FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 2

He was sitting in the waiting room, blue eyes desperately trying to find something to cling to, occupy his mind with images that would drag his attention from the unbearable itching pulsing from his right hand. A hand no matter how hard he tried to ignore always called his eyes to itself.

And all the time they listened.

He never reached to scratch it however, hours spent in the wilderness taught him to avoid predictable moves and don't fall for all manners of provocations. As easy as it seemed there was usually always a second bottom. That and preservation also built character.

Whenever his eyes landed on the bandaged hand he immediately, yet gently pressed it against his chest. The ruffle of fibers of his common brown blouse always diminished the itching feeling, only if barely.

Another example that can be compared to a struggle in the wilderness. Make the best from what you get, you won't always find a deer, sometimes you just have to feed yourself on worms.

The touch to the rather rough material was a relief, not a long one, but enough to allow his mind to wander off. During one such trip he remembered the healers offering him an ointment that will ease his specific anguish.

He declined.

Tenacity is an important trait for a scout, not only for a scout but also for a chief. He believed that it was the influence of the latter that kept this idea burning. No matter how far away he cast himself from that period of his life some things that he was taught never left him.

He was glad for that, he was certain he would never be here where he is now if not for those valuable lessons.

He smiled, looking with amusement on his bandaged hand, scratched arms and fur that lost its spark due to the fact of being nearly all the time growing back among dirt and other intolerable substances that stood in the way of most felines and their pursuit for cleanliness.

He let out a sigh of content, stretching on his bench. It was enough for his ears to flicker, catching the sound of swift cut through the air of many sharply turning heads. Realizing in this moment just how blind he was.

People were looking at him, they knew, perhaps all of them did. How many times does a cheetah ride a dragon in the first place? Not to mention that it was a black one. No wonder he is perhaps the second hot topic of circulating rumors.

They weren't however giving him glances of contempt, at least those people he noticed didn't, he was rather certain that there were those whose eyes shone with scold. They were in the minority however.

Most gazes he met radiated fascination, curiosity and even infatuation to some degree. None dared to approach, like he would be some kind of superstar of balladic songs. It was to be expected from creatures his size or similar, moles and cheetahs silently praising him like he would do something unreal.

Perhaps they were right to some degree.

What he didn't expect was to receive similar attention from dragons themselves, he noticed one or more dragoness smiling his way and turning their heads away with a blush when he met their gazes.

He never believed he would ever think about such a thing, it was simply too unreal and yet here he was, a witness to the proof.

Dragons treated him as equal, even the ones that quietly cursed his name for injuring a dragon's pride. They see him as one of their own, he simply knew it and as if influenced by an automatic defense system he instantly remembered Danox' words about respect and foundations.

He always dreamt of being around dragons, to gain their respect and learn more and more about them. He felt at home more in Warfang than he ever did in his village. This is where all the magic is.

His hand suddenly stopped itching, replaced by unexplainable searing pain as if someone would be driving a hot rod through his hand. He turned his wounded limb around, examining it from every side like a predator looking for a perfect spot to sink his teeth in. He saw droplets of blood appearing on the bandage, slowly drowning his hand that he had an unquenchable urge to bite off.

"Hunter"

A sweet voice resounded just next to him, his furry ears nearly tore themselves out from his skull due to shock. Blue eyes blinked, staring at the bloody, bandaged hand and the other one just on top of it, claws crimson from scratching the wounded hand too intensively.

With a hiss he locked both his hands together and dragged them between his legs, tail curling behind him. He turned his head around, meeting nearly nose to nose with a mole healer.

"Amela will see you now" she announced sweetly

"Thank you" he replied, getting up, locked hands separated briefly as they inconspicuously moved behind his back

"You know the way?"

He smiled politely "A bit too much for my liking"

The mole giggled "If only I got a copper for every time I heard that" she patted him on the knee as she joyfully made her way back to her desk "Stay healthy"

He nodded and went down the already familiar path, he wasn't here so often as he made the healer believe, yet he also wasn't a sporadic visitor. For unknown reason Amela decided to take care of him herself, she committed herself to the task so badly that she ordered him to return couple times a day for simple wound control.

He made his way through familiar corridors, for reasons unknown to him Amela never invited him to his office despite the urgency to take him under her personal care. He never asked why, coming to a conclusion that the healer has her reasons and because being under the wings of the head of the hospital is a privilege enough, everything else would be simply disrespectful.

His intuition however told him, especially knowing Amela's habits and principles that she invited him to the common room is because she wanted to be close to her patients and show the unity of this place.

"Come in!" he heard the kind familiar voice from the inside when he knocked on the door

He got inside, nose instantly began to wiggle, inhaling deeply the many scents of the room, mainly from all sorts of medicine, be it pills, powders or some other ointments.

"Hello Amela" he bowed deeply

The healer chuckled "Gallant as always"

"I am humbled that you insist on using your precious time on me. Which you shouldn't if I might be so bold to say, there are far more many other people who deserve your skillful attention. I'm just a cat with a hole in his hand"

"You're so far more if the murmurs around the city are to be believed. I haven't seen you for a while, don't blame an old cat's curiosity" with a pleasant smile she patted the bed of which she was sitting across on a chair

"Sit, let's see that hand of yours"

With ears flattening on his skull and hands hidden behind his back he approached the bed and reluctantly sat on the edge. Legs stiff and shaking like a pair of matches supporting too much weight.

With a sigh he extended his hand.

"Hunter! Dear!" Amela exclaimed admonishingly "What did I tell you about scratching?" she took the hand into her own palm, examining it carefully

"I'm sorry, I don't-"

"I've told you not to do that!" she blurted out, shaking his hand as if it was a flag that depicted the intensity of her current feelings

And it wasn't white.

