FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 15

"For what it's worth, I'm happy that you agreed to hang out with me" Cynder announced cheerfully, playing with her tea cup by making small circles with it. In between words she threw her blue host a shy smile followed by a grateful glance "It means a lot to me, I don't have many draconic friends" she chuckled, giving the cup a clawed tap "There isn't anyone really besides Spyro and I don't count him. You're awesome for giving me that chance"

"I'm honored to hear that" Coriza got up from the table, smiling warmly "Come, let's prepare ourselves"

Black head perked up, neck momentarily forcing it into a surprised tilt.

"Come where? You haven't brought the cosmetics out"

"That is correct, this time however I have no intention of bringing them. I'll show you exactly where my secret stash is"

Cynder's mouth dropped down, it wasn't much, everyone else probably would merely smile at the perspective. She however was thrilled, this was her own, personal struggle for redemption, people telling her secrets was like burning the flag and ruining the morale of the opposing army for a common soldier.

It was thrilling.

People never told her secrets out of their own free will, she tore those secrets from their throats, more often than not she pulled them through their guts.

She didn't have a plan on how to make up for all the bad things she done, following her instinct was all she could do. It didn't seem to work. It felt right, heading after Malefor even despite her overwhelming fear supposed to be the turning point for her relations with the population.

Nothing like that happened.

Instead of repairing her wrongs the defeat of the Dark Master seemed like a willing and certain release of a bag of rocks you kept holding in your maw right at your paws.

With the Dark Master gone, she became the center of attention for all the hostility, it was weird how easy people find a scapegoat and how they crave to put blame on someone.

It goes without saying that redemption jumped out of her reach, together with it went all the secrets.

This might be a perverse remnant of her past craving, but she liked secrets, they always had a special meaning and value. It was like treasure. For both shades of Cynder, be it dark or normal. After everything she doubted that she would ever again taste the sweet flavor of secrets, never again reach this wonderful treasure.

But she did.

She might not be an expert on social interactions and behavior, but even she knew when something special happened, when she reached a milestone, because no matter how lonely one can be, how much one would love solitude, deep down everyone wants to be accepted.

Being accepted was her chest of riches and every secret a coin that filled it up.

"Show me?" she muttered, hardly feeling her lips moving

"Yes"

She swallowed, the confirmation, the loud and clear confirmation was as shocking as an unexpected smack across the cheek.

"But, last time..."

"Last time my cowardly nature overwhelmed me" Coriza explained regretfully "It is very difficult for me to feel comfortable around people. My hobbies, as you are aware, are inappropriate for a priestess, servitude expects modesty and humbleness" the cleric smiled, lowering her head in shame she twirled a strand of her hair around her claw "I know it sounds silly, but for me, who grew around specific rules and mindset, it is very difficult to allow people to see the other part of me. Role of a cleric follows a certain doctrine, it is a very respected position by the population, a role model of modesty and honor in short. The other side of me likes to indulge into pleasures that a typical cleric shouldn't, but I like it, I feel good about it, my conscience feels good about it. What I'm truly scared of is finding out that I'm lying to myself and other people catching me on those lies. Like the Seeker"

"I'm a priest, it's in my heart, I don't want to find out that everything I believe and feel to be good is only a delusion"

Cynder smiled, her heart boiled like water, she felt her ribcage becoming tighter under the hot pressure. Her legs sprang up and carried her automatically, cut off from the numbing sensation, a numbing, wonderful sensation that stretched her lips into a constantly widening smile that became painful at some point.

Without thinking and hesitation she pulled the cleric into a comforting, friendly hug.

She found a friend in Spyro, but having a female friend was something not of this world, for her it felt like she just found a piece of herself that she never believed existed anymore.

A piece of a puzzle that formed the image of Normality.

"I'm proud that you are willing to trust me, it means a world to me"

Coriza returned the embrace, she wasn't even surprised just how quickly her body reacted, despite the painful words of the Seeker she melted into the hug.

She didn't feel corrupted, she didn't smell anything vile5.

It was beauty, beauty in the most pristine of forms.

She never confused it with the allure of evil, she couldn't comprehend how something like that could change unexpectedly. It eluded her how the Seeker saw corruption in something like this

The comforting hug didn't help in resolving that issue.

She didn't mind.

"You asked to participate into one of my guilty pleasures, willingly and knowing that it would make me happy, not questioning it in any way. It might seem small, but for a creature as vulnerable as me, even the tiniest assurance of safety is a blessing. Thank you"

The girls remained in each other's embrace for quite a comforting while.

