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If you're under 18, Spyro no like you here.

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-- CHAPTER 12 --

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Five days later Spyro lay down where he was, tired and depressed. He'd been exploring the swamp for the past three days straight, trying to find a more sheltered area, but there was a heavy darkness in the air that just kept eating away at his will. He stared at the ground, then gritted his teeth and forced himself to stand up.

"Gotta...keep going...the kids..." He needed to find a place where they wouldn't freeze to death in the coming winter months. "Dammit, if those crystals weren't so strong I'd go in there and clear out the temple. Where the hell is Sparx? He knows this place up and down." He trudged along, not caring that his paws were getting mucked up from the mud. The eggs were in danger of freezing, he had to find a place for them.

Back with the girls, Solar was using his unnatural strength to carve out a part of a wall for them to rest in. When he got tired, Terrador would step in with his powerful earth breath and blast away more of the wall, and then Solar would step in again. Flare sighed and watched with a small grin as her mate tore through the stone and earth. Curled up by her, Cynder shivered and tightened her wing's grip over her clutch, still staring at where Spyro had disappeared. Cyril came into view and Cynder shook her head as she woke up out of her daze.

"Cyril..."

"Hmm?" He came over and sat down nearby. "Something the matter, Cynder?"

"It's...it's Spyro. I've been thinking back to before...well..." She looked at her eggs under her wing and sighed. "What's happened to him? Now that I think about it...he's not the same Spyro I used to know."

Cyril looked off towards the trail Spyro had followed. "That, Cynder, I cannot answer for sure. But, think of it this way. Ever since his death Spyro has been in touch with more than we can physically imagine. From what I gather, his struggles in the netherworld were far more of an ordeal than anything he's been through before...and he's also overly concerned with your welfare. Not only yours, but ours as well; he's inadvertently taken on the role of a guardian for all of us. I'm not surprised his torments and the immense stress have changed him."

"But we went against the Dark Master twice and even then he didn't change all that much."

"There is also your unnatural maturation rate and the hormone flux it would generate, and the more recent strife with these three armies that have appeared. And the Dark crystals. Not to mention that powerful shadow lurking in the netherrealm that Spyro can't identify; the one that clobbered him that one day."

She sighed...he was bringing up good points. "I just...I kinda want the old Spyro back..."

Solar walked back and surveyed his work. "Well, if I may humbly say so... a home. For now. Unless Spyro finds something better."

Flare yawned and stretched...the cold was making her slow and sluggish. She looked around, then noticed... "Uhh...where's Alex and Christine?"

Solar went to look, but he wouldn't find them; at that moment, Christine was still chasing Alex through the swamp, trying to get him to stop. "ALEX!!! GET BACK HERE!!!"

Alex came to stop, but when Christine went to grab his arm he pulled away and almost elbowed her but restrained himself. "Christine, I asked you, don't follow me! You wanted to help, you can help me by leaving me the hell alone!"

"Alex, no! I am NOT leaving you alone this time, especially when I don't know what you're doing!"

"I'm the one who started this mess; it's time I stopped moping around and actually did something about it."

"No! You're not going back there!"

"I know what I'm doing this time, now let me go!"

She slapped him across the face and he froze in shock. "NO, ALEX!! We're in this together, you're not brushing me off!! I will personally skin you if you don't listen!"

"You may be my girlfriend, but being female doesn't give you full authority over my decisions! Now shut up; I've made up my mind and I'm going!"

"Alex, I'm only telling you no because I'm scared for you! I'm not wanting to be in control, but your decisions are always based on negative emotion and that's a deadly thing to go on! I will not allow my boyfriend to throw himself to the demons because of his pride and stubbornness!!"

