FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

"Spyro, Cynder would you like to join us at the table?" the feline asked politely

"Of course, it would be our pleasure" replied Spyro

"Excellent, but you will have to excuse me I have some final preparations to attend to. Make yourself at home" with that Meadow pointed at one room while he disappeared into the other

They've stood in a small hallway, the walls were made from some kind of reddish wood, probably the whole interior was covered in the same pattern. A small brown carpet laid on the wooden floor and ran through the whole hallway. All kind of weaponry hung on the walls, wooden round shields with reinforced strips, silvery swords of different sizes and hilts, some daggers and a staff every now and then. Two entrances were located on opposite sides of the wall, one leading to the room where Meadow went, while the other to the room where they should supposed to go.

They entered a salon and a huge one in fact, many windows dotted one of the walls allowing the light to properly illuminate the whole room, red curtains were drawn back allowing the sun to do its job, if necessary they were ready to block the sight from prying eyes . Just like previously some weaponry adorned the walls but this time they had company, some pelts from different animals hung from the walls, and carvings depicting a falcon feather embellished the columns that stood in the room supporting the ceiling.

One of these columns consisted a fireplace, a single female cheetah was taking care of it, she was hunkered down by the fire slowly picking up a piece of wood just to place it into the fireplace. She stared at the fire for a while, clapped her hands several times, got up and turned around. The cheetah looked like she just reached her adulthood, her fur had a sharp brown color with a black tone around her eyes and on her pointy ears, her fur was also covered in many small black spots, the brown color was turned into white on the inner parts of her legs and arms, the white fur also covered the lower part of her jaw, ran down her neck, covered the end of her tail and most likely covered the feline's chest, her black mane covered her forehead. She was wearing a simple white shirt and brown shorts reaching her knees, a silver circlet with three blue stones decorated her head.

She was walking towards them with her eyes focused on the floor while scratching her head, the cheetah's moves were full of grace and completely silent as she walked across the room with no boots on her paws. After a while she gave her raven mane a solid blow flinging it from her forehead and raised her head, her shining sapphire eyes widened a little when she noticed a purple dragon ahead, she kept walking staring at the draconic figure all the time, his head was slowly moving towards her and the moment their eyes met she gave him a saucy smile and walked past by him.

A couple of other cheetahs were walking around the room, some of them were occupied with a huge wooden table with both of it opposite ends slightly rounded standing near the windows, it was extremely wide it looked like it was suited for the whole village. They were arranging the chairs all around the table, some others were making the final cleaning preparations while the last part of them was already picking seats. The table was empty but it looked like it won't be like that for long.

The smell coming out from one of the rooms only confirmed it, both dragons sniffed the aroma, it was the scent of a cooking meat, a smell that they were quite accustomed with so they already could tell that a delicious dinner is being prepared, almost ready to be served. Their stomachs rumbled with need, the sound was so loud that they immediately looked at each other and giggled when their eyes met. They sniffed once again deeply inhaling the air while closing their eyes, the delightful smell invaded the dragons nostrils, tickling them and sending another signal down to their bellies that they should fight for the meal with all their might. Both dragons moaned loudly and their tongues hung from their mouths when they exhaled the air while opening their eyes that were coated with a strong craving which blocked the surroundings leaving only the sight of a single room and the smell that escaped from it. Dragons don't have to eat daily, in fact they can survive for weeks without food, but why torture oneself when a better opportunity presents itself? An opportunity that every hungry carnivore can't allow to slip.

" Hello? Is anybody there?" Meadow asked with a broad smile on his face

Both dragons blinked and shook their heads drawing back their tongues and bits of drool with a loud slurp " Meadow?" Spyro mumbled " what's... what's the matter?"

The cheetah chuckled " I've thought that I lost you there"

" We...we were just looking around" Spyro scratched the back of his head

" I can tell that you were quite concentrated on the details and I'm not the only one who noticed it"

Spyro instantly looked around the room, at first glance nothing changed, there were still cheetahs walking back and forth going on about their business, but whenever a cheetah looked at him while Spyro kept gawking at the feline the cat giggled. Spyro blushed instantly as he realized that they must have froze in that position for quite a while

Meadow burst out laughing " There is nothing to be embarrassed of, everyone has to eat, that's why I brought you here"

" And that was a very good idea" Cynder licked her mouth" If your surprises look like that then I don't mind to be startled sometimes"

Spyro's focus returned and he shot a quick glance around the place as he felt his curiosity boiling inside of him " This doesn't look like a dining room"

"Because it isn't" Meadow stated " This room is used as a meeting place when the Chiefs from other villages or some other guests arrive. Now as you noticed we turned it into a dining room of sort, since most of our warriors are in Warfang there is only a handful of us left so we decided to make one huge place where we could all meet and talk about practically everything, It brings us together, after all we are like a family, problem of a single cheetah is everyone else problem"

Spyro turned around and looked at Meadow " This place is huge, it seems that you meet here quite often"

"Luckily we don't" the cheetah sighed like he just remembered some bad moments from the past "There were times when this room was bustling with activity..." as he spoke Spyro noticed the female cheetah in white shirt returning, she was carrying some pieces of wood in her arms which were closely held near her chest. The moment she was right behind Meadow she looked at the Purple Dragon giving him the same smile as earlier

"... I remember how this place was crowded during Malefor's invasion and when Shadow shrouded the skies. Not only there were war leaders gathering here but also civilians that lost their homes and there was nowhere to place them" the cheetah looked around the salon wincing as he did so " Those were dark times indeed, pain, misery and fear, these were the feelings that walked with that time side by side. Whenever people looked at this building they knew something bad was going on and they have to stay alarmed, that's why we wanted to change it's bad reputation and the only way to do that was to overcome the horrors from the past"

"It looks like you did a fine job but if you want to keep it that way you should quench every alarm and we can help you with that" Cynder grinned while rubbing her chest.

Meadow chuckled " I believe you are right we should get to it right away" the female cheetah was walking behind the warrior once again but this time Meadow grabbed her arm and pulled her closer " But to do so we will need some assistance"

" How can I help you?" the female cheetah patted her mane coquettishly without even looking at the male cheetah or dragoness, her brown eyes focused only on the purple drake in front of her

" Inform the rest of the village if you don't mind, it is time" Meadow released the feline's arm

" Is there any other way I can help you?" she said with a seductive tone while staring at Spyro and delicately biting her finger

"I'm-"

"He's fine" Cynder retorted coldly cutting Spyro off

" If you think of something I'll be here" the cheetah winked and turned around running her feline tail across Spyro's jaw as she began walking towards one of the rooms swaying her hips

Spyro watched her with wide eyes and slightly opened mouth, her move caught him by surprise but it seems that the whole world saving thing will draw some attention to him even if he didn't want it. Spyro smiled, his brother would love the additional attention, he would take advantage of the situation boasting about some things he supposedly done but in fact they never happened in the first place. Spyro chuckled and shook his head, he could only guess what his brother would say but it would be most likely something extremely stupid.

With that thought in his mind he looked at Cynder wanting to throw some stupid joke about all this. His smile vanished instantly when his amethyst orbs focused on her. She was staring at him with fiery eyes which he could swear were flashing with murderous intent, When Spyro noticed some green tiny flames coming out from her nose he gulped. He did something wrong again, she seemed pretty agitated and just like on the slope he has no idea why. He was certain of one thing though whatever he did made her furious which means he is in trouble.

A loud ringing sound just like someone hit a bell reached them catching everyone's attention, Spyro sighed, salvation came just in time. "It's going to begin soon, but before we take a seat there is one last thing to do" Meadow patted the purple dragon's shoulder and made a meaningful motion with his hand "Spyro, walk with me"

They made their way towards one of the bigger columns " What is it Meadow?" Spyro asked surprised

The cheetah lead him behind the column almost hiding from the other felines walking around the room "Don't worry it's nothing serious, it's about your wounds" he slid his hand behind his robe and removed a small satchel " The dinner is almost ready and guests will arrive soon with children and we don't want them to see you bleeding, good memories you understand"

Spyro took the satchel and furrowed a brow " You lead me here just to hide from children? Sorry but I'm not buying it"

Meadow looked around like he wanted to check if somebody is listening " I'm not lying about the children, if they see blood they won't stop asking questions and since you are their hero I'm afraid they would hurt themselves just to be like you" he scratched his head and looked at the satchel " and if Prawlus would find out that I took it I'd be dead" the cheetah chuckled " I know the Chief better than anyone else, I'm sure he has spies around here"

Spyro took a peek inside the satchel and jerked back in surprise " Why he would be mad about this? They are worthless for cheetahs"

" I know that's why I think it has something to do with his attitude towards your kind, I don't have to remind you how stubborn he can be" Meadow's ears flinched when the sound of many footsteps reached him " We don't have much time"

Spyro plunged his paw into the satchel and removed a red gem from it. Spirit Gems while most likely valuable don't have any special properties, every specie living in the Realms considers them just to be simple treasure , expect for dragons. For them Spirit Gems are a gift from the Ancestors well at least that was what Ignitus always told Spyro. One thing was sure though, they are also undoubtedly the life force of all dragons, with the Dragon race known to draw strength from these Gems. They are separated into four colors

Red Gems are able to heal a wound that a simple poultice couldn't treat properly, a less serious injury is healed instantly. However as powerful as they may be there are unable to heal mortal wounds or will fail to help with life threatening wounds without the assistance of a healer. Blue and Green Gems restore the dragon's elemental energy while the first one also empowers the breaths slightly. Sometimes they can help to turn the table in the worst circumstances. Purple Gems are the rarest and most powerful of them. They help to reach a point where the most devastating attacks can be unleashed.

