FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 17

"I can't really believe that Flare didn't want to go with us, not after when he was so excited about helping Iris finding her mom. What can be so important that he had to stay with Volteer? Did you guys understood Cyril? I can't find a connection between Flare and Cloudas at all"

Spyro's tongue without hesitation voiced his thoughts loudly, eyes looking at the swishing blue tail of an ice dragoness some distance away from him, eyes occasionally catching the glowing twinkle of a brand new chain of a gold medallion that sway a little wider after some specific twitch, step or jump Iris made as she traversed the land.

The same chain he put so much effort to put together with Flare, their finished work making both proud and even more so when the gift they created was welcomed.

And now Flare instead of basking in the spoils decided to help out Volteer, on an issue so crucial and important that Cyril didn't really care about explaining much, blaming all on lack of time and his general reluctance to be questioned.

It was all so strange that he couldn't focus on anything else during their travel, luckily, as bad as it may sound, Iris didn't care, instead of throwing a fit after Flares' sudden absence she urged everyone to go.

In all this mess there was this tiny silver lining in the fact that Flare didn't need to hear all of this, it might have stung quite a bit to know that Iris behaved as if the episode in the room never happened, treating everyone like stinky farts all over again.

"I've noticed it too" Cynder confirmed, kicking a small branch away "Cyril isn't the most polite of guys, but it was kinda odd even for him. It would help if the" she raised her head "PRINCESS WOULD SLOW DOWN" the dragoness growled loudly, her voice reverberating throughout the surroundings with audible echo that could be heard even several kilometers away from them.

Iris undoubtedly heard it as well but she made no intention to slow her pace and wait for the rest of the group.

"Yeah dude" Sparx folded his arms, giving the black shoulder a supporting poke with his own "I'm with Cyn on this one, all the chicks that went traveling with you are nuts, you should know by now how to temper them"

"Thanks for the words of encouragement Sparx" the black dragoness commented sarcastically, knowing just well how the dragonflies' compliments work

"Of course. You know I always say nice words about you" both of them gently touched their heads for a brief moment, in a short display of mutual understanding

"Give her a break guys, she's just excited, I would be too if someone gave me hope of turning back time and seeing Ignitus again"

Cynder visibly cringed at this new perspective, a stab of guilt poking her heart.

Sparx sighed, dropping his arms in defeat.

"Damn bro, you always knew how to ruin a mood"

"Sorry" Spyro bit his lip "I just wanted to-"

"Yeah, yeah" yellow hand waved dismissively "We all know that whatever you got between your back legs is not very impressive" he smirked at his own joke, wrapping his arm around one of the white horns of the black dragoness and leaned in close with mischievous flicker in the eyes "Right Cyn?"

Sparx was known for his crude comments that wavered somewhere between sarcastic and offending, nothing she didn't get used to already. However for some reason instead of feeling annoyed, bored or any other typical sensation that accompanied each crisp comment like that she felt nothing but strange choking poke of fear.

Her head turned to face the dragonfly as she broke from his embrace, she glared at him as if he was an assassin appearing out of nowhere who just ran a dagger through her heart.

The taunting, glittering flames in his eyes did not ease her dread in the slightest.

"How should I know?" her mouth voiced the question, each word sounding extremely defensive like the rattling shields of a company of soldiers bracing for a charge

"Hey babe" Sparx rose his arms up innocently "It was a joke"

Cynder's eyes flapped quickly several times like bating wings against a strong gust before she finally recovered her bearings and turned away with a fake, arrogant snort. Frowning deeply, wrinkling her snout as best as she could to mask the blush she felt heating her cheeks.

"I was just messing with you" she shook her head, her own neck hurting from the poor attempt on acting indifference

"You got me" Sparx rubbed his mouth, trying to push his parting into a grin lips back together, of the two of them he was the one sounding more convincing in his lies, yet he still briefly glanced towards his brother to check if he picked up on something

Spyro's visible obliviousness couldn't be faked in any way.

It's going to be fun with these two.

Besides teasing is the most modest of punishments for keeping secrets from him. Didn't matter at all that he expected the two to join their fates together since Spyro started drooling over Corrupted Cynder.

Even Cynder, no matter how hard she tries was an easy guess, more than Spyro honestly, it was clear from the beginning she will fall for the first guy who shows her any compassion. After years of abuse and death wishes it was quite easy to fill that niche, all it needed was a guy with some courage.

