FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 6

The sound of snaps and rustles surrounded both young dragons as they ran through the thick maze of the forest. That was no ordinary scream they heard, it was a scream of horror just like something you never wanted to see just appeared and it didn't came here to talk. As they ran they could not hear anything else besides the sound of the surrounding forest, they hearts started to race, a single terrified scream always was a bad omen.

The only thing that could be attacking them right here and now would be the Apes, but then again, they've never met anyone on their trek through the woods, even if someone would be stalking them Spyro would most likely discover them while being in that state of concentration not so long ago. Still she somewhat blamed her friend for abandoning their companions, her emotions roused by the scream

" How could you leave them alone?" Cynder panted from behind him indigenously

" I've spent the whole night with them, nothing happened!" Spyro exclaimed a little irritated " Besides I have one other friend that I have to look out for"

She snorted " I can take care of myself thank you very much, don't put this on me!"

" Cynder come on, think, what could possibly attack them? Maybe they are overreacting" his words didn't even convince himself

" I don't know, Apes maybe? We have plenty of enemies looking for our scales"

" Impossible, I assure you there is nothing in that forest that wants us dead, I'm not the best tracker around but even I wouldn't make such a mistake"

Cynder sighed, he was right, Spyro would never leave his friend if he didn't think it was safe " Sorry for my outburst" she panted behind him guilty

" Don't be sorry, I understand, it was only a spur of the moment"

She smiled " Thanks" it was then when she heard someone shouting, it sounded like the dragonfly " Did you hear that?"

He did " Sparx!" Spyro called his brother

" Over here!" the shout of his brother echoed through the forest

They ran as fast as they could in the direction of the shout, the moment they've noticed the dragonfly hovering in the air near a tree they both skid to a halt. Both drakes bent on their paws and began to scan the surroundings with narrowed eyes and slowly wagging tails

" Sparx what's going on?" Spyro whispered, his head never stopped turning

Sparx rose his hands in the air " Whoa bro relax, it's not what you think it is"

" Where's Flare?' Cynder hissed

The dragonfly smiled and folded his arms " I let you guess"

Spyro threw his brother an angry glance " Sparx this is not the time for jokes!"

" You wouldn't say that if you knew what I know"

" Cut it out!" Cynder growled " Where is Flare?"

Sparx shook his head " You guys are no fun" with that he lowered down towards the protruding roots of the tree " Just look at all those worms!" he exclaimed " And they look hungry too!"

" Sparx what are you-" Spyro was cut off by a sudden rustle of branches and falling leafs from above him.

Cynder noticed that too, they both looked up and noticed a fiery shape among the crown

" Flare?!" She exclaimed dumbfounded " What are you doing up there?"

" B-b-b-b-bugs!" the red dragon stammered while shaking uncontrollably, tossing down leafs and some smaller twigs

" Bugs?" the dragoness repeated after him

" You see, our brave new friend here was sleeping under this tree" Sparx began recalling the recent event to his two friends " Some bugs took liking to him and started slithering all over the place, and when Flare opened his eyes and noticed all those worms he screamed like a girl and BAM!" he pointed a finger towards the crown " He's up there. A material for a hero isn't he?"

" W-w-w-w-we have t-t-t-to k-k-k-kill them!" Flare emitted a stammering terrified shout

Sparx snapped his fingers " Oh yeah, I forgot that he wanted to burn this little fellows. Luckily for I've been here to stop him or he would torch the whole forest by now, with us with it. You don't need to thank me, that's just what I do"

Spyro leaned closer " Ok I'm lost, being afraid of ghosts, death, war and the like I understand but bugs?" he whispered " Who's afraid of bugs?"

" Your new friends bro, you have a knack for meeting interesting people." the dragonfly shrugged " Who cares if they are crazy"

Cynder threw the dragonfly an angry glance before raising her head " Flare, you can come down now, they are harmless"

" N-n-n-no!"

" What can they possibly do to you?" Spyro asked despite his status of the bad guy in the red dragon's eyes

Flare didn't seem to notice who was addressing him " T-t-t-they c-c-c-c-crawl in y-y-y-your n-n-n-nose and e-e-e-eat y-y-your b-b-b--brains o-out!"

" That's not true!" Cynder exclaimed surprised " Who the hell told you that?"

He didn't pay attention to her shout, the dragon was continuing his ramble " A-a-a-and, a-a-a-and they s-s-s-suck o-out y-y-y-your e-e-e-eyes!"

" What?!" she shook her head in disbelief " That's bull-"

" Man that's not everything!" Sparx' excited shout cut her off. The dragonfly rose upwards and hovered just next to the trembling red dragon " When they finish with your brain they start to eat your guts out!" he stated with the most menacing tone he could muster, it was enough to make the dragon to gasp " And when they are done, you start to spit blood all over the place!"

