FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 11

"Faster than I thought" impressed dark voice boomed, black eyes of its owner stared at the calming sky which carried last, fading traces of its earlier magical explosion

"A hero after all" the voice continued, as gloomy as the night

"Is that finally the blood loss speaking?" Ignus mumbled, callously, picking meat from his teeth, sitting behind the black dragon, not looking his way "I would also be depressed if my excitement would kill me"

Danox chuckled softly, his voice echoed mysteriously like sudden snaps of twigs in a dark forest.

"Never murder a creature that is about to commit suicide"

Slick, wet sound filled the sky when the black drake raised his legs and prepared to move. The sound that came after was no less disturbing, a wet snap was heard when the dragon jerked his legs up, especially the back ones.

They were impaled on top of a spiked extensions on top of the mountain he was observing the sky from. Damp noise of tearing filled the air, if not for the abhorrent noise it could be easily compared to the sound of tearing sheets.

The legs that stood on the spikes were pierced through, the moment the dark dragon pulled his paws up he tore out whatever bit of scale and flesh out, bits that couldn't get through.

The crimson spike he left behind was like a melting chocolate-cheery cake, with the red flavor dripping all over the corners and the black one cracked by impatient fingers, dotting the cake all over.

There was a smack when Danox landed on the ground.

Despite his oath to never look at the masochist kid again Ignus couldn't help himself, but to look. He had seen many wounds, many victims of torture and yet despite all of that he winced at the sight of the blood and flesh covered spike.

He was disgusted by it, not because the sight was horrid, he had seen worse. He was disgusted by the fact that someone impaled himself purposely on that natural blade. He couldn't understand how can someone have so little respect for his own self.

You have only one body, there are so many things that can hurt it, why do it yourself?

Instinctively his gaze shifted at the black dragon's legs, he couldn't help himself but notice the two big, gaping holes in the drake's hind paws and two smaller ones on the front ones. Even despite all his experience in carnage it was still difficult to watch wounds, probably a reflex of every sane being, yet it was not as hard as looking at the black dragon's snout.

Reading nothing but indifference from it.

Ignus shook his head, he was done reprimanding the kid. He can bleed out for all he cares.

He would do everyone a favor.

"Where has the enjoyment go my Guardian?" Danox asked with the melody of a humming echo in a dark cave

The fire drake snickered, biting on the claw that he picked his teeth with. He couldn't say why, but he found the question ultimately funny.

"I could ask you the same thing"

He couldn't help himself, a powerful laughter burst from his throat. A great, surprising and mysterious relief washed over him out of a sudden.

"Your knees buckled, watch out for those legs, they serve for more things than just probing samples, like running for instance"

Danox dragged his wounded paw along the rough, rocky ground, as if he would be a very sleepy bull dragging its hoof, preparing to charge.

He cocked his head, silver horns glowing briefly as they reflected the mutual rays of both moons.

"It needs but slight provocation to make the wolf devour the lamb"

"Wise words" Ignus huffed coldly, straightening his neck, looking into the night as if it was an overgrown, black magic mirror showing him images only he could see

"Wise words indeed" red eyes turned towards the black dragon, who even despite the holes in his paws stood proudly as ever in the shadows of the night

He didn't find it intimidating even in the slightest.

"We better heed them"

Danox bore his black eyes into the fire dragon, his tongue slowly ran across his razor sharp, white teeth.

"You are awfully talkative this evening Ignus"

The fire dragon smiled shyly.

"You know what kid? Here's a crucial insight from an old tail like me. Nothing is indestructible, being aware of that is...fulfilling"

"You'd be surprised"

Ignus smirked, the smile was so brilliant that he looked several hundred years younger.

"I doubt it. War taught me one thing boy, no matter how solid the defense might seem there is always a weakness to be found, sometimes you just need to hit hard enough. Don't believe me?" he nodded at the black drake's wounded legs "Ask your pawsies and the knees they are attached to"

Danox looked down, pushing chin towards chest as he looked callously behind himself and at the bleeding paws that despite the holes in them stood firmly on the ground. He couldn't ask his legs about anything, something that is like always can't know the answer.

