Chapter Thirteen Between Lightning and a hot place
The silence that engulfed the group following Glory's confession could only be
described as eerie. Every dragon was silent for different reasons however. Toothless
was staring at Glory as if she was the missing piece of a puzzle, which she was. She
was the final Guardian they had been looking for. Toothless was filled with shock yet
relief at first, but a sense of doubt filled his mind, at the idea that Glory hadn't
admitted this fact earlier. This doubt wasn't filled by betrayal as Sisu or Spyros were,
rather it was filled with speculation, as to why she hadn't presented herself as the
Nightwing Queen when they had first met. Was she ashamed of this fact? Toothless
could only ponder for a moment longer though, as the dragon who was most
shocked and enraged by this news made his confusion apparent.
"WHAT?" Charizard roared, causing birds to scatter in fear. "That's impossible!
You're a rainwing! How could you be ruler of the Nightwings?!" Glory placed a wing
over her head, suspecting that this was coming.
"About a year ago, there was an…incident with the Nightwing tribe." The guardians
turned to see that Pineapple was still there. "Their tribe needed a new home, and
Glory agreed to let them if they accepted her as their new queen." Glory nodded in
agreement, yet she didn't look proud or even happy about that fact. "Their old queen,
Queen Battlewinger, didn't approve though," she elaborated, before looking out
towards the forest. "She died when the volcano erupted." While Toothless didn't need
an explanation, and Spyro frankly didn't care, Sisu started to put the pieces together
"Oh. OH!" she cried, looking at Glory with wide eyes. "So you're the one we had to
find!" Spyro rolled his eyes, but Charizard didn't notice, as he turned towards Sisu in
disbelief. "WHAT?! NO she isn't! The prophecy called for a dragon who's 'mystique
fills her flight', not a dragon who sleeps in the light!" Both Sisu and Spyro had to
muffle their laughter, while Toothless winced a little, as Glory's scales changed into
shades of red. "Well I'm sorry If I'm a disappointment, but I'm not going to apologise
for protecting my tribe." She then directed her attention towards Sisu and Spyro, who
immediately ceased laughing and regained serious expressions. "If you ask me, I
would double check your prophecy, since I've had my fair deal of prophecies which
have ended up fake." Charizard's tail erupted, as he clenched his snout in fury.
"This isn't some amateur conducted riddle, this is the safety of every realm and
dragon who inhabits them!"
Toothless could tell things were going to get worse if this discussion continued, and
after what had happened in Warfang, Toothless didn't want to waste time arguing.
"Look, it doesn't matter what the prophecy says." he insisted, getting between Glory
and Charizard. "If Glory is the queen of the Nightwings now, then that means she's
the last Titanwing we need right?" Before Charizard could respond, Glory's scales
shifted to a combination of blue and white with undertones of green. "Woah, woah
woah, hoard your scavengers," she demanded, putting her talons in the air. "First of
all, I can safely assure you I am not, repeat, NOT going anywhere with a group of
dragons I just met." She pointed accusingly towards the four, causing Sisu to place a
talon against her chest. "Second of all, how can you even be sure I'm the 'titanwing'
you've been looking for? We don't even know what Titanwings are!" Despite seeming
hurt by Glory's remark, Sisu steped forward with a pleading look."Please your
majesty. If you don't help us, then this could happen to every dragon in this forest." In
response, Glory turned towards her with a dumbfounded look.
"You think I don't understand that?" She rebounded, the panic she was feeling now
evident in her tone. "That's why I should be here to protect my people, instead of
running off with a bunch of strange dragons to do who knows what!" Now Toothless
himself was starting to panic. It had been tough to win Spyro's favour, but it seemed
less and less likely they were going to persuade the rainwing queen. "Queen Glory, I
understand how you're feeling." Toothless appealed, with Sisu turning towards him,
sensing the desperation in his voice. "I was in the exact same boat as you when I
learnt about the prophecy and the existence of the realms." Before Toothless could
continue, Glory turned towards Toothless with an accusing look. "Then why are you
here?" she demanded, as red flashed through her scales. "Why didn't you stay to
defend your friends? To defend your family!" Toothless moved his head back, as his
eyes widened at the memories of losing Stormfly and Light Fury materialised. As the
pain set in, Toothless looked away, shutting his eyes and clenching his teeth in
agony. Engulfed in sympathy, Sisu nuzzled herself against Toothless, entwining her
tail with his. Glory saw that she had taken things too far, as her scaled changed from
rebellious red to melancholy blue and white. "I'm- I'm sorry I didn't mean it like that,"
she remorse, before hanging her head and sighing. "it's just…"
"Guys!" Spyro shouted, causing every head to point upwards and look at the purple
dragon. "Why are we even fighting about this? If this Elderess guy is the one who
can awaken our powers, can't we just travel to him right now and then come back."