" Sparx stop!" both young dragons exclaimed from below

" Don't listen to him Flare!" Cynder added

The dragonfly leaned closer " And you know what's the worst part? You never see them coming, they might eat you away as we speak" the red dragon whimpered, the branches he was hugging to shook violently, as they wanted to scream that they can barely hold his trembling weight

" T-t-t-they c-c-c-can be i-i-i-in me r-r-r-right NOW?!" the dragon stammered horrified

" No they can't!" Cynder tried to get the attention of their new companion but her attempt was to no avail. Seeing it failed she turned to the dragonfly " Sparx that's enough!"

He ignored her protest " No dude relax, if there was something in you, you would feel it"

Flare exhaled a sigh of relief but he was still on edge

" Don't worry man, with me around no bug will surprise you" Sparx patted the muscle around his eye " Keen eyes dude, I can spot every single little detail, no worm will get past me! They always leave that one track..." Sparx eyes went wide and his voice trailed off, he quickly pointed a finger at the dragon " ONE IS ON YOUR SHOULDER!" he yelled

Flare panicked instantly, with terrified scream he began to slap his shoulder while chaotically trembling. The branches had enough, the moment the dragon bounced once more they snapped under his weight. With a yelp of surprise Flare fell down, with no space and time to spread his wings, the red dragon crashed onto the ground with a grunt. Leafs and parts of branches followed soon after, some landed near him while others bounced right off his head.

He quickly rolled on the ground a couple of times to get rid himself of the slithering invader before pulling himself up " I-i-i-is it g-g-g-gone?!" Flare stammered scared while scanning his body carefully

" It was never there. Flare calm down, Sparx was just joking" Cynder comforted the panicking dragon

Sparx smirked, he was pride of his little innocent prank " Yeah dude it was just a joke"

" T-t-t-that w-w-w-was m-m-mean!" Flare stammered and winced soon after, as if he did something bad and expected punishment for it

Sparx made his way closer to him, making the dragon hunker down " Come on dude, you are afraid of bugs, how can it not be funny? Seriously man you are a dragon"

The fiery drake visibly relaxed a bit when he noticed no punishment is coming, yet he was still nervous " S-s-s-so?" he asked not really understanding what him being a dragon has to do with anything

Sparx observed the dragon quite dumbfounded, he was actually serious. At first he wanted to explain everything, that a creature like him shouldn't be afraid of worms but he thought better of it " I have no idea" he replied sarcastically

" Flare what's going on?" Spyro asked " Why you are so afraid of bugs?"

The red dragon looked at Spyro, a clear hint of anger could be seen in his eyes behind all that nervousness " Y-y-y-you e-e-e-exactly know w-w-w-why!" he emitted a stammered yell " I w-w-w-woke up-" when his monolog came to an abrupt end, the drake averted his gaze and winced, as if remembering not a very pleasant memory " I d-d-d-don't w-w-w-want to t-t-t-talk about t-t-t-this"

Sparx was unmoved, not really interested in the reason behind his fear. Something entirely else bugged him " Ok I have to ask, you realize that you stammer sometimes, right?"

Cynder rolled her eyes " Great sense of timing"

Flare blushed, he was aware of his flawed speech, yet he still felt embarrassed when the dragonfly pointed it out "I a-a-a-always s-s-s-s-stammer w-w-w-when I'm r-r-r-really n-n-n-nervous"

" Then relax dude" Sparx inhaled deeply " Take a deep breath and exhale" the dragonfly exhaled " Again, take a deep breath" his chest swollen " and exhale" he did what he said " Come on follow me" breath" Flare inhaled "exhale" the dragon let go of the air " Again, breath" both their chests had swollen " and release" they both exhaled " See? Feeling better now?" Sparx asked

Flare nodded, he actually did feel more calmer " Yes"

" I've told you that you just needed to relax, the worms just surround you and you remain calm." He raised a thumb, a simple gesture of applause " Keep up the good work!"

The dragon's eyes shot wide open, he began to jump all around the place just trying to avoid the bugs that were surrounding them, it didn't matter they weren't there.

" Sparx!" the other two companions admonished the dragonfly

" Dude that was a joke!" he shouted at the red dragon gaining his attention " Let's go through this again. Breath..."

The group has left the forest, the sun a welcoming sight for all of them and especially for the fiery dragon, the moment they stepped out from the thick woods, they all stopped. Spyro did his best, he led his friends to a place where no living soul could be seen, here only nature lived its peaceful life, not bothering anyone. Ignitus would be proud. The sun illuminated this perfectly green and beautiful part of the Dragon Realms, the fertile grounds gladly accepted the life giving rays, the southern end of the world was the most favorite land for the most of the inhabitants of the Realms. It was the ideal change of scenery from the lush green jungle named the Tall Plains to the north or the completely covered in ice and snow terrains of Dante's Freezer located some kilometers away from the ruined Dragon Temple.

They stood at the brink of the forest, seeping warm from the sun's life-giving light. While for the three saviors it wasn't anything special, just a sunny day like any other, for their new companions it was something indescribable and overwhelming. Flare stood there with his wide yellow eyes, his head was moving slowly, his mind was leisurely ingesting the scenery before him. The world he looked upon was wide, green and so beautiful, everything looked so invigorating in the bright light. Flare rose his head to congratulate the one who is doing such a great work, he squinted and covered his eyes with his paw to look upon one of the skies' sentinels through his claws.

