FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 43

Despite the initial arrogant welcoming all of the dragons who Ignus invited behaved rather politely, if one would exclude the occasional rude comment here and there the reception would be almost perfect. Even Bolt who took an unhealthy liking to Iris restrained from making any moves, at least for now, it was quite obvious he was thinking about it though, whenever the robed dragoness appeared in his sight, the reptilian eyes were there, locking onto her frame.

And they were hungry.

Even the wacky twin sisters were calm.

The sensation of volatile atmosphere hanging in the air was almost palpable, every present soul in this room had to feel it, every soul knew that there was an ignited match dangling somewhere at the corner of vision that when dropped would cause a toppling explosion.

And the one spreading this thickening fog was a masked earth dragoness, with the colors of her face cover so dark that they cast shadows over her eyes, obscuring the eyelids in darkness, as if two bottomless holes would replace her pupils.

The coy smile no longer graced the soft lips, those were busy with smooching an edge of an empty wine mug.

Despite the choking sensation the host of this party was beaming, Ignus looked truly happy, an unbecoming sight in this pit of despair. He stood proud among his guests and servants, broad smile stretching his lips, even his ominous armor seemed to reflect his great humor, glistening as if it would be recently polished.

And it was all because of Marble.

With this thought in mind Sparx immediately snatched a small plate where laid several round...things. He would say that they looked like grapes, but since Skyward was an overgrown cave he was certain that this was a piece of some mushroom. Ignus said that this is a sweet delicacy here.

After biting into it behind a column he could easily say that the dragons here don't know what sweet means. To him it felt like he would be eating a shoe dipped in fermented juice, with the material so old that it cracked under touch.

The good thing was that this stuff was really squishy, you didn't have to deal with the taste for long this way. One good thing in this whole scene of utter fakeness.

"A taste of luxury to lift the mood?" Sparx presented the platter to the earth dragoness, gracefully bowing, body pulsing with steady, bright light

As history eyes went down during the respectful gesture he noticed that his natural illumination was not strong enough to pierce the shade obscuring the female's eyes. Empty, black sockets stared at him from behind the mask and the soul sucking chill he felt on his back only confirmed that she was observing him.

His heart rattled inside his chest when he finally pulled his eyes away from the soul wrenching oblivion.

He couldn't believe it, but he missed the female's dripping with lovely acid smile, the fakery and cold debauchery was far more transparent, despite the nuances here and there, when it came to reading her character. A very important feat when one tries to seek opportunity.

The dark eyelids behind the mask though?

It was like staring into the eyes of a feral monster in the midst of a thick, dark forest. Eyes that showed no care, for anything at all.

This girl was a born politician and he was quite sure that many of her offenders and enemies were now devoured by those black eyelids.

A brief second was enough to feel her tentacles on his soul, he could only pity the guy who found himself on her career road.

Sparx swallowed.

I hope your death came swift and you found peace my friend.

The dragoness extended her paw, claws sharp and bent in his direction, his wings stopped their flapping for just a second, giving up on life. Those claws were coming for him, prepared to snatch the life through his throat.

They clenched over the wacky delicacy.

The tremor of relief that run through his body shook his wings back to life, making them spring into beats with the pace of a shocked heart.

The weird fruit disappeared in the dark confines of the dragonesses mouth, he noticed that her tongue had several, small rocky barbs at the sides. He once more pitted the poor sods that had the unfortunate experience of sharing a kiss with this chick.

She was giving him the creeps.

She wasn't bad on the eyes, her colorful pupils were sharp and shiny, mask laid neatly over the pretty snout and her figure was not something a full blooded male could ignore either. All in all she was a girl who definitely didn't complain about lack of attention.

An image that many would get blinded by.

Only a true perceptive eye, and only on close inspection, where it was already too late for anyone else, could notice that the pretty flower hid deadly thorns behind its petals.

It was the heart burning acid which coated every word, it were the shifting colors of the mask she was wearing, it were the barbs on the tongue, it was the general tension you felt around her where it was hard to decide if the moving green paw is being extended to greet you or to slice your throat.

And there were probably many other small details warning anyone attentive enough somewhere out there still, details that he didn't bother to look for. The things he saw now were enough of a signal telling him that he was treading on a very dangerous territory.

If a creature of the Dark Realms would ever want to blend in in their world, this would be precisely the disguise it would be wearing.

That girl had a soul of a demon, no wonder Iris' brain was in shambles if she grew around an uncle that could have been influenced by someone like Marble and judging from their relationship now it was rather obvious that the lessons carried over onto the young blue dragoness. This Ignus was clearly under her influence and while he still fought with her, he doubted that he won this battle, seeing as Iris turned out.

Growing up in such an environment would make anyone go crazy.

