FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 17

He rounded the corridor, tired and somewhat annoyed by the constant noise coming from downstairs, It isn't new for him, he was raised in a palace, noises were just as common in the night as they were during the day. Something he should have probably get used to years ago, but somehow couldn't force himself to accept the situation.

Oh the horrors royalty has to bare through.

The noises from downstairs were as loud as every mobilization of forces he led or participated in. It was usually the latter. Whatever forces weaving from threads of Fate be damned for their injustice.

When he took the threads into his own red paws everything became so much more to his liking, little setbacks and nuisances aside.

People saying that they put their lives in the hands of Fate, or saying that whatever will be, will be make him sick.

Spineless bastards.

The noises however remained infuriating as ever.

He reached the staircase, the burning tip of his tail casting red light on the walls, everyone that would look at the fiery illumination would believe that a fire just broke loose on the upper floors of the Guest Quarters.

Guest Quarters.

Sleeping in a real bed was a great reward, finally the comfort he deserves. Lately everything pleasant that happened always occurred without his trouble making niece around.

Oh the horrors royalty has to bare through.

"Who are you?" he heard a cautious, baritone voice coming from below as he descended down the stairs, voice that belonged to no one else but Terrador himself

He stopped, carefully tucking his burning tail behind his body, minimizing to the best of his ability the fiery glow it was emanating.

The event once again reminded him of the many interesting things that happen when his trouble making niece isn't around.

Sometimes threads have the tendency to slip from your grasp, yet not long enough to make a difference. Quite a fascinating twist that holds back boredom.

Oh the horrors royalty has to bare through

*

"What do you hanker to express in prevalent way by verbalizing legacy?" Volteer asked hectically, tongue waggling so quickly as if had a mind of its own

Danox looked at the amber dragon, smiling pleasantly, dark eyes rolling in his eyeballs, everyone decently intelligent would see turning clockwise, small arrows in those eyes, pointing in every direction. Their size clearly pointing out the importance of some dragons that are in this room.

"In vain is the mill clock if the miller his hearing lack " Danox said, dark, enchanting voice seemed to slip into every crack in the walls, filling the room with pulsing hesitation before accepting a devilish offer

Volteer looked at his old friend, hundreds of years of knowing each other formed an impossible telepathic bond. In certain situations words weren't needed to understand what the other was trying to say.

Part of Terrador's soul smiled when he looked into Volteer's eyes and read everything that was to read from them. Occasionally it was the most craved sort of communication when it came to dealing with his amber friend.

"Leave us please" Terrador meaningfully looked in the direction of the officer of this little unit

The commander wasn't capable or simply didn't want to hide his shock.

"Guardian! This is dangerous! This is a black-"

"I'm perfectly aware of the origin of our guest" the solid as rock voice of the Guardian cut off the protests of the officer

"If things will become drastic I believe we are more than capable of handling the situation. I thank you for your assistance, but it would be best that you turn your attention to our honorable citizens. They need your help more than we do"

The green dragon glared at the black drake, who didn't bestow on him even the tiniest piece of attention.

He hated the dick.

"Forgive me Guardian but I don't think this is a good idea" the officer protested respectfully

"Perhaps it isn't" Terrador replied casually "Nevertheless this is my order and I expect you to honor it as your office demands it"

The commander once more glared at the black dragon, as before Danox paid him no attention. His gaze remained unchanged, drilling into the obsidian skull.

"What should we tell the people?" the green drake hissed, anger was wafting from the small cracks of his clenched teeth like hot steam from an overheating boiler

"The truth. I trust you know what that means"

The officer looked up at his comrade that was still accompanying the Earth Guardian. With a nod of his head he called him to join the group.

With his unit at satisfied strength he turned around and opened the door.

His eyes widened when the first slit of light crawled through the crack the door created and reached the shadows their silhouettes cast on the floor. The shadows seemed to disperse to the sides, away from the growing ray of light, with a sharp sound, scuttling like small kittens from a hound that chased them to the wall where their coats bristled and they prepared to fight, hissing threateningly.

He blinked with a shake of his head, when his eyelids opened again the shadows were normal, the beam of light naturally vanquished the shadows, as a sun naturally disperses the night.

Eyes rose up as if walking across the invisible bridge created by the beam of light until they eventually landed on the source. He stared directly at the sun, the strong glow not blinding him even for a second.