"I'm-"

"Remind me what did you say when I proposed you an ointment?" she shouted again, her eyes drilling into his skull

He dropped his gaze on the floor, ears pressed against his skull so fiercely that they nearly made holes in it.

"I-"

"You said that you will manage. That you need to keep your skills sharp since you won't be holding a weapon for a while. This is what you said to me, remember?"

He nodded embarrassed "Yes"

"Then will you kindly explain to me what is this?" she shook his hand once more so close to his nose that he smelled his own blood

He looked up at his bloodied hand, just to shift his blue gaze on his other palm and the wet with blood claws. He instantly was filled with exciting thoughts of building on top of already created foundations, in that thrill however was also something dark, familiar and scary, something he already sank his claws into.

A thought shot through his head, so quickly and unexpectedly that he would forget about it if his eyes wouldn't be locked on his blood covered claws.

It felt like heated snow.

"A mistake" he muttered finally, mind suddenly empty, devoid of any thought, letters formed by something else than the brain

"Of course it was a mistake!" Amela agreed loudly "This is not how you've been taught!"

He nodded automatically.

She leaned closer, almost pressing the bloodied hand to his nose.

"I haven't invested in you so much to let you simply throw it all away! You spoke of wasting time, this is exactly how you waste it!"

"I don't want to be a burden"

"But you are a burden! You boys will always be the same no matter how hard I try! All these time telling you to be strong and there you are showing up with wounds that shouldn't be there!"

He winced, not even prepared for so much yelling, completely unprepared for what just happened. He would never guess that a mundane brief moment of separation from common sense would trigger so much anger. Especially from a cheetah like Amela.

"I apologize Amela. This won't happen again"

"Many things weren't supposed to happen again and yet they did! Why it should be any different now? Because you said so?"

He reached down into the pocket of his trousers, removing a symbol from within that he was very fond of.

"Because Hope will always be with you"

Amela looked at the yin-yang token in Hunter's opened palm. She blinked, brown eyes flashed, adopting once a more brighter hue and once dimmer. The flicker was so quick that it looked like somebody would be flipping through a colorful, full of pictures book.

She gasped, both her hands landed on her mouth.

"I'm sorry" she mumbled through her fingers, eyes wide as saucers

He smiled politely "No harm had been done. I deserved it"

"No you didn't" she started to rub her forehead "I don't know what came over me, I apologize. Show...show me your hand"

She extended her left hand, palm opened, he placed his wounded limb into her gentle grasp without hesitation.

The healer delicately scratched at the edge of the bandage, eventually bending it enough to be able to grab it and began unrolling the gauze.

Hunter hissed when the last strand fell off, not because that it hurt, but because he impulsively reacted with slight abhorrence to the sight before him.

Amela remained unmoved.

The hole was practically gone, only a few spaces remained through which he could see the floor, it was those holes that started to glow with fresh crimson. Flesh started to regrow in a circular manner, the new skin was frail and nearly transparent, looking like stretched patches of an unprepared cake that snapped at some point, turning into mere strands.

Some of those strands were gone, gave under his unconscious scratching, leaving a bloody trail on both edges of the frail bridge it formed. Leaving in its wake pulsing with blood holes so familiar to bubbles of a boiling water.

Amela turned the hand carefully, examining it closely.

"Be glad that we live in a world where magic and science exist as two forces of progress, your hand would never heal so quickly if this partnership didn't existed. Even despite your carelessness the wound doesn't look so bad"

Holding his hand she turned around, just enough to reach a small pack with all sorts of healing products inside.

"You won't be able to hold a bow for a while" she sorted through the pack, removing flask and other things only recognizable to her experienced hands

All these medicine looked the same to him.

"How long it will take for me to return to duty?"

The healer smiled, a gentle grin of caring triumph stretched her lips.

"Until I say so"

She began working on his hand, he turned his gaze away, looking around the room. One question kept bumping in his head.

What now?

Amela sighed, noticing his rather sour expression.

"Look at this from the bright side, you finally get some days off to look after yourself. I don't want to be rude, but did you see yourself in the mirror lately? Your body is tired, it suits someone old like me but not someone as young as you"

He looked himself over, not seeing what most likely many noticed.

"I'm a scout Amela, exertion is part of who I am"

"Exactly, a part, not all of you. I know you won't be able to sit in place, but at least consider a work where you don't strain yourself all the time. No one will have it against you"

"I don't know Amela, I've been a scout nearly all my life, it's an important role"

She finished applying the last bit of the nearly magical ointments, giving her work a final approving glance.

"Scout is merely a profession, does hours spent in the wilderness feel like a dream come true?"

"I enjoy it well enough, could use a little less holes in my body though"

Amela giggled, picking up a roll of bandage that she precisely and slowly dipped in some jar, giving the gauze a somewhat bluish taint.

"Everyone is capable of change, even culture driven creatures like us cheetahs. In our case change perhaps is more fortuitous than anywhere else. We are a rather stubborn and shortsighted people"

He raised her eyes at her, something scratched him at the back of his mind, having a feeling that someone once dear to him would be observing him right now.

The odd feeling passed as quickly as it began.

He was again among friendly strangers.

"Who were you in the past?"

Amela offered him one of those warm smiles she was known of and with one quick motion dropped the moist bandage on top of his wounded hand.

He hissed at the unexpected chilly sensation.

"Someone unimportant as it turned out"

He observed her hands as she bandaged his palm. For someone old with nearly withered hands her moves were extremely nimble. It wasn't a big secret that she found her fountain of youth in the hospital and notion to help people.

"I think about joining the Guard" he said after a short, silent pause focused on admiring the healer's work

Amela's ears flickered.