And Spyro despite his fat belly had more of it than he needed.

"Stop blabbering you fools and focus!" Iris yelled at the group from afar, all three of them were surprised to see that she was thirty, forty meters ahead of them, standing on a small rise looking down on them as if they were nothing more but worthless ants

Each spoken word made the healing mask on her snout shift a little, making it reflect light in all sorts of different angles, blinding the trio from time to time.

"I have no tolerance for dead weight! Goldie!" even from here Spyro felt the chill of her piercing eyes narrowing on him, poking his heart like sharp tips of daggers "I demand your concentration! We're almost there!"

Cynder glared back at Iris, while there was a bit of anger sparkling in her soul, her heart was worn down more with disappointment.

"I can't believe we're doing this"

"Relax Iris, I am concentrated! I can feel the portal!" Spyro shouted back, his voice calm

"Bullshit you fuck! Where are you and where am I?!"

"I am concentrated enough to tell you that you're going the wrong way! We need to turn to our left!" a smug smile spread Spyro's lips

"Really Spyro?" Cynder's eyes sparkled with amusement

"Yeah. Come on guys, we won't be climbing that hill for nothing, see how uncomfortable it looks?"

"And yet you let our princess make the trek" Sparx whistled in admiration "Well, well, bro, I'm starting to be scared of you"

"Hey" the purple dragon rose his paw innocently in defense "Iris gets to curse us all the time without any hesitation. At least we gotta make her work for it"

"I love you" Cynder grinned, with difficulties holding herself back from throwing herself at her mate and bombarding him with kisses

Iris shared none of the enthusiasm of the group, the shout coming from Spyro's mouth threw her confidence astray, if it would be someone else telling her that she made a mistake she would discard the fool in a blink of an eye. But it was Goldie, the only male dragon in the entire universe who showed any signs of competence, even if meager. That alone was enough to make her turn her head and took in her surroundings, being bludgeoned with such blunt accusation stirred the doubt that she really wanted to quell down for a while.

Doubt of loss.

One might expect that she would remember the path to the place where she went to look for her uncle once, but for some reason the correct way eluded her. While she could recognize some of the surroundings, many of them were unfamiliar, the combination of the two causing confusion, to the point she could no longer tell anymore if she was heading the right way or not anymore.

Eventually Iris turned her head to look back at the group, when Spyro saw her neck twisting the triumphant smirk on his mouth grew a little bit wider, ready to fend off more curses thrown their way and bask in the victory of the small tease.

Yet nothing like that happened.

Even if she was far and wearing a mask obscuring her draconic face Spyro still sensed and saw her eyes, no longer arrogant and piercing, but big and lost like back then when she prayed to him in the cave. She became somewhat smaller in his eyes too, no longer resampling the attractive, dreamily shaped female with ominously appealing stare, but a young girl who barely understood the cruelty of the world around her, with no clue why people surrounding her would hurt, tease and make fun of her.

A girl not understanding reality.

The smile from his lips was gone, a lump of guilt so thick that it nearly chocked him on the spot went down his throat, it's sore aftertaste leaving a scorching sensation in his stomach.

"Come on Iris!" Spyro sprang forward with a lively step, nodding quickly to invite the dragoness to follow him "It's this way. You want any help coming down?"

"Aaaaaand it's gone" Sparx clapped his hands together, letting out a deep sigh "It was fun while it lasted though" he extended two fingers towards Cynder "Two minutes, a new record"

Cynder chuckled, following up Sparx as he flew to join his brother's side, all this skin crawling task of escorting Iris would be a real thorn in the side if not for the brothers that accompanied her. They've spent years traveling together, from the ugly beginnings when there was barely trust between them to today where they are basically family now, in this whole length boredom and habit started to slip in, sowing a seed in each of them for some change.

Only recently they took and tested the chance of separation.

And truth be told, if this seed would try to thrive again she would crush it before it birthed the first petal.

She missed their travels together, their specific bond and understanding, she was certain they did too. All those evil guys might say that feelings and relationships are a burden, a leverage to be used against you. It was however a shortsighted view, such close relationships give power unobtainable by even clusters of Spirit Gems, only a break from such a bond opens your eyes to the fact that you are vulnerable without it.

If not for it she would be already crazy jealous about Spyro springing so fast after the blue damsel in distress, more so annoying when she remembers it was exactly how they met in the first place. Not to mention Iris in general, due to the past between them and the chick's unappealing aura she was a walking icon of an headache.