While that argument raged, Spyro was close to giving up. He was hungry, thirsty, thoroughly worn out, and the darkness in the air was getting to him and weighing him down like a lead jacket. His paw got stuck under a root and he fell flat on his face, unable to pick himself up as he lay there. The temple invasion...the shadows, apes, mages...the bitter cold...his new family's safety...everyone's safety...he couldn't do it. He just couldn't keep going anymore...he'd failed in protecting the Temple, he'd failed in protecting the world from this newest invasion of darkness...he was a failure. Nothing mattered anymore...he couldn't protect his family from something so simple as the weather...he just lay there, sinking into the mud as his weary mind shut down.

Cynder tucked her eggs by her body as one slowly started to slip out from under her wing, and she sighed and rubbed Spyro's face. Solar had brought him back just in time---the purple dragon had almost totally disppeared into the swamp he'd fallen in. "Spyro...what is it this time?" she whispered, not caring that her hind leg was falling asleep as she braced the eggs against it. "Another attack? Tiredness? The darkness in the air?"

Ignitus came into the small pocket carved in the wall. Against the far wall, Flare was curled up with her mate around their clutch...there was still no sign of Christine or Alex; the other guardians were off searching for them. "Cynder?"

She shook her head, still petting her mate's face. "What happened to him? I hope it's not serious..."

Ignitus sat down nearby with a heavy sigh. "I've watched him the past few days, Cynder, before he left...I don't think he wants to wake up."

"Why not?"

"Cyril may have explained this, but Spyro's been overburdening himself, never giving himself a thought...and now he's most likely been hit hard with the immense stress he's brought on himself." His large paw fell over Spyro's head. "He's colder than he should be...I'm not sure he'll make it."

"But what's wrong with him?"

"I don't know, Cynder...but I know where he's been. He's been so concerned with everything, dwelling on so much all at once..."

"Ooohhhh...he thinks...he thinks he's failed or something?" Ignitus nodded and Cynder looked sadly at her purple dragon lying on the ground in front of her.

Spyro moaned in pain and woke up feeling like his head was filled with lead. He looked around sullenly and rolled his eyes when he finally registered what he was seeing. "Okay, Chronicler, why'd you bring me here again?" Instead of a response, Spyro suddenly started seeing himself from three years ago, just before he and Cynder became mates. "And what's the point of this?" He saw the games he'd played with Cynder, the cuddling, the fun times they'd had...and then it suddenly changed as his more recent life was replayed. At first he still played a bit with her, but as things became more confusing along her pregnancy, Cynder seemed...sad and lonely. And Spyro...his face fell as he realized how much he'd changed...he'd gone from a young and curious dragon to almost a cold, nonchalant guardian in terms of his attitude. "Is...is this why Cynder isn't so happy anymore?" he asked.

"You have grown as the purple dragon, Spyro...but you care too much about others and not enough about yourself."

Spyro growled and looked around. "What are you, the Dark Master all of a sudden? You brought me here to tempt me?"

"No. To show you why you've grown weaker." Spyro stood up, still looking around. "Young dragon, you have done well in trying to protect the realms...but you have overburdened yourself. You are far too concerned about how things will work out; about guaranteeing safety when in fact nothing but death is a guarantee."

"This isn't funny; I'm not falling for this."

"Spyro, I'm not here to tempt you. Why did you not get up in the swamp when you have a family to protect?"

Spyro paused, unable to retort, and sighed. "I don't know...I just can't going on anymore."

He felt someone beside him, and suddenly saw the Chronicler next to him. "Young dragon, I know your pain, and I also know the solution. You are trying to deal with too many things at once---the netherrealm, your family, protecting everything against anything..." Spyro looked at the floor sullenly---he was right. "Spyro, listen to me. Try as you might, you cannot solve every problem as it arises; trying to do so only leads to stress. Deal with the problems at hand, not the ones that have existed for a while."

"But what about that thing in the otherworld? The one that beat me senseless?"

"What about it? Until it reveals itself, or if you somehow discover it again, you can't do anything about it. The attack on the temple...yes, you might have done more, but at least you got those you care about to safety, and that's what's important. So what if the dark crystals impede you? There may be a chance; something may dim their power, or they might get destroyed. Who knows? Stop dwelling on uncertainties, young dragon; nothing is ever sure except death and the past."