"Why? If I may ask that is"

"I'm simply following some advice given by some very special beings. I have foundations and I need to finally do something for myself"

She patted his furry cheek "I'm glad you consider me to be special"

"Serving the Guardians as a scout is a great honor, a duty I won't abandon, I will always be ready to put on my cloak. I want to serve the Dragon City, to live among dragons was my dream, my missions in the world don't allow me to spend enough time in their magnificent presence. Being a soldier that wears the same cloak as the dragons would be a great commendation"

The healer finished bandaging his hand, giving her finished work a last look over. Holding his hand gently and with somewhat loving care.

"I'm happy for you, a sudden change, all the times we met when I prepared your healing bags for you, you never said anything about becoming our peacekeeper. I support you but also wonder what brought it up? Besides the advice"

There was a pause, his eyes dilated, focus of which was held by his freshly bandaged hand. He scratched his furry neck, thoughts swirled inside his head, none however could be caught by tendrils of his neurons. He simply couldn't find a good answer.

An answer for undoubtedly good question.

He never thought about it before, or perhaps he did all the time, being fascinated with dragons and wanting to be close to their mystical presence had to influence him somehow. He wasn't sure anymore.

It felt right, as if something that what always meant to happen starts to spread its roots.

And it was a very scary grip on reality.

"I don't know" he muttered finally, he said it with such a tone as if he would confess to murder, after hiding his crime for years

One of Amela's ears straightened up in perfect accordance with the raising eyebrow just below.

"It sounds strange coming from someone who was always certain about his course" she smiled lovingly "Seems like someone got a taste of a dream and doesn't want to let go"

He shrugged faintly "Perhaps"

"Well I'm happy for you, doing what you truly always wanted to do and you minimize the risk of me yelling at you again" she giggled "Everybody wins, you get some breathing space and I stock up on medicine, you were always a glutton for my supplies"

She rubbed his injured limb gently and placed it with utmost care on his knee.

"Take good care of that hand, I used a mixture that will prevent you from scratching"

"Thank you"

"But!" she threw her finger up in the air, smiling warmly "If you ever do such a thing again just remember that I also have some very potent itching powders in my cabinet that are a nemesis for fur. Especially a feline one"

He smiled "I'll keep that in mind"

Amela patted his knee "Run away now, don't let someone like me hold you back"

He sprang on his feet instantly, holding his bandaged hand in the air.

"On the contrary, you breathe life into people"

She got up, making her way to the door, steps feeling lighter than ever.

"This is what matters" she opened the door, nodding at his bandaged hand

"I'm no-one of importance" he crossed the doorstep "Hardly to be considered a value"

"You are far more than that, thanks to you I won't be afraid to stay in my office again"

He cocked his head, ears bent clearly dumbfounded.

"Thanks to me?"

"I too had a dream I never believed existed. Now I'm surrounded by it. Until next time Hunter"

The door closed.

He remained there staring into them for a while, in this silent contemplation noting two things. One, he had no clue what Amela meant by those words. Two, she really seemed out of character.

He could only wonder if he was the cause, because the answer didn't want to come and he doubted he will find it on his own.

He continued on, gathering all of his thoughts around the fire of a single purpose, the pursuit of, what he was nearly certain was, his true dream. After the conversation with Amela he wasn't entirely confident that the fascination with dragons and the chance to be around them was the whole motivation.

He couldn't really convince himself that nothing else was behind this. There was that barely noticeable and easily ignorable nudge of selfishness that seemed to scream...

This is my life! It's about time I do something without anyone bossing me around!

As he walked down the corridor he wasn't stopped by any thought of hesitation or misgiving, in fact everything acted like it wanted to make sure he will stay in this resolution. Like for example the increased number of guards he passed on his way to the exit.

Or a beautiful satin blue dragoness with blue angelic wings he noticed looking through the window at the end of one hall, standing in the illumination of whatever source of light that was reaching through the opened door of most likely her room.

The light emphasized perfectly every curve of the girl's nearly divine figure. During this brief and yet prolonged moment of staring and basically no walking the dragoness looked behind her shoulder, cold, piercing white eyes looked straight at him.

During the fleeting second that rouses the ego of every single, heterosexual male in the company of a beautiful female he wanted to scream his triumph, his determination to the whole world. Silently pleading that she will notice the surge of testosterone.

He moved on, leaving the beautiful picture behind while thinking, constantly thinking. His mind was busy processing through lots of disappointed thoughts, and above them circled one.

There was never time for anything.

True beauty is that what he missed, this is what always slipped through his fingers. He never had the chance to stop and admire beauty.

As he walked, thinking about the beautiful and special his mind became occupied by only one thought.

As he walked he kept thinking about Tall Plains.

*

"That's not how you do it!" Spyro exclaimed in between his wild laughter

"Shut up!" Cynder snarled, sounding both irritated and angry

They were surrounded by a thick, chilly artificial mist that was slowly evaporating in the fading day's light. They were standing on a thick, solid ice, the size of a small lake, surrounded from every side by grass and green crowns of trees. A piece of winter leaning against the hot bosom of summer.

Impossible.

And yet it was real. They were actually standing on ice that was once a small lake, they were enveloped in a chilly mist like from melting glaciers, the grass and trees were just as real.

A piece of winter was leaning against the hot bosom of summer. Impossible is nothing.

Magic and a timely, sharing a perfect bond with Nature, Snow Storm bent the rules of the natural order of the constantly working world.

Spyro was standing on top of the frozen lake, a broad smile stretching his mouth, paws drawn out in a delicate straddle position. His pawhold was solid and perfectly natural as if below his scaly paws was no ice, but thick, rough earth.

Cynder on the other paw was all he wasn't. Like a cub learning its first clumsy steps. The stride she was maintaining wasn't delicate nor pretty, her legs were stretched so far that together with her back hanging low she looked like a spider that was getting pressed by an invisible finger from the sky.

If that position wasn't enough to convince anyone interested just how exactly natural the dragoness feels on slippery terrain, the claws would be the final argument.