He started to pity to poor girl. While perhaps her mother in this time period wasn't the same dragoness she used to know, she clearly valued her much and even that was taken away from her. Last obstacle against insanity.

Shit.

He never felt more dirty than when gaining favors. Especially now when he suspected this green dragoness being one of the main plights that has befallen onto Iris' bloodline. Of course he tried to convince himself that there is nothing he can do about it now, the past has already happened and nothing can change it now.

They were just reliving history at this point, being more than just mere observers of course, but that didn't change the main aspect of this whole situation, they were just here to experience the past unfolding in front of their eyes.

Only thinking about it now made him realize just how ridiculous this whole thing is, being around Spyro put them in many weird situations before, but this? This was different. Cynder Malefor, the Apes, everything of that felt...real, normal, every action they took had palpable consequences for themselves and those around them.

In this world? It felt like they would be watching a spectacle from up close, almost like ghosts with the difference being that the ones being observed could actually touch them if they wanted to. While they could get really hurt if they are not careful it didn't change the main thing about this strange experience, this play had finished and all the could do was to shake the scenery and actors a little, in the end though the final result will be the same.

Ash and Fire.

He couldn't stop thinking that all of this was rather...pointless.

"Does Ignus spoil his pets so much that he grants them the ability to judge their betters? Or is there something I'm missing here?" the voice that came from behind the masked snout lacked its sultry, appealing tone. Now it was harsh like a rock cut by sand

"My apologizes. I didn't mean to offend. I'm an empath by heart, we dragonflies are sensitive creatures" Sparx bowed his head apologetically, the coated lie flew from his mouth fluently

Marble leaned closer, her nose was so near that his quickly flapping wings had to put more effort in sustaining him in the air as they battled her slow, strong breathing.

A flicker of the sharp pupils glowed from behind the shadows of the headwear, like a pair of hungry fangs.

"This world is a festering wound, its touch withers empathy of anyone who graces its cursed soil"

While she didn't make any moves with her limbs he still could feel her probing him. Words were her weapon and she wielded them dexterously, this is why many would confuse her last sentence with a philosophical ramble of a highborn who pretends to be intelligent beyond his capabilities, acting as royalty, behaving like one true philosopher while in truth being as common as the souls he finds unworthy.

Marble was fluent in that language and commanded pretense with worthy ability.

Luckily for him, he was no different to acting either.

There was accusation wrapped in between that seemingly educated ramble, he had a feeling that after Marble arrived that Ignus wasn't the one who orchestrated their retrieval, nor he was the one who sniffed their arrival to Skyward.

The one who did all of that was provoking him right now.

Marble was testing him, trying to decide if he was worthy of all that trouble, most likely also suspecting that the Moonborne excuse was a complete lie. If a dragon like Kindle could have doubts about it, a dragoness like Marble surely came to the same conclusion.

"Lucky for me then that I have no legs" Sparx responded calmly, keeping his head respectfully low all the time

A strong gust wafted from her nostrils that almost made him spin in the air.

"Very lucky indeed" she reached for another treat, spreading her mouth open in front of him, presenting her barbed tongue to him in all its glory

She would shred him to pieces with a mere lick.

But despite the subtle threat he could feel that he passed her test, his response, unbecoming of a servant was exactly what she expected. It was a nice move, he had to admit it himself, in the same nuanced, shady way she so adored he announced that he wasn't from around here.

Which she knew about already.

"Dragonfly!" Ignus approached them alarmed "Don't pester my guests!"

And she wasn't the only one.

The armored dragon gave him a delicate shove.

"Go, be useful somewhere else"

"Of course" he bowed, mentally noting that even though the young Ignus wasn't as fluent and harsh in dealing with people as his older self, the young drake wasn't stupid and had some dormant talent for nuances too

After all he assured them that he will protect them and this is what he had done right now, yes? Saved the poor little him from the big, bad dragon with barbed tongue.

Too bad that he was aware that the only hide he was protecting here was his own.

"Thank you Ignus. You were always so considerate" Marble intoned sweetly, her voice returning to its toxic self "I feel so safe around you"

"I'll do anything for you" he looked straight into her clouded by shadows eyes, he pronounced the words with such pain that one might think that they burned his lips

The mask shifted colors to that of a delicate purple and red, so similar to a blush. The illumination revealing big, gleaming eyes that were more suitable for a pleading, little girl than a strong female character

"And what would you do to me I wonder?" she bit her lips flirtatiously

He stared her down, her tricks didn't work on him and he was sincerely fed up with her stupid games of word play. They were giving him a headache, he knew it was essential in this way of life and this is perhaps he still tolerates this vicious harpy. He however was more of a straightforward type of guy and since her pride was still wounded from before it wouldn't hurt to remind her again that he also knows how to ascertain dominance when an opportunity presents itself.

