FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 12

The hospital is a very vast building with many rooms to accommodate patients who suffer minor or grave injuries with some special rooms to house those who had perished before they could be transported to a burial ground or cremated. This is not the most welcoming of places.

They stood in a quite big room with its ceiling high above their heads, the floor was made of stone probably because it doesn't require much effort to clean the stains of blood from it. The brownstone wall was created in such a way to prevent making any sharp edges, giving the whole building a round structure.

There were no decorations hanging on the wall, only torches and windows with red curtains dotted the room, the curtains could be pulled to hide the interior from the residents and spare them any unwanted gruesome view. Some wooden desk with closed drawers stood all around the room with shelves attached to the wall over them which were filled with different kind of potions, poultices, bandages, gems and many other equipment at paw's reach.

A construction like that allowed to treat the minor wounds on the spot while the worst ones could be tended quickly to save a patient's life before he could be transported to a room for an appropriate treatment. White sheets laid folded on the desks and many stretchers leaned against a wall behind them could be seen, they differed in size and structure. Some were small, others somewhat bigger allowing the smallest and medium sized patients to be transported.

However there were also some more peculiar ones near the wall. They didn't look like the typical stretchers one was accustomed with, they looked like an extremely big and wide sheet, scratched to its limits and reinforced with wooden poles on the edges which also run below the sheet and ended on some sturdy looking machine with four pretty big wheels on its bottom, two wooden handles ran from its back.

It looked more like a cart than a stretcher but one thing was sure, it was used for transportation. Even if they could carry any kind of creature they were designed especially for adult dragons, the healers needed something to help them to transport such a big pile of muscle. It was an uncomfortable ride for the patient no doubt with the poles plucking at your body, but when someone is trying to survive comfort is best pushed aside.

The room they were in was completely empty, no healer could be seen, it shouldn't be surprising, with the war over the hospital didn't see much traffic, it seems everyone was committed in rebuilding the city. Good riddance. Many wide corridors run from the room, on their brownstone walls many doors were attached on the opposite sides. The hospital was prepared to receive plenty of wounded residents, hopefully both dragons won't never see it fully occupied.

"Hello? Is anybody here?" Spyro shouted but was only greeted with complete silence

"See? Nobody's home, told you it's going to be a waste of time" Cynder replied with a glimmer of hope in her voice

" My friend is injured and she needs help!" he yelled once again but as previously only silence answered him

" He's just joking!" She yelled soon after " I'm feeling very well so don't bother coming here, we are leaving anyway!" Cynder looked at Spyro with fake excitement " Did you hear that? They said there is nothing to worry about" she nodded towards the door " Let's get out of here" with that she began turning towards the exit

Spyro didn't even look at her, the moment he felt she was slipping away, he wrapped his tail around Cynder's leg and tugged her behind him, a female gasp was everything he heard. " We could really use some help!" Spyro shouted and dragged Cynder behind him, soon they reached one of the desk and his amethyst eyes traveled across the medical equipment, there was everything he needed on them. A turmoil was going on in his head, part of him wanted to take these thing and help his friend but the other said that stealing is wrong and especially the theft of supplies from a hospital was something sinister.

The other part had won, with a sigh he left the desk alone and headed for one of the corridors "Hello?" Spyro shouted again

"Spyro come on" Cynder sighed resigned "There is no one here, just let's go"

He didn't listen, soon he reached one of the corridors, one the wall he noticed a silver plate with OFFICE and PATIENTS written on it with gold letters. Spyro craned his neck " Can anyone help me?" he shouted at the top of his lungs.

Nothing could be heard, just when he was about to emit a resigned sigh a muffled shout reached them "I'm right here!"

Spyro threw Cynder a thrilled look " I knew someone would be here"

" Oh goody!" she exclaimed with a faked pleasure

He rolled his eyes and dragged the black dragoness behind him " Don't be shy I don't bite!" another muffled shout reached them and Spyro followed it just to arrive near some closed wooden doors with a blank plate attached on them. With determination he raised his paw and knocked " Come in!" a female voice yelled from behind the doors.

Spyro pushed the door open which revealed some sort of an office. A big window with red curtains covered the end of the room which allowed the rays to illuminate the whole office. Below the window stood a dresser with two flowerpots and a curiously looking casket on it. Bookshelves adorned one side of the wall with a door between them, only a handful of books were about medicine, some were about history, others about alchemy and even some about magic. All of the books had different colored covers, filling the usually dreary room with some colors.