"I must confess something" Coriza pushed Cynder away gently, offering one of her kind, toothless smiles "It is better if we won't hold each other to avoid the risk of misunderstanding"

Happy and hopeful green eyes remained locked on her, giving her their full attention.

"I feel attracted to you Cynder, I can't resist you"

Green eyes widened.

Coriza blushed, looking away, trying to catch her dangling mane with her tongue.

"I'm aware of the sound of this words, but I assure you it has nothing to do with physical attraction. I swear"

It was surprising to hear something like it, her mind quickly realized however that the priest was telling the truth. It was even more surprising however that she somehow regretted the attraction to be only spiritual one.

For everything that is holy.

She is addicted to Good.

"I believe you"

The priestess nodded, her head remained in the embarrassed zone however.

"I feel this passion for you because, don't be offended please, you are Darkness" she winced, expecting a gasp, a moan, anything that would give her a hint that she wounded someone

There was nothing.

She looked up, Cynder was smiling, eyes trusting and welcoming.

Words automatically poured from her mouth.

"Not the evil everyone talks about, you are the Darkness that I find beautiful, the Darkness that is inside my soul, something that I try to hide from the rest of the world. You are pleasure, the inappropriate, you are fun and joy. You are truth. The physical embodiment of what I fear to reveal and indulge into, the evidence that there is nothing wrong in it. A beauty to be found in shade of black"

Coriza swallowed, extending her paw towards the black leg, not losing eye contact that would stop the heart of every excited male, she tenderly trailed the form of the black scale with the blunt side of her claw.

"Assurance. Solidity. Proof"

She bit her lip, realizing what she was doing she pulled back her paw so sharply that she strained her muscle. She rubbed her aching shoulder with a wince.

"Does that make sense?"

Cynder shrugged, soft giggle wafting from her throat.

"Does it matter? If my presence eases your mind and makes you happy, then that's enough for me. What I've learned throughout the years is that when it comes to heart you don't focus on sense. If your heart feels good then everything is as it was meant to be. Does a girl like me, the murderer of thousands falling in love with the hero of the world makes any sense? I followed my heart and it led me here. I regret nothing, and as your friend let me be bold enough and tell you that you shouldn't either"

The pain was gone, dispersed from her muscles like dust from a shelf. There was something magically comforting in the sound of the words that she recited to herself, in her own words naturally, meaning was the same nevertheless, for this brief moment the conflict between her spiritual approach and reality was unimportant.

Important was the fact that she heard her own words spoken by another soul.

In the back of her mind she already sensed the Seeker's cautious tone, warning her about the spoils Darkness offers, how it corrupts by giving you what you need. This here was a perfect example of what the head priest chanted about, if there was a device capable of catching this moment it would be presented on every sermon from now on as a relic of corruption.

She didn't feel anything vile about this. For her all the warnings were exactly that, an example, an example of misguided attention.

Whether it was correct or not, in this moment she couldn't think about the Ancestors wrath, or the Seeker's disappointment. What she experienced here was beautiful, there was never anything wrong with the things she found pretty, besides, the Seeker encouraged her even to live her life.

And she wanted to live her life with Cynder by her side, finding not only beauty in her, but a strangely addicting pull of affection. It felt like she would be staring into her own reflection in the mirror, with the difference that this reflection was real and had differently colored eyes and scales.

That was everything that made them look apart. The soul inside was the same.

Coriza chuckled, the sound that came out of her was more like a wet snort than actual soft blurt of joy. She turned around from her guest, had to, or she would tear up like a child. She marched away, gold eyes already moist.

"Let's continue, or I will start crying"

Not able to stop smiling, Cynder followed her friend, since Coriza didn't seem like the type for the unpredictable, she expected them to land into a bedroom, or a living room with a closet full of all priesthood souvenirs and clothes where one gentle swipe of paw would be enough to push all this stuff away and reveal a couple of cans of cosmetics.

They arrived however in the room with the special booth, it was here where everything started, it was here where she was showed, taught basically, how it is to feel like a normal, female dragoness. The memory of spending time with Coriza on make-up always warmed her heart a great deal.

"We're here" the blue dragoness announced, entering the booth from all places

Cynder frowned in surprise, this didn't look like a special, secret hiding place.

Coriza bit her lip, scratching one of the loose floorboards with her claw, it kept bouncing tenderly to the pressure she applied.

As if laughing.

"If after this you decide that my company is insufferable I'll understand"

"Don't be silly" Cynder tousled the dragonesses back with friendly, comforting intensity "I don't judge. Look at me, I carry far more shame with me than a couple cosmetics will ever do. You tolerate me, there is absolutely no way I won't tolerate you"

There was a sharp crack and the board tilted up.