When Spyro's claws were barely grazing the ice, lazily unmoving as if he would be standing on solid, still ground. Her own claws were bent, pushed into the ice as if she tried to tip toe, supporting her whole weight.

Her whole body was shaking, partially due to irritation and partially because of the strain put on her legs caused by the torture they were enduring as a result of inexperience of sliding on ice.

"You have to relax!" Spyro exclaimed, shout ringing with laughter "I just try not to think where I am!" left front paw shot in the air, he used it to wave at her "See? Only three legs! Complete relaxation!"

"Showoff!" she yelled annoyed, eyes scanned her shaking, stretched legs, taking a mental note about the holes her claws made in the ice

"Relax he says" she muttered under her breath, nearly literally spitting out the bile of vexation she was drowning in "It's easy he says. You can do it he says. There's nothing to worry about he says"

Her eyes shot upwards, he was lucky he didn't see the murderous glow in them.

"We're in the middle of a frozen lake!" she screamed admonishingly at him "Why did I let you talk me into this?!"

"Correction!" he yelped happily "I'm in the middle of a frozen lake, you barely moved away from the shore"

"Stop provoking me!" she growled, the tremor she sent down her limbs with that primal shout nearly made her topple on the ice

He laughed.

"Wipe that smug smile off your snout or I'll do it!"

"Come and try! I'm right over here!"

She cursed under her breath, nose wrinkled like she would be an infuriated, feral dog, lips were moving quickly, uttering silent, nasty words that shouldn't be heard by absolutely no one.

She looked around, once more scanning her quivering legs, mentally encouraging them with the eloquence of street loiter after several mugs of cheap alcohol.

With a snarl she pushed one of her legs up, bits of ice flew behind her claws like droplets of blood. With her paw bent in exactly the same way when she removed it from the frozen lake she stretched forward, as far as her spine allowed her to and drove her risen claws into the ice.

Slowly other legs followed, one at a time, with breaks spent on fighting for balance , the icy ground was proving to be slippery even when she dented her claws on the thick, cold terrain. Her moves were so uncoordinated and heavy that she looked more like a pitifully constructed, shakily jointed, machine with steam pushing out from her nose.

She wasn't aware of her embarrassing walk until she heard a held back cackle that momentarily turned into a loud, joyous laughter.

With narrowed eyes, with their green pupils glowing brightly she jerked her head up, noticing her companion nearly rolling around, wrecked by uncontrollable laughter. For a moment she wished that the ice would melt below him. A bath in a freezing lake would do him good.

"You're so clumsy!" Spyro practically cried

"Listen to me very carefully" she hissed "When I'll finally get to you I'm going to bite you and it won't be a bite from the alluring category"

He waved his paw dismissively.

"I'm safe then! With the way you're moving bigger chances are that the ice will melt first. I already can imagine just what a good swimmer you are"

"This is humiliating. I hate you"

"Hey! You said yourself that you wanted to learn the tricks of normal people! You didn't want my help, so tell me now, how's that independence working out?"

"I have enough of this! I'm going back!" she growled, furiously glancing at her shaking legs "Just as I'll figure out how to turn around!

He cleared his throat, killing the chuckled stirred by her last comment.

"Come on! You don't mean it!"

"Yes I do!"

"Your wings are still folded"

Her gaze shifted at the black and magenta attachments on her back, eyes instantly widened in sudden enlightenment, she had completely forgotten about her two best friends.

Black wings momentarily opened themselves.

"Cynder wait!" he shouted, sliding in her direction with speed of a penguin dashing across the ice on its belly

He skidded to a halt just next to her, ice rippled underneath his claws. He put one of paws on her wing, pushing it gently down. His paw was cold.

"I'll show you how to do it and then I'll leave you to yourself"

She wiggled her wing out of his grasp. His leg fell on the ice with a smack.

"I don't want to anymore. I got bored of it"

He shook his head fiercely "That's not true. You simply got angry" he moved to the side and touched one of her front legs

Cynder had an almost unquenchable urge to jerk her paw away and yet there was something in his caring touch that ordered her to stay.

He ran his paw along her leg, feeling the soft texture of her scales, feeling every flexed muscle hiding underneath her black leathery armor.

"You're so stiff, you must be in pain"

He clenched his paw against her leg. The quakes running across it ceased to exist, faded away together with the ache under his gentle, reassuring touch.

"I'm so sorry" his sincere, pained, purple orbs aimed themselves at her

Her heart heated itself up, destroying part of the cold chunk of aggression surrounding it.

"I acted like a jerk. I won't laugh again I swear"

"Don't sweat about it" she smiled, surprising and scolding herself at the same time for her lack of stubbornness. Allowing a boy to mess with her head so much...bye, bye friendly mischief

"All will be forgiven if you help me pull my legs back together"

"Oh yeah!" he exclaimed with a shake of his head, sliding away from her, observing, thinking about further course of action

"We can alw-" she yelped, jerking her head back, words were pushed down her throat when suddenly his purple tail appeared in front of her nose

"Here. Bite on it"

She looked up at him, brow raised questionably.

"We're not leaving, I'll show you just how much fun sliding on ice is. You deserve some piece of normality"

"Really Spyro, we don't have to do this, I'm simply not fit for some things. There are many creatures that don't know how to ice slide and they live happy lives"

"Maybe, but you're not going to be one of them" he twirled his tail in front of her nose "Bite"

She watched the swinging purple tail skeptically.

"I don't know about this Spyro. I don't want to accidentally hurt you"

"You said you wanted to bite me, here's your chance" he swung his tail again "Come on, I'll bare through some physical pain if it means you're going to laugh. Seeing your reluctance because I acted like a moron hurts me more"

"I don't-" she stopped, coming to a conclusion that words won't be of use here. She grabbed his tail into her mouth, fangs delicately crunching the scales

He smiled "Good. Now I'm going to slide a bit away" he did as he said, tail immediately stretched and stiffened in her mouth, she even felt a slight pull

"Ok now just pull back your paws, one at a time, slowly. Don't do anything besides that, relax, just as if you wanted to stand on solid ground"

"Easy for you to say" she muttered through her teeth locked on his tail, it had a specific charm to it

"One at a time. Slowly. You're not going to fall"

After a short while of hesitation and rearranging her teeth on his tail for a better grip that rather tickled than actually hurt she finally got to work.

