FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 41

He kept looking himself over in the mirror, with great difficulty comprehending that the dragon looking back was truly him. Girls got a weak spot when it comes to splendor and fashion so before he didn't make much of it, the bits and pieces of his special attire he managed to catch in his sight were impressive, but nothing that would really blow his mind.

It was just clothes after all.

But seeing his reflection right now, which painted the air with purple leaves, he came to realize quite quickly that it had nothing to do with mere girly fascination, or maybe it did, Cynder always joked he had a girly side himself and who knows maybe it came calling.

Truth be told he wasn't sure losing his manly ego was such a bad thing to happen in the end.

He frowned, dropping all pretense of humor, freezing each limb in place as he inhaled a deep breath, staring back eye to eye with his reflection that if not for the familiar snout he would have troubles identifying as his own.

This was serious.

The healing, the way the Wanderer, Destroyer or however else you want to call that thing opened his potential for the portals, the way it spoke as if expecting their return with a Phoenix that could only cast more possibilities and mysteries on their lives he wasn't sure he wanted to unravel.

The damn nagging feeling as if they were taking a part in some cosmic master plan where it was hard to tell if they were the ones playing the game or being played.

This was not the worst of it though.

The worst was the way total strangers approached him lately, something that could be clearly visible in Iris. Of course one might say that it was just her way of showing gratitude, and maybe it was the truth, but he still believed it to be more than just a simple infatuation of an accepting heart that has her childish dreams fulfilled.

Iris was the first sign that something was changing, and this tunic, whatever it was, put that change on the headlight for everyone to see. People were reacting differently to and he had a feeling that it escalated beyond the typical fascination folks in the Dragon Realms bestowed him with.

These were total strangers, spanning throughout generations no less, the Moonborne before and Ignus now, it had to be more than just a lucky coincidence that both those spectrums saw him as something worth breaking the accepted behavioral constant that defined both races. While it is possible that it all happened due to sheer luck where both the canines and dragons saw their group as tools to reach their goals, which might be true despite everything, the chances of that happening in a world as hostile as this were rather slim.

Especially when both Orbis and Cellsa considered the Moonborne and their strides as bloodthirsty barbarians. Would a slaver, no matter the intentions, spare each of his spoils, ignoring the needs of his tribe just to satisfy some personal craving for goals that might never be achieved?

It was an ugly thought, but the Moonborne would still get him to cooperate even after they would devour at least one of them.

Way too much happened to make just his royal, purple scales responsible for it all. There had to be something else going on.

He spread his wings, in a flush of purple spring he twisted his body to the side to get a good look on his special tunic. Amidst the flashy dots and twisting spirals his imagination pictured them to be the waves of Time itself spanning across the same, colored sky, each blinking dot a soul, flickering in and out of existence before the shifting lines of time.

Souls that change their appearance to the rhythm of his beating heart.

He was the very life of the world.

Spyro gasped, clenching his chest tightly as a powerful jolt of fear dragged him away from the mirror. He felt extremely overwhelmed and ashamed at the same time, he couldn't believe that he just compared himself to Nature itself, a raw source of Creation. A mere dragon with limited lifespan.

People worship Nature.

No living soul deserves such praise. Prophecies or not.

The audacity!

He frowned, rubbing his forehead, claws making deep wrinkles on the scales. All this thinking will make him old, it already felt like the recent adventures and misfortunes, sometimes it was hard to tell the difference, aged him far more than the natural flow of time managed to do during its feast on his youth.

No time to fret, they had an impression to make and if he keeps pondering about stuff he had no knowledge about any longer, coming up with more and more conspiracy theories than he will rot where he stands. There will be no impression and most likely no sanity either, this unending thinking will only take him down a path into a tight closet where he will have only brooms for company.

Time to act as a male!

He stepped in front of the mirror confidently, puffing out his chest he reached to his neck, petting and rearranging his scarf of blossoming flowers.

He snickered.

A true male indeed.

Enough. If he lingers here any longer Ignus will be pissed, more than he already is and he would rather prefer to deal with the young, excited version of Iris' uncle than drag him faster towards the grumpy and unfriendly persona the red dragon introduced himself as in their world.

He stormed out of the room as if it would be on fire. He nearly screamed when he opened the door, coming nose to nose with Cynder.

"Ancestors! Cyn!" he clenched his racing heart "You scared me to death!"

She was perfectly calm, standing right in the doorstep, facing the door, when they were closed her nose had to brush along the frame. Her unnatural stoicism making her look as if she precisely planned and measured everything, certain that their noses would meet.

As if making sure that he won't miss her.

She too was dressed in her special attire, the short once over he gave her was enough to tell that she was absolutely stunning in her new outfit. But despite her inviting look he couldn't really focus on her glistening tattoos and pretty pose, he was simply way too shocked to see her here.

"What are you doing here? And how did you get dressed so fast?"