"Boss?"

He jerked slightly at the sound of the voice, his eyes shut tight as he averted his gaze from the blinding light, his eyes burned through closed eyelids.

When he opened them his whole vision for a moment was replaced by a combination of yellow and white, brighter than any color he had ever seen.

For a fleeting second he prayed that the sun would never stop shining.

"Move" he grunted and left the City Hall with his comrades closely following him

People were already waiting for them outside.

The door closed.

The City Hall was once again covered with additional layers of shadows, so thick that it would be possible to touch them if there was someone brave enough to extend his hand.

"I hope you have a good excuse for hinting to exclude our guards" Terrador broke the silence with unhidden dissatisfaction

"Mundane and insignificant pawns have the irritating habit of impotency to cope with something beyond the spheres of their limited understanding. Twisting and jerking in a futile attempt to expand that always ends with misspoken words and distorted facts. Paranoia and psychosis are insufferable time stallers"

Danox smiled, the somewhat alluring display of perfect, not overdone smile only added more unexplained power to the dark swoon of his well versed, slowly spoken words.

Something poked Cynder's heart, a dagger of infatuation, hitting every representative of a female gender at the sound of a male, breathy voice that says normal words but always covers them in an aura of mysteriousness and ominousness. Shaking the curiosity within that can be found in every heart, curiosity that demands to indulge into the dangerous and perverse. To see how it would it feel like to be naughty for a little while at least.

A feeling similar to someone leaning from the balcony of a high building and wondering, for one fleeting second how it would feel like to fall down.

That dagger however never renewed its attempt to bleed a drop from her heart, because it simply shattered on impact. A single dark eye that seemed to stare right at her put an impenetrable armor around her heart that prevented her from giving in to this sickening and completely perverse but at the same time so natural and familiar feeling of affection that wailed within her like tears in the eyes whenever she deliberately forgot about the onyx stare of the black dragon.

"Wow" Flare exhaled and paused before succumbing to soft giggling a moment later "He almost sounds like Volteer's younger brother!"

Both young dragons that stood at the fiery drake's sides smiled forcefully, gentle snapping sounds could be heard when their suddenly dried lips stretched.

"Calling someone an idiot using smart words doesn't make the insult any more tolerable" Terrador admonished the black drake sternly "I would advise against similar actions in the future"

Danox bowed in understanding.

"What do you hanker to express in prevalent way by verbalizing legacy?" Volteer finally blurt out, repeating the exact same words as before. Words came out from his mouth with the sound of many stretched to the limit bows, owners who spotted their enemy after hours of vigil

"I'm the spawn of your ideas and actions. Your every breath and step molded me into the creature I am. I am a milestone"

Volteer cocked his head, the neurons within his mind started to spark when with one quick jerk they were thrown into a spin of thoughts, like a hamster running against the walls of a constantly increasing in speed wheel.

His experienced and brilliant mind didn't get stuck in an unending and somewhat sadistic chase after his own. His cultivated with lore and bright thinking mind had no troubles with moving past the trampled by natural order paths.

Some individuals are extraordinary, he undoubtedly belonged to the group, his hamster was the only one able to run up against the spinning wheel, eventually locking its sharp teeth on the strands of coat standing from its ruffled by mental work rump.

"The part of earth's outward semblance, not overlaid by a material substance of water, the particular allotment of space, place of your hatching, what is it called?" the Electric Guardian asked, already knowing the answer himself

Danox smiled "Tales of your wit weren't only false praising I see" the smile disappeared "I was hatched in Dragon Realms of course. Possibly many years after this current day"

Everyone stiffened, Flare could see it, he even felt that the special hug they were sharing became more tight almost like the stony grip of a Keeper on his throat.

He had no idea what was going on.

"Guys? What happened?"

"You are a Veil dragon" Terrador pointed out skeptically "You carry the mark. All portals connect our world with the past"

"All? Have you found all of them to come up with such assumption?"

"Wait a second" Spyro broke the embrace, stepping forward

When his tail moved in front of Cynder's eyes an impulse swiftly shot from her mind to the left leg, ordering it to grab the purple tail before it slips away. The nudge was brief, impossible to feel and probably just a figment of her overprotective and jealous imagination.