First was her front, right paw, Spyro suspected that it had more to do with instinct than anything else. She was rightpawed after all. As expected it went smoothly, building confidence is really in every creature's nature. Soon followed her back paw from the same side, there was a little shake, but generally it went without any troubles.

She looked up at him, as if feeling his curious gaze upon her. At first her eyes widened, just like she would never expect to see him there and then she smiled. A rather troubling thought crossed his mind, with such a beautiful smile stretching her lips, even despite the trail of razor sharp teeth holding his tail, and with two big glowing, green eyes aimed straight at him she looked extremely cute.

Like a little girl having a mouthful of favorite sweets.

He couldn't help himself but to return the smile, at least to some degree.

He bit his lower lip when suddenly he felt a pull on his tail that reached beyond the comfortable level, a numbing horde of ants dashed across his spine.

She started to pull back her left leg, even despite that she could rely on the solid weight of her right flank it still didn't prevent her from nearly toppling over. Her right paws slid slightly to the side, dragging the other half of her body behind, if not for the desperate attempt to keep standing, using his tail as leverage, she would be now testing the temperature of the ice.

He didn't actually know why paying attention to her struggle, to notice every detail was so important. There wasn't a part of him that wanted to find out however. There she is, alone and only for him, he can admire her for how long he wants and there's nothing that can stop him.

Absolutely nothing.

He will watch over her always.

"What now?"

He blinked at the sound of the muffled voice, he didn't even notice when she literally pulled herself together. It wasn't perfect, she was swaying all the time, but at least now she was standing.

"Now we slide" he replied with a smile "Don't do anything, just stay still, I'll do the rest" his head turned around "Don't worry, I'll be gentle"

His left leg started to slowly get to work, creating the bulk of the pushing force, the rest of the legs followed soon after. He felt a slight, uncomfortable strain in his lower back, but generally it went without problems, it was merely awkward as it was to be expected from dragging someone who can't keep his balance on ice.

He looked behind his shoulder, they were barely moving so affording a quick glance at his tail was no risk. No matter how short the look was, it was enough to tell that Cynder was extremely nervous, her eyes were aimed at the slippery ground, completely focused on keeping the legs as close to their natural position as possible.

"You're doing great" she looked up at him briefly when he obviously motivated her, the meeting of their eyes lasted maybe a second before she was once again eyeing her own legs

So much for relaxation.

"Stop thinking about it, clear your head, just hold onto my tail and your legs will obey"

She nodded hectically, he felt her teeth rearranging themselves on his tail as she munched on it for better grip. Eyes still remained locked on the ground.

"We're going to speed up a little ok? It will be easier for you to enjoy the ride"

He received no reaction, with no better option he took that as a yes.

Spyro remained true to his commitment, legs started to switch places more faster and surprisingly it was going smoothly. It all changed however when he actually started to feel his body cutting the waves of the wind.

He groaned when suddenly he felt a strong pull on his lower back, it felt like somebody was using a dented saw to split his upper half from his rump. Only thanks to his will he kept himself standing, pushing forward and not dropping flat on his butt.

"Cynder! Relax!" he yelped in pain

He heard scratching coming from behind him and the sound of cracking ice, claws were obviously at work. And it was enough to render his senses numb to the aspect of dragging a living, breathing creature, right now she felt like a dead weight.

That was the nudge that was needed to confuse his will and every last strand of opposition against the ache.

Instead of pushing forward, the force that was pulling him back triumphed, with a groan he landed on his butt, ignoring completely the bolt of pain that shot when his butt forcefully hit the icy floor, he completely melted into the chill that was sent through his entire body, numbing the pain in his spine.

"OWWW!" Cynder muffled yelp came from behind him in perfect accordance with a smacking sound that her body caused when slamming into the ice

His eyes shot wide open, an unbearable surge of pain shot through his entire body, starting from his tail. He was quite certain that someone just split it in half with her teeth. With a growl of complete anguish his instinct reacted by itself, pulling his tail forcefully out of harm's way.

There was another feminine cry of pain, followed by another smacking sound combined with the noise of rattling teeth.

"MY JAW!" she whined, tears appeared in her eyes as she started to rub her chin with the teeth still ringing inside her mouth

Spyro turned his head around, noticing her partner lying flat on the ice, a small indentation made in it that was so perfectly matched with the size of her snout. Her right cheek was bruised and red.

"Are you alright?!" he blurt out worriedly, barely registering the blood on his tail, he immediately started to scramble to his paws

"No! I'm not alright!" she growled angrily, rubbing her chin

He couldn't get up, in the heat of the moment completely forgetting how to ice slide. With his belly still pressed to the ice he spun around, using his paws to turn around.

"I didn't hit you did I?"

"Yes you did!" she snapped at him and winced, paw instantly started to massage the hurt jaw again

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!"

"You didn't mean many things! It was your stupid idea to drag me here knowing exactly how furiously lousy I am!"

"That's not true! You're just trying too hard!"

"I'm not trying to do anything!" she roared, swiping the shards of ice from the ground and throwing them at him "What you consider normal just doesn't fit with me moron! If you would be a good teacher you would know that!"

Spyro indifferently rubbed off the icy trail the frozen particles left on his scales.

"It simply didn't work, we just need to try something else"

"No!" she roared "We are NOT going to try anything else! I'm leaving right now!"

He sighed and pulled himself up, surprisingly without effort.

