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It felt odd to be out flying again, so late at night, but whatever tiredness Flame might have felt before had been replaced by a swelling ball of anxiety in his chest, which seemed to grow worse with every stroke of his wings.

The more he thought about it, the more certain did he feel that this whole mess was his own damn fault, that he had been childish and standoffish and pushed Spyro away for no reason. The most important dragon in his life had finally returned to him, wanting nothing more than to rekindle their own friendship, to make everything like it had used to be, and Flame had ruined it all.

What if he'll want to leave again now? He had seemed so nervous, so timid, as if he wasn't quite sure if even finding Flame out was a good idea, and Flame had shoved him and asked to be alone. Maybe he'll take this as a sign that Flame doesn't want him back? Did he even say how long he was planning to stay? Flame couldn't recall. All he could remember was his old friend's eyes, full of hurt, looking at him one last time before winging off into the night, alone. He winced.

Please don't leave... Please don't be angry with me, or disappointed...

"You okay?" On his right, Ashes was looking at him. She had been winging like a hummingbird all the way, eager to get to the temple already. Now she slowed down to study him with concerned, pale-blue eyes. "You don't have to do this if you don't want to..."

"I know but. But it's best to get this over with," Flame replied, putting on a brave smile. Except, on second thought, he wondered if he actually did want to get this over with. He wondered if maybe it would be better to at least wait until the next day. In fact, maybe he better even hold off a day or two before raising the subject of love with Spyro, just to let things cool down a bit after their shaky reunion. It was not too late to turn back, it was only that somehow, turning back now felt like he would be betraying Ashes, which was strange since she had no stake in this.

Still, he kept flying, until they saw the looming mass of the great elder's temple below.

This is it...

He shook his head to clear his thoughts, then followed Ashes in spiraling down towards the temple.

The courtyard was empty when they landed, Spyro's homecoming party having long since died down. The temple stood dark. There was no music, and no light coming from the windows, no dragons anywhere to be seen.

They walked up to the great gates and Flame was just about to knock when he remembered that both Cynder and Spyro were probably asleep. "And waking them up would be terribly rude," he explained to Ashes before promptly turning around to walk back. However, Ashes grabbed his tail before he could go anywhere. "Flame..." she said, nudged his side. "We've come this far. You said you wanted to do this now, remember?"

"I know..." Flame took a deep breath, then steeled himself as best he could. He brought his claw to the door, knocking twice.

He had expected a servant to open, or maybe one of the elders if he was especially unlucky, but instead, he was greeted by Cynder's black muzzle and green eyes. She blinked first, clearly surprised to see the two dragons, but then a smile grew on her long jaw. "Hi guys! I didn't expect you back so soon, Flame. A little early for breakfast, maybe?" she added, with a yawn.

Flame felt his cheeks flush up a bit. "Actually... I was looking for Spyro," he said. "I hope I didn't wake you up. I could come back..."

"No worries, I wasn't really sleeping anyway," she said, rubbing her eyes. "And I'm sure Spyro would love to meet y'all, however, I'm afraid he isn't here right now."

"He's not!?" Flame gasped, already fearing the worst. "He hasn't left, has he!?"

"Left?" Cynder gave him a confused look. "He's just out on one of his little midnight flights he goes on whenever he can't sleep." She said it with a roll of her eyes as if this wasn't an uncommon occurrence. "I wouldn't expect him back too soon."

"Oh..." Flame felt a twinge of guilt as he figured he was probably the reason Spyro couldn't sleep. But at least that meant he was somewhere on the island. "Any idea where he was going...?"

"Not the faintest, I'm afraid." She gave a helpless shrug. "You're welcome to wait here of course, but he's usually out a good couple of hours at least." Seeing the little dragon's disappointment, she nudged him softly. "Hey, cheer up. He only left maybe... fifteen minutes ago... so I'm sure he can't have gone too far!"

"Oh! Oh! I say we go looking for him!" Ashes chirped, wings fluttering. "We can always come back if we don't find him."

Flame couldn't exactly think of anything else to do, and even though he was nervous, he really wanted to see Spyro. "Let's find him," he said, and with that, the two dragons set off to look for Spyro.

But finding the purple dragon didn't prove to be easy.

They checked the courtyard first, and when he wasn't there, they ran down to the beach, and then the spiky rocks at the far end of the beach, and after that they took flight to see if they could spot the purple dragon from the air, but they had no success in doing that either. So they flew back to the courtyard, just in case he might have returned, but again, no Spyro.

Flame sank down next to the old Delbin statue. Ashes flopped down next to him. "Hey, don't worry, we'll find him," she said, with a smile. "Where does he usually go when he wants to be alone?"

"No idea..." Flame couldn't remember any time when Spyro wanted to be alone. If anything, it was often hard to be rid of him. He never wanted to go home, never wanted to stop exploring or playing or looking for gems. Flame suspected that he got enough solitude as it was, sleeping alone in his spot in Dark Hollow. Then his frills perked as he realized that's where Spyro must be. That's where he preferred to sleep so he could be away from the elders, that's where he seemed the most at home. "Dark Hollow!" he burst out, making poor Ashes jolt beside him. "That's where he's gotta be!"

Ashes perked excitedly. "That's awesome! Where's Dark Hollow again?"

"Oh, it's not too far. Just follow me..." Flame unfurled his wings and was just about to take flight when he heard footsteps coming towards them. A familiar voice cut through the night. "I'll talk to them, just wait here and by the ancestors, stay out of sight!" It was Elder Astor, his frowning mug lit up by a lantern he was holding, and at his side was Elder Tomas carrying a satchel.

Gnorc-spit! Flame ducked behind the statue. Astor was walking straight towards them! Luckily, he must have not seen the two dragons after all, because the elder walked right past the statue and continued towards the temple instead. Flame heaved out a sigh of relief. The last thing he wanted was to run into the elders and get another earful from Tomas about messing up Spyro's homecoming party.

"Close one, eh?" he joked, elbowing Ashes, or at least he would have if the spot next to him wasn't suddenly empty. He let out a terrified gasp when he saw that Ashes had jumped out and was heading right towards the elder. "Come on, Flame," she shouted. "Let's ask them if they have seen Spyro!"

"Wait!" Flame hissed, but it was too late.

Astor jumped some several tail-lengths into the air when he saw Ashes bounding towards him. Behind him, Tomas let out a surprised yelp and dropped the satchel he was carrying, dark power gems spilling out over the cobblestones. He quickly started gathering them up while Astor fixed them with a murderous stare.

"What are you dragons doing here!?" he snarled, tail lashing the cobblestone behind him. "The temple grounds are off-limits, as Flame here knows all too well!"

Ashes seemed taken aback by the elder's sudden anger. No doubt, she hadn't seen this side of the elders yet. "We're...ehm... We're just looking for..."

"Not the temple I hope! The party is over and our heroes are sleeping, and must not be disturbed!" Astor hissed, but upon seeing Ashes' shocked expression, he brushed his beard down and calmed himself enough to give a forced, polite smile, which was probably still a bit more toothy than intended. "Pray forgive me if I seem a little harsh. You're just a guest after all, and no blame falls on you for trespassing. But your friend here," Astor glared at Flame, "is a troublemaker and a rascal. He knows full well dragons aren't allowed near the temple, especially not after dusk, and yet he has always insisted on sneaking around here. He really ought to know better than to lead you astray like this."