"Holy crap!" Cynder exclaimed in awe, leaning against her friend's legs she stared with huge eyes at the recently opened hole

Sometimes some of the people, especially the children, play games and tell stories where dragons are greedy, strong beasts that like collecting trinkets and stash them away for some reason, most likely in their lairs.

Coriza was not some ordinary priest, she followed the doctrines of a cleric to the latest, being a priest meant supporting and helping people, no matter their scale color. The cleric done exactly that, it shouldn't really be surprising that Coriza would also follow the doctrines of a fairytale dragon.

Her friend led her to her hoard and there was lots and lots of treasure here. The cosmetics were all cramped together, seemingly in chaos, yet the color placing didn't leave any room for much interpretation. Vials of the same color were closer to each other, clearly sorted.

Thoroughly and thoroughly.

"So much stuff!" Cynder squeaked, pushing forward and throwing her head down, almost sinking her nose into all of the cosmetics, her awestruck eyes just couldn't sit still, shifting back and forth across every colorful bottle and vial.

Coriza put up a nervous smile, with a hard blush coloring her cheeks she started to fondle fervently her hair pin.

"Yes, this is my shameful secret"

"Shameful?!" the black dragoness squealed, in this crunched position she looked like a bear observing swimming in the pond fish and preparing to snatch one for dinner

Her tail kept swinging wildly from side to side, the blade swishing like a horizontal guillotine.

Coriza stepped back, observing the swinging blade in horror, yet she couldn't help herself but to giggle. There was something sweet about this danger.

"Shameful is terrorizing people just because you can, but THIS! This my friend is magic! You have everything here!"

"Actually" the priestess smiled, the strand of her mane dangling just at the edge of her vision served as a perfect reminder "My supplies of hair dyer are running low"

"Hair dyer!" the blade made an enthusiastic bounce as if the squeak would lift it from the ground "You would look amazing with purple hair!"

Coriza giggled.

"I'm afraid that this particular color doesn't fit with the rest of my carnation"

"Then I can use it if you don't need it!"

Another soft laugh escaped her throat, she just couldn't resist the intoxicating aura of youthful joy Cynder was emitting. It reminded her so much of the spirit she keeps bottled up and uncorked only with Sparx. Letting it loose right now with Cynder would lead to a disaster, that and she felt that an overzealous amount of joy would be inappropriate after the Seeker's words.

"You don't have any hair Cynder"

"So what! Let's use all of this stuff, I'm sure you can do something great with it!"

The cleric cleared her throat, while she decided to give her instinct a chances, her nature of a priest sent warnings signals already, telling her that pageantry won't be tolerated by anyone, herself included.

Beauty had this special issue of dozing, it had to be the right proportions to make everything perfectly.

"I would for the first idea about claws only if you don't mind"

Cynder balked, tail froze in place, with a pained hiss she brought herself on all legs and turned around. Guilt riddled her expression.

"I'm sorry, I freaked you out didn't I?"

"I-"

The black dragoness slapped herself in the forehead.

"I'm an idiot, sorry. I just saw all of this, it reminded me of all this normal stuff normal girls go through and I freaked out. Especially now, when...when"

"Everything is alright Cynder" a blue comforting paw landed on the black shoulder "You are my guest and my friend, my intention is not to harm you, if you want, we can use everything"

Cynder shook her head.

"Nope. No deal. You are my friend too and I also have no intention in harming you"

"In that case" Coriza smiled warmly "I propose we carry on with the original idea and do our claws, to make it interesting you can pick whatever color you want to use"

The black female gulped in shock.

"Really? I don't want to screw up"

The comfort radiating from the priestess was enough of an evidence for the falsehood of her claim.

"You won't" only empowered by two words

Cynder smiled broadly, turning towards the open floorboard, she didn't really know if she'll look good in it, yet she wanted to try nevertheless. It was all about girls after all, and there is only one color in her mind that can make you even more girly.

"Pink"

Despite her own words Coriza couldn't help herself and evaluate her friend with an eye sensitive for beauty. She immediately imagined the color on those silver claws, how they merge with the black shade of the rest of the body.

The result wasn't that bad, as a black dragoness Cynder has a very strong pigment, every color that isn't black, or at least dark enough will stand out no matter what.

Her friend wasn't bothered by that however and that's what truly mattered, that and she really wanted to see Cynder's joyful spirit again.