"I wanted to see you" she replied, her voice sounded autonomous

"See me? Why? We would meet anyway, at the party, or whatever it is"

"I couldn't wait" her emerald eyes stared at him so intently as if they wanted to burn holes through him

Spyro swallowed nervously, in any other situation he would he would be overjoyed that a girl can't get her eyes off of him and that she was basically drooling in front of his doorstep, especially when that girl is as pretty and wonderful as Cynder. Despite the fact that they were already mates, her hungry look paired with that breathtaking attire made his knees buckle in embarrassment as if he would be a young hatchling getting his first attention from a female.

The shyness quickly morphed into anxiousness, the excessive interest started to bother him, it was as uncomfortable as having a personal stalker. Cynder was one of the most down to earth dragons he had ever met, she was a little too fragile when it came to acceptance, but other than that the trauma she went through only made her more resilient, to the point of practically beaming with confidence after they officially became a pair. She coped with false accusations and otherworldly creature inhabiting her body with a determination worthy of a hero. She even had a literal out of the body experience from which she returned as strong as ever.

There was hardly anything that could shake the girl.

This is why seeing her acting without the characteristic flair was terrifying. He wouldn't say it out loud, he would be too afraid for his head if he allowed the idea that popped in his mind squeeze through his throat.

Right now she really reminded him of Iris.

"Yeah?" he rubbed his foreleg nervously "W-Why?" he threw several glances in her direction, trying to maintain eye contact, but in the end was unable to hold against her demanding look "Don't take it the wrong way, but could you...umm...not look at me like that?"

"But you're so beautiful" she replied, her voice wavering as if hurt, showing the first sign of emotions after they met

He wasn't sure what startled him more, the pain with which she spoke the words or simply the surprising announcement in general. Whatever it was, it has left him speechless nonetheless.

He expected her to speak up, especially when considering that he still couldn't muster enough courage to raise his nose from the ground. But she was silent, he caught glimpses of her silver bracelets on her legs, they reflected nothing but total idleness.

And the eyes kept burning holes in his flesh.

It was unbearable.

There was so much chaos surrounding them, it can't get Cynder too. He won't be able to do it alone.

Let it end Ancestors, just for a little while!

"Snap out of it!" he snarled at the silvery claws, his voice filled with the remorse of a child who was holding the bodies of his parents in his little paws

There wasn't much movement, nevertheless he noticed a distinct twitch of the claws, as if a chill would run through them. He managed to break through whatever thing that clouded her mind.

"I don't want to" her whisper came with the force of a dying breath

The depressing sigh, as brutal as it was, wasn't the reason behind his heart jumping up towards the throat. It was Cynder's begging tone, with no autonomous and unnatural vibe behind it, it was his mate, it was the Cynder he knew.

And judging from the pain twisting his soul her protest was reaching far beyond individual desires, she was referring to them as a couple.

And that pleading call was too strong for him to ignore.

"Talk to me" his caring voice carried a tone of command as he raised his head to look right into his mate's eyes "What's going on Cynder?"

"I just want to be close to you, like really bad" she responded almost callously, as if her motives would be the most obvious thing in the world

Spyro cocked his head, he couldn't wrap his head around this. She acted strange, but the way she talked made it look like as if everything was normal, even though just a few seconds earlier she was basically a reanimated golem.

"I was always here. I never left Cynder"

"I know, I just want to-" she reached out but Spyro moved away from her touch instinctively

Her eyes widened, quickly followed by the amethyst ones.

She blinked, pulling her paw back, her pupils scanned the surroundings, jumping from wall to wall like they would be painting the building into existence right in this very moment. Spyro's cautious reaction smacking her back into reality harder than any armored gauntlet.

"Too intrusive. I'm just...Ancestors" she snarled an offended growl, shaking her head violently "What am I doing?" her self-induced frustration whizzed from the black nose with faint, green trails od poisonous magic

"I'm behaving like a needy brat!"

"No, no, it's alright!" Spyro protested in his typical, polite style

"It isn't Spyro and you know it yourself, but..." she looked at him again with those intent stare, this time however there was no hungry possession in them but a grateful, loving gratitude "I don't know I want these chains to break. Just let me tug at it a little so at least I can pretend that I have any charge here? My so called independent spirit will have to get over with it"

That's it? It was over? She didn't even seem to acknowledge her strange behavior, in fact she seemed to treat it as was just a trivial swing of a mood. He had a moment where he fought with himself, trying to decide whether he should bring it up or no, ultimately he decided against it. He didn't really want to dig in this pile of uncertainty and honestly, he believed that he would get more out of her if he ignores that little misfortune.

And more focus without distractions is definitely something they all need right now.

Especially when Cynder was correct in one regard. This wasn't alright.

"As you wish. Let me just tell you that you're not giving yourself enough credit. You have more control over this body than you might think"

She grinned a predatory smile, her eyes twinkled mercilessly, hunger returned to her stare, this time though there was nothing scary about it. It was wholly replaced by an exciting tension that only grew in strength when that craving glare was powered by outfit that looked like it was made just for her.