"Yes yes, and I do apologize," Flame quickly said before Ashes had the chance to reply. "We were actually just leaving, right Ashes?" He nudged the gray dragon and spread his wings. It had been a long night, and he really didn't have the patience to deal with the elders right now.

"Not so fast, boy!" Tomas' voice made him freeze. The elder had gathered up all his dark gems and was now pointing his staff at Flame. "Don't think I've forgotten about your disgraceful conduct at the ceremony! Trashing the buffet, disrupting our, err, I mean, Spyro's parade and pushing me out of the way when you stormed into the temple like a maniac. I've never seen a youngling act so very rudely!" Beside Tomas, Astor gruffed in agreement.

"Tomas, look," Flame raised his talons in defense, trying to keep a lid on both the elder's anger as well as his own spiking frustration. "We got lost, but we were just leaving. Come on Ashes... Ashes?" He turned to his friend, but was taken aback when he saw the look on the gray dragon's face. She was staring directly at Tomas, her gray spikes bristling and eyes glinting with anger.

"You guys shouldn't treat Flame like that!" she burst out, to both the elder's and Flame's surprise. "And if anyone was acting rude, then it's you," she pointed a talon straight at Tomas. "...for trying to keep Flame out after letting the rest of us in! That's bullying! And as for you..." she turned to the other elder. "You must be Astor. Flame told me about how you treated him on that First Flight thingy, letting all those dragons pick on him. What kind of elder dragons are you anyway? You should both be ashamed of yourselves!"

Both elders stared at Ashes in utter disbelief. Flame must have had the same mortified expression on his face too, and his cheeks had flushed up red. He had told Ashes all about First Flight Day, but he had hardly expected her to go berating the elders about it. "It's okay," he whispered to her. "Let's just go." But Ashes was too angry to notice him and showed no signs of calming down either.

"And what business do you old dragons have deciding who gets to visit or not visit the temple, anyway?" she continued. "You're acting like it's your temple and no one else's!" Of course, the elder temple was indeed the elder's temple, which Ashes must have missed, but she was certainly getting her point across regardless.

"Flame should get to see Spyro whenever he wants," she added, accenting her point with a firm stomp of her paw.

Tomas was so overwhelmed that he had dropped his satchel all over again, and Astor's face had gone from it's regular green to a bright tomato red. "Spyro is our prodigy, the realm's sacred hero, and Flame has no business seeing him," he growled slowly, glaring at Ashes. Astor had never liked Flame, but he had disliked the red dragon especially after First Flight Day, when Spyro had humiliated him on Flame's behalf. He had of course never liked Spyro either, but since he was off-limits, Flame had had to bear the brunt of the elder's indignation.

"Maybe Spyro is your prodigy or whatever you called it, but he and Flame are still friends," Ashes retorted. "And you guys should be happy Flame hasn't told Spyro yet how poorly you've treated him, or he would have torn your horns off by now."

That part was true. It had never occurred to Flame to rattle on the elders, but now that he thought about it, he couldn't imagine that Spyro would be very happy. Tomas still was much too shocked to say anything and didn't seem to believe a word Ashes said either, but Flame could see a flicker of concern pass over Astor's face. At least Astor knew that Spyro and Flame had been wingmates.

"Given that," Ashes continued. "I think you guys better apologize."

"Oh, don't be silly," Tomas burst out. "We have business at the temple. We don't have time for this nonsense."

"Apologize, or we'll march straight to the temple ourselves and tell Spyro all about how mean you've been to Flame." Ashes said, calmly, with a threatening glint in her pale eyes. Of course, Spyro wasn't at the temple currently, but the elders didn't know that.

Tomas looked like he was about to say something nasty that definitely wasn't an apology, but then Astor laid a claw on the other's shoulder. "Very well." he cleared his throat. "We... apologize, I suppose. Apparently, we haven't done enough to make Flame here to feel properly appreciated and for that, we're... sorry." His voice dripped with enough poisonous contempt it would have killed a rhinoc, and even so, he seemed to labor with every word. But it had said sorry, which alone was way more than Flame had expected to ever hear from the elder.

Tomas too, growled something mostly inaudible that might have been construed as an apology. It was, in any case, as good an apology as they were gonna get and Ashes seemed content.

"Very well. You can go now," she said, dismissing the elders with a wave of her talon. "Shoo shoo..."

That little bit of insolence alone, especially coming from a younger dragon, would have been enough to make either elder fly off the handle on a good day, but as it was, they just gathered up their things and continued on down the road, glaring back at them over their shoulders.

Flame watched the elders disappear into the night, then turned to the timid little gray dragon who had just chided and then dismissed the two mightiest dragons on the island as if they were two bothersome little hatchlings. "Did... did Astor really just apologize to me or did I just imagine it?"

Ashes giggled. "At least, now maybe he'll think twice before talking down to you again! It just sucks that we didn't get a chance to ask if they've seen Spyro, but it didn't seem like they knew where he was, anyway. At least now we can look for him in peace!"

"Wait," Flame laid a talon on her shoulder. "Why did you stand up for me like that?"

Ashes looked at him with a tilted nose. "What do you mean?"

"I mean how you're always there for me, always listening even when I'm angry, and you're helping me find Spyro even though it's super late and you could be sleeping in your own home by now - and you got the elders off my tail too!"

"So what?" Ashes asked, with a confused smile. "We're friends. That's what friends do, right?"

"But.. but I've been nothing but rude to you since we first met!" Flame said. "I never really treated you as a friend... did I?"

"You were never rude to me!" Ashes said, but Flame gave her a knowing look and she sighed. "Well okay, maybe you were a little rude in the beginning, but I was kinda pushy. At first, I figured you just didn't like other dragons, but then when you told me about how Spyro rescued you from that well, I realized there was a reason you were acting so standoffish. Because you had lost someone important to you. And it felt really good too, when you trusted me enough to tell me a little bit about yourself, you know?" She gave a soft smile. "Sometimes it's good to trust other dragons, right?"

"I guess..." Flame said, not feeling too convinced. Sure, Ashes it turned out he could trust, but most dragons weren't like Ashes.

"I think that... maybe if you were to tell Ember a little more about you and Spyro, she'd be a little more understanding, and you'd find that you can trust her too" Ashes added.

"Pfft, why should I do that? She already knows..." He paused, trying to remember what exactly Ember did know. She knew that they were wingmates for First Flight Day. She knew about the kiss. But she knew nothing else, not the training, not the sleepover in Dark Hollow, or the in-between parts that truly mattered. And he had spent the last ten years denying there was ever anything serious between the two every time it was ever brought up, just like he had with Ashes. "She still shouldn't have teased me though..." he said finally.

"True. She can be a bit... careless, sometimes." Ashes said. "But maybe taking Spyro for First Flight Day without telling her wasn't so nice either?"

"Maybe, but she only wanted to be with Spyro because he was popular, anyway." Flame muttered. At least, that's what he had always told himself, but in reality, he wasn't so sure anymore.

"Well, maybe you're right... but that's really none of my business." Ashes said. "Let's go find Spyro, now."

Flame nodded. Spyro might be waiting for him in Dark Hollow right this moment. Together, the two dragons took flight.