Spyro sighed heavily. "Guess you're right...as always...but what do I do now? I can't find a place for the kids to be safe..."

A book floated down and the old dragon flipped through a few pages. "You are not so far away from a very sheltered location, Spyro. But let someone else take over that." Another vision appeared before Spyro's eyes...a sad, depressed Cynder, staring at her brood and obviously desperately wishing their father was with her. "She needs you, Spyro...your children need you too, but you cannot forget her. She's alone, and wishing for your old self, the Spyro she knew years ago."

"But I can't go back two years now..."

"You can be with her and pay attention to her, young dragon; ever since that mission, you've been wandering from her. She finally found the light because of you...don't take that away from her. She may have found it, but the source of her light has been straying from her. Now wake up and be with her."

Spyro suddenly keeled over in slumber, and felt like he was falling...He snapped awake with a slight start and was suddenly hit with all kinds of pain---bruising, hunger, thirst, aching limbs, a few cuts from his relentless scouring of the swamp, and a massive headache to boot. He closed his eyes and groaned, wanting to go back to sleep and escape the pain and the sadness still on his mind, but looked up when he felt something warm, soft and wet run along his cheek.

"You okay, Spyro?" Cynder whispered. Spyro tried to move but couldn't...he felt like his whole body was limp and made of metal. "Don't move, just eat." She put a berry in his mouth and waited for him to chew, but through their strange bond she felt that he was still too weak. "Solar's done all he can for you, Spyro...here, lemme help." She sat by him and forced his jaws together repeatedly. It looked weird and a bit funny, but Spyro felt so bad that he'd made her worry so much and even worse that he was burdening her with caring for him as well as the eggs. The question popped into his head and she smiled a bit. "Don't worry, 'daddy', your kids are with Ignitus over in the corner; he's eggsitting today. Solar and Flare went to explore." That bit about Ignitus almost made Spyro laugh...the old dragon had finally come out of his hole when it came to having eggs around.

By sunset Cynder had filled Spyro with plenty of soft fruits, not wanting him to eat anything more solid in case his current condition couldn't handle it. He'd managed to roll over, and was very grateful for Cynder's "mind-reading" ability...he wanted to be with the little ones and Cynder had placed them by him, lying on top of him and them to shield them from the night's cold. He'd noticed a small net-like thing nearby, made of soft vines and thick leaves, but had no idea what the heck it was. It looked small enough to fit on Cynder though... He didn't need to wonder long; the next day was fairly warm, and Cynder grinned at him as she took the eggs from his side. She put them in that weird net, and then crawled under it and stood up, and showed off in front of him---it was a carrier for the eggs for when she left. The nets were secured to an old piece of armor she'd found lying around in the swamp-muck, and she sat up and quickly fastened the armor around her chest so it wouldn't slip off. It looked like ape-armor, but apparently Solar had helped her fit it to her slim physique.

"I'll be back in a bit, Spyro, gonna go do some hunting with the kids." He managed a nod and she walked off out of sight. Nearby he heard four sets of snores...

Guess I've been around them for too long; I've been becoming a guardian myself, he thought to himself humorously. Damn it...oh Cynder, I'm so sorry you hafta deal with me and everything else...

Not too long after Cynder had left, Flare woke up and looked over at him. "So, you've rolled over, huh?" she asked with a grin. "Well, gotta get you standing today before she gets back..." She stretched by her eggs and cooed softly to them under her wing, then stood up and covered them with a mushroom cap and walked over to Spyro. "I'm no medic, but I'm pretty sure I can get you feeling better again."

Is she hitting on me?! Spyro thought, but Flare gathered up some fruit, inspecting it closely, and grabbed a small mushroom cap and began crushing the fruits, using the cap as a bowl for the juices and pulp.