A huge painting depicting some sort of an ancient tree arched from a ledge hung on the other side of the wall, it looked like the tree which the cheetahs called The Fortune. Below it was some sort of a cabinet with many different herbs in pots, potions and many more medical supplies standing on it. A simple single bed could be seen in the corner which was probably for the patients who didn't have enough energy to stand.

In the middle of the room just in front of the big window a desk was placed with a gold unlit candlestick sitting on it, which illuminated the many papers laying on the desk in the darkest hours. Next to the papers a bottle of ink with a quill stuck into it could be seen with a small hourglass next to it. A simple wooden chair was placed behind the desk which was currently occupied.

The moment Spyro entered the room a female cheetah greeted him with a kind smile, she had quite a nasty looking scar just above her right eye. She was wearing a white apron with a simple grey shirt below it, it was a typical doctor's gown without any regard for fashion. A single silver earing with a tiny emerald in its socket pierced her pointy left ear. Her fur lacked the typical sharp color, it was mostly white, some might say even that it was grey. The brown color of her fur and black ringlets were faded, a clear sign that she is quite old.

Though the feline's body was frail nobody could say the same thing about her eyes, the cheetah's brown orbs were focused and full of life, just like they accumulated the slipping energy from her body and stored it within themselves. Wiliness wasn't the only thing the feline's eyes showed, they were also radiating wisdom, wisdom that only people who lived their share of life gained. Besides it a good watcher could notice something strange in her eyes just like she burrowed something below the clearly visible kindness.

The feline put down a white paper she was holding on the desk and crossed her fingers in front of her face " I've told them they were wrong" the feline grinned

"Excuse me?" Spyro cocked his head

She waved her paw dismissively and giggled "Oh don't mind me, I'm just jabbering it comes with age" she smiled kindly " However I'm glad that my intuition doesn't fail me yet"

" We need your help Miss"

The feline lowered her paws and stood up with an alarmed look on her face " What's the matter my boy? How can I help you"

Spyro quickly shook his head " No, no, no I'm fine. It's about my friend, she's hurt." He looked behind him " Cynder get in here" Spyro hissed

The cheetah cocked her head "Cynder?" she muttered with disbelief in her voice

" There is no need for that, my wound healed itself!" an almost sincere excited female shout came from behind the door

"I won't ask again" Spyro hissed threateningly

" Spyro just check for yourself, I'm fine"

He looked at the cheetah and chuckled " She loves jokes, I assure you that she can't wait to see you Miss"

The feline giggled " I've noticed"

" Hey" the same female voice came from behind the door " That's not true, I can think of more interesting things than-" Spyro quickly wrapped his tail around her foreleg and pulled her inside the room "Hello Miss!" Cynder exclaimed hastily " I couldn't wait to see you" she forced a fake happy smile on her snout

The cheetah grinned " It's a pleasure to meet you too" her expression became more serious after a while " Your friend told me you are hurt, can I take a look?"

Before Cynder could say anything Spyro stepped to the side revealing the black dragoness behind him with a streak of blood running down her forehead and closed right eye " On her head, it's bleeding badly" he said

The feline waved her hand at Cynder " Come closer, my eyes aren't as good as they used to be" she stepped from behind the desk

Cynder looked at Spyro who just nodded his head towards the healer. With a sigh she moved closer to the cheetah.

When Cynder got close enough the feline gasped " Oh Sweetheart" she grabbed her head and began examining it " My poor thing," she huffed just like a caring mother" Wait here, I'll be right back" with that the cheetah disappeared into the room near the bookshelves.

Momentarily she returned with a bowl filled with water and a white sheet hanging from it. Placing the bowl next to Cynder she dipped the sheet into the water and began cleaning the blood from Cynder's snout.

Spyro quickly jumped next to them " Is she going to be alright Miss?" he asked with a palpable worry in his voice

The feline dipped the sheet once again and renewed her work " The wound is bleeding profusely but there is nothing to worry about" she dipped the sheet once again and started to clean Cynder's forehead " And please don't call me Miss, my name is Amela"

He bowed his head " Pleased to meet you Amela, I'm Spyro"

She shot him a fleeting glance and gave him a knowing smile before returning to her work

" But you already know that" Spyro huffed

Amela giggled and dipped the sheet once again before looking at Cynder " So are you going to tell me how did you get yourself injured like this?"