~ ~ ~

The grass was still wet when the dragons landed in Dark Hollow. However, the moon had appeared behind the clouds and fireflies came out to greet the two dragons as they hurried through the garden. Flame set his nose towards the old library and Ashes followed closely, only occasionally stopping to look around. "Woah... this place is really cool," she said, voice full of awe. "There are so many hedges, it's like a labyrinth. And I've never seen an outside library before! What a weird idea!"

Flame nodded absentmindedly. The smell of wet grass, the old bookshelves bathed in moonlight, it all took him back to the day Spyro had first brought him here so many years ago. He wondered what it was about this damned place that always seemed to pull him back.

Croaking frogs hopped out of the way for the dragons as they hurried up the stairs towards the library. Anxiously bubbled up in his belly again, getting worse with every step.

Just ask him straight up if he loves you... but then what if he says no? Maybe you better just apologize and leave at that for now...

The more he thought about it, the more he felt that maybe asking Spyro that specific question, the one about love, was a bad idea. That question could wait. This wasn't the time to interrogate Spyro, especially not about a subject which always seemed to make him a little uncomfortable. This was about becoming friends again, and nothing else mattered.

They reached the top of the stairs, then the gatehouse entrance which laid to the inner sanctum. If Spyro was in Dark Hollow right now, he'd be in there.

He stopped at the gate and turned to Ashes. "I think I got it from here."

Ashes nodded, understanding. "I'll wait."

"You sure? It might be a while." The night was cold, and Flame didn't want the somewhat scrawny dragon to freeze. "If you wanna go back to my place and get some sleep, I get it."'

"I'll just wait in the temple with Cynder," Ashes chirped. "It's warm there, and it's close, so you guys can come afterwards."

Yeah... either with Spyro or alone...

They hugged and Flame watched her take to the sky. He was all alone now. He took a deep breath and entered the library.

Deep in the abandoned library, there was a corner that seemed especially forgotten. Here, hiding behind a dusty old bookshelf without books - was Spyro's old sleeping spot. Between two overgrown hedges, he had made a home for himself. What little he owned he had gathered here, the furs he slept on, his gem collection, a couple of maps and an assortment of junk he had found on his trips in Avalar and The Forgotten Realms. Everything he valued.

It had all been cleaned out since he left, thrown away by the elders. Nothing remained, except the two hedges.

That's why seeing the dragon himself lying there in the grass as if nothing had changed was so surreal. Something about the sight made him pause, his heart freezing. Spyro's purple scales seemed almost blue in the moonlight. He was blankly staring into the night sky. A silver gem he suspected he had been polishing laid in his talons, forgotten.

His head slowly turned to look at Flame. Spyro blinked, as if he couldn't quite believe what he saw. "Flame, is that you?"

Just hearing his voice again made a mix of different emotions surge up inside Flame. He suddenly realized there were tears in his eyes. "Hi.." he said quietly, raising a claw to wave.

A shadow of a smile appeared on Spyro's muzzle, but it was gone in an instant. "Is everything alright?" he asked, studying Flame with a tilted nose.

"Everything is okay," Flame said, wiping some wetness from his eyes with his tail. "I just wanted to ask... if... I mean. Why the hell are you sleeping out here when you have a whole temple to yourself? It's kinda weird." "

"Oh... I guess I'm used to the cold by now," Spyro pushed himself to his haunches. "I came here because I couldn't..."

"...Sleep? Yeah... me neither." Flame swallowed hard, then sat down in the grass, not exactly next to Spyro, but not too far away either,

They sat there like that for a while. The frogs croaked, the crickets cricketed and neither dragon said anything. Spyro had started polishing his gem idly with a thumb, even though it was already polished to a gleam, and he was just repeatedly rubbing the same place over and over. Although his back was turned away from Flame, he could see his face reflected in the shiny surface - and it wasn't a happy face.

You wounded him. Maybe he'll want to leave now. That settles it, apologize.

Flame swallowed again, then took a deep breath. He inched a little closer to the purple dragon, then laid a talon on the other's shoulder. "Spyro..." he said. "Spyro, I came to tell you that, I'm... I'm..."

"I'm sorry..." Spyro's voice was so quiet that at first Flame wasn't sure he had said something.

"You're sorry?" he squawked. "But... But I know you couldn't be back sooner, that I overreacted and that was all my fault."

"Not that..." The big purple dragon heaved a deep sigh, his wings hanging low, the gem falling from his talons. "I'm sorry I left at all," he said. "And I'm sorry I tried to play it off before, instead of just apologizing like I had planned..."

He turned to look at Flame, and Flame saw that his eyes were wet and glossy. He had never seen the other dragon cry before. He was surprised Spyro even could cry!

"I should have taken you with me," he said. "I didn't think you were ready and... I guess I didn't know how much you really meant to me until it was too late. But we should have made the decision together. I know that now..."

Emotions surged inside Flame. He nodded softly, unable to do much else.

Spyro cleared his throat. "I also think that maybe I was wrong to put you through all this again. I understand if you can't forgive me, I really do. And if you want me to leave, you just have to say the word. I'd understand."

"Spyro... I," Flame swallowed hard, and suddenly it was like his muzzle was glued together. He didn't want Spyro to leave.

"But whatever happens, even if you want me to go, you should have this back first." Spyro opened the brown satchel on his side and produced what looked like a piece of paper. He held it in his talons like it was the most precious thing in the world, then handed it over to Flame.

The painting was wrinkly and tattered, and the corners even looked like they had been burnt, but on it were some colors, and faded as they were, he could make out two dragons, a red and a purple one. He had painted them once a long time ago.

"But...How?" Flame felt dizzy. "You left it behind. I remember seeing it by the portal the day you left. I burnt it!"

Spyro gave him an odd look, then shook his big head. "No, you couldn't have. This is the one you gave to me on the day you left, it's the exact same," he promised, and his wings sank a bit as he added "I'm sorry if it's a little... damaged. It has survived a lot."

"But... but the satchel?" Flame stammered.

"Your old satchel?" Spyro tilted his head. "Yeah, of course I left that. I wasn't gonna steal your satchel!"

Flame clasped the old, half-burnt piece of paper. "So... you kept this with you, all those years?"

Spyro nodded softly. "Of course I did. It's the only thing I had to remember you by." He stepped closer, then took hold of the red dragon's talons and knelt down in the grass. "I'm sorry, Flamey. I really am. I'm sorry for being gone so long. If I knew If I had known what I was walking into I would have never stepped into that portal. And I don't know if I deserve a second chance, but if you want to, I'd like us to try again. As if I never left."

"Spyro..." Flame stammered. Why did talking have to be so damn hard all of a sudden!? "Spyro I..."

"I understand if you need time to think about it... I don't want to pressure you," Spyro continued, grasping Flame's claws a little tighter. "It's just... I... I've really missed you and... I'm not sure what I would do without you. I know I screwed up, I know we've lost ten whole years that we can't get back, but if you give me a chance, but of course if you need more time, I respect tha...

He was interrupted when Flame, out of nowhere, completely unexpected and without warning, pressed his muzzle against Spyro's. The purple dragon's eyes shot open in shock, then closed as he leaned into the kiss. His muzzle tilted, his lips pressing hard and wet to Flame's and his claws reached to gently caress along his chin.

It was just like the last time they kissed, that night ten years ago. It was fireworks, a surge of excitement shooting through him making his wings flutter, a warmth spreading through him like warm honey, making his legs feel weak. His claws pulled the purple dragon closer, delighting in his taste, his warmth, the softness of his scale against his lips.