"Good thing I pay such close attention to Solar..." she mumbled to herself, and Spyro smirked slightly. "Okay...Solar, where the hell are you? oh well...so, the gills of a swamp-fish..." Spyro mentally laughed to himself as he watched Flare clean the fish, imagining Christine's reaction if she were there. Flare then breathed fire over the concoction, stirring it with her claw. "'Kay...well...I feel stupid doing this but you obviously can't do it for yourself, so..." She lifted his head up and poured the stuff slowly into his mouth. It tasted weird, but it wasn't unpleasant and he got it down without a problem. "Shouldn't take too long, I'm pretty sure I got it right. If not, well, there's your breakfast." She stared at the cave entrance and sighed. "That Cynder...Spyro, you should be very proud to call her your mate, she's such a trooper. Ever since Solar dragged you back here five days ago she hasn't really gone _any_where without your children. Hunting, exploring...what a mother. I'm hardly athletic so I'm stuck here for the most part...but then again, that's the typical dragoness; Cynder...I envy her, she's so determined..."

"Aww, but you're a good mother yourself!"

Flare jumped and ran to the cave mouth and laughed. "You bastard, how long were you listening?!"

"Long enough." Spyro smirked again as Solar jumped down and nuzzled his yellow-scaled mate affectionately. "So, I take it he's finally up and at it?"

"At it, yes, up is still in question. Did you find them?"

Solar shook his head, his smile fading. "I'm afraid they've left...either Alex left to keep us safe from that demon in him, or they're headed to the temple. I can't get anywhere near it now...Flare, the temple is almost completely rebuilt into a dark fortress."

"WHAT?!"

"Shhhh...yes, but the original temple is still there, they've just magically built on top of it. And I mean magically, those mages going after Alex and Christine are very crafty and also very smart when it comes to architecture. Though I get the feeling...remember in Paralos, way back when Orcs hadn't been eradicated?"

"Kinda..."

"Their towers were built on magic, but when their leader was slain everything fell apart. The temple rebuild seems to be just like that...but everything is made of magic. The bricks, the lights, everything. It's creepy. The apes have been helping the mages with elemental barriers as well..."

Spyro tried to stand up but failed, but the motion caught Solar's attention and the ice dragon rushed over to him. Putting his paws on Spyro he fed light into him and gauged his condition. Flare came up alongside him. "Is he okay? Did I make the medicine correctly?"

"Would seem so...but he's still very weak. Don't push him. Spyro, can you talk yet?"

Spyro opened his mouth and tried to talk but all that came out was a groaning sound followed by a weird-sounding "Dammit" as his vocal cords began to wake up.

"First word...'dammit'," Flare laughed. Spyro managed a laugh but had to stop when his side throbbed.

"Well at least he can laugh, that's a good sign. Laughter is good medicine, let's all tell jokes until he's well again." They laughed again and Spyro felt himself growing a bit stronger...it made no sense but he didn't question it. Solar tried to heal him, but the effect wasn't seen until midday when Spyro slowly forced himself up off the ground. Ignitus yawned and stretched, waking up from his nap when he heard Spyro yawn.

"Finally decided life's worth living, have we?" he asked, and Spyro looked at him oddly and the old fire dragon slowly stood up. "Spyro, I know what you went through...I've been there myself several times. But not every problem can be solved, at least not immediately or soon."

Spyro nodded and tried to talk, but only succeeded in a coughing fit. The other guardians came in from their now-usual walk around the immediate area, and stopped with broad smiles when they saw he was awake. He looked at the floor...Ignitus was understanding, but the others, especially Terrador, might not approve of him failing to find another home.

"What's the matter, Spyro?" Terrador grunted. "What reason does a warrior like you have to be depressed?"

"Warrior?" Spyro rasped, and coughed again.

"Yes, Spyro," Cyril said, sitting down by the wall. "The fact you're awake shows you fought against your self-conceived failure. I am almost of the opinion you and I have the same strong ancestors."

Volteer snorted. "Your relation to the purple dragon is merely through species you pompous arrogant--"

"That's enough," Ignitus said, and Spyro hoarsely laughed. He felt Cynder approaching, and stretched and lay down again, wanting to surprise her. As the guardians situated themselves and warmed up from the cold outside, Cynder appeared at the cave mouth.