His mouth stretched into a triumphant grin.

"Nothing that your brother wouldn't do"

And Bolt would twist her neck and rip her head off given the chance.

The mask turned bloody red, even though Marble's expression remained unchanged he still could notice that one fang sinking a little deeper into the lips, drawing a speckle of glistening fresh blood.

"As I said. So considerate"

Ignus leaned towards her with a wide grin, the dragoness recoiled back with a hiss.

"It is always my pleasure when it comes to you" he whispered, a familiar taste of poison flapped from the tip of his tongue

Marble didn't like it at all.

Sparx observed the two dragons subtle bickering attentively, having his head neatly resting on his shoulder he gathered up as much information as possible, ignoring the rest of his surroundings completely.

"Dragon!"

"Fly!"

Two similarly sounding cherry voices suddenly exploded around him. In a span of time that was shorter than a second he was jumped by two ice dragonesses. Their massive, feathery hats smacked into him from both sides and he had to fight desperately to keep himself, as well as the platter he carried, aloft.

Ironically the opposite bumps helped him in keeping his balance before he would ruin completely his already frail image of a servant.

The twins poked him with their noses, he felt their nostrils flapping across his body when they flared up, taking on his scent.

He immediately started to shiver, succumbing to the violent assault of an ice dragon's cold breath.

"Not a dragon!" Polar pushed her head back with a snort

"Not a fly!" Glacial mimicked her sister's behavior

"Why a dragonfly?" the twins cocked their heads, tails swishing from side to side in anticipation

Sparx stared at them completely dumbfounded, at first he thought that this was their idea of starting up a small talk, yet their serious eyes were similar to those of a child who heard something interesting and just won't let go until it learns what it wants.

The curiosity was surprisingly innocent, with the excitement being strangely alien considering the color of the scales of both girls, usually dragons like them demand answers instead of asking for them.

He didn't allow this short moment of confusion to break his guard. The twins might seem naïve and meek, but Ignus wouldn't invite them into this theater of plotting if they would really so clueless and jovial as they seem to be.

There was something to the two girls he can't quite put his finger on just yet, all he knew though that ignoring them would be, really, really unwise. After all they had reached the high echelons of Skyward's society and while he wasn't sure just how difficult it really is, it wouldn't be wise for anyone to ignore the twins.

That Marble didn't make short work of the girls yet should be evidence enough for their capabilities, whatever they might be.

He really hoped though that he will never find out.

"I'm sorry but I don't know the answer to that question ladies, my kind was always called like that" Sparx responded politely, his voice carrying a true note of honesty since he really never thought about the definition of his race

"We must find out!" Polar immediately dashed towards the dragonfly, snapping the plate out of his hands before she extended her own claws that immediately raked their way along his body

"We don't like secrets!" Glacial shook her head fervently, her feathery hat dropping several feathers in the process

Sparx froze, gritting his teeth, preparing for another surge of pain, especially when the claws fill cut the still fresh wound from earlier. To his surprise however there was no sudden flash of pain. The dragoness was unexpectedly gentle, or perhaps it might been the chilly touch of her claw that numbed his senses.

He looked down, just to make sure that the ice dragoness wasn't commencing some elaborate plan of gutting him alive. He couldn't help himself but to suck his breath in sharply when he did so.

The dragoness had her massive hat tilted backwards, revealing her snout to him, tip of her glowing, blue tongue was sticking out of her mouth that paired with her big, needy, glowing sapphire eyes made her breathtakingly cute.

Only his trained survivalist instinct managed to prevent him from sinking completely in the sea of blue and give himself entirely to her. The instinct pounded at the back of his skull so hard that he nearly blacked out from the pressure.

As much as he wished to remain in the intimate contact with the girl, his mind forced his senses to focus on her in more ways than just the popular picture of a seductive female. It was thanks to that focus that made him realize that the tender gentle touch felt like a sting of a mosquito, that those big, enchanting eyes were like a gate to a rumored, fabulous treasure throve hiding unimaginable riches.

It was that freshly woken attention to details that allowed him to see that the girl's pupils were no ordinary eyes, instead of a round orb or neat slit, the edges of her eyes were ragged, many, tiny spikes wiggled all around like worms.

And he knew immediately that her stare could kill, literally.

The eyes of the girl were a gate alright, but behind their lock there was no treasure to be found, but a deadly, spiked trap.

The dragons of this world were different than the ones from his time, in the Dragon Realms the elemental magic became less prominent, while still a considerable source of power it settled itself in the background, where it didn't display its potential beyond that of scale color.