When their muzzles finally departed, Spyro looked at him, blinking and looking equal parts shocked and flustered. "Wow..."

Flame gave himself a few seconds to catch his breath. "Firstly," he started when he was quite restored. "Firstly... although you might be a little thick sometimes, I still love you and will always love you, and I don't want you to go anywhere. In fact, I want you to promise that you're never leaving anywhere without me again. Not unless we talk about it first."

Spyro nodded vigorously. "I promise. I super-super promise. I swear it on all the gems I have! I'm never leaving you behind like that again!"

"Secondly..." Flame continued, looking straight into the bigger dragon's eyes. "I need to know if you love me too. And I need to know it's real."

Spyro looked back at Flame, and seemed at once a little concerned, unsure what to say, and Flame's heart did an anxious flip in his chest. "I don't know what this love thing is.... or what it means to be a boyfriend or a mate or whatever." He inched closer to Flame again, and his talons rubbed over Flame's gently. "But whatever I need to do to deserve you, I will do it. I'll figure it out. Because that's all that matters for me, because I know that being without you all these years sucked really really bad, and I don't think I could be happy without you."

"That's what love is, you dolt." Flame said. "Just say you love me!"

Spyro took a step closer "Then I love you, Flame."

He let out a surprised huff when Flame launched himself against the bigger dragon, wrapping his arms and wings around his chest. The scales on their noses touched again as Spyro pulled him close, opening his muzzle and tilting his head downwards so that their soft muzzles could lock again. They kissed, eagerly and clumsily, teeth grinding together, noses rubbing close.

Their tails-tips found each other and entwined as the two dragons explored each other. When he finally pulled his muzzle from Spyro's, the purple dragon had a goofy smile, tongue hanging out in an expression of utter bliss, and he looked so stupid Flame couldn't help but kiss him again. Finally, things made sense. Finally, they could enjoy each other.

It took a while before the kissing and grinning and nuzzling had calmed down to a point where civilized conversation was possible. Spyro realized he had been lifting Flame off the ground until now and carefully put the other dragon down.

"So... we're mates now then?" he asked.

Flame nodded. "I guess we are."

"I really really like that," Spyro said, looking at Flame with keen eyes. He inched closer, and his wings wrapped around the smaller dragon. "I really really do..." Then he looked down at Flame. "What does one have to do to be mates exactly? Is it like being wingmates?"

"Mhhm... it's... ehm.... like being friends but doing more things like this," Flame said, pressing closer against the other dragon. When he thought about it, it wasn't too different from what they've been doing anyway. "And... as I said before, If you want to keep this a secret, I get it. All I need to know is that you really love me."

He suddenly felt Spyro's silky wings pulling from his body. The purple dragon stepped back, lifting Flame's chin with a claw so he could look directly into the latter's eyes. "I would never be ashamed of you. Never. And have you given me the chance at the party, I would have embraced you in front of everyone, and told any dragon who would listen about you."

"That's not necessary," Flame said, although the thought did warm his heart, a little bit. He wished he had stayed at the party now, that he'd just walked up to Spyro and talked to him in the temple. It would have saved them both a lot of heartache. But it didn't matter now. Everything was perfect, like it should be.

Like his painting of the two dragons, Flame pressed up against Spyro's chest, his nose finding its spot under his chin. Spyro's wing wrapped around him in an instant, a protective cloak of silky soft membrane around his body. Their scales pressed closed, their bodies relaxed, muscles untensing. Spyro exhaled and Flame did the same, breathing out all the years of loneliness and doubt into the night, allowing himself to finally enjoy this long-awaited moment of intimacy, and oh, he was so warm, his scales so soft, his heartbeat drumming gently against Flame's chin so soothing.

Before he knew it, he was purring. Spyro purred too, and when he looked up at his mate, he saw that Spyro had his eyes close, with the widest, happiest grin he had ever seen plastered on his handsome face.

Now he knew it for sure. It is real...

It must have been the warmth, or the steady beat of his heart, but Flame's eyes closed and he drifted off. Then, a second later, although it could also have been a few minutes, he felt Spyro nudge him carefully.

"You okay, Flamey?"

"Just tired."

"Then let's get some sleep."

Flame yawned. "I'm not sleeping another night in Dark Hollow," he said.

"Actually, I was thinking maybe you'd like to spend the night with me... in the temple."

Flame's frills perked. The temple was close, the temple was warm and comfortable. And in the temple, he could be with Spyro...

"Actually, that sounds amazing. But the elders are gonna throw a fit.. we had a bit of a fight earlier..."

"Who cares what they think?" Spyro scoffed. "Besides..." he leaned in a little closer..." the elders are sleeping in one of the pavilions, so we got the temple all for ourselves." He nuzzles Spyro's cheek, making Flame's heart skip a beat.

"And what about Cynder?" he asked, his cheeks already heating up.

"We got separate chambers," Spyro said with a toothy grin. "So just you and me..."

Flame's heart was already beating fast with the idea of a full night of snuggling Spyro. "Let's go," he said, wings fluttering with excitement. Suddenly, he didn't feel so sleepy after all.

The stroll together down to the beach felt like something from a dream, or a scene from one of those cheesy romance scrolls he used to borrow from Magnus' collection - something that was simply too good to be true or might happen to another dragon but not to someone like Flame.

Yet, here he was, Spyro after all this time, walking right there next to him with their tails wrapped tightly together. He was as real as the salty sea breeze, as the drizzle against his scales. They didn't make much progress though, Flame being so sleepy he could barely put one paw in front of the other. He stumbled forward like a dragon mummy, mostly supporting himself on Spyro. Eventually, Spyro had had enough, and without asking, had lifted Flame to his back. It was a little undignified to be carried like that, but it sure beat walking. And Spyro's scales were incredibly warm against his belly. He would have probably fallen asleep too, but it didn't feel right when Spyro had to carry him, so instead, he decided to ask something he had been wondering for quite some time.

"So... did you always love me?" he asked. "Or did you like... figure it out afterwards?"

The dragon below didn't reply at first. He seemed to ponder the question. "I'm not sure I thought a lot about it," he said finally. "Like... nobody ever told me what those feelings meant. I thought we were just extra good friends or something... but then after I left without you, it all felt really wrong, you know?"

"Wrong how?" Flame was in fact pretty sure he knew exactly what Spyro meant, it was a feeling he himself had felt for ten years. But he wanted to hear it in the dragon's own words.

"Well... I couldn't really stop thinking about you. And I couldn't stop thinking about it, and then me and Cynder got tethered together, and there wasn't really much else we could do but talk. So I started telling her about this really cool friend I had back home, you, and about all the things we used to do, and even about the kiss, and after a while she would give me this very curious look, like I was missing something. Then one day she asked me if I was sure we were really just friends."

"So... that kiss, you know, the day we left." Flame felt his cheeks flush up again just thinking about that night. "What did that mean to you? What did you think it meant?"

"I dunno," Spyro shrugged. "Stuff?"

"Stuff?" Flame raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, like you know, being good friends."

"Friends that kiss each other?"

"Well, when you say it like that, of course, it's going to sound weird!"

Flame rolled his eyes. By now, he did not doubt that Spyro really loved him, but it was unbelievable how clueless he was. "Well... seems like I owe this Cynder a lot, for talking some sense into you."

"Oh, she's amazing, isn't he?" Spyro lit up. "She's saved my life like, a dozen times! She's incredibly brave. And fast, and strong and very smart too!"