"Brrrrrrrr..." she said as she shook herself. "Boy it's chilly out there..." She dragged in a net of some small fish and a few wild geese, carefully sloughed off the armor...and jumped with a startled yell when she felt Spyro nuzzle her side. She stared at him for a few seconds, and he suddenly grunted as she tackled him, planting a powerful, joyful kiss on his mouth before he could struggle. "How'd I know you were gonna surprise me?" she asked, pulling him up. "How long have you been up?"

"Not very long," he rasped, and rubbed his throat. Cynder giggled and pressed her muzzle along his.

"Awww...poor Spyro, he can't talk..."

"Can so!" he coughed, and she laughed.

"You're gonna hack up your lungs if you talk any more!"

"Mmmm...lungs..." They both laughed but Spyro fell into yet another coughing fit. "Yeah I'll shut up now..."

Cynder took the eggs out of the armor and lay down with them, and Spyro lay down by her so the eggs were between them. Spyro watched with an amused grin as Cynder whispered to the eggs, then lay her wing over them and kissed him. "Feeling better?"

Spyro sighed. "Cynder...I'm so sorry I made you worry..." he whispered, but she turned his face to hers with a claw and pressed her nose against his.

"You went through a personal hell and you're still alive. What're you gonna do about the temple?"

He smirked. "Smart...but I'm not gonna worry about the temple." He started coughing and quickly looked away until the spasm passed. "You and the kids are more important right now."

The sun was out for most of the day, giving them enough warmth that Cynder was able to go outside that evening without shivering. She went to the pool branching off from the Silver River, and took a slow drink, watching the fish at the bottom dart away from her. Something moved nearby, and she whipped around, eyeing the mushrooms around her.

"Who's there?"

"Me," Spyro rasped behind her, and she shrieked and whipped around, laughing when she saw him sitting there. She went to press against him, but he jumped aside with a playful grin. Catching on quickly Cynder ran after him as he darted off, but lost sight of him as he ducked behind a cluster of mushrooms.

"Spyro?"

"Gotta find me..." She heard leaves rustle off to her left, not seeing him using his wind powers off to her right, and she headed for the noise. Spyro laughed to himself...quickly climbing up the mushroom with his claws he lay low, watching his black-scaled mate search for him. She looked around with an anticipating grin.

"Spyro? You feeling okay?" She was trying to get him to give away his location.

"Why do you ask?" he asked, then quickly crawled to another mushroom cap.

"Haven't seen you like this in a while...GOTCHA!!!" She leapt up onto the mushroom, but looked around in confusion when he wasn't there. "Dammit! You're too good at this game!"

He laughed and she bolted off towards the sound of his voice, and he yelled in surprise, coughing as he fell to the ground and ran. A game of chase ensued, Spyro and Cynder constantly tagging each other and avoiding swipes, until Spyro tackled Cynder and they rolled over, laughing as he held onto her with her on top. The laughter died down as Cynder pressed her nose against his, and she sighed happily as he brought his legs around her and squeezed her softly. The moons shone through the mushrooms on them as they lost themselves in each others' eyes, and Spyro ran his paw along her cheek a few times before tenderly kissing her. "Sorry I made you worry, Cynder..." he whispered, his throat still sore, and she lay down on him, her head under his chin.

"Least you're still alive," she said, snuggling against his chest. "Mmmmm...haven't had a game like that in a while...so what's the difference?"

Spyro looked up at the sky and breathed deeply. "I dunno...I just... *cough* mmph, sorry...I just feel so much better all of a sudden."

"You don't sound it."

He laughed and shook his head. "Yeah...but it's like last year when you had that bad cough...hopefully this goes away, the tickle in my throat's gonna drive me crazy."

He looked at her slyly, and her eyes widened. "Oh no..."

"Speaking of tickle..."