The dragons call it Fury, Fury attacks are the most deadly strikes that very few enemies have even the slightest chance of surviving. Those attacks are similar to Convexity but weaker. Theoretically every dragon can reach a point where Fury powers can be unleashed, mostly it is reached while fighting, the adrenaline fuels that power, but sometimes it can be released just by concentrating . Practically only the most talented and willing dragons are able to master this ability, that's why it is also called The Ultimate Sacrifice by some of the more devoted drakes, whenever dragons use Fury they sacrifice a portion of themselves a portion that some of them believed came from the Ancestors themselves. Nobody knows if it's true but one thing was sure, the unleashed power drains the dragons energy making them extremely weakened and only the most powerful are strong enough to commit such a sacrifice. Good riddance too, there would be nothing left of this world probably if every dragon could use his Fury powers.

Spyro looked at the Red Gem in his paw, it was glittering with a sharp red light. The gem seemed to block all the sun rays not allowing them to even reflect from its smooth surface, the only light it ever needed swirled inside its structure, it was the Gems light and it won't allow anything to touch it. Spyro concentrated on the Gem, his paw was getting warmer and the light inside the Gem swirled faster and faster just like it wanted to be free. Moments later it fulfilled Spyro's wish, the light penetrated the smooth surface just like it found some cracks it, seconds later the whole Gem glowed and released its prisoner. When the intense red light reached Spyro he flinched slightly, whenever the powers of the Gems struck him he felt the strength of a thousand suns pass through his body. The light was as soothing as it was powerful, it left a refreshing chill on his body, closing every wound instantly. When the bright light subsided there was no sign of the Gem, it looked like the precious stone became that light, flashing and using its powers when they were needed and dying when it has served its purpose.

Meadow watched the whole scene with wide eyes " I'm beginning to understand Hunter, Spyro you truly are very special"

Spyro shrugged "There is nothing special about this, it's just what we dragons do"

"For you maybe it's nothing but for a cheetah like me this is very impressive" the noise in the salon got louder " We better get going" with that they left their hiding place.

Cheetahs filled the room, in a corner Spyro saw a familiar feline in white shirt placing a hammer and a bell on one of the shelves, some cats were walking aimlessly around the room and plunged into a conversation when opportunity presented itself. Cynder remained in the same spot they had left her, but she wasn't alone, some cheetah cubs and a single female dragoness stood not far from her. They were shouting something between each other while they pointed their small claws at her. It looked like she had enough of being treated like some sort of a scary exhibit so every now and then she twitched making the children squeak and jump in horror.

When the cheetahs spotted Meadow heading towards the table they followed in his footsteps, both dragons did the same thing as well. Meadow took a seat on the farther side of the table. Cheetahs surrounded the table and started to take their seats, it went really smoothly just like they have done this for quite some time know, Both dragons made their way closer to the table, obviously they can't seat in chairs so Spyro grabbed one of the chairs pulled it away and sat on his haunches, with his nose slightly above the table. Cynder decided to take a seat just next to him but the moment she started to pull away the chair a young female cheetah with a black mane sat on it. The feline grabbed the chair and drag it closer to the table while she winked at Spyro, Cynder watched her with a frown and a boiling anger inside her, but after a while she decided to give up, she doesn't want to start a fight about such thing. One other chair was taken instantly, only after the second try Cynder managed to pull away a free chair and sat in its place, the moment she sat on her haunches Spyro craned his neck to look at her apologetically , when she met his gaze Cynder gave him an irritated look and snorted quietly moments later when she looked at the female cheetah. A male cheetah took a seat next to Cynder giving her a full of disdain look before he turned around and whispered something to his neighbor, the second cheetah repeated the same move, another one did the same and so on. Even from here she could tell that she is not very welcome here.

Some quiet conversations were running around the table, but they died out when the cheetahs from the room that was most likely the kitchen entered the salon carrying silver platters with food on them. The moment the long plate with many different kind of cooked meat landed in the middle of the table both dragons craned their necks and started to drool. Lamb, beef, venison and chicken laid in front of them, the meat looked delicious and the fantastic smell it emanated made their bellies rumble. Only good manners prevented them from wolfing it all down. Many different types of fruits followed soon after apples and raspberries were in high demand it seems since they were in majority. Fruits and meat were already present on the table, the last thing that was missing were vegetables, salad and carrots the most common types. With all the platters in the middle of the table and in front of the guests, water, wine and some juices were added to the dinner, with them every guest received a mug next to his dish.

Seeing that everything is in order and ready Meadow slightly nodded his head, sending a signal for those who know what to look for. A couple of cheetahs that previously put all of the food on the table grabbed a bottle of each drink and started to walk all around the table. The children mugs were filled with juice while the adults had a freedom of choice. Some decided to drink water, other just like Spyro and Meadow received a mug of wine, the moment the cheetah carrying the bottle reached Cynder she extended her paw with the mug towards the feline but he only gave her a scornful look, snorted, placed the bottle on the table and walked away. "Ok Cynder, it seems you are on your own" she thought to herself while grabbing the bottle of wine and pouring some of the red liquid into her mug.

Picking up the mug filled with wine Meadow stood up and cleared his throat gaining everyone's attention " I welcome you all here, it's always a pleasure for me to see you all in this room, enjoying this dinner with the rest of your neighbors. Even if this is not the first time we eat together it always warms my heart to see you all gathered here, after all we are a one big family. To you!" with the last words exclaimed Meadow raised the mug and took a sip accompanied by a cheerful commotion.

Licking his mouth he continued "But we can't forget that we wouldn't be here if not for the happy turn of events. As we all know The Dark Master seemed unbeatable, it looked like he would destroy everything and we can't do nothing to stop him. But we prevailed! Some might say we were lucky, some might say we cheated destiny but I say that they are wrong. In every dark times heroes rise to defeat the evil and it has nothing to do with destiny, it's just the way it is." Taking a breath he looked across the table " And that's why we have to remember those who did the impossible, because if not for them we wouldn't be here and It's my great honor to see them at the table with us" He raised his mug " A toast to Spyro!" Meadow exclaimed.

Every cheetah raised his or her mug and exclaimed happily Meadow's last words, it was so loud that it made the whole platters jump on the table slightly. Spyro sat there completely dumbfounded and embarrassed , every eye was staring at him and he felt so small, it didn't matter for him that he managed to save the world. He blushed slightly when he received the much unwanted attention, he never wanted to be a hero, he never wanted to be considered a savior, it was a very uncomfortable feeling for him. He looked around the table, every cheetah was bowing their head slightly in a dignified manner when they noticed that he was looking at them.

The first thing that looked differently was a smiling black snout, Cynder had to notice his uneasy expression, he has to look really stupid since her smile wasn't disappearing. Despite her cheerful expression her emerald eyes were betraying some other feeling, they were shining with sincere pride. He knew her very well, she liked to tease him and this was the perfect opportunity to do so. He was right, Cynder seeing his troubled snout straightened up and bowed her head grinning despitefully, Spyro smiled shyly after that motion. The second thing that looked differently was the female cheetah next to him, she had the mug pressed against her lips, her blue eyes were staring intently at him. It was no ordinary look, they were radiating with passion or maybe something else? Whatever it was Spyro felt intimidated, his cheeks turned red and he quickly averted his gaze.

" A toast to Cynder!" Meadow exclaimed before he took a sip from his mug.

The full of happiness noise died instantly just like somebody would turn off a switch that was responsible for the joyful atmosphere. The cheetahs exchanged surprised looks between themselves while throwing some scornful and full of hate glances towards Cynder, it looked like they hadn't been expecting her to be mentioned as one of the heroes after everything she had done. It was enough for some of the felines as they sat down and placed their mugs onto the table with a loud thud. Some remained standing and started reluctantly drinking the mugs contents, just like they wanted to follow Meadow's courtesy even if it was despite their judgment. Cynder observed the cheetahs, she knew that there is nothing she can do to change their minds about her, but that doesn't mean she can't irritate them a little, after all she can't make it worse than it is already. It's not like they are going to kill her for an innocent tease, at least she hoped so, but even this thought didn't stop her.

"May she live forever!" Cynder exclaimed raising her mug.

All of the cheetahs looked at her with disbelief plastered on their faces which later turned into sheer anger. She looked around and saw Spyro shaking his head with an amused look on his snout. There was a loud thud, Cynder turned her head and noticed one of the cheetahs sitting down and throwing her a furious glance. Soon all the other felines followed in his example, as they took their seats they began grunting something incoherently between themselves, the cheetahs near her slid their chairs across the wooden floor just to be some inches farther from her, just like she was leprous. Only the female cheetah in white shirt didn't seem to be bothered by her tease. The grunts created quite a noise as every cheetah began whispering something to his neighbor ears. Cynder didn't really care what they were saying but judging from their eyes and frowns it looked like her little tease worked, she could tell that those were no sweet words . "This is going to be a fine afternoon" she quipped in her mind and began drinking the red wine with a sly smile on her snout.

Meadow cleared his throat and sat down " With that out of the way let's begin the dinner shall we?"

He didn't have to repeat himself, the irritated grunts were gone only to be replaced by a slight and cheery commotion as every cheetah reached for the platters on the table. Slices of meat, fruits, portions of vegetables were disappearing when the felines placed their paws on the closest thing they could reach. Spyro observed as paws were running in front of his eyes, dragging the platters farther away from him. His stomach clenched with a powerful longing just as it could feel that the much needed treat was running away from it. Nevertheless Spyro didn't make a move, he is a guest here so he decided to wait politely for the dishes especially the ones with the meat on them to get closer.