So much more idiotic especially when Spyro's reluctance to participate in the tail hug was still a fresh memory.

Giggling.

It was the sound of giggling that woke her up from a trance she wasn't even aware she fell into.

"Almost like a ball!" Flare chuckled

She looked at him, noticing his gaze being aimed down. Gentle slapping sound began to resound in her head, she followed his gaze. His red leg was slapping against her black paw that was pushed down on the slapping contact and then shot back up to its original position.

A cold finger of unexplained dread marked a freezing trail across her spine.

The paw was risen in the air.

The bouncing paw reminded her of a severed head of a doll dangling on the last strands of artificial tendons, a head that someone wanted to push back to its natural place but it kept sliding down.

The finger turned into a complete hand that grasped her spine into a tight, numbing grip, stiffening her body with a wavering whimper wafting from her suddenly empty lungs.

The paw didn't want to go down, it didn't want to touch the floor.

The head kept on sliding down.

"You're a black dragon" Spyro continued "how can you know so much about the Veils and how many of them are out there. You don't wield Time, you can't sense them"

Danox looked at him, even from here he could see his own reflection in the dragon's completely black eyes.

"I was hatched when their presence was prominent in the world. I grew up in their emotionless, yet not dull company. I possess the ability of counting, seen them where they aren't now currently. And because you told me"

This took Spyro completely by surprise.

"Precisely!" Volteer exclaimed excitedly "You are in a budding stage of a condition that imprint us off as antithetic from inorganic entities Spyro. Your ubiety in time that is to come hereafter from which Danox makes his manifestation is very conceivable. Necessity originated from this adjunct to form an approximate assessment regarding the presumed time flow. This will grant attainableness to counter whatever is plaguing us with your succor imparted in Danox' conception!"

"Hold back your excitement friend" Terrador warned with the cautious of an experienced fighter

"Many years have passed I believe as I already mentioned" Danox said, answering the unspoken and undoubtedly soon to appear question "You Guardians were merely a memory. Both Spyro and Cynder however were in their prime, rising their two kids in between duties as protectors"

Her paw finally dropped on the floor with a smack.

Spyro looked at his partner, Cynder's emerald eyes were aimed directly at him, glimmering like they never did before. Even from here he could hear the wild beating of her heart, not because of happiness, it was there of course, so much of it that she seemed to breathe it out instead of air. Her heart was racing because of a different reason, he knew what it was since his own natural pump was working at a similar pace.

They have a future.

They will make a family.

"You're going to have babies?" Flare asked, disappointment and sadness ringing in his voice

The pain in his voice seemed to fly directly into her happiness breathing nostrils to hit her brain and wake it from its numbing stupor.

It was successful.

"I don't know Flare. Maybe" Cynder replied, hiding the dreamy tone as best as she could

"You will become mates!" Flare's wings glowed brighter "We will stop being friends!"

"That's not true Flare, you will always be my friend"

"But we won't see each other! You won't have time for me! Spyro and your kids will steal you away! Volteer read me a book about priorities and family! I know how it's going to look like!"

The temperature got a little bit warmer.

Cynder moved forward wanting to touch his shoulder to comfort him but he jerked his body away.

"I will be alone again!" he whined, yet his tone wasn't ringing with complete desperation. Those that were around the fiery drake long enough could hear the pulsing sounds of cracking flames

"Flare we don't know how the future will look like" Cynder said calmly even if the growing heat started to sting her eyes

"You do know! I want to know too!"

"Flare" Terrador addressed the young drake "There are more important-"

"I WANT TO KNOW!" the City Hall was illuminated by fiery light as flames burst from the unnaturally roaring dragon's burning body parts, spitting hot, hissing small tongues of flames everywhere

The roar sounded like it came from a very deep cave.

Cynder squeaked and jumped back when a stinging, burning pain exploded on her right leg. One of the sizzling sparks landed on her scales. She impulsively started to huff at the painful spot, it brought her little relief since the fiery spark momentarily eaten through her scales and into the flesh, devouring her leathery armor like the most vile of cancers.

The freshly aching wound pulsed with blood and small boils momentarily appeared on the revealed, scorched flesh. Her nose cringed at the stench of burning meat.

