FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 23

Never before solid ground felt so divine.

To be completely safe from the creature in that frozen sea the group decided to push a little deeper into the land, while it was still snowing and the floor of earth was covered in white puff, in all the distance there was already an active volcano visible, cracking with fire like a torch.

At first glance this world seems to share the same climate as the Dragon Realms of the present, connected strictly with the area. They could be in Dante's Freezer of the past for all they knew.

It wasn't important however, what was crucial was to take a small break from this dangerous fight in relative safety. They found such safety on the white tracts of land, far away from the sea where they were sure that no stray, hungry tentacle will reach them.

Even if she was silent, Iris was obviously the most glad of reaching ground, when her paws grazed the snow below she immediately became dead weight in Danox' paws, the last strands of strength holding her body in a ready status deciding to take a break as well, leaving the mind all for itself.

With a chuckle of surprise he gently put the dragoness down on the ground, she immediately gave in to the nature of the ice dragon and embraced the cold touch of the snow, sprawling on it, outstretching paws as far as they would go as if the ground would be a royal bed made of the softest of pillows.

Eyes shut themselves tight, tongue lolled out of the mouth, heavy panting stimulating the chest.

She was exhausted.

"You need a proper's night sleep Iris, those short naps you are taking do nothing" Cynder landed next to the lying girl with a deep breath of her own

The blue dragoness said nothing, yet she obviously heard the spoken words and as if trying to prove to Cynder that her advice is full of crap she tried to control her heavy breathing, her body however had none of it and all she managed to do was to choke on her own breath.

"We did it friends!" Flare squealed triumphantly, his voice carrying the same amount of relief as the cold ground would give an open wound "The beast is defeated! We rule!"

His eyes were blazing in joy, with the last strands of will he held himself back from jumping into Iris and dragging Cynder into a triple hug. Ironically it were the girls that stopped him from doing it, they were so close to each other, acting like true friends, neither of them bitter and ready to spit on the other.

This was as close as he ever saw them and yet they didn't push away from each other. He wanted to hug them sooo much, but in the end never made a move, only smiled. It was better to see them this way than force anything on the two, Iris wouldn't like that for sure, Cynder might have tolerated it, but he had a feeling that she would bottle up her irritation to not make him sad.

There was something in the relations between girls that it forced him to stay away, instinctively telling him that any move that didn't belong to this weird ritual will only complicate it, no matter how pure the intentions might be of bringing everyone together for this celebration.

Those were strong females, they don't need someone like him to sort out their issues.

He was cool with that, opting for a broad smile instead, whatever his friends want he will provide.

Spyro was the last one to land and as he did so he had to glance back once more, absorb the situation that took place again, replay the battle in fast motion. When he was ready he took his team into the embrace of his sight, as he saw their tired figures he felt nothing else but pride.

They did their best, fought tooth and claw for people they hardly know or tolerate, right now their personal motivations didn't matter, what was important was the fact that thanks to their hard work they all live to see another day.

He had to say something, he felt a weird pressure building up inside him that ordered him to show appreciation for his companions. The job of a leader is not to make everyone happy, it was probably a good lesson to remember, but he sensed that there was also the unspoken rule which Terrador didn't mention.

Probably on purpose.

A leader might be powerful and commanding, but he isn't able to do anything alone, the strength is in the group and he felt that this is why the Guardian didn't mention about it, most likely knowing that there are leaders out there who take all the praise for themselves and give speeches only because they have to.

The pressure was coming from his heart, it demanded from him to treat his companions with respect, it demanded from him to make them aware of their worth. No matter what happened prior to this moment, it was in the past for now, while important to remember, right now there was nothing more crucial than to show his gratitude.

Hunter and Cynder are aware of their worth, they have been fighting together already, he knew he could trust them, he knew what they were capable of doing. They deserved thanks nevertheless.

Flare who more than once wanted to attack him, Flare who some time ago didn't hide his dislike for him, he too deserved thanks, whatever he might really think about purple dragons didn't matter. He fought for his friends and it was all that mattered.

Iris was no different, she tried to kill Cynder, tried to rape him, done probably many other bad stuff in between, but right now however she fought with them, whether it was just an act or true intentions he didn't care. He can keep an eye on her all the time, today, in this moment she deserved respect.

Danox belonged to this group as well, a dragon as creepy as he is mysterious, obviously playing his own games with no clear goals, with probably enough cunning power that would allow him to retreat from that battle unscathed stayed with them and fought, taking imitative and using his abilities to protect and cooperate with his companions.

He only wished that more people might have seen this, maybe then the bias they feel towards black dragons would lessen a little.