The female cheetah next to him giggled " You have to be really brave to put your patience to the test like that"

Spyro jerked slightly, the female voice startled him a bit, impulsively he turned his head to locate the source of it, even if he already knew to whom this voice belonged to. The moment he set his eyes on the young brown face he was greeted by a loving smile. " I can wait," Spyro mumbled "I'm not so hungry anyway"

The feline giggled once more " If you say so"

Spyro concentrated on the table once again, the cheetahs were talking happily while chewing the cooked pieces of meat. His stomach rumbled once more, he could see how they were eating the different types of meal and judging from the looks on their faces the meat has to be good. Spyro sniffed the scent of the cooked food again, the moment the smell invaded his nostrils he could tell that the meat wasn't good, it was delicious! His mouth began to water, he could feel its taste even if he never took a single bite. Who knows how long he was staring at the eating cheetahs and the platters, but one thing was sure, Spyro never made a move, all this time he restrained himself.

" Can I tell you a secret?" the female cheetah asked with a tone of amusement in her voice

Spyro nodded "Sure"

She leaned closer " You can sit like this even the whole day but the thing you are waiting for won't be coming. They will only notice you when there are only leftovers on the platters"

Spyro sighed "I'm a guest here I'll wait for my turn, they deserve this more than I do anyway"

The feline giggled "How noble of you! But you know how it is with carnivores, when we are hungry and there is meat just at paw's reach we can't think straight"

Spyro felt confused " I can't just take the meat for myself, that's not right"

The female cheetah shrugged "Perhaps, but this is how it's done" she sighed " My parents always told me to fight for the things you are interested in even if you might get burned in the end" with that she leaned from her chair trying to reach for something on Spyro's right side, as she did so she brushed his snout with her arm and gave him a saucy look " Seize the day" she whispered ravishingly, and she did it in such a way that Spyro instantly felt choked up. The feline arched a bit forward delicately sliding her flank across Spyro's nose, this move and her scent made his heart race, he felt like he was burning and even if he couldn't see it he knew he was completely red by now.

The feline slowly backed down, sliding her flank once more time across Spyro's nose as she dragged a silver platter across the table. When the plate stopped just in front of him she looked at Spyro and giggled "You are so cute" with that she slid back into her seat delicately sliding her claw across his completely red cheek "Enjoy"

He swallowed hard and looked at the platter, it had a quite a big piece of beef meat on it, with disbelief and embarrassment plastered on his snout he looked at her just to look at the food again moments later before throwing her another glance just to end finally on the meat in front of him "T...t... thank you" Spyro stammered

"It was my pleasure" she winked

"B..b...but..w..what about you?"

"Don't worry about me, I'm full"

Spyro knew instantly that she was laying since he didn't saw her eating anything. He looked at the portion of meat in front of him, it was big, big enough to satisfy his growing hunger, but not big enough to satisfy it fully. The needs of other people come first but he knew that she most likely won't accept the whole portion so he decided to split it. He thrust his claw into the meat and with a couple of swift moves severed the food in half, Spyro quickly grabbed a nearby empty plate and put the piece on it before sliding the dish across the table until it stopped in front of her.

"Enjoy" he smiled kindly

The cheetah giggled "You are so cute!"

Cynder didn't notice what was happening a couple of seats next to her as she was only focused on the plates moving across the table. Her eyes were especially staring at the platters filled with meat and the longer she did that she felt the rumble in her stomach intensifying. She was enthralled by the smell and the sight of the deliciously looking meat, Cynder was so charmed by it that she unconsciously opened her mouth. With her maw hanging slightly open a bit of drool started lolling out from her lower lip as she observed the moving platters just like she was hypnotized.

After a while one of the plates stopped moving and that was the signal her mind waited for. Cynder blinked several times snapping out from her trance, she stared at the meat, her emerald eyes almost devouring it. Cynder looked around it seemed that no cheetah was interested in this particular platter, the meal is hers and hers alone , a delicate lean forward is enough to grab it. Licking her mouth and with rumbling anxiety in her stomach she reached for the delicious food, time seemed to slow down as she extended her paw closer and closer towards the meat, her claw scratched the meal, soon, very soon it will be in her grasp and finally she will silence the longing of her belly.

Cynder bit her lip while clenching her paw, the final move, the last effort before she will get hold of the luscious meat. Cynder gasped and her green eyes widened when her claws tried to catch the air instead of the food, her head jerked back in surprise as she noticed the platter sliding farther away, being dragged by a feline paw. Cynder's paw fell onto the table and she unclenched her claws as she observed the sliding platter with terrified eyes. If her emerald orbs could speak they would be yelling "Nooooooo!" just like she would see someone very dear to her falling down from a ledge because she wasn't strong enough to pull him up.

Cynder observed the platter until it stopped near a feline form, then her eyes followed the piece of meat that was being raised by a orange paw. The cheetah was having a nice and joyful conversation with his female friend, Cynder's mouth dropped open in horror as she saw the meat slowly being moved towards the feline's mouth. The moment his teeth clenched on the food she winced just as if in pain, she hissed and kept jerking whenever she noticed him chewing the piece of meal.

Cynder remained in that position hoping that the cheetah will notice her pleading expression but the feline paid her no mind, the last thing that kept her hope lit was the another piece of meat laying still on the platter. The moment she noticed a feline paw reaching for the meat Cynder's eyes sparkled, they took pity on her and she will finally satisfy the craving of her stomach. With every move the feline paw made towards the meat Cynder arched her head higher and higher, licking her mouth in anticipation as the paw was getting closer to the meal. Her eyes went wide in shock as she saw the meat being raised by the paw, not towards her but upwards until it was at the height of the female cheetah face. The moment she took a bite Cynder's forehead landed on the table, sighing in defeat she made her way backwards along the table and sat in the previously occupied spot.

Cynder felt resigned, it was so close but someone was faster than her and it was even more depressing since there was no other plate with meat in close vicinity. If she would be welcome here the only thing she would need to do was just ask someone to move the food closer, but unfortunately she wasn't. The cheetahs would most likely ignore her or throw some snide remarks before... well, ignoring her. Cynder cursed her bad luck, she is around not very friendly people and the one single moment of pleasure slipped just right from her claws. Patience sometimes pays off, the only thing left was to wait for a nearby cheetah to ask for a plate of meat so she could snatch it before it reaches the feline.

Some time has passed and unfortunately for Cynder no meat was heading her way, her stomach rumbled in disappointment. However there is always a bright side in every chagrin, her longing green eyes caught the sight of a nearby platter with vegetables. That wasn't the thing she really wanted but with nothing interesting around it has to suffice. Cynder arched forward extending her paw for the plate, she bit her lip in anticipation as her claws were just a few inches from the dish. Her eyes widened in surprise and she gasped faintly as the plate was pulled away from her when she was just about to grab it. Cynder's eyes traced the cheetah, just like the previous one he was lost in a conversation, completely ignoring her, it seems luck tricked her again. Sighing in defeat she hit the table with her forehead before returning to the previously occupied spot.

After a while her hungry eyes noticed a plate filled with fruits, they won't satisfy her screaming belly but they would serve as a perfect snack before she will get her paws on some meat. Cynder licked her mouth imagining the sweet juices caressing her palate and extended her paw towards the plate. Her eyes widened and she gasped faintly once again when the platter has been pulled away from her. Cynder scanned the cheetah responsible for this, the feline was having a conversation with her neighbor, just like the previous ones. Cynder sighed and her head was dropping down to land on the table once more, but just when her forehead was about to hit the top she stopped and frowned. Cynder raised her head to look at the cheetah once again, she was still talking with her neighbor. Cynder looked around focusing on the places where she was trying to reach the dishes, the cheetahs responsible for the theft were still there, nothing changed, the felines completely ignored her as they were lost in a conversation. Cocking her head slightly to one side Cynder returned to her spot.

She scanned the surroundings thoughtfully watching the cheetahs and the plates with still some food on them. Cynder extended her paw to reach for the nearby platter, just as previously it was dragged away before she could reach it. Frowning she threw the next talking cheetahs an angry glance before she returned to her spot. Cynder reached for an another plate but once again it was dragged away from her. As she returned to her spot Cynder immediately reached for another plate just to see it being pulled away from her. She repeated the same move a couple more times with all of them ending in the same way, after a while Cynder returned to her spot and looked around.

There were groups of cheetahs talking where she tried to grab a plate, all of them ignoring her. Cynder put two and two together just to realize that it has nothing to do with bad luck, the cheetahs made it on purpose, preventing her from satisfying her hungry belly. Cynder watched them with angry eyes, they must have planned this from the very beginning , they must hate her stronger than she firstly thought. As Cynder's eyes were running from feline to feline one of them looked at her just like he heard her thoughts. The moment their eyes met the cheetah smiled mockingly just like he wanted to confirm her suspicions before continuing his happy conversation with the other cheetahs.

"This is going to be a fine afternoon" Cynder muttered and took a sip from her mug without even the slightest smile on her snout.

"If not for you I would never have the chance to see my mate and children again. Thank you" a male cheetah said with a wavering voice while holding Spyro's shoulders and staring at him with watery eyes.