"Very well, we do as you wish"

Cynder gasped, the happiness and surprise was so strong that she was melting from all these hard to name emotions. Someone accepted her wish, it was a stupid thing maybe, but having a dragon, a newly acquired friend tell something like that was world turning for her.

Coriza was a milestone on the road to redemption.

She felt it in her every bone.

And she was a dragon.

She felt as if her body decided to show what she goes through right now, especially the tail tip that she sensed as it tried to change, pushing towards the form of a heart.

"Relax please" Coriza moved forward, giving a tender, waking slap with her tail, hitting the closest black leg "Let me get the necessary equipment"

Cynder looked around, not really knowing what to do or where to go she simply sat down.

There was no way she would feel relaxed today, at least not in the literal sense, she was way too excited for that, which in all honesty was nice in itself.

There were some clicks and rustles before Coriza fished out two small vials from hideout. One carried a pink liquid inside while the other was a strange combination of light red and the other dark, also red, or brownish. Two small brushes were attached to the bottles.

Green eyes focused on the unknown color, it was like a droplet of fresh, bright wine and...

"Coral and rusted earth" Coriza explained, spotting the intent focus on her friend's snout, the vial juggled slightly in her paw "This is how the colors are called"

She rested the bottles and turned around before diving down again, from there she retreated a nearly transparent sheet, mostly transparent. There were plenty of dried, colorful stains dotting this peculiar mattress.

"This will be a longer session so we're going to use the optimal protection, it will save us lot of time and I won't have to replace the covers later"

"Covers?" Cynder looked down, clenching and unclenching her claws, feeling absolutely nothing under her paws, but wood

The cleric smiled sadly.

"Sparx was right about my cleaning habits, they become especially prominent when I'm in a foul mood. Like earlier today after my temple service. I usually prepare the covers before I start preoccupying myself with cosmetics. Today however I just had to move to stop thinking so I replaced the cover, it's in truth a very special tape, offered to me by some cheetah family. Whenever they are in the city I refill my stockpile with this majestic masterpiece. It's so thin you can't feel it, but it fulfills its purpose to the latter"

Coriza looked around, searching for the perfect spot to begin with stretching the sheet she held in her paw.

"Let me help!" Cynder announced, jumping up as she read her friend's intentions "I traveled with two boys for years, I know how to spread sheets, also know how to scream on them to make them work" she grinned

The cleric chuckled.

"I would feel obliged"

Both girls got to work immediately, following Coriza's instructions Cynder stretched the special tape towards the corners of her booth and latched in side the loose boards. Something she wouldn't have noticed if not for the directions.

The spot was ready in no time, both girls landed on the floor even more quicker.

"Your hind paw please" Coriza asked, passing her friend the vial with the claw pain, keeping the pink one to herself

"My hind paw?" Cynder cocked her head

The priestly smile that was so nice to look at stretched the blue dragoness' mouth.

"To apply the cosmetic I will need your claws to be close enough"

"No, no, you don't have to paint my claws, I can do it myself. Don't trouble yourself"

"This is no trouble, it's a wish fulfillment in fact. You see, my inclinations to indulge into cosmetics isn't a common behavior among dragons. We are beautiful creatures just the way we are, make-up is reserved only for extremely rare cases. Most dragons don't like it, or simply don't need it, knowing that they are fine the way they are"

Coriza tapped the bottle next to her, the vial with the paint made a pleasing click. Sitting, she observed the gently twirling bottle as if it was a hypnotizing medallion.

"My wish was always to share my passion with someone else, bestow someone with the richness of the experience. I never had a true friend, especially a friend who liked the things I do. It's silly since I enjoy solitude, nevertheless I really hoped for such experience to come true"

She placed a claw on top of the vial, stopping its soft dance.

"Perhaps it is a cry for understanding. The beauty of our kind doesn't apply to me, I have a crooked bite, don't wield any strong magic and don't heal naturally. Sometimes I think that my obsession for beauty is a futile attempt to reach that natural perfection of our species, I have a feeling that my desire to find a partner for this sessions is a subtle way of begging for acceptance and avoiding the feeling of being an outcast"

Cynder swallowed hard, this confession was very touching, especially since she was the one who Coriza considered as the one who she decided to share her plight with. Something that was very special and personal to her, since she was, or still is an outcast herself.

It made her feel important, valuable in this forsaken world that saw her as nothing else but the worst trash. It also empowered her motivation, especially emphasizing the realization of the fact that all her her good deeds finally paid off.

All because of the creature in front of her, far from ideal when it came to physical appearance, yet she still personally believed that Coriza didn't lack anything, even had body parts that emphasized her cute figure.

