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Alright, I'm about to copy and paste my story in here. After about 6 months of not writing a word on it, I've finally come to grips with the fact that I will never add any more. So, this is me gone. Hafve a nice time y'all, and enjoy my half-story. And I'm not gonna edit any of it, so some of the opening stuff won't make sense.

Ok, I said I would, and here it is. The entire Spyro series in one post, as promised. Re-edited, long-ified, with the last chapter added, so you have to read through it all! This is the very last of THIS series; it's definitely over, for real this time. For those of you who have not read the stories before, the links are to songs that may be sung by people in the story. And for those of you who have, the site I used to link them no longer works if you're not a member, so I will be linking youtube videos, just for the songs. For those Spyro historians out there, sorry to dissapoint, but there will be a jumble of a lot of the games thrown in. Ember herself proves that this is from the earlier series, but Spyro will have other abilities aside from flame, but I shall reveal no more!

DISCLAIMERS

1. Spyro and affiliates are not owned by me. They are the property of Insomniac Games/Sierra/Krome Studios, save for the following characters: Nimbus, Sapphire, and Grace.

2. The songs "If Everyone Cared" and "Far Away" are sung and owned by Nickelback, and their property.

3. This storyline and plot is my intellectual property, and not to be used by others without my permission.

4. I know I use songs from different bands; you'll just have to make the voice connection yourself.

5. Lastly, the classic, if you are not under the legal adult age of your state/province/country then do NOT read this story without your guardian's permission.

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CHAPTER 1 - Spyro

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Peace. The air pulsed with it. You could feel it, a...well, a feeling, an aura emanating from the very earth itself. It was a sunny day, your classic, 28 degrees Celsius, very light breeze perfect day. It often was, at this part of the year. Mid-dry season, everything suitably watered, the winds racing off the distant mountains and calming before they reached the rolling fields. Perfect.

That is, when someone WASN'T imposing themselves as leader of the place.

'Come on Spyro, your gonna be late!' buzzed a little spark, almost impossible to make out because of his constant golden glow, in a little cave, on the edge of a little forest, within walking distance of a little school.

There was a grumbling sound, like a cow 'moo' that had gone through thick mud, that managed to sound annoyed, and the pile of leaves towards the back of the cave quivered, and shivered inwards. For a brief second, a flash of purple was viewable.

'Come on!' said Sparx, in his usual buzzing, at-first-listen-annoying-but-you-get-used-to-it voice, beginning to dive-bomb the grumbling heap. 'Come on come on come on come on come on come ON!'

'All right, all right...' croaked a groggy voice from inside the leaves, 'I'm up, I'm up....'

A purple dragon, by the name of Spyro, emerged from the leaves. He was of average size for a dragon the age of four, nothing special, save for his colour. Purple dragons were incredibly rare, only one is hatched every few centuries. They differentiate little from the other types of dragons, in all but their abilities. Whereas, say, a yellow hued dragon would be most likely to have the elemental power of electricity, and a blue hued dragon frost, a purple dragon is not limited to one oral or "breath" attack. They are masters of all four elements, able to learn frost, fire, electricity and earth. Earth was the most difficult to understand power, and perhaps the rarest of these common ones. Where the rest of them are pretty straightforward, (IE fire being you breathe fire) earth was like a controllable wall of greenish energy that flew from the dragon's mouth, of varying sizes and power depending on the strength of the individual. Other powers are known to exist, but they are seldom seen, if ever. It is highly unlikely that even the oldest dragon has ever seen one of them. Anyway, back to Spyro.

Ridged yellow horns sprouting from his head, golden ridges going along his spine, his underbelly banded yellow, a prominent, hair-like gold ridge on his head, as of now un-used red wings folded against his purple back, dancing amethyst eyes, and tiny claws that shone like blue gunmetal. He was setting up to be handsome, but at this age everyone is just cute.

Now, for dragon society. When dragon eggs are laid, they are given over (usually much to the parents distress) to the hatchery, a large building that once stood as ruins but was repaired until it was quite a habitable place for baby dragons. Many of these old ruins dotted the lands of this realm, remnants of an ancient and long gone civilisation. Now, they were crumbling and deteriorating, the stone going back into the earth from whence it came. A few of them some dragons had claimed as their homes, but most dragons simply lived wherever they could find shelter-caves and the like- which they then personalized, and made their own. Hatcheries had only come into use recently, before that an egg was raised by its parents until the age of four, when sent to learn from the elder dragons at a type of school. But in the past century or so, more and more parents were killed before their children were able to care for themselves, as evil's tainting whisper enticed more and more powerful creatures. Hatcheries had become a necessity for everyone's good, so that dragons were not teased and picked on for having no parents. When they hatched, they were taught basic survival in the hatchery, by older, volunteer dragons that enjoyed watching the wonders of youth. From the moment they opened their eyes, they were taught how to move, walk, and forage or hunt for food. When they were three months old, they were taken on longer and longer excursions outside the hatchery, always accompanied by a protector, who guided them, and answered their questions about things. At the age of one, they were allowed to leave the hatchery on their own, go where they wished so long as they were back by evensong. At two, they were finally allowed to go out and find their own homes, their own places, for now even the smallest among them was capable of hunting and killing a sheep sized animal.

Rubbing his eyes, Spyro moped over to the crystalline stream of water flowing down the far side of his cave, and splashed some on his face. He was a special case, for he was a purple dragon, but he was always treated like everyone else at the hatchery, so he would not be ostracized. He was happy he had found this cave, the miniature waterfall was exuding from a crack high up in the wall, forming a natural stream at the bottom, which flowed out of the cave with incredible purity, and its soothing gurgle always helped knock him unconscious at night. When they left the hatchery, all dragons were given some basic things, a blanket, a couple of stones fashioned to make fire for none could breathe a flame before the age of at least eight. Spyro had made this cave his own by fashioning a mattress out of the hides of the animals he slew for food (which was not a fun thing to do), and stuffed it with wool from the various sheep he had killed, as well as leaves and other soft materials. He had made a pillow through the same method, simply because he had little else to do. He had placed this, and his other few personal possessions, at the back of the cave, around a bend so no wind blew directly in, save for from the small hole high up where the water came in, which, annoyingly, allowed the sun right onto the pillow end of his bed.

A week or so after they had left the hatchery, all dragons were checked on by older dragons, to make sure they were faring fine. As it happens, one of the more senior and powerful dragons, an earth dragon, came to check on Spyro, for after all he was a purple dragon and a special case. He had seen how Spyro was, and had decided to leave everything in the capable youngster's care. However, just as he left, he said he could do Spyro a favour. They both went outside of his cave, and the earth guardian summoned a solid stone wall out of the earth, with a hole for the stream, that formed over his cave's entryway and melded with it perfectly, so that he could hardly tell it from the mountain. He then used a small amount of magic to place an enchantment on it, so that whenever Spyro touched it, it would melt away and reveal the cave, then reform behind him. Incredibly, it was see-through from the inside, but with a sheen to it so that he knew it was there. Before he left, the old dragon also told Spyro that he could allow others to open it if they placed their paw upon it, and he placed his atop theirs. He had then said his goodbye's, and left a very thankful Spyro to his newly enchanted cave.

'Come on, the sun's already WAY above the trees! We'll be late!'

'Alright, alright, cool it Sparx. Lemme just go grab some breakfast and we'll leave.'

'I don't think you've got time! Come on, do you wanna be late a-gain?'

After walking into class late a couple of weeks before, and having to take his usual seat at the back of the class by walking past everyone and his rather stern teacher, Spyro had made a pact to never be late again.

Heaving a sigh at that thought, he walked around the bend in his cave and saw that the sun really was kinda high. Spyro reluctantly said 'O-kaaayyy, let's go. Oooh, I'm gonna be hungry tonight.....'

They walked/buzzed out of their cave, into the harsh morning sunlight, shielding their eyes. Spyro stumbled in his step, barely catching himself from falling. Sparx glanced at him, frowning, but said nothing. He knew that Spyro had been punched in the face hard yesterday, and was lucky that there was no bruising. He had the class tough guy, with your classic up and at 'em mind, to thank for that. Stupid Nimbus....just 'cos he thought everyone would bow down to him. If you didn't fawn over him, watch out, 'cos he was NOT a small dragon. But Spyro just couldn't lie down and get trodden on; he had stood up to him, and WHACK. He didn't know what it was about him, but he just couldn't let other people get treated unfairly, especially Ember, a small pink dragon who was his teacher-appointed buddy this week, and his best friend besides! Why, they had known each other since hatching!

