FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 7

A short visit in the village of Boven, a discovery of a structure from a time long gone, a deadly fight with an almost indestructible creature and finally the meeting with a fiery dragon. All those things considered made the perfect image of their supposedly easy and boring assignment. It was supposed to be an eventless journey to a village far in the wilderness to tell the people there that they are overreacting, that there is nothing to worry about, a simple task that proved to be so much more.

Now they were only a few kilometers from the gates of the Dragon City, soon the Realms will learn of the phenomenon the three friends tried to keep a secret for some time. Anticipation could be felt amongst the group as they flew towards the brownstone walls, however not because of the same reason. Spyro looked behind to try and read the exact mood of his companions.

Flare's expectation differed from his, while he worried how the people will react when they meet the strange dragon his fiery companion clearly didn't share the same worry. Flare made an impression of a unbridled child who couldn't wait to check the new and cool stuff out, he was more driven by awe and curiosity than uneasiness.

Even Cynder didn't share the purple dragon's anticipation, she looked bored and tired as if she would be replaying a movie for the hundredth time with Its ending embedded deep within her mind. She had that let's get this over with look plastered on her snout. Sparx wasn't very happy about their comeback to the city either. He was sad and resigned, he did show signs of anticipation but it differed greatly from the rest of the group. While their expectations were focused on the closing city and the present, the dragonflies' expectation seemed more distanced, as if the things he expected to happen will happen but not today.

Warfang was still in its rebuilding phase, the city looked much more better than when they laid their eyes on walls and interior when they've emerged from the Forbidden Tunnel after their stop at the cheetah village. There was still much work to be done, even from here debris, holes and destroyed buildings could be seen, however not everything looked so drastic. Spyro's heart lightened up when he saw that the previously piles of rubble were turned into brand new homes or other structures, when the laying stones were used to patch up the previously conspicuous holes. The city didn't surrender, it was on its way to reclaiming its former glory, to start a new era and leave the destructive past behind and no hole could change that.

No matter how nervous Spyro was about the whole situation he couldn't help but notice how funny the image below him looked like. As they were approaching the Dragon City they could hear people shouting, hammers working and cranes moving but the moment they've passed above them all the people and machines stopped moving. It was like they were freezing the city without using any ice magic, the farther parts of Warfang were alive while the others they have just left behind froze staring at them, even from here Spyro could see the people's wide eyes, even the caravan that was entering Warfang through its gate stopped moving. He smiled, at least for a bit he stopped thinking about his uneasiness.

The group moved forward and as they progressed the people that were now quite a far way behind them snapped from their shock and began running and flying after them. Soon almost the whole City was on their tails, the inhabitants looked like a huge pack of animals stalking them. Spyro looked at Flare, he didn't seem to care about the approaching horde of people, his eyes were constantly shifting from one thing to the other, not to mention that he rubbed his eyes every now and then, just like he couldn't believe what he was seeing and tried to snap out from his dream.

The purple dragon motioned for the group to descend when the huge arched building with many windows came into view. The group slowly made their way down and landed in the middle of the Grand Plaza, their claws clicked on the shining marble pavements the moment their paws touched them. Even the colorful fish seemed to notice their presence since they splashed the water in the small pond excitedly. Their goal was only a few meters away from there, a couple of steps and soon they will ascend the small staircase, pass the two imposing stony dragons and enter the City Hall through its huge adorned doors.

However they couldn't move, Flare was so taken aback by the sight that he just couldn't budge, but that doesn't mean he didn't move. The fiery dragon was wildly turning around, he looked into the small pond noticing the tiny fish with a gasp of shock, just to examine the lanterns around them, to finally take a glimpse of the two imposing statues that forced him to swallow in uneasiness.

" THIS- IS- AWESOME!" Flare exclaimed excitedly, pronouncing each word slowly " I can't believe my own eyes!" his voice carried through the courtyard without effort thanks to the eerie silence that has befallen on the Plaza currently.

Spyro didn't share his new companion excitement, he know it's just a calm before the storm and they will be better off when they wouldn't be in the middle of it " That's great Flare but we need to go, and fast"

The fiery dragon didn't notice the urgency in his voice, he looked into the pond once again eying the colorful fish swimming in there " What are those things?!" he exclaimed an excited question

" It's not the time for this right now!" the purple dragon admonished him " We need to go!"

Flare ignored Spyro's protest and began to examine one of the many dragon's statues littering the Plaza " Those statues are so cool! Who made them?"