Flame's heart sank a little with every adjective, and Spyro must have noticed because he stopped and looked over his shoulder at Flame directly. "Hey, I told you. We're just friends. Relax." He rolled his eyes. "You really should dial down the jealousy meter a bit. You can't just lose your mind whenever I'm in the vicinity of a dragoness."

"I know," Flame said, feeling a little ashamed. He really couldn't help it... Spyro was always so popular, and Flame had never been popular. He still couldn't see what Spyro saw in him, that he'd want to stay with Flame even when there were cooler, smarter, and braver dragons like Cynder around.

After all, how could he compare himself to a dragon like Cynder - someone who had saved Spyro's life? A real hero. Flame could never save anyone's life. He could barely keep himself alive.

But he would have to trust Spyro when he said that Flame is enough, even if he couldn't see it himself.

Below him, Spyro was back to talking about Cynder, how they first met in the Forgotten Realms. Flame, already half asleep again, struggled to keep himself awake, but after a while the story of how the two dragons had teamed up to defeat Malefor, caught his interest, and soon he listened with great excitement.

Spyro and Cynder had saved the world. Of course, Flame could have guessed as much, but the tale of how they did it was simply unbelievable. Malefor, a fallen Master who had purple scales just like Spyro, had used his dark powers to corrupt Cynder and brainwashed her to do his bidding. Spyro had managed to free her from the spell, and together the two plucky heroes had ventured to a delightful place called The Well of Souls, a secluded dark realm where Malefor had split the earth and created a pit of despair where all the evil souls of the universe were trapped. Spyro described it as "kinda dreary and a little bit scary," and Flame figured that the place must be really frightening if it scared Spyro, a dragon notoriously known for his lack of any self-preservation instincts.

However, as Spyro talked about their time fighting the hellish hordes who lived in Malefor's homeworld, and eventually, the evil dragon himself, plus the years they spent trapped in the ice crystals, Flame grew more and more impatient.

"When are you going to get to the time you and Cynder defeated the Ice King and his army of undead Ghouls?" he asked after a while. "You couldn't have spent all your time there crawling around in the soul pit of despair or being trapped in ice crystal?"

Spyro looked over his shoulder at Flame. "The what of the what now?"

"You know, the Ghouls, the trolls living in Dante's Freezer realm, the desolate arctic expanse where the Ice King rules. You and Cynder were never there?"

Spyro chuckled. "I think I would have remembered that. We weren't exactly on vacation you know. We didn't have time to visit realms or fight any Ice Kings."

"And what about that time when you got captured by Skabb and his gang of bipedal canine-pirates?"

Spyro gave Flame an odd look.

"I guess not then..."

Flame had always suspected that a few of those tales might have been a bit exaggerated by the time they reached the village, but he had never expected them to be outright fabrications. He had thought of Spyro's time in the other realms as one long string of exciting adventures, like the ones Spyro had always dreamed about. But Spyro's actual adventure sounded equal parts depressing and terrifying.

He was almost happy that he left without Flame. But another part felt even more strongly that he wished he could have been there with him, to help him through all that dreadfulness, even if he probably wouldn't have been much help... Mostly he just felt bad assuming that Spyro was out there having the time of his life out there, when really he had been fighting for his life every day. He truly was a hero... and Cynder too.

"And I thought the whole Homecoming parade was a bit much... but you guys really deserve it," he said to Spyro, meaning every word. "The elders were right to throw you this huge party. Everyone should know what you two have done for the world."

"Ha! They wouldn't dare else." Spyro scoffed. "I know they like to act like they're happy to have us back, but they're probably panicking right now. Trust me, it's all pretend."

"Panicking? Why would they be panicking? They're all so excited to have you back!"

"That's what they want everyone to think," Spyro growled, his voice rumbling beneath Flame. "But it's all a farce. And they know I'll never forgive them."

Flame furrowed his brow. "Never forgive them for what?"

Below him, Spyro stopped. He looked towards the elder temple, his eyes darkening, and for a second Flame was worried that he had asked something much too personal.

"Do you remember the night I left, when I told how the elders wanted me to take care of Cynder?" he asked after a while.

Flame slid off his back, standing next to his mate. "I guess?" Flame hadn't thought much about that part. All these details had been overshadowed by the argument they had, and he preferred not to think about that night.

"They wanted me to hurt her," Spyro went on. "To kill her. But I couldn't. I knew that they'd ask me to go back and finish the job. So I left."

Flame's heart dropped to his stomach. "They asked you to KILL a dragon? By the Ancestors, Spyro, why didn't you tell me?"

"I did say I had a friend that needed my help. I suppose I could have been a little more detailed, but I didn't want to implicate you." Spyro sighed deeply. But then he turned to Flame and his eyes warmed again as he looked at his mate. "Hey, don't worry about it. It's over now, and Cynder is safe."

Flame still couldn't believe that the elders would ask Spyro to do such a thing. The party, the celebrations, all their praises of Spyro - was it all just empty platitudes, meant to cover up a much darker truth? "Does Cynder know?"

"You kidding? Of course she knows, I told her everything! But the elders don't know she knows, they're completely clueless."

"But... but the homecoming party and everything. She's just playing along, knowing those two-faced psychopaths wanted to have her killed?"

"Yes, but that's part of the plan! We'll let them think it's all in the past, we smile and play along. But it's only for tonight. Tomorrow, we're gonna let the whole village know that their elders are a bunch of cowardly murderers. Spyro's tail whipped in excitement. "They're finally getting what they deserve, right Flame?"

"If you say so...." Flame tried to swallow down his worries, but it was impossible to view the elders the same way now. He felt sorry for Cynder, having to pretend everything was fine, knowing the elders on whose hospitality they relied had wanted her dead once. He shuddered. Then he thought of Magnus. And his mother... Surely she couldn't have known?

"Were they all in on it? Did everyone in the council know?" He wasn't sure he wanted to hear the answer.

"No, I don't think so. It was only Tomas and Astor, maybe Titan, but nobody else. I'm sure of that."

Flame heaved a sigh of relief.

"Hey, let's not worry about this right now." Spyro draped a wing over Flame, pulling him closer. "Like I said, the elders are sleeping in the pavilion, so they're not gonna bother us. And I wouldn't let anyone of them get close to my Flamey anyway,"

He nudged Flame's cheek slightly - a simple touch that still made his heart flutter. And just like that, all his worries vanished. It was hard to feel unsafe with a mate like Spyro. Between him and Ashes, Flame had little to fear from the elders.

Ashes... He froze when he remembered that she had promised to wait for him. That must have been an hour ago, probably more. "Hey, ehm... I think we should hurry. I just remembered that Ashes is waiting for us, and I don't want to keep her awake."

Spyro sat back and laughed haughtily. "Looks like I'm not the only dragon who forgets people here." He unfurled his wings, leaned down, and nodded to Flame. "Hop on, companion. I'll get us there in no time."

"No way," Flame shook his head. "It's bad enough you insisted on carrying me all the way here. You're not gonna carry me through the air as well like I'm some sort of wingless fledgling!"

Spyro lifted an eyebrow. "You sure you can fly yourself, then? You seemed a bit sleepy before."

"I'll remind you that I'm the new record holder of every speedway on the island." Flame proudly informed him, with a wide grin.