He didn't understand the blabber, nor he wanted to. It was merely chaotic, confused words of a delirious elder. Delirious, drunk elder, despite his oath bound duty to stay by his side Ignus found enough time to snatch enough wine bottles to somehow pass the time.

At least that's what he says.

Both of them knew the true reason however.

He looked around, a smile stretched his lips when he saw no empty bottle lying around, they were disappearing as quickly as the contents inside.

"You are mumbling my soldier of concern. I fear for my safety"

"There you go!" Ignus exclaimed, pointing at his dark companion, in his uncontrolled excitement tendrils of flames shot from his nose

He didn't care about it, momentarily emptying the closest bottle of wine he got his paw on.

"Wasn't so hard, was it? Now you finally understand how miserable we are"

With an annoyed growl Ignus tossed the bottle to the side, it rolled until it clanked against a small rock.

Danox walked in that direction, his wounded paws making wet slaps against the rocky floor. With an excited whistle he picked the bottle up, turning it in his paw, watching it and wondering if drinking hurts.

What it does for sure is ruining interest and creativity.

From the bottom side of the glass, the part that pressed against the draconic palm, started to grow tendrils of darkness. Two to be precise, rising from the same side and tilting to the opposite one, trapping the bottle into a magical double clench.

Danox' claws twitched gently.

The bottle shattered under the sudden pressure, exploding in a show of little, flying shards. Many that shot towards the dark of the night never were seen again.

The noise that follows every drop of glass was also absent.

Those that remained were stuck in the draconic paw, two others thrust into the scales right below the right, black eye.

Danox didn't even wince.

The only thing that came out of his mouth was a content sigh.

"I can smell that you had enough" Danox turned around

If Ignus would care he would notice darkness enveloping the shards on the black dragon's snout which were later digested to become one with the onyx scales.

"Throw it away, it doesn't serve you"

"Exactly! Smell! You smell fear!" Ignus burst out laughing, interchanged with uncontrollable rough fits of cough

Danox observed the old dragon with unbridled attention.

"Grief unspoken turns to poison"

The fire drake snarled, mood changing as quickly as the level of liquid in all those wine bottles. His claws crushed rock underneath as he flexed his muscles.

"You like proverbs do you? Here's one from me" he looked straight into the black dragon's dark eyes, his own wounded reflection stared back at him

He stared right back it.

"You can't smell your own stench"

Danox smiled, nodding in approval.

"Very pretty. Well done"

Ignus snorted.

"You're an idiot kid. You shoved your head so high up your ass that you no longer can find the exit. I just hope I'll live long enough to see you choke on your own delusions"

"If you keep drinking so much I doubt you will see anything"

Ignus pointed at the dragon "This is-" hiccup cut his voice off

With an annoyed growl he grabbed another bottle "This is why this thing we have going is so toxic. I accept the danger and I'm aware of it. I accept what an asshole I am"

He popped the cork and turned the bottle down, emptying half of it with a single swallow.

"You should stop Ignus. Right now"

"Life's a bitch when it doesn't go your way heh?" with one jerk of paw he swallowed whatever remained in the bottle and hurled it into the blackness of the night

No shattering of glass was heard.

A wolf's whine echoed in the air.

Danox cocked his head slightly, if his eyes would radiate emotion they would send waves of pity.

"He who talks incessantly talks nonsense"

"Bullshit you dumb motherfucker!" Ignus roared, making a slight pounce in the black dragon's direction, flames cracked in his breath and a numb pounding echoed in his head as if someone would be hitting it lazily with a hammer

In a brief moment of complete clarity he thanked the gods for his tipsy state, otherwise the headache might have killed him.