Spyro's heart jumped, he felt sympathy for the feline, he could only imagine how it is to fight without knowing if you will have a chance to see your family again, he didn't like the attention but nevertheless it warmed his heart to see the cheetah reunited with his loved ones. " You don't need to thank me, I did nothing special"

The cheetah chuckled while wiping a tear that run down his cheek " Modesty even after everything you have done" the cheetah coughed " I also want to thank you in the name of other warriors that couldn't be here, it really makes your heart scream in joy when you see your friends reuniting with their families" the feline sobbed

A tear formed itself in the corner of Spyro's eye " I...I was happy to help"

"Thank you once again" the cheetah stood up, wiped the tears from his eyes and smiled "But I better go now, I don't want my children to see me in such state, I'm a proud warrior after all" the feline chuckled " Best of luck to you Spyro" with that he looked in his amethyst eyes for the last time and bowed his head gratefully before turning around

"Likewise" Spyro smiled and watched the cheetah walking away towards one of the chairs on the opposite side of the table where two cubs and a female cheetah were sitting. The moment he arrived he hugged his children tightly and kissed his mate softly.

"It feels good, doesn't it?" Meadow's soft tone of voice reached him

Spyro observed the family and as he did so he couldn't stop smiling "Yeah..." he huffed "...yeah it does"

" Now this is only one of the many people you saved, one of the many children that have a future thanks to you. You assured all of them a safe world to live in, you are a hero Spyro."

This little scene and Meadow's words made Spyro to think, he never really gave it much thought but they did it, they averted the total destruction. They did it for someone, for the people here and not just one of the families but all of them, every specie living in the Realms was saved and it's thanks to them. His heart jumped, as he realized that everything depended on them, every life hanged in the balance and only their action prolonged those lives. Spyro felt no pride, no glorification for his deeds, while he looked around the table and saw the happy faces his heart pounded at his chest with joy and...fear. He was a bit scared, they both did something nobody thought was possible and that only will draw attention to him, attention he was uncomfortable with, attention that every hero receives and that is what he was afraid of. People will consider him a savior now, they will look at him for guidance, they will look at him for protection. He shuddered, they put on him a great responsibility, responsibility that he never asked for, responsibility that terrified him.

"I'm no hero Meadow, I'm just a normal dragon who fought a battle everyone else could fight if they were given the chance" Spyro said with a glimmer of fear in his voice

The warrior smiled " Yes you are Spyro, no one could have accomplished what you did. I myself don't believe in destiny, but does the prophecy not speak of a Purple Dragon who will bring peace to the Realms? I don't know about you but I can see such a dragon, the whole thing makes me reconsider my point of view sometimes" he quipped

Spyro remained unconvinced " Heroes do everything alone, they defeat their enemies all by themselves and I had help, people seem to forget that. If not for Cynder I wouldn't even be here"

Meadow shook his head " That's not true, heroes need help just like anyone else. Be it fate, luck or something else but for some reason Cynder was there to help you in one of the most dangerous battles of your life and trust me she will receive the honors she deserves one day, just give all of us some time" the cheetah looked directly into Spyro's amethyst eyes " Malefor wasn't the greatest enemy, he was only a trial before the final battle. The whole world was shaking and the purple flashes coming from The Dark Master's lair were enough to say that the decisive battle was just taking place. It was you who fought the impossible and triumphed! You mended the world itself and there was no one else who could have done it. You might deny it but you are a hero Spyro and people will look at you as their leader"

Fear gripped Spyro's heart, the thought of people following his command scared him " I can't be a leader!" he exclaimed quietly and gulped " I mean... I will be a terrible leader trust me this role is not for me"

" Not yet, but you have that spark in you, it is burrowed deep down I must admit but everything in due time." Meadow smiled kindly " You have also one extraordinary trait Spyro, you have a golden heart, you have a sincere care for everyone, even for those who were condemned by everybody"

Spyro sighed "Then I suppose I should keep that spark burrowed down as long as I can"

Meadow nodded " I agree" a male cheetah whispered something into his ear" Spyro you will have to excuse me" with that he began talking with the feline

Spyro stared at the window in front of him completely lost in thought. A leader, he never imagined someone would call him like that but it seems that he is or will be one in the future with every specie counting on him. Spyro begged the Ancestors in his mind to move away that future as far as they could, he is not really devoted but it looks like the living already made their decision so the only thing he could do was to convince the dead of his inability.

"You are interesting" a clearly amazed female cheetah stated

The voice startled him "What?"

"Where is your confidence? You saved a whole world and you act like nothing ever happened. If you ask me saving a world is no simple feat and in my book that counts for a lot, you should be proud of yourself"

"There is nothing to be proud of, I just did what had to be done"

She jerked back in surprise " Amazing, the...people I knew always boasted about their deeds and they had every right to"

Spyro shrugged " I'm not one of them"

She furrowed a brow " I can see that, they call you a hero, you can have everything you want and you have problems asking for a stupid meat?" the feline chuckled "Remarkable"

"It's wrong to take advantage of people just because I did something they consider to be special, besides I don't need anything"

"There is always something"

" Nope, I'm fine"

Her ears flinched " Oh I assure you there is" with that she leaned closer looked him straight into the eyes while placing a paw on his chest "You just need to ask the right questions" she said with a ravishing tone

She began delicately rubbing his chest every now and then scratching his scales with her claw. The moment she did that Spyro was instantly out of breath, his heart jumped to his throat and he began to feel very warm, Spyro could tell he was blushing. The sight of her saucy shining sapphire eyes and her female scent weren't really helping him to calm down "Wha...I...I..." he mumbled incoherently

She scratched his scales passionately "You are pretty muscular and good looking for one of your age and I can tell you that there are some cheetahs here who would like to get to know you" she moved her head forward rubbing her cheek against his "Inside out" she whispered seductively and planted a soft kiss on his red cheek

Her breath and tender lips on his snout almost forced his racing heart to jump out from his chest. Spyro with a corner of his eye saw some female cheetahs watching him and giggling, that and the brown feline caressing his chest made him quite embarrassed "We...we are...not alone and I-" he huffed

"Let them watch" she cut him off with a firm tone " That's none of their business" her paw moved lower down his chest in a circular motion while she lowered her head down towards his neck breathing rapidly as she did so, the warm air she exhaled made Spyro to shiver " Tell me my hero is there any way I can repay you?" she whispered with the same ravishing tone before tenderly biting his neck

The moment her razor teeth sank into his scales Spyro twitched, her breath, teeth, lips, damp nose and tongue were bewitching him. However as good as it felt Spyro couldn't shake off the feeling that this is wrong, he didn't know why but something told him that he can't fall for that charm. He felt as his heart was torn apart, part of it wanted the attention, it desired it, but the second part sent warning signals that were quite strong.

"L...listen there is something..." he gasped as she bit his neck again "we shouldn't..." Spyro thought for a moment, the red light in his head won making him to back down from this pleasurable moment. Nevertheless Spyro couldn't tell her that, it may be stupid but he didn't want to hurt her and by telling her directly to leave him alone he would most likely do that.

"I've been wondering if you-" the cheetah moved her head upwards caressing his scales with her breath and lips

"Ask" she said with the same ravishing tone while looking directly into his eyes.

Her passionate sapphire orbs drained the remains of his confidence in seconds " I...I...I just want to ask you if...if..." he was lost for words, Spyro didn't know what to say. Impulsively his eyes traveled across the table and widened as an idea crossed his mind. Spyro took a deep breath " Do you have a taste for vegetables?" he finally blurt out.

She reared her head back in surprise "What?"

"Because I do and believe me or not but I've never ate a carrot before" his voice becoming more hectic with each word

"I...I-"

Spyro cut her off by babbling thoughtlessly "They say that carrots have some vitamins in them that make your sight better"

The cheetah stared at him with her mouth slightly opened, she was speechless with disbelief plastered on her face.

"Not only carrots are healthy, basically all vegetables have some vitamins in them" as he kept chattering Spyro noticed the feline frowning "Everyone should eat vegetables to stay healthy" Spyro looked at her "Would you like some?" he finally asked using all of the little air left in his lungs.

"Yeah..." she sighed "...yeah why not" with that she slid back into her chair.

Spyro instantly leaned forward grabbing the first plate with vegetables he could put his paws on. With the platter in his claws Spyro dragged it closer before putting a portions on his free plate while the rest landed on hers. Spyro immediately began eating without even looking at her.

She stared at the vegetables in front of her for a while before turning her head to look at the Purple Dragon next to her "You are an odd one" she retorted

Cynder's been making little circles with her claw on the surface of the perfectly clean plate before her, completely lost in her dream world. In that perfect world her plate was filled with deliciously looking meat, with some vegetables added to the meal and some fruits nearby just in case she wanted something sweet after the dinner. She could also choose from many types of food, enough to satisfy even the most demanding belly. Cynder's eyes watered at the sight, she licked her mouth ready to devour the food before her, just as she clenched her teeth to take the bite the meal disappeared.

Cynder's mind returned to reality when a cheerful laughter startled her, she impulsively looked around just to see the cheetahs still lost in their joyful conversations. She looked at the table with many different kinds of food laying on silver platters, they were so close yet so far. A male cheetah grabbed a piece of meat just like he heard her thoughts, envy and anger filled her as she saw the feline taking a bite, it looked innocent but something told her that he did it on purpose, just to taunt her.

Cynder looked at the empty plate before her and sighed in defeat, her rumbling stomach constantly reminded her of that failure. As she stared at the plate Cynder winced every time she heard someone chewing some food in his mouth. The noise was so loud that she couldn't think about anything else, it was infuriating.

" I swear that was the last time I ever teased someone" Cynder mumbled resigned under her nose.

She shook her head trying to quench those annoying feelings but her rumbling belly reminded her who calls the shots here. A laughter caught her attention,, the moment Cynder followed the noise she noticed two familiar cheetah cubs and a petite azure dragoness, the children were playing happily without even caring what is happening around them. Cynder looked around the table, every cheetah was smiling broadly as they were talking with their neighbors.