Her real beauty laid inside.

She had the most pristine soul she ever had the pleasure to meet, probably even above Spyro's level. While her mate had a good heart, he killed, in self defense, but death is death and killing is a bad thing.

Coriza had no scars, not even the tiniest one on her soul. It was pretty and pure like a diamond.

"You are beautiful Coriza" Cynder assured, leaning back onto her wings she moved tenderly her right hind paw towards the cleric, extending it, curling her toes she grazed the blue leg in front of her, massaging it with the top of her draconic foot, this was all she could do in her position, providing as much comforting touch as possible

"You have the richest personality I have ever had the pleasure to see. It's like you carry all the Ancestors power right here" she tapped her chest, right where her heart was "Your devotion is so strong, I can see your soul in your eyes and it's blinding"

The gold eyes sparkled, making their own bow to this special complement.

Cynder felt her heart melting, this was addiction for sure. If there are godlike creatures in the stars, then gold eyes full of goodness and mercy like the ones before her have to be a common sight up there.

"This is not about cheering you up, not completely at least. I fell in love with Spyro not because I owed him my life, gratitude had nothing to do with it. I fell in love with Spyro because I'm ugly, no amount of repairing will make amends for the crimes I committed, the piece of purity I couldn't find in myself I found in Spyro. Same purity I see in you and believe me when I tell you that I'm very sensitive to this kind of stuff, I wouldn't survive without it"

Coriza swallowed an emotional gulp, she was touched beyond words, completely forgetting about the Ancestors and the Seeker. She greatly enjoyed Cynder's company, her sensitivity and honesty, whether it was Corruption spreading its subtle influence or not she couldn't tell, right now she didn't care that much anyway.

It felt correct, this moment felt correct, her home is her sanctuary and here she lives with whoever she likes and however she likes.

There is no other way of fulfilling the Seeker's wish otherwise, she needs comfort and Cynder provides all of it and even more.

She touched the hind paw that was scratching her leg, rubbing the ankle lovingly.

"Thank you"

Her paw slid under the draconic foot, lifting it slightly, flexing her thighs Coriza balanced herself on her hind legs before reaching towards the pink vial, uncorking it and removing the brush from the side.

Cynder observed her friend curiously, biting on her lip.

"May I ask you something?"

"Naturally" the priest made some testing strokes with the brush against the cover on the floor, it was already dipped in the pain, making uneven lines for now

"When we first met, you were nearly hysterical. I feel kinda lousy because all I managed to do was to get a chuckle. I don't want to be a friend that sucks so let me be as straightforward as awkwardly as possible. How to make you laugh like that?"

Coriza smiled her divine smile, no longer testing the brush but now visibly playing with it, drawing on the sheet weird, incoherent figures which are the mastery level in every hatchling school.

"Sparx has a certain charm, humor is his weapon and it's only normal to fall victim to it. Due to my profession and insecurity I have problems with truly opening myself. You don't have to try to make me laugh, it will happen in due time. I suppose I need to vent out all this seriousness, or spit the stick out as Sparx says every now and then to normally function. In secret I can tell you that every morning I jump on the bed like a child, it brings me joy"

"You like to fool around and play games?"

The blue dragoness gave a small shrug.

"I believe so, yes, as long as it is not dangerous"

The black paw twirled anxiously in the tender hold of the blue one.

"I really would like to make it up to you for all this hospitality and understanding, but I'm so stupidly, socially awkward that I don't know any fun games. I'm such a bore"

"Don't say thing like that Cynder, you are interesting in many aspects" she prepared the brush, rising a little higher the soft draconic foot in her palm as of presenting it to her owner "Let's start from the obvious. For someone who travels and fights a lot you have a very delicate scale form, I feel the tenderness of your body on your sole

The paw went a bit higher, the brush trailing an invisible line along the foot and ankle.

"Do you see this? The strong line all along to your thigh? No disfiguration, perfectly toned, feminine muscles. You have allure and power in one, you possess a perfect figure of a warrior, while not the body type of a true enchantress, you have enough physical attractiveness to seduce more than one male if you only wish so"

The brush applied the first stroke on the silver claw, black paw wiggled gently in the grasp of the blue one, yet avoided moving too hard to not startle the one that comforted it. Reacting like a body exposed for too long to chilly night air after it was covered unexpectedly by a warm coat.