"You're too ignorant, too lazy to see..." he ended his shouting abruptly, rubbing his forehead he shook his head

For a second it seemed like the remaining, chipped horn would fall off and soon the rest of him would crumble in its wake.

"Maybe it's for the better. Everything has to end someday. Fuck me if we don't deserve it"

Danox stood there, unmoved by the insult.

"Sleep it off my friend. You will feel better tomorrow"

"I am not your friend, monster"

"Don't paint the image of a demon on the wall"

"I'll do whatever I like!" he snarled, hiccup attacking in between, rather blurry red eyes scanned the surroundings for another dose of the delicious liquid

There was none.

He emptied them all.

In every other state a red lamp would flash in his head with a warning signal. Alcohol always made him talk too much, talking much in the wrong company is not entirely healthy, can spoil and ruin everything.

He was past that moment of hesitation.

"I always did and always will! I had to, you understand?! I fucking had to you disgusting creature!"

He roared straight into that forsaken black mug, those forsaken black gems, those forsaken images of himself shown in them.

"May the Hells take you monster!" he slammed his clenched into a fist paw into the rocky earth, the force of the blow was so strong that bloody cracks appeared on his scales when they snapped at the impact

Danox did nothing, nothing that would be expected from a compassionate being with a soul. There was no inclination of moving a paw on his shoulder to offer comfort, nor there was any sensible pulse of support radiating from his body language.

He was as empty as the bottles he sucked out to the last drop.

Danox merely smiled, lips stretching in a kind grin of a grandpa looking at his grandson.

The fire dragon wanted to scratch his eyeballs out.

"My dear, dear Guardian" breathy, dark voice intoned friendly

Ignus couldn't help himself, but to chuckle under his breath due to welter of contradictions and cruel irony.

"We all are monsters, demons or abominations" Danox continued "Adjectives, where some call us murderers others call us heroes. Merely words. We do what we do because we want to live, why allow anything to stop us from that? We are survivors, we fight, kill and..."

He took a deep, wavering breath as he titled his head up and took a whiff of the air. His wings fluttered gently, shyly opening, but in the end deciding not to.

"Eat" he let out a low grumble

Black gaze dropped down, a glimmer of white flashed across the black eyes.

"Don't we have the right to live?"

Ignus sat down, both paws slapping against the eyes, claws curling around the skull, trying to hold it in place since everything started to spin.

He wished that the booze would be only responsible for that.

"Am I right Ignus?" Danox leaned towards the sitting drake, voice as dark and intimidating as howling wind in a dark forest "Do we have the right to live?"

The fire dragon shook his clenched head.

"I...don't know"

The black drake straightened up with a disdainful snort, touching the place below his right eye where the shard from the shattered bottle once protruded from.

"Wine and women make fools of everybody"

"It's not the booze" Ignus groaned pitifully

"I'm aware"

The red drake bit at his paw that shook as if it would be under unending influence of electrical energy.

"I hope you die a gruesome death" he mumbled, a soft sob escaping his throat

Danox smiled, putting up his usual polite smirk of a shark.

"Take the proverbs to the heart, they always speak the truth. You wouldn't be here my sweet protector if you wouldn't know that serenity is an utopia. The only safety you can create is with your own claws" he chuckled "Or horns"

Fuck it.

Ignus pulled himself up with a growl, he hated when he was outsmarted, that was this one little thing that always shook him to some degree of clarity no matter how much alcohol circulates in his blood at the current time.

"I'll do what I have to do boy. The only question is when you are going to start doing it yourself"

"Creatures fated to be happy need not to haste"

This time the fire drake grinned in return, he noticed the black wings of his companion flinching uncomfortably.

"You are right, I will take the proverbs to the heart. I really like the sound of the last one you said. Thank you"

Danox cocked his head, paw impulsively shot upwards, scratching the neck.

"Close your eyes Ignus, with that alcohol in your blood you're more chaotic than a tornado"

The grin that adorned the red dragon's snout grew a little wider.