Cynder moved her pupils upwards to look at the feline " Oh nothing serious, just a falling stone hit me in the head that's all"

"Nothing serious?!" Spyro exclaimed "It was only a little piece from a bigger slab, you are lucky to be alive!"

She shrugged " Tomato potato, it's over let's just forget about it"

Amela narrowed her eyes while watching the black dragoness " You should stay clear from the inner city, there are a lot of dangerous places there with the repairs going on"

Cynder recognized that tone of voice, the old cheetah figured out that she is hiding something, nevertheless she decided not to admit to anything " We will be more careful"

"They had to finish some repairs there since it all happened near the entrance to the Tunnel" Spyro said cluelessly.

Amela dipped the sheet with a frown on her face "They are working fast" she started cleaning the wound " Tell me who is so careless so I can scold them the next time I see them"

Spyro shook his head "There is no need for that, accidents happen and the bunch of dragons who were responsible apologized"

The cheetah threw Cynder a quick knowing glance "We all make mistakes" with that she made her way towards the cabinet with the medical equipment and started to search for something " Accidents happen after all" she picked up a small closed flask and turned to look at Spyro "Darling I can't find my scissors, I'm sure I left them in one of the rooms, could you look for them?" she asked with a kind smile.

"Sure, no problem" Spyro turned around and dashed towards the door.

"And Spyro!" Amela exclaimed stopping him on the doorstep " Search very thoroughly, I have a tendency to place thing in the strangest of places and keep the doors open my hearing isn't very good these days" she smiled kindly once again.

Spyro nodded and left the office.

The cheetah returned to Cynder observing her carefully " Accidents huh? It seems that even in the most well-constructed city like Warfang you have to be very cautious"

Cynder stared at the feline as she hunkered down near her " From now on I'll keep my eyes open"

" You should" Amela said with a caring tone and opened the flask

" What is it? Cynder asked cautiously watching the cheetah's every move

"This" the feline raised the flask to look at it " this are some special herbs which will speed up your regeneration process

" This is the moment when you poison me or something?"

Amela froze for a moment, her eyes sparkled destroying all the kindness in them. After a while she blinked and her eyes returned to their normal state " Why would I do such a thing Sweetheart?" she asked with a soft tone

Cynder averted her gaze " I'm sure you have your reasons, almost everyone else does" she whispered with a glimmer of guilt in her voice

She smiled kindly " I don't, besides do you really think I would attempt to kill you when Spyro is so close?" she plunged her finger into the flask just to remove it moments later, it was covered in some kind of greyish paste, It was very sticky and felt like a glue when she smeared it all over the wound on the dragoness' head

Cynder sighed " You wouldn't be the first one, and I wouldn't blame you, I deserve it, all of it" she lowered her head

Amela looked at her and narrowed her eyes "Vengeance is not an option, it always does more harm than good, never fight evil with evil, remember that Sweetheart. Unfortunately not everyone understands it" she moved her hand under Cynder's jaw and raised her head so her emerald eyes met with the feline" so it's very important that you never let your guard down"

They stared at each other for a while, until Amela couldn't stand no longer Cynder's painful expression " Stop blaming yourself for everything Sweetheart, the guilt will kill you" she said with a soft tone

"It's not that simple" Cynder sighed

Amela smiled kindly "That's how it supposed to be, it means you have a conscience and even if it stings that's a good sign"

"I can't find them!" Spyro's shout reached both females

"Keep looking Darling I really need them, these teeth and claws aren't as sharp as they used to be!" the cheetah exclaimed while shooting a quick glance at the opened door

Cynder smiled wryly " You are cunning"

Amela shrugged while smiling innocently " When you will be my age you will understand that brain is your only weapon"

Cynder giggled in understanding

The feline looked at the black dragoness with a serious expression on her face " You are aware that it is forbidden to do any repairs where you've been? Basically it's forbidden to do any repairs near the gates"

Cynder nodded " I am"

"Then why you didn't tell him about this?"

Clearly visible guilt showed itself on her black snout " Because I'm a burden, I've been a problem since the moment we defeated Malefor and he deserves some peace" she sighed " besides I don't want to make his life miserable"

" Oh Sweetheart" Amela huffed caringly " You are too hard on yourself"

"I'm not, I'm just giving Spyro one less thing to worry about"

The cheetah caressed her black head gently " Have you ever heard him complaining?"