'Well', buzzed Sparks, 'Look on the bright side.'

Looking up at the sun, Spyro said 'There's a bright side?'

'Eight hours of educating boredom should be mind-numbing enough to help!'

Feeling his friend's eyes on him, Spyro chuckled, but his heart wasn't in it.

'Oh come on, that's gotta be worth a good laugh! At this time in the morning!'

Making an effort, Spyro dredged up the real him from the bottom of his sea of morning misery, and let out a good laugh, satisfying Sparks.

His school was one of those ancient ruins, carefully reinforced so that there was no danger to the students. It was only a one room affair, and the class numbered only fifteen.

Twenty minutes later, having dashed into class just as the door was closing, Spyro trudged to his seat at his preferred patch of the floor, towards the back left, and Ember sat down next to him, with a thoroughly un-Ember-ish 'Hullo'.

Ember could best be described as the same as Spyro, save for swept-back horns, her scales were pink as were her wings, the ridge along her spine was purple, she had sparkling bright blue eyes, and she always wore a little heart shaped pendant made of ruby around her neck, that had been hung around her egg by her mother, before she was left at the hatchery.

'What's up?' asked Spyro to his usually cheery friend.

Without looking away from the front, where their teacher was starting the usual daily grind, she replied 'Oh, it's Fireday Spyro, and it's been a rough week. I'm just tired is all', and that was the last they could talk until after school that day, seeing as the teacher had seen them chatting.

Hours later, Spyro's purple, gold finned and horned head emerged out of the front door to the "Education Facility". He immediately saw Nimbus' large orange and black form, towering over a little pink dragon standing before him.

Fury coursing through him, he hurtled forwards, and jumped in-between them.

'Leave her alone! What has she done to you!' Spyro shouted, trying and failing to use words to settle this.

Nimbus, sneering, said 'She didn't bow, that's enough for the Nimbus treatment!', and he turned back towards Ember.

Ember herself had tuned out of the shouting match, and was watching Spyro. Steam was rushing out from between his clenched teeth, and what looked like smoke was curling out from his nostrils.

Nimbus didn't notice these tell-tale warning signs until, while he was drawing back his closed fist, he smelt a strange scent, one he had never smelt before but that he attributed to molten metal. He turned towards Spyro, following the scent trail, just as a lick of fire, weak and faint as it was, curled out from the purple dragon's maw and caressed Nimbus' face. This was unheard of, a dragon breathing fire at the age of four! Nimbus was almost completely unhurt (dragon's have a natural resilience to their particular element, and Nimbus was a fire dragon) but was still shocked enough to take off running, thinking that the small pink dragon really wasn't worth it. Spyro calmly watched him go, before turning to the stunned Ember, offering a paw and asking....

'Are you OK?'

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CHAPTER 2 - Years On

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'Baaaa', baa-ed a sheep, in annoyance, at feeling the ground shake beneath it. It glanced off towards an open portcullis off to its left, the epicentre of the rumbles. Through that white fluffy quadruped's simple mind passed a remembered image, an image of a big, green, warty, uuuug-LY gnorc. And a very Gnasty Gnorc at that. It had run in there before, trailing little sparkly things behind it. The sheep also remembered a lithe, purple flash had been following it, periodically throwing that really hot stuff at it. But the fate of Gnasty Gnorc was of little concern to this animal, she had no concerns save for a big strong ram, a lot of food, and a nice place to lie down at night. Baa-ing, she returned to her grass.

A guttural growl, followed by a thud. The sound of laughter, hysterical and mocking. A roar, a clang and another thud. Then, finally, some comprehensible words.

'RrrrrrAAAAAGGHH!!! Hold still so I can crush you, you stupid little dragon!!!!' yelled the aptly described, big, green, warty, uuuug-LY gnorc.

'Yeah, I'll do that', yelled out a confident voice. 'I'm just gonna stand here, completely undefended, and let you whack me a few times. Sure, go ahead! I'm waiting!'.

Ten years on, and Spyro had grown. He wasn't the biggest or the strongest, but he was by no means little. Standing rather tall, and especially long in the tail and wing for a fourteen year-old, he was most definitely reaping the benefits of growth. He was also very desirable, not merely because of his realm-saving reputation, but also because of his looks. He was quite handsome. The subtle musculature of his limbs, the glittering innocence of his eyes, and when he smiled, wow.

Back to the fight. Gnasty was losing, badly. He was covered in scratches, cuts and burns. Deftly dodging a badly aimed strike, Spyro leaped on to Gnasty's mace and rode it on the backswing up to his shoulder, unleashing from his maw a sizzling inferno upon the green aggressor. He glided down to the ground, away from the gnorc, and about turned to face him. Just as he was lowering his horns a pain grew between his back legs, a burning, irrepressible, agonising pain. With a cry, Spyro's back legs buckled like his knees had been kicked. Sensing weakness, Gnasty drew back his club, and let fly. He caught Spyro square in the chest, sending him tumbling against the far wall, and causing Sparx to immediately go from gold to green, indicating Spyro's failing stamina.

'Damnit...not again...' was all Spyro could say, watching little gnorcs dance around his purple head. With a shake, he staggered to his feet, and, gathering his strength, charged headlong into Gnasty, sending him flying out of the open air cavern, and over the horizon.

'I'll be baaaaaaack......' he yelled, and neither Spyro nor Sparx doubted for a second that he was lying. As they walked out of Gnasty's lair, Sparx, properly restored to gold after feasting on some butterflies, said 'Spyro, what's up? That's like, the twelfth time that's happened this week!'

Spyro, walking with a slight limp, merely shrugged, deciding not to confide in his friend whom he was thinking of at the time of the pains.....

They walked over a couple of rolling green fields, back onto the path to Spyro's cave. It wasn't both of their's now, Sparx had moved out and had his own, smaller place a ways off. They said their goodbyes and set off. The path Spyro was on led him past his old school, which was just burnt old ruins now (there had been a fire there several years ago). As he was walking past, he noticed a particularly charred tree. Knowing that he'd regret not satisfying his curiosity later, he walked over to investigate. With a laugh he saw that it was he who had made that tree so blackened, having practiced flame breath on it back at school. He remembered the teachers hushed words with each other, and the mutterings of 'purple dragon' and 'year of the dragon' when they had found out he could breathe fire so young. He had since learned two other elements, the powers of earth and electricity. He was self taught, and was steadily learning to harness and control them, making himself more powerful and versatile. Because fire was his first preference, and his most ingrained breath attack, frost was quite challenging for now, but he was confident that he'd be able to use it soon enough, even if only slightly. This all flashed through his head in an instant, when from behind the tree a startled scream jolted him out of his memories, and he reflexively snapped into a combat ready stance, calling out loudly 'Who's there?'

'Is that you Spyro?' called out a feminine voice from behind the tree. A pink head popped out from around the side of the tree, followed a by a pink body and a pink tail. Spyro's tail-base erupted into pain. Ember.

She was beautiful now. She had completely grown out of her hatchling features, and now looked like quite the female. All elegant curves and flowing scales. Her eyes glittered like sunlight off of a calm sea. She also happened to be on Spyro's mind a lot as of recently.

Smiling, and showing all her perfect, sharp white teeth she said 'You scared me! You shouldn't sneak up on dragons!'

Spyro tried to smile back, but only managed to grimace in pain.

A look of concern settled on Ember's features. 'Spyro, you OK? You look...oh.'

She had seen Spyro's back legs clamped, vice like, together, and had remembered the lessons she had had in her female only class, about reproduction.

'Spyro, I'm so sorr-'

'It's OK, just...just go...'

'I didn't mean t-'

'Just go!!' he snarled, a wild look in his eyes, before lowering his head and whimpering.

She shot off like a dragon possessed, and he watched her run with mingled feelings of sorrow and anger.

'Serves her right.....stupid females...just 'cos it only happens to them at night...' he muttered, limping back to his cave. And indeed he was right, females only got growing pains when they were asleep or trying to achieve said sleep. At those times it only worsened for males.

After spending a painful night back at his cave, Spyro realised that, having just vanquished the latest villain, he had a couple of weeks off. He decided to take a stroll through Dragonfly Falls, as he found that the mixture of bright sunlight and the sound of cascading water (which soothed him to sleep each night) was rather refreshing. In the midst of the falls, he saw two dragons walking his way on a lower path, an icy blue one and.....a slightly smaller pink one, which he registered miserably, and painfully. He could not turn back, having decided to glide down, and halfway through his glide the blue one spotted him and pointed him out to the pink one, who abruptly turned and walked briskly away.