Spyro tensed, he swore to protect her from harm, his future mate and she still got hurt. A pulse of sheer fury was enough to start boiling his blood. With all his strength he held himself back from leaping at Flare right here and now, knowing that both Cynder and Flare won't forgive him if he acts on reckless impulse.

If he would see that danger is imminent however, he doubted he would really care about that.

Volteer turned towards the black dragon, his meaningful expression was enough for Danox to tell what the Guardian is expecting from him.

He shrugged.

The amber dragon's lips began to move, slowly and with great difficulty, tongue however kept on flapping hectically, obviously not happy about slowing the quick pace it was comfortable with.

Danox held back an amused smile, the Guardian's snout reminded him of a dog that wanted to lick its mouth and bark at the same time.

The silent word Volteer formed however were completely serious, so somber that he didn't care about putting himself willingly on the path to ridicule.

Lie.

"I'm not their friend, merely an associate" Danox' enchanting voice remained unchanged

Volteer realized that even if he wouldn't ask the guest to lie he wouldn't be able to discern if he is telling the truth or not. In fact he realized that the dragon might be lying from the very beginning.

Or telling the truth.

Knowledge sometimes is unnerving.

"From what I know and saw during the scarce number of visits at their home I could tell that they have a big family. Everybody knows their story, they don't have any relatives and yet the house was always full of different creatures, so much different than their hosts. I remember it was always loud there, everybody however loved the noises, especially the children, they just kept screaming happily. I've never met the one responsible for the sounds that were so similar to explosions and all the joy that came with it. I always wondered if the home isn't sitting on some explosives, I swear it was always fiery bright there and the rumbles sounded like...like..."

"D-dynamite?" Flare stammered, his eyes were big and full of hope, wings pulsed with brighter and dimmer light alternately

The black dragon's eyebrow raised in reaction to that suggestion. A claw touched his neck and scratched it gently, he momentarily pushed it back at the ground with a snort.

"Now when I think of it...the noise really sounded like dynamite. Funny, it never crossed my mind, would explain all that reddish light coming from nowhere"

Flare looked at Cynder, by now he looked like somebody would tilt a bucket of water above him, he was barely emitting any light. Yellow eyes were starting to fill with tears of guilt.

"I'm sorry"

Cynder smiled lovingly "It's fine, don't worry about it"

"I-I-I h-h-hurt y-you-"

"Flare it's okay"

"I-I-I did-d-dn't m-m-mean t-t-to"

"It's okay"

He sniffed.

"I-I-I-I'm s-sorry"

"Flare"

He opened his mouth, but no sound came out since momentarily a soft, black body pressed against him, one gentle paw wrapping around the back of his neck.

"Shut up" she whispered endearingly and kissed his cheek

His fiery, wagging tail exploded brightly like an intensified candlelight coming out from a mole's helmet.

"You're my friend and I'll never leave you. From the two of us you will be the first one that gets bored of our friendship"

He pushed away from the hug "Never!" he shouted straight in her snout, making her wince when his spit landed on her black snout.

Flare gasped, covering his mouth "I'm sorry!"

Cynder giggled "It's okay" she wiped her snout "Serves me right for not paying attention to my company when I'm joking"

"I-m-"

"Shhhh" she clenched his mouth shut, smiling cutely "Save your voice for the moles in the Mess Hall, you need to beg the food out of them for me"

She let go of his nose and patted his cheek "Come on, we grab something to bite. My treat"

Flare immediately followed her "Your what?"

"You'll see"

As she crossed the hall with Flare closely walking by her side she winked in the direction of every familiar snout.

All smiled in return.

She even looked at the black dragon, meeting his gaze and sickeningly familiar smile. In his obsidian eyes she saw nothing but her own reflection.

With her neck severed and head dangling up and down.

Up and down.

Up and down.

Up and down.

Her left leg became suddenly numb, if not for the fiery body walking next to her from which she bumped slightly she was certain she would drop on the floor.

When the feeling returned to her leg just as fast as it left her she turned this whole situation into a joke.

From the bottom of her heart she wished for it all to be a joke.

And only a joke.

"One who believes everything he's told is as naïve as one who fetches water with a sieve" resounded the breathy voice

Spyro was following Cynder with his gaze, not paying much attention to his surroundings. His whole focus was drawn towards his partner, locked in a cage of breathtaking admiration. Where her swinging tail, swaying hips and occasionally flicking wings only completed the image of divine black angel when you combined it with humor, care, wit and aura of friendship that simply radiated from her.