Cynder paused for a brief moment " No...but-"

"But..." Amela cut her off "...he is your friend and from what I've seen he dragged you here forcefully just to make sure you are safe"

" I know and that's what worries me the most"

"Why Sweetheart? You have a friend you can count on, Spyro will do anything in his power to help you, why keep him in the dark?" she kept stroking Cynder's head

She thought for a moment "Spyro is very protective of me, if I would tell him about all of this he might do something that might ruin his reputation"

Amela giggled " You are so concentrated on him that you forget you are doing just the same thing which means you are doing nothing at all. You don't have many friends here Sweetheart, value the ones you have"

Amela's words rang in Cynder's head, the old cheetah may be right about Spyro and his commitment but that was her mess and she needs to clean it herself " I can take care of myself" Cynder stated firmly

"I don't doubt that" Amela reached for a drawer in her desk from which she recovered a bandage and silver scissors " This is only an advice from an old cat" with that she cut a small strip of bandage with the scissors and tended to the wound. Thanks to the greyish paste the bandage glued itself to the wound.

Moment later Spyro barged through the doors "I'm sorry Amela, I've searched all of the rooms but I couldn't find those damn scissors"

The cheetah exchanged with Cynder some knowing smiles before concentrating on the purple dragon "Don't worry Darling" she said with the usual kind tone "they are right here" she showed him the scissors " I'm very forgetful sometimes, it has to be my age"

Spyro's eyes sparkled with happiness as he quickly jumped towards his friend "How are you feeling?"

Cynder's heart jumped in her chest when she was once again reminded how much he cares about her well-being " Told you it was just a scratch" she smiled lovingly

Spyro looked at the cheetah with grateful eyes " Thank you very much Amela"

The feline smiled and returned to her seat behind the desk "That's why I'm here"

" Thanks for the help but we have to go" Cynder said "we won't meet in the same circumstances again" with that all three of them exchanged nods before the dragons left the room.

Amela picked up the white paper from the desk and began examining it "Let's hope so" she sighed

Spyro exhaled with relief, with the most important thing taken care of it was time to visit the Guardians. Even if he wasn't a member of the City Watch or a soldier it was still his duty to report to the leaders of the Dragon Race, as all the dragons do. However for him friendship and safety of his friends had priority over duty. Not to mention that that he didn't really want to meet with them after what happened to Ignitus, he was their friend after all and Spyro didn't know how he will tell them that he is dead. However he is in Warfang now, there is no turning back, what has to be done has to be done.

After a short uneventful walk they reached a fountain and just on the right they saw the stairs which led to the City Hall. Spyro stopped near the stairs, took a deep breath and made his way up with Cynder walking right next to him.

There it was, the Grand Plaza, perfectly clean shining marble pavements ran through the greenish ground with lanterns, trees and small dragon statues adorning it. The path split into three intersections near a small pond with colorful fish swimming underwater. The Moles know how to build cities and even despite the debris littering this level it was still a breathtaking sight. However they were only interested on the central path which led to their destination.

Soon they arrived near the City Hall, two huge perfectly intact dragon statues stood at both sides of the small stairs which led to the main entrance. The statues were extremely imposing, they depicted a male and a female dragon in full battle armor. The agitated expressions shaped on their stony snouts triggered a feeling of awe, they showed that whoever is entering this place has to know that he is just entering the home of the leaders of this city and has to remain respectful. For both of them and probably for the whole city, well maybe not for the moles these were only statues. Spyro knew the Guardians , they are far more friendly than these two stony drakes.. It was a different story for a complete stranger, after all fine feathers make fine birds they say.

Both dragons stopped in front of a huge solid looking door, golden unfolded draconic wings adorned it with tiny glowing sapphires on their edges were carved on the surface of the door. The wings spread through the whole door reaching both its ends. The corners the wings didn't cover were embellished with small views from Warfang just like somebody would take pictures of the city from four different directions. West was in the lower left corner, south on the opposite side, east in the right upper corner and north above west.

Three opened dragon maws with a handle inside each of them protruded from the middle of the door, each of them differed in size. On the bottom was the smallest one, allowing the shortest creatures to open the door, creatures like moles for example. The middle one was for creatures like the cheetahs and the highest one for adult dragons. All you need to do is to push the handle and the door open, no matter how much strength you have. Nobody knows how the moles managed to do that but it works perfectly. Spyro pushed the handle at the bottom and the door swung open revealing the most important interior for the city.