With the bracelets, horns and choker, mixed with bloody red scales and black main body she was already a queen of shadows. Adding the attire only intensified that ominous sensation, turning her into the ruler of every possible underworld.

And she was craving for him.

And just by looking at her he was ready to give his soul on a platter to her.

And it is her that says she's addicted to him.

"You don't say?" she bit her lip, great remorse shinning in her eyes, claws clicking against the floor nervously, swaying between rabid lust and pity "I'm tempted to try it out, but we don't have the time and privacy to fool around" she wrinkled her nose "I don't even know if I would have the strength to pry those clothes off of you"

"I can always take them off"

"NO!" she screamed, her shout high, twitching with the magic of her Siren potential

Spyro froze in place.

With a terrified hiccup Cynder slammed her paws against her mouth, landing roughly on her butt.

She stared at him with huge terrified eyes, breathing quickly through her covered mouth, each exhale coming out with short whizzes as if she was hyperventilating.

"Cynder, I'm worrying about you"

"Sorry!" she looked around the hall in panic like expecting to see a charging mob with pitchforks any second now

"You can't take it off. Ever!"

"Ever? It will smell"

"No, not the tunic! I mean, yes, the stars and all, but not the clothes. No, wait...ahhhh" she clenched her temples "What's wrong with me dammit!"

He approached her quickly, immediately dropping on his haunches while he scooped both her trembling paws in his own. He smiled at her, uncaring for the fact that they might be seen.

Somehow though he believed that right now no one would dare to say a word, if they would muster enough courage to look for them that is.

"I will be here and I won't change" he smiled warmly, looking in her full of admiration eyes "I won't leave you Cynder and if you see me doing something you won't like remember that you control this body" he gave her paws a comforting squeeze

"Ancestors you can't even imagine how much I love you"

He heard her heart pounding inside her chest.

He grinned at her.

"I'm pretty sure I get it"

"I don't know what came over me, I just know that I NEED to be around you. I feel as if we still had the chain over our necks and it just keeps pulling me towards you. I don't know, maybe it's that tunic, or maybe I'm just overreacting, all I know that it's weird, but it feel so darn...normal you know?"

He smiled, craning his neck past her, looking from one side to the other.

Empty.

And for a couple more minutes it will remain empty.

As he pulled back he gave the smooth, black cheek a caring lick.

Cynder purred softly.

His fangs glistened triumphantly from underneath the lips of his constantly stretching into a smile mouth.

"What?" she asked, blushing

He winked at her.

"Wha-aaah!" she yelped when suddenly Spyro pulled her by her held paws behind him as he made a strong bat with his wings to give his backward spring the necessary momentum

He lifted himself straight on his hind legs, dragging her right behind him, rising one of her forelegs above her crowned head.

Cynder stared at him with dumbfounded eyes.

He couldn't help himself but laugh at this silly, cute sight.

"Come on. Turn"

"What?" she let out a nervous giggle

"Spin!" he chuckled, putting his second paw on her flank, making delicate turning motions that with difficulty started to force her stiff body into a twist

She laughed, to the best of her ability, which were minimal, she obeyed his commands, even though his paw had to make several slaps first to even make her body consider such unnatural movement.

"What is this?' her voice was so chocked by giggles that she sounded like a chirping bird

"We're dancing!" Spyro began to hum a rhythmic song he just improvised

"I don't know how to dance!"

"Stop it, you're doing great!" he faked a strenuous grunt as he applied more pressure to her body, improvising the difficulty he has to face to make her move "Just a little more and nobody will confuse you with a living corpse anymore!"

"Shut up!" she snapped her teeth at him playfully

"Now the other way!" he said cheerfully, this time though to help her out a little he started making small circles around her black frame

"What's gotten into you?" despite her social skills being limited to joking only she couldn't keep her maw from laugher

"We're going to a party, we must make an impression"

"This won't be a jolly party you got used to in the Swamps. I suspect it's going to feel like a show off between slave traders"

"I know, but we're going to be alright. For us it will feel like a party anyway. We might even get more stares than Iris usually does!"

She looked at him with a combination of amusement and confusion, which twisted her snout into an expression of someone eating the most sour of lemons.

"Remember when you said that you were worrying about me? How does it sound now when you keep spinning me around to the rhythm of your humming, aware of the fact that you you're heading to an imagined party?"

"With you around, everything feels wonderful" he gave her another soft lick, holding onto her paws he backed up with a prancing step before returning just a moment later, sinking her frame into his embrace

Cynder's wings quivered with pleasure, she immediately wrapped her legs around his colorful frame, eyes drowning in the cosmic patterns on his wings, nose tickled coquettishly by the floating purple leaves.