Skyward was much different in this regard, something that eventually changed seeing as Iris didn't carry any of the characteristics, yet right now elemental forces has more impact on the dragon's figure. This is why Ignus had a burning tail and this is why while the tongues of the twins were glowing and this is exactly why the eyes of the girl looking at him were barbed with icicles, undulating as if they had a free will of their own.

The longer he stared at those eyes to more he became certain that if he keeps looking at them for a little while longer they will shoot forward and pierce his skull through.

These twins were killers.

While the behavior didn't make them typical dragons with blue scales, the soul behind the eyes was everything a cruel, ice dragon could be. Those were the types that would slaughter you out of pure boredom and he was quite certain that they rarely used their claws or teeth for that.

He already was succumbing to the embrace of one of them.

Having both twin sisters drooling over you would make many numb to the true motives of the sisters.

Back in the days he really wanted to become god and almost fainted from excitement when the Atlawa tribe considered him as one. It was the top of every egotistical mountain, it had to be the most amazing thing in the universe.

Right now though, he was glad that he stayed the invisible dragonfly for most of his life. Popularity was not something to look forward to seeing how this society operates, one might say that perhaps a sample from the past might not be a valid evidence, yet for him it was enough. Politics are dirty and while cold blooded murder is not welcomed in the walls of Warfang for example, he doubted that the decisions made there were morally pure.

"I can't give you any answers because I don't know them ladies" Sparx ever so gently pushed away from the chilly claw, averting his gaze from the big eyes that wanted to devour him

He heard a crack, as if a brick or ice would snap and he knew that the noise came from the restless icicles.

They were not used to seeing someone pulling away from their grasp.

As did their host, Polar's claw fell roughly on the floor, surprised to lose its footing, the unexpected fall forced the girl to spread the toes of her hind paws wide to maintain balance. The dragoness stared at the ground blankly like she would be surprised that it even was there.

Glacial froze, the aura around her became dangerously cold, her eyes glowed brightly from underneath her massive hat, a hat that wasn't indifferent to her changed mood either, feathers adopting delicate layers of frost on their tips, sprouting icicles.

"We don't enjoy being defiled" Glacial lunged at the dragonfly, slashing her claws in the air

A strike that many would consider a horrendous miss since the blades were far too away to even graze their target.

However Sparx spent enough times around dragons to know that their physical weapons are only the secondary choice in their offensive arsenal.

He immediately dashed down, even before the girl finished her strike. He easily dodged the wave of frost that suddenly painted the piece of the sky where he was just a moment ago. He felt the chill even from here, it was strong, the dragoness didn't want to punish him only, she was really trying to hurt him.

And it would hurt quite a lot.

"GIRLS!" Ignus blared out but his roar reached deaf ears

Glacial became even more infuriated after the miss, her sister joining her in the attack this time. The twins moved in perfect harmony, their moves were swift and full of grace as if they would be practicing this particular offensive move all their life.

Sparx saw Spyro and Cynder working together and while their chemistry was nothing to frown upon the twins were far more elegant in this manner. So elegant that even his perceptive eyes couldn't draw the potential attack route.

He waited because there was nothing more he could do, he had to see what they were up to before he reacts. Heart pounded in his chest harder and harder, the situation didn't look good and he was really starting to get scared.

A blob of shadow appeared on the way of Glacial, the moment the blue paws stepped on it Cynder shoot out from the magical portal, kicking the dragoness up in the air before giving her a solid, empowered kick to send her flying away from Sparx.

In the same moment Polar was struck too, his paws as well as the path he traveled were covered in sparkling fiery lanes. He smacked into the dragoness, just before he collided he threw his body into a turn, keeping his horns away and hitting the female silhouette with his side, the charged with magic impact sent the ice dragoness sliding across the floor.

The twins immediately pushed themselves up, partially by shock and partially by sheer fury, both were completely dumbfounded by what happened however, with great success hiding their true feelings though.

A veil that wavered when they looked ahead, at the two dragons that stood in front of their recent target.

Spyro and Cynder stood confidently side to side, the black dragonesses' circlet shining brightly under the light of the hall, her dark attire more ominous than ever, black tendrils of shadows were floating from it like ghostly wings. Same dark flames coated her claws, still infused with the essence of her recent attack. The violet gem pulsed rapidly, the crown of flowers swishing from side to side, ominously sticking out black tongues of shadowy magic.

Spyro looked no less imposing, his magical tunic already made him look like a being not of this world, but now when the flames of his earlier charge were still burning bright underneath his paws, he not only looked otherworldly, but also menacingly powerful, like a god descending from its pedestal in the stars to personally smite his enemies. The intimidating image only empowered by the floating purple leaves catching on fire, making them blink out of existence like closing, fiery, beastly eyes.

And Sparx could see in the expression of the twins that it was the first time after a very long while when they hesitated before acting.