He smiled, smiled like he never had before, it didn't bother him in the slightest that the sun's direct light was blinding, he had to convince himself that this is really happening. He lowered his head and looked around the world once more, his eyes glittering and his heart beating with glee. As Flare scanned the surroundings he noticed some strange things growing from the ground, he immediately ran towards them. It was an odd thing, it reminded him of a tree, it had a very thin green trunk and a very violet crown with a strange yellow dot in the middle. Something told him at the back of his head to not be afraid of it, to experiment with new things. He reached and plucked the tiny tree from the ground, Flare examined it from every angle, as he did so he felt some pleasant smell invading his nostrils. He wrinkled his a couple of times before realizing it was coming from the thing he held in his paw, driven by the scent he brought the strange tree closer and sniffed it. It wasn't like anything else he smelled before, the aroma was extremely pleasant and strangely delicate, it smelled of peacefulness.

" That's a flower, violet to be more precise" Cynder whispered from behind him

" Flower..." Flare muttered under his breath while taking another sniff of the gentle aroma.

He gently put down the plucked out flower amongst the other ones. While he withdrew his paw he stopped, with a frown the dragon delicately ran his claw along the petals. Their soft surfaces bent and bounced under his touch, violets, something such fragile yet radiating an unexplained strength. The world he never knew existed was right in front of his eyes, the flowers only reminded him how much he missed, how many things were taken away from him, and now here they were, it felt like paradise.

Flare looked up, the cloudless azure sky stretched above him to untold boundaries, the green land below his paws and all around him stretched far and wide just to hide itself below the horizon later on. He was out of his cage, the land welcomed him eagerly, he thanked it for its trust as he scanned the surroundings with his glittering eyes. This world, it was all his, nobody is telling him where to go, nobody is telling what to do, for the first time Flare feels like no chains are wrapped around his neck, he can do whatever he wants.

Yet he had a hard time convincing his mind that whatever happened when he made through that portal or whatnot was left there. Flare made an shaky step forward and froze as expecting something or someone to put him back in line. Nothing happened. Another step, the same situation, once again he moved, there was still silence. Flare began walking faster and faster, farther and farther, slowly convincing his suffocated mind that the world changed. His smile began to grow wider, his heart began to pump blood faster, a feeling roused itself within him, a sensation very alien to him but at the same time the one which he beseeched for. Freedom

" I'M FREE!" Flare roared and ran, didn't matter where, as far as no one is forcing him to stop it was good " I'M FREE!" he roared once again as if trying to announce his situation to the world itself.

If it cared was unimportant for him, the only thing that mattered were now the non-existing restrictions, pretty selfish perhaps but he deserved it. Flare ran back and forth, left to right while emitting sometimes the cheerful roar. He ran as fast as his legs could carry him, the vast world tried to show him that even freedom has its price by placing obstacles on his path. He didn't care, every rock or any other obstacle that blocked his path he conquered by jumping over it or just avoiding it entirely. The world held sway after so many smaller signs it decided to bring out the big guns, as the dragon ran a small hill grew from the ground, blocking his path.

Flare kept running unconcerned by the unscalable wall that rose before him, he was free and only he will decide when to stop. The dragon looked up, the cloudless sky stretched above him without any obstacles and limits. With a smile he spread his wings and just only a couple of kilometres before the hill he leapt into the air. As he gained altitude Flare extended his paw as if trying to catch the air itself, he flied before but nothing could be compared to this, the thing that he only dreamed of in the past became a reality.

The mood on the ground however was not that of pure happiness, awe mostly dominated there. The group stared at the flying dragon and couldn't believe their own eyes, Flare's wings were quite a sight. Not only that they never seen such wings in action but also they never thought something like this was possible. It might be just and illusion but his wings seemed to get bigger, almost twice their normal size, but that was not everything. Whenever Flare flapped his wings they left fiery dashes in the air that looked like a flame just burst but on a smaller scale. It was quite a sight, they never thought they will see a sky burning, it must be looking even more impressive after nightfall.

Flare on the other hand was unaffected by such trifles, the open sky was his interest. He kept making his way through the air, rippling the sky with his fiery wings, when he soared like that he inhaled deeply, the fresh air sent a delicate shiver through his lungs. Flare closed his eyes and inhaled once more, then he repeated the same process again and again and again. With each breath he took the feeling of glee started to become more palpable until he couldn't keep it bottled within him any longer.

He burst out laughing and just couldn't stop as he soared in the sky, the whizzing wind only seemed to intensify his joyful cry. Flare never felt like this before, he just laughed uncontrollably like he never did in his entire life. All those emotions he quenched within him, all those dreams he never thought could happen, all this hope that he never thought will fulfill itself, all those thing he released in that laughter. Freedom has such a delightful taste, and its solely for him.

Flare kept flying, spinning and flipping in the air, diving, rising, with addition of some others acrobatic moves. No matter what he did he kept laughing and smiling, he kept going until his mind and heart calmed themselves after fully absorbing the new situation. With last backflip Flare headed for the ground and landed near the group that found him.