Anyway, all thinks considered he believed that a general thank you and congratulations was unfair, each of them is unique, they proved that in the last battle, the least he can do is to return the gesture and treat them as individuals who deserve special thanks.

Fair is fair.

"How are you feeling? How are your wounds?" Spyro approached Danox, examining his body, strangely he saw no injuries on his body, seems like it was the other flank that got a beating

"What wounds?" the black drake straightened proudly, presenting himself fully before the purple dragon in all his ominous grace. Brilliant, pristine smirk stretched his lips

His eyes widened, it wasn't about the flank in the end, Danox was perfectly healthy.

"You healed? So quickly?" he exclaimed, full of awe

"I learned to play the instruments of war" the black drake recited "and paint in blood"

He had to be honest with himself here, he didn't really have a big plan when he approached the dragon, but he was quite certain that he will pull through it, a little sweet talk here, a little improvisation there, the conversation will be flowing no matter what.

Why this naivety is still present in him when he approaches the black dragon he had no idea, he was always a force of confusion, already powerful in silence, only growing in strength when he talks. Like here for example, one proverb enough to baffle him.

He was speechless, having difficulties coming up with a response plan.

Danox leaned down, lowering his head to the level of the purple dragon, the sharp, inviting grin on his snout never disappearing from his snout. Empowering the force of intimidation this smile caused when combined with his onyx eyes.

"I'm very hard to kill my friend, I appreciate the concern though, a dragon like me doesn't meet much appreciation in life. How unfair this existence of ours is don't you agree?"

"We're dragons, facing difficulties runs in our blood, this is why we have all this power, it comes with a price"

Danox pulled his head back, nodding in approval.

"Truth rings in your words sire. Wisdom in such a young age, to be here and see the birth of a legend" red tongue ran over black lips, dark eyes flashed white for a second "Appetizing"

Spyro rubbed his horn nervously, there was something really unnerving about the dragon in general, this aura becoming way worse when he gets to use all those food and eating related words. It felt damn wrong for some reason.

Still, he has to remember about the uniqueness of everyone here, this was just Danox' way, whatever his personal feelings might be about them, he helped greatly in making everyone survive the recent battle.

"I'm not sure about the legend part" Spyro replied modestly "But I'm grateful for your help, the birth part would never come to be if not for your assistance. Thank you" he bowed respectfully

Danox chuckled, wings fluttered just to fold on the back meekly seconds later.

"You overestimate my capabilities my champion, you would be successful even without the little, old me by your side"

"Maybe, maybe not, we'll never know. What we do know though is that you were there and made this victory happen. Thanks for that, it's always nice to have a black dragon fighting by your side"

The drake accepted the compliment with a royal bow, paws sliding and body bending as if he would pay respects to the very Ancestors themselves.

"The best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them"

With an acknowledging nod he left the dragon to his thoughts, approaching the next one of his companions, wanting to go to Cynder, but one glance was enough to notice that she was too close to Iris. He would really have to watch his words with the ice dragoness being so close and he didn't want this sort of control right now, this gratitude has to be honest and come straight from the heart.

"Great aim Hunter" he gave the cheetah a friendly pat in the lower back

The scout turned around, ears flattening on the skull, body bending in a full of respect bow.

"Your words honor me my friend. I am however just a simple cat, without such fantastic company to support me, my arrows wouldn't even make a scratch"

He offered the feline a warm smile.

"You don't have to spit colorful fireworks to wield magic. You hit a target that was the size of an apple from kilometers through a narrow vent. If this isn't magic than I don't know what is, it is me who is honored to have you as a companion"

Hunter returned the smile.

"Thank you, it means a lot to hear such inspiring words from a dragon like you my friend"

Spyro patted the cheetah's arm.

"I thank you for those fingers of yours, take care of them"

The orange fur of the cheetah seemed to adopt a brighter hue, as if the strands would absorb the words and flourish like a flower after sipping water. Hunter was beaming, his compliment and gratitude striking true, no matter how much time Hunter spent around dragons already, the fascination with his kind never lost on strength.

He was the calmest, most collected fanboy he had ever seen.

"I will" Hunter extended his hand, Spyro clasped it in his paw, sharing a manly shake with his companion

In this simple gesture was everything boys like them could wish for, mutual respect and loyalty sealed by a typical boyish joining. Solving issues, making acquaintances and acknowledging ideas couldn't be simpler.

From there he moved onwards, noticing Cynder observing him, she surely realized what he was doing by now.

He approached the only fire dragon in their group, red tail was making unending, happy swings, throwing the red rump to which it was connected from side to side.