"You know what Cynder? Shut up"

Her eyes widened in shock, jaw nearly dropped on the very same spot from which it forcefully bumped into the air.

"What did you just say?" she mumbled menacingly

"I've said be quiet" he approached her from the side, drawing his nose under her flank and tilting her up

"What the hell are you doing?!"

"Trying another way" with snout and paw he began to slowly slid underneath her

"Stop!" she demanded

And yet her body remained still.

He eventually forced himself under her, grunts of displeasure being his only opposition.

"I'll be damned if I won't make my partner happy. I will give you a piece of normal, cheerful life" his voice was muffled by her body pressing it down

"All this family stories you heard really got inside your head. What if no one of it will come true?"

"I don't believe it!" he nearly roared and forcefully pushed himself up

Cynder yelped above when she felt herself being lifted up and slightly thrown into the air as he got up on his paws. She landed on his back with a gasp of total bewilderment, flung over his body sideways like a bedroll over a saddle.

"Roll over, tail to tail"

"You're crazy" she admonished him, yet there was no aggression in her voice. She did as she was told, his golden fins and wings weren't as uncomfortable as she believed them to be, they bent under her weight easily

She crossed her front paws on his chest, the back ones were hanging at both sides of his rump, snout hanging from the right of his golden horn.

"Now we try again" he took a deep breath, like someone preparing to do something that he knows will be difficult and hard

"What was that?" she whispered nearly menacingly

"Nothing"

"Tell me"

He sighed "I'm just hoping I will be able to do this with you on top of me"

Her front paws immediately split apart, just to return quickly back to his neck, but this time with claws delicately pressing against his throat.

"Are you calling me fat?" she whispered once more, grinning evilly

Spyro's eyes widened as he looked down at the sharp tips against his throat, his very soul was screaming at him, telling him that there is nothing to be afraid of, that Cynder would never hurt him. Right now however he was deaf to its shouts, especially after their little argument, he no longer knew if she was being serious or just joking.

He gulped, the bulge of saliva that went down his throat nearly forced his scales to impale themselves on the claws.

Better be sorry than safe.

"I-I mean that I'm not as strong as I believed I am"

"That's better" she grinned, withdrawing her claws and intertwining her paws on his chest again

He wasn't certain if that wasn't a simple mistake, but one paw seemed to purposely slide a little lower, exactly where his heart was and then retreat back to the other one.

"Hold tight" he said and started to move his legs for what felt like a thousand time

Cynder's paws clenched his chest tighter, head retreated back and chin rested slightly on the space between his horns. He was moving slowly, he wasn't lying about being worried to be able to pull it through, not because of the weight, she was light all things considered, it was the pressure that was the burden.

He really wanted it to work, to make her enjoy this, and he already seen the consequence of trying to make something work when putting all your effort into it. Fighting against disappointment is really one heck of a long war that you rarely end of the winning side.

He began to slide, slowly, concentrating on the force of the clench on his chest, it was as strong as ever.

With another swallow he decided to put everything on one card, there was no time to prolong this moment. He sped up, clench became tighter, almost crushing his bones, but he kept on sliding, gaining on speed constantly. Until he finally reached the moment when wind started lashing at his scales.

Cynder's head withdrew from the middle of his head, hanging once more from his right side. He noticed her with the corner of his eye, she was looking at the ice below, observing their quickly moving reflections.

As he kept on sliding he noticed her eyes slowly closing themselves, grip started to weaken, allowing him to breathe normally again. He smiled, it was working, she was actually relaxing. He began to move a little faster.

He wasn't sure for how long they were actually doing this, but it was long, at some point he was afraid that she has fallen asleep since the grip on his chest became almost undetectable.

And then her eyes snapped open, head pulled itself back, paws tightened around his chest and soft lips pressed themselves against his cheek.

He gasped.

"I'm sorry for everything" she whispered and licked his cheek

"It's okay"

"No, it's not, it was unfair, I shouldn't have yelled at you"

"Cynder-"

"Put me down"

He looked at her with a surprised frown, eyeing her as if trying to decide whether she's crazy or not.

"I'm serious. Put me down, I will make this right"

Reluctantly he stopped, carefully dropped on the ground, allowing Cynder to get off of him without any problems.

"We'll try the tail thing again"

Not waiting for his response she carefully stepped behind him and picked up his tail, kissing it apologetically before putting it into her mouth.

Giving a clear signal with a nod of her head that she is ready.

And they began.

Despite everything that happened before, right here and now, she was actually ready. He had no idea what changed, but she didn't become discouraged even after a couple of total failures. She was always picking herself up and starting anew.

Eventually it all paid off.

They were actually sliding, she was carefully holding onto his tail as they made circles around the whole, small lake. There was no discomfort, no awkwardness, just pure fun that escalated quickly beyond their control.

Mere sliding was no longer able to satisfy them, eventually they split apart, Cynder gaining enough skill to be able to keep herself standing and slide on her own. Both of them started using their tails, hurling themselves across the ice, spinning around on their bellies and competing how far they could go.

It was sincere fun.

And when Spyro heard her laugh, he knew the first poor moments were worth baring through.

*

Evening caught them quicker than any of them believed, the ice around the lake started melting and cracking, clearly announcing the closing of the magical ice rink. They were already on the ground when that happened, observing the disappearing ice from the grassy shore they were lying on.

"It was awesome, thank you" Cynder said, nuzzling her partner that was lying next to her, rubbing her snout against his

"I'm glad you enjoyed it"

"How could I not? I got to watch your cute butt all the time"

Spyro snickered, pressing his forehead to hers.

"That was your motivation?"