" Flare move!"

Once again the red drake didn't pay any attention to the purple dragon, his curiosity pulled him towards the nearby lantern " It's so shiny!"

" That's great, but we really need to-" he was cut off by the increasing cacophony of thousand paws running through the streets. Spyro's head fell down " Too late..." he sighed resigned

Momentarily the reason behind all that commotion presented itself, hundreds of people purged into the Plaza. Shouting, screaming and talking, those were the sounds that followed in their wake as every inhabitant wanted to voice his or hers excitement one way or the other. Dragon began to descend from the sky, some decided to run in the company of the many moles and cheetahs. Young and old, everyone wanted to see up close what has their Savior brought at their doorstep.

The crowd ran until they could finally lay their eyes upon the strange burning creature standing next to the purple dragon. When the solid image of the fiery being formed itself before them, the mob gasped and came to an abrupt stop. The noise the people created vanished completely replaced by an awkward silence. The dust the mob created slowly roused behind them just like some kind of sand storm, the pole however weren't bother by it, some unlucky ones who got stuck in the back tried to push forward towards the front rows to get a better view on the group that has just arrived.

Grinning widely Sparx moved ahead of the three dragons " Yes it's me, your hero!" he announced proudly " Now, now, I know that every one of you would want a moment with me but I just won't be able to handle all of you at the same time. I'm great but even I have my limits" he rubbed his hands together " So approach people! Come bathe in my glory! But please one at a time, heroes also need a bit of space"

None of the gathered people in the Plaza listened to him, if there were those who they decided to ignore the dragonfly, their concentration focused on something else entirely. Some moles and cheetahs began to lean left and right to see past the hovering dragonfly who blocked their view.

One of the more impatient spectators let out an irritated snort and began waving his paw to a side " Move away Sparx, you are blocking the view!" one of the moles shouted

Sparx looked at the impudent rodent with furious eyes and folded his arms " What did you just say?!"

" Move away!" the mole repeated

The dragonflies' eyes flared up with pure hate " Oh you stinky rat, who do you think you are to order me around like that?!"

" Move!" some other people joined the mole in his protest

Sparx looked around, his confidence slowly ebbing away " But it's me! Your hero!" he exclaimed almost pleadingly

" MOVE!" even more people yelled

The dragonflies head fell down together with his arms " Always the same thing" he muttered defeated and flew to the side revealing the red dragon behind him

There were another gasps and another moment of awkward silence as the first rows of people slowly adjusted to the sight before them " What the hell is that thing Spyro?" a cheetah finally blurt out a plain question

" For starters, he is not an it!" Cynder scolded the cat

" Nobody asked you murderer!" a dragon growled

She took a deep breath " Nothing tastes better than an insult in the morning" she sighed " Home sweet home"

" So?" the crowd exclaimed impatiently

Spyro scratched the back of his head nervously " He...he...he is a dra...dragon" he muttered uneasily " We found him...in...in some ruins"

Unexpectedly the red dragon jumped forward " I'm Flare!" he exclaimed the moment he found himself close to a nearby dragon

The crowd jerked backwards with a gasp of surprise after the dragon's unexpected move.

Flare cocked his head and immediately jumped sideways " I'm Flare!" he introduced himself once again.

The crowd however reacted in the same way.

The red dragon took some steps backwards and scanned the mob carefully. He didn't really pay much attention before but now he did notice that these people here weren't dragons, well at least most of them weren't. There were some strange looking short creatures with long noses staring at him from behind their oddly looking glass covering their eyes, some others were bigger with pointy ears, sharp teeth and black dots all around their furry bodies. The dragons also weren't like the ones he used to see, they had colorful scales, red, green, yellow, blue were the majority, some were darker, sharper, however no matter how hard he looked he couldn't spot any other purple drake among the crowd.

" What the hell?" Flare muttered under his breath barely able to comprehend the sight before him

" He's a dragon?!" one of the ice drakes from the crowd snorted offended

Spyro swallowed hard, he wasn't really fond of giving speeches, not to mention that crowds intimidated him greatly " Ummm...yeah..."

" Have you seen his eyes!?" someone else exclaimed shocked

" I...I did, there's nothing to...to worry about..."

" You found him on that secret mission the Guardians sent you on, didn't you?" another question echoed throughout the Plaza

Spyro gulped, how did these people find about his assignment he wondered. However that was unimportant right now, he can't just tell them forthrightly that there are holes in the world " I assure you that...that we haven't been on...on any secret mission..."