"ACK!!" she cried, rolling off him. "N-no no no, Spyro!" she laughed, trying to avoid him, but he grabbed her tail and pulled her back and she burst out laughing as his paws raced all over her. "Sp-Spy-Spyro! AHAHAHA STOP-STOP IT!!! AAACK!!" He laughed and let her go, and she staggered up and ran off and he trailed her in another game of chase. He jumped at her but she flipped sideways and then jumped back onto him, staring at him with a wild gleam and a playful grin.

"Oh damn..."

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Alex growled and shook his arm, feeling the bruise from that shadow's mace starting to throb. Christine ran up alongside him, panting. "Damn they've enchanted this place! Feels so evil and it's so f-ing extensive now..."

"We're almost to those chambers you told me about...are they still there?"

"Yes. Alex, are you sure about this?"

"As sure as I'll ever be," he hissed, looking around a corner. The hallways were made of translucent black stone now, with veins of purple energy crackling through them in slow-motion like arcs of electricity. Hideous green and blue torches lit the way as they traversed the basement corridors of the Temple Fortress. Up ahead, Alex saw another mutated Death Hound asleep at the door...these things were incredibly fast, and hit hard, but they were also very stupid. Alex lowered his voice and grunted. "GET UP!!" he called, and the Hound stood up and looked around for the speaker. "Open the door!" He'd seen other guards do this, and it worked like a charm; the mongrel opened the door and went inside. That door wasn't his target; as it closed behind the ugly dog, the frame of another one glowed purple nearby. Christine followed him swiftly down the hallway to that door and they ducked inside. Somehow, the stone hallway here hadn't been touched by magic, only barred by a door, and Alex guarded the door while Christine headed deeper.

Within five minutes they were going further into the tower, trying to find their way up. Thus far, they'd avoided detection, but they couldn't keep at it much longer, by now anyone else would've been caught and slaughtered. Christine had a vague idea of what he had in mind now that they'd visited the nesting chamber...but she was scared. Alex seemed like a completely different person now, like someone else was wearing those green and neon-yellow scales. He had a plan in mind, and she had a very strong feeling it was going to involve something very drastic. They finally came to another untouched spot of the tunnels, and Alex sighed and turned to Christine with an apologetic expression. "What's the face for?" she asked, and he looked down at the ring on his finger.

"I'm sorry, Christine...I know I'm acting totally different...but this has to be done. There's no other way to protect them...are you still with me or do you wanna go back?"

"We're in this together, Alex, but you'd better not be planning anything stupid. We're too deep in here now for me to get back out safely, I'm surprised that last guard didn't see you walk by."

He sat down against the wall, his face in his hands. "I feel like shit...I'm about to do something that might get me killed, but Spyro and the others...I hafta do this. If I hadn't fallen in here, into this world, the mages and shadows wouldn't be here...it's my fault everything got so screwed up for them and their new children..."

Christine sat down by him and he buried his face in his arms, exhausted. "Alex, what the hell are you planning?"

"I can't tell you yet...and don't you slap me or anything; I will tell you, but not now. I know this will work, but we hafta play this just right or everything's down the hole."

"Can't you give me a hint? If I know you as well as I think I do, you need me to play along, and I need to know what you're planning if I'm gonna be part of it."

"You need to play along with anything that I might decide. For the most part I know what I'm doing."

Christine sighed heavily and buried her face in her arms. Alex felt a sharp pang of guilt stab through his chest and he put his arm around her, curling his tail around hers. "Alex...you're scaring me..."

"I know...I'm sorry...but it's like way back in Anthimor, if that helps any."

She looked up at him sharply and laughed. "You ass! That mission was our first failure!"

"'Up from the ashes grow the roses of success'. I forget what movie that was, but it applies here. I know what went wrong then." Christine sighed with a roll of her eyes, and fell against Alex as he pulled her into a hug and gently rocked her until she fell asleep for the night. These tunnel areas were safe havens for them; evil couldn't enter for some reason they couldn't guess at. It felt far away, and yet very near, but Alex felt the presence from the crystals... He yelled in surprise when he saw two sickly eyes looking at him, one made of green glowing crystal, but snapped awake to find he'd been sleeping. It had been a brief flash, but deep-throated evil laughter kept ringing in his ears and those eyes, that one green eye, kept blazing in his mind...