"A big part of it" she licked his nose with a giggle "Rest of it is hidden where my eyes can't reach"

"I'm sure there is a way to reveal it" he leaned closer, kissing her, catching her still laughing lips

"Ow, ow, ow, ow!" she mumbled through their locked lips, giggling

He pulled away, cocking his head "What's the matter? I have barbs on my tongue?" he asked, pulling his tongue from his mouth and observing it closely

She shoved him playfully "Idiot. My back is just sore, I'm not used to all this tail pulling I guess"

"Hmm" he mumbled, crawling to her flank, observing her stretched figure as she lay sprawled on the grass on her belly

He got up, walked over her and sat, trapping her body between his hind paws, both front legs rested on her soft back.

Her wings automatically stretched themselves to the sides, resting on the ground, completely revealing her scaly back to him.

"Don't tell me you know how to give a massage too" she said, looking behind her, eyes traveled up and down his whole figure, there was something really exciting about the way he was towering over her

He shrugged "You tell me"

He slid his paws down her flanks, mouth opened itself automatically at the feeling of her soft body caressing his legs.

"Besides" he applied a little pressure, her whole body shivered and a gentle moan escaped her throat "I think I owe you a massage"

"I think you do" she blissfully huffed into the green ground as she pressed her head to her front paws

He moved his paws across her whole back, feeling every curve and ridge of her body, he was no expert, but her muscles seemed to be tense quite a bit. She did actually strain herself a little. Feeling the softness of her flesh on his paws, how it seemed to invite his touch, how it seemed to crave it...

It was mind numbingly exciting.

With great difficulty he remembered what he was doing in the first place, he was so close swaying to the perverse, completely forgetting about the massage and instead focusing only on exploration that he had to shake his head fiercely to get his mind back to the game.

He applied pressure to the middle back, feeling the bumps easing and softening under his touch.

"This feels so gooood" Cynder moaned into the earth, delicately rocking her body from side to side

He moved his paws to the side, the part of her body that he worked on seemed to relax as if having a mind of its own. Looking so delicate, so alluring, so sensitive.

He leaned down, kissing the tender spot on her back.

Her whole body jumped in the air with a yelp so high that the aura around them filled up with magical energy, as if she was about to unleash her Siren Scream.

A tremendous shiver ran through her whole body as it dropped down.

"I don't think kissing is part of a massage..." she whimpered, a slight blush was visible on her snout as she looked behind her shoulder

He shrugged, running the tip of his tongue through the middle of her back. Cynder's body stiffened, stretching to its limit, neck went up as she bit her lower lip, moaning softly though her almost tightly pressed lips.

He offered her a demure smile.

For her it was like looking at the unlocked Pandora Box, the lid of which was shyly creaking open, a sight from which she simply couldn't take her eyes away. Not because she was petrified with that peculiar excitement, but because she would really like to experience what can all those naughty things do to you that hide in their seemingly innocent prison.

"That's just my style"

"V-very nice" she licked her suddenly dry lips, all liquids that her body accumulated were dripping through her flesh in beads of sweat

"P-please...continue"

They eyes were locked on each other when he started to move his paws again, there was a soft popping sound that came from her back. Cynder's eyes rolled back as she dropped her head back onto her paws with a blissful moan.

He lowered his head again, caressing with tongue and lips the spot he just massaged.

She shivered, hind legs kicked and rolled up as if she was preparing to get up before they eventually straightened flatly on the ground again.

Claws of the front ones dug into the earth.

He moved to her shoulders, giving them a little more attention, they seemed to be more tensed than the rest of her muscles. Whether it was actually the truth or not, he couldn't tell, he just simply felt he had to be near her neck as he lowered his head to caress the shoulders with his lips.

Cynder winced in pleasure, whimpering softly when she felt his hot breath on the back of his neck. She wasn't sure if he was doing it on purpose or not, but the massage he was giving her was driving her crazy.

He finished with the right shoulder first before moving onto the next one, his nose never leaving her scales, lips trailing a soft line across the width of her neckline, feeling the metallic taste of her choker. His teeth sprang forward, clicking slightly on the bracelet.

She nearly wept as the wince deepened on her snout, overwhelmed by the sense of pure pleasure that shot through her body, starting from the neckline where her choker faintly dangled on the extremely sensitive scales that it protected.

He began caressing the other shoulder.

"Ancestors!" she blurt out a guttural sound that was very similar to a roar of an overgrown orc that wasn't even a female

Spyro swiftly jerked his head back, for a moment petrified as he stared wide eyed at his partner.

He snickered.

"What was that sound?" he asked amused

She let out a deep breath.

"Where did you learn all of this stuff?"

"Am I that good?"

She raised her paw, turning it around, making a shrugging motion with it instead of her shoulder.

"I don't know. For me, you're fantastic"

He grinned.

"But then again I don't remember...well...anyone that would ever touch me with such care, or any for that matter. Seems like I'm kinda hungry and sensitive for that kind of attention"

He began massaging her again, with a pleasant moan she shut her eyes, stretching her neck into the air.

"I'm fantastic. Noted" he said proudly

"I'm serious Spyro, better take it as a warning, big chances are that when we will finally have our first time I'll be done and asleep at the first prod"

"Ancestors sweet horns! Cynder!" he laughed

She chuckled "Same thing applies to your massaging style, you better keep that tongue and lips in check, otherwise things might get kinda perverse"

His throat was ravaged by another dose of sincere laughter.

She smiled, she couldn't help herself really, the joy was simply addicting.

"So if you don't have a thing for playing with snoring, near dead dragonesses I would really advise using paws only from now on"

"You have a dirty mind!" he exclaimed, laughing hysterically

She observed him with a broad smile on her snout. He was simply breathtaking when laughing like that, at some point he had to notice her stare since he calmed himself enough to get rid of the laughter. Smile however never disappeared.

As well as the two committed to her sparks in his eyes that radiated unmistakable love.

"And so much self-distance" he whispered affectionately "I love you beyond your wildest dreams"

To cement this words he leaned forward, past her neckline and kissed her. She returned the loving gesture momentarily, locking their lips and twirling tongues into a long, nearly suffocating, intimate kiss.