Sisu turned towards the boy, and nodded in enthusiasm.
"That's a good idea, Spyro. Charizard, how many crystals do we…" Sisu's voice
halted as she turned to face Charizard, only to find the fire dragon was no longer
there. "Charizard?" Toothless, Spyro and Glory also turned towards where Charizard
had been, before looking around, seeing no signs of him. "Where did he go?" Spyro
questioned, as Toothless looked around frantically.
"Your weird fire dragon?" Deathbringer questioned, causing the guardians to turn
towards him. "He left while you were all arguing. Went that way." As Deathbringer
pointed out in the forest, Spyro stomped up to him with an annoyed expression. "You
think maybe you should have told us that earlier?!" Toothless didn't care however, as
the Night Fury immediately jumped off the platform, flying into the forest below.
"Charizard! Wait!"
…
Despite being unsure of his master's desires, once Kandikis was fully informed, he
understood completely, despite his initial shock. "All this time," Kandikis started,
while looking at the ground. "This entire time, he tricked everybody." Malefor did not
respond, yet he, Sentinel and Gargoyle Light Fury looked at him in silence, as the
fallen dragon pondered. Then he chuckled, before the chuckle gave way to a laugh,
and after a few moments, Kandikis was laughing like an asylum patient. "Of
COURSE!" he cackled. "It all makes sense now! What deceitful intelligence!"
Malefor's glare intensified, as he watched the scene unfold. "Now you understand
the truth, my servant." Malefor amused, as Kandikis turned towards him. "Indeed I
do, and fear not, your majesty," Kandikis proclaimed, bowing elegantly as his ropes
moved in sync with his body. "I will not fail you." Malefor shadow altered, as the
shape of his fist clenching became clear. "Ensure you do not. Once the guardians
are dead, find Elderess and his temple, and gather as many crystals as possible to
fuel the shadow Ether for my return." Hearing Malefor's demand caused Kandikis to
go wide eyed, as he looked up in awe. "You…you will return to the living realm?" As
Kandikis looked in shock, Malefor turned towards the sky, watching as smoke exited
the volcano's walls. "For many generations, I have watched as the realms have
forgotten me and my power, all because of those who denied me my destiny."
Malefor turned towards Kandikis and his troops, who all hung their heads in respect
for their master. "But now they're perfect worlds have become fractured without their
guidance, and amidst their chaos, I will claim my revenge and fulfil my purpose."
…
By the time Toothless had caught up with Charizard, the sun had well and truly set, casting
darkness over the Rainforest kingdom. This partly worried Toothless, given the Drunn would
be more active, yet his frustrated confusion prevailed. "Charizard!" the disgruntled Night Fury
roared, receiving no response from the prevailing fire dragon. "Charizard, where in Berk are
you going?!" Toothless roared, unaware that Sisu and Spyro were following behind.
Charizard didn't stop, yet he replied bluntly to the Night Fury's question. "To find answers."
Toothless' mouth dropped in confusion. "What are you talking about?" He shut his eyes,
lifting his wings against his head as he gritted his teeth. "You said to yourself it's not safe out
here at night, so why are you journeying off into a forest in the middle of the night?!"
Charizard grunted, as he tilted his head towards the Night Fury. "That Rainwing can't be the
last guardian! It goes against all logic that she's even queen of the Nightwings!" The fire
dragon's reasoning caused Toothless to grit his teeth harder. "Arrrgh! That's why you're
wandering around here! Look, whether or not she's the guardian or not, going to who knows
where isn't any better!" Charizard didn't respond, and Toothless looked up at the fire dragon
in desperation. "Do you even know where you're going!" Charizard turned his head once
more, yet didn't stop. "A rainwing said the Nightwing village is just across a river ahead. I'll
find answers there." Toothless was in disbelief. Charizard was going to get himself, or worse,
the rest of them killed or turned to stone, all over some vague words apart from a piece of
scripture. Toothless knew reasoning wasn't going to work, but there was one thing he could
do to stop the fire dragon.