"For the less obvious? Despite your black scales you have a bright heart, if you smile people turn around to look at you because seeing something so pretty in figure to be stereotypically proclaimed as evil is an addicting, thrilling thing. You might not realize it, but whenever you are smiling, projecting joy, you make happy those around you, what they see in you is hope, determination, a positive rush. You remind everyone that there is light to be found in the darkness and life is full of blacker moments"

"Wow" Cynder gasped "I...don't know what to say, how do you come with stuff like that?"

Coriza smiled, giving the claw she started on a perfect, pink, finishing touch.

"I think I was always too sensitive and priesthood only empowered that specific trait even more. I just see beauty, I can't help it"

"Thank you" the black dragoness whispered softly "This whole evening you've been so very nice to me. I appreciate it, I don't get that a lot"

"Everyone deserves respect" she blew a warm stream of air on the freshly painted claw, the toes on the draconic foot in her palm curled slightly "Compliments and truth are the last things I can do for proposing to spend the night with me indulging into one of my favorite activities. It brings me great joy and satisfaction to find someone who shares this passion with me and trusts me enough to allow to present my abilities"

The second claw began receiving the same brush treatment.

"Speaking of truth, did anyone tell you that you are sometimes too hard on yourself?"

Coriza giggled.

"Sparx tends to say the same thing"

Cynder rearranged herself, rising on her elbows to observe her friend at work and perhaps gain some knowledge for her approaching turn.

"You compliment everyone else, but to me you seem to forget about your own positive aspects. Did anyone ever tell you that you have wonderful legs?"

She blushed, clearing her throat as she looked to the side.

"You aren't worse than any other female out there, the moment Spyro looked into your brilliant eyes his knees buckled"

"This is..." she returned to her work, trying to clear her mind off an image of a legendary dragon finding her pretty, she momentarily felt an immense amount of pressure crushing her lungs

"Those are only two things, don't let me get started on your personality. There is no other girl, or dragon out there like you"

Coriza blew another stream of air, this one came in wavering doses.

Guilt punched her in the guts like a cladded in metal hand of a mercenary. She immediately began to pick at her claws, ignoring the fact that her black back just slammed into the floor.

"I've made you nervous, I'm sorry. I wanted to repay you for all those nice words somehow"

"I'm aware, it's just that physical attraction is a vulnerable subject for me. As a priest I'm devoted to the Ancestors"

"Is it forbidden for clerics to fall in love? I mean the earth love and have a mate for example?"

Coriza carefully started working on the last claw, making long, thoughtful slides.

"It is not, there are caretakers who have families"

"You can tell me if my questioning becomes uncomfortable, I'm curious but I don't want to wound you in any way. I don't know much about customs, forgive me if I cross some line"

Blue snout rose up, offering a kind toothless smile before it went down and focused on the black paw in the blue palm.

"When you join the temple you make a vow that bounds you into the servitude and faithfulness to the Ancestors. While it is a spiritual joining I personally treat it as much more, for me a vow is a vow, if you swear something you are obliged to keep that promise. I love my gods and I'm devoted to them, or I like to believe so"

She swallowed uncomfortably.

"You can't split faithfulness in my opinion. I don't see myself devoting my heart to a mortal creature when it already belongs to the divine"

Cynder scratched her choker, frowning in concentration. Sorting out her thoughts just in time of the last blow of air hitting her freshly painted claw.

She received a gentle pat on the leg.

She rearranged her position, pulling back her draconic foot she sat up in the meantime Coriza lied down, extending one of her hind paws in her direction.

"I respect your opinion, but don't quite understand it" she took the foot into her palm, massaging with her other free paw as her frown deepened "Your vow seems spiritual to me, Ancestors are dead, you can't offer your heart to a dead creature you never saw. With that in mind how does it block your ability to love someone here on earth? Faithful okay, but you vow to respect the teachings not the Ancestors as creatures"

"This is the whole point my friend" Coriza relaxed in her new found position, as a fragile creature she greatly enjoyed having someone supporting her body, even if it was just a draconic foot, it always minimized the risk of accident "I don't see the Ancestors as a doctrine alone, I see them as a divine beings"

"But you never saw those beings right?"

Cynder opened the vial, making a few test strokes with the brush.

"No"

"Then I think you confuse love with dedication. Ancestors are the stories and sermons, the lessons and prayers. This is what I think attracts you, the religion as a perspective. You can't fall in love with something you didn't see or talked to"

"I talk with the Ancestors everyday"

She made her first stroke across the claw that protruded from the blue foot in her palm.

"This is praying, you never got a return call I suppose?"

The priestess smiled.