And yet she was as happy and calm as ever.

Thank you life.

It was good to be on this side for more than a week.

Iris' confused expression disappeared soon after Spyro's offer, with a whizz of elemental energy wafting from the corners of her diamond eyes after a blink. The sight of it confirmed the worries of the purple drake that it was his offer for assistance that killed the innocence in the girl.

He has to remember to add "help" in his dictionary of trigger words for Iris. He will put it right after "hi".

The ice dragoness spread her wings, despite the fact that there was hardly any place to comfortably do so with all the trunks and bushes around. However her wings weren't bothered by such obstacles in the slightest, bursting with ice, freezing trails of magic they cut through the leaf and bark that stood in the way, making whatever they touched shatter into icy splinters instantly.

She glided gracefully down, landing right in front of the purple drake, meeting his gaze with her cold one, the chill surrounding the blue body biting on the purple and gold scales.

"Don't test me Goldie, you might be a useful tool but remember that even a bent one will do the job, albeit slower. I will gut you if you mock me again" she looked past him, glancing on the duo of companions behind "Or I might decide to bleed you differently"

"It was a joke Iris" Spyro replied confidently, not even for a second avoid her stare "Companions and friends do that to each other sometimes, it's natural with no mockery in mind. I thought you understood it by now" he nodded at the medallion dangling from her neck and the new gold rings that adorned her right foreleg and horns that Amela gave Iris before they left "Presents mean that we are not your enemies"

Her cold eyes flared at him through the mask, so much icy mist circled them that it was hard to see the pupils in the chilly clouds.

"Don't think, your job is to guide tool"

Spyro sighed, pushing away from the blue dragoness, taking the leading position.

"Just saying Iris, there is nothing wrong with showing a bit of your heart to the world, it cannot be constantly chained to the confines of privacy between us. It really helps just to speak it all out loud"

"What did I say?" she snarled, judging from the sound she was pissed, he was quite sure she would bite him right now if not for the fact that she believes he might need him at full strength

"This way"

The group marched forward, the energy of the portal beating at Spyro's senses stronger and stronger with each made step. He had no idea how he will keep his promise to Iris and send them to her world but some period of time before her mother's death. He had no idea if such a feat was even possible and if so wouldn't it be dangerous to travel back in time to a period where Iris can meet her young self?

Was a thing like that even possible or perhaps the Veils have some unwritten rules by which they appear in this world that they know nothing about?

Whatever the case may be there was unchanged confidence in his step, what they are planning to do might be new, something he had never done before but after the events in the Core of Boven's portal he could feel that whatever the Veils have in store he can influence then to do his bidding.

It was about to take control of the situation.

"So Snowflake" Sparx darted in front of the blue dragoness as the group that followed Spyro beat some notable distance, this time it was Iris who was in the back row while Cynder walked side to side with his brother

"You plannin' on wipin' that poop from under your nose? It gotta hurt having your face scrunched like that all the time"

Iris' head didn't snap up instantly, in fact the expression of someone constantly smelling something foul remained stuck on her draconic face as if she wouldn't care or didn't hear what he said.

He didn't quite believe in both those options.

Just when he was about to poke the dragoness a little more she finally rose her head,, neck climbing up slowly just like there would be a heavy chain hanging from it. The white though were still cold as ever, even if somewhat glimmering with a mist of not quite properly slept night.

"I don't talk with bugs"

Sparx jerked his head back, it was not the retort that surprised him, but the way she said it. Her voice seemed tired, weak, wavering like the voice of someone who is about to throw up soon. It was definitely not boredom or irritation that made her so distant, he annoyed enough of people in his life to tell the difference.

"We're here" Spyro announced

He briefly glanced back, noticing the swiveling distortion in the air where the portal cut the flesh of this world, the wound small, properly mended, looking like a delicate, shallow cut with a knife.

Uninteresting.

His head quickly returned back only to see Iris tripping over a branch and bouncing off a tree, the collision made her shake her head, sparks of strength could be once again seen in her eyes.

Or perhaps it was just the light reflecting from the gem in her chest, it was cracking with energy, shining bright like a star.