"You have something on your neck?"

The black drake frowned, at first surprised at hearing his suggestion, but then his eyes widened even more when he noticed his risen leg. With wrinkles turning his snout from the expression of utter shock to nearly erupting fury he hurled his leg back at the ground.

Snarling and brandishing teeth as if he for a moment considered biting it off entirely.

"Yesss" Ignus huffed contentedly "Life's a bitch"

Dark eyes looked up and as by a magic touch the black snout erased all the wrinkles of emotion as if they were never there in the first place. A kind smile stretched the black maw, followed soon by a melodic, gentle, breathy laughter.

"Your mood swings are amusing my soldier of fortune. Makes me reconsider my earlier objections to your excessive drinking habit"

"I would also say you're amusing, but it's hard to say through all that crazy feeling that I get when talking to you. You're like a smiling corpse, better do something about that, not many are so tolerant as I am"

"Tolerant? Towards me?" Danox laughed heartily, the shadows of the night seemed to pulse and beat with each tone. Shaking like glass under the effect of resonating sound with a frequency set to break it

"And what would I have to do to avoid your wrath?"

"It's not my wrath you should worry about" Ignus yawned, coiling around on the ground as he lied down "There is no thing in existence that could survive the attention of the whole world, believe me I...know"

Danox approached the intoxicated and tired old drake. Without hesitation he extended his paw and started to stroke gently the red head.

A cold shiver ran through Ignus' spine.

"A mistake is no reckoning"

"What the hell are you doing?" he jerked his head away from the paw with a snort of disgust "Who the fuck you think you are?"

Danox twirled the claws in his risen paw like a spider twirls its many legs.

"I can be whoever you wish"

Ignus gulped, in that promising, deep voice he found nothing that could question those words.

He was certain that the dragon in front of him is going to be true to his word.

He couldn't decide if the perspective is enthralling or terrifying.

"I want you...to be useful" he mumbled, licking his lips fiercely, the words he had said didn't taste good on his mouth

"Partnerships require mutual effort, as a dragon from the future you do very little in terms of the portals you just rushed attention to. Work on that and you will avoid wrath, it's easy to come by for someone with your scale colors"

Danox flashed his pearl whites in a pleasant smile that was really blood freezing in the company of his black eyes.

"Subtlety set a trap and caught itself"

Ignus groaned, dropping his head back on the ground.

"I don't have the head right now to figure out your babbles"

"My strong Guardian, I'm always doing something. I'm the physical image of demonic horror and nightmare, there isn't a day where I am idle. People conjure up stories, no matter on which side of war they are. I am those stories, I am those tales, I am everything. I am permanently everywhere"

He waved his paw around, gesturing at the surroundings darkness.

"If you listen, you can hear the night whispering. What does it say Ignus? Can you hear me?"

"Oh I hear you..." the fire muttered, smacking his lips "I hear a delusional idiot thinking he's the navel of the world"

Danox chuckled.

"Another adjective to the collection. Wonderful. You understand my friend, I don't have to attain to things personally, because all those adjectives have one thing in common. I am the monster, the savior, the navel, I cannot be ignored, I cannot be overlooked. Every living creature knows that, even those from a long forgotten time"

A hoarse snore filled the air when the fire dragon's chest heaved roughly.

"I can wait for everything to come to me" the black drake whispered, circling silently the sleeping drake "This world is ruled by the truest of truths" his scythe like tail tip trailed the red dragon's form softly

"If you want to prevail..." he lied down, coiling himself around the figure of the snoring, red dragon, with care of a feather scratching the red scales on the back

"You need to face your demons" he whispered, nuzzling the red snout

The red drake shifted and jerked uncomfortably in his sleep.

He dreamt of shattered, bleeding bottles that night.

*

"Why can't I go on an adventure with my friends?!" Flare stomped his paw as he let out a whine, his burning body letting out a flash of fiery light that illuminated the bench he was sitting on with a bright light

In the now empty plaza of the City Hall and in the middle of the night he looked like a torch that just got infused with more cinders.