"Oh yeah? Then let's see if you can keep up!" Spyro spread his magnificent wings wide. A single beat was powerful enough to send him soaring upwards, towards the clouds.

"That's cheating!" Flame unfurled his own wings and leaped into the air. He had to wing hard to catch up with the purple dragon, but the cold air and the chase itself seemed to give him a surge of energy, and before too long, he was flying side by side with Spyro.

The purple dragon craned his neck to look at Flame, blinking in surprise. "Wow... you were able to keep up!"

Flame rolled his eyes. "Just watch this." He spread his wings wide to catch as much wind as he could, then shot past Spyro with a couple of quick wingbeats.

Spyro, not wanting to be outdone, beat hard to keep up with Flame, but the latter noticed to his delight that even with his huge wings, Spyro struggled to keep up with the smaller, agile dragon. Their flight quickly turned into a game of in-air tag which Flame was very much winning. Whenever Spyro got close to him. Flame would dive out of the way.

When they finally arrived at the temple, Flame was the first to set claws on the courtyard, shortly followed by Spyro who touched down with a heavy thud behind him.

"I did it! I won!" Flame gasped in amazement of his own abilities. Taking Spyro's speedway records was one thing, but defeating the dragon himself was something else!

Beside him, still panting heavily, Spyro regarded Flame with a mix of shock and admiration. "You're... you're so fast. How are you so fast...?"

"Didn't expect little Flame to beat you huh?" Flame gloated. He spread his wings, strutting around the panting purple dragon. "Hope you didn't exhaust yourself too much big boy," he teased. "Let me know if you need me to carry... Oof!"

His little victory dance was cut short when the big dragon pulled him close, pressing his nose to Flame's. "You might have air superiority, but on the ground you're mine," he growled, eyes glinting with sudden mischief, and the way his rough voice hummed through Flame made the latter's heart skip a couple of beats. He wrapped his arms around Spyro's neck, which was all he could do not to fall back when the other dragon leaned in and pressed his muzzle to Flame's. He instinctively opened his mouth to give the other dragon better access, but then..."

"Ehm... guys?"

Flame turned his head to see Cynder and Ashes standing there. Ashes was hiding her blushing nose under a wing and Cynder regarded them with a lifted eyebrow. "Should we... come back maybe?"

"Oh, ehm, that's not necessary," Flame stammered, then quickly elbowed Spyro who, oblivious to their audience, had started kissing along his neck. The purple dragon looked up from Flame, confused, then discovered the females and let out a surprised yelp, dropping Flame in the process.

"Hey, relax." Cynder chuckled. "We're sorry to interrupt, but we were just gonna head out to look for you guys."

Ashes nodded. "We didn't want to bother you or anything, but you were gone for so long."

Flame got back on his paws, blushing furiously. Ashes better not tell Ember about this... "Sorry for taking so long," he said, realizing he had no idea how long they've been. On the other claw, he hadn't expected them to be waiting so eagerly for their return either.

Beside him, Spyro straightened. "So ehm... hi guys." His eyes flicked from Cynder to Flame, and realizing that a formal introduction was needed, cleared his throat. "This here is Flame. He's the friend I've been telling you about... and my mate." He laid a wing over Flame, and behind them, their tails intertwined again.

Flame sat there stiffly, feeling a sudden wave of nervousness even though every dragon present already knew about him and Spyro. But Spyro using the word mate like that made it strangely official.

"And this is Cynder," Spyro continued, gesturing to the black dragon. "She's my closest friend. I wouldn't be standing here today if it wasn't for her."

"It's great to finally meet ya, Flame," Cynder smiled, gave him a quick wink before pulling him close. "I'm glad things went well," she whispered in his ear so that no other than him could hear.

She let go of him, then turned to Spyro, her smile fading somewhat. "Spyro, while you guys were gone we heard from one of your elders. It looks like we're needed."

"Needed?" Spyro cooked his head in confusion. "Who needs us in the middle of the night?"

"It concerns one of those stupid elders of yours. Tomas."

"Elder Tomas?" Spyro chuckled, relieved. "Surely whatever that old hen wants can wait till tomorrow."

But Cynder's expression remained serious. "It really can't..."

~ ~ ~

Flame's whole body ached, the muscles in his wing reminding him with each flap that he'd done way too much flying for one night. He was also deathly tired, and more than a little nervous. Stupid freaking elders... he thought to himself. When it finally looked like he might get some time along with Spyro, and some well-deserved sleep, they had to go ruin it. Stupid stupid Tomas...

Spyro was flying beside him, each beat of his heavy wings washing cold air against Flame's body. The look on the purple dragon's face seemed to reflect exactly what Flame was feeling, exhaustion and frustration. Even so, his violet eyes diligently scanned the dark mountain ridge below, looking for the cave entrance. Always the hero, Spyro couldn't let a dragon be in harm's way, even if the dragon was Tomas.

As usual, he seemed to somehow magically know that Flame was staring at him. "Hey, how are you holding up, bud?" he asked, looking over at the smaller dragon, and Flame could detect a hint of concern in his voice even over the strong winds.

"Oh, I'm good! Not tired at all," he lied, not wanting his mate to worry about him. It was the third time this flight Spyro had checked on Flame, all because he had complained about feeling sleepy before. He had even tried to get Flame to stay in the temple and get some rest, but Flame wouldn't have it. It didn't feel right to nap while his mate was out rescuing wayward elders in dark tunnels. Besides, his tired wings didn't bother him half as much as the idea of stepping into Red's Cave again. He cursed Tomas for not only getting himself stuck in a cave but picking the worst cave to do so on the island.

Carefully, Spyro sidled up to Flame and brushed their wingtips together. "That's my lil' chili, always up for adventure," he said with a smile that made Flame's heart melt. Suddenly, he felt like he could lap the island twice without breaking a sweat.

"I'm telling you, I have a good mind to leave him in that cave." Cynder who had been flying ahead of them came up on Flame's right. "And I should have made that other guy, that green one, come along too."

Flame perked. "You mean Astor?"

"Yeah... Astor, that pathetic, boney, lizard-creature that apparently passes for an elder around here." She spat out his name with all the affinity one might say tapeworm. "He could have helped by showing us the way, but the coward outright refused to come."

"Well, I'm glad you didn't", Spyro chuckled. "He can be a real pain in the tail, and he'd probably have me carry him too. I'm sure we'll find Tomas just fine on our own."

To that, Flame agreed wholeheartedly. Bringing Astor along would have just made things worse.

The only one who seemed excited was Ashes. Her fangirl tendencies had kicked into overdrive at the idea of getting to follow the dynamic dragon duo on one of their adventures. She was flapping manically, sometimes flying ahead of the group, sometimes pulling in close to Flame to admire the two dragons and whisper about how awesome they were. "Aren't they amazing!?" she said to him between wingbeats, a little too loudly to be discreet. "They've barely been here a day and they're already rescuing someone! And we get to help!"

Flame nodded, although he had much preferred it if Tomas didn't need to be rescued to begin with. It was still beyond him how the elder could have gotten into his head to go caving in the middle of the night, and in Red's Cave of all places. According to Astor, parts of the old cave system had collapsed the night before, and the two had ventured inside to survey the damages when Tomas, somehow, had gotten his foot stuck between some rocks or something. That explained what the two elders were doing up so late, but why there was a need to check a cave nobody used anymore, and doing so in the middle of the night, Flame couldn't understand.