"You okay there Diamond Eye?" he asked, observing the dragoness intently

"None of your damn business shit eating fly" Iris snarled, pushing past him and approaching the two dragons in the front

Her acidic tongue and confident walk was back to normal, surprisingly there was nothing remaining from the previous moment of weakness. Still it is known knowledge that before the tragedy happens people get better for a time and he had definitely seen the signs that something was going on with Iris.

The only question was what.

He wasn't a big fan of her, but it would be sad to see her drop dead just because she couldn't sit on her ass in the hospital for a day or two longer. In the end nobody would cry much because of her sudden demise, but if the worst would come it would hit his brother again, he would feel guilty.

And by the Ancestors that guy has enough worries in his life already.

After several steps the world before Iris' eyes began to blur, colors started to shift and twirl like tails of many elemental dragons. Another shake of the head, the world mended itself back together, Spyro, Cynder and the portal manifested before her in their full glory, yet the silhouettes weren't stable, corners of each body were stretched out and swiveled slightly like grass under a soft breeze.

She could barely feel her legs, she didn't know what she was stepping on, everything felt the same, like a cloud. She could feel her bones shaking under her weight, her paws ready to give up at any moment and only managing to stand thanks to the claws clutching each strand of earth as tight as they could.

She kept moving forward and yet the two dragons before her started to move back, becoming distant, stretching out like a bow's chord just to snap back in place moments later, each sharp jerk like that causing the world to explode into flurry of colors again.

She felt drunk and sick, her breath becoming shallow.

She would drop by now if not for the fact that she was so close, the chance to turn everything around was at paw's reach that she couldn't turn back now. Her heartbeat slowed down, each exhausted beat resounding with an echo inside her.

Move your ass Goldie.

"Get to work, this instant" Iris slurred, sitting down, butt dropping heavily on the ground, kicking dust in the air, saliva poured from her lips, drunk, slow tongue unable to scoop it up from the lips

Her claws dug into the earth, she began to sway together with the blurred whirlwind of the world around her.

"I'm trying my best" Spyro responded, his attention fixated on the portal in the fullest, he had no idea what he was supposed to do, yet one of his paws was already in the air, flexing its toes, warming up for work

He started to thrust it forward instinctively, watching the energy of the portal cracking more fiercely as his foreleg approached it. The itching returned, numbing every other sense to a minimum.

"Something's wrong with Iris guys!" Sparx shouted, dashing towards the duo

Cynder was the one who turned, her eyes widening when she noticed the sitting Iris dropping flat on her side. The gem in her chest shinning like the purest of gems, the mix colors within rumbling inside hecitcally like two fighters battling in a locked cage.

"Spyro I don't think-"

But Spyro didn't hear his mate shout, his paw already dipping into the ocean of greenish energy.

The portal stretched out, opening its maw of greenish vortex to swallow them whole, he could feel that specific tug wrapping itself around his stretched out leg, a pulse traveled across it and settled inside his mind. It was no longer so majestic and special like the first time in Boven, in fact this time the jerk wasn't forceful, it was inviting, like a messenger presenting options and awaiting his decision to pass further.

This time it was not the portal who had control over him, he was the leading power here.

He had a control over a Veil as potent as the one Flare got through.

The energy filled his skull, making him gasp, pupils in his eyes rolled back, yet he didn't become blind, images filled his sight of a world that smelled differently, it smelled of cold and winter, emptiness, where wildlife or any other quadrupled lifeform was reduced to cattle. Each scent strong and beating against his senses with wild passion.

Like wind.

He was in the air, snow covered ground manifesting below, he could feel that he was standing on a bridge leading to that world where the Veil opened in the sky. Yet he stood where he was, because simply crossing it was not why they came here in the first place.

He needs to turn back time, move in the past. Without knowing it his mouth parted in this imagined world and shouted only one sentence.

Build me another bridge!

And the Veil obeyed.

The image of the world began to distort, the connection between to realities he was standing on began to collapse, throwing shards in the air, each of them sparkling brightly, drawing his attention, the crystals bursting with bright blue and white illumination the twirling colors inside rumbling like excited heart.

He immediately knew they belonged to Iris.

He reached out, driven by a silent goading, he poked one of the bouncing crystals and the world around him exploded into white oblivion just to be assaulted by a fury of images moments later, flicking swiftly as if he would be flipping through a book.

There was a castle, then a ruin, a gathering of cheering people of all sorts of species from which he recognized only dragons, only to change into legions of cladded soldiers. Prosperity and serenity stretching out into the sky together with the walls of a city he saw only to be toppled down into burning ruins.