'Hello Spyro!' called out Sapphire, a dragoness two years older than Spyro whom he had helped out of a sticky spot once, and whom he had been friends with ever since. She was a frost variety dragon, and always had ice crystals on her body.

'Hay Sapp, what's goin' on?' he asked her, joyfully pain-free.

'Oh, you know, the usual. Been talkin' to Ember alot, she seems pretty shook up about something', she said airily, and Spyro thought she knew exactly what was happening, having been through all this several years ago.

'Yeah...' said Spyro, shiftily and a little sheepishly.

'Listen mate', said Sapphire stepping closer and dropping all pretence, 'She's only avoiding you cos' she doesn't want to hurt you.'

'Yeah, I know....' said Spyro, still feeling guilty and a little shameful.

'If ya wanna take this head on, head on over to see the Professor, he has a couple o' books on this and he'll be able to help ya'.

Spyro decided to take Sapphire's advice, and he arrived at the Professor's lab an hour later.

'....So, to finish up, have you got any books on that sort of....uhmm......stuff, Professor?' finished Spyro, having explained his predicament to the Professor.

'Oh, yes Spyro. But I seem to have misplaced the key to enter my library so unless you'll go retrieve it I'm afraid you'll have to ask me any of your questions', replied the small, bespectacled, lab-coated mole.

'OK.....well, what's with this annoying pain I'm gettin' at my tail-base all the time?' asked Spyro, clearly uncomfortable.

'That just means your body is growing the things it needs to successfully reproduce. Those pains should stop in about four days.'

'But they've been going for a week already!'

'Hmmm', said the Professor, eyeing Spyro over the top of his glasses. 'Well...ahem...that would just indicate a large amount of growth.'

Blushing profusely, and wanting to just melt through the floor, Spyro turned to leave, but as he did the Professor said 'Spyro, one more thing...' and he turned around warily.

'It may interest you to know...that Nimbus only had these pains for a day', said a smiling Professor.

Spyro took this information to heart, promising himself to never forget it.

The rest of the day lazily flashed by, nothing happening. Spyro settled down for sleep, preparing himself for the worst. He had thoroughly exercised today, so sleep was not a long way off. He believed in keeping in top physical condition, even when there were no bad guys to speak of. So quickly did he fall asleep, he barely noticed that the pains tonight were almost bearable. Almost.

Waking up the next day, Spyro did his daily test to see whether he was fine, and if the pains were over. He thought of Ember, the mere thought of her enough to make him writhe in agony, and tensed himself for the worst, and.......nothing. He tried again, and this time only felt a twinge, and it was more pleasurable than anything else.

Grinning from horn to horn, he decided to go tell Ember this good news. After scouring the realms for her, he saw her sitting by a lake, back in Dragon Village. Preparing to yell out to her, he found that it was much harder to talk to her now, for some reason. But, plucking up his courage, he yelled 'Hay Ember!'

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CHAPTER 3 - Ember's Confession

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Ember wasn't having a good day. She'd overslept and missed an appointment with Sapphire, she'd cut her paw on her door somehow, and was generally miserable right now. That is, until a familiar voice permeated her fog of misery.

'Hay Ember!'

She snapped her head up, and saw Spyro jogging towards her. Her heart skipped enough beats to be dangerous, she had always been friends with him, but lately was wishing for something more. She jumped to her feet, preparing to pelt off, but he called out 'It's OK! I'm....I'm OK.'

She turned to face him, and suddenly felt furiously angry, yet heart-breakingly sad. Her blazing eyes shone with as yet unshed tears. He walked up and sat, looking miserable, a mere two feet away from her, staring down at his paws.

'Please don't go Ember, I just wanted to talk about the last few days...' He sounded as miserable as he looked.

She tried to sneer, but failed miserably as she hiccoughed.

'W-what makes you th-think I want t-to talk to y-you!' she said, her voice cracking badly and desperately trying to hold back tears.

He looked up, and strong, sad eyes the colour of bright amethysts met the teary gaze of two bright blue electric bolts.

'At the school, I really was an ass, and I wanted to say sorry.'

And with that, she threw herself upon him, sobbing uncontrollably onto his shoulder. He hadn't been expecting this, and was more than a little stunned. He had to resist the urge to jump back. He lifted a forepaw to pat her back, the other one still awkwardly on the ground.

'O-oh, it was just so scary...a-and you were s-so m-mad! And then I thought that I never thanked you f-for saving me out of th-that fire! And what if I could never talk to you again!! I could n-never tell you I l-liked you....'

She sobbed for a few more moments, before she began missing the paw on her back. Looking up, she saw that Spyro had stopped patting her, and was staring out over the lake, with a far-away expression on his face.

'Spyro?' she asked, wiping her tears off her snout with her forepaw and stepping back.

'You...like....me?' he said haltingly, stunned, and looking down at her with an incredulous look.

'Of course!' she said, regaining a little of her usual optimistic cheeriness, 'Couldn't you tell?'

He shook his head slowly, comprehension dawning, eyes searching her face for the trick. 'She likes me!' his brain roared.

'E....Ember?' he stuttered, clearly admitting something very private.

'Yes, Spyro?' she whispered back, stepping closer, so close he could count the ridges on her horns.

'I.....I like you too.'

With that, she stepped even closer, so close he could count the ridges of his own horns, reflected in her eyes.

'Spyro...I never did thank you for how you saved me at th-' and at that, she was cut off, as Spyro swiftly ducked in to press his lips to hers. From the look in his eyes, he was as shocked as she was, Ember deduced. But after the initial awkwardness faded, Ember pressed back against him, softly touching his lips, no tongue for now, just enjoying a very innocent, pleasurable kiss.

Walking past, Sapphire saw the two dragons by the lake. With a slight grin on her face, she turned away and moved off, not wanting to intrude. She was on her way to find Nimbus, whom she had had great fun in tormenting ever since Spyro had told her that he had had growing pains for a single day.

The two young dragons were lost in sheer bliss, enjoying every second of their first ever kiss.

They eventually broke apart, after what seemed like no time at all. They were both thinking that this had to be done more often. They looked the other dragon in the eyes for a moment, then both grinned and looked anywhere but at the other, the silence beginning to get uncomfortable.

It was Ember who broke it, saying 'Well...umm...that was fun', to which Spyro replied with an enthusiastic nod.

'So do you..ummm...do you like..err..' he stuttered, trying and failing to find a subject to talk about.

Ember came to his rescue, asking in a soft voice 'Will you walk me home?'

They walked slowly to Ember's house, taking a different turn-off on the path Spyro followed to his own home. The silence they walked in was uncomfortable, until Spyro raised the subject of the school fire. He had rescued Ember from it, for even a dragon can't survive a blazing inferno. She had been shaken up, and turned oddly pale whenever anyone spoke of it for a while, but had since gotten over it, and animatedly joined into the conversation about how the fire started.

They eventually arrived at Ember's house, a hollowed out tree trunk she had decorated herself, on the other side of the forest from Spyro. They were greeted by a terrible sight.

It was smashed, crushed under a much larger and still solid tree. The fallen tree's base looked riddled with holes, termites no doubt.

'My house!' cried Ember, close to tears. 'Where will I go now, I lived there!'

Spyro said something very quietly, Ember couldn't make it out. She raised an eye-ridge at him, and he said, visibly trembling, 'Would you like to come and stay with me?'

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CHAPTER 4 - It is Time

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Those simple, ten words struck her like a wet fish. She was frozen in surprise and, dare she think it....happiness?

Spyro, crestfallen, took her prolonged silence as a no, and said 'OK, let's go find somew-'

'I'd love to Spyro!', she smiled, cutting across him. 'Lead the way!'

The young dragon lit up like a flamed gnorc, and bounced down the path, Ember happily trotting alongside. As they walked along, they continued their previous conversation where they left off, Spyro saying, 'Ya know, I always thought that the flame teacher was a bit edgy...'

As they arrived at Spyro's cave after a short walk through the sun-dappled forest, Ember insisting on holding wings (the draconic equivalent of holding hands), Spyro was gripped by sudden nerves. What if she didn't like it? What if she thought it was disgusting? What if-

'Where is it Spyro?' asked a curious Ember, looking left and right for the cave.

Spyro asked 'Huh?'

'Your cave, shouldn't it be here?'

'Oh, right, sorry...forgot...wanna see something awesome?'

'What?'

'Watch...' and he walked over to the side of the cave and motioned for her to come over. When she did, he said 'Put your paw on it.'

Ember said 'Okay...' and reached out and put her paw on the rock. It just felt like normal rock, and she wondered what Spyro was doing.