It was a tremendously huge dome-liked building with a high ceiling, burning braziers dotted the interior, they were burning intensely illuminating and warming the City Hall. A long wide brown carpet ran through the middle of the room with the same golden wings depicted on it but without the glowing stones.

Rows of dragon statues stood on both sides of the room, all of them were standing on their hind legs with their front paws extended above their heads with their paws touching the ceiling in places where it was the lowest, just like they've been holding the dome from falling down. Every now and then a tall column stood in front of the statues with a shape of a coiled dragon carved into it which wrapped the whole column in its stone body just to end with an open maw with fire burning inside its mouth.

In the far right corner of the room there was a flight of stairs visible which led to the guests quarters on the upper levels, they've been there a couple of times already, it was nothing more than long corridors with many rooms dotting it waiting to accommodate some special guests. Near the stairs there was an entrance in the right wall leading into a corridor lit by the same looking braziers, one side of it led up to the guest quarters while the other slop downward towards the Mass Hall. On the other side of the huge room was another entrance which lead to the training grounds for the guards and soldiers, both dragons visited it once or twice and for Spyro those weren't really pleasant memories.

At the far end of the room in the middle just between both entrances stood an extremely big wooden table with some chairs surrounding it and a candlestick sitting on its top. This was a City Hall after all, so it was common to see things like that where the leaders may discuss important details regarding the city. Just right past the table on the wall a big dragon snout was carved into the stone, it really resembled the stony snout that served as the door into the Forbidden Tunnel. Its eyes were lit with a bright red light which perfectly illuminated the table below. Just below it were some massive doors which led to the Guardian's quarters.

Just above the snout were four different banners hanging from the stony wall and a completely different symbol carved into it ,each of them represented a different element. The banners were all quite similar but they had some differences. The element of Fire was represented by an orange circle with four smaller ones, two of them were located on the bottom left and right corner of the bigger circle, one was directly in the middle and the last one just above it. A orange arm in a form of a sickle protruded from the bottom right corner and encircled the small middle circle. The banner has a reddish background, it splits into two smaller stripes with a dark marking on them which hang from the bottom circles. The main orange orb was adorned with a greenish hue on its upper part.

The second banner represented Earth, it looked like the previous one but instead of a reddish background and a sickle it had a green hue and an arm which looked like a claw that protruded from the hoop of the main orb, next to the upper circle just to encircle the middle one. The Ice banner has a blue background and an arm protruding from the left bottom circle in the form of an edged spike while the Electricity banner was yellow with an arm in the form of a shock pulse which started from the bottom left hoop of the main orb, encircled the middle small one just to end on the upper small circle.

The last symbol was no banner it was just a white swirl of wind on a background of gray-blue, it goes without saying that it stood for Wind. The elements were not only represented by banners but also by Guardians who were sitting just behind the table, due to recent events only three of them were still alive.

Terrador is the Earth Guardian, he is an old but still pretty powerfully built dragon, he has green scales that are covered with patches of brown hue on his shoulders, sides, thighs and tail. He has claret-colored wings with brown membranes, the same colored fins run from the back of his head and end on his tail. A small patch of claret hair covers the sides of his snout and the bottom side of his jaw, a beard and sideburns to be more precise. His tail ended with a claret spiked club. The spikes had a peachy hue, just like the single spike on the end and middle of his wings with two similar spikes on their thumbs. His underbelly, four little horns protruding from his head and two extremely big horns running from the back of his head had the same color. A pair of maroon eyes observed the world.

Terrador is a battle-scarred warrior and the most militant of the Guardians. He is dedicated and focused on the practical art of battle. He speaks in a low, militant baritone voice.

Cyril is the Ice Guardian, just like Terrador he is quite old. He is covered in cyan scales thanks to the shining color it looks like his whole body is made out from ice. Spines of the same color run from the back of his head just to end with a small cluster of spikes on the tip of his tail which spread just like a blossoming flower would. A cluster of spikes protruded from his shoulders, with some smaller ones on his hooks and elbows. A diadem of icicles adorned his forehead, three smaller icicles protruded from the bottom side of his jaw and a single one projected above his nose. From the upper side of his cheeks projected a couple more of these spikes which ended on the bottom side, the interior was covered in a violet hue. The membranes of his cyan wings had the same color, just like his underbelly, two long straight horns protruding backwards from his head and both sides of his tail while the middle of it had his natural color. A violet streak started from the back of his head and ran through the whole upper side of his body. Little shining white diamond looking markings adorned the cyan scales on his tail, thighs and both sides of his neck. A pair of blue eyes scanned the surroundings.