Rich halls, smiling creature, bowing creatures, then cracked walls, sacked halls, dead creatures laughing creatures.

Among those images came a thudding sound, a desire building up with each passing image.

Mother.

The flickering sped up, mixed now with a dreadful sense of emotions that made his scales crawl.

So much pain and desperation.

Blood, death, fear, disgust, hate, hate, hate and among those a dying spark of hope, pounded down until nothing remained of it. Between the blood freezing emotions he saw swift pictures of leering dragons and creatures starting back at him with hungry eyes as if he was prey, saw many laughing mouths, mixed with dreadful whispers of torment in between, promises of even worse things to come followed by abhorrent noises of satisfaction that never was that of his own, making him feel dirty and more hateful with each passing moment.

He never wanted it to end though, backed up against the wall knowing that there was nothing else left there anymore.

Mother.

The world shook.

Mother was gone and it was his job now to make them all pay for it.

The images were gone, the white oblivion turning bloody red, madness drilled into his skull like worms.

Mother.

Vengeance.

Mother.

Vengeance.

Mother.

Vengeance.

Two figures appeared before him in the bloody surroundings, one belonging to a breathtakingly beautiful, adult ice dragoness that looked like she was sculpted in the image of the Ancestors herself.

Adult Iris.

No, there is no future for me like that anymore.

It was Mother.

The other figure was a one eyed fire dragon, unimpressive in his seemingly fragile shape compared to the female next to him. He only had one eye that stared at him back mockingly.

You made me do it!

You made me do it!

You made me murder Mother!

YOU STOLE MY LIFE FROM ME!

His skull began to boil, he felt his brain melting, he screamed in agony.

THIS IS NOT ME!

Life. Mother. Two words echoed in his skull.

It was personal.

He lashed back from the memories, the figures exploded into a tornado of shards the ones Iris had in her chest. Not this life, not individual, I must reach farther.

Mother.

Mother.

When she is memory no longer.

Alive and thriving.

The floating shards formed a whirlwind of blue and white that immediately sucked him in, the snowy world appeared before him again, he was floating high above it as he traveled across the magical tunnel. He saw the snow melting, the sense of emptiness was being replaced by sense of existence again. World began to be filled with life, blossoming like flowers.

Seasons were changing, one tree caught his attention, its majestic trunk becoming brighter and brighter and brighter.

Younger.

My roadmap.

He was moving in the past.

And then he heard laughter, young and strong, beautiful and accented like the most perfectly composed song.

At Itsefa.

At Zisfa.

My Queen.

My life.

Now.

The green Veil burst with energy, sucking the four souls nearby into its lively beating maw.

There was a howl when he and the rest of the group was dragged into the Veil, the thudding becoming stronger and stronger to the point that he could feel it echoing inside his skull and then with a flash a world different than the one they just been in appeared before them.

Blue sky stretched far and wide.

A sudden caw pierced his skull, wings batted against his snout fervently, many wings and many beaks.

The noise of birds wailed all around him.

They teleported right into a passing flock.

And that meant they were in the air.

Gravity made its presence known, dragging the weight of the draconic bodies down.

He gasped, twirling in the air he unfurled his wings that fought against the strong gusts of wind, membranes with great difficulty trying to catch the correct direction of the current.

"Iris!" Cynder howled somewhere nearby, due to the beating wind it was hard to pinpoint her exact location

"Spyro! Iris! She's out cold! Catch her!" Sparx shout came from very close by, he looked around to spot his brother through tear filled eyes

Then he felt hands grabbing his horns and forcing his head somewhere.

"Iris is falling! Get her!"

His eyes widened when he noticed the bluish shape of the falling dragoness, her wings stretched out like mattress, feathers flopping in the air without sense and control. Her muscles making no moves to embrace the wind. Tail shaking in the air like a restless snake.

Each limb lifeless.

Iris was falling to her death.

Spyro twirled around, pressing his wings close he dived through the air, sinking down after the blue ball, frowning deeply in focus, stirring his Time powers into life. The Veil travel however had to leave an impact on his magical reserves since the world just didn't want to stop,

"Come on!" he scolded himself, wrinkling his forehead so strongly that beads of sweat appeared on his scales despite the fact that cold wind was lashing against him like a whip

He could feel the sound distorting, the gust eased its howl, the effect lasting only for a brief moment though before it all returned back to normal again.