Worse yet, the ride rises at sunrise, flooding parts of the system. Depending on where Tomas was stuck, getting to him in time could be a matter of life and death.

Flame shuddered at the idea of returning to that cave. Just the thought of setting foot there again made him feel sick to his stomach. He remembered the day he had gotten trapped there himself, in one of the force fields. The memory of water reaching up to his ankles, the smell of dead fish, and the constant fear that any second it might rise further and drown him. It had been on an afternoon, long before the tidewater started coming in, but even so, he had been petrified. And now they were going to venture in there again, with only a couple of hours left till sunrise?

Of course, even worse than the cave was the idea of chickening out now, disappointing Spyro and embarrassing him in front of Cynder when he had promised to help.

"I think I see it!" Spyro's voice cut through the night. They were coming up on Mount Dragonfly now, and his eyes were focused on the cave opening at the foot of the mountain.

It was Red's Cave alright. Flame could recognize the obelisk-like rock guarding the entrance when they landed, and the cave itself, the jagged opening in the rock face looking like a big, gaping maw, its stalactites a frightening row of teeth.

The wind blew out through the dark entrance, howling between Flame's horns. It was like the cave was calling out for the group of dragons, beckoning them to enter.

"Did Astor say where exactly Tomas had gotten trapped?" he asked Cynder. Red's Cave wormed its way deep into the mountain, splitting into a branchwork of narrow passages and deep shafts, so vast no dragon had ever explored it all.

"He said it was some sort of large chamber, deep under the mountain." The black dragoness shrugged. "Doesn't sound very specific to me. But he said Spyro would know where it was, guess that's why he was so determined both of us go."

Spyro nodded softly. "I know where it is," he said, his eyes shifting to Flame.

Flame felt his heart sink a bit. He knew where it was as well. The chamber held the entrance to Red's Lair, his laboratory. That's where Flame had been trapped trying to find the last force field. The very same force field Spyro had saved him from.

Spyro studied the dark entrance. "We're gonna need some sort of light source," he said, tapping his chin in thought. Then his face lit up with an idea and started sniffing around in the grass. After a while, he had found a stick which he picked up and proudly showed the other dragons. "This might do as a torch. What do you think?

Cynder regarded the stick skeptically. "This isn't gonna last long," she said, but Spyro was already busy looking for more sticks.

"Ehehm..." Flame cleared his throat, holding out a lantern in Spyro's view. "Snatched it from the courtyard before we left. Thought it might be useful."

"Oh, this is awesome!" Spyro perked, looking at the lantern with a big grin on his face. He pulled Flame close and kissed him right on the nose. "You're a genius, Flamo! With this, we'll find him in no time!"

Flame felt his cheeks heat up a bit, his chest filling with pride. "It's just a lantern..."

He handed it over to Spyro who lit it up with his fire breath. "Alright, I think we have everything we need. Ashes, you mind waiting outside, just in case Astor somehow manages to free himself and comes stumbling out while we're in there looking for him?"

Ashes nodded eagerly. "You can count on me!"

With that, Spyro and Cynder set off towards the cave. Flame remained, staring at the dark, gaping hole he was about to willingly enter. It took a few seconds for him to muster enough courage to catch up with Spyro and Cynder, and when he did he stayed extra close to Spyro, his pulse quickening with every second.

They stepped into the cave, and the grass below his feet was replaced with cold rock. Their talons echoed between the walls. In front of them was endless darkness. An eerie wind whistled between their horns as if the cave itself breathed. By now, Flame's heart was thundering in his ribcage and he started to feel dizzy, and all of a sudden, he found that he couldn't take another step. It was like his talons were frozen to the rock. He saw a younger version of himself trapped between buzzing force fields, his talons wet, water dripping on him from the roof above, nothing but darkness around him.

"You okay, Flame?"

Someone nudged him. He looked up, and there was Spyro, his violet eyes full of concern. "You're shaking..."

"No, I'm not..." Flame said, trying to keep his quivering claws from rattling against the rock. It's...I mean... are you sure it's a good idea to go in there this late, what with the tide and all? Maybe we should wait until tomorrow?"

"If we wait until tomorrow, there won't be any Tomas left to look for," Spyro said.

"Yeah, what a tragedy." Cynder snickered, but stopped when Spyro fixed her with a stern look.

"He might be a jerk, but we're not letting him drown," he said. "There are several hours left till sunrise. If we don't find him, we'll get out before the tidewater starts coming in, but we owe it to Tomas to at least try."

He then turned to Flame, sitting down next to him. "Look, if you're not feeling well, maybe you should sit this one out, bud."

"What? But I want to help! I know this place as well as you. I made all those maps, remember? And besides...," he added, his voice quivering a bit "I don't want to let you down..."

"Flame..." Spyro moved closer, taking the red dragon's talons into his own, meeting his eyes. "Look, two adult dragons is enough to move some rocks, especially with Cynder's wind attack. The only way you'd be letting me down is if you forced yourself to come along, to do something that clearly makes you uncomfortable, just for me."

"But I can do it," Flame said. He knew he could. He had pushed through his fears for Spyro before, like on First Flight Day, or when they got that gem in Autumn Plains.

"I know you can," Spyro squeezed his talons a little tighter. "But that's not what this is about. You don't need to prove yourself to me, Flame. I know you're not a coward. I know you're brave. I've seen you fly and fight gnorcs. But guess what? That's not why I love you. I loved you long before you did all that, even if I wasn't always the best at showing it..."

He brought his nose in against Flame, nuzzling his cheek gently. "I love you for who you are. And nothing you do or don't do is gonna change that," he promised, whispering so only Flame could hear.

Flame looked into his bright, violet eyes, knowing that every word was true. This wasn't just something he said to get Flame to do something, or even just to make him feel happy. It was real. A sudden, comforting warmth through the red dragon, calming his racing heart, and he couldn't stop a dumb smile from growing on his muzzle. "That... means a lot," he said, nuzzling Spyro back.

"Ehem excuse me?" The dragons looked up, and there was Ashes. She cleared his throat. "Ehm... it seems to me that, if Tomas does make it out somehow, we'll need someone to stay with him in case he's wounded or something, and someone to go get you guys. So it's better if we're two and besides... I'd rather not be alone out here."

They all turned to Flame who, after thinking it over, nodded softly. "I suppose that makes sense," he admitted. He supposed he couldn't in good conscience go into that cave if Ashes didn't want to wait alone.

Spyro gave a happy yap and pulled him into a hug. "Thank you," he said, squeezing him tightly. Again, his warmth washed over him, giving him that incredibly numbing warm honey feeling. Flame never wanted to let him go, but of course, eventually he had to.

"I'll be back soon," Spyro promised, with a kiss to his cheek. "Long before the tide."

Beside him, Cynder gave Flame a comforting smile. "I'll keep him safe for ya," she said. "That's a promise."

Flame nodded, taking a deep breath. "I'll see you guys soon, then. Be safe."

And with that, the two dragons descended into the dark depths, Flame remained, watching them until the dim light of the lantern was swallowed whole by the surrounding darkness, and a long while after that too. After a while, he felt Ashes nudging his shoulder.

Together, they walked outside to wait. Flame sank into the soft grass with a deep sigh. Beside him, Ashes did the same with a sigh of her own. Watching Spyro leave again, even though it was just temporary, was harder on him then he had thought.