Spyro, smiling as he anticipated her reaction, stepped alongside her and placed his paw over hers (feeling an electric shock on contact). Right before Ember's amazed eyes the wall melted away into the ground, leaving a hole that led into a cosy little cave.

'Wha..? How?' she stuttered incoherently.

'Ember, you remember that old dragon who volunteered at the hatchery? The earth dragon?'

'Ummmm...'

'You know, he was green, big deep voice?'

'Oh yeah! I remember him!'

'Well, when the hatchery checked on me they sent him, and he put this up. He told me a couple years ago that it was because I would probably get a little more trouble than your ordinary dragon, and he was right! Do you like it?'

'I love it, it's so cozy!'

'Really? You like it!?'

'Course I do, it's yours isn't it?' and at that she ran into the cave, laughing.

Spyro walked in, laughing as well, and saw her sitting over by the stream. He walked over, still chuckling, and ducked his head for a drink. He could see Ember on the peripherals of his vision; she was just sitting there, watching. He could tell that she was thirsty, why was she not drinking? And then his cheeks warmed, he thought "Oh scales!" and he realised why.

'Ember, ya want a drink?'

'Thanks', she replied, with another smile. A brief thought passed through Spyro's head, one he'd never had before. 'She's so cute when she does that.'

Ember walked over to him, right next to him, until their wings brushed together, and then ducked her head down to drink, inches from his.

As they both stood there, heads ducked and tails twitching and sometimes touching behind them, a thought crept into Ember's head. It made her cheek scales warm in embarrassment, and it also inspired a strange, though not unknown tingle at her tail-base. Making a split second decision, she decided to try it.

She had time to plan, seeing as Spyro was larger and therefore needed more water than her, and she was not even half full. She observed his tongue, going out, lapping up water, going in. Out, in, out, in, out, in, out, move.

Moving her head to the side, her tongue touched his. Spyro froze, eyes wide, and just looked straight ahead. Ember moved her head further, her tongue sliding along his, moving further up, to brush along his lips. She was enjoying this. Her tongue tickled against his lips, sliding along them, tantalizing them open, until she could move her tongue into his mouth, and slide it along his teeth, rather erotically. Regaining conscious movement, Spyro began to respond, turning his head to her to give her greater access, beginning to move his own tongue.

Further and further their heads moved together, until their lips were the seal around their dancing tongues, eyes closed, immersed in it. Ember was leaning against Spyro now, and he raised a paw to the back of her head, caressing her.

Eventually their eyes fluttered open, and their tongues retreated to their own mouths, just leaving their lips touching in more of a smooch than a kiss. And then their heads moved apart, with a barely audible pop, and they just stood there, breathing heavily and smiling. Adrenaline pumped beneath their scales, not from any exercise, but from the rush of such an immersive kiss.

'Spyro...?' Ember breathed, looking straight into his eyes.

'Ember...' he breathed back, smiling.

There it was. The way they said each other's names, the way they had kissed, the way they were so perfect for each other. They were in love.

They talked into the night, first across the cave's central fire, then side-by-side, holding paws, and eventually Ember was hugging up against Spyro's side, with his wing around her, holding her. They discussed everything they could think of, even boring subjects, just because they were enjoying the other's company so much. However, it came time to call it a night when Ember's head drooped to Spyro's shoulder, and she yawned widely.

He leaned his head in, until it was resting on top of hers, and rubbed his jaw against her, saying softly 'I think, it's time one little dragon went off to bed.'

'I agree. You look tired.'

'Look who's talking. Nah, come on, tomorrow's another day.'

'Can't we just fall asleep right here,' said a heavy-lidded Ember, leaning in further against him and nuzzling his shoulder, 'I'm so comfortable...'

'No, we're getting up. The bed is five steps that way. Don't make me have to drag you.'

Laughing, Ember replied 'I would like to see you try.'

Spyro made no response, and she let a satisfied smile spread across her face. Suddenly, her leaning post was gone, and she felt a paw enclose around her tail, pulling hard enough to move her along the floor. Looking back, shocked, she saw Spyro pulling her with a paw, laughing uproariously.

'If you could see your face right now,' he choked out, tears of laughter streaming down his own.

Managing to see the funny side, she laughed with him, and jumped up at him, tackling him into the bed. They lay there, just laughing, looking in the other's eyes. From the tackle, Ember's arms were wrapped around Spyro, and his tail had somehow wrapped around hers in the kafuffle, leaving them pressed together all along their body length. They lay there, the laughter dying down, until the compromising position made itself known. Spyro cleared his throat and looked away, and Ember rolled off him, with a playful grin and a kiss on his nose on the way up.

'Come on Ember,' Spyro yawned, 'Time for sleep...' And at that he rolled over, lying on the farthest side of the bed, facing away from her, leaving the most room between them.

'Well that won't do' thought Ember. She padded over to the side where he was resolutely situated, and promptly shuffled up against him, head nuzzled up against his chest, and pushed him into the centre of the bed, where she wrapped her arms around him, and looked up at him fiercely. This instantly cowed his expression of confusion, and he lowered his eye-ridge. He had seen that look before, her mind was made up and she wasn't gonna' change it. So, making the best of it, he wrapped his arms around her, and pulled her in close, hugging her to his form. His wings moved forwards and wrapped around her as well, and she let out a sigh of contentment, laced with something more, that had not yet graced Spyro's senses.

As they lay there, drifting into sleep, long dormant muscles and newly made hormones kicked into action, slowly fogging the youngster's minds, sending them messages in their unconscious state. Soon enough, the scent of arousal could be detected, wafting around the cave, mixing with the dying ashes of the fire, and being breathed in and absorbed by the two dragons....

'Spyro? Are you awake?'

'Yeah,' he replied with a rather husky voice, he had probably just woken up, like her. She found herself having unusual feelings about his current state of voice. It made her feel good...but needy at the same time.

'I was having some weird dreams...' said the little pink dragon, snuggling in closer to the embrace of her loved one, nuzzling his chest. Without meaning to, his grip on her tightened, ever so slightly, and there also seemed to be an additional bump in the mix, not a scale or fin, a smooth bump just pressing against her stomach softly....

Spyro cleared his throat, and said 'Yeah, me too.' He didn't know why, but he felt like he was too hot; it was a cool enough night. Ember was overheated too, he could feel it. But he could smell something else, his nose twitched, trying to pick it up....it was nothing, and everything at once. Not there, yet electric.

'What's wrong?' questioned Spyro, upon hearing Ember sigh.

'Well....this sounds weird...but do you think you could...talk...like before?'

Befuddled, Spyro spoke in that hoarse voice from before 'Like this?'

Smiling, Ember said 'Yeah, like that...' and again snuggled in even tighter, moulding herself to his form. That bump was still there, and seemed to have gotten bigger...in fact, she could feel it swelling slowly if she concentrated on it. And it was definitely coming from Spyro, she'd know the feel of those scales anywhere. Spyro himself was still puzzling over her voice preference. With a mental shrug, and a touch of wisdom beyond his years, he thought 'Females.'

They lay there for a time, neither very tired, nothing happening save for the thoughts these two dragons might be having, until Ember shifted her position against Spyro, and one of his legs shifted between hers. In this act she rubbed the treasure that lay at the base of her two back legs against his thigh, eliciting a moan from her lips. Spyro's head whipped down to look at her in alarm, and she just shivered in the aftershocks of that first touch.

'Hey, what was that?' he asked her softly, raising a paw to lift her chin until their eyes met. 'My leg feels wet, and you just looked like an electric dragon shocked you.'

'I...I don't know! It was amazing! It was coming from...'

Ember directed her head downwards, lifting up the blanket on the way. Spyro followed her gaze. Just as their eyes were stripping away the gloom, a bolt of realisation hit Ember. She remembered her old teacher's words, swirling through a haze of miasmic memory...it was her...

'Ummmmm, Spyro... I think I know what it is...' she whispered, so quietly it was almost undiscernible. She saw Spyro nod slowly, looking pre-occupied. Frankly she was amazed he was still there, the heat rising from her blushing should've melted him by now...

'What's wrong?' asked Ember urgently. She had seen Spyro's eyes widen rapidly, and had felt him start. 'Spyro, what is it?' Ember followed his gaze downwards, looking under the still-suspended cover. Protruding from between Spyro's back legs, at about the same spot she had felt that heavenly touch before, was that bump from earlier. It was just a protrusion in his scales, with a seam going along the centre of the bump. Simple, anatomically speaking. Yet incredibly meaningful.