"I see your point, but this is not how I experience it. I don't have to hear the Ancestors to know they are there, they left this world, we are small creatures compared to them, it is not in our right to demand a response. Divine creatures operate differently than us"

"Let's assume everything you say is correct and true, where does that leave Sparx then for example? Your relations are more than friendly"

The foot in her paw twirled a little, making her accidently paint the nearby toe.

Coriza made no move indicating she felt that.

"My love for the Ancestors is divided among every one of them, all have a piece of my heart. While I won't get it back without betraying them I'm not cold. This immense passion opened my sensitivity and allowed me to pass the feelings, the sensations here on the mortal realm. I love Sparx, I love you too, there is no doubt about that, but it has nothing to do with romantic affection typical for pairs"

Cynder blew on the recently finished claw, looking up with one eye which sparkled with amusement and disbelief.

"He's calling you sweet names and you aren't correcting him"

It's of no relevance"

"Oh really?"

"Yes"

She put the brush down, drumming her claws against the top of the blue foot. She gave her friend a challenging look.

"Can you swear it?"

Coriza gulped, she couldn't, even if she felt her words to be true there was no absolutely no way her conscience allowed on giving word on something that is dipped in uncertainty.

"I can't"

"Ha! I knew it"

The priestess giggled.

"Don't rise your hopes up Cynder, it might mean nothing"

"Oh I don't know" she winked at her friend before returning back to work "I feel like you will need to put your heart on a very long loan"

The cleric let another soft laugh, her blue foot bounced a little on top of the black paw.

"I hope I'm not tiring you" she looked up apologetically 'We keep talking about you all the time that it might seem like questioning to you. Let's talk about me for a change"

"I'm not offended, it is only natural for you to get to know someone better, like me for example, when you care about that soul in any way. I understand that, besides Cynder, your popularity precedes you, especially in the temple. I fear that I might know more about you than you do. I'm thrilled to know however that not everything I've heard is true"

Cynder dropped her gaze on the hind paw in her palm, smiling while starting to very slowly work on the last claw.

"There is one thing you for sure don't know about me, I thing that puts me in your favor for eternity"

Coriza's head perked up, foot twirled anxiously.

Another unexpected move that ended with another painted toe.

"Oh?"

The smile on the black snout kept on growing, stretching the lips into more and more of a dreamy state.

"The idea behind our last session wasn't only about me wanting to feel like a pretty girl, I wanted to look like a pretty girl for someone else. When the time came to replay what you taught me my paws were so nervous that I couldn't control the shaking, but it worked, as bad as I was at it, it worked"

She licked her lips, inconspicuously rising one of her eyes to get a look at the blue dragoness.

"Spyro is my mate now"

The paw in her palm stiffened, following the tension of the whole leg, muscles of the slender leg flexed, revealing its feminine allure in all its shapely power.

Emotions burned inside the unnaturally widened golden eyes, eyes that were usually stoic like their owner, now shone with clear, lively excitement.

Mouth parted slightly, inside glowed the tip of the moist, red tongue.

Cynder's curiosity faded away the longer she observed her friend's reaction, right now her snout was frozen in a pose that reminded her of a person that just got stabbed by a dagger. She immediately started worrying about her friend, honestly fearing that she might have accidently killed her.

"Coriza, please" she begged "Say something, I'm starting to lose my mind here"

The eyes blinked, the scared tongue pushed forward, making a shy, tense round around the blue lips. It was moving so slowly and pressing so strongly that she could already imagine it making holes in the soft surface of the maw.

"Mate?" the cleric rasped, her rich, deep voice sounded as if it took a bath in wet sand

Eyes were burning like the sun.

Cynder gulped.

"Yes?"

"You and Spyro?"

The eyes sparkled, as if the excited energy would smash against the eyeballs from the inside as if they were reinforced windows of a prison cell. The strength of this energy held back by the natural seriousness of the body to which the two eye sockets belonged to.

She nodded with an anxious wince, afraid to say anything else to avoid worsening the already troubling situation.

Unexpectedly Coriza pulled her leg back and immediately rolled on her belly, she momentarily started to crawl in her direction, looking like a spider attacking its prey.

Cynder's eyes widened in shock.

"Coriza?!" she tried to move out of the way, but was too slow, paw already slammed against her stretched out tail and pinned it down

All she managed to do was to kick her freshly painted paw high into the air before her friend crawled onto her, reaching higher and higher.

And then dropped down.

Hugging her.

A lock of white and blue hair tickling her eye.

"This is so beautiful! I'm so happy for you!" the priestess squealed, pulling her black friend into a hug

Cynder was taken aback by the cleric's sudden, lively reaction. With mind shut down she wrapped her paws around the blue body.