She was drowning in that spanning universe, those glimmering dots winked at her like eyes, so inviting and pristine that she succumbed to their attention immediately. The longer she looked into those glimmering eyes the more she believed that Spyro's humming started to take on a more comforting tone, shifting into a calming lullaby at first to eventually shift into a gossiping whisper of group of souls that clearly talked about you.

And she was flattered.

One of those glowing stars noticed her and blinked with its majestic light, she was sucked into that warm pit of energy without resistance, she gladly welcomed the embrace of Good and felt humbled that it noticed her in the first place.

She felt greatly at home here.

She was one of the floating stars now, moving in unison with them.

Dancing.

Dancing around a familiar pillar of magical energy, Spyro jumped into one when he was facing Gaul, she didn't see it herself, only heard about it, yet just looking at it was enough for her to say that it was exactly that otherworldly magic.

This one however was pure white, radiating so much welcoming force that she was afraid that she didn't belong here with all the baggage she carried. And as if hearing her thoughts the magical spiral extended tenderly a tendril of flashing light that shifted at the end into an opened, draconic palm.

And just like before she pushed forward without hesitation, placing her paw onto the magical leg. It grabbed her immediately, pulling her towards its spiraling column of heavenly light. She felt herself spreading open to welcome it, before she knew it she felt that she had embraced the warm pillar with all her body, squeezing her into the most tightest of hugs.

When the cleansing warmth returned the attention she felt as if she ascended into godhood, worthy to walk among the Ancestors and none of them considered her an impostor.

She felt welcomed.

Despite everything she had done, she felt that she finally belonged.

It felt like redemption.

She allowed the heavenly force to hold her, becoming numb in its embrace, sinking deeper and deeper into its wonderful warmth where she felt protected, safe and loved.

Where she felt perfect.

"Did you fall asleep Cynder?" Spyro grunted between chuckles

"Huh?" she mumbled, feeling her body bucking

"I can't hold all your weight on my two legs for long"

She blinked, her eyes opening wide. Her head was hanging over Spyro's shoulder, eyes pointing straight down at the base of his tail, chin bouncing against his back. Her paws were locked around him, but there was no strength in the grip, they were wrapped practically around his waist, dragging her entire body down.

There was no pristine light anywhere anymore.

She really must have dozed off.

Yet the feeling of being held by the heavens cloudy arms was holding her strong.

And heaven had a familiar purple tint to them.

"I'm awake! I'm awake!" she slurred, scrambling back onto her two paws, heart racing inside her chest so strong that each pound shrunk her lungs a bit, making it impossible to breathe

Her heaving chest smacked against Spyro in steady slaps, she breathed quickly, looking again at the wonderful wings of his, all of a sudden they weren't as fascinating as before, unable to keep up with the boy in her embrace.

Spyro was going through a fascination of his own, he wanted to speak up but his desire to speak up was effectively silenced by Cynder's body. He was drowning in her breathing, no matter how many times he heard her panting he still couldn't help himself but to admire just how wonderful she sounded. This beautiful sound was making his lips dry, yet no amount of licking helped to ease that sweet suffering.

Lustful suffering that was only fueled by the touch of her soft scales grazing over him rhythmically. Amidst all of these passionate, unintentional invitations he had a really difficult time of keeping his seriousness, steadily all the worries and suspicions about their situation were replaced by thoughts and desires about Cynder and what he wanted to do to her.

Without realizing it his paws followed the passionate nudges of his numbed brain, paws that previously held her soft body now started to delicately grope her back, instinctively looking for a good spot to hold her by when he throws her on the floor.

"Spyro?"

"Yes?" he cooed a restless question, forgetting about the whole world and only focusing on her and the words he expected her to speak

His claws groped her back lustfully, she did not recoil from his touch in the slightest.

He knew already what she will say.

"Do you think we belong to each other?"

His eyes widened, heart freezing on the spot.

He knew nothing.

His paws opened, sliding numbly down her back like they would be a pair of recently impaled to their deaths soldiers. His already boiling blood erupted, filling each part of his body to the brim, turning some splotches of it red, in a mixture of fear and instinctive anger. His dry lips cracked slightly under the pressure, unable to withstand the torrent.

"Of course I do. What kind of questions is that?"

"Are you sure?"

He grabbed her by the shoulders, pulling away from the hug, his legs that managed to keep both their weights just a moment ago felt now like wet noodles, barely sustaining his own tail. He wanted to give her a stern look, to immediately blow away any stupid thoughts, but a glance was enough to kill all confidence in him. Her eyes were sad, begging and full of admiration, he couldn't compare it to any known emotion that could be described with a single word.

"I am Cynder. What's gotten into you? I'm going to tear this stupid tunic apart, it just made things weird"

"Not weird. True"

He shook her delicately, trying to disperse her thoughts as if they were a mere mirage.

"I love you. I always loved you, even when you were big and mean I was just too blind to see it. I don't think there is a better evidence out there telling of my connection to you"

She swallowed hard.