The sight put a grin on his snout automatically.

"It's so good to see you happy"

Flaming head snapped in his direction, besides the rather prettily burning with joy yellow eyes there was something else that was standing out on the dragon's snout, impossible to see from a distance.

It was a trail of blood that obviously came out from the nostrils, blending perfectly with the natural color of the fire dragon.

"I have to be happy! The monster is defeated and friendship survived! It was awesome!"

Spyro pressed a claw against his snout, touching the bottom edge of his left nostril.

"You're bleeding Flare"

Long tongue flicked up, tasting the red trail, the joyful spark in the eyes flickered a little, replaced by something that could only be described as dread.

"Oh" red paw dived down, scooping snow before slamming it against the bleeding nose, wiping of the blood "Don't know how it got here now" he shrugged, the careless cheerfulness returning to its glowing vigil "Doesn't matter, friends are important"

"I appreciate your dedication, but you also need to think about yourself" he put the dragon under an intent examination, looking for any sign of him falling into his weird berserk state, to his surprise he spotted absolutely nothing out of ordinary "You used quite a hefty chunk of magical power there"

Fiery paw made a dismissive wave.

"It was nothing. In my world I was forced to do much more"

"But Flare, before today, this nothing changed you. It always happened, you know that, why it was different now? Are you sure you're fine?"

The drake looked down at his paws, shying away like a child who admitted that he did all this bad stuff to make things normal again, like behaving bad at lessons just to get one of his remaining parents called over and hope he or she would fall in love with the teacher.

"I don't know why nothing happened. I wanted to help my friends, not hurt anyone, I wanted them to survive, I didn't want to lose you. Is this a bad thing?"

Such a simple, honest dilemma and he felt as if the dragon would involuntarily slap him across the snout.

Did he just seriously ask Flare if he feels alright just because he didn't want to maim people around him?

Flare might have problems with controlling his magic's temper, but in the recent fight he gave his all, always focused on the task. What other proof does he need to tell him that Flare is fine? What other evidence is required?

But the blood...

The blood doesn't change the fact that Flare, for some reason, kept his wild side at bay. The monster, abomination as Volteer diagnosed the drake's condition didn't show itself, he remained loyal and he asked him if everything is alright.

For a very long time he didn't feel as stupid as he did right now.

"Of course it's not" Spyro rubbed his throat "Sorry for blabbering, I just wanted to make sure you're fine. You know you can trust us right? If there is anything you need just ask, I'm not a fire dragon, but I know some things about magic and fire, I think I will be able to help if you need anything"

"I like you Spyro, you're not like other purple dragons. You're cool, but I have a clean slate, I don't want to train with another purple dragon if I don't have to, it didn't end good last time remember?"

Spyro nodded, he wasn't experienced in trauma per se, but he traveled with Cynder for long enough to understand that pushing through such bad memories isn't an easy thing to do.

He could only hope that Flare will come around, today proved at least that this was possible.

The good thing was that the fire drake was making small steps towards the desirable effect of forgetting about the delusional importance of color of one's scales. After all, not so long ago Flare said that there won't be any good relations between them.

"Fair enough" Spyro nodded with an accepting smile "Just let me tell you that I'm grateful for your help, we would have big troubles if you weren't here. Everyone appreciates your assistance, even if they don't really know how to show it"

Flare's eyes tripled in size, staring back at him with fervent plea.

"You really think so?"

"Of course, as dragons we have fighting in our blood, we don't really show the same amount of emotion, if any, after a battle that would be quite prominent in other groups. That doesn't change the fact however that we don't form bonds and there is no stronger shackle than that of bleeding for the same cause, for the same group"

Flare's body dimmed a little, the burning body parts shrinking the strength of their illumination, it wasn't a forced reaction, but rather an instinctive one, like his whole flaming form would be taking a deep, anxious breath and holding it.

Just like he would learn that he is going to become a father.

"I never fought together before" he mumbled, the confession was full of regret, as of someone who never appreciated something obvious, something that was just right in front of his nose

Like remembering a girl from the past that you treated only as a friend and now regretting that you never tried to enhance their relationship, finding just now, many years later, that she was everything you looked for.

"There is always a first time for everything" Spyro cheered up his companion "Nothing to be sad about, you have Cynder as company now, there is no one better to show you how cooperation works. It's going to be awesome, keep your head up, past is in the past"

The fiery body pulsed with a stronger flame, he noticed two dominant emotions swimming in the yellow eyes of the dragon. Joy combined with confusion. The first one was easy to read, mentioning Cynder did the trick and made Flare really believe in his words, so strongly in fact that he unconsciously ignored his bias. The confusion bit was a big unknown however.

