While,Both Blayz and Max were Hugging,Blayz's Ear began to Twitch,To an Unfamiliar Sound,In the Distance.
Blayz,Immediately,Stopped Hugging Max,When He heard It,as He looked Around Him,For the Source of the Sound.
"Hey,What's Wrong?" Max asked,Concernedly.
"I'm starting to think,We're not the Only Ones Out Here...Wait Here," Blayz said,as He stood Up,Grabbed his Sword,And,Took Off,Running towards the Sound.
"Wait,I'm coming with You," Max warned,as He followed,After Blayz,Both leaving the Campsite.
Finding Something,Blayz planted his Clawed Feet,Near a Bunch of Small Footprints,In the Sand,as He knelt Down to Sniff the Tracks,Before,Beginning to follow Them.
Blayz and Max followed the Small Tracks,All the Way,To a Small Grassy Area,as Blayz began to Sniff the Air.
"Wha-What is It?" Max wondered.
"There's Something Out Here. Something,That,I haven't sensed Before," Blayz informed.
Blayz's Ear,Then,Twitched,Again,To a Sound,That was Coming,From a Patch of Tall Grass.
"Blayz..." Max called,Fearfully,Being Worried of,What was in the Grass.
"Stay Back,I'll handle This," Blayz whispered to Max,as He pulled Out his Sword,Ready to Attack,Whatever It was.
Blayz approached the Grass,Very Quietly,With the Sword,Still,In Hand,Ready to Attack,And,Once He was Close Enough,He took One Good Swipe,as the Tall Grass was Cut Down.
As He cut the Grass Down,A Small Creature with Butterfly Wings jumped Out of It.
"Heyyyaaaah!" The Creature Screamed as He charged at Blayz's Snout,Making Blayz fall Backwards,On his Back.
The Creature,Quickly,Regained Consciousness,And,Realized,What He was Laying On.
"Aah! A Dragon!" The Creature shouted as It leaped Off of Blayz's Face,And,Hid Behind the Nearest Rock.
"Whoa,What the Heck in Science Fiction was That?" Max questioned to Blayz,Seeing the,Surprisingly,Cute Creature Cower,In Fear,While,Wanting to Know,What It was.
Blayz,Got Back onto his Feet,Slowly,as He tried,To Process,What had,Just Happened.
"I'm not Sure,But,It doesn't seem to be Very Hostile," Blayz answered.
"Oh,Yeah? It sure knocked You on your Butt,Pretty Good," Max commented,as He laughed at Him,For It.
Blayz,Being not So Amused,About the Very Thing,That,Max was finding Funny,Looked at Him,With a Raised Eyebrow.
"I'm Glad,You find That Funny,Max. Now,Help Me Out,In Dealing,With This...Whatever This Thing is," Blayz responded,Firmly.
The Creature,Then,Popped Its Head Out,From,Behind the Rock,Looking at Blayz and Max,Nervously.
"Please don't Eat Me,I...I taste Really Bad," It pleaded.
"Hey,Little Guy,Don't be Afraid. Are You Okay? Are You Hurt?" Blayz requested,Softly,Before, Asking the Little Creature if It was doing Alright.
The Creature,Feeling a Little Reassured,That,It was Safe,Came Out,From behind the Rock,And,Approached the Two of Them.
"Y...Yes,I'm Well and Good," The Creature replied.
The Creature,Then,Began to Continue Talking to the Two of Them,as It started to feel More and More Comfortable around Them.
"Say,I haven't seen Anything like You Two,Before,You're not,From,Around Here,Are You?" The Creature continued.
Blayz and Max looked at Each Other,In Confusion,Then,Turned Back to the Creature.
"We could ask You the Same Question. Who are You?" Blayz wondered.
"And,What are You?" Max interrogated.
Hearing That,The Creature decided to Introduce Itself,So,They would know,Who He was.
"Oh! I'm Sorry. Where are My Manners?" The Creature responded.
"It's Okay,Don't Worry about It," Max reassured,Happily.
"The Name's Aidan,And,I am an Aleum," Aidan announced,Proudly.