Cyril is a coldly confident and predominately prideful dragon, who constantly brags about supposedly royal ancestry, claiming that his lineage is that of some long forgotten yet great dragons.

Volteer is the Electric Guardian, the same age like the two previously mentioned dragons. Amber scales protected his body, little fins protruding from his cheeks, a slight mane and a tiny spike projecting above his nose had the same color. Saffron markings covered the sides of his neck, back, upper arm, thighs and tail. The same colored membranes were attached to his wings which had an amethyst hue just like his underbelly, sideburns, beard, two horns running from the back of his head which were curved on the end just like a claw, fins on his hooks, elbows and the ones which ran through the whole length of his body which ended on the tip of his tail in the form of two-tined spear had the same color. A pair of amethyst plates protected his shoulders and a pair of the same colored eyes watched the world. Volteer is the most intellectual of the Guardians,

well-versed in lore and legend of the dragons of old. His quick and

spectacular speech can sizzle any sound sensor, thanks to his sympathetic nature he is a friend and fellow to all.

However before both young dragons could approach the Guardians a pair of male cheetahs blocked their way. One of them was Meadow and the other feline was called Hunter. Hunter has blue eyes and a yellow fur with white hue on the bottom side of his jaw and cheeks. The white fur also covered his neck, bottom side of his arms, hands, torso and parts of his legs just below his knees. Black ringlets dotted his fur, the same colored fur covered the ends of his pointy ears. He is wearing a hooded brown coat with a dark reddish cape pinned to it with a yin-yang symbol, just below the symbol a falcon feather could be seen. A bow and a filled quiver colored just like his cape were strapped on the feline's back. He wore two reddish ankle bands and similar bands protected his forearms.

After the Night of Eternal Darkness, Hunter was sent by Ignitus to find Spyro and Cynder when they didn't return to the Dragon Temple.

Three years later, the cheetah warrior secretly followed a group of Grublins through the ruins of the Mountain of Malefor where they led him to the place where Spyro and Cynder were encased in crystal. Hunter escorted both young dragons to Warfang despite Prowlus' scolds when they involuntary stopped in the Cheetah Village. He possesses a lot of faith in Spyro and even trusts Cynder despite her dark past since Ignitus had faith in her as well.

Hunter's ears flattened on his skull and a grin formed itself on his face as he approached both young dragons " Your kind will never cease to amaze me" he hunkered down in front of them " Dragons are so fascinating creatures" the cheetah sighed in true awe " Welcome back" he solemnly bowed his head.

" Hunter!" Spyro exclaimed joyfully " It's good to see that you're alright"

" I wouldn't be if not for you" he looked at Cynder " Both of you"

She shook her head " Oh no, no, no" she nodded towards Spyro " He's the hero, leave me out of it" Cynder smiled

Spyro threw her a meaningful glance "Now I'm the only hero?!" he blurt out with faked indignance " What happened to I don't want to brag, huh_?"_ he smiled

Cynder shrugged "I don't know what he is talking about" she winked

Hunter chuckled "It's good to see that you haven't changed"

Meadow grabbed the feline's shoulder " Hunter let's not hold our friends here, they have more important things to do than waste time on two cats" he winked

Hunter stood up " The Guardians wish to speak with you, see you later" they exchanged brief goodbyes and the felines were on their way, but after a few steps Hunter stopped and turned around " And guys" he gained the attention of both young dragons as they turned around to look at him " I never got the chance to say that it's been an honor to fight alongside you" Hunter bowed his head

Both dragons returned the gesture " Likewise Hunter" Spyro stated and with that the group split

"Spyro! Cynder! You are here!" Volteer exclaimed happily the moment they got close " You can't comprehend just how effervescent my old heart had become when my eyes conceived this fortuitous yet very blithesome sight!" the words came out from his mouth just one after the other, without even a moment to catch a breath

Both young dragons smiled " It's good to see you too Volteer" Spyro replied

"We all are glad to see you both alive and well" Terrador's low voice reached them " let's just say that some of us can't show excitement just like the rest" he looked at the Electric Guardian with a corner of his eye

Both young dragons chuckled

"If you two would ever listen to what I have to say you wouldn't be surprised" Cyril scolded the two other Guardians with his cold gaze " Spyro perfectly accomplished my tutelage and no mere vile dragon could stop him, after all royal blood runs in my veins, blood from dragons who wielded great power and Spyro proved that he is capable of wielding this power. A true match for my family."