Marble lifted her head in attention, the shadows covering her snout were gone when the mask turned color into bright blue, her eyes immediately traveled towards the commotion and if there would be anyone looking her way right now he would easily notice the interest shining in her orbs.

Actually, there was no dragon in this hall that remained indifferent to the duo, while many had their eyes on them before, it was now when they truly started to sense that perhaps the toys are not the ones being played with in this house.

The difference between Kindle, Bolt and Marble was that the two first dragons besides being curious, displayed signs of nervousness. The first was fidgeting with his manicured claws, each colored blade seemed to envy the shade of its partner, ready to scrap it off if need be.

Bolt kept tugging at his hood, his tail swishing so strong from side that it dragged his prolonged body after itself, making him practically dance in place. Undecided between sprinting away and preparing a defense.

"No fights in my house!" Ignus roared, glaring over the two sisters as he stepped in front of the two dragons, his massive armor shielding them protectively

The sight of the fire dragon stepping in their defense relaxed Spyro and Cynder almost instantly.

To the point that neither of them was prepared for the incoming strike of the red tail.

It smashed into Cynder first, throwing her right on top of Spyro, in a flash of scorching heat and massive force used into the strike both young dragons toppled on the ground. And even though Cynder was the one who received the highest spike of the strength used into the strike, Spyro still felt the effects of it practically on the same level due to the magic that charged it, as if he himself would receive the blow directly.

"My possessions dance to my will only!" Ignus roared, curling his blazing tail which was still feasting on the scale it just scorched. His eyes were burning like torches, glaring upon the fallen duo as if they would be nothing but worthless waste

Cynder almost immediately began to scramble, completely forgetting about the accepted rules of this place. She was pumped for a fight, it might be her scales that make her so defensive, she had to fight all her life after all. However while that rebellious instinct was there what was driving her the most was the possessive desire of keeping Spyro safe, especially now.

Especially now.

She didn't know what was different, it was not the first time Spyro got struck in her presence and yet never before her blood boiled like it did that, to the point that she could almost feel it swishing inside her nostrils.

She just couldn't accept that there was someone daring to hurt Spyro. She couldn't accept the risk, she couldn't accept the risk of losing him.

And then a purple paw fell on her.

Even though she knew that the foreleg belonged to her mate, the touch left her breathless still. For a brief moment, so swift that longing tears glistened in her eyes when the moment was over, she felt the palpable touch of redemption and welcoming acceptance washing over her soul.

A galactic of blinking, heavenly stars flashed before her eyes, calming her down like the most wonderful of lullaby. A distant echo whispered somewhere deep from within the back of her mind, singing two words in the most sweetest of voice she had ever heard.

"Dear daughter..."

Spyro couldn't decide what was more surprising, the way they so easily took things for granted when it came to Ignus, or just how quickly Cynder relaxed when he tried to calm her, to the point that she basically melted under his touch.

And calming Cynder when her blood was buzzing wasn't an easy job.

He had a feeling that it might have something to do with her unusual behavior, however for the time being he gladly accepted this turn of events. They were so very close to starting a full fledged battle and while he didn't regret standing in his brother defense, uncovering all of their cards would be a reckless thing to do.

They were in a hostile city, they had a job to do and causing a ruckus, even among souls that perhaps don't really belong in the close group Athron might keep by her side, as weird as that may sound with her brother here, was a thing that wouldn't definitely bring them closer to the dragoness they look for.

Not to mention that they risked opening themselves to the public among which surely are fighters that are familiar with the stories about the evil purple dragon that Skyward seemed to grown on.

As dangerous as it may be, Ignus provided them safety, it was a fickle alliance, but this was everything they got right now.

"My, my" Kindle approached the two dragons, with renewed courage after Ignus' display he reached out for Spyro's wing, opening it up forcefully, purple leaves painting the air on the trail of the moved wing

The dragon's eyes observed them for a second with interest before turning his attention to the majestic membrane, he evaluated it with an intensive stare of a renowned critique.

"It seems my predictions were wrong, you see, experience taught me that militaristic blocks like you, our decent host, no offense naturally, are only capable of flashing the most atrocious elements of fashion. All flair but no style, a tedious way of asking for attention" the dragon rolled his eyes

His paw reached lower where the joint of the wing connected with the back and gave it another harsh tug.

"It hurts" Spyro hissed through clenched teeth

"Ugh" Kindle grumbled in dissatisfaction, jerking his head away as if he would just be hit by a powerful stench of sewer drain "Its talking to me"

"Silence!" Ignus ordered

The purple dragon clenched his teeth harder, throwing a challenging glare at the armored dragon.