Incoherent words and happy laughs surrounded her, they were exchanged between cheetahs that didn't even threw her a quick glance just like she never existed in the first place. As she observed the felines Cynder began to feel lonely after all she didn't exchange with anybody even a single word. As she sat there and observed the working felines she began to feel bored, everyone else was doing something while she was sitting near the table completely forgotten.

After a while she couldn't stand it much longer , Cynder began leaning close towards one of the talking cheetahs, she had enough of this silence.

"I tell you, the Chief will lead our armies when the times comes" one of the male cheetahs stated with a confident tone.

"You still think that after everything that happened there is still a chance we will go to battle?" a second one replied clearly surprised

"Of course, we are warriors battle just follows us around"

" Besides the leaderless Dark Army there is nothing out there that can threaten us, well maybe the Dragons but for the time being they will be quiet, they suffered many loses, just like we did"

"Evil always finds a way my friend"

"Hi!" an cheerful female voice reached them

"Speak of the devil" one of the cheetahs whispered making the other one chuckle

" How are you doing?" Cynder asked with a smile

The cheetahs looked at her with disgust in their eyes without even saying a single word

Cynder ignored it " It's a beautiful day there is no reason to be angry, sometimes I have so stupid ideas" she looked them over with the same happy expression " There is no reason to worry about the Dark Army, without their leader they are no threat. As for dragons I assure you that we mean you no harm, it's not like I'll go on a rampage again I've learnt my lesson" she chuckled

The cheetah's eyes flared up and they growled after her comment. It was then when Cynder realized that this was a very stupid joke, they still remember her as one of their worst enemies and reminding them of that wasn't really a good idea . Cynder caught " So how's the food?"

One of the cheetahs smirked from ear to ear "It's delicious, I've never ate anything better, isn't that right?" he gave the second cheetah a meaningful look

The same smile formed itself on the second feline's face " Absolutely, the meat is so well cooked that every bite releases some new flavor, the vegetables are so well prepared, a true delicacy I must say, while the fruits are so fresh that they caress your palate in the most delicate manner. I've never had a dinner in my life such as good as this"

Cynder's belly rumbled so loud making both cheetahs chuckle, she knew they teased her but that didn't prevent her from licking her mouth as she imagined how the food tasted " Good...good" she mumbled and shook her head, it's better not to give them the satisfaction. Cynder chuckled nervously " The whole thing reminds me of something, once I found a basket of fruits laying on the ground, you have to imagine my surprise when I found out that-"

" We are not interested in your stories" one of the cheetahs cut her off with a firm tone

"Yeah it's a stupid memory anyway, hey maybe you have some cool stories to tell?"

" We are not interested in talking with you Shadow" the second cheetah replied angrily

"But-"

" I said we are not interested" the feline replied louder this time, gaining the attention of the nearby cheetahs. They all looked at her with furious eyes and clenched their fists tightly demonstrating that this discussion is over.

Cynder frowned, she wanted to tell them what she thinks of this whole situation, she might deserve it but it still made her angry when people treated her like trash. Her eyes focused on every cheetah that stared at her, a one snide remark would be enough to stir this whole company, but then she thought better of it, they hated her after all and most likely a little nudge was enough to start a fight and that's the last thing she wanted, besides she's a guest here.

With a snort she began retreating from the felines "Assholes" Cynder muttered irritably under her breath. When she reached her typical position she looked around and spotted a couple of cheetahs talking not far away from her, they looked more friendly than the previous group. Still craving for some company she made her way towards them.

"Hi!" Cynder greeted the group in a cheerful manner

Their friendly expressions changed drastically, now they looked like they have just spotted something that they never expected to see. It was only a matter of seconds when the surprise plastered on their faces turned into indictment and disdain and Cynder immediately knew who caused this quick change in their appearance. After a short moment one of the felines burst out something angrily in a foreign language, she might not understand the words but Cynder could tell she was the topic of his angry outburst. Momentarily every cheetah that was in this group started shouting at her while gesticulating acrimoniously.

Cynder winced " I think I've got the wrong address" she retorted and scuttled towards her seat before things got ugly.

As she prepared to sit down Cynder threw a quick glance towards the only drake around this table that she knew for sure liked her. Spyro was laughing with a couple of cheetahs around him, as much as she needed to talk to someone she didn't want to ruin his afternoon, it's good that at least one of them is having a good time. With a resigned sigh Cynder began making another circles on the plate with her claw, returning to her imaginary world once again.

"Wow, you are really ugly" a high female voice reached her

Cynder blinked as the unexpected sound broke her trance. With a shake of her head just to bring her mind back to reality she looked around and her pupils grew slightly when she noticed an azure, petite and very young dragoness staring at her. Cynder recognized the hatchling, she was the dragoness who the cubs called Az.

" Have you always been so ugly and scary?" the dragoness asked excited while trembling slightly

Cynder sighed " Sorry kid I'm not in the mood"

" I bet you were! Only ugly people do nasty things!"

" Great now get..." Cynder's voice trailed off as a thought crossed her mind. This might be her only chance to talk to someone, even if this was only a child Cynder knew it won't get any better. Her heart jumped in joy, an opportunity arose which will end her loneliness once and for all.

"Come on, I'm not that ugly" Cynder replied happily

" Yes you are!" the dragoness exclaimed "but I don't know why"

"Because I'm a special dragoness"

The hatchling's eyes widened "Special?"

Cynder nodded " Yes special, the more nasty things I did, the uglier I got"

The young dragoness curled her nose in disgust "Ewwww, I'll never do any nasty things, never"

Cynder smiled " Good for you"

The young dragoness eyes sparkled "Oh I know! That's why you are so scary now!"

"If I am so scary then why are you talking with me?"

Az grinned proudly "Because my uncle is a strong warrior and he would kick your ass if something happened to me!"

Cynder chuckled " You are really brave"

"Ha! You bet! I'm the bravest dragoness around!"

A high laughter was heard " You are not brave Az, you were the first to run away remember? a familiar cheetah cub retorted with a big black spot on his forehead, he was accompanied by the second familiar cub, the one with dark eyes.

Az frowned " I wasn't running away, I looked for a better place to stand and fight!"

The cubs burst out laughing " Of course!"

The dragoness snorted " Yeah? And who did hide behind his mother? Hahaha!"

Dot scratched his head " I.. I was just...ummm..." he frowned " I ran to her because she called me!"

The dragoness laughed wryly "Yeah right!"

"You are not that scary" Black eye cautiously touched Cynder

The moment she felt his claw on her scales she twitched forcefully and emitted a stifled scream making all of the children jump and gasp in horror "Sorry, just a reflex" she smiled wryly

Black eye shook his paw just like it was electrocuted " Why your scales are so black?"

Cynder shrugged " I don't know, I was born that way"

Az gasped " Oooooh, you were doing nasty things as an egg too?"

She looked around, more children gathered around her, with a sigh she focused on the azure dragoness anew " Maybe I was just like that because my..." she thought for a bit"...parents were nasty"

Cynder twitched as she heard someone biting an apple "That's not true" she heard another childish male voice, she turned around just to see a cheetah cub chewing on an apple. Cynder licked her mouth and her belly rumbled with need again.

The moment he swallowed a piece of the apple the cub continued gesticulating with his paw just like a true scientist would " Eggs and children basically are a product of love"

Dot jerked back in surprise " Love? I love my parents and they don't seem to have any more children"

Cynder chuckled, oh the ignorance and naivety of youth

The cub took an another bite " That's not entirely the kind of love I'm talking about"

Az furrowed a brow " What do you mean by that Smarty?"

"You see" the feline child swallowed" When a boy likes a girl and I mean really likes her and she shares the same feelings towards him they eventually show that affliction just like our Mothers demonstrate their love to us. "

"You mean they KISS?!" the azure dragoness exclaimed

"Precisely"

Az looked at Dot while he looked back at her, both children curled their noses in abhorrence "Ewwwww!"

Cynder's eyes widened while she listened to the cub's deduction, as much as she was surprised about the way he talked, she couldn't stop smiling when she heard the other kids reaction.

Smarty cleared his throat " Boys differ from girls in more ways than just the tone of voice, we have specially designed parts of our body that allow us to procreate"

Black eye scratched his head " What means procreate?"

The cub took a deep breath " When you really like a girl you eventually get to the point when you make love. Procreation is the scientific definition of it, basically it means you are making a baby thanks to our different sexual organs"

" I don't see how can I use mine"

" You put it into hers, thrust to be more precise"

All of the children looked at the cub with wide eyes " That's disgusting!" every single one of them exclaimed

Smarty unconcerned by the sudden outburst took an another bite before giving Cynder an arrogant look " That's how you've been created and that's how you do it when you want children of your own"

She stared at him with her mouth slightly opened for a while before coughing " Yeah, thanks for the tip"

Cynder twitched when she felt a small paw running up her back until it stopped on her shoulder " Wow, these are cool" Cynder turned around " Did you make them yourself?" Dot asked clearly excited"

She knew instantly that he was referring to her white markings " Maybe, I don't remember"

The azure dragoness eyes sparkled " Do they give any special powers?"

" None that I know of"

Az gasped and pointed her claw at Cynder's neck " It's so pretty, what is it?"

She followed her claw just to see it pointing at the silver necklace in the shape of a snake, Cynder raised the bauble to get a good look at it " It has nothing to do with beauty, this is a necklace that Malefor created"

" The Dark Master?!" Black eye exclaimed

Cynder nodded " The one and the same"

The cub gasped " What does it do? What does it do? "

" Now- nothing, thanks the Ancestors, but when Malefor was still in power it created a magical chain between me and Spyro, almost binding us together. We could stay only a few steps away from each other without the risk of choking"

" Ooooooh, can I have it please? Please? Please?"