" If the Guardians sent him away it has to be something important!" a cheetah exclaimed instigating the crowd despite Spyro's words

The increasing commotion made Spyro even more nervous " No...no it's nothing like that!" he shouted with a wavering voice

" What if he is dangerous?!" a terrified female shout resonated from the crowd

" That's not true!" the purple dragon yelled

The mob ignored him as it was slowly forging their own story " That's right!" someone yelled " The Guardians wouldn't send him away if it wouldn't be dangerous!"

" Please calm down, you are overacting!"

Spyro's pleading shout reached deaf ears, the sound of yelling increased as people started to outshout each other just to try and force their point across " What if the Dark Army managed to corrupt this dragon's egg too?!"

Fueled by terror, he crowd's cry only intensified after that suggestion

Cynder leaned over to Flare while observing the screaming mob " You know the meaning behind the reference show someone a clean pair of heels?"

The fiery dragon shook his head " No"

" You are about to find out" she whispered and withdrew her head while taking a cautious step backwards

" The Dark Army isn't involved!" Spyro yelled trying to calm the crowd

The people didn't listen " Yeah! What if it's about revenge? The Dark Army sends this creature to infiltrate us!"

Those words stirred the crowd even further, Spyro gulped the situation doesn't look good " guys please... nothing like this is happening" he fought valiantly but something told him that he already lost this battle

" I've always said that Malefor couldn't be so easily defeated!" another voice could be heard from the mob " He was a purple dragon, I'm sure he prepared a trap!"

" Why don't you listen?!"

" Is that TRUE Spyro?!" a large portion of the mob turned towards the purple dragon shouting accusingly, demanding an answer

" Of course not!" he snapped with a wavering voice

" Then tell us what's going on!" the demanding crowd pushed forward

Spyro swallowed and took a couple of steps back "I'm trying but you...don't-"

" We demand answers!" the mob moved forward once more cutting him off

He backed up even further" I know...you...do, I'm sure the Guardians-"

" Are we in danger?!" again the inhabitants interjected, and again they have advanced

" No...no... you are-" Spyro's voice vanished with a groan as he bumped into something, he looked behind his shoulder to see a lantern blocking his way, with a gulp he turned towards the people " ...You are...safe" he muttered

" Then why all this secrecy?!" another push

" The...Guardians will explain everything...shortly. In fact..." he passed by the lantern " I'm going to ask them about this right now..." with that he directed himself towards the adorned door

" Where are you going?!"

Spyro threw the people a quick glance " I'll be back shortly"

The crowd's pace intensified " We have the right to know!"

He could feel their increased temp but despite his nervousness the purple dragon tried to remain calm. Spyro looked behind his shoulder again " The Guardians will explain-"

" Is my family safe?!" the tempo of the mob's pursuit intensified

He could feel their pursuit, and perhaps despite his better judgment he sped up himself just to stay ahead " Nobody is going to get hurt"

" When will the Guardians come?!" the crowd didn't stop

" Soon..."

" We want to know the situation right now!" the mob sped up once more, one could say that they began to run after the purple dragon

The sound made Spyro extremely nervous, at this point he ceased walking and began to trot " The Guardian's will-"

"GIVE US THE ANSWERS! NOW!" the crowd roared angrily as they've kept chasing after the young drake

"RUN!" Spyro exclaimed horrified as he began to dash towards the City Hall's door. The crowd started their pursuit after the young dragon, shouting loudly behind him, he didn't care what they wanted anymore, his only concern was to get out of here, preferably as fast as possible.

He didn't have wait long for his group's reaction, in fact they were already way ahead of him just as if they expected something like this would happen. When Spyro reached the door surprisingly his companions didn't scold him for turning his tail, in fact they seemed to wait for him until he finally opens the door. He did that without hesitation, he pushed them forward creating a loud grinding sound that echoed throughout the whole City Hall and instantly jumped into the building with the two dragons following him.

Spyro looked around and noticed that there was only three of them inside the structure, he looked at the doors and noticed his brother hovering at the doorstep with his arms folded, just like some kind of knight ready to make the ultimate sacrifice to buy some more time for the people he swore to protect.