The voice that resounded in the hall grabbed onto the bars of the cage however, twisted and torn them apart, creating a gaping hole through which it freed his unwilling to leave conscience.

He was mad at the voice, no longer hearing its alluring tone that somehow enchanted you to listen without really much wondering what is going on. He heard the smug tone behind, the notes of mockery and triumph, laughter of a demon that couldn't simply believe that such stupidity exists.

He heard Malefor.

As he turned his head Spyro hated and mistrusted the black dragon. When the black body came into view he recognized and loved him. When he looked into the pair of completely dark eyes he pitied and was terrified of him.

And most of all he was sad.

"It was necessary" Terrador commented, guilt cracked his steady voice like an unending stream of water eventually cracks a rock

He swallowed, feeling like his throat was being rebuilt with more solid emotionproof barrier.

"This was the first and last attempt of manipulating facts. From now on you speak the truth and only the truth. Are we clear?"

Danox bowed "Of course"

"Nothing of what you said was true?" Spyro asked alarmed "You made it all up to calm Flare?"

"Parts of me being merely a soldier and loud parties were true" the black drake replied without hesitation "I never heard explosions, such loud, unexpected events wouldn't allow me to ignore my duties as a fighter. I never met this strange dragon, that doesn't exclude the possibility that he belonged to your circle of trust however"

"Parties? You said the world was overrun with Veils, with so many of them how it is possible to have a break?"

"I never said that the Veils were a curse"

Spyro blinked, he wasn't the only one that was shocked by the surprising revelation, from the corners of his eyes he could see Terrador who seemed to be just as dumbfounded as he was.

He didn't see Volteer, he didn't really had to anyway. The soft smacking of the amber dragon's what seemed like constantly electrocuted tongue against his lips could be heard even before excited flood of words burst from his mouth.

It was all Spyro needed to know to guess in what state the Guardian currently is.

"This is conspicuously estimable disclosure not vividly conveyed to the mind before!" Volteer roared, during this happy blare he sounded like a young excited hatchling that achieved a tremendous victory by becoming big enough to be able to run up the stairs without having to jump to reach each step

"Just employ your mind lucidly and objectively in predisposing the significance of the viable several comprehensive plans! New assemblages of creatures forming an indigenous stock, new branches of discernment that deal with nascency and technical means and their interrelation with life, new illumination preserved in writing or the like of past conjectures and times, new prerogatives for reciprocation of commodities! We could conjoin with bygone times like we never did before! Acquire unlimited capital of cognition by means of study!"

"That is not an unreachable wish of a creative mind Guardian" Danox commented "The future benefits from the Veils exactly how you described it"

Volteer's cheeks became red with excitement, he bit on his clenched into a fist paw that he put into his mouth, as if holding himself back from screaming. The increasing shrill sound that was coming from his throat, so similar to a excited shriek of a fan girl, was enough to tell that the amber dragon was doing a very poor job at holding back his emotions.

"You couldn't let them just spread wildly, you needed some means of controlling them" Spyro calculated coldly, something deep inside urged him to find a second bottom in all these good news

He momentarily remembered the tingling sensations, he imagined a similar itching crossing his body in this very moment just like a portal would open in front of his eyes.

Spyro looked straight into the black dragon's eyes. "It was me, wasn't it? I was controlling the Veils"

Danox smiled.

Spyro wasn't certain but he thought that he saw his reflection wavering in the obsidian mirrors embedded into the black dragon's eye sockets. Just like something would fly across his eyes, so silvery and sharp like a sword.

He didn't like this thought with every fiber of his being.

"I see your intelligence is unmatched even in such a young age" the dark dragon continued

"Spyro!" Volteer squealed "You are the crux!"

"I'm wondering if I shouldn't be the lock" the purple drake replied thoughtfully

Volteer's thrilled and definitely overreacted joy evaporated into nothingness. His quickly thinking brain catching a ride on Spyro's train of thought momentarily.