"But I didn't always love you"

He felt like the world collapsed around him, his paws slid from her, making him land with wobbling difficulty back on all four legs. She didn't say anything bad, yet for some reason he still felt a dagger twisting his guts.

"I'm slowly freaking out Cynder"

"No, wait, crap, I'm sorry, again" she shook her head, punching her forehead in punishment "I need to sort my thoughts" she sighed "I'm sure you noticed that lately folks started to act differently around you. Just think of Orbis, if you only allowed it he would kiss you the moment you two met"

"I don't care what others think of me. It is you that matter"

"It is important. All these people, they feel exactly the same thing that I felt when I started to fall in love with you. I'm not saying they will become your next mates, it's just that you trigger some sort of affection, Spyro, just look at yourself. If I wouldn't know better I would say that you are an Ancestor incarnate. The Vaccarus ran away from you, this whole world is turning around a fight for a purple dragon, there was a purple dragon mentioned in every time line we've been in. There is something in you that attracts attention and that tunic only revealed to everyone what I already knew"

She reached out, tenderly brushing his scarf of flowers, petals od which seemed to caress her paw back respectfully.

"You are pure light and I love you with all my heart, but it makes me wonder if our beginnings were truly real feelings or was I dragged towards you like everyone else at first?"

"Does it matter? I'm no expert, but I doubt that majority of love affairs happen from a glance. There is always something that drags someone to the other, it can be even a silly sense of humor"

"It matters Spyro. Because you are our shining star and while I'm deeply grateful you accepted me as your mate and dragged me from pits of despair that was my life I'm scared that I will corrupt that light. I want to see you wearing this flowery scarf, I want you to see paint the sky purple and see your wings glimmer like a moon. I want you to be you and I'm..." she looked herself over, afraid of her own black scales and the ancient creature living there "I'm a heavy burden to carry"

He reached out, squeezing her paw in his own comfortingly.

"You are not a burden Cynder. I could hold on to you for the rest of my life, not to mention that I wouldn't be here if not for you. It is you that started it all, it is because of you I went against the Chronicler's wishes, there wouldn't be today's Spyro if not for that chain around our necks. It was all you"

He shrugged.

"And if that means being a burden then call it like that, I know though that I never felt lighter than when caring for you"

She smiled, her paw moving from the flowers to the cheek where it caressed it tenderly.

"Dreams do come true. I won't lie, I wouldn't want you to do it, but if things would really turn bad when it comes to me and my reputation just..." she swallowed with difficulty "...think about dumping me"

Spyro snickered, preferring to take her words as a joke than actual, real proposition.

"No way. We're mates, there's no turning back now champ. You're stuck with me, deal with it"

She giggled.

"Just give it a thought, don't lose this" she brushed the flowers, rearranging the petals neatly "For a dark creature like me. There are some nice girls out there that can replace me, like Coriza for example"

"Did you seriously just offer me an option to hang around another girl? You? How would that even work?" he shook his head fiercely "Scratch that. I'm not interested. Cynder, look, whatever is happening with me, whatever you think this..." he ran his claws over his dressed body, feeling slight disgust "...thing is, you will remain as the most important part of my life. I can't live without you so sorry beautiful, but if you want to keep seeing this flowers you better stick around"

Without hesitation she sprung forward, locking her forelegs around his neck as she pulled herself closer, locking her lips with his own. Spyro returned the kiss immediately, joining her tongue in the passionate struggle.

He had to admit, she was very good when it came to silencing his worries.

They continued this loving battle for quite some time, neither wanting to quit, both desiring to keep their bonding going, forever if need. Lust was not the driving force behind the kiss, but mutual respect and internal wish to make their partner feel needed.

Spyro and Cynder struggled long to prove that one of them needed the other more.

Their bodies had enough way before their hearts did, unable to support them with oxygen any longer both young dragons were forced to accept a tie.

Their lips parted yet neither wanted to leave the other, they joined their foreheads together, aiming the noses at the ground both panted heavily, stream upon stream of excited, steamy breath fogged the space between their paws.

"I love you" Spyro whimpered in between labored breaths, even though the sound of his voice was weak, the determination with which they were spoken could shatter walls

Cynder must have felt this power because her legs trembled.

"I love you too" she rubbed her forehead into his, making Spyro purr softly in response, the gentle grind of scale sending pleasurable tingles through his nerves

"We aren't doing this often enough" he reached to her neck, brushing its side with all the loving tenderness of a feather

The touch made her whimper quietly, her head tilting, opening more space for his toes to reach, something he didn't fail to notice. His caress felt more than divine, her sensitive neckline waking up, she sensed each piece of scale there desperately stretching towards the purple draconic fingers, longing to feel their touch.

She couldn't blame them.

If their situation would be any different she would already throw her entire body at Spyro, she craved to feel the warmth of his strong, male figure all around her.

She felt cold all of a sudden.