" Sparx!" Spyro shouted after his brother

The dragon remained adamant " You go, I will show them that this is no way to treat heroes" he replied determined

He sound of shouts intensified with ach second as the crowd kept advancing, Spyro looked ahead of his brother and gulped " I don't think it's going to work" he muttered with palpable fear in his voice

" Time of being ignored is going to end here" he replied confidently and raised his hand with his palm opened " You shall not pass!" he shouted with the best commanding tone he could muster while closing his eyes

The sound of footsteps never stopped increasing " You shall not pass!" he yelled once more, while opening his eyes and pushing his arm forward once again just to try and force his point across

The mob continued its demanding advance, Sparx eyes went wide in fear and his confidence was drained instantly " You shall not pass!" he mumbled

The crowd kept coming

" You shall- Uh-oh" he muttered the obvious, the crowd wasn't listening and was just about to reach him. It was then when suddenly a paw grabbed him and pulled him inside, slamming the door behind him

Sparx trashed inside the paw to break free, the door effectively muffled the shouts the crowd was creating, as demanding as the people were they know that barging inside the City Hall would be too much. After a moment of struggle the paw finally opened and the dragonfly darted into the air turning towards his brother that held him " What did you do?" he exclaimed indignantly " I've almost had them!"

" Of course you did" Cynder replied ironically

Sparx turned towards the black dragoness with an angry frown " They were about to stop!"

She slapped her forehead " You are right!" she shook her head pretending to be sad " How could I not see it? You wetting yourself was just a trick!"

The dragonfly folded his arms and snorted " If you were clever you would know that the thing I did never fails"

Cynder sighed " Seriously Sparx stop reading those fairy tales"

" I'm not reading any fairy tales!"

" Big talking dragons, moles in googles that build wonders, cats walking on two legs- this is real, the rest is fiction" she corrected the dragonfly

" What was that all about?" Flare mumbled shocked

Cynder grinned " Welcome to Warfang where superstitions are of no concern!" she snorted

Sparx patted the red dragon's shoulder " Now you probably wished that you had taken the chance to jump back through the portal"

" What were those short things? Overgrown rats?" the red dragon asked again

" Those creatures are called Moles, they've built this city. Basically they are the geeks who make all of this work"

" What are those tall furry creatures?" Flare blurt out another question, having a hard time absorbing the new information, his hectic voice a proof of that

" Cheetahs, the muscle of our little crazy town"

Flare started to pace around the room uneasily " Who is Malefor?"

" The bad guy" Sparx waved his hand " We already kicked his ass so no worries"

" Why did they think that I have anything to do with him?"

" Because the last dragon that looked different than the others turned out to be not exactly right in the head" the dragonfly leaned towards Cynder " No offense"

She shrugged " Whatever"

" And why did we run? Why didn't you stop them? You are the leader here" Flare bombarded the dragonfly with questions as confusion roused within him

Sparx grabbed one of the fiery dragon's horns and turned his head while pointing ahead " That's why"

The dragon looked in the way the dragonfly was pointing at and noticed three big old dragons. One was strangely green, one had amber scales while the last one looked just like he was made of ice. The three dragons were staring at him while piles of papers were falling down from the table they were currently occupying

Flare gulped " Who are they?" he whispered

" Gods" the dragonfly stated with palpable awe

" What?!" all three young dragons exclaimed in shock

Sparx looked at each confused drake, the moment he comprehended their reaction he shrugged " Gigantic Old Dudes"

Spyro and Cynder commented his announcement with a shake of their heads and cheerful smiles, Flare however looked sincerely scared and startled

" Are those Dudes dangerous?" he muttered

" Not if you know the secret greeting phrase, only then they will know that you come in peace" the dragonfly answered

" Geez Sparx, where do you get your ideas?" Cynder giggled

Flare ignored the dragoness' reaction, he was entirely focused on acquiring the supposedly crucial phrase " What is the greeting?" he asked impatiently

" Sup' dudes, how's it hangin'?"

The drake lowered his head and closed his eyes, absorbing the words, making sure he wouldn't forget them " Sup' dudes, how's it hangin?', Sup' dudes, how's it hangin'...?"

" Not like that!" Sparx admonished the dragon gaining his attention " You have to say it free and easy. Watch" he cleared his throat "Sup' dudes, how's it hangin'?" as he spoke the words Sparx delicately moved his body while also gesticulated with his hands just like a true rapper would do

" Sup' dudes, how's it hangin'?" Flare repeated after the dragonfly, imitating his relaxed style

Sparx nodded " Close but not there yet. When you are speaking make your body bounce a little. Sup' dudes, how's it hangin'?" he followed his own advice " See?"