"Why the reluctance Spyro?" Terrador inquired

"If everything would be so nice and colorful" Spyro said, observing the black dragon whose smile was growing with each spoken word "He wouldn't be here. He doesn't control Time so it had to be me that sent him back and that means trouble"

Danox nodded with a chuckle "Impressive and very accurate"

"Why you?" he asked confidently, almost accusingly

The black dragon showed no sign that he was offended by the suspicious tone in the purple drake's voice. Or he simply didn't notice it.

"Inquisitive and wary. Interesting, considering the company you keep"

It's like he asked for it, the dragon pointed out his hypocrisy, the aura of protection he enveloped Cynder with must be famous even in the future. Both of them had black scales, which didn't really matter to him, it's not the color of one's body that make a person. It all lies in the soul.

Even now he doesn't truly understand what made him to save Cynder from certain death. Was it merely an impulse to save someone that was exactly his age? Driven by the sheer instinct of protecting someone from the same clutch of eggs? Maybe it was his intelligence speaking through him then that noticed the transformation and came to a conclusion that not everything is as it seems? Perhaps it was due to the somewhat creepy infatuation corrupted version of Cynder caused in him? Or it was blossoming love from the very beginning noticing something in the green eyes that no other one could see?

Most likely it was all of those things and maybe even more he simply can't name now. No matter how he would want to call it, when he looked at Cynder he felt a pull, she stirred something in him.

When he looks at the black dragon, forgetting about every thing he thought about him, about every feeling and odd nudge. When he simply looks at him, waiting for that unexplained impulse that travels constantly between people when they talk and meet, impulse that pushes you closer to some and farther from others. The popular first impression.

When he looks at him with his mind empty...

He feels absolutely nothing.

"We're in difficult position currently" Terrador explained "Caution is now our most trusted guide"

Danox nodded "I'm perfectly aware of the situation. History is as important to me as wings are for our race. You can live without them, but life is so much more bearable while in air. Considering the reputation that sticks to someone like me I'm not surprised by your caution, even from Spyro himself"

He pressed his paw to his chest, bowing apologetically.

"It was merely an inappropriate tease from my side. I inherited traits I really try to quell, but sometimes I simply can't control myself. Especially when a perfect opportunity presented itself to needle somebody"

He chuckled, the brief and somewhat bitter laughter was surprisingly very pleasant to listen to.

"If I was in your situation I would also mistrust a black, appalling creature like myself. Believe me, I'm more than aware of my looks"

"Affective state of recognition in which feelings are cultivated as distinguished from cognitive and volitional states of consciousness aside" Volteer interjected "Spyro's inquest has judicious distinctive affirmation. Expressly when you came to this warranted point in the range of travel from the time to come hereafter, knowing utterly that the ruptures of the mental integuments of the people are still contrived to hemorrhage with mental capacity of detaining and enlivening facts and events of a black dragon's commination"

"Spyro gained the mastery of his Time ability, he walked through portals as easily as simple folk walk through doors, the only hindering element of Time was the inability to shape a Veil according to your whim"

Danox turned his attention to the young purple drake who listened to him with temperate interest.

"You see, you could tap into the essence of the Veils when they were around, grab a handle of the door if you will, from there you decided if you wanted to close or open them, as long as you haven't decided to shut them permanently you could walk freely through and whatever was on the other side could do the same"

"This sounds too easy" Terrador commented

Danox chuckled "Joining the club of too nice and colorful Guardian? You are wise to do so, there's a catch"

"Not every Veil is the same" Spyro added confidently

"Unmatched, definitely unmatched" the black dragon smiled "This should be fun"

Spyro shivered unexpectedly.

"Some portals required a key of sorts I believe, without it there was no chance to close the door. Sadly I have no knowledge about the key's appearance, nobody really confirmed it, but you and Cynder were the only ones probably that knew the keys secrets"

"This still doesn't answer the question" Spyro looked straight into the eyes of the dragon and swallowed uneasily when he noticed his reflection once more in the obsidian mirrors that were the dragon's eyes

The two little Spyro's laughed in uncontrollable amusement.

He blinked.

His reflection was still.

"Why you?" Spyro rasped and momentarily cleared his throat, surprised by the hoarse sound of his voice

The slightly nervous glances he received from the two Guardians were a clear sign that he wasn't the only one that noticed it.

"Did I mention you had children? Leaving them to be raised only by their mother was probably the anchor that kept the future you from coming here. Seeing how you loved your family I think that was the true reason, even if your help was really needed to keep the Veils in check"

Spyro's eyes widened.