Cynder frowned when she looked at the necklace, she would never give it to anyone even if it is powerless. " Even if I wanted to I can't, it maybe has no magic in it now but it's still unbreakable, I just can't get it off"

Dot frowned " Spyro can't be a prisoner he is too cool for that! I hope Malefor got what was coming to him!"

The children emitted a cry of joy after Dot's words, they must have been taught that he was very nasty as they call it. " Wish I knew how he was defeated, I bet Spyro used some super powers!" Cynder heard one of the kids yelling louder than the previous ones. The cubs words only intensified the shouting

" He di-" Cynder twitched as she felt a paw touching her tail

"I want a tail like that!. How do I get one?" Az exclaimed happily while rubbing her blade-like tip in awe

Cynder chuckled "You see to have one like that you have to use some super powers..." and Cynder replied to every single question heading her way. The kids curiosity was unquenchable, question after question was thrown her way but she didn't mind at least someone was willing to talk to her and it was enough to make her happy.

"Of course" the female cheetah in white shirt huffed

Spyro swallowed a piece of meat and raised an eyebrow ' What is she up to now?' he wondered

" It must feel great to know that your actions saved millions of lives" she said and took a sip from her mug while watching him with a corner of her blue eye

" It's ok I guess"

"It's ok? That's it?" the feline focused entirely on him " You are a hero for them, you should be proud"

Spyro shrugged " I'm not and stop calling me a hero please, we were just lucky"

Her ears flinched " I see that you always use 'we' whenever you talk about it. Have it your way then but to them you are a savior and no matter what you say it won't change anything." A corner of her mouth turned into a smile " It must have some advantages"

Spyro sighed " I don't see any"

"Come on, girls must go crazy over you"

Spyro turned his head to a side while blushing " They... they...I mean I don't know"

She smiled slyly " Stop pretending, I'm sure you've noticed, they would surround you if you would show some initiative. I would do anything for my savior if you only asked, so what's stopping you?"

His scales turned even more red " I...I"

"Suit yourself" she slid back into her chair and took another sip from her mug " Do you have a mate?"

Spyro chuckled nervously " Me? No"

"What about her?" she nodded her head at the black dragoness while giving him a curious look

Spyro's eyes widened " You mean Cynder? We are friends"

"That's it? She's just your friend and nothing more?"

His eyes focused only on her black silhouette, she was there barely visible through the group of children that surrounded but that didn't prevent him from seeing her smiling. Spyro imagined he heard her laugh, oh how he liked to hear her laugh " No...no...we...we are just friends" he whispered

The corner of the feline's mouth turned into a charming smile while she shook her head slowly " Does she feel the same way about you?"

Spyro cocked his head slightly " What do you mean by that?"

" From the stories I've heard you were the one who saved her from corruption or even death. You were the one who always stood on her side even when most people distrusted her. And finally you are probably the only one who never said a wrong word about her, she's pretty hated around here if you didn't notice. If there was a guy who saved my life, who protected and always stood by my side as the only person in the whole world, I would surely developed some other feelings towards him than just simple friendship"

"Like what?"

"Love?"

Spyro jerked back in surprise "Love?! " he chuckled nervously " You mean that Cynder loves me? That's insane! She's independent" he shook his head confidently " No, as I said, we are only friends"

" Whatever you say" with that she leaned back in her chair while taking a sip once again.

Cynder emitted a resigned sigh after she answered another question. She kept replying to every question thrown her way, she was doing it for quite a while but the children's curiosity was unending. Firstly she was the most interesting topic, the children asked about every detail of her life, also they were very curious about her silver bracelets. Secondly questions regarding Malefor were asked, about his life, army and especially about the battle in his lair but she could never answer this questions since the moment the fight was mentioned the kids started shouting and pretend to be Spyro, those guys were making even more noise than all the rest of the adult cheetahs combined. They even got to the point where she had to explain while the sun shines and why the sky is blue and not purple. As much as she liked it Cynder couldn't stand it any longer, she was tired and bored and she felt as she had enough company for all eternity.

"That's why flowers grow, right?" a female cheetah cub asked

Cynder sighed "Yes"

" Did you ever touched the sky? a different kid asked

"No"

" Did you catch a falling star?" another cub asked

"No"

" Did you see a flying cheetah?" a second female cub asked

Cynder sighed, she had enough, the kids will kill her. They are even worse than the hunger and she wondered if that was an another way to tease her, if so it was working. Cynder looked around hoping to find something to help her escape, her eyes widened when a thought ran through her mind the moment she looked at the unused plate. Her plan was cruel but she didn't had any other choice.

Cynder answered another question while she discretely grabbed the plate with her tail and hid it under the table. Clenching her teeth she ran her iron blade-like tail across its surface creating an annoying sound that caused a slight commotion between the children as they began shouting covering their ears. Cynder had to repeat the move two more times before the children ran away screaming. With a victorious smile she placed the plate on the table and began staring at it. Who could have thought that she will miss the silence after all?

Cynder kept making little circles with her claw again until she felt something stopping next to her paw she looked at the object, it was a red apple. She picked up the fruit and looked at it, the rumbling in her stomach reawakened and it was so strong now that it almost hurt. Cynder moved her head closer to the fruit and closed her eyes as she prepared to savor its sweet juices.

"Give me back my apple!" a high familiar male shout reached her.

Cynder's eyes were slowly opening as her mind was brought to reality "Wha...Wha..." she mumbled incoherently

" GIVE ME BACK MY APPLE!" a loud squeaky and angry scream echoed throughout the room.

Her eyes snapped open just to see Smarty standing before her breathing heavily but that was not the only thing she fond strange. The whole room went silent, Cynder impulsively started to look around and to her surprise every eye was focused on her and most of them weren't friendly. She giggled nervously "Look what I've found" she extended her paw towards the cub with the apple sitting on it. Cynder winced when Smarty snatched the fruit with a fast move, the cub took a bite, snorted angrily and walked away. She swallowed hard as she began to look around, almost all of the cheetahs gave her a threatening look but luckily all of them returned to their earlier occupation without causing any trouble.

Spyro leaned forwards to look at her with concern in his eyes, and as if feeling his gaze Cynder began to turn her head, the moment their eyes met she smiled shyly and shrugged. However their eyes didn't stare at each other for long as she craned her neck forward and upwards a couple of times as if she was trying to take a glimpse of something, eventually she did since Spyro saw her staring at something with her mouth slightly opened. He followed her gaze and noticed that she was staring at his plate with a large piece of meat on it, Spyro frowned and looked back at Cynder, as he did that he noticed that her plate was completely clean, it struck him then that she probably haven't eaten anything yet, her pleading eyes only confirmed this.

As the female cheetah said, Cynder is pretty hated around here so it had to be a plan of the other felines to leave her hungry throughout the dinner. Spyro wanted to get up and tell everyone what he thinks about this but he thought better of it, there is no sense in making this situation worse than it already is. He stood up, waited for the right moment when the cheetahs weren't looking his way and hid his plate under the table, he then impaled the meat on his gold tip, took a few steps back and extended his tail towards Cynder almost rubbing his female neighbor chair.

She figured out what he was up to instantly, just as she noticed him hiding the plate she already made a few steps back wagging her tail impatiently. As she noticed him extending his tail with a swift move of her own tip she impaled the meat and quickly returned to her position around the table, putting the meal on her plate she gave Spyro a grateful smile.

" I knew you had it in you" the female cheetah said seductively while touching his side with her ears flattened against her skull

"That's not...what you think it is" he mumbled when he sat down blushing as always

"Don't be so shy" she nuzzled him " So how about we go somewhere more private? she whispered ravishingly

"Listen that's-" he was cut off when her claws stung his side "I...I can't..."

" You may change your mind about this whole hero thing" he was straightening up as she kept stinging his scales down his side " After all you don't have a mate" she said the last part with a smug smile on her face

Cynder was enthralled by the sight before her eyes, the meat smelled wonderful and looked even better, and what a meat it was, it was a cooked piece of a chicken, it was huge even for her standards. She couldn't stand the smell any longer, the rumble in her stomach only confirmed it, licking her mouth she opened her maw widely and prepared to devour the food, however just as she was about to reach it she stopped. Cynder looked around, the cheetahs were still doing whatever they were doing while paying her no mind, she cleared her throat loudly gaining the attention of the nearby felines. They looked at her first with angry eyes but then their expressions revealed their surprise, quiet whispers began circling around the table as they wondered how she could get her paws on the food. Cynder smirked, they tried very hard to prevent her from eating but in the end they failed, not only she won the battle but also sowed doubt amongst them as they undoubtedly wondered who betrayed them.

Licking her mouth again she forgot about the cheetahs and focused on the meal before her. Cynder wolfed it down without caring for any kind of manners, she kept chewing and chewing until she finished with the meal in a couple of seconds, you never leave a carnivore hungry. Cynder emitted a happy sigh as she finally quenched the alarm in her belly, but she knew she couldn't have done it without help. With a blissful expression she turned her head to thank her savior once again, her heavenly look was gone instantly when she saw her hero. Cynder noticed Spyro sitting there stiff as a poker, it didn't take her long to figure out why, there was a female cheetah leaning close to his snout while moving her claws up and down his side.

Cynder's eyes flared up with fury, anger boiled in her, especially for the feline but there was still a portion that Spyro stirred since as far as she could tell he wasn't protesting. " You really like that don't you? I'll give you happy" she hissed furiously and began to get up, but then she thought better of it, she won't make a scene like a jealous girl since she's not jealous after all.