He gained on her, he was unable to stop time, but at least he managed to slow it down a little.

Spyro went for another push, grunting with effort, he felt magical energy stirring in his veins, stoked like a fire. The world was pushed into another slowing slide which allowed him to gain even more distance to Iris.

As well as the ground, they were so close now that he could see the shapes of animals forming below.

He was so close to Iris that he could smell her scent in the air.

He went for another push, the magical fire inside him burst with fresh flames, time came to a halt, yet only a brief one, the echoing noises were restless from the start, a sign that the stop won't last for very long.

Luckily he knew how to use his strong wings effectively, the pause in the time flow was enough for him to cut the entire distance and catch Iris in the flight he pressed his body tightly around hers, her dead weight far more stronger than the effort of his wings fighting with gravity.

Ground was too close, there was no more time to avoid the fall.

He spun around with the girl in the air, crossing all his four paws across her body he directed his back at the ground, if impact is imminent then it was better that he falls on his back then Iris on her neck.

He channeled his Earth powers, those were limited as well, but not as much as his Time powers. A green bubble embraced the two that immediately locked them inside the rocky form of a boulder.

The magical stone struck the earth soon after, digging out a crater, kicking a huge amount of dust in the air and destroying thick branches on its way down, spooking the nearby wildlife with cries and caws of terror. The impact kicked the breath out of his lungs, with a huge gasp the boulder dissolved around them.

He felt as if his organs collapsed, like there would be a hammer pounding against his chest over and over again. His weakened paws unfurled from Iris, her head numbly hanging next to his.

"Iris" he coughed her name, giving her a little shake "Iris"

"Holy fuck dude! You okay?" Sparx screamed as he dived down towards the crater "This hole is the size of Terrador's butthole!"

"Check on Iris!" he choked another sentence, hissing through clenched teeth when each breath caused him pain, his paws slid under the blue back, giving it a weak push to lift it from his crushed chest

"We tried to warn you!" Cynder joined Sparx, the two of them immediately grabbed Iris by the legs and with their combined effort lifted her from Spyro and out of the hole

The purple drake took a painful whizz of wonderful air when there was no more weight crushing his chest. It hurt, but right now the chilling air making his lungs grow was the most amazing feeling in the whole world.

"Is she alive?" Cynder grunted as she dragged the blue dragoness into a flat spot of earth

Sparx pressed himself against the white chest, frowning and slowing down his wings to minimize noise. Down below the scales he could hear the faint beat of a heart.

"I think so" he looked down on the perfectly still chest, catching a glimpse of the crystal that once again returned to its normal, calm twirling shape "But I think she's not breathing"

Cynder wasted no time, she parted the blue mouth wide open and pressed her own maw against it, her chest flaring up as she released a gentle gust of wind during the life saving kiss.

Yellow head pressed itself against the white scales again, listening in, he wasn't sure but he believed that the air sped up the heart a little.

"Again"

The black dragoness broke the kiss, inhaling deeply she once again joined with the blue lips, sending another breath into the needy lungs.

This time he was sure, the heart started to beat quickly, pumping blood hungrily.

"Again!" he repeated excitedly

Cynder twisted her head for another inhale before leaning down once more, this time however just when she breathed in the first stream of air Iris' eyes snapped open, staring right back into the locked black ones.

"Yup" Sparx grinned as he watched the two kissing girls, the sight of the startled white eyes of Iris amusing him greatly "She's alive"

Cynder opened her own eyes and immediately froze on the spot, sucking back up every tendril of air she still had, her own orbs growing in shock as she looked directly into the big diamond ones. Mouth locked against a mouth.

"Too bad you can't see it bro" Sparx whistled in approval "This is medicine I can get used to"

All four eyes glared back at the dragonfly for a second, wishing to kill him on the spot before finally Cynder pushed out with a disgusted groan, wiping her mouth fervently.

Sparx burst out with laughter.

"You're a lousy kisser Tat" Iris whizzed tiredly, looking at the sky indifferently

"Screw you" Cynder licked her lips, spitting constantly on the ground in abhorrence "Be grateful that we saved your sorry ass"

Iris rose her paw in front of her eyes, she watched it with interest as she flexed her toes, it was a weird feeling to have control of her muscles again.