"A What?" Max responded,Still,Feeling Confused about What He was,Clearly,Not knowing,What an Aleum was.
"An Aleum. A-L-E-U-M. Got It Memorized?" Aida answered,as He repeated Himself,And,Spelled It Out to Max,Before,Asking Him if He had It memorized.
Max,Still Looking Confused,Turned to Blayz,To Ask Him,What It was.
"Blayz,Have you heard of These Things Before?" Max questioned.
"Actually,I've read about These Guys,During My Time in the Peacekeepers Academy. They're a Species of Butterfly Dragons,Hailing,From,A Borderworld of the Dragon Realms,Known as Monastacia,They come in All Sizes and Their Magical Powers are Second Nature,Compared to Our Own Magic," Blayz explained,Answering Max's Question,With a Very Detailed Answer.
"Wonderful,Is There Anything Else,That,I don't Know About?" Max complained,Sarcastically.
"Well,I,Once mated with a Sheep during My Puberty Days," Blayz replied,Casually.
Max,Looking at Blayz,With a Look of Disgust,Opened his Mouth to say Something.
"Okay,THAT! I didn't need to know about," Max pointed Out,In a Disturbing Tone.
"Finally,Someone,Around Here,Actually,Gets Me! Man,It's like No One seems to Fully Grasp the Concept of-Oh! Is That Break," Aidan stated,Before,Seeing the Two's Food,as He shot Up,And,Flew Off,Towards Their Campsite,With Blayz and Max taking Off,After Him.
The Minute,Aidan got to Their Campsite,He began sniffing the Food on Max's Plate,About to take a Bite.
"Mmmm,Boy,I'm Starving!" Aidan declared,as He took a Bite Out of Max's Plate.
"Hey! Get Away! That's my Breakfast," Max commanded,Pointing Out to Aidan,That,It was his Breakfast,as He pulled the Plate Away.
Aidan,Having eaten Some of the Bacon Bits,Spit the Bits Out,From his Tongue,In Disgust,Not liking the Taste of It.
"Yuck! What Kind of Breakfast is This?" Aidan asked,Out of Confusion,Not seeing,How,That was considered Breakfast,as He stuck Out his Tongue.
"It's Bacon,Haven't You Ever had Bacon Before?" Max questioned,With a Raised Eyebrow,as He held the Plate,Up High,Away from Aidan,So,He wouldn't eat Anymore.
"What? No! It tastes like Greased Garbage," Aidan retorted.
"Hey," Max muttered,In Offense,Finding the Fact,That,He was Insulting his Favorite Food,Very Offensive.
"Ooh,I gotta wash This Taste Out of My Mouth," Aidan said,as He went Over to Blayz's Bag,And,Started digging Through It.
"Hey! What are You doing?" Blayz interrogated,Firmly.
"I think,He's Searching,Through your Bag," Max remarked.
"Hey! Get Out of There!" Blayz demanded,as He tried to get Aidan,Out of the Bag,By Searching for Him.
Aidan,Then,Popped Out of the Bag,With the Canteen of Water,In his Mouth,Before,Blayz,Quickly, Pulled It Out of his Mouth.
Aidan,Already,Having Drank Some of the Water,Used It to Wash his Mouth,And,Spit It Out,Into the Campfire,Immediately,Putting It Out.
"Ahhh,Much Better!" Aidan announced.
"Well,There goes Our Campfire," Max brought Up,Seeing the,Now,Put Out Campfire,That,They had.
"Have You Guys got Any Chocolate?" Aidan asked,Ecstatically.
"Alright,Listen,Pal,We don't have Time to Play Around like This,We're on a Very Important Mission to save the Universe,And,We need to get to the Skylands,As Soon as Possible,To prevent It,From Destroying Itself,You can,Either Help Us or Leave Us Alone," Blayz explained.
Aidan Snapped,In Realization,as He began to Tell Them,What They needed to Know.
"Oh,You need to get to the Skylands? Why didn't You,Just say So?" Aidan responded.
"Cause,You didn't Ask," Max added.
"Well,Unfortunately,The Only Way to get to the Skylands is,Through My Homeworld,Monastacia, There's Something There,That will get You to the Skylands,But-" Aidan elucidated,Explaining to Them,How They could get There,Before,Blayz interrupted Him.