She felt something warm splattering on her shoulder, she would believe it to be a tear, but after seeing that energy inside those eyes she believed all that happiness finally managed to find a crack.

She was glad it did.

Tears of her own shimmered at the corners of her eyes, not only the emotions coming from Coriza were contagious, but also it was her own heart adding to the mix.

She was bottling this secret for so long that it was slowly eating her from the inside. The relief that came with the confession was overwhelming. She had no idea how much she needed a trusted friend to share this news with.

She melted into the hug, pulling her friend tighter, her risen in the air, painted paw stiffened like a board.

"I'm happy too" she sobbed "Thank you"

Coriza sobbed as well.

"My role was meaningless. It's heartwarming to see love flourish, true love flourish. You were meant for each other Cynder and you make such a wonderful couple!"

Pinch after pinch of sweet stabs struck her heart, the pain was agonizingly delicious that she couldn't hold back her tears, mind repeating Coriza's last words over and over again like a chant.

She began to cry, laughing in between the sobs.

Her hugged friend joined her in this one of a kind prayer.

"W-What's h-happening?" Cynder stammered

"Joy is" Coriza sniffled, pulling herself up gently, she smiled through tears as she towered over the lying black dragoness

The moist in her eyes empowered the radiance of them so much that they looked like a bright hole at the end of a dark tunnel.

Blinding and welcoming.

Mane dangled in between them.

"I apologize, my reaction was unnecessary, I don't know what came over me"

Cynder could do nothing but smile, broadly, her white teeth sparkled like crystals under the strong light of the gold eyes.

"Apology? Are you kidding? If it wouldn't be really weird I think I would kiss you right now"

The priestess smiled, her uneven teeth pushed past the blockade of her lips as she blushed and slowly and chaotically. The extended black paw smacked onto her shoulder on her way back, instinctively she gazed at it, despite everything her orderly instinct still sought assurance that nothing was destroyed.

The pink claws were perfect.

Just like this moment.

To hear something like this from Cynder's lips, to know of her bond to the dragon that is a walking merciful god for many, it was invigorating. It filled her heart with so much happiness that she couldn't describe it.

Dark and Light.

Two opposite spectrums united together.

It was a very shallow definition of this relationship, but it was still a definition and for her this simple explanation, this idea, was everything she ever dreamed of. This is what her cleric's passion was all about.

To stop the war and pain.

What more evidence she needs to know it is possible when already two opposite forces of the world are together.

Joy knows no bounds, Sparx taught her that, in times like these there was no room for the stick.

She scratched the black paw on her shoulder lovingly, she felt its soft sole massaging her scales in response. She dived down again, following Cynder's hint she kissed her friend, planting a grateful smooch on the right black cheek.

The black dragoness hacked in shock.

With a smile Coriza finally pulled back, dropping back onto her haunches she pulled the other black leg behind her, resting the restless draconic foot in her palm. She stroked it with her other leg to relieve it of the tension and nervousness.

She couldn't stop smiling.

Heart was racing in her chest.

Cynder was rubbing her recently kissed cheek, more tears forming in her already wet eyes.

Not only she made her friend feel special and happy, she also allowed her to be invaded by liters upon liters of sweet honey.

To make someone happy, especially if their joy came from your own luck, to feel accepted by someone who didn't have to do so. All of it was magical beyond means

Acceptance and joy creation.

She didn't want both of it to end just yet.

"Would I get another kiss if I told you that you are the first person out of family circle to know about me and Spyro? Not even Sparx knows"

Coriza laughed, patting the black foot in her palm.

"You would, but in fear of shattering something as beautiful as your bond I stay here. We both enjoyed the kissing and hugging far too much"

Cynder laughed also, it might have been slightly unorthodox method of displaying happiness and care, but she didn't mind. No amount of pure good energy will ever bother her, she fell in love with one conduit of such energy.

And she loved Coriza, as crazy as it may sound. It was not the butterfly in stomach affection, it was more of a friend love if something like this even exists. She was certain of one thing however, when this night will end and duty will call her, she will miss the company of this nice dragoness.

This night was wonderful.

They both gained something this evening and will gain even more until they finally finish their claws and this night will come to an end.

Usually it was always worry and trouble that pulled them both down.

Right here, right now, everything was different, completely different.

They both made a step forward, towards finding their own happiness.

Not realizing that when it comes to their lives this walk is not a small step of a typical adult, but a stride of a giant.

Leaving the insatiable misery behind.