He broke first, nuzzling her as they both gasped for air, continuing to do so until they both started breathing normally. Only then he retreated back, but not before sharing another kiss with his partner.

His paws returned to her soft back, where they once more started to perform their magic.

Cynder touched her lips, still feeling his intoxicating presence on them.

"You really are a jack of all trades"

Spyro shrugged with a smile.

"Comes with the scales I suppose"

"Maybe, or the kissing part comes from practicing with the brush hiding in your mother's drawer"

He chuckled.

"Maybe" his paws moved to her flanks, massaging them right below the wing joints "No matter how weird it was sometimes, I guess I really learned some cool things back in home"

She turned her head around, looking at him curiously.

"You never told me about your home"

He threw her a fleeting glance, it was enough however to read extreme nervousness and fright gleaming from it.

"There's nothing to tell really"

"Spyro" she admonished him sweetly "You don't have to hold back because of me. I've got your paws massaging my back, there is absolutely nothing that can ruin this moment. I don't care that I didn't have a home, I'm curious about yours"

His paws returned back to the top of her back with a sigh, not a defeated one, but actually pleasant. Digging in that memories was like opening a jar of the sweetest of honey that was kept preserved on a shelf for a long time.

"That land isn't called Swamps for no reason. It's pretty mucky and smelly, not stomach turning, but not good enough to be considered a perfume either. At the same level of unpleasant as smelling dirty fur I think"

He looked straight at the horizon, she noticed his pupils dilating, tuning themselves to look into distances that can't be seen even by the most precise of spyglasses. She smiled together with him, he was attractive to begin with, but seeing him like this, when his hearts speaks through his body...he was absolutely stunning.

"It was always pretty gloomy there when I think of it, like an unending evening, huge trees covered most of the sunlight. However that doesn't mean it was dark, down below where the villages were it was bright as day. There was colorful light coming from every direction, and it weren't the candles that shone from the windows, it were the dragonflies, glowing in every color of the rainbow and more"

He laughed "I remember that once I looked at the village from a vantage point. Every light flying across my eyelids as if I was flipping through a colorful, picturized book. It was amazing, I remember asking Sparx why I don't shine like the rest of the dragonflies. He said some crap about some special light emitting pores of some kind, the reason why I didn't shine was because my fat was so thick"

He chuckled with a shake of his head "And you know I believed him?"

"Swamps were always about lights, that's the most memorable thing for me. Every six months there was that big party to which every dragonfly, from every village came. It was called the Muck festival. Dragonflies aren't much of a big travelers, they rather keep to one place, however there were some that broke those boundaries and I don't have to tell you just how fast they are. They were collectors mostly, traders, bringing back to the Swamps all sorts of goods that for everyone else would take years to gather"

"People swarmed to the festival, there was dancing, singing, eating, you name it. Even someone like me had fun, bigger than anyone else, different than anyone else and yet I remember having the same amount of great time as everyone else. Most of those people knew I was a dragon, but all of them didn't care, for them I was a specific dragonfly and I believed that was the truth. I mixed into that colorful group as if I was one of them"

"And what a colorful group it was! For an adult dragon it would seem like the festival would be a small ball of every possible element combined together. Swirling and chaotic, not truly meant for each other, but then again, not that much different"

"It sounds really beautiful" she commented lovingly

His eyes widened as he looked at her, paws started massaging her back more excitedly.

"You know what? I have a great idea!" he blurt out happily

She watched him, surprised by his sudden outburst.

"I'm going to introduce you to my parents!"

Her own eyes grew in size, staring at him in increasing level of disbelief until they could no more and a cynical snicker escaped her throat.

"Yeah, right"

"I'm serious!"

The amusement vanished from her snout, replaced by a stern expression of someone observing something unordinary and trying to decide if the world gone crazy or not.

"Are you insane?"

"What? Why? They're going to love you!"

"Spyro, people don't love me, people would love to do, here insert whatever nasty things you come up with, to me"

He pressed his paw to his chest, as if offended.

"I love you"

"You don't count"

"What? Why not?"

She smiled wryly.

"You're spyroish"

"Very funny. Please Cynder, just consider it for a moment"

"Spyro seriously, how you think it's going to play out? They will recognize me and you know it, what would you do then? Simply knock at the door and say "Mom! Dad! This is Cynder! The very same that slaughtered thousands of people and bathed in their blood! She's my partner now! Future mate and a mother of bunch of children were going to have!"?

She looked at him seriously "Do you really want to give your parents a heart attack? I didn't know you hated them so much"

He jumped off, dropping in front of her and squeezing her paw pleadingly.

"Please Cynder"

"Why is it so important to you? Aren't you happy right now? Isn't it enough for you?"

"I am happy! But..."

"But what?"

"But we're going to be a family one day and I would really like to find a place for the mother of my children she could call home, show her that life can be beautiful when people you call family and friends surround you"

Seeing the love radiating from his eyes, the pain and hope, it melted her heart and nearly all resistance.

"Spyro, please, don't ask me to do that"

She kissed her paw.

"Why not?"

"B-because you speak so fondly of your home!" she blurt out, blame ringing in her voice, aimed at no one else but herself "I don't want to be the one that ruins that, I don't want to be the nail and stain that cuts you out from your parents and destroys your memories!"

He smiled caringly, touching her cheek with his other paw while the first one squeezed her leg reassuringly.

"You won't do that"

She rubbed her cheek against his gentle touch.

"How can you be so sure?" she whispered

"I simply am"

"I'm scared Spyro. What if they won't like me?"

"They will. You're divine" he leaned forward, kissing her forehead "And so cynderish"

She giggled, rubbing her nose against his.

"You're crazy"

They kissed.

This time the world waited for them.