"Sup' dudes, how's it hangin'?" Flare repeated after the dragonfly with moderate success, his clumsy moves were getting somewhat in the way

" Great! Now add the paw. Sup' dudes, how's it hangin'?" he bounced and waved his hand

"Sup' dudes, how's it hangin'?" the dragon did what he was told

Sparx nodded "Sup' dudes, how's it hangin'?"

" Sup' dudes, how's it hangin'?" Flare repeated

"Sup' dudes, how's it hangin'?"

"Sup' dudes, how's it hangin'?"

" Great!" Sparx exclaimed in triumph " You are ready, go get em' tiger!" and with that they've proceeded towards the Guardians

Spyro shook his head " Dear Ancestors..." he chuckled and followed the group

All three big dragons were sitting quietly as they've approached, with their eyes set on the fiery dragon that was now within their halls. As Flare moved towards them he felt more and more intimidated, they looked big when he looked at them from the entrance but now they seemed just huge, size wouldn't really made a difference for him if not for those 6 eyes that were sizing him up.

When the dragonfly stopped he stopped too, his head hanged low, Flare didn't have the courage to look them in the eyes from up close. Surprisingly the dragons didn't react to his approach, he kept staring at the floor and they've kept staring at him in complete awkward silence. The moment felt like it lasted forever, he was beginning to feel nervous but then he felt a shoulder poking him, he looked to the side too see and hear the dragonfly clearing his throat and motioning with his head.

Flare understood the sign, Sparx was encouraging him, telling him that it was now the proper time for a greeting. With a deep breath he raised his gaze and swallowed when the dragons jerked back with a faint gasp the moment he set his eyes upon them. It was time

He cleared his throat " Sup' dudes, how's it hangin'?" Flare said the phrase as much relaxed as he forced himself to be without forgetting of course about the odd moves

Instead of receiving a greeting from the big dragons something unexpected happened, the moment he finished his phrase his three companions burst out laughing. " What's going on?!" Flare asked in panic

He didn't receive however any answer as his three companions had a hard time catching breath, whatever he did wrong seemed to work, the cheerful cry forced the Gods to snap out from their trance.

Terrador shook his head and leaned closer towards the odd looking dragon making the fiery drake swallow and bend on his paws " And what do we have here..." his deep baritone voice echoed throughout the halls

" This is Flare" Spyro introduced his new companion

" Before we begin a piece of advice child " Cyril said annoyed while scolding the dragonfly with a cold gaze " Do not listen to those who have no idea about respect"

The Earth Guardian rolled his eyes " Cyril this is hardly the time for lecturing, as you can see-"

" This is plainly preeminent!" Volteer's excited cry cut him off while startling the young red dragon in front of him " My thesis was absolutely equitable! Through incomplex deduction we come to a conclusion that the cracks are some sort of a transparent, distinguished tears that grant means to commit a discreet excursion between one latent realm to the other. A conduit if you will, that merges two or more coexisting dimensions into one single composition-"

Sparx scratched the back of his head " What is he ranting about now?"

" Portals" Spyro replied

Flare leaned closer towards the two brothers " Is he talking to me?" he whispered " I don't understand a word"

The purple dragon let out a stifled chuckle " Not yet"

"... Let your mind envisage, reflect on the possibilities such outcome presents. This is what we all were so desperately waiting for! This is our opening to comprehend our world, to perhaps learn of its immense riches which are capable of mollifying the most exacting and unbridled craving. We would uncover what incidents, idiosyncrasies or components caused the creation of the present time we so much seep from! Who wouldn't be mesmerized by this!" Volteer's electric tongue kept waggling

" We cannot also neglect the opportunity to grasp the riches that can unveil the conundrum of our history. This glamorous excursion we just share insures a prospect to assemble priceless insight into our heritage! All the questions the brains of this world struggled to answer regarding our creation could finally be revealed, this constant indulgence may never again cause inconvenience for us! We could be finally free of that strain! I'm so inflamed! Imagine what-"

" I understand that this is very fascinating Volteer" Terrador interjected with his firm militant tone while rubbing his forehead " but don't forget that we have a guest who demands our immediate attention"

The Electric Guardian nodded " Of course, please forgive my short digression"