"But this my dear companions is genuine. Boy I don't know how you fetched such a prize, but the Chameleon you put on this toy reacted to its nature" manicured claws tenderly traced the shapes and images splayed on the membrane "Could the rumors be true? Are we truly fighting for our survival? I must study it, there might be secrets in these glyphs to victory and power!" Kindle blared out enthusiastically, his eyes flaring up with greed

And Sparx knew that the dragon slipped and allowed the public to see past his mask where only fanatical, egotistical desire hid. Somehow he doubted that the rest of the guests didn't know that already.

The fire dragon quickly collected himself clearing his throat loudly.

"Victory and power for Skyward naturally, an advantage in this horrendous war. I am a loyal citizen like all of you after all" he looked over the group of special guests and the host, each of them gave him a courteous nod when he met their eyes with his.

"I must study it boy" he licked his lips hungrily

"I worked too hard to acquire these additions, I'm not willing to part with them just yet. I haven't the time to play with them myself" Ignus replied, reciting the words as if they were a formula he repeated a million times over already

Kindle nodded.

"I understand, I understand" he slurred like an addict, massaging the membrane still

"What if I took only the wings? It doesn't need them and you still would have enough flesh left to enjoy"

Spyro's eyes widened in alarm, his muscles instinctively started to flex, all of a sudden the paw that he felt on his wing reminded him of a cold touch of some mechanical chainsaw the moles use to cut wood with.

What scared him the most though was the faint glimmer of acceptance he saw in Ignus eyes, the red dragon seemed to really consider the option of dismembering him to satisfy the craving of his guest.

But when the armored dragon's attention fell on him Spyro wondered if he didn't imagine it all. Just one direct look was enough to say that Ignus was against the idea of severing his wings off.

Perhaps he truly just imagined it.

"Gladly, but first I must explore it myself so I ask for you patience Kindle"

"You don't know how to read the symbols!" Kindle whined, smacking the wing back into place

Spyro grunted, the hurled weight of his wing nearly burying him into the floor.

Ignus grinned.

"But I like the pretty lights. They're shiny"

"Ignorant brat" the manicured fire dragon growled, he scratched one of his pretty claws, wounding the artistic work in the process, revealing natural, bloody red hue underneath

He used the reddish claw to scratch an itch on his cheek as he stared back at Ignus.

"You will regret it" one could mistake the words for a general warning, but somehow they all had a feeling that the moving, bloody claw was making this rather personal

"We want the black one!" the twins exclaimed, with Polar intently sniffing at her sister's body

Glacial raked her claws along her figure when she lifted herself on her hind legs, her moves were so chaotic that it was impossible to tell if she wanted to peel her scales off or scratch a very annoying itch.

"What is that magic? I still feel it gnawing at my bones"

"Enough!" Ignus stomped his paw "Nothing changes in the way we operate, I'm tired of listening to what you want. This is not a charity"

The group of dragons started to bicker among each other and while it would be all very interesting, his opportunistic nature couldn't allow focus to dwindle on such trifles. He will still get a chance to taste what all of them crave, but now that nobody was watching he could pursue his own desires.

Bolt slinked away from sight of the group, even his stupid sister didn't see him backing away, she was as dumb as the rest of them. Bitch believed she had control over everything while in reality she couldn't even control her own sibling, something keeps reminding her off regularly.

His dexterous body floated across the hall, like a snake hunting its pray, among all this chaos there was one plaything absent and for some unexplainable reason he found that particular toy far more enticing than even the weird trio in the hall.

He sniffed deeply, his nose immediately catching the scent of feathers and old rags that tried to mask it. This stench of simple robes was distracting but instead of quenching it, the smell aroused his curiosity even more. He was the only one among those delusional idiots that still remembered from where he came from, the only one aware that the best secrets can be found in the darkest corners that many of those stick ups decide to ignore.

His nose guided him to one of the back rooms behind the big stairs where Ignus kept his supplies of mushroom wine. Bolt snorted, mushroom wine, they believed in their fairytale so much that they didn't even notice the joke that is their life.

Mushroom wine.

It was as fancy as moss spice.

Fools.

This was nothing but delicacy of rodents.

At least he knew that what they were reduced to, contrary to what his sister babbles all the fucking time.

His reptilian eyes flickered with greed when he found the plaything he was looking for, her long robe covered her to the very floor, hiding the outstretched body where only the back paws were keeping her standing while the front ones were busy pouring wine into mugs.

"Who of us you'll try to poison first I wonder?" he purred, awaiting her incoming scream, or a gasp maybe, he would be satisfied with both, toys in their fear always behaved like that when he approached them unexpectedly

There was no reaction from Iris, she kept working as if she wouldn't hear the dragon behind her.

Bolt hissed, his body balking, this was the first time when his cornered prey acted as if he was not here.