"They're going to Boven dude!" Sparx shouted, this night was already a pain and his head can't stand any more problems

"So what? I want to be with my friends!"

"In Boven is the portal from which you came from you dumb brick! And knowing Spyro he will try to do something cool and get us all in trouble. You really want to go back to the prison you escaped from?"

Flare's eyes widened, the frustration his fiery body clearly radiated, disappeared. His aura returned almost to its natural glow, if not for the intimidated intensity that paired well with the dragon's now lowered in defeat head.

"I-I-I-I don't w-w-w-want to g-g-g-g-go back"

"See? I to-"

"W-W-W-What if I-I-I get trapped?" the young fire drake cut off the dragonfly with his frantic stammer

"You're not-"

"I-I-I don't want toooooo!" Flare whined, throwing his head up and nearly howling

From a distance some left competent wolves answered him.

"Dude!" Sparx shouted, dashing forward and clapping his hands in front of the drake's snout "Relax! You're going to wake up the corpses with your wailing! You aren't going anywhere!"

"I-I'm not?" Flare cocked his head, mane flickering shyly "B-But Cynder is going, I need to help my friend!"

"Cynder can take of herself, don't you worry"

"No, no, no" the fire drake shook his head fiercely, his mane shooting small sparks in the air with each jerk "It's a very bad place with many purple dragons! She can't go!"

"Chill man, it's not her first rodeo, besides she will have a purple dragon with her and me, she'll be fine"

"A purple dragon?" the fire drake mumbled, tail wagging in a bashful manner of pleasant surprise and anxiousness "What purple dragon?"

Sparx licked his lips, staring at the fire drake with a knowing, drilling gaze, almost demanding to see a hint of smile that would say he was teasing. Making a very bad joke.

He knew better however.

The prolonged silence and clueless, expecting stare of his fiery companion only confirmed his already certain suspicions.

Sparx slapped his head against his forehead, covering his eyes and shaking his head in slow, but raging depression.

"What was I thinking?"

"What?"

"Man, with how many purple dragons you've seen Cynder with?"

Flare opened his mouth.

"Wait!" the dragonfly exclaimed, putting his hands on the dragon's parting maw and shutting it tight.

"Don't strain yourself. I don't want your brain to leak through your nose, I have a need for whatever scrap you have there" he poked the dragon's head

"Me, Spyro and Cynder are going. I'm going to take care of them while you have to take of some other friend. I hate to do that, but someone has to make difficult choices here. I'm counting on you dude"

If Flare's horns were capable of any movement they would perk up as ears right now.

"You want me to take care of Iris?"

Sparx jerked his head back.

"What? No!" his expression changed drastically after a second. Surprise was replaced by a thoughtful frown and a finger tapping against the lower lip "I mean...yeah, but I think we have a different idea when it comes to taking care of her"

His expression adopted a look of extreme seriousness and concern as he buried his gaze into the dragon's yellow one.

"I want you to look after Coriza"

Red tail wagged happily.

"Hey, no problem! Coriza is super cool and cute!"

Sparx winced, a shiver ran through his whole spine, making him quiver.

"This is going to sound like an open invitation for a stalking rapists" he sighed rubbing his forehead "I want you to follow her around, look what she's doing, but don't get caught, because she will know I've sent you. Jump in only when you see her doing something really stupid, like trying to disappear in that temple, the den you know?"

"I will do everything for my friends! What if she catches me though? What should I do with her then?"

Sparx clenched his chest, feeling as if a dagger would pierce his heart.

"You won't do ANYTHING TO OR WITH her, you hear me?" he growled, pointing a completely straight, unmoving finger at the dragon's nose

Flare gulped, part due to anxiety and part due confusion.

"I don't understand..."