Spyro's paw shot down, bringing the cover's with it, obscuring her view. He was staring straight ahead, slight panic in his eyes. Now they both knew what was happening in the bed, even if it was unintentional. They had had secretive thoughts, they had shown outward feelings, and now their uncontrolled bodily functions had reacted. They wanted to mate.

'Ember...I..I'm sorry you had to see that...' mumbled Spyro, looking down to her face, shame in his eyes.

'Why?'

'I...what?'

'Why?' repeated Ember. She had thought about this, she had remembered what they had been taught, she had examined her feelings towards Spyro, and she had thought of the future. She knew what she wanted. She was a bit of a romantic, anyone who just knows OF her will probably know that, and she wanted to consummate that love with Spyro. She could think of no better way than the sharing of bonding fire, the one thing taken that could never be returned. Mating had two definitions, the more primal, probably more well known version, the simple act between a male and female in need, with no particular feelings for each other, just a 'come' and go event. But the lesser known version, possibly existing only in Ember's mind, was much more sacred. The forging of a relationship that can NOT be broken. The physical manifestation of passion and love.

Spyro was momentarily silenced by her question. Why?

'Because...we're not old enough...' he said. He knew it was a weak answer, but an answer nonetheless. He didn't know why he was desperate to think of an answer, from the rumours he had heard he should be embracing this. But he was feeling something, something he rarely ever felt. Fear.

'Why should that stop us...if we're...' she trailed off, mumbling the rest too quietly.

'Say again?'

'If we're in love.'

Their eye-to-eye gaze suddenly got much more intense. Spyro looked stunned, he was just searching her eyes.

'In...love?'

'Yes Spyro...I love you.' She lowered her head to nuzzled the bottom of his neck, and smiled a small smile, and shed a single tear. 'I'm in love with you, Spyro the dragon...'

'Ember, how could you not know...' Ember looked up again, locking eyes.

'Ember, I have loved you since the day I met you. Remember that first day in the hatchery, you saw me sitting up the back looking weird at you, and you came and sat next to me? You asked me what was wrong, you said I looked funny, and I said I just swallowed a fly.'

Laughing, Ember responded 'Oh yeah, I forgot about that.'

'I saw you, and I went blank. My brain went into meltdown. I've loved you everyday since then, I will love you everyday from now, and...and I love you Ember.' He let out a laugh. 'I love you.'

So, finally, FINALLY, after over fourteen years of friendship, after countless moments, after they had confided so many secrets and troubles, after just a day of knowing each other this intimately, and after confessing their love for one another...it was time.

They met in a kiss, a first, preliminary kiss, nothing much, just slowly pressing their lips against the other's, mouth's steadily opening, tongues moving to intercept the other's, caressing, flowing over each other's, moving into the other's mouth, sliding along teeth and gums...

Paws moved, skittering over the other's scales, Ember's locking around Spyro's head; Spyro's moving down to grasp either side of Ember's hips, fingers stroking. Their kiss deepened, heads slipping closer together, nostrils flaring for air. Their tails entwined, an instinctual movement that forced their tail-bases together.

Their senses went into overdrive. Spyro could easily smell Ember's arousal, he knew what it was now. It tickled his nostrils, overloaded the dangerous smells barrier, and pumped directly into his brain, flooding rational thinking, flowing onwards right into the pleasure centre, releasing endorphins into his body that flowed like molten metal, raising his temperature, sweeping through his body, and gushing to form a whirlpool of unreleased pleasure focused upon his tail-base and sheath, intent on releasing the virgin sex organ beneath.

Ember could feel everything. She felt Spyro's scales against hers, his body temperature rising, rising. She was acutely aware of his tongue, locked in mortal combat with hers, twisting into her mouth, flicking over her teeth. His paws were rested on her hips, rubbing in little circles, slowly, sensuously, tickling her slightly, arousing her amazingly. She felt her inner muscles pulsating within her, pleasurably so, and she felt a tiny amount of glistening liquid leak out of herself. Spyro's muscles fluttered under her touch, his chest was rising and falling against hers, rubbing, sharing the incredible heat two dragons can generate. With her arms wrapped around his neck, she could feel the power of it, pressing against her. If she opened her eyes she would be able to see the muscles of his collarbone risen up, incredibly sexily.

They could both hear the sounds of the night and their lover. The slight sucking of their deep kiss, the laboured breathing of the other. Their senses were heightened; they could hear the rustling of the patched-leaf blanket, the slight wind whistling through the trees outside, even the faint shush of the water trickling down the far side of the cave, and gurgling out in the little stream.

Eventually, the more carnal, instinctual needs of the body made themselves known. Ember's leg bumped against Spyro's swollen sheath, and he broke the kiss, throwing back his head to release a moan. He had known that this was supposed to feel good, but he wasn't expecting this. This was....impossible to describe in his current state of mind. It had felt like an electric dragon had zapped his sheath, but with...pleasure instead of electricity. He suddenly found he had some sort of control over his sheath, he could open it if he wished. He could feel it, pressed against Ember's own, swollen heat, the temptation to just unleash himself was almost overwhelming. But no, that wouldn't be fair on Ember.

'..Ember...I..I need to..I..nee...I need to...soon...' laboured out Spyro, breathing raggedly.

'Ok...but...how are we..y'know..gonna..do it?'

'Umm...OK, hang on...'

They shifted, until Ember was lying flat on her back, with Spyro above her, his right forearm behind her head. Her arms were underneath his, paws on his shoulders from behind, feeling the muscles twitch.

'Let's do it like this...and when you say your ready I'm gonna open it up. I'm not sure how fast it comes out, so get ready...'

They were both slightly daunted, yet terribly excited. There was no fear in it on both sides, Spyro had been convinced into this by their heartfelt admittance of mutual love, and Ember, who had known that from the beginning, did not have to worry about any pain barriers, which had been removed years ago when she was doing a stretch in their physical fitness class at school.

Their focus was now upon their tail-bases, feeling new feelings that had taken a backseat behind the overall experience. They both felt the molten fire of their arousal simmering behind their respective barriers, making the space between so hot, so hot. They leaned towards each other, meeting in a kiss, a small, so meaningful kiss. And then it happened.

With a grunt, Spyro relaxed the patch of scales covering his never before used dragonhood. It slid out slowly, first only the tip was visible, then it began to move outwards, finally free from it's bonds. The tip kept moving, quickly reaching Ember's feminine mound.

'Ohhhhh...' They both said this, upon feeling the tip of Spyro's shaft just graze her dragonesshood. They could feel it, just the solid, moist tip of this incredible thing, pressed up against Ember's cleft, grazing against her swollen sex lips, being lubricated by the liquids it secreted. Eventually it found its mark, and began to slip inside her.

Moans escaped both of their lips, as it slipped further and further inside her, inch by inch, nothing could describe this. Cognitive thought escaped them. The heat, it was so....so hot! Spyro felt like he was pushing at her very fire itself, getting consumed by it. Eventually, no more could be pushed inside Ember. Their pubic bones met. He was hilted inside her.

Ember, in tears from the pleasure, squeezed her arms around him, her tail clenching around his. This was incredible!

Spyro started pulling out, inch by inch emerging from within his lover, only to slowly push back in again. Once more this happened, twice, before it was almost all over. As this was their first time, they had little control.

'Ember...I'm...really close...'

'So...am...I!'

Spyro pulled out once more, slowly, wetly, stickily, and pushed back in, a little harder and faster than the other times. That did it. They both cried out in ecstasy, relishing the moment. Ember shivered, inner muscles spasming against Spyro. Contractions passed in waves over his dragonhood, massaging it, pulsating against it. Spyro himself let out a ragged breath, releasing himself into her, giving his all to her. He felt like he was being drained, every bit of his essence being sucked into her, and he happily gave it all, his muscles twitching.

Just as the final shock of both their orgasms came, they felt an unexplained urge to lock lips with the other. Their heads shot together and met, mouths wide, tongues dancing, and from somewhere deep within themselves came a fire, a white-hot fire that didn't hurt at all. It gushed out of them, channelling from their very soul through their mouth, and into the mouth and soul of the other. This was their bonding fire, the one thing that would link them together, spiritually and physically, for all eternity. It coalesced between them, none of it escaping their joined maws, mixing, making them no longer two individual flames, but a single blazing inferno, joined as one.

It was done. Spyro collapsed atop Ember, breathing heavily, smoke curling from his nostrils. Ember herself only managed to lick his cheek lovingly, before she was lost to sleep. Spyro himself soon followed.