" Whoa" the three friends mumbled the moment the red dragon appeared in front of them

" I know right?!" Flare exclaimed excitedly

" Your wings..." Cynder muttered " I've never seen anything like that"

He waved his paw dismissively" It was nothing, but that!" he pointed at the sky " That's just great!"

" Dude slow down there" Sparx said incredulously " Your wings are farting flames and you say that a sky is great? Dude seriously?"

Flare nodded confidently " Yeah! I've never knew that flying could be so much fun! I mean I knew what a sky was but I never thought I'll be flying up there someday"

" What do you mean that you never thought you'll be flying up there?"

The fiery drake looked up not really caring that it was Spyro who asked him that question " I saw the sky only through the cracks in the ceiling"

Cynder looked clearly disturbed by the news" That's horrible"

The red dragon sighed " I thought so too but it turned out that it wasn't so bad, the horrible happened when one day such a crack appeared in the place where I stayed" he looked at the dragoness sadly " You know what's the most effective way to torture someone? Show them that there is something good out in the world, somebody never dreamed of and make that dream real but also untouchable at the same time. I could feel the fresh air every day, I could see a way to freedom just at paws reach."

" You know what that does to people?" he continued " It gives them purpose to fight for something, a blind hope that if they try hard enough they will win. But after you fail again and again..." he shook his head" You become angry, you start to blame everyone and everything for this failure. You know there is a way out and you try to reach it no matter what, and when after another days of futile attempts you hear people telling you to stop, you see people backing down, you put the blame on them "

" While you keep working to free yourself, you see some small chunks of rock falling down, it gives you more strength ,fills you with more anger to pursue something that was never meant for you, and when you try so desperately to free yourself you hear people dissuading you from that idea. Your mind starts to panic, telling you that the people who surround you are working with your captors. After some time of this torture you finally snap, you have to punish someone for this and your roommates seem like the perfect solution"

He winced when some painful images flashed before his eyes " I've never seen so much blood before" he muttered

" And on which side were you?" Sparx asked cautiously, even if something told him he already knew the answer " The bullies or the losers?"

Flare looked to the side in shame " I...I've been amongst the dragons who couldn't stand the insults any longer, the ones who snapped"

" Perfect!" the dragonfly exclaimed

" You killed your roommates Flare?" Spyro asked just to be sure, however his voice wasn't filled with anger or blame but concern

The red dragon winced " Yes, I-"

" Another killer! That's exactly what we need now!" Sparx outraged shout cut off the drake

" Sparx chill" Cynder growled

"...I slaughtered them...I just couldn't stop..." Flare continued to rant under his breath

" CHILL?!" the dragonfly yelled in disbelief " We got a crazy dude here who kills people only because they disagree with him!"

" You have no right to judge! They've tortured him!" Cynder snarled

" Everybody just calm down!" Spro yelled but nobody listened to him

"...some of them didn't even fight back..." the red dragon continued to mumble

Sparx pointed an accusing finger at the fiery drake " You hear that?! He is a cold blooded killer!"

" Whoever was torturing Flare broke him, it was not his fault!" the black dragoness tried to justify their new companion's action

" Guys please!" Spyro's pleading shout reached deaf ears

"...they were not trying to hurt me and I still killed them..." Flare kept ranting with a voice filled with guilt

" Yeah because it is possible to accidently tear somebody's heart out!" Sparx yelled with his typical sarcastic manner

" THEY BROKE HIS SPIRIT! YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW IT FEELS LIKE!" Cynder roared angrily

" NOTHING JUSTIFIES MURDER!" the dragonfly retorted at the top of his lungs

Cynder balked with a gasp after hearing his shout, also Flare's uncontrollable rant was silenced by the sound. An awkward silence has befallen on the group, the situation clearly got out of paws, it's essential to calm things down

" Guys listen-"

" It will be better for everyone if he would return to whatever place he came from" Sparx cut Spyro off with his strangely cold statement

" NO!" Flare yelled terrified

" That's your answer for everything!" Cynder snarled " It's all black and white for you!"

" Please don't send me back there!" the red drake screamed, he was at the brink of tears

" Open your eyes!" Sparx retorted " There is only red, nothing else! Do we really need another Malefor?"

" Sparx the brave hero who would rather avoid trouble then face it! Hail to our savior!' Cynder growled " How can you even think about throwing him back there? Didn't you hear what he was saying?"

" That portal is gone he cannot return!" Spyro yelled trying to break through cacophony of shouts " This argument is pointless!"

" I won't hurt anyone. Promise!" Flare exclaimed with a wavering voice

Sparx ignored the red dragon, he paid attention to his brother while seizing the black dragoness with his eyes at the same time " Then let's leave him here"

" But, I-"

" Yeah let's abandon him, since he killed he is no longer a living being" Cynder snapped

" I won't kill anyone I SWEAR!" Flare begged

Sparx turned to the fiery drake " You have your freedom" he waved his hand " Go, enjoy it"

He looked behind him and the moment he did that confusion clouded his mind. His head returned to the previous position soon after with his eyes fixed on the ground " But I...I don't know what to do" he muttered bashfully

" Whatever you want, it's freedom, you always wanted that right?"