" Short?" Flare scoffed quietly making Spyro chuckle

Volteer leaned towards the odd looking dragon, fascination rekindled anew within his amethyst eyes " This is most peculiar, you friend seem to have an extraneous ancestry or perhaps you are a model of no impudent aptitude but an effigy of simple equivalence? Peculiar! Most peculiar!" he began to examine the young dragon from claw to horn " I've perused through every repository that challenged my mind and always such struggle concluded with me being triumphant and yet I've never witnessed a creature like you, and I have to gasconade- I've scrutinized every lore in- depth"

" Eyes in the color of the shining life giving sculptor of our Realm, pupils that aren't a factor of a draconic heritage. Avian ancestry perhaps? Unlikely, no member of a specie present in our realm proficient to hybridize with reptilian origins. Mayhap you are a model of a future evolution process, nature and magic are concatenated, both shaping elements follow one pattern- enhancing their creations. Stringent circumstances forced the adaptive transformation, hence the pupils- cat's eyes. Are you a nocturnal?"

Before even Flare had the chance to utter a sound the Electric Guardian continued " But what of this flaming characteristics? Modesty aside I would like to devise an answer, feline heritage is doubtful, no cheetah burns and lives. Why the symbol of purity? I must affirm, never have I perceived such abberence. I'm not contrite to ascertain my indisposition, I'm not able to comprehend this phenomenon, we depend on your interpretation friend."

" Does your heritage stem from an unprecedented as to this day affiliation? Are does bright components which are the key composition of your creation a means of the vigorous forces of life to formulate your resilience against the pestiferous forces that overshadow your realm? Or my assumptions are wholeheartedly erroneous, not having anything commutual with truth. Perhaps the gist behind this anomalous phenomenon is somewhere else?"

Silence has filled the room, Flare observed the amber dragon with his mouth agape. The words were coming from the drake's mouth in such a fast pace that he couldn't keep up with them. When he tried to make a sense from an earlier sentence, he was instantly bombarded with a one or many new ones leaving the fiery dragon confused.

After a while Flare noticed that something has changed, the old dragon's mouth stopped moving, he looked at each and every member of this meeting and every single one of them was watching him as if expecting an answer. Flare couldn't give one, he didn't understood the question

" Come again?" he muttered bashfully, hoping most likely in vain to make sense of the words this time

" Does your heritage stem from an unprecedented as to this day affiliation? Are does bright components-"

" Enough Volteer! My head hurts already!" Cyril growled " Spare us your ranting, whatever sound sensors were left sizzled the moment you started babbling, there is nothing left to protect our brains"

The Electric Guardian didn't seem at least a bit offended when he turned towards the ice dragon " Don't fret Cyril, if the illusion of your royal legacy that you try to retain would indeed existed you would have the wit to comprehend every detail."

The Ice Guardian snorted, puffing an icy mist through his nostrils as a result " The more time I spend with you the better I start to understand that I'm the best of my royal lineage, I doubt there would be anyone strong enough to deal with you every day!"

" That's enough!" Terrador growled irritated " Do we really have to go through this every time?" he sighed " How Ignitus could stand the two of you I have no idea"

Flare leaned towards the black dragoness " What's going on?' he whispered

Cynder giggled " Nothing"

He frowned " Nothing? If you haven't noticed they are arguing"

" That's a shocker" she faked a surprise

Terrador shook his head " What our fried wanted to ask..." the baritone voice drew the red dragon's attention " ... is if your parents are dragons"

Flare shrugged " I don't know"

The Earth Guardian jerked back " You don't?"

" Nope, I've never met them"

" Child you have never know your parents and you say it so casually?" Cyril frowned

The dragon shrugged once more " I never thought about it, I had other...duties"

Terrador narrowed his eyes on the young dragon " And who are you exactly to completely dismiss the idea of finding your own family?"

" I was a prisoner"

" A prisoner? In a such young age? What have you done?"

Flare lowered his head and concentrated, just like Spyro has told him, he has to avoid mentioning anything about killings and the like. With his mind set he rose his head after a while " Nothing, I was born into a prison, I knew about the existence of only two rooms, one where I've been constantly put to different tests, and second, where they disposed of the ones who caused the most trouble"

" Wait, then the room we found you in... it had _DISPOSAL_written above its entrance" Spyro mused loudly " The Keeper was about to kill you"

" Keeper?" Terrador asked

" I'll explain later"

Flare nodded " Yep, I was about to take my final bath in a pool of magma. Disobedience is a death sentence"

" You want to tell us that you've spent your whole young life in a cage?" Cyril interjected somewhat shocked

The fiery dragon shook his head " No, not in a cage. I was being kept in a very big room"

The Ice Guardian looked around at all of the other dragons in confusion " And what did I just say?"