And as the two young lovers lay together in sleep, the smoke curling from their maws melded in mid-air to form a perfect heart above them. This floated to the ceiling, where the molten smoke melted very slightly into the rock, creating the perfect imprint of a heart.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CHAPTER 5 - Bliss

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A small pink form waded through a miasmic haze of dreams and ambitions, coming ever closer to consciousness. With a shiver, that same pink form coalesced into a pink dragon, lying in a cave, with sticky legs. With another shiver, that dragon jumped into semi-consciousness, enough to realize she was cold, and snuggle further under the blanket. With a third, more violent shiver this dragon sat bolt-upright in bed, cricking her wing in the process. With a wince, Ember thought "Where is Spyro!?"

She rose shakily to her paws...and immediately fell back down onto her rump.

'Ohhhhh...' she groaned, raising a paw to her swimming head, eyes screwed shut.

Slower this time, she again rose, forcing her shaking legs straight. "Willpower" she thought. Staggering over to the side of the cave, to quench her thirst at the stream (which, coincidently, she had found had lullaby-like qualities), she saw a blackened mark on the wall, like it had been burned by fire. It occurred to her that this must've been left by Spyro, because it hadn't been there last night. Walking through the stream to the wall, washing a lot of a certain clear liquid off of herself in the process, she sniffed the mark. It smelled recent, her keen nostrils told her one hour at the most.

So as not to drink the slightly cloudy water flowing away from her, she turned upstream, and lowered her head to lap up a drink, all the while wondering why Spyro would be gone. She didn't have to wonder long.

'Do you always look this good in the morning?'

With a violent start, Ember whipped around and saw Spyro's sparkling eyes looking her up and down, a twinkle of amusement apparent in them. He looked magical...standing in the cave entrance, with his wings slightly spread, wafting air against him. The sunlight speared across the treetops behind him, illuminating him against an alive, lush backdrop. He was even sparkling, dew had settled on his back and made him appear even more magical than he already was. Giggling, Ember walked over and licked his cheek, then rubbed her head along his neck, and nibbled at his collarbone.

'No, today's a bad day', she whispered. With a smile, she felt Spyro shiver when her breath washed over him.

'Geez, I'd love to see a fantastic day. Call me when one rolls around', he replied, lowering his head and blowing air across her cheek.

'I'd like to, but your head would explode from trying to process how good I look. I'm scared to look at my reflection every morning.'

Laughing, Spyro turned and walked back outside again, beckoning Ember to follow with a flick of his tail. As they stepped outside, Ember couldn't help but think two things. One, that she and Spyro were already throwing back and forth insults and compliments like a real couple. They were talking so fluidly, kinda like they could feel what the other was going to say, and they were quick-witted enough to think of a suitable response quickly. She could kinda feel it, a warmth when she was around him, that had nothing to do with fire. But in the forefront of her thoughts, number two.

'Damn you've got a cute ass...'

'You say somethin' Ember?'

'Damn grass...'

'Oh.'

Ember gave herself a mental pat-on-the-back. Nice cover-up.

When they got outside, Ember was stunned at what she saw lying on the "damn" grass in front of her. This was a serious sign of commitment right here, all the little things were adding up. Spyro had gone out on his own, in the early hours of the morning, and had hunted breakfast for her.

It was nothing much physically, an average sized sheep, but mentally it was a lot more. That he had done it without telling her, as if it was just another thing that he did, was so....romantic.

Spyro walked over to her side, and lowered his wing onto her. He leaned in to nuzzle her, and, showing that beneath his flippant visage he did realize the significance of this, whispered 'Tuck in.'

As Ember walked over to begin feeding, Spyro lifted off into the air, and began performing a complex series of aerial manoeuvres in front of her. He tucked into a barrel roll, and swerved in between several of the closer trees, before doing the smallest mid-air loop Ember had ever seen.

'Spyro?'

'Hmmm?'

'What are you doing?'

'Huh? Oh, the flying. I do it every morning, usually just before I eat. It helps keep me in shape, and really wakes ya up for the day.'

'I see.'

'I should teach ya how to do these sometime.'

Smiling, Ember said 'I'd like that.'

'So, what do you wanna do today?' said Spyro, easily keeping up his exercises and the conversation at the same time. 'I was thinking we could maybe just go for a walk, or go for a fly...'

'Or mate.'

With a choked cough, Spyro promptly fell out of the air, and landed with a thud in the grass in front of her. His cheek-scales looked red enough to put his fire to shame. Ember, not one for wasting time, crawled over the top of him, and draped herself across his form. She reached up a paw to stroke the side of his face, and entwined her tail with his.

Swallowing hard, and looking anywhere but at her eyes, Spyro said 'Or...or we could do that, yeah...'

'Do what, Spyro?'

Y'know...we could..'

'Yessss?'

With a sigh Spyro met her gaze and mumbled 'Or you and me could mate, Ember.'

Laughing, she leaned down to kiss him. It wasn't awkward for her at all, and she couldn't imagine why it would be for Spyro. They loved each other, and they had told each other so. What's there to be awkward about? On the contrary, Ember had rather enjoyed herself, and really wanted to do it again.

After finishing a long kiss, they got up, and with much glancing and giggling, they finished their meal. Quite full from that feast, which would keep them going for days, they walked back inside and snuggled under the blankets, just holding the other for a good while, enjoying the quiet and the closeness. Ember became quite drowsy, after eating all of that food. She eventually drifted off into a light sleep, still lying on top of her love. Spyro just wrapped his arms around her, holding her close, and felt her consciousness leave her, not only physically, but he also felt like he could feel it through her, as if part of him was falling asleep. He had little doubt that this was because of their bonding fire, but made a mental note to ask the Professor about it. As he lay there, softly running his paws along her back, and rubbing her shoulders, close to where her wings joined her body, he thought of the next couple of weeks and smiled. Having just defeated the latest would-be dictator he had some time for himself until the next attempted takeover was launched. In the back of his mind he was quietly considering training Ember, teaching her how to fight so she could come with him, but dismissed it with a soft snort of laughter. Not only would he not be able to stand having her in a fight and worrying about her, but he thought teaching her to fight would be disastrous.

Hours later Ember awoke on his chest, and as she raised her head to look at him, he smiled. She was so beautiful. After a time Ember found quite a fun new game, she traced Spyro's muscles with her claw, and usually something would twitch. At one stage she was tracing his left shoulder, and immediately his bicep tensed up. She had a laughing fit, while he relaxed it, looking away and blushing. She did this over and over, just watching him sit there and be embarrassed, tears pouring from her eyes. The act itself wasn't all that funny, Spyro had fought his way through life for years, he was bound to be quite muscled, but that he was embarrassed about it? Priceless.

However, after a time Ember's tracings became a little more intimate. Softly fluttering her claw over his scales, she began to move lower and lower. Spyro's breathing quickened. Ember directed her gaze upwards and saw that his eyes were closed. She traced across his chest, claw skittering ever-so-lightly against his scales, feeling him twitch uncomfortably beneath her. Just as her claw was getting to his back legs...

'Ohhhh, no you don't.'

Spyro quickly rolled to the side, and got to his feet, throwing a smile in her direction. Between his legs she could clearly see the bulge she had come to love so much. The way he normally stood thrust his chest out, and with his wings folded against his lithe body and his tail swaying playfully behind him, he just let off an aura of calm and content ("That," thought Ember, "And he's so damn sexy."). Looking down on her, Spyro marvelled at how lucky he was. She looked so beautiful, lying on her side looking up at him, (or rather one particular part of him right now) her wings spread out across the bed behind her, one arm stretched out over his side where she had been tracing at his muscles.

'Spy-roooooo' she whined, propping herself up on her elbow. 'Come back in.' She patted the bed beside her invitingly, and using her limited knowledge of being seductive, she ran her tongue slowly around her lips, then pouted. This captivated an increasingly aroused Spyro, but he was adamant.

'Nuh-uh,' he said, shaking his head, still with that little smile on his face. 'Come with me, I want to show you something before we...umm....'

'Yessss?'

He sighed, resigned to the fact that he was going to have to say it every time. 'Before we mate, or something...'

Giggling, Ember leapt out of the bed, flapping her wings a couple times on the way, and landed next to Spyro. With a quick nuzzle to the side of his face, and a kiss on the cheek, she said 'Lead on.'

They walked out into the mid-morning sun, chatting amiably about food. One of them enjoyed the eating of it, whilst the other enjoyed the hunting. Three guesses at who. Ember asked Spyro several times where they were going, but each time he just flashed that amazing little smile at her and said 'You'll see.'