He did want it but he also knew that he will be lost in this unfamiliar world without help and the three of them were the only people he met. The group has it issues but at least one dragoness was nice to him, the closest person he could call a friend, he didn't want to lose that

" Can I stay with you?" he asked bashfully

" NO!"

"YES!" both Sparx and Cynder exclaimed at the same time

Spyro rubbed his forehead " This is going nowhere..." he muttered under his breath angrily

" Dude go! Explore the world!" Sparx shouted with an irritated voice

" But I don't want to..." Flare mumbled sadly

" You can't stay"

" But why?" he finally looked at the dragonfly. Now he has something he never thought he will be granted, freedom with at least someone who sincerely cares about him, he just can't give up on that " I've made a mistake but I told you that it won't happen again. Just let me stay, please"

Sparx shook his head " Go!" he shouted yet his voice lacked the previously palpable confidence after hearing the dragon's constant pleading tone

" You have no right to force him to do anything!" Cynder snarled

" I left the past behind as Cynder told me, clean sheet remember? I won't hurt anyone I swear" Flare pleaded once again

Sparx opened his mouth to voice another protest but was interrupted by Spyro's annoyed and somewhat pained shout " I have enough of this! Nobody is going anywhere! I'm tired to listening to this and I just hate to see my friends fighting. Flare is staying and that's final! Now shut up and be friends again!" he roared

The red dragon's eyes traveled between every member of this little group, a perplexed look formed itself on his snout as he noticed that everyone was actually listening to the purple dragon, even the powerful dragonfly. He didn't say anything but shouldn't it be the other way around? But they are letting him stay, there was no sense in pushing your luck

Sparx turned towards his brother with a resigned look on his face, his shoulders and head fell down with a sigh " I've tried"

" You did great, you actually managed to annoy three people at the same time!" Cynder exclaimed with a faked praise. " A new record, congratulations!"

The dragonfly looked at her with a corner of his eye, a glimpse of pity shimmered from it for a brief moment. He sighed once more and shook his head

" Cynder that's enough" Spyro admonished her, much to the dragoness displeasure, she threw him an irritated glance and emitted an offended snort. The purple dragon focused on the group " Now we are going to move, TOGETHER as we planned from the beginning. Everyone's cool with that?"

His eyes traveled between every member of his group, he saw Flare opening his mouth but when seeing that the other two didn't respond he closed it soon after. Sparx was just staring at the ground and shaking his head, while Cynder was eyeing the dragonfly angrily.

It seems Spyro has to pull their teeth " I want to hear you say it, everyone's cool with that?" he asked once more, his eyes jumping between every dragon and dragonfly

" Yes" Cynder answered, her eyes never leaving his brother

" Yes..." Sparx muttered with resignation

" YES!" Flare exclaimed excitedly, it was more like a cry of triumph than simple agreement

Spyro nodded " Great now let's get out of here, I'm tired of this place" with that the group took off after the purple dragon

The group was soaring through the cloudless sky, green land blurring below them as they moved. The argument earlier left a bitter aftertaste among everyone one of them, only Flare seemed unaffected, his head was constantly moving as he absorbed every detail of this new world. They were flying in complete silence, Spyro turned his head to check on his companions, they were flying behind him, their eyes focused on the horizon, not even meeting his ..

The purple dragon turned his head to look ahead and shivered, this silence gave him the creeps, even his brother didn't say a word which only meant one thing- the situation is even worse than it seems. Spyro's heart ached, he hates to see the two most important people in his world fighting with each other, he just couldn't allow it to continue, he just couldn't.

Spyro looked at the excited fiery dragon behind him and an idea crossed his mind " Flare take the lead!" he yelled

The red dragon balked at the sound of his voice, his yellow uncertain and confused eyes traveled on the dragonfly as if looking for some kind of assistance

" Flare get over here!" Spyro shouted once more

The fiery dragon kept watching the glowing dragonfly a while longer but when he realized that no reaction will be coming, he slowly nodded in acceptance " I'm coming" he answered, yet not because he wanted to, it seemed like he acted on fear

" Lead on" Spyro encouraged his new companion the moment he tentatively flew next to him

" But...but I don't know where to go" Flare mumbled with a scared voice

The purple dragon noticed his attitude but it was not the time to dwell on it right now " Just fly straight ahead, I'll tell you when to turn, don't worry" he said kindly and fell back behind the fiery tail

As he flew behind Flare Spyro looked behind his shoulder, he smiled slightly when he noticed that his plan worked. Cynder and Sparx were no longer staring in the distance lost in thought but instead their confrontation shifted onto the flames bursting forth from Flare's flapping wings. He smiled inwardly after noticing his success, better let their focus settle on something fascinating than let it be wasted on thinking about a pointless argument.

Spyro looked ahead and cocked his head, the flames were really fascinating. He blinked and chuckled under his breath when he realized that he became the victim of his own master plan. However he had to admit that there was something in those bursting flames that drawn attention. The sight triggered his natural curiosity, Spyro reached out, he just had to touch those flames.