"I agree"

"We need to change that, every time we get to spend some time together I realize how much I miss you. It is unfair that the world gets to spend more time together than me, your mate. Enough is enough"

Cynder chuckled, a faint shiver of pain vibrated in between the cheery tones.

"We start after the party. But first let's not forget to send out some letters informing the bad guys and every other vile plotter out there that you want to take some vacation with your girl. I'm certain they'll understand, I heard they really respect young pairs that really love each other"

Spyro grinned, she was back, there might be many things bothering his dear friend, but as long as she flaps that sarcastic tongue of hers he knew that everything was just fine.

"I'll get to it as the first thing in the morning" he playfully pinched the tip of her nose

Cynder smiled.

A thud echoed loudly in the corridor outside the door.

Eyes of both dragons shot wide open after hearing the rumble that came from so close that it might have been easily mistaken for a knock.

The door of the room creaked open.

Both dragons put their paws on each other with the speed of light, they shoved each other away with such strength that Cynder almost flipped over a small table while Spyro crashed into the standing mirror he was looking himself over just some moments ago, his sweat covered paws had difficulties with catching the shaking construction.

Ignus stepped into the room, scanning the surroundings with a scrutinizing glare.

Cynder leaned over the table, pretending to work on her crown as if it just didn't want to fot against her horn. Spyro managed to grab the mirror finally, pressing his nose against the glass he picked his teeth, fighting desperately to act as natural and ignorant to the presence of their host as possible.

"Oh, hi there!" Cynder smiled innocently, giving the table a nervous pat to muffle the noise of her beating heart

Red eyes jumped between the two dragons, showing nothing but contempt.

"You are forgetting your place. Whoever you might be in your world, or whatever your potential is, I don't care. You are in my house and I believe I made myself clear when I indicated that you are not guests here. The freedom I allow you to have is only my own, personal wish, plucking you out of the dungeons made you my property, this is how it works here. You either comply or I will have no other choice but to introduce you to my sister outside of our planned schedule, she and her coworkers aren't the most friendly bunch when they are bothered. For all its minuses, Skyward has one specific perk, it makes for quite a comfortable coffin"

Flames twinkled in the red eyes.

"I hope we understand each other"

"Of course, we were just-"

"We understand and we're sorry" Cynder cut in, interrupting Spyro, they overstepped the boundaries of their welcome, no excuses will help here, not to mention that Ignus didn't look like someone who would be interested in listening to them

Truth was that they were in an hostile environment and while the red dragon behaved rather tactfully, it was plain as day he was doing it to push his own agenda. They were spoils and no amount of pretty clothes will cover up the fact that they are just a more fancy looking tool to help satisfy whatever craving Ignus might have.

"I expect to see you downstairs in two minutes" he pushed the door open "Do not provoke me again"

Both dragons nodded.

The door shut tight.

"Damn" Spyro gulped "We really stepped on his tail"

Cynder scratched her choker thoughtfully.

"Yeah, and I get it to be honest. Just imagine living in this constant war and plotting for many, many years. A short way to develop paranoia. No wonder our Ignus seems so grumpy and irritated all the time, who wouldn't be after living in so much stress? I kinda understand from where Iris' anger comes from now. I suppose I would also want to let some steam off after being pissed off for so long, in acceptable boundaries naturally"

"Careful there Cynder or you might become best friends with Iris one day"

She grinned at him.

"Careful, because provoking two dragons in the same house can be threatening to one's health" she nodded at the door "Come on smart-ass, time to put that cosmic beauty of yours to some work"

When they got down Sparx and Iris were already here, with each step the two dragons made down Sparx' smile grew wider. He wasn't the one for drama or romance, but he had to admit that the two of them really looked like they would be Ancestors descending from heavens.

People talk about how there is a soul for everyone somewhere around the world, something that most consider a fairy tale to cheer up those shy and lonely in the regard of those two was the most definitive of truths. In between Spyro's cosmic appeal and Cynder's otherworldly grace one could spot a connection so magnificent that it could rival the extremely rare joining of the moons in their world.

In case of those two though, Eternal Night weren't the words that were strong enough to slip through his throat.

Eternal, that was the word that fit the two of them perfectly, the bond that connected them was unbreakable as if they were created for one another. If the joining of two moons is called Eternal Night he could only wonder how an ideal unison of two soul mates could be called.

He didn't know an answer to that question, all he knew was that he had to congratulate whatever power behind the destiny of this world. There was no amount of Veils and historical or legendary discoveries that could match the beauty of the bond his two best friends shared.

Well done.

This was the most sweetest of fruits of a master plan that he had ever seen.

They looked wonderful together, watching them like this he couldn't believe how his stupid animosity towards Cynder risked to ruin it all. As a guide he had his share of mistakes, it was a job's hazard, you don't dwell on them, just push forward, reminding yourself to not make the same mistake again. As a guide he had to forget about failures, otherwise fear wouldn't let him continue forward, he never blamed himself for his mistakes, because no matter what, he tried to do his best.

