that he noticed that, in his haste, he had forgotten to revert out of his biker leathers once he got back home.
The weight of the situation suddenly hit him. Here he was, arriving several hours late, with a laid-back demeanour, and dressed in crude leather clothing that smelt of dirt and grease! The impression this gave off was no better than that of a recalcitrant thug who spat in the face of rules and authority. And he was presenting himself like this to his master!
"Sapphire– sir! I-I can explain!" A million excuses flew through his head, but he had strong doubts that any of them would work. He prayed that the months of good rapport he had built up would save him from any punishment.
Sapphire lowered her arms and stepped closer. The look in her eyes was enough to intimidate even him! She gave Spyro a cursory look and a few sniffs before backing down.
"You don't want to be here right now," she stated cooly.
"I hurried back as fast as I could! I-"
"It's as if you're expecting another big disaster if we continue from where we left off."
…That wasn't exactly what he expected her to say. But it was very accurate, nonetheless.
The way wolves could practically read your mind through body language alone was scary…
"H-How'd you know all that?"
"You've been under my care for a long time, Spyro. It's to be expected that I would have a good understanding of your mental fortitude by now.
"So? Are you going to answer my question?"
He scratched the back of his head while avoiding eye contact with the wolfess.
"Well, I don't know… I can already tell you my head's not gonna be where it needs to be." Sapphire stared in silence, calmly reading his aura. Without warning, she then reached over, grabbed his wrists, and began removing his arm gauntlets.
"H-hey!" Spyro instinctively tried to pull his arms back.
"One hour." She said blankly. He stopped resisting her actions as she spoke.
"Huh?"
"Clear your mind for an hour, get dressed, and then come see me." Now having removed both gauntlets, Sapphire turned to walk into the temple. "I will devise a new regime that will take your mind off those intrusive thoughts. It will be the two of us alone and with no distractions. Does that sound better?"
"…Y-yeah. I can do that."
The wolfess gave him one last pacifying look.
"Don't think any of this is your fault. Your parents want the best for you, and even if they don't say it, they know what you're going through."
"Yes, ma'am," he said slowly, still amazed at how much she was able to read into the situation without him explicitly saying anything.
Sapphire sighed, "Don't call me that, Spyro. I'm not even your elder."
"Heh… right." 'Physically, you aren't!'
The look in the wolfess' eyes told him that she had read the unspoken thought he just had, shutting him up.
Feeling more at ease, Spyro continued along the path to his house, as told.
Spyro's home was very deep within the lupine city. It was to the point where the vegetation was beginning to get thick again, making it hard to locate for anyone who didn't know of its existence. Eventually, he saw that familiar wooden building nestled beside a large cedar. Unlike every other building in Lycanus, which could easily house several individuals, this was designed for just him. It was quiet and isolated, but still within the city boundaries.
He walked up the pristine steps to the house and opened the door, knowing it had been unlocked for him earlier. The insides were as beautiful as always. The place had been well-maintained in his absence, and not a spec of dust could be seen on any of the floors or expensive furnishings. It was impossible to tell that the temporary owner of the house hailed from a place many would consider a swamp. And this wasn't anything unique to his home, as every house in the city was held to this high standard, only further emphasizing the difference in social class.
Stepping through the front door, Spyro set his belongings to the side and hung up his leather gear. An empty silence stared back at him as he wandered through the rooms, stopping by the kitchen first to put away the meals his mother had prepared for him and taking note of the recently restocked shelves and cupboards.
He picked up one of the fruits laid out on the table and chomped into it loudly as he walked over to the main bedroom.
"An extra hour to myself…"
It simultaneously felt like a lot of time, and no time at all. None of his numerous hobbies was something he could pick up quickly and devote only a few minutes to. Part of him contemplated going back to sleep to make up for the night before, but that wouldn't be a smart move when he was about to spend the rest of the day on his feet.
The bed he was provided with was another thing that had taken a long time for him to get used to. Rather than a rectangular mattress that you would lay flat on, it was best described as a layer of thick furs arranged in a massive circle.
Wolves, at least direct family members and close friends, were known to sleep together in a close huddle, using their shared body temperatures to keep warm. The furs did help slightly, Spyro knew that you'd sink into that warm ocean the instant you laid down, but he missed the simplicity of his bed in the attic. It didn't help that most of his belongings were in the gnorc village as well. He was always told that there'd be too many distractions if he brought all his stuff with him to Lycanus, so he only ever carried a few essentials with him.
In the end, Spyro flung himself onto the bed anyway, not caring if he actually got any rest.
"'Not my fault', huh? Why does everything have to be so cryptic?" he muttered as his eyes drifted.
.
.
.
"Thou live thy life with stagnant motivation. There is more to your life than what you aspire to become."
The gnorc snapped to attention, frantically looking around the room to find the mysterious intruder.
'Not again…! Who is that!?' The voice didn't sound real to him, almost supernatural. Yet it resonated with him almost as if it were his own voice.
"Your future… it lies beyond the land of green waters. Accept the reality of your existence!"
"Shut up!"
The gnorc threw one of his pillows at the wall in frustration, only for it to hit the ceiling above him and fall back down, with him catching it on its descent.
"I don't know who you are but don't think you know who I am. You're not me. You got that!?"
The mysterious voice went away as quickly as it appeared.
Suddenly feeling more motivated, Spyro pounded a fist into an open palm in anticipation.
"You know what? I think I'm going to enjoy blowing off some steam today!"
A/N
So, here's the second chapter!
Not much has changed from the original upload, prior to the move. I mainly just reorganized certain paragraphs and expanded certain sections.
The next chapter is the first original one since the "reupload", and I'll be introducing a certain human (not OC) character then! It's already up, so go check it out!
Until next time, farewell!
-AzureDragonZX