He gritted his teeth when Flare's wings went down, his self- preservation instinct kicked in telling him to back down or he will regret it. He didn't budge and when the flames burst forth he expected that they will burn his paw, with a wince he prepared himself for the inevitable. Spyro's snout relaxed when no unbearable heat struck his scales, to his surprise the flames weren't hot but enjoyably warm. He might have expected this since his fiery wings didn't burn Cynder but this was different, those flames weren't connected with Flare's wings yet they still weren't hot.

Spyro forgot about the heat and no heat dispute instantly when he noticed that whenever the flames reached his extended leg a delicate yellow flash covered his vision. He looked down and his eyes widened the moment he did that, whenever the flames reached his purple scales they shattered and bounced of his paw in a show of many yellow sparks. Spyro just couldn't stop staring at the spectacle, he never saw anything like it before, hell, he never thought something like this was possible.

The delicate yellow flashes made him think about the recent events, maybe he worried too much? Perhaps the Veils aren't that bad? What if they hide more of such unspeakable stuff? Ok perhaps Brill isn't exactly the model of something good, but there is always a rotten apple, there is always a flaw in the system. What if the portals hide creatures like Flare? He revealed to them his difficult past but honestly does it really matter now in the light of recent events?

A clean sheet, simple words coming from Cynder's mouth he thought that were only used to confront their new companion had a greater meaning now, you jump in time, leaving everything you've been, everything you experienced in the past and you are brought into this new world with nothing but memories. It's like being born anew, it's like being given a second chance, it's like starting from the beginning- a clean sheet.

Sometimes perhaps a monster or something else push through that's hostile, just like the Keeper thing, nobody said life is easy after all. However when those things would protect something as precious as Flare then it's worth fighting for in Spyro's eyes, it's worth taking a risk to give somebody else a second chance. Maybe those Veils are some kind of reward, some kind of sign that their efforts didn't go unnoticed? One can only hope.

Spyro shook his head with a blink once again, he wasn't supposed to be the one who dwelled on Flare's extraordinary appearance and what it meant. He withdrew his paw, only a small part of the flames managed to catch his leg, some yellow sparks bounced of his claws emitting a dim light. " Amazing" he mused to himself before looking over his shoulder, he located his female friend, she was still completely lost in the fiery wings, even from here he could see flames reflecting in her emerald eyes. Spyro slowed down, impulsively she did the same, perhaps her concentration was focused entirely on Flare but there was still a part of her mind that directed her body and it just didn't want any collision in the air. They flew slower than the rest of the group for a little longer, this simple move made them fall back behind the other two. It was what Spyro wanted, he needed to pull her to the side so to speak to have a little one-on-one chat with her.

" Quite a sight huh?" he stated the obvious, it had the same meaning when somebody else would say to someone that this is a nice weather in a sunny day.

Cynder snapped from her trance and narrowed her eyes on her purple friend " You don't say? Thanks the Ancestors you showed up, otherwise I wouldn't figure it myself" she replied with an offended sarcasm

" Hey! I just wanted to start a conversation" Spyro defended himself

She rolled her eyes " Get to the point already Captain Obvious and hurry to avert a crisis somewhere else" she hissed in exasperation

He narrowed his eyes on her " Take a chill pill Grumpy"

Cynder's eyes flared up " This is how you want it to play out? By insulting me? Very sublime" she growled

" You wanted me to get straight to the point so here it is"

" You may be actually related with your stupid brother after all. Get out of my sight before you'll regret it"

" You know that's not going to happen" Spyro replied calmly

" OH REALLY?" she snarled " Leave me or I'll make you"

He shook his head " I'm not going anywhere"

" GO HUG WITH YOUR BROTHER AND LEAVE THIS MURDERER ALONE!" Cynder roared

Spyro noticed the group stopping after her display of anger, he turned around and with a wave of his paw urged them to continue, the moment they did that he focused on the dragoness once more

" You are no murderer" he said

" Oh? Now you have a change of heart?" she snarled

" Gee Cynder stop being so crabby, I'm your friend"

" My friend you say? Correct me if I'm wrong but I haven't heard you backing me up there"

He shook his head " I wasn't taking any sides"

" You weren't taking sides yet it was you who told me to shut up"

" Now you are just being fussy"

Cynder growled " I've told you to go away, I need a vast personal space. I'm just THAT fussy"

Spyro rolled his eyes and reached for her paw " Now you are just being ridiculous"

She yanked her leg away " Don't touch me!" she snapped

" I just want to show you something"

" I don't want to see it"

He shook his head " Cynder sometimes you can be so..." his voice trailed off when an idea crossed his mind " Fine I'll give you your personal space" with that he sped up his flight but instead in keeping his word Spyro wrapped his tail tightly around the dragoness foreleg when he was in front of her and pulled her behind him

" LET-ME-GO!" she pronounced each word slowly making sure he won't miss the murderous tone in her voice

" Just be quiet" he answered calmly, completely unmoved by her tone

" Spyro I'm warning you!" she growled

" Just look"

" I don't want to!" she yanked her foreleg but couldn't break free " That's it you've asked for it! I-" her rant was cut off by a sudden delicate yellow flash covering her vision .She looked down on her now extended and free leg, flames from Flare's wings had reached her paw and shatter into many tiny yellow sparks on impact.