"You don't have to! Ok?" the dragonfly pressed his hands together in a praying manner, huffing through the tips of his fingers he brought to his nose

"Look" he mumbled after a deep, calming breath "Just watch over Coriza while I'm gone ok? Don't let her sleep in that damn temple and especially don't let her spend time with that cleric mole. You know who I am talking about?"

Flare's eyes twinkled menacingly.

"The one that smells funny, the king of worms"

In any other day he would recoil back at the sight, flail his arms and order-beg the young drake to cut it out. Right now however he really could use a bit of determination. It didn't matter if it was insane, misguided or vicious, everything that would even in the slightest bit assure him that there is a chance someone will do his job when he can't, is accepted.

She had to be kept safe.

A similar thing worked before when his brother was involved, there is no reason it can't work now.

Well maybe there is one.

Flare is not Cynder.

"Yeah..." Sparx mumbled tentatively, rubbing the back of his head "that one"

He swallowed, it was hardly a comforting thought to see the drake in his cluelessness had no problems figuring out who the mole was and couldn't tell that the purple dragon was a reference to Spyro.

Flare jumped from the bench, fiery sparks shot from underneath his paws when he landed on the ground.

The temperature around him was clearly higher.

"I will protect her. Where is she?"

"Whoa dude" Sparx threw his arms up, pressing them against the drake's warm, red shoulders "Slow down there, it's the middle of the night"

"I know that girl, she's not an idiot, when all this mess ended I've seen her heading back to her house. I don't know if she had seen me, but for sure she won't spend this night in the temple, she would suspect I would be waiting for her"

"So Flare, first thing in the morning, you know what morning is right?"

The fire drake snorted, offended.

"I'm not stupid"

The dragonfly grinned, yet the smile didn't hold for long, shaking lips unable to keep the stretch consistent.

"I'm willing to believe that. First thing in the morning, you're going to check if she's up"

Flare's eyes widened, he took a step back, pupils darting from side to side frantically.

"I can't see her in the morning, not her, no, no, no. Not when I wake up, I can't, I can't"

"Wha-"

"I have no regrets Sparx!" he shouted, jumping forward, trying to snatch the dragonfly, yet he avoided the grab with a swift dodge

"Dude!" the dragonfly gasped

"I have no regrets!" he cried out

In one of the rooms of the City Hall a light went on.

Sparx darted in a wide circle and grabbed the dragon by the horn, tugging at it with all the strength he could muster.

"Move, if you don't want to have the guards on your ass"

They ran away from the Plaza, taking a turn into the nearest alley. There was no sound of guards approaching. Sparx suspected that the light in the window was only lit to scare them o. ff. He didn't want to find out however, there was too much need for freedom right now.

"What is your problem now dude?!" Sparx blurted out, throwing his arms in the air angrily

"She can't be the first creature I see in the morning!" Flare started to pant, the shocking excitement taking it's toll

"I'm not asking you to barge into her house to see if she's in bed the moment the sun goes up! Just be there in the morning and wait for her to get out. She gets up early so just be ready"

Yellow eyes widened once more, this time however there was no sign of panic in them, only cheerfulness as if shock was never there.

"Really? Cool! I can do that then! She'll be safe, don't you worry!"

"Yeah" Sparx mumbled disheartened

He didn't like the drake's shifting attitude, neither he liked the confusion that Flare triggered in him. It was almost like he would tell a nearly blind mole to watch out for guards while he robs the market stall.

It has disaster written all over it.

Those are the difficult choices.

Someone has to bare them.

He sacrificed his...Coriza for family.

He sacrificed his heart for his brother's conscience.

If things go bad all that will be lost is his heart, a pain of a small creature who's suffering won't have a huge consequence on the fate of the world.

Invisibility is his perk after all, nobody will ever see his pain.

This is the role of a sidekick.

To catch the blows and observe if any more are coming.

And all know that history likes to make a circle.

As a brother he had a hunch that Spyro will need every bit of weight off his shoulders.

For as long as it is possible.