Volteer rolled his eyes " Cyril don't bore our friends here with your perennial boasting. I've frequently stated that there is no lore in any of my books that would say anything about paramount Ice dragons who were supreme than any other species. I'm solicitous to admit but these dragons are nothing else than a figment of your own imagination"

Cyril narrowed his eyes on the Electric Guardian and an icy mist escaped his nostrils " Than you should try actually reading a book that has some value"

Volteer's eyes sparkled " Value of a tome is a relative term. For an intellectual mind facts about the emanation of magic around our world would be the most substantial matter while the more pragmatic ones would seek information about more empirical topics. Investigation is the most crucial thing"

Cyril frowned " I've heard that the weather will be nice this day, you should investigate, quickly"

" I will in due time. However the sun is a very-"

Terrador snorted " Will you two finally stop!" he scolded them with his maroon eyes

Cynder giggled " Some things never change"

When the room went silent Terrador emitted a loud sigh and shook his head " It's more difficult than a war" with that he concentrated on the purple dragon and smiled " Spyro I know that you want to help any way you can, but the city will be rebuilt without your help, you've done enough. You could have visited us the moment you arrived, you two deserve some rest"

Spyro furrowed a brow " Terrador what are you talking about? Even if I wanted to help I couldn't"

The Earth Dragon jerked back slightly in surprise " That's strange, when Sparx said that you are taking care of some trash we thought that you are cleaning the debris"

" Bro and there I thought that you finally became smart" a yellow glowing dragonfly approached the dragons

Cynder frowning observed the circling dragonfly above their heads "Hilarious" she retorted

Sparx hovered in front of her snout spreading his arm "I'm a genius, what can I do?

Cyril completely ignored their little dispute as he concentrated on both young drakes" Tell us about the fight with The Dark Master, I'm anxious to hear how the powers of my royal lineage helped in the destruction of great evil"

The Ice dragon words gained immediately the attention of the other Guardians, all of them craned their necks so they could understand clearly what both dragons have to say.

Spyro and Cynder exchanged quick glances between themselves before they started the tale. This story however differed from the one in the cheetah village. The story was kept in a more serious tone without a single joke and role playing. They've described every detail, from the moment they've entered Malefor's lair through the actual battle with the description of the powers The Dark Master wielded. Their explanation made the Guardians throw some of their own observations every now and then, only a single voice that belonged to an amber dragon accompanied them throughout the tale. Their story ended the moment Spyro used all his power to mend the world, leaving a stunning impression on all the Guardians.

"... The dragon constellation that was created in the sky on that day was astounding" Volteer continued his excited speech after the young dragons finished their tale " the power unleashed, it was something unprecedented. Spyro your unequalled heritage granted us an cognizance which we can marvel upon, there are no traits in any lore about this omnipotent display of magical potency. It can take years to elucidate this abstruseness. Study is essential, we have to distinguish what we are dealing with. It could mean a breakthrough in aggrandizing the elemental power of dragons. It's unpretentiously riveting!"

Sparx stared at Volteer with a dumbfounded look on his face " I don't understand a word"

"We-are-shocked" Cynder pronounced each word slowly, her voice was dripping with sarcasm

The dragonfly shot her an irritated glance before he focused on the Electric Guardian "Dude, seriously you need to breathe sometimes"

Volteer opened his mouth to speak but a low baritone voice interrupted him " It sounds like that was quite a battle" Terrador noticed that the amber dragon closed his mouth and sighed in relief quietly " I'm amazed you survived it with nothing more than a few scratches. You two are the most talented warriors I've ever met, you saved us all."

Sparx folded his arms" You're not forgetting something? If not for my awesome guidance Spyro wouldn't be here, someone had to get him off from that Swamp"

Terrador rolled his eyes and sighed " Yes Sparx if not for you nothing of this would be possible"

The dragonfly grinned with pride " That's more like it! Someone who finally appreciates and listens to me!" he flew near Cynder " Did you hear that Naughty? I'm important!"