" I..." she muttered but then another flames reached her, they looked like waves of fiery water crashing on the cliffs. Cynder opened her mouth but no sound came out, she was speechless.

Spyro smiled when he noticed her unmoving paw and calming expression on her snout " Quite a sight, huh?"

" It's beautiful" Cynder muttered in awe when once again the yellow light reflected in her green eyes

Spyro turned his smiling snout towards his own extended paw without saying a word

She looked at her purple friend, shame and pride mixing together within her " Ignitus was right, you are THE dragon"

" You both were always thinking too highly of me" he replied bashfully

" Don't hide behind modesty, you are perhaps the only one who can quench my temper. I know how painful it can be" she admitted shamefully

He shrugged " It's not that bad, I like it actually"

She smiled, yet it was a forced and sad smile " No you don't"

Spyro looked at her, sincerity shimmering in his amethyst eyes " I really do. You are special Cynder, you are different from anyone else I've ever met. Imagine a world where only dragons like me would exist, always smiling and always nice. You know how boring it would be?"

Cynder giggled, tears appeared in the corners of her eyes when she looked at him " I don't deserve a friend like you"

He waved his paw dismissively " Oh stop it"

" I'm serious"

He dropped the childish attitude and looked her straight in the eyes " You deserve so much more. Now I'm being serious"

She shook her head " No I don't, not after everything I've done"

" Cynder..."

" I'm a murderer Spyro, nothing more, nothing less"

" You are so much more!" he exclaimed " You are my friend, you are one of the most important people to me, you are the reason why I kept fighting, you are my strength"

A tear fell from her eye, Cynder smiled, no matter how many times he repeated how much she meant for him it still made her happy all the same. However the recent events didn't exactly allow her heart to fill with joy entirely

" If only everyone in our little group shared similar point of view" she whispered sadly

Spyro furrowed a brow " What are you talking about?" You are important for everyone here"

" Sparx would beg to differ"

He balked " No Cynder, it's not like that"

" He called me a murderer Spyro!" she exclaimed " I know that your brother isn't one of my biggest fans but still..."

" I'm sure he didn't meant that"

" Oh? When was the last time you've seen him acting like that? When was the last time he dropped his mask and showed what he truly thinks?"

Spyro opened his mouth but no sound came out, he frowned trying to remember a moment where his brother expressed his feeling without his usual sarcasm but just couldn't " I...I don't know" he muttered

" Exactly"

He looked at her " Since when do you care what people think of you?"

" I don't, but... I hoped that at least he would trust me a bit more, I've gave him my word that I will keep you safe, and I've kept it and he still calls me a murderer" with a sigh her head fell down " How I am supposed to redeem myself when even your own brother doesn't want to forgive me?"

" I know Sparx better than anyone, he would never do such a thing, not after everything we've been through. You had to misunderstood him"

" I'm not so sure about that"

" You know what? Stop thinking about it, forget about everything that happened, about very bad word or accusation and concentrate on the good things. Like when you've did everything to keep your promise and protect me for example, or how you helped Flare. Give your heart a moment of glory"

Cynder frowned, he was right, Sparx' words rekindled all this blame and guilt within her, it especially hurt when he was the one who rubbed salt into that wound. However Spyro was right, there was no sense to dwell on it, she tried to make up for her mistakes, if people can't see it, screw them.

Cynder smiled and looked at her purple friend with happy eyes " You ever thought about becoming a poet?"

Spyro chuckled " Nah, I've been too busy with staying alive lately"

She presented him a grateful smile " Thanks for cheering me up and..." she shrugged bashfully "...sorry for being a bitch"

" No harm done"

" Seriously, I don't know how you can stand me, most people would ditch me somewhere already"

Spyro smiled " And let someone else enjoy your company?" he shook his head " No way, you are mine"

She leaned closer " So you are saying that I'm your bitch?"

He scratched the back of his head " In a manner of speaking you...you could say that...yeah...but- "

Cynder faked a sob and pretended to wipe a tear from her eye " That's the sweetest thing somebody ever said to me" she cut him off

Spyro chuckled

" It still amazes me why you still don't have a mate" she smirked

He laughed " Shut up"

She soon joined him in his cheerful cry, for a moment they've forgot about the recent worries, all that mattered was this particular laugh. After a while Spyro flew away leaving her with her cheerful dreams, there was still one more thing to do.

Spyro began to fly next to his brother, the time of his conversion has just dawned, Spyro opened his mouth but didn't even manage to utter a single word before Sparx interjected

" Interview time, finally!" palpable sarcasm could be felt in the dragonflies' voice

" In the forest, what was all that about?" Spyro asked straightforward

" You've noticed that too? How dragons can be afraid of bugs..." he shook his head

The purple dragon frowned " Stop hiding behind wit, I want you to be serious, you've hurt Cynder with your words, how could you do such a thing after all this time?"