He wasn't sure if he would be able to forgive himself if he would manage to push Cynder away back then.

The dragonfly wasn't the only one who was stunned by the descent of the pair, Iris too couldn't take her eyes off of them, yet in comparison to Sparx she wasn't smiling when they walked down. Each step they made forced her to back away slowly, closer and closer to the most shaded part of the hall.

Her masked eyes kept drilling into Spyro, her mind torn between the desire to be seen, the craving to use him and long forgotten childish fear of feeling unworthy in the face of your idol. The only creature she ever worshiped was her mother, when she was gone her every prayer afterwards hit deaf ears, until she finally learned that the last spark of divinity faded with the life of her only protector.

That day killed far more than just faith in her heart.

Yet after so many years, there he was, a stunning reflection of everything she ever dreamed of as a lost child.

Her wings dropped flat on the floor, she had to drag them behind as she retreated, each feather bending as if trying to avoid being seen. There was a faint shout of protest echoing in her head, demanding to know what is she doing, she had everything to make him eat from her paw, she had everything to use him.

And yet she was scared, for the very first time in a very long while, she admitted to herself that she was afraid.

He was everything that she ever imagined, the top specimen of any food chain, just as she believed him to be.

Out of the two of them however she was the one that changed and it wasn't for the better.

She couldn't show herself like that, not here in this plain robe, not in front of the eyes of her uncle. She won't give him any satisfaction ever again.

"Look who finally decided to join us" Ignus hissed, pacing around the hall in irritation "I hope I didn't interrupt anything important, I hate to make my property feel like I'm not serving them properly in my own home"

"Sorry" Spyro bowed his head in shame

Ignus snorted, showing quite clearly where he had his apology.

"Some basic reminders before this charade begins. Try speaking as little as possible, whenever you get some troubling question just say that me, as your master forbid you from speaking and direct any nosy fellows my way. That doesn't mean you should ignore every question, I hope you have some basic sense of tact which warns you when you are crossing the line. Do not irritate my guests, I have enough enemies as it is.

I already mentioned this, but say nothing about Athron and Iris' connection to my sister and for everything that's holy don't you dare saying that Iris is a half-breed, rumor like that would be disastrous for everyone. If anyone asks you from where you came from just say that you escaped the Moonborne, nobody will believe you, but it's a lie that nobody can prove to be false. Remember that you are prisoners, just because you wear fancy clothes it doesn't change your status. You are my property so act like you would have an axe ready to chop your head off hanging above you"

He took a deep breath.

"Lastly, you might get taunted, poked, basically irritated, don't you dare lashing out. You are a toy, so my..." he winced in disgust "...guests might use you as such. Of course I won't tolerate abuse, you are my toys after all and I don't accept you getting broken, whatever that might entail. If someone gets too confident, report. Is everything clear?"

"Dude. This supposed to be a party and it sounds like we'll be going through an abusive training camp" Sparx commented, unsatisfied with the idea "If this is how this life is supposed to look like do we get to apply for a bailing ticket?" he raised his hand in the air "I'm first"

"I absolutely hate breaking your safe space, but this is how high level politics look like and I really doubt it looks much different from whatever place you come from"

"Well..." the dragonfly tapped his chin "We all are grownups there so we kinda don't play with toys anymore"

"Unimportant details" Ignus snarled "This is not about you. It is all about me, your look, your behavior, it all reflects on me. And I have aspirations you cannot possibly grasp, so spare me your condescending tone because the only one going through any training camp here is me, like always. You only need to play the role of a servant, and you better learn what life means on the higher level of society. My sister doesn't tolerate bullshit like I do, so you better pay attention if you want to live longer than a few seconds when she lies her eyes on you"

The group exchanged glances between each other, except for Iris who acted as if she would be standing on the last rock in the entire world surrounded by a pool of lava. They didn't agree with his approach to this high society life, what really bothered them was the evident reason behind this masquerade, while it was not surprising that Ignus was doing it all for himself, it was quite troubling to see the spirit of the Ignus they know breaking through this young shell already.

And they all knew how volatile the relationship between Iris and Ignus was, looking at her now was proof enough that getting on his bad side should be avoided.

The red dragon nodded, taking note of the rather discontent agreement, but agreement nevertheless shining in the group's eyes.

"Stand by Iris and wait" his eyes sprung towards his future niece, lingering there for a longer while than he expected.

His heart sped its pace up, blood and mind going through an unexplainable turmoil. He didn't know what was happening to him, he had never seen her before and yet she had an impossible pull on him, in this plain robe, hidden among the shadows, she was meek like a sheep, like his sister when they were children.

She must have felt his attention on her since she raised her head, her white eyes glowing in the darkness with a soul sucking energy as if they would be the eyes of a soulless demon staring at your from oblivion.