"Playing deaf won't save you from me" he growled

Iris grabbed one of the mugs, taking a casual, deep sip from it.

The bitch ignored him AGAIN!

That's enough.

Bolt dashed forward with a snarl, pretty or not, he will tear out each of those feathers for this arrogant display. A servant and a wind dragon no less? He was more tolerable than the fools out there in the hall, but he was still royalty, just because he didn't flinch from getting his paws dirty that didn't mean some stinky, draconic chicken can disregard him like that!

Blood pulsed in his veins when he reached out for her, he will teach the slut some manners, he will-

Iris spun around just when he was about to grab her, she spat every drop of the mushroom wine right into his snarling mouth.

Bolt choked when the stream gushed deep into his throat, the paw that was aimed at the dragoness immediately jerked back towards the throat making him lose his footing.

Iris gracefully rolled out of the way and landed with all four paws back on the floor, just a moment later Bolt crashed into the desk where she once stood.

The dragon coughed and rasped, his whole prolonged body hacking, rising and dropping roughly as if he would get punched in the underbelly over and over again.

"You whore!" he spat, lunging at the girl, grabbing her by the throat and smacking against the wall, leaning in close to her snout, his eyes glistened with tears with streams of mushroom wine painting trails down his eyes and nostrils.

"Do you know who I am?!" he smashed her against the wall once more, a bottle of wine fell down from one of the shelves and broke on the ground

Iris stared at him with her piercing eyes in total silence, even the dragon's paws tightening harder around her neck didn't make her flinch.

"Do you know what I'm capable of?!" he smashed her again, leaning close, his nose brushing against her masked one, he put even more pressure onto her throat, feeling her scales collapsing under his grip

Iris remained unfazed, she simply pointed at his paws over her neck.

With a furious growl Bolt eased his grip.

She took a deep, wavering breath, her feathers flushing open as if they would be grazed by a welcoming gust of air.

"Sire..."

Now this was better, the little chicken was finally addressing him with proper esteem. He shouldn't forget about the fact that she just spat at him, yet her pretty voice had a way of calming his nerves.

"You mistake me for someone who respects you"

Bolt stared at her blankly, unable to make out anything from her answer, his mouth began to move gently, repeating the words she just said again and again.

And then his eyes widened.

She insulted him!

"I will dismember you, you little whore!" he smashed her against the wall again, more bottles fell from the shelves and crashed on the floor, spilling wine everywhere

He raised his clawed paw to strike.

"I own you" Iris said sternly, her diamonds eyes cold as ice

The paw froze in the air, Bolt was stricken back, yet not by the words themselves, while still shocking coming from an imprisoned wind dragoness, it was the way how she said it that made him hesitate. There was something familiar about her, something that partially reminded him of his sister and someone else he couldn't put his claw on right now. There was something about this girl that whenever she spoke he felt as if her voice would tug at his tail to bring him back to heel.

He looked into her masked eyes deeply, trying to find the answer for his questions, answers always could be found on the eyes.

But looking into those piercing orbs was no better than staring into the milky pupils of a corpse. They were completely unfamiliar and devoid of any life.

"You can do nothing, you are nothing. Worthless piece of shit of a male unable to claim what he wants. So worthless that all I need is to yell to ruin your world. Transparent and predictable, living a fleeting, borrowed life that will soon end due to your inherited stupidity. My spit is the only attention I will ever give you"

Bolt chuckled bitterly, his reptilian eyes flashing with murder.

"You think you're so smart chicken? You're the toy here wind dragon, so what does that make you?"

"Where are the drinks?!" Bolt's head snapped in the direction of the shout, his paws automatically letting go off the girl

Iris scooped a line of wine from the counter, pulling the dragon into a hug as she smeared the line on the back of his hooded robe.

"I am everything you want but can't have" she whispered, her accented voice purring melodically

Iris pushed away from the dragon, picking up the tray with the mugs in her mouth and casually walking out of the room. Her step light as if the harsh choking and hard pounding never happened.

Just as she was about to round the corner to the main hall a big shadow grew in front of her that moments later manifested itself into her uncle.

"Iris!" Ignus hissed through clenched teeth "What the hell are you doing?"

She sat down, taking the tray in her paw before snatching one mug and emptying its contents with a single swing. She didn't swallow though, instead she mushed the liquid inside her mouth before spitting it all out back into the mug.

Ignus winced at the sight

"You need to take better care of our house uncle, there is a lot of vermin about" she wiped her mouth "And this wine is horrendous" she moved the mug to the edge of the rows, making it stand out the most from the rest before she continued on

Ignus saw a green paw snatching that very mug just moments later, Marble eagerly emptying its contents that were mixed with Iris' spit. She was right, the wine was horrendous.