It was a very pleasant walk; the sun filtering through the leaves gave a soft green-ish glow to everything. Recent rains ensured that it was all lush and green. Along the way, Spyro stopped several times to carve his and her names into a tree, and then circle them with a little heart. His claw hurt a little after, but it was more than worth it just to bring a little happiness to her.

After a time, they heard a strange sound on the air; it sounded....kind of artificially natural. It stumped them both for a moment; just listening to the faint sound, then Spyro gave a small start as the answer came upon him.

'Oh, Ember, you remember Hunter? He's a cheetah, helped us out against Ripto and Red?'

Ember's eyes glazed over, and she looked into the distance. Then it was her turn to start. 'Was he the guy that helped you against the Sorceress?'

'Yeah, that's him! I'd know that sound anywhere, that's him using one of his music things...what's it called...a gutter? No....guitar! That's it! Yeah, sounds just like it.'

'Guitar?'

'Yeah I know, weird isn't it? He's rigged up a whole set of 'em, a couple of guitars, and these things ya hit called Drums, I think he even got Sparx in on it a while ago. He came to me a while ago, asking for help, and he showed me this piece of paper, that he'd drawn all these weird looking things on, and he said they were "notes" to music. All looks like a pile of scale rot to me, but I tried to help.'

With a heavenly giggle, Ember leaned in and nuzzled his neck. 'That's my Spyro...' He smiled down at her, and they shared a brief kiss, before walking on, still listening to the strange music.

As they walked nearer and nearer to what Ember's sense of direction told her was the centre of the forest, she remembered something, something that had not occurred to her in years.

'Hey Spyro?'

'For the last time, I'm not tellin' ya where we are going!' he replied, laughing.

'I know, I know. But I just remembered another place that I think you would like. And it's pretty close too! In fact...' she said, trailing off. She looked to her right, off the path, and into what seemed a very dense part of the forest.

'Come on, follow me. It's just a little walk in this direction,' she said, lowering her wing on to Spyro's back, and he hers.

His curiosity piqued, Spyro followed her off the path, and through the trees. They had to release each other's wings after a while, for there was not enough room to walk in any other way than single-file. This suited Spyro just fine, as he was walking right behind Ember, and was afforded a brilliant view of her rump. The erection Ember had incited earlier quickly returned, this time going as far as to just poke out from beneath his sheath, fuelled not only by the view, but by a smell that was assaulting his senses that he recognized quite readily, and would grow quite accustomed to.

As they wended their way through the trees, it became steadily darker, and the trees seemed older. They were entering the more ancient parts of the forest now, their footsteps carpeted by a layer of leaves. The air grew denser, and more and more scents made themselves known to the two adolescent dragons. They smelled obviously the damp ancientness of the trees surrounding them, but also they could smell the different scents of other animals in the region, they could smell a deer and pinpoint it's location (50 metres to their right to be precise) as easily as if they could see it, their sense of smell seemed to be heightened to new levels.

When Spyro voiced this strange occurrence, Ember said 'Don't worry about that, that's one of the effects of where we are going, it puts ya on edge and makes ya more...aware, I guess is the word. Speaking of, we are almost there. See that kinda wall of trees up ahead?'

And indeed there was a wall of trees ahead, a green barrier of foliage that seemed impenetrable. The trees had twisted and entwined together as they grew, so that everywhere was blocked by either branch or leaf. And as they drew nearer to it, for they were still a ways off when Ember had pointed it out thanks to draconic night vision, a new smell made itself known. It smelled like water, except purer...and older. By now Spyro was quite confused over both the smell and how to get through the wall, but voicing his more immediate confusion, he said 'How do we get through the trees?'

With a smile, Ember walked towards one of the smaller patches of leaves that made up this natural wall. It was roughly round in shape, it would be a tight fit for either of them to fit through. But fit through Ember did.

She pushed her head right through the barrier of leaves, and nothing stopped her. Next she got her forelegs and shoulders through, then, with difficulty, her wings. She seemed to encounter resistance now, the back half of her body wriggling on Spyro's side of the wall, unable to get through. Her claws dug into the earth and he heard her grunting with the strain, but still she did not budge.

Ever the helpful one, Spyro asked 'Do you need a push?'

Ember, red in the face from both strain and embarrassment, nodded her head several times before she realized that Spyro couldn't see it. Growing even redder, she threw back 'Please do. Me and the branches have grown, so we'll have to trim them back for you to get through.'

Spyro lined himself up, and leant down to push her with his snout, getting the strength of all four legs in the push. However, just as he was about to make contact with the upper part of her tail, it twitched to the side, and he heard her call out 'You want me to move my tail?'

Still moving, Spyro got a quick look at where he was lined up with. He liked what he saw.

There, before him, was the treasure he so desired. It's lips reddened and swollen and...moist, it looked like. The slit running along it's centre exuded a heavenly scent, and when Spyro's muzzle bumped against it, he heard a moan from the other side of the wall. Having no choice but to breathe, Spyro inhaled a few lungfuls of the incredible scent, the electric aroma of the substance that had smeared itself over his nostrils. It invigorated him, went straight into his brain. His erection, previously confined to only a slight touch of fresh air, rapidly grew, until it's whole glistening length was projecting from between his back legs, bobbing slightly as he shuffled his legs, pressing against his belly and leaving a slick trail as a sign of it's passing. The warm breeze caressed it, until it grew even further, until it was halfway up his stomach. He couldn't resist, he slowly opened his mouth and let his tongue out, running it across the slit, back and forth, lapping up the moisture and revelling in the taste. It was like a natural viagra, sending him to greater heights of euphoria. His forearms were now resting on the small of her back, supporting him, and his wings were spread out behind him, wafting air on his rapidly heating form.

His erection was rock solid, bobbing underneath him in time with his heartbeat, drops of precum actually falling off it, letting off a sizzling sound as they hit the earth. The moans and cries he heard through the wall were testament to Ember's enjoyment of their little activity, and her claws had dug deep into the ground where she was clenching them.

Ember was in absolute heaven. She felt like her tailbase was literally on fire, it was so incredibly hot, and that was on it's own! Where Spyro licked just became molten, quivering at his touch. She was crying out loudly into the area in front of her, and at such close proximity to her destination her senses were heightened to a point never reached before, everything just felt so good! She was pawing at the ground, eyes screwed shut in intense pleasure, wings switching from tightly hugging her form to flung out and twitching.

Licking and sucking like he was hatched to, Spyro brought her closer and closer to her edge. Just as he felt her starting to tense up, and twitching sporadically, he pulled away. This was met with a groan of disappointment from Ember (that had a touch of a snarl in it), which was quickly silenced when she felt greater weight placed upon her back legs.

Behind Ember, Spyro was up on his back legs, with his front legs resting on her back. He was wide eyed and was breathing like he'd just flown to the old school and back again fifty times, his scaled chest rising and falling rapidly. Forepaws on both sides of Ember's slim form, claws softly pressing against her, he was edging forwards, his throbbing dragonhood inches away from that puffy patch of perfection, that looked so inviting, so hot and wet. Just as he was about to make contact...

...Ember raised herself up on her toes on her back legs, so that instead of penetrating her, Spyro's erection grazed along it, spreading its lips along his length, his tip rubbing her stomach just above her lower lips. While this was ecstasy enough, Spyro was still confused she hadn't let him enter. With a confused twist to his voice, he said 'Ember?'

Panting and gasping, Ember managed to get out 'Spyro....just...just get in here first...'

Immediately, Spyro hopped down off of her, and with a few quick swipes from his claws, he cut back the branches that were holding Ember in place. She shot forwards into the mystery space, and Spyro heard a few wing beats. Then, curiously, a splash. Pushing himself through the newly trimmed hole, Spyro finally saw Ember's secret. And he stared.

In front of him was a large, roughly circular clearing. Not a single leaf or stick littered the ground, which was covered in deep green, thick lush grass. In the centre of the clearing sat a large pool of water, steam rising slowly out of it. It slowly occurred to him that this must be a fresh water spring, being heated by the ground. However, all cognitive thought escaped him when he saw Ember burst out of the water, and he had reason to wonder anew.

She looked like a goddess. Leaping out of the water, wings spraying steaming water everywhere, and the water itself sliding through every portion of her, through her scales, off her horns, down her stomach, through her legs...