"I'm certain they'll be fine," Ashes said, and Flame nodded. Of course, they would. There were at least two hours left to sunrise now, and Spyro and Flame had explored the cave a thousand times without getting lost.

The night was peaceful, almost annoyingly so. The wind blew in from the forest, rustling through the leaves.

Realizing he might fall asleep if he laid down too long, he pushed himself to his haunches, then started to pace around in circles, stopping only to look into the cave just in case he might have seen a flicker of light deep in there, or hear Spyro's voice, and he would wonder how long it was since the last time he checked. How long now since they left? 10 minutes? 30? An hour or more? Behind him, Ashes followed his pacing with worried eyes.

Every passing second felt as long as a minute, every minute as long as an hour. He considered more than once to go in and find them after all, just because it would be better than sitting out here with nothing to do but wait. But he had promised to wait outside, so wait he would.

After a while, he started getting nervous, and his nervousness only built when he saw the sky over Mount Dragonfly seem to take on a slightly brighter blue, a sign of the sunrise soon to come. "Why aren't they back yet?" he whined. It must have been an hour by now!"

Beside him, Ashes looked to the sky. "It's still dark," she said. "Don't worry. If Cynder and Spyro could find the secret gates in the dark Ruins of Warfang, all while staying undetected by the shadow apes, I'm sure they'll be able to find your elder, no problem.."

"Yeah, you're probably right." Flame didn't have the heart to tell her that Spyro and Cynder were probably never anywhere near the Ruins of Warfang, if that place even existed. Instead, he thought about all the choice words he'd like to tell Tomas once Spyro got him out. Something about the stupidity of going spelunking, in the middle of the night, without telling anyone. He'd never late Tomas berate him for his own heedless blunder in Red's Cave again.

"I can't believe the elder can be so damn clumsy," he growled, kicking a rock into the cave. It rattled against the stone floor, echoing in the depths. "He was always like that, always screwing up and relying on Spyro to fix things for him. He can't do anything himself."

"I guess that's just how old dragons are." Ashes shrugged, then looked up at Flame. "Which one is Elder Tomas again?"

Flame gave her an odd look, then remembered he had never actually told her who is who. "Well, Elder Tomas is the elder that you gave an earful back at the temple, the one who wasn't Astor. We also have Magnus, who is pretty alright for being an elder, and Titan, who teaches attacks and stuff, and Sensei, although I've never met him, he doesn't leave the temple much. They never allowed my mother to join the elders, but she's still on the council. Or was, before she moved, at least..."

He thought of his mother, on the other side of the island, so very far away. They hadn't talked in ages, neither in person nor in letters. Flame had just never felt he had much to write her about... but maybe now he did? "Mom... I have big news. Remember that purple dragon you thought was such a bad influence on me? Well, we're dating now!"

"Oh, the blue one, with the beard and the staff." Ashes giggled. "Well, if he's got a staff, then at least he couldn't have made it so far, right?"

Flame nodded, a slight smile pulling on his lips. At least that was true.

"He must be a really fast flier though," Ashes continued, picking up a rock of her own and wiping some dirt off it. "To make it all the way back here after we saw him, and having time to get lost as well, I mean."

"You kidding?" Flame snorted. "He can't fly. None of the elders can."

"Oh... I guess he took a portal then?"

"There are no portals around here..." Flame looked up at Ashes who was staring at her talons thoughtfully, her smile gone. "Hey, what's wrong?" he prodded.

She turned to Flame, a hint of uneasiness in her pale eyes. "It's just... If you're telling me that the blue elder was Tomas, I guess I don't see how he could be trapped in that cave if we just saw him outside the temple before."

Flame shrugged. "He must have left for the cave right after meeting us. Probably got himself stuck while me and Spyro were in Dark Hollow, the idiot.".

"I guess that's possible..." Ashes looked down at her talons, rubbing them a little anxiously. "It's just that Astor had already talked to Cynder by the time I got back to the temple."

Flame perked. "Wait... He'd already been by when you came back? You sure?"

"Yeah... Cynder said he stopped by the temple, told her about the accident, told her to get Spyro, then left as he had some important matter to attend to. He must have stopped by right after running into us." She coiled her tail nervously. "This doesn't make any sense, right?"

Flame buried his face in his talons. It definitely didn't make any sense. Why would Astor try to tell Cynder Tomas got trapped before he had a chance to get trapped? Why would they lie, especially knowing that he and Ashes had just seen Tomas in the scales... unless...?"

"So Astor never saw you? He's got no reason to believe either of us would get a chance to talk to Spyro or Cynder tonight, right?"

"He couldn't have seen me." Ashes said. "He was gone long before I came back. Me and Cynder were gonna wait for you guys to come back, but the Cynder said you were taking too long, and then we went out to look for you, and then you landed and started smoothing and..."

Ashes' voice blurred out as Flame's heart dropped to his stomach. All he heard instead was Astor saying "Don't be seen" in the courtyard, his hushed voice echoing through his head again and again... Don't be seen... Don't be seen... Don't be seen... He remembered how anxious they had been to be rid of them... he remembered what Spyro had told him about his plan to tell the whole village all about how the elders had conspired to murder an innocent dragon...

"Hey, what's wrong?" Ashes nudged him, warily. "You look a little pale."

"I don't think Tomas is anywhere in that cave," Flame said. "I think the elders lied." He turned to the east, where the sky was definitely getting steadily brighter, an ominous warning of the sunrise to come.

"But why would they lie?" Ashes looked at him, confusion turning to worry on her face. "Flame, what's going on?"

Maybe because they want to get rid of Cynder and Spyro both... Flame quickly turned to Ashes. "Listen, I'll tell you everything later. Right now you gotta fly back to the temple. Fly as fast as you can, find Astor and bring him here right now. Even if he refuses, even if you have to carry him, you get him here, okay?"

"Ehm alright, okay, I can do that... But what if I don't find him?"

"Then fly straight to the village and tell every dragon you see about all this, tell them that the elders aren't to be trusted and to get over here."

"Okay, got it!" Ashes nodded quickly. Without a moment of hesitation, she launched into the air and was beating off into the sky like a silver arrow.

Flame was alone now. He paced around outside the cave, his heart beating so fast he got dizzy. Every now and then, he stopped and looked at the sky, he looked at the shadows getting longer. Maybe, he thought, maybe this was just a misunderstanding. Maybe Astor would know where Tomas is. Or maybe... or maybe his worst fears were true. Either way, he'd know for sure once Ashes returned with the elder.

He walked up to the cave, staring into the darkness, and his heart froze when he smelled something he didn't like one bit, something that made his talons curl in disgust. It was the smell of dead fish, brought up by water filling in the cave. On Ancestors, no...

He didn't know what to do. He didn't know whether he could wait any longer. More than anything he wished he wasn't alone, that he hadn't sent Ashes away, that he had someone to ask. He wished Ember was with him. He wished Mother was there. But he realized it was up to him now. He was alone... and somebody had to warn Spyro.

He couldn't wait any longer. He ran into the cave. His feet splashing through water as he made his way into the darkness. I'm coming, Spyro...

~ ~ ~

Thanks a bunch for reading, and sorry for leaving you with yet another cliff-hanger! This chapter was probably one of the most challenging to write in the series, so let me know if you liked it! Again, thanks a bunch of reading and giving me your feedback and staying with the series for all this time. It really means the world to me!

V_2020-07-25 19:54:04