"No!" Toothless roared, causing Charizard to stop in his tracks. Sisu and Spyro looked
between each other with worried expressions, as Charizard turned towards Toothless with a
dangerous expression.
"What did you just say?" A streak of flame left the dragon's mouth as he growled, and while
Toothless cowered slightly on the inside, he stood strong and kept his ground.
"I said no," Toothless repeated in a firm tone, standing up tall and straightening his wings by
his side. "As king, I forbid you from going on a wild goose chase on your own." Charizard
rose an eyebrow, before smirking in an unfriendly tone. "Oh, so now you decide you want to
be a king." His smirk then disappeared, as smoke exited the gaps between his teeth. "How
ironic it's to sabotage the very reason you're here in the first place!" Toothless flared his
wings open in response. "The only reason I came here was to save my family!" Toothless
stopped for a moment upon realising what he had just said, before frowning and shaking his
head. "You know what? Yeah, you're right! I don't care about being king! I didn't even want to
be king in the first place!" The Fury's revelation shocked Sisu. She thought Toothless' pain
had only been due to him being separated from his home, yet she never would have
expected the problem to be this deep. "Then why did you listen to me?" Charizard roared, as
he fully turned around with an enraged yet confused expression. "You could have journeyed
into the realms on your own, yet you helped find the Guardians, so you are their leader!"
Toothless' frown lowered with an expression of doubt. "You don't believe that!" he roared.
"You never believed that! From the first moment we've met, you've doubted every action I've
made!" Now Charizard's brow lowered, as his tail flame began to grow. "I did! But I followed
you because I needed you! Because you were the only chance I had of even salvaging this
prophecy!" Charizard then turned around, clutching his face as he shut his eyes in
frustration. "But of course, just like everything else, that's gone up in flames!" Toothless
audibly groaned, rolling his eyes so hard they could leave his head. "Oh for the love of, WHY
do you care about this stupid prophecy so much?" Toothless demanded, before marching
right up to Charizard back. "What could be so blastedly important, that you've been
shovelling than crap down our throats for days on end?!" Without warning, Charizard's tail
flame exploded, as the dragon spun towards Toothless with bared teeth.
"BECAUSE MY FAMILY BELIEVED IN IT!"
The forest fell silent for a brief moment. Not a single animal was audible due to the argument
between their predators. Toothless was staring at Charizard with a shocked expression,
while Sisu and Spyro were also watching from the back, with wide eyes and gaping mouths.
"You want to know why I'M here Night Fury? Because my parents decided it to be so!"
Charizard's tail had set a few weeds on fire, yet a moat of mud that surrounded the patch
prevented the blaze from spreading. "From the moment I hatched, I was chosen as the
dragonet who would be taught in the ways of the guardians, and as a result, I never even got
to meet my family." Steam began to emit from Charizard's eyes, and the fire dragon's voice
began to crack."And guess what, I never will, because that SNAKE of a dragon killed them.
Every last one of my kind is gone, and this prophecy is the only thing I have to avenge their
memory, and to make Kandikis SUFFER for what he did to them!" Charizard's last roar
caused echoes to bounce through the forest, yet Toothless stood still, frozen in shock.
Charizard glared into Toothless' eyes for a moment, before huffing a sigh of smoke. "But that
doesn't matter to you right?" The fire dragon lifted in wings as he backed away. "All you care
about is getting your perfect little world back, right?" Toothless didn't respond, as Charizard
just shook his head in disapproval. "You wouldn't have a clue of what it's like to be on your
own!"