"Why do I need to keep my head up?"

Flare solved the mystery behind the bewilderment with one question, he already forgot how childish naivety looks like that he has troubles with reading rather clear signs. Spyro the dragonfly wouldn't have such difficulties.

The real Spyro chuckled.

"It's an idiom, don't worry about it. Keep ruling" he gave the red drake a friendly tap in the shoulder

Flare bounced up playfully.

"I will! We will!"

With that motivational shout he moved to another group member, the choice falling on Cynder who was already a safe distance from prying ears, watching his approach with a sweet smile..

He couldn't help himself but return the gesture.

"Hi beautiful" he whispered, much to his displeasure keeping safe distance away from her sweet nose to not raise any suspicions

She winked at him, the only way of showing appreciation without risking betraying too much, a difficult feat to pull through considering that every instinct screamed at her to send her mate an airborne kiss at least.

"You're doing a wonderful thing here. Leadership is in your blood, you treat your team as special individuals and everyone of them deserves it, even Iris" she leaned closer, clearing her throat "Don't tell her I said that"

"You forgot about yourself, you're the most special of them all"

"Oh come on Spyro, you don't have to compliment me. I'm not that special"

"Yes you are, you're the only one I desire to kiss here"

Her heart skipped a beat, receiving a powerful blow, making it faint in an instant.

"This is a very bad moment to let your heart speak, don't provoke me or we'll end up both regretting it"

Spyro shrugged innocently.

"I can't help myself, you have this effect on me"

"Spyro" she knocked at his forehead, soft blush coloring her cheeks "Focus"

"Sorry" he stammered with an amused wince "Is everything alright? How are you feeling?"

"And you?" black head nodded in his direction before dropping to look its own body over

Both of them still wore the signs of the recent battle, small cuts and icy burns stung their scales where Iris' magic struck them.

"A little sore" Spyro mumbled, voice nasal due to the chin pressed against his chest

"But happy" Cynder finished the line of thought "And very surprised to be honest"

A purple brow raised in reaction to this statement.

"You know I'm talking about Iris. She could really whack our assess with that blizzard if she wanted to, it was pretty obvious that she wanted to slap us, but the main bulk of the power was aimed at that creature. She also fought together with the guys" silver claw scratched the choker thoughtfully "Don't get me wrong, I still dislike the gal and trust her as far as I can throw her, I don't forgive drooling over my mate easily, but..." she swallowed, wincing as the bulge of saliva went down her throat as if she would gulp down the most sour of lemons "...but I might actually try lowering the stick I push her away with every now and then. There has to some good in you when you decide to bleed for strangers right? I mean, look at me, you risked, having far, far less to work with. You think it is possible that I judged too harshly?"

In any other case he would probably say yes and blame everything on Cynder's jealously and possessiveness, people become very aggressive when someone touches the things they love after all. Iris might have fought with them, clearly earning some trust points, still Cynder didn't know everything about Iris, she didn't know what she tried to do to him before all this adventure.

Normal people don't act this way.

While he believed that her actions are the consequence of the rough life she lived, he didn't really believe that someone can simply change one's behavior with a flick of a claw, like gloves.

Iris has been shifting her moods like a chameleon shifts colors.

The idea that Cynder would lower her guard was welcoming for the unity of the team in general, but was dreadful for the future, allowing the unknown to have a bigger impact on their lives.

That was never a good thing.

"Let me be the sentimental type, you stay cautious, I trust your judgment more than I trust mine. Iris knows how to....ummm...play her cards and I might... not... always see it"

His mate shook her head in disapproval.

"You poor, poor males, some pretty snout and slender flesh in your nose and you can't think straight anymore"

Spyro cleared his throat, scratching his neck in discomfort.

"Yeah...Iris is not the only problem. Did you see that Danox healed already?"

"Really?" she looked past her friend, trying to be as invisible as she can be during the glance

There wasn't even the smallest scratch on the black body. Draconic regeneration is a wonder, kicking usually very fast and dealing with wounds rather quickly.

But not that quick.

That monster bit him, Danox' wounds were far more serious than their cuts and burns and yet he was healthy while they were still recovering.

"How?"

Spyro shrugged.

"I don't know. Does Dark has any healing magic in it?"

She impulsively passed the question onto Creep.

"No" hollow voice echoed inside her head

"Then how it is possible?"

"What?" Spyro cocked his head, surprised by Cynder's question, one look at her distant gaze was enough for him to tell that she wasn't addressing him

She was talking with that thing inside her.