Her eyes widened and she shook her head when he flew before her " You were saying something?" Cynder asked with fake confusion

Sparx snorted

Spyro chuckled and shook his head " Some things never change"

Cyril observed the cheery group with an emotionless expression "Ignitus?" he asked icily

Every dragon and dragonfly looked at the Ice Guardian with wide eyes, the cheery mood was gone instantly, an awkward moment of silence took its place. Both young dragons stared at Cyril for a while before both their heads dropped down. Grief, regret, shame and anger boiled inside Spyro when an image of his Mentor being devoured by the flames flashed in his mind. Guilt, a guilt so strong filled him entirely, he couldn't bear the thought that he failed The Fire Guardian, but what troubled him more was that he failed the Old Dragon's friends. Tears welled up in his eyes " He...he... didn't make it" Spyro sobbed

To his surprise nothing happened, there was no screams of grief, no mourning, no shouting and blaming him for all of this, only silence. The Guardian's heads were hanging low, but they didn't say a word. The silence became unbearable for Spyro, he didn't know what to make out of it but a feeling of misgiving told him that this is justthe calm before the storm.

He was even more shocked when Terrador rose his head and spoke with a calm yet filled with sadness voice " That's what we feared" he sighed " When he told me to get back to Warfang because the people here will need a leader I knew what he was up to." The dragon sadly shook his head " There was no one who could stop him, Ignitus knew that, I knew that, we all knew that." He frowned angrily " Stubborn bastard"

Spyro looked at the Guardians with watery eyes " I could, I know that, if I just told him to stop, if I just said that I can make it, if I just..." his voice trailed off, he felt a wing wrapping his back and soon Cynder showed herself next to him with her concerned emerald eyes focused on him telling him that it was not his fault "... He would be alive" Spyro sobbed once again

" Spyro you just batter yourself contemplating on this harrowing recurrence of Ignitus' passing." Volteer's quick words reached him " Our compunction constantly acquaints us whenever our companions distresses us with their actions. Procrastinate from hearing its hail, although not under any condition obliterate it absolutely"

" Why didn't you say so earlier?" Sparx exclaimed with faked irritation and enthusiasm

" That conscience" Cyril started speaking with his cold tone " was the reason that we made a proper funeral ceremony for you and Ignitus" he snorted, an icy mist escaped his nostrils " I hate to admit but it fooled also me, but you have to understand after two weeks without any sing of life from you we thought that you perished together with The Dark Master"

Terrador bowed his head apologetically " I'm ashamed for issuing such an order"

Spyro smiled weakly " No harm do-"

"Wait a moment!" Cynder exclaimed gaining everyone's attention "Did you say two weeks?" she furrowed a brow

" I knew you're deaf!" Sparx exclaimed and hovered next to her gesticulating angrily " It took you two long weeks to get here"

Cyril furrowed a brow " Why are you so surprised?"

Spyro frowned thoughtfully " Cynder's right, it's impossible that two weeks have passed"

"Why is that?"

" Because it took us a day to get here"

Cyril shook his head confidently " Impossible, you might still be dazed from all that power you released, after all The Dark Master was a powerful foe"

"Or..." Volteer joined the conversation completely excited " ...it may mean that-"

" It's irrelevant" Terrador cut him off with a militant tone " Spyro and Cynder are here, the world is saved, Malefor is defeated and the Dark Army is gone from our city. This is no time for questions it is time for rest and both of you need it, but before you lay down I would advise to get rid of the last thing that reminds us of The Dark Master's influence" he pointed at the necklace in the shape of a snake on Cynder's neck "One of the blacksmiths should help you with that" Terrador grinned " Now get out of here and enjoy the rest of the day"

Both young dragons nodded and turned towards the exit.

" And where do you think you're going? Sparx asked indignantly " You think that I will leave you with her?" he quickly shook his head " No way, someone has to keep an eye on her, she's crazy" with that he hovered next to Spyro

"I'm not crazy, I'm special" Cynder grinned

Spyro smiled weakly " Great to have you on board again Sparx"

With that the two young dragons and a single dragonfly left the City Hall, a new age was dawning upon the Realms and for the first time in history it looked like it will be a peaceful one. There is nothing to threaten it after all.