"What happened?" she whispered, eyes locked on the twirling claws

"When we got close to the Veil you started to act real weird, like the thing would be sucking the life out of you" Sparx clapped his hands "And then bam! The gem in your chest sparkles up like Flare's butt and you drop flat, unconscious. Good thing there Metalhead that we got some reflexes, turned out that the portal we crossed was in the sky in this world, Spyro managed to snatch your dead ass before you broke your neck on some poor deer"

The words made Iris freeze, her tail stood on end like fur, she immediately rolled onto her belly, big eyes, almost sweet eyes looked straight at the dragonfly.

"We got through?"

Sparx folded his arms with a cocky snort.

"And do animals crap in the forest?"

"We did" Spyro climbed from the hole with a happy smile

Burning white eyes turned towards him, almost begging.

"And the time? Did you teleport us in the past? Before my..." words froze in her throat

Mother.

He finished for her in his head.

"I used your gem and this might have hurt you, sorry for that I didn't mean to use you in any way"

Iris struck the earth with an annoyed snarled.

"Did it work?" she screamed at him impatiently

Spyro took a deep breath, unsure in all honesty but confident that he somehow made it work.

"I think it did. We just need-Hey wait!" he blurted out when he noticed Iris immediately springing up on her paws

The blue dragoness had no intention to wait, despite her weakened state she sprinted towards the forest and up the hill, tripping several times on the way but always getting back up, climbing as fast as she could to reach a higher ground for a better view.

Yet she already could feel that Spyro kept his promise, he moved them back in time, there was no snow on the ground, no scent of burnt wood and destruction hanging in the air, no aura of death, blame and loneliness that chocked for so many years surrounded her anymore.

It was again as it used to be, before she murdered everyone.

She inhaled deeply, for the first time in many years enjoying the smell of leaves and flowers filling her nostrils, her feathers standing up automatically, absorbing the atmosphere of freedom together with her lungs.

Among those scents there was also that tingly, metallic scent that she was used to feeling almost everyday now.

Blood.

Yet she ignored it, if it was her that was bleeding then so be it, breathing in a second chance was far more exciting than any crippling wound. Nothing will stop her from seeing her mom again, she will carve her way to her if need be, she was too close now to surrender.

There was absolutely nothing that could stop her.

And then ground disappeared from underneath her paws.

Earth broke apart, solid ground turning into a slope in blink of an eye, she fell with a startled scream, her own yell joined by Spyro's and Cynder's who followed her and fell into the same trap. She slid down, flipping about hectically just to finally struck the slippery ground with her chest and slide down onto the open ground below.

She shook her head, her blurred eyes catching the signs of a gory scene before her, bodies of several Vaccarus lied dead and dismembered in a pool of their own blood. Several bovine heads scorched like coal.

She immediately rose up to a sitting position, only to be toppled down again by the bodies of the fools that followed her.

"I told you someone was there" a deep, heavy voice resounded in the air, emotionless as a stone

The three lying dragons and the dragonfly that joined them finally gazed ahead, seeing a bloodied scene before them. Among dismembered corpses were two young dragons, seemingly their age, one female and one male, looking very much alike. The female was sitting relaxed, in her paw she was holding a furry, big meaty arm on which she was chewing excitedly while the male stood still, his green eyes glowing brightly, he was clearly the one responsible for the unexpected landslide.

Mounds of earth they saw hanging above them, ready to bury them alive.

The girl smiled broadly, presenting razor sharp and bloodied fangs, her eyes sparkling with joy.

"I smell that we're in a lot of fun after today" her chittering, pristine voice announced, vibrating lively as if there would be a flock of birds inside trying to sing a different tune all at once

---

Author's note:

Didn't want to put it on the top to avoid spoilers but this chapter is marked as a milestone in this story that I feel it deserves a few personal words from me here. When I started writing this thing all I had in my head was the first chapter and the dragon characters I planned to introduce into the story(as I mentioned many times already Coriza is a special case that wasn't in the loop, she just popped up as a child of improvisation:P) that would play a part in the storyline to spice things up. The two dragons we see in this chapter fill up the gang of OC's that sat in my head from the very beginning, after 8 years and nearly 2 millions of words put into the story we had completed the circle and it just feels FANTASTIC. Thanks guys for sticking for so long and thanks to imagination that still manages to come up with ideas after so much time.

As a side note this is the fastest chapter I have ever written, in this case the standard mark of 6k words was reached in around 4 hours, something that usually takes me 1-2 weeks lol:P