"You can't go back?"

"It is easy to threaten a bull from a window" Danox looked behind his shoulder, grazing the door that he was recently led through with his tail tip

"You were the only one who could travel freely through the portals, however there was always a risk. I don't understand it fully, but the scraps I've heard that my oblivious mind could put together was that every power has its limit, even Time. There was always a risk that if you cross, you get locked on the other side, how the future you could counter the risk is beyond my understanding. Only a Time wielder is capable of that I suppose. Whatever the case may be the future Spyro was certain of one thing, the portal that I came through was a one way trip"

"You got stuck here?" Spyro asked in shock

Danox shrugged "Not necessarily. If you live up to your legend I will go back"

"It will take most likely many years for me to master the ability!"

"What are years for our kind? They flow by, like breath from our mouths. Inhale for long enough and you won't even notice when you have children. That is why we surround ourselves with other races, their passing reminds us how many years passed. Cruel perhaps, but undeniably true"

Terrador tapped his claws against the floor, playing a soft, rumbling, thoughtful melody.

"All of this seems...rather impossible"

Danox laughed "Impossible? You are witnessing the impossible right now, why, you are living in the impossible in this very moment"

"In the future Spyro and Cynder reach adulthood, becoming undoubtedly the most powerful dragons the Realms have even known and neither of them come back? Didn't you say they were protectors?"

"They were, still are, but of that time not this. They remain true to their duties. The Veils not only brought prosperity, but also enemies, many, many enemies. Before Spyro and Cynder became powerful enough to be able to stop the incoming waves of aggression with little more than several pants many were lost. People and land included, things poured into our world you never believed existed. Our race, serving as bulk of the Realms army was nearly decimated, a dragon was as often seen as a falling star on the sky"

The three dragons that listened to the black drake looked at each other, worry and shock glimmering in every eye.

"Munitions Forge was destroyed, bringing the Manweersmall race into extinction, cheetahs followed in their unfortunate wake, apes and their beasts were also wiped out. The only old race besides dragons that survived were the moles, too valuable to lose with their technological knowledge they were protected as treasure. Yet their numbers were shrunk as well, when the worst was finally over our technological advancement was practically stalled, or even cast backwards. Tall Plains and Dante's Freezer, among some other places were ravaged by the constantly bursting energy with every new Veil appearance"

"Why me and only me you ask?" Danox looked through the window

Spyro noticed that the dragon's snout looked really good in the sun's rays.

"Spyro and Cynder are too busy, every other dragon couldn't be compared to me, only numbers would make a difference, numbers that we don't have. With the Protectors fulfilling their duty I was the only viable choice. I am here to make sure that our race has a future, because in mine we face certain extinction, no matter how hard we try to stall it"

He sighed.

"I am here to even the odds"

Everybody felt a delicate pulse of electricity running through the floor when Volteer stomped his paw excitedly.

"With your furtherance Cynder's impetus in Dark element will betide with much more promptness! With your cognition of what is true or right coupled with just sagacity as to action we would in a more felicitous way prepare ourselves for the times to come!"

Spyro jerked, his mouth immediately opened to scream just how much he is against the idea of Danox teaching Cynder anything. His eyes hectically evaluated the black dragon, from the toes to the tip of his horns, looking for absolutely anything that would serve as a good argument. He aimed his gaze at the eyes, at the black, empty eyes.

And he saw nothing but a magnificent glimmer that the sun's rays left on his eyes.

He didn't say a word, feeling that everything is as it should be.

"Spyro and Cynder, even going through their maturing period are still more powerful than any other dragon" Terrador added sternly, sounding like an officer planning a tactic for the upcoming battle over a sprawled map "Forgive me if I offend you, but how can a single dragon change the incoming tide? Even if he wields the Dark"

Spyro noticed the black dragon smiling, the toothed smile looked like a grin of a predator about to devour its prey.

"You have never met a creature like me Guardian"

The Earth Guardian narrowed his eyes on the drake.

"What do you mean by that?"

Danox turned around.

"No-oo" Spyro hiccupped, lost protest no more audible than a brush of a feather against the skin

"He who revealeth his secret maketh himself a slave" the black dragon recited enchantingly

Terrador's stony gaze seemed to want to pierce through the black dragon's skull.