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Cynder yawned and stretched lazily, feeling warm air softly moving over her. She opened her eyes and stared at nothing while her mind slowly woke up, and turned and smiled at her eggs nestled against her side. "Hey little guys...up and at it, we've got more hunting to do today." She nudged them with her nose, and giggled as one gave a tiny movement against her. "Hee hee, so cute...wait..." She lay her paws on the smaller egg, and her eyes widened and she smiled wide as it gave a small motion. "They're moving!"

"What's up?" Flare yawned, looking over at the excited Cynder.

"They're moving! They're moving! I felt them move!" she replied ecstatically, hugging the two eggs. "Oooo...I'm so excited! I can't wait for them to hatch!!"

Solar yawned and rolled over towards the wall. "Still got a month to go..." he grumbled.

"Oh don't be a cold paw, Solar!" Flare said chidingly, punching him in the shoulder. He put his paw on her and she shrieked.

"Too late," he said with a grin.

"You cheater you breathed on your paw!"

"I yawned, there's a difference."

Cynder lay there, nuzzling her eggs with a smile while Flare and Solar bantered. Spyro had been gone for three days again, but this time he was looking for his parents to see about a more protected area. After some exploration he'd found the place where he'd first used fire-breath, but after almost two years he'd forgotten a lot of the area, so after telling Cynder where he'd be he went off. She yawned again and stood up slowly, her limbs vibrating as she stretched. Solar stood up as she got the carrying-armor ready. "You coming, Solar?"

"No, actually, I wanted to make some secure modifications to the armor so there's far less probability of the nets slipping off."

"Oh? Umm...okay then...but who'll look after them?"

"I'm sure Ignitus would love to," Flare said rather loudly, and Ignitus grunted and yawned.

"What am I doing?"

"Could you look after them while I hunt and Solar redoes the armor?"

He laughed and stretched. "Alright, bring them here. Grandpa Ignitus isn't moving much today anyway."

Cynder laughed and slid the eggs over to him carefully, and he folded his huge wing over them and held them against his side. Solar took the armor, and Cynder went outside and took a deep breath. Even with winter coming, it was oddly warm lately, but she didn't mind at all---it was a nice change from the numbing nights. Spreading her wings she took off through the mushroom forest, gliding and rolling between stems, looking for any large prey. Fish were nice every now and then, but with her recent carnivorous mood she needed something more substantial. After a good half an hour, though, her mood dwindled as she found nothing but a few berries. She sighed, looking over a cluster on a tree, thinking about how Spyro would frost fruit for her and the delightful tingle on her tongue from the chill as it melted..."Spyro...please come back soon..."

A thin wisp of white-colored air flew over her, and she watched it curiously as it wove back and forth and wrapped around the berries, coating them in the perfect amount of frost. She turned around and saw Spyro blowing into the air, and he looked down and grinned at her. "You called, hungry mom?"

Cynder pressed her face against his chest and sighed happily. "Hey you...so what'd you find?"

"A hungry mother dragoness...a very pretty one at that," he replied, running his paw along her cheek. "You need breakfast before I show you anything." She looked up and watched as he spat an icicle at the cluster stem, cutting it off, and he caught it with his air breath and brought it over by inhaling.

"That's so weird...but kinda neat," she said as he reached over her and took the cluster by the stem.

"Roll over," he said, and she rolled onto her back, her head against his belly as he sat up behind her, her horns digging into the ground and supporting her. She giggled and opened her mouth, and Spyro put a berry on her tongue. The simple act eventually turned into a game, with Spyro tossing the berries at her for her to catch in her mouth. One hit her on the nose as she moved a bit too slow and they laughed. When the stem was thoroughly picked over Cynder cuddled against Spyro, her head on his shoulder, and he rested his head on hers, swaying back and forth slowly with her. "So...how're you today?"