His brother sighed, he flew with his shoulders slumped down for a while in complete silence " It wasn't my intention" he finally replied with guilt filled voice

" You have to apologize to her"

Spar balked " What? No!"

" Sparx!" Spyro admonished him

" I'm not really good in this, I might screw up even more"

" I don't care, it's the action that matters not the words you use, she's smart, she will understand what you tried to do"

Sparx sighed once more " Fine Angel, just don't smite me. We are done here?"

" No"

The dragonfly rolled his eyes " Why do I even ask?"

" Cynder is one thing, the other is Flare. Why did you so suddenly wanted to get rid of him?"

" Oh come on, give me a break! You want me to apologize to him too?" Sparx protested

" Just answer the question"

He sighed again " Flare has slaughtered many people, do we really need another Malefor right now?"

Spyro jerked back " What are you talking about? Flare is no Malefor. How could you even come to such assumption, it's just stupid"

" Is it? Our new friend here is special, who did ever see a burning dragon before huh? Just like nobody had seen a purple one before Malefor. Whatever some old dudes wrote in their books doesn't matter, back then when Malefor was the only purple guy out there he triggered fascination in everyone and what? Soon all those guys who drooled over him ate dirt, it doesn't matter that Flare's scales are different, people won't allow another Malefor to rise again, we are just giving them the perfect scapegoat"

Spyro thought about this for a moment, his theory perhaps made sense but no matter how long he dwelled on it he still thought that it is somewhat overdone " I don't know Sparx"

The dragonfly shrugged " Ok if you don't believe me then let Flare share with people his murderous past, let's see what happens then"

His brother might have a point, with Brill sitting in Warfang it is very likely that he might rouse a lynch mob after he would here about Flare's past " Maybe you are right"

" I am. Now, you are done interrogating me?" he threw Cynder a quick glance " I still need to humiliate myself"

" Yeah" with that he began to fly away but after a while he stopped, there was something bugging him in the back of his mind, something telling him that his brother wasn't entirely honest with him. He turned to face the dragonfly " You sure you've told me everything?"

" Did I forget to mention how great I am?"

Spyro frowned, there was still that nagging feeling but he just couldn't place his claw on it. With a shake of his head he discarded the thought, he might have been overreacting " Never mind" with that he turned to the fiery dragon " Flare, turn left!"

Sparx observed his brother for a while before turning to Cynder " Here goes" with a crack of his knuckles he approached the dragoness. " Hi Second Tail"

" Hi Third Wheel" she replied casually without even looking at him

That was it, they began to fly in silence as he was suddenly lost for words, Sparx began to look round the area to somehow break the awkward moment " Nice weather, huh?"

Cynder giggled " You actually might be related"

The dragonfly frowned in confusion " What?"

She shook her head with a smile still plastered on her snout " Oh nothing, just a loose observation"

" Yeah whatever, listen about that thing in the forest, I wasn't talking about you"

Cynder looked at him, not really surprised to see him apologizing since she knew Spyro would force him to do it, but that doesn't mean she can't tease him a little " Is that an apology Sparx?"

He snorted " Don't be stupid I just want to sort things out"

" Ohhh I think that's an apology"

" No it's not! Just shut up and listen!"

" Sparx feels bad and wants to apology, cute" she baby talked him

" I've told you already that I'm trying to clear things out!" he protested

" Apology, apology, apology" she repeated the same word in the childish manner while bobbing her head from side to side

" It's not an apology!" he exclaimed

" Sparx is apologizing, Sparx is apologizing, Sparx is apologizing!"

" Grow up!" he snapped I'm leaving!" he flew away

Cynder grinned. It was nice of him to try to apologize to her, if she really didn't let him do that. Actions speak louder than words anyway.

Spyro flew next to Flare as they slowly progressed through the sky. It wasn't long before the foggy image of Warfang was coming into view. Spyro saw Flare slowing down, he looked at him just to see his eyes staring wide into the distance

" Flare what's the matter?" Spyro asked

" Whoa" the fiery dragon could only emit a gasp of awe

The purple dragon looked ahead and cursed his forgetfulness, Flare didn't even know how a tree looked like, then how is he supposed to know what a city is. The image of Warfang in the distance made Spyro think about his brother's words, perhaps he was right that Flare shouldn't be opening himself to the other people there, he remembered the situation at the temple and how easily Brill instigated the people there against Cynder, who knows what would happen if they found another dragon with a bad past.

Spyro turned to his fiery companion " Flare listen to me, it's very important that you won't tell anybody about your unfortunate occurrence with your roommates. You understand?" he asked cautiously and with a clear warning in his voice

Flare looked at him and quickly bowed his head " Of course" he replied hastily just like a slave would respond to his master

" You can tell about your past but skip the parts that involve killing and blood, ok?"

He nodded once again without making eye contact " Of course"

Spyro noticed his reaction but it was not the time now to figure it out, it's for the best. It wasn't long before the form of Warfang became more clear and solid, soon they will introduce to the population a creature nobody thought existed, only the Ancestors know what consequences it will bear.