His whole body burned, blood boiled to the point that he began to sweat, yet he did not avert his gaze, they exchanged wordless looks, and no matter how much discomfort he felt he saw some bit of understanding in her diamond eyes, it was strange but he felt like he knew her for a very long time.

Iris was stoic in comparison to him and in her diamond orbs, so much different from the blue ones he got used to was immense power that held his attention by the throat.

And not only his.

This strength also reminded him of his sister.

And even though she had come from the past he could see in * of the situation, her confirmation that she knew what he was thinking.

It made his heart forget what

The strings of Fate no longer felt the same way, as if it wouldn't be his paws holding them, but two soft ones ending in white scales with a gold bracelet around one of them.

He cannot allow it to happen, even when deep down he had a scary feeling that this was all he ever wanted.

He pulled his eyes eventually from the intoxicating diamonds, throwing his head to the side with such strength that he almost twisted his own neck.

"Stay there" he groaned hoarsely, almost tripping over his own tail as he forced himself to walk away from the group, finding the small closet where he stored his ceremonial armor, eyes landing on it first, its militaristic shape and intimidating patterns eased somehow the burden on his heart.

The garb brought him back to his senses, reminding him of the past, future and present where all the intricate and personal feelings and emotions were stripped away, making room only for more work and improvement of skills.

Nothing else mattered in Skyward.

Nothing else mattered in this blood soaked world.

He was way too familiar with the effects if you allow yourself to forget about the rules.

"Be polite, don't say anything when not asked and remember that you are here to entertain" Ignus counted off, putting more and more plates on himself with each spoken word

"My guests know what they can and cannot do in my house. I refined my reputation and let's just say that you're lucky that you landed under my wings. The alternatives are much, much worse, you can take my word on it"

The group gathered up in the ordered spot, Spyro squeezing in the middle, Cynder taking a position by his side immediately, position that was quickly followed up by Iris on his opposite side. There was so much arrogant confidence in her move that he couldn't say if she stepped from the shadows or the darkness washed away from her by itself.

He looked ahead, trying to remain indifferent, but he sensed the eyes of both girls looking him over, the situation becoming even more stressful when he felt both Iris and Cynder seductively fondling his thighs with their tails.

He held his breath, being overwhelmed and terrified of the attention at the same time, his male ego was drowning in ecstasy, what guy can say that he was getting hit on by two pretty girls at the same time?

His heart though was imploding from guilt. He was in a deadlock, he couldn't lean in closer to Cynder, he couldn't shove Iris away, hell, he couldn't even escape from the clutches of both, all of it would only prove to everyone and especially to Ignus that there are true feelings connecting them than bond of circumstance.

And giving Ignus more reason to manipulate them was in no one's intention.

He noticed the girl's eyes eventually meeting over his extraordinary dressed body, even though he did his best to pretend that he didn't notice anything the noise of their stares clashing exploded inside his brain.

He sucked even more breath in, only thanks to his purple scales nobody saw him turning violet from the lack of air. His scales tingled under the assault of magical energy, from one side he felt unnatural shadows hungrily creeping over his shoulder, grasping him so tightly as if trying to tear a piece and swallow it as if he belonged to it.

From the other crept frost, twisting and bending like spilled blood from cut veins, it spiraled across his flesh, twisting around his front paw like a snake ready to choke its prey.

He really wanted to scream right now.

A loud knocking could be heard, it was so loud and aggressive that one might take it for the pounding of a corpse against the lid of a coffin.

Both girls immediately retreated, the skirmish of their clashing stares seemed to draw a line in the air so sharp that when touched would make him lose his nose.

Spyro exhaled a loud breath of relief that shook his entire body, almost making him faint from the pressure.

That damn tunic.

He wanted to hate the thing, having Cynder acting weird was all the reason to declare it his mortal enemy. Unfortunately for his conscience he was a full blooded male and no matter how hard he try he couldn't despise the thing that allowed him to get the attention of the two most beautiful girls he had ever the pleasure to lay his eyes on. Their seductive desire pumped him more than any tough battle or hard work, he felt stronger than ever and had no fear facing whatever was to come through that door, in fact he was quite certain that he can protect all three of his companions without breaking a sweat.

That damn tunic.

Why all the best things always have a taste of something bad in them?

"There they are" Ignus announced under his breath, his emotionless whisper would peel paint off the walls

Sparx rubbed his hands together, it's been a while when he put his heart into pretense but he was quite certain that he still remember how to act. Dragons might be strong, but if there was one thing that didn't change throughout the eons was their impatience.

Sooner or later, in bigger or smaller doses, they all fall to their predatory spirit, showing weakness in their game of pretense.

While he was a master of the masquerade.

Higher society or not, none of them wore a mask longer than he did.

And if there was any area where he truly outshined his brother, it was acting.

Obedience to a forced host is a play like any other.

What mattered games like this was leverage. Those you can only get yourself.

It was time to earn some favors.