As he saw this, he felt a flash of heat pass through his body, and centre on his tail-base. With a wince, he felt his erection stretch out a couple more centimetres, going further along his muscular stomach, almost reaching his chest. Had he had much control over his mind, he might have puzzled over this, but as it was, he could barely move with lust. Yet, move he did, leaping forward and tackling Ember into the water, wrapping his wings and arms around her, feeling her paws scratch at his back in pleasure. They kissed, long and slow, under the water, eyes closed in bliss, entwined with one another, Spyro's forgotten erection rubbing against her soft belly scales. As if they could feel each other's thoughts they both slowly moved to the surface, until their horns first broke the surface, gleaming in the sunshine filtered through the steam, then both their heads came out, still kissing deep. Their long tongues were entwined about each other, and they were both completely and utterly happy. Nothing, NOTHING could stop this. Then they needed to breathe.

Lungs aching for air, they both burst apart at the same instant, taking huge ragged breaths of the stifling, humid air. They looked each other in the eye, and their heads slowly lowered, until both of their foreheads were touching, still looking in each other's eyes. Then it happened.

As they slowly moved their foreheads apart, they saw something. Floating out from Spyro's head, was a long strand of purple flame, it seemed to have no source. It exactly matched the purple hue of his scales. And halfway to Ember, it met hers.

Ember's flame, pink as her scales, floated out of her, and met Spyro's. They entwined in mid air, winding around and around each other, whilst each moved towards the two dragons, Spyro's essence to Ember and Ember's to Spyro.

The two dragons just sat there, slowly treading water, still holding each other, and watched the flames float about in mid air. Then, just as Spyro's flame reached her, Ember felt an incredible heightening of her senses, dwarfing the natural effects of the spring. She looked around the world with new eyes, eyes that were like sunlight glittering off of a calm sea, but now had the slightest, almost-not-there tint of purple to them. And inside her, right down to her very core, her very fire, she felt a change. Her fire was still her own, yet something had been...added. In fact, if she closed her eyes, she could almost see a burning flame, with a purple centre.

Looking back to the incredible dragon she held close to her, she saw him going through the same sensations. And then he was the same as her, 90% Spyro and 10% Ember, as she was 90% Ember and 10% Spyro. As one, they both came together, and , with fire in their mouths, completely gave themselves to the other, flames leaping out from their joined maws, encircling them, making the steamy air that much hotter. And then, clear as if he'd spoke, Ember heard Spyro's voice, but it was coming from inside her!

Spyro was just overwhelmed. He was...so happy that this incredible female, his Ember, was here, in his arms. Stunned, he couldn't think of anything to do except kiss her. And so he did, with a passion-infused thought of his love. Then, as clearly as if she'd spoken, he heard Ember's voice say 'I love you too.'

Smiling, soul brimming with happiness and pleasure, Ember broke away from Spyro, and paddled off into the steam. Just as she was about to disappear from a dazed Spyro's view, she suddenly raised her tail high, and shot him a very, VERY aroused look over her shoulder.

Spyro followed her scent through the steam, arms outstretched, eyes closed. He groped and, thinking he'd heard something, made a lunge. He got nothing, and heard a suppressed giggle off to the side, followed by a splash. Pointing, over to where he thought it came from, he called out 'Dragon out of water!'

He heard a laugh, and when he opened his eyes all he could see was pink. Ember flew through the air at him, and grabbed him, both of them going under with a splash, for another submerged kiss.

When finally they broke from it, their sexes almost hurting from pent up lust, Ember swiftly moved to the side of the pool, and braced her back against it, facing Spyro.

Their eyes met, for the briefest of seconds, and they could see clearly into each other's minds. Through this newfound connection, Ember saw what would drive Spyro up the wall.

She turned away, so that she wasn't facing him, and looked over her shoulder at him. As she raised her tail, she breathed 'Mate me.'

With a strangled roar, Spyro leapt upon her, forelegs wrapping around her, head resting against her neck. As clearly as he knew his own name, Spyro knew that Ember was no longer in the mood for foreplay, having been quite aroused since they started the trip from the cave.

Good.

With one swift motion, Spyro plunged himself deep into Ember, eliciting deep moans of purest pleasure from both of them, as her velvet heat wrapped around his pulsing erection. The effects of having their pleasure denied so long, and the natural aphrodisiac of the spring gave new meaning to it. Their coupling was absolutely incredible.

Spyro was barely even physically aware any more. All he knew was hips out, pleasure, hips in, more pleasure, repeat. Ember's quivering, amazingly feminine body pressed againt his chest, the pleasantly heated water lapping at him, teasing his every scale.

Rushing through Ember's brain was the overpowering scent of Spyro. He smelled of...of Spyro, his own unique scent, masculine, perfect.

The quivering, soft flesh of Ember's femininity was pressed against Spyro, and he could feel the liquids, slightly thicker than the surrounding water, trickling out of her, as she was completely and utterly filled.

And then suddenly, he felt Ember tense up completely, and let out a roar of pleasure, flinging her wings out in ecstasy. She clamped down around his dragonhood, waves of pressure moving down his length as she massaged him for his precious seed. This sent Spyro himself over the edge, sending a fiery wave sweeping through his nerves, his body. He gave out an earth shattering roar and, hunching his body forwards, managed to lock lips with Ember when she looked over her shoulder at him. As his seed was pumped into her, they shared their bonding fire between them, strengthening and reinforcing their bond.

With a final twitch of Spyro's erection inside of her, they both slumped forwards against the edge of the pool, panting.

Hours later, as the light was failing, Spyro and Ember walked through the forest, wing-in-wing. After they had had their fun in the spring, they had leisurely washed each other at the opposite end, to avoid just getting sticky all over again. Being slowly and sensuously rubbed by your lover, still in the throws of an incredible afterglow, made for a fun little bath.

As they were walking towards where Spyro had originally intended to take Ember (remember?), a thought shot through his head. It didn't alarm him for a short moment, before he got his mind around it. Then he jumped violently on the spot and wheeled around to face Ember, obviously panicked.

'Spyro! What's wrong?'

Still panicked, and breathing heavily, Spyro managed to get out 'Ember...we-we've...and...and if your...I mean...'

'What are you talking about?'

'I don't wanna be a dad. Not yet.'

Under any other circumstance, Ember probably would've laughed, but she saw that this was really stressing Spyro, so she restrained and kept serious. However, to help him calm down, she leaned over and kissed him, long and slow. He visibly calmed as they kissed, obviously comforted by Ember's composure. Eventually she broke the kiss, and looked him in the eye.

'Spyro, when we are mating, and we...y'know, finish up together...'

'Yeah?'

'Well, when I have your...stuff inside me, and then I...well, then I come, I have to actually open up something inside of me, that leads to where I make eggs. All dragonesses have got it, it's kinda like....I dunno, how to describe it, but I don't start carrying eggs unless we both want it to happen.'

Spyro mulled this over for a second, then drew her in close with his wing, and kissed her cheek. 'I love you so much,' he whispered.

Ember smiled and kissed him back, then they continued walking to their destination, all the while talking about whether Spyro should accept or decline the offer from Hunter to sing for him, along with the guitars and drums and whatever else Hunter had dreamed up. Ember eventually convinced Spyro to try it, at least once.

'You have a great voice, you should do it!'

'Oh, alright.....but not for a while, OK?'

'Honestly Spyro, you can face down huge creatures without blinking, but you can't sing in front of people...'

Eventually they got to Spyro's little secret, and Spyro told Ember to hide her eyes with her wings. 'And no peeking!'

Guided by Spyro, Ember stepped blindly forward. She felt a change in her footing, from the dirt, twigs and leaves of the forest to a soft, lush carpet of what felt like a sort of moss, but she couldn't place.

'Alright,' Spyro whispered to her, 'you can look now.'

Removing her wings from her eyes, Ember saw a little paradise in front of her. A small clearing, much smaller than the clearing the spring was in, was spread out before her. Its surface was immaculate, and she had guessed right, it was a type of moss that covered the ground, though it was not wet at all, and felt pleasant to stand on. The sun was almost completely set, she could see the stars winking into existence above her. Suddenly overcome with love and joy, Ember leapt onto Spyro, and rolled with him to the ground, hugging and kissing him.

They lied there, staring up at the stars for hours, enjoying the closeness of each other and the lights above them.

'Ember, I think I will sing for Hunter. I've already thought of something.'

'Oooh, tell me!'

In his timbre-y voice, Spyro sang to her 'And as we lie, beneath the stars, we realize, how small we are. If they could love, like you and me, imagine what, the world could be.'

'Spyro...that's beautiful....I love you.'

'I love you too Ember.'

And they fell asleep, two young dragons beneath the stars, wrapped in each others arms. As they lay there, their tails entwined themselves unconsciously, and Ember and Spyro were having dreams of this bliss never ending.

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Chapter 6 - Good Times, Now Gone?

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