Charizard only became aware of Sisu and Spyro's presence when the dragoness winced,
likely guessing what would happen next. However, instead of exploding in rage, or attacking
the fire dragon. Toothless looked towards the ground, with a look of sadness. "You think just
because I have friends and family, I can't feel alone?" Toothless then lifted his head,
retractioning his teeth in the process. "I've lost my wife, my home, my best friend" Toothless
paused, glancing away as the pain started to materialize. "I saw my own mother impaled
through the chest as a hatchling, and she was the last Night Fury I ever saw." Sisu covered
her mouth as she gasped, while Spyro looked on with a shooken look. Charizard's angry
expression had faded, morphing into one of realization. "Yet I know she'll always be with
me," Toothless continued, as he fought the pain. "And so with Stormfly. And Light Fury. And
everyone I've ever lost. That's how I can keep going. Because I know they would want me
to." Toothless turned towards Sisu and Spyro, who had thought the Night Fury was unaware
of the presence beforehand. "They would all want us to keep fighting, not for vengeance, but
to protect others." Toothless then turned back towards Charizard, who was incapable of
responding. Toothless simply looked at the fire dragon with a determined frown. " I'm going
to fight for, not because I'm they're king, but because it's the right thing to do." As Toothless
finished, he turned around and walked back towards the Rainwing village. As Sisu and
Spyro parted to let him through, Charizard was unsure of what to say. "Toothless wait, I
didn't-" His words faltered as Sisu looked back at him, with a disgusted look on her face.
"Sisu, talk to him," Charizard requested, with a pleading look, to which Sisu just snarled.
"Don't worry, I will." She then turned around and followed Toothless, leaving only the fire
dragon, and the purple dragon, who watched the other two leave. "Charizard shook his head
in frustration and regret, gaining Spyro's attention, who walked up to the fire dragon, who
towered over the boy. Charizard noticed however, and extended his talons in a reasoning
gesture. "Spyro, listen. You've been searching for your kind for ages. Surely you must
understand my predicament?" Spyro simply tilted his head, as he gave the dragon a
disappointed look. "Yeah, I do," he responded bluntly, before turning around and walking
away. "But I'm not sure you do."
As Spyro followed after Toothless and Sisu, Charizard hung his head in defeat, unaware of
the rainwing who had been camouflage, watching the whole scene play out. Despite still
being unsure about these 'guardians', Glory could now see they were genuine, despite all
logic or knowledge of how the world worked. Despite understanding where Charizard was
coming from, she couldn't help but relate to the 'Night Fury'. According to what she had
heard, he didn't want to be apart of this prophecy, yet was going along with it to save his
family. He made it sound like it was elfish, yet as Glory turned her head, she couldn't help
but reflect on herself.
…
Although Toothless didn't have too much of a head start, Sisu still struggled to catch up to
him, due to the darkness obstructing the forest's surroundings. The Night Fury eventually
heard the dragoness' commotion, and stopped so she could catch up. Flicking a beetle off
her tail, Sisu paced up Toothless with an apologetic smile on his face. "Are you okay?" Sisu's
question resulted in a small smile from Toothless, reflecting on when she asked him the
same thing back in Kumundra. "Well, I've been better, but I'm not terrible." Toothless fake
laughed, as Sisu's sombre look grew. "I'm sorry Charizard dug into you like that." She hung
her head as she spoke."I should have stood up for you, but I just…froze." Toothless turned
his head, as his face broke in sympathy. "Oh Sisu. None of that was your fault." The water
dragoness lifted her head, meeting the Night Fury's eyes as he smiled. "Sometimes dragons
have to face battles on their own, and that's what I had to do." Sisu nodded in response,
before clutching the Night Fury's paw. "I'm going to help you get your family back, Teeth. No
matter the cost." Toothless raised his eyebrow, chuckling in response. "Teeth?" he
questioned, as Sisu snickered in embarrassment. "I'm guessing that's my new nickname?"
Sisu turned her head, closing her eyes as she shrugged. "Hey, if we're gonna be a team, you
should have one, right?" Toothless titled his head and gave a toothless grin. "Well, I guess
you make a point, Horns." Sisu burst out laughing, as Toothless soon joined in at the
idiocracy of that nickname. An extra chuckle behind the two caused them to spin around,
finding Spyro leaning against a tree behind them. Despite his best effort to hide it, Toothless
could tell Spyro was puffed from catching up with them. "Don't think you guys are going
alone." He finally managed to say with a smirk. "It's gonna take a lot more than some
grumpy fire dragon to tell me what I can or can't do." As Spyro finished, the figure of Glory
suddenly appeared beside him, shocking Toothless and Sisu. "That makes two of us," she
added, causing Spyro to turn around and jump in shock. As Glory approached Toothless, he
bowed his head slightly. "Your majesty, about what happened before…" Toothless paused
when Glory lifted her talons. "No need to explain. I saw that whole situation play out." Sisu
looked in shock realising Glory had followed them, whereas Toothless simply gave a relieved
smile. "So now you see we weren't lying?" Glory simply gave a sly smile in return. "I now
know you're either committed con artists, or that this prophecy really is important to you."