Cynder decided to try a more subtle approach " Who wants to hear Spyro telling how he defeated The Dark Master?" she exclaimed loudly

She heard a cry of joy when every kid that was in the room screamed, the sound of someone mentioning his name and the slight commotion forced the feline to slip back into her chair. The female cheetah wondered who might have caused it even if something told her that she already knew the answer. She didn't have to look long for the culprit since a black dragoness was staring at her with fiery eyes.

The feline giggled "Cute" and took another sip from her mug while smiling

The children began to surround the Purple Dragon " Tell us Spyro! Please! Tell us!" every single one of them kept yelling the same words

" Yes Spyro! Tell us!" Cynder exclaimed frowning angrily

He looked around in horror, Spyro never saw so many kids around him, he never saw so many eyes staring at him " I don't know where-" he didn't finish the sentence as many small paws dragged him towards the center of the room. When he stopped the children released him and ran to the same spot so he can clearly see them before sitting on the ground in a crossed leg pose and focusing their young filled with anticipation eyes on him.

Spyro stared back at them, the children looked like they were expecting him to say something. That wasn't his only problem, even if he didn't see it he could feel that probably all adult cheetahs were watching him. Being in the centre of attention made him very nervous. "Maybe... maybe I'll start with explaining why we had to fight Malefor in the first place." he mumbled

He cleared his throat " M...Malefor was very powerful, as a purple dragon he could wield four elements, but to be able to master them he had to go through a very hard training. Days after days he trained, in the first day he practiced his fire element and if you all know fire is a very tricky element since mostly its fueled by anger and our impulsiveness. Did you know that fire is considered an evil element by some thanks to its destructive power?"

The children didn't answer, they still stared at him with the same eyes. Spyro continued while standing in the same spot completely still " In the second day he practiced Ice. I found out that Ice is a very comforting element, its cold and somewhat refreshing powers must be the reason. I always wondered why people consider Ice as a more friendlier element than Fire, I mean this element covers everything in Ice making everything die on spot, almost sucking the life out of it. It is just as destructive as Fire in my opinion but people consider it more friendly only because they identify flame with destruction because... well because it's fire. Curious right?

The children threw some puzzled glances between themselves and shifted just like the ground felt uncomfortable. Spyro didn't seem to notice it since he continued " In the third day he trained Earth, now this element..."

Some time has passed and Cynder couldn't believe what she was hearing and from the looks of it the children couldn't either since a part of them began silent conversations of their own while some other kids were yawning, that was not what they expected. She couldn't blame them, instead of hearing about the battle they got a talk about different elements. Instead of making a little show about the battle he was standing in the same spot completely still while lecturing the kids, Cynder knew that Spyro was very curious about many things and it made him happy to share his feelings with someone but for children uninterested in those kind of things that meant only boredom that could even lead to death if he continues. Then something struck her heart as she realized that this was all her fault, Cynder knew how he didn't like to be in the centre of attention, she knew how it made him uncomfortable, nobody can't blame Spyro that he tries to beat it clinging to his natural curiosity. Guilt filled her heart when she realized that she wanted to punish him for a stupid flirt, he is not her lover, he is not her mate he can do whatever he wants and she prevents it. What kind of friend is she? The guilt only intensified when Cynder looked at her now dirty plate, he had helped her when she needed it, he was there when everyone else ignored her and she repaid him by throwing him in a situation he was afraid of. Cynder's eyes sparkled with determination, it is time to make things right.

Another yawn escaped the group of children as Spyro continued his 'story' "... unfortunately Malefor had an uncontrollable lust for power that made him-"

"Evil and corrupted!" Cynder exclaimed when she jumped out from the ground in front of him, spreading her wings and showing many pointy teeth as she craned her neck closer to the group of kids, every single one of them arched backwards and gasped in horror

Spyro watched her with a confused look, when she turned around and noticed it she gave him a charming smile and winked " He was unstoppable, with almost all the power in the world within him Malefor felt he could control everything, felt he could destroy everything" Cynder said while she kept walking towards the table dragging a shadow behind her that made all of the children gasp in awe.

With a swift move she jumped on the table, raised on her hind legs, spread her black wings while creating a large shadow on the wall behind her that darkened the whole room " I AM INDESTRUCTIBLE!" Cynder roared with as low tone as she could muster

Some of the children covered their faces with their hands, some shivered with fear while some other stared at her with their mouth opened. A corner of Cynder's mouth twitched into a smile when she noticed their reaction. She began slowly walking back and forth on the table wagging her tail in an almost mocking manner " I can have everything I want, I can destroy everything I want and there is nobody WHO CAN STOP ME!" she roared once again while throwing Spyro a quick glance

He just stood there staring at her completely dumbfounded. Seeing his expression Cynder continued " I will destroy this WORLD!" she roared again " Is there anyone who can stop me?" she breathed a little gust of wind towards the kids making them shiver while quickly dashing towards them making the kids gasp in fear " Nobody?" Cynder looked into every cub's eyes smiling mischievously, all of them averted they gaze quickly.

Cynder turned around and as she did so she threw Spyro a meaningful look as she noticed his still confused expression. In a couple of seconds Cynder was back on the table " I'll ask again" she raised on her hind legs and roared " IS THERE ANYONE WHO CAN STOP ME?"

Spyro frowned as he realized what she's up to " I can" he said confidently

Cynder smiled charmingly for a brief moment before adopting the previously evil look "You?" she laughed mockingly " And just who do you think you are?"

He took a few steps towards her "My name is Spyro and I'm here to stop you"

Cynder cocked her head " So you are the one the prophecies spoke of" she looked him over " You don't look very impressive, just what can you do exactly?"

Spyro concentrated and an insubstantial shape of a boulder formed around him " I'm prepared for any surprises"

Cynder laughed menacingly "This is supposed to scare me? But I see you are serious so I accept your challenge however we will fight on my terms. Face me in my lair if you dare" with that Cynder dragged a shadow just below the table so the moment she jumped from it she vanished into the shadow just like it was some sort of a hole.

Spyro turned around and saw that every child was staring at him, following his every move. With his head up high he began slowly walking forward " To reach The Dark Master's hideout I had to defeat many enemies and cross almost impassable barriers but eventually I reached my destination. I arrived at Malefor's lair knowing that a difficult fight awaits me" with that he stopped moving.

A shadow covered the floor in front of him and soon after Cynder jumped out of it much to the kids surprise. She caught adopting the best low tone of voice she could manage " We meet again Spyro but this time I won't be so nice"

" You will pay for your crimes Malefor!" Spyro exclaimed angrily

"We will see about that" Cynder hissed threateningly

Spyro lowered his head and charged, delicately of course, Cynder dodged his attack with ease by stepping sideways. The moment his back was facing her she breathed a tiny ball of dark flame that looked like a fireball but in fact it was Shadow Fire. Spyro blocked the attack with his wing and immediately released a very small earth missile. Cynder pretended to be surprised as she allowed the bolt to strike her, she swayed on her paws and roared angrily after the impact.

With a faked fury Cynder charged him while deflecting with her wing another missile. When she was close enough she jumped on Spyro making them both roll on the ground much to pleasure of the gathered children. Some of them were more curious than the others, they stood up instantly to have a good look on the ongoing battle while chanting Spyro's name.

Spyro and Cynder struggled while standing pretending to exchange blows, one of those blows threw Spyro onto the ground with a groan of faked pain with her looming over him. Cynder roared and made a move with her paw just like she wanted to thrust her claws in his underbelly. The children held their breaths as her black paw was descending upon Spyro. She was moving slow so he waited as her claws will be right near him before rolling on the ground to a side avoiding the usually deathly strike. The kids screamed in joy when Cynder's claws hit only the wooden floor, with renewed determination they began chanting his name once more.

Spyro quickly got up and swung his tail sending barely noticeable icy sparks from his gold tip. Cynder allowed the tail to reach her. The strike was pitifully powered so instead of leaving a painful cold dash on her chest it created a cooling and enjoyable frost mark on her magenta scales, but she couldn't focus on this pleasant sensation, she had a role to play.

Cynder placed a paw on her chest just like she tried to stop the bleeding before taking a couple of shaky steps backwards while loudly groaning with pain. Cynder lowered her paw to look at it uncovering the icy mark on her chest that made all the children yell happily.

"You will pay for this!" Cynder roared and charged.

They kept exchanging blows. Claws, wings and tails were being used in this game with very weak elemental strikes as an addition. The children didn't mind however, this was enough to set their imagination in motion. For them this was a real battle between Spyro and Malefor and they were a part of since they cheered whenever Spyro struck Cynder while groaning and shouting angrily when it was the other way around.

"You can't stop me, I will destroy this world!" Cynder shouted after some time while panting heavily pretending to be wounded and tired

"You won't because it's time to finish this" Spyro growled.

Cynder roared and raised on her hind legs spreading her wings and covering the ground below her in shadow. The children held their breaths again when they saw the scary image. Spyro didn't even flinch just like any hero would, focusing he used his electricity element by directing a weak shock pulse at her chest. The kids gasped when it struck Cynder, her eyes widened as she placed a paw on her chest just like she tried to grab her own heart while spinning around on her hind legs, she made only a single spin before falling on her back. She laid there with her head slightly moved to the side and her tongue hanging from her mouth. It was over, Malefor was defeated.

The children stared at her for a while in complete shock before slowly turning their heads in the same time to look at Spyro. The moment the kids set their eyes upon him they jumped from the ground screaming loudly as they began to surround him. Spyro was greeted with words of admiration like "Wow! You are awesome!"," Spyro you are a real hero!", " I must say that it was a very interesting spectacle" and questions like " Was Malefor really a girl?", " Can I be a purple dragon too?", " To be able to wield so much power must be exhilarating , to be a master it is required to spend tremendous amounts of energy on improving your abilities. Correct?"