"With words like that you won't earn trust"

"In times like this, where dragons with my type of scales are seen as adversaries, trust is something I don't plan to aim my attention at. There's no point in wasting time in pointless endeavors. Cynder eventually will make people see the truth"

"She will be forgiven?" Spyro blurt out, hope silencing every other emotion, his words jumping out from his throat like a ball shooting from a cannon when a reckless soldier checked if it didn't get stuck in the chase

Danox shrugged casually, as if he would be answering an obvious question "She was quite revered in my days"

It was enough to convince him to give the dragon a chance, with guilt still weighing heavily on Cynder's shoulders it was the cue for him that would make the burden disappear so much sooner. If there was a chance Danox could bring the desired moment for his partner he was willing to risk it.

Terrador noticed the glimmer in the young dragon's eyes, it made him to consider giving the black dragon the benefit of the doubt. He simply couldn't just trust the stranger, it was not because of scales, it was his militaristic instinct that kept him from making the decision. The dragon offered rational explanations, but war taught him that judicious is not always the answer.

There was something in the dragon, something that reminded him of the chaos battles caused.

Or he is simply under the influence of the same prejudices that taint this city, and the chaos he thought about is nowhere else to be found but in his own struggling mind.

"Deliberation often loses a good chance" the friendly voice of Volteer drawn the attention of both his friends and a single black dragon with whom he exchanged meaningful glances

Danox smiled, nodding, undeniably impressed.

"You can't stay here" Terrador said after a moment of silent pause "The presence of two dragons so close to each other might rise unnecessary tensions"

"That won't be a problem. I insisted on going to Warfang because I'm hungry"

The Earth Guardian cocked his head, completely baffled by the dragon's irrelevant comment "G...good. Above the mountains surrounding Warfang there is an upland with some old statues and a cave. You will have to settle there and consider it to be your home, this is the best we can offer"

"I'm no stranger to nature"

"Also, we can't leave you unattended"

Danox chuckled "Am I going to have my own personal guard? I'm honored"

"This is a serious matter" Terrador admonished the drake "Your presence will be trouble enough, no matter where you are. To make people feel safer and earn their trust we can't simply let what reminds them of their tragic past loose. There has to be someone who will keep an eye on you"

"I expect many volunteers to show up"

"I will do it"

Everyone jerked their heads at the sound of the new deep and low voice coming from the staircase, every eye shifted in that direction.

"Ignus!" Terrador exclaimed startled

"My apologizes, I didn't mean to eavesdrop" fiery red body of the old dragon reached the bottom of the stairs "As I was making my way down I couldn't help but overhear you saying something about someone needing a careful eye"

The ruby eyes of the red dragon made contact with the obsidian ones of the black male.

Ignus licked his lips "I see the problem now" he turned confidently towards the Earth Guardian "My offer stands"

"I can't let you do this, not when your niece is in the hospital!" Terrador protested

"Iris overstays her welcome in every place her actions throw her into. Be it prison or hospital, in such situations she prefers to be left alone. She will be fine. I have a debt to pay and honor demands I pay it"

"There weren't any black dragons in your time, you don't understand the danger"

Ignus smiled "Danger is my middle name"

The Earth Guardian opened his mouth but was silenced politely by the red dragon's, respectfully risen paw.

"I want to make myself useful, besides do you have anyone to watch over him? All your trusted allies are too important for a babysitting job, with everything that is going on in the city with the fanatics and all it's a risk to put some random guy there from the streets, who knows what religious teachings bang around in that head"

Volteer nodded "Well verbalized"

He pressed his paw to his chest "I'm your perfect candidate if I might be so bold. I know how to deal with troubles, there is barely anyone here that knows me, my mind is my own, free from all religious influence. I don't share the mistrust that is so apparent in this world towards the black dragons, hence my opinion will be completely objective and to top it all I have years of painful and rewarding experience of watching over young harbingers of destruction"

Terrador looked over his friends, Volteer clearly supported Ignus' candidacy, Spyro on the other paw looked like he had no opinion, or too many for that matter"

"Very well Ignus, I accept your offer. I only hope you know what you're doing"

The red dragon looked straight into his ruby reflection in Danox' black eyes.

"I always know what I'm doing"