Toothless rolled his eyes in response, as Spyro emitted a small chuckle. "So what if it's the
ladder?" Toothless questioned, as Glory's scale turned a mixture of dark blue with patches of
orange. "It means until you can help ensure the safety of my home and loved ones, then I
am not leaving you out of my sight," Glory proclaimed, before playfully adding "your majesty."
Toothless once again chuckled as his fins rustled. "Very well your majesty. Good to have you
a part of the team."
Arriving back into the platform, Glory had informed Deathbringer of her decision, much to his
displeasure. "You can't be serious!" he cried. "You can't seriously believe their story, or that
you're actually going with them!" Glory rolled her eyes in response, as her scales expressed
a mixture of yellow and green. "I've been through far worse Deathbringer," she insisted,
receiving a not at all convinced look from the self appointed guard. "Yeah, most of which you
only evaded because of the help of other dragonets!" He pointed accusingly at the
guardians, who stood at the side watching. "How can I be assured they will protect you?"
Before Glory replied, Spyro stepped forward, causing all eyes to fall on him. "Sir
Deathbringer," Spyro proclaimed, in an over the top serious voice. "I swear that if Glory does
not return to you unharmed, then you may track us three down and murder us." Sisu gulped
as she reached for her throat. "Yikes! I never agreed to that?" Toothless just smiled, as he
walked up to Glory, and brushed a wing next to hers. "Don't worry. I'll ensure nothing bad
happens to her." Although still doubtful, Deathbringer's hostility eased, as he locked eye
contact with Toothless. "Make sure of it," he instructed, as Toothless nodded in response.
Rolling her eyes at Deathbringer's spectacle, Glory turned towards the other guardians. "So,
where do we find this 'Elderess you guys were talking about earlier?" Before Toothless could
start, Sisu suddenly jolted up in panic. "Oh no! The crystals!" Toothless spun toward her, as
she looked back to him with frightened eyes. "Charizard has the transport crystals. Without
him, we can't travel to Elderess!" Toothless growled in response, shutting his eyes as he
didn't think about that earlier. As Glory and Sisu exchanged glances, Spyro could once again
be heard chuckling, and as the three looked at him. "Come on. Did you really think I didn't
take precautions?" Reaching into his mouth, he pulled out four crystals, enough to get the
four back to the Temple of Dilation. "Wh-when did you -" Toothless started, before Spyro
lifted his wing and answered. "Not Important." Glory looked at Spyro with admiration. "You're
a lot more capable than you let on, boy." Glory's comment resulted in Spyro shaking his paw
deva style. "It's a part of my charm," he started, before Toothless added, "Packaged with a
talkative mouth." Spyro frowned as Toothless smirked. "Shut up," he demanded, without
turning towards the Night Fury.
As Spyro handed the crystals towards Toothless, a loud explosion suddenly caught the
attention of the five dragons. Cries of terror followed before Deathbringer jumped out of the
window, followed by Glory, Toothless, and the others. A pair of rainwings suddenly appeared
in front of the group, who both matched each other with their pale white scales. "Your
majesty! The village is under attack!" one cried, before another added. "They just appeared
out of nowhere! From a distance, they looked like statues, but then they started moving
and…" Toothless lifted his paw to hush the dragonets, passing Glory as she looked towards
him in shock and confusion. "Is there a river nearby," he asked the queen, who nodded in
response. "Then tell everyone you know to shelter there," he instructed the two dragonets,
who looked towards their queen in confusion. Glory nodded, and as the two lifted into the air,
Glory once again looked towards Toothless. "Good job on keeping your promise," Glory
quipped, before looking in distress towards the chaos, alongside Toothless and the others.
…
The sounds of terror also caught the attention of Charizard, who had just reached the
nightwing village before the commotion had stopped him. Multiple Nightwings were exiting
the huts in confusion and fear, and when Charizard saw the occasional flashes of purple in
the distance, he immediately realised they had been found. Turning back towards the village,
the question that lingered in Charizard's head was whether or not he was about to go
through with what he was thinking.
A bit of a shorter Chapter, as I'm currently finalising the ideas for the third act of the
story. Stay tuned.