Cynder leaned closer towards the old dragons " He's not really good when it comes to metaphors" she whispered while throwing the red dragon a kind smile

" Who are they?" The Earth Guardian's militant tone echoed throughout the room

Flare took a breath, and threw Spyro an angry glance, a slight flicker of hate could be seen within his yellow eyes " Purple Dragons"

A slight commotion has arisen within the City Hall as every Guardian was shocked to hear the revelation, they all were speaking at the same time, creating a one incomprehensible chaos. Only his three companions were watching him in complete silence, they were surprised but not shocked, his behavior towards the young purple dragon had to give them a clue.

" This is an absurd!" Cyril snapped

Terrador narrowed his maroon eyes on the red dragon " Young one, are you certain they were purple dragons?"

Flare swallowed, the way how the green dragon asked that question intimidated him " Y...yes"

The Earth Guardian straightened up and exchanged meaningful looks with the other two Guardians which only they could understand. A moment later he turned to the fiery drake again " You have to understand our surprise, here purple dragons are born every ten generations" he motioned with his head towards Ignitus' former pupil " Spyro here is the only purple dragon alive"

The red dragon frowned " Only one?"

" Only one. How many purple dragons were present back where you lived?"

Flare shrugged " I don't know" he began to think " But I guess as just as many as there are dragons here in this city, maybe even more"

" These is an inconceivable disclosure!" Volteer blurt out excited " A metropolis upcasted by many purple paws working in unison. A city filled with entities appraised as saviors and heroes. Once more let your mind envisage, and ponder at the thought of a whole population consisted of beings proficient enough to challenge foreordination itself! Just conceive what our minds could feast upon. Who knows, perhaps the purple dragons of previous era were the ones accountable for transcribing the Prophecy as we perceive it at present. So much knowledge remains unseen behind these veils of time!"

" How much I hate to admit it, I have to say that Volteer is right" Cyril stated with his typical cold tone before he craned his neck towards the fiery dragon " Were those purple dragons speaking about some prophecy? Or perhaps they were transcribing it already?"

Flare shrugged " I dunno"

The Ice Guardian snorted irritated " So were they maybe harnessing the powers of some crystals, that allowed them to wield four elements at once?"

" I dunno"

" Child" Terrador interjected " You've spent your whole life with them, you have to know something. Give us more than just I dunno"

The red dragon scratched the back of his head thinking " Well...they were talking that the most talented prisoners were the key of some sorts"

" A key?" Cyril blurt out interested " A key for what? Power? Knowledge? What?"

Flare shrugged " I dunno"

The two Guardians sighed and shook their heads in resignation, only Volteer remained focused

" Don't let your spirits be daunted, the lack of any beneficial insight from our friend here sanguinely thinking didn't condemned us for obtuseness. The tremendous quantity of lore in our vault that are yet vague may be elucidated by our youthful friend here"

The red dragon leaned towards Spyro " What he wants from me? I've only understood friend" he whispered

The purple dragon smiled " Relax, nothing drastic. Volteer just wants you to read and translate some dusty texts for him"

Flare's eyes shot wide open, he instantly looked horrified " R-r-r-r-read and w-w-w-w-write?" he stammered

Terrador nodded, agreeing with the idea of his amber partner " Young one, we would greatly appreciate if you would help us to solve some mysteries that linger on Volteer's mind for a while. Your reading and writing abilities might prove to be invaluable here"

The red dragon looked at the ground " I d-d-d-d-don't think t-t-t-t-that I w-w-w-w-will be-"

Sparx clapped his hands cutting off the young drake " It's starting!" he exclaimed and hovered next to the fiery drake "I'll translate it will be quicker that way, don't worry I'm an expert" he motioned for the red dragon to continue " Go on"

Flare looked even more nervous than before " b-b-b-be h-h-h-h-helpful, I d-d-d-don't k-k-k-know what t-t-t-they w-w-w-w-were doing. I w-w-w-will c-c-c-"

" Clear up" Sparx finished the sentence

The fiery dragon threw him a nervous glance before he began to stare at the ground again " c-confuse y-y-y-you"

The three Guardians exchanged puzzled looks between each other before Cyril turned towards the fiery dragon " Why did you began to stammer? Are you nervous about something?"