"Cool,Thanks. We'll just be On Our Way There,Now. It was Great to Meet You," Blayz replied as Both Him and Max,Already Packed,And,Ready,Began to Leave the Site.
"Wait! Let Me come with You. I know the Path to get to Monastacia. Plus, I... I need Friends," Aidan offered,Really wanting to Come with Them,And,Not to be Alone,Again,as He explained his Uses and Reasons to Them.
"Look,Thanks for Your Help,But,We'll find the Way There,Ourselves," Blayz insisted as Both Him and Max continued to Walk Away,Leaving the Site.
"Oh...Okay,I get It,Nobody wants to hang Out with a Loser Butterfly Dragon like Me,Anyway. It...just... gets pretty Lonely,Out Here,For Me,You Know?" Aidan informed,Solemnly.
"Blayz,He sounds Pretty Upset,Maybe,We should," Max suggested.
"No,No,It's Fine,Go On,Leave Me Here Alone,It was Nice to meet You Guys,Truly. Good Luck on your Future Endeavors," Aidan requested to Blayz,Looking very Sad at Him,as He admitted to Them,How Much,He liked Meeting Them,And,Wished Them Luck.
"Aw,Come On,Blayz,He's Such a Cute Little Guy. Plus,I think,We can Use Someone like Him. Can We Bring Along? Please?" Max pleaded,Explaining to Blayz,About,How Cute He was,And,Why,He thought,He could come Along,as He whispered It to Blayz.
Blayz took a Deep Breath of Frustration,as He turned to Aidan,To Tell Him.
"Okay,Look. If You're going to Tag Along with Us,You're going to have to Learn to Stop being Annoying," Blayz notified,Firmly.
Aidan,Hearing That,Lightened Up his Mood,as He flew,Around the Two,In Excitement.
"Thank You,Thank You,So Much,You will not Regret This," Aidan thanked,Profusely,as He hugged Max,Tightly,And,Then,Hugged Blayz,Who,Gradually,Pushed Him Off.
"Okay,Then,Now,Show Us the Way to Monastacia," Blayz commanded.
"Oh,Right! Follow Me! This Way!" Aidan ordered,as He flied Ahead of the Other Two,To Show Them the Way,To His Homeworld.
"Why do I get the Feeling,That,This isn't going to Go very Well?" Blayz questioned to Himself,as Both Him and Max followed Aidan,Through the Desert,Towards Monastacia.
Meanwhile.
In the Forgotten Realms.
Malefor watched Blayz and Max,Through his Projection Pool.
"Excellent. Exactly,As I have Foreseen," Malefor declared,as He Laughed.
"My Thoughts,Exactly,Master. I have to Say,Manipulating the Child's Dream like That? I never thought,That,You had,That Kind of Power," Nightshade stated to Malefor,as He stood There,Alongside Him,Watching.
"I,Merely,Planted Seeds of Doubt into his Mind,And,When the Time Comes,He will bring the Core of Light to Me,And,I will become an All-Powerful Ruler of the Universe,And,Once I am,Nothing will stop Me,Not even Spyro," Malefor answered,as He turned to Nightshade,To Explain to Him,What He had Done,And,What He had,In Store.
"What about the Boy? What do You plan to do with Him,Once his Task is Complete?" Nightshade interrogated.
"Just like Gnasty Gnorc,Ripto and the Sorceress,He's Nothing,But,A Pawn,In My Plan. Once I have,What I want,I can,Either,Eliminate Him or Let Him live to be My Pet,It makes No Difference to Me," Malefor explained,as He Laughed,Wickedly,Before,Turning his Attention,Elsewhere.
"Speaking of Which..." Malefor mentioned,as He looked,Towards a Figure,Who walked Out of the Shadows,Revealing the Figure to be...A Female Dragoness.
"She's Beautiful,Master," Nightshade complemented.
"Yes,She is,Welcome,My Dear Child. Now,Then,Shall We begin?" Malefor said,To the Female Dragoness,Ready to Carry Out his Next Plan.