Spyro's eyes traveled from kid to kid as he was bombarded with questions, the moment he tried to answer to one of the kids another curious child spoke making him only gasp faintly as his head moved from side to side. The children were making quite a noise successfully blocking every other sound. It took a while but eventually Spyro could hear a noise that sounded like many clapping hands.

Cynder opened one of her eyes just to stand up moments later, with clear surprise on her snout she made her way towards Spyro and the now silent group of children. Both dragons looked around completely speechless when they noticed every single cheetah clapping their hands, it seems they appreciated their effort to entertain their children. From the group emerged Meadow walking slowly towards them, clapping his hands and smiling from ear to ear.

" Now that was quite a story, everyone's happy?" the cheetah warrior said while giving the children a quick glance. With a loud cry of joy all of the kids confirmed that it was a very satisfying show, they were completely lost in their happiness so it took them a moment to start jumping all around Spyro and Cynder.

Meadow chuckled " Now, now I know how much you would like to get to know them better, but remember children that everyone needs a break, even heroes and villains" Seeing the children stepping back Meadow waved for both dragons to follow him.

They returned to the table, Spyro sat in the same spot while Cynder was granted a seat next to Meadow judging from the look on her snout she didn't expect it. The children scattered all around the table, returning to their parents.

" Pleasing such a demanding crowd is no simple feat, I'm sure it will open the eyes of some sceptical cheetahs, maybe they will finally realize that Dragons aren't as bad as many think so." Meadow said with a smile while carefully eyeing both young dragons

"We were happy to help" Cynder returned the smile

"My, my "the female cheetah in white shirt stated with a tone full of awe "Not only good looking and powerful but also has a knack with children. Who would have thought so"

" I wouldn't make it if not for Cynder" Spyro replied

She shrugged "Perhaps but that doesn't matter" She smiled slyly " Many girls will be impressed"

"There she goes again" he thought to himself. He had no experience but probably some other males would be glad for such attention, but he wasn't one of them, her constant advances made him uncomfortable. As much as he hated it he had to do it, it was time to tell her that this won't work Spyro had difficulties whenever it came to declining other people offers whatever they may be, since most of these situations ended with the other side being offended. Spyro sighed, he will push her away but there was no other way"

"Listen-"

Meadow slapped his forehead cutting Spyro off " Where are my manners. I almost forgot about our deal" he waved for the children to come closer

Spyro took a deep breath " "Listen there is something we need to talk about"

"Yessss?" she smiled seductively

" I thought about it and decided that this has to-"

Spyro was cut off by Meadow once again " I think children that it is your turn to entertain our guests now"

Spyro focused anew " As I was saying, I'm sorry but his-"

" Tell us the story about Avalar"

The female cheetah's ears flinched but that didn't prevent Spyro from continuing " This has to-"

"Shhhhhh" she quieted him

"But-"

"Yes I know, now be silent" with that she leaned over the table just to be closer to the group of children leaving Spyro with a dumbfounded look behind her.

Dot cleared his throat " A long, long time ago there were cheetahs just like now, but they've spoken in that funny language-"

"Ancient" Smarty retorted

"Yeah ancient, they walked, eat and talked but they were no cheetahs, I mean they were but they not normal-"

Smarty sighed " What he's trying to say is that there were cheetahs walking upon this earth, however they were no ordinary cheetahs like you and me, they were blessed"

Dot frowned "Hey cut it out, I'm telling the story!" he exclaimed before clearing his throat " The Blessed Ones looked like normal cheetahs but someone once told me that it was possible to know which of the cheetahs was Blessed but now we won't notice the difference because we are stupid"

" Not stupid but ignorant"

Dot shrugged "Whatever, anyway it is said that these cheetahs could do magic! Now only our druids or hermits or how else you call those old guys with staffs can do magic. But the Blessed could shoot sparks from their hands just like that, no staff and raspy voice needed! They had super powers!"

Smarty shook his head " It has nothing to do with super powers. Back there magic was a part of one's existence, magic was nothing extraordinary for the Blessed just like lungs are nothing special for us lesser beings. I have a thesis that they were granted this gift from birth, the real questions is why and who gave it to them?"

"That sucks! Super powers are way better!" Dot protested

Black eye didn't hesitate when he smelled his occasion to take a part in this story telling " The Blessed were powerful but that didn't prevent their enemies from attacking them! The battles were messy, blood and heads were flying everywhere while-"

" Spare us the details please" Meadow admonished the cub smiling kindly

"Sorry! Anyway the battles were pretty messy but The Blessed kept fighting and fighting killing many, many enemies but the bad guys cheated and kept killing the good guys, because there was no chance they could kill a guy with super powers!"

Smarty frowned " I've already stated that this has nothing to do with super powers" regaining his composure he continued " The Blessed fought valiantly cutting through enemy ranks with ease, however the enemy had numbers while there was only a handful of The Blessed. The opponent just wore them about before overwhelming them completely, it has nothing to do with cheating. A simple war tactic triumphed, nothing more, nothing less"

"I still think they cheated!" Black eye cleared his throat "The bad guys were winning destroying and killing everything in their way that's why The Blessed decided to save us before the enemy wiped out the whole cheetahs race! They would have impaled our heads on sticks! And take our yes! And-"

Meadow coughed silencing the boy instantly

Smarty sighed " Unfortunately The Blessed were losing and there was no chance they could defeat their enemies using conventional means, they had to make a sacrifice."

" One of those Blessed was Avalar" Dot took the lead " We only know about him, the rest must have died, anyway it was up to him to stop the invasion. So he found the tallest hill, made it to the top before using his super powers to save us all!"

Smarty cleared his throat " Avalar was the last Blessed One, however I think there were some others but we just don't know about them, but I digress. Avalar reached the top of the tallest hill for a reason, he felt betrayed. The moment he reached its steep top he screamed to the sky so the wind could carry his voice throughout the whole land-"

"He did that to get the attention of his creators, he blamed them for his power, he didn't understand why they gave him magic when he can't defeat his enemies with it. Avalar wanted to save our race so he asked the creators to help him and BAM! he was a tree"

"Close" Smarty frowned " He went up that hill to blame his creators for everything, he didn't understand why they bestowed on him the gift of magic when he can't use it to defeat his enemies. He asked them for help, he wanted to serve his land and his people, he wanted to give us a cause to fight on, he wanted to save us from a gruesome fate, he wanted to watch over us for all eternity. Whoever made Avalar granted him his wish by turning him into a tree. The hunk was created using his inner strength, enemies became the leaves, the long thick roots reassembled the tiresome path he had to undertake, the lianas were created from his wild emotions."

"Yeah!" Black eye exclaimed " He stands there to this day, arched from that hill always watching and serving us and the land since he is a tree and trees make air!"

Smarty nodded "Avalar became a symbol, the tables have turned back then and we knew who gave us this luck. But we have to remember that there is always a difficult path of us, that one has to use all his energy to hold back the crown, that the destination to reach our goal is ever-changing just like lianas blown by the wind. However as long as the tree stands there we know that somebody is watching over us and that we have a future ahead of us."

"The end!" the children exclaimed simultaneously

"Wow, I never knew about that, this is one hell of a history" Cynder said with a clearly admiring tone

"Is it really true?" Spyro asked excited about this whole thing

Meadow shrugged " Who knows, you have your Ancestors we have mine and just like dragons cheetahs are quite devoted. It is kept in secret that's why you never heard of it because this is a very important symbol for us as you have already heard. That's why we named the tree The Fortune"

Spyro noticed the female cheetah sliding back into her chair " What do you think about this? You believe it?"

She threw him a quick glance before taking a sip from her mug " There is always some truth in fairy tales I guess"

The dinner was nearing its end, they all drank, ate and chattered before there was nothing left on the table and some of the cheetahs left the room to go on about their business. Most of them stayed, cleaning the table and the dishes, Spyro and Cynder helped them in any way they could, they were invited here so it was just a gesture of politeness to help their hosts. It took them a while but everything was cleaned eventually and they were ready to be on their way.

" Thank you for the invitation Meadow, but we best be on our way" Spyro gave the cheetah a grateful look

" Spyro didn't give any sign of life for a while I'm sure they are going crazy in Warfang" Cynder smiled wryly

" You won't mind if I come with you?" Meadow asked while rearranging the falcon feather on his robe " I need to take care of something there"

" Sure, come on" with that Spyro lead the way.

Just before they reached the exit Spyro noticed the female cheetah standing in the corner watching him closely " You two go on I will catch up with you later" with that he made his way towards the feline. Cynder shot him a quick glance just to focus on the female cheetah for a brief second, with a sigh and her head hanging low she continued towards the exit.

" Best of luck to you hero" she gave him a charming smile when he got close

" Likewise" they stared at each other for a while in complete silence, with only smiles plastered on their faces " You know I've never got your name"

Her sapphire eyes sparkled " They call me Hope"

"it was a pleasure to meet you Hope, but still this is an unusual name for a cheetah. No offense"

She shrugged still smiling " Name like any other"

Spyro looked at the window and saw Cynder and Meadow standing near the building waiting for him " I better be going, until we meet again"

" Careful what you wish for" she chuckled and waved him off as he made his way towards the exit.

Still in a sunny weather they made their way towards the wooden gate, the guards wished them a safe journey before closing the gate behind them. They continued onwards leaving the pretty abandoned village behind them, fully concentrating on reaching The Forbidden Tunnel since it's the shortest way to reach their goal. Just beyond it Warfang awaits.