Flare shuffled uneasily " N-n-n-no of c-c-c-c-course not. I'm j-j-j-just i-i-i-"

" Impolite" the dragonfly finished the sentence once more

The red dragon threw him another nervous glance " I-i-i-ill"

The ice Guardian scolded the dragonfly with his cold gaze before concentrating on the young dragon " Do you know the basic way to tell if someone is lying?" there was a moment of silence " They can't look you in the eyes"

" S-s-s-sorry, I'm r-r-r-really u-u-u-"

" Unafraid"

Another look that made the red dragon even more fearful " u-u-uneasy"

Terrador snorted irritated " That's enough Sparx!" he snapped " Thank you for your help"

Cyril narrowed his cold eyes on the fiery drake " Why are you so nervous? What are you trying to hide? Why don't you want to help us understand some old books? Speak!" he growled

Flare flushed with his nose almost touching the ground " I c-c-c-can't-" he stammered, his voice wavered even more than before

" Whoever you are trying to protect or you are afraid of is not here. Speak!" the ice dragon growled again, this time however his tone of voice sounded more commanding than ever before

The blush on the red dragon's snout only intensified " I c-c-c-can't w-w-w-write and r-r-r-read" his stammer could be barely heard through his whispering

Cyril was taken aback by the news " What?" he blurt out ashamed " You are illiterate? I...I... I thought that..."

Terrador scolded the Ice Guardian with an angry look " Next time Cyril let the person you are questioning explain himself before you jump to conclusions"

The dragon only nodded shamefully

Volteer looked slightly discouraged by the news but he didn't drop his cheerful attitude anyway " Poignant news indeed, however everything can be rectified" he smiled while turning towards the young dragon " If your desire is great I could help you amend the depravity so unjustly inflicted upon you"

Flare didn't have the courage to raise his head, the amber dragon was clearly offering something but he just didn't understand what

Cynder leaned closer " If you want Volteer can teach you how to write and read" she said with kindness and pity ringing in her voice

The red dragon's eyes shot wide open as his head instantly found itself on the correct height " Really?" he blurt out, the nervousness that haunted him began to subside

The Electric Guardian nodded

Flare winced " But...we'll start with some simple words right?"

A chuckle from every creature gathered in the City Hall echoed throughout the room

" One day friend, you will perhaps write about that crystal in your chest" Volteer stated

The red dragon stared at the amber dragon, shocked when he realized that he understood every word, shocked to see the old dragon using simple words just as if show him that there is nothing to be afraid of. Then he focused on the meaning of those words, and that shocked him even more " Crystal? What crystal?"

The Electric Guardian pointed at his chest

Flare followed his direction, the moment he noticed the red gem embed into his orange scales his eyes widened " Whoa, that's new"

Terrador frowned " You weren't aware you had that?"

He shook his head " Nope"

" Engrossing disclosure!" Volteer exclaimed excited in his now typical manner " The tears unveil yet another undermining challenge for our minds to oppose! If I was granted more moons in the gracious unrelenting passing I would experiment-"

The red dragons eyes flared up as he took a defensive stance " NO!" he roared

Everyone gathered in the room gasped after the unexpected roar. Terrador was the first to shake off the feeling of surprise " Young one, nothing is going to-"

" NO!" Flare roared again, flames bursting forth from his nose " I'll rather die!"

" Flare no one is forcing you to do anything. Calm yourself"

" But he said-"

" Volteer only said that he would like to check your gem" Terrador cut off the young dragon " If you don't agree it's fine, nothing is going to happen without your consent"

Flare shuffled, his outburst was unnecessary, he felt stupid, he jumped in time after all " Sorry, I didn't mean to-" his voice trailed off when an sweet aroma caressed his nostrils. He took a deep sniff and the moment he did that a delicious scent invaded his nostrils that made his mouth water and forced his tongue out

The Earth Guardian smiled " It seems that something else is more important right now. Spyro if you may, take your friends, we need to talk"

The purple dragon nodded and made his way towards the corridor that led to the Mess Hall with his friends following him. To the Guardians' surprise one dragon kept watching them

Flare's eyes jumped from one dragon to the other " So what are we going to talk about?"

The Guardians looked at each other and shook their heads

" Flare come on!" a familiar giggling female shout reached him. He blushed when he realized that the talk didn't include him. With burning cheeks he darted after the dragoness.