She giggled again and glanced up at him. "Excited..."

"Why's that?"

She wrapped her tail around his. "The kids are moving in the eggs..."

"Really?"

"Yep! So close...I can't wait!"

Spyro wrapped his wing around her and she murred. "How much longer? Solar and Volteer said it's around two months after birth before the eggs hatch."

Cynder thought back, closing her eyes. "It's been almost a month...pretty much...no wait, it's exactly three weeks since I laid." She sighed happily against his shoulder, not opening her eyes even when she felt his paw under her chin lifting her mouth to his. They sat there for a few seconds, enjoying that little kiss, before Spyro broke it and grinned.

"A month left, or close to it."

"We really should think up some names..."

"I think we should talk with Solar and Flare toss names back and forth. Solar's a living chronicle of knowledge, he may know some words or even other languages that could make interesting names."

"Mmmm...do we hafta go?" She felt his tail wagging along the ground, and looked at him with wide eyes. "Uh oh...Spyro, no..." She edged away from him, unable to hide the playful smile of anticipation pulling at her muzzle, and Spyro stood up and followed her with a goofy grin. "Oh damn..." She screeched with laughter and raced off, and Spyro was right on her tail. She wound between mushrooms, trying to shake him, but he was too good and eventually caught her, and screams of laughter echoed as he tickled her. He suddenly darted away with a laugh, and Cynder flipped up off the ground and bolted after him. Spyro looked back and stopped, unable to see her, and yelled in surprise as she leapt off a mushroom above him and caught him. Her paws were all over him; she knew his most sensitive spots, and before long she fell on top of him, both of them panting and laughing, trying to catch their breath. Cynder wrapped her tail around his and nestled her head under his chin, and murred as he wrapped his limbs around her and squeezed her. "You're awfully playful lately..."

"I am?"

"Yep...and I like it."

He ran his paw along her cheek. "Even with the darkness in the air I feel...so much lighter now, somehow." He hugged her again and rested his chin on her head, his voice going to a whisper. "Especially since I've got you...and the kids."

"I kinda like it here in the swamp compared to the temple..."

"Oh! That reminds me!" He went to get up, and Cynder slipped off him. "See this trail here?" he asked, pointing to the side, "it leads straight to a possible new home. You wanna check it out?"

"Just straight down this way?"

"Yep, straight shot there."

"Race ya!" she said quickly with a wide grin, and shot off.

"HEY!! CHEATER!!" Spyro raced after her and they had fun trying to avoid each others' tackles when one overtook the other.

They came back to the cave to find Flare hiding outside, her face clenched as she tried to hold back her laughter. She noticed them and signaled for them to be quiet, and they crept up by her side and she snorted, looking back at the cave.

"What's going on? What's so funny?" Spyro whispered, and Flare's sides heaved when she tried desperately not to laugh.

"Listen..." They leaned closer to the cave and heard Ignitus talking. Flare clapped her paw over her mouth and giggled.

"And then...BOOM! The fireball exploded and the dragon was sent flying backwards. But he didn't give up! No, he kept going..."

"Who's he talking to?" Cynder asked.

"The eggs..."

"Oh geez..." Spyro groaned with a grin and they almost burst out laughing.

"It's so cute," Flare whispered. "I thought he was asleep when I left, but I came back and heard him telling stories to them..."

Cynder giggled. "Boy, he stepped up as a grandfather!"

"...you kids should always be proud of your parents, and I don't say that just because it's respectful! Your parents are great dragons, possibly the finest this side of the world! Not only that, but every evil that has surfaced, they've fought and defeated. And it's very certain they'll defeat this evil that's taken over the temple."

The three dragons outside were very hard-pressed to keep from laughing out loud. Flare got up to wander off, and Spyro and Cynder followed. At a safe enough distance they looked at each other and burst out laughing.

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lolz