And this is precisely why Marble couldn't tell the difference.

Iris read the guests like an open book, clearly familiar with the ethics of a highborn society.

He already loved his cunning, little niece.

And somewhere deep down was utterly terrified of her.

"Drinks!" the twins exclaimed and as if by a touch of a magic rod their attention aggressive attitude was gone, they once again became the seemingly uncaring duo

Kindle went for the wine as well.

Cynder sighed heavily.

"Thank the Ancestors, I couldn't stand listening to the their bickering anymore"

"It might not be over yet" Spyro whispered cautiously, nodding softly towards the approaching green dragoness

"We are full of surprises aren't we?" Marble coated them with her usual, sweet smile, she was back to her cherry, poisonous self

The two dragons remained silent.

The green dragoness chuckled.

"Adorable and so prettily naïve. But that's alright, you two songbirds can pretend to be locked in a cage all day if you want, but I know you better than you might think. You see, birds, they like to sing and to be heard"

Her mask took on more lively colors when her attentive pupils ran over the two drakes, her look was so intense that both Spyro and Cynder felt shivers traveling up their spines, both having an uncomfortable feeling of being stripped to the very bone by the glare intense glare.

"And you gave a rather spectacular tune, servants" the last words dripped with sarcasm "You see, you might believe that you've been brought here as bargaining chips or some meaningless display of stature, it's true I guess, to some degree, most of us won't recall the song you sang a week later"

The mask took a serious tone of green.

"There are however those that will and it would be very wise for you if you controlled your chirping before it gets annoying for too many important souls. A bird may be fast and agile, but when trapped in a cage, there are only so many spots it can ran to and what are birds without their vocal cords hmmm?"

"We should be getting back to work, our master will be mad at us" Cynder spoke up, maintaining their charade, despite the fact that Marble saw through it the moment she arrived here

The green dragoness flashed them a brilliant smile.

"Very good. Keep singing, you put some paws in motion without even realizing it. Only a true listener can hear it" she hummed some soft tune, waving her claw to an projected song "Send your glowing friend over, we might be able to find an opening in that cage of yours, I believe we will understand each other, mutual coherence is so rare these days" she faked a painful sigh

"MORE DRINKS!" the twins blared out

Ignus looked meaningfully at his niece.

Iris bowed.

The red dragon swallowed uneasily.

"There might be a problem with your supplies our dear host" Bolt hissed, his reptilian eyes flashing viciously from underneath the hood "Your feathered pet wanted to feel the wind in her wings it seems"

"What?" Ignus stormed towards the mentioned back room

The dexterous drake threw a vengeful glare at Iris, Iris who didn't even bother to look his way.

Flames of fury burned in his pupils.

"GET OVER HERE WIND DRAGON!" Ignus' roar shook the ceiling

"Someone's in trouble!"

"Not so well behaved after all!" Kindle and the sisters shared a fit of giggles

In annoyance that was part of the act than honest interest Marble looked towards the robed girl like everyone else did. A girl that walked to the place of calling with a casual stride.

Just like her.

Like the world would belong to her.

Just when she was passing next to a hooded figure her eyes traveled onto her brother, even through the shadows she could see the malicious grin spreading his lips. That was partially aimed at the chicken and partially at her.

He was provoking her.

And when he turned his head to follow the feathered thrash she felt her blood freezing in her veins. Not because of the humiliation that someone of her bloodline drools over junk like a wind dragon, but because on the back of his hood she noticed a streak of wine.

She easily put two and two together.

Spyro and Cynder observed the dragoness closely, her mask turning deathly pale, in accordance with the colors of her scales that also seemed to lose their shine as if blood would be sucked out of them.

She was glaring at her brother like she wanted to rip his throat out.

Both of them noticed the swishing, disappearing behind the corner tail of Iris.

The party has started alright.

Unbeknownst to the royalty, they were the real entertainment here.

There was only one princess in this room and unfortunately for the guests, Iris didn't seem to be a fan of anything mutual.

Iris stepped into the ruined wine storage.

Ignus turned to her, his fiery tail tip burning with fury.

"What the fuck is this?!"

"A mess" she responded coldly

The red dragon flexed his muscles, her arrogant response driving a needle into his patience, he wanted to punch some sense into her right here and now. Yet he was held back, partially by self-preservation, too much holes in her robe would reveal too much of her bluish body, and partially by shame, this was his niece after all.

Not to mention that she looked at him with those piercing eyes of hers as if she was expecting him to strike her.

That look filled him with so much dread that he almost lost his footing.

"Why did you do this?"

She didn't even care to give the room a glance, all this time she aimed her diamond eyes directly at him.

His heart bled under their scrutinizing glare.

"Ruining a family is in our blood"