After today he felt a little guilty still treating Creep with the same hostility as always, he did fight with them after all like the rest of his present team. The difference was however that if his feelings wouldn't change regarding his companions, made of flesh and bone, he would feel regret for his past actions towards them.

He didn't regret anything when it came to Creep.

"Knot, Sugar, unraveled Knot. Destination. Life. We are one. Unravel the Knot"

She had no idea what Creep was talking about, but she learned already that getting straight answers out of him bordered on the impossible. The decision here was to either play his game or back off.

"If I do this than I will be like Danox? Healing quickly?" she opted for the first option

"No!" Creep howled inside her head

Cynder groaned, she felt as if her brain exploded, the world before her eyes blackened as if someone would smash a club against her head.

Spyro growled angrily, claws sinking into the snow.

"Not like Abomination! Never like Abomination! Cannot become Abomination! Failure! Defeat! End! Knot cannot be devoured! Never devour! Tragedy Sugar! Do not devour!"

"Alright!" she hissed in pain, sinking claws into her pained forehead "I won't eat anything, diet alright? Just stop pounding at my head for Ancestor's sake if you don't want me to lick my own brain fluid from the ground"

The agony disappeared immediately, the thrashing, hysterical baby that Creep became just a moment ago calmed itself like an hungry infant that just got a nipple shoved inside his mouth.

"I like you Sugar"

There was as much warmth in these words as in a frostbite, yet it was all Creep could do. Whenever he said that he liked her, she knew he meant it.

"I know Creep"

His partner visibly relaxed, that could only mean one thing, that monstrous thing left her finally alone.

"This is weird and unnatural, I will never get used to this and neither should you. I still think we need to find a way to get rid off that thing as fast as possible" he let out a deep sigh, rubbing his forehead, knowing all too well that he will have to wait a long, long time to see his wishes come true

"Did you at least learn something interesting?"

"From what I gathered, it is possible to heal faster, maybe not Danox level, but it's still something. How to get to that point though..." she shrugged "I dunno"

"Just stay safe okay? And don't forget about Flare, I know how it will sound, but he didn't went berserk, it's unnerving"

She flashed a loving smile at him.

"You got it"

He winked at her, leaving his partner to her thoughts, making his way to the last member of his group. She was still in the same spot, sprawled on the snow, allowing the snowflakes to cover her like a blanket. Breath no longer hectic, becoming controlled and relaxed, even if yet deep.

"You're resting" he stated innocently

Her cold eyes snapped open, their dominant gaze stabbing him like sharp knives.

"No" Iris hissed "I'm laying eggs, can't you see them popping from my cunt you dumb fuck?"

He knew that nothing like that is happening, yet he couldn't help himself, impulsive reaction dragging his eyes towards her rump.

The blue tail made a sharp swing, sending a wave of snow right at his snout.

It crashed against his nose before he could react, the pile turning the world dark.

As he wiped the snow from his snout with a groan of annoyance, for himself rather than her actually, he reminded himself that innocence has no place around Iris.

"You're getting better I see" he flicked the pile at the ground, his attitude perfectly stoic, tranquility being the only way to deal with Iris

"While you are still dumb. Some things never change"

"I can live with that. It makes me happy that you are changing though"

The diamond eyes narrowed on him.

"Keep up with this idiocy a little longer and the next thing I'll hurl at you won't be so nice"

He sighed, some extraordinary characters can be really quite a chore.

"I didn't come here to argue Iris. I came here to thank you, great idea with combining your blizzard with our cyclones, without your help we would have very big troubles"

Blue eyelids closed again, head returned to its natural place in the most refined ways possible, he had no idea one could put so much emphasis on grace when simply turning one's head. The motion speaking volumes, clearly showing who's the royalty here and who's the worm.

"You would be dead you incompetent clowns. Have any other obvious things to bore me with or are you done finally?"

"Say what you will Iris, but you fought together with us, for your teammates, to protect someone else's life. I appreciate that"

"Get in your stupid head already that I don't give a shit about you"

"Your white paw on my crotch and red tongue in my throat not so long ago say otherwise" his voice echoed inside his skull

In reality he was biting his lip, preventing his tongue from forming the mused sentence. With every fiber of his being feeling that if he would say this out loud, his group would have one member less, either her or him would lie dismembered below the snow.

"If that would be true, you would bail the first chance you got in that fight"

The relaxed pose was gone, head turned once more, familiar, hateful snarl present on the beautiful blue snout.

"Don't treat me as an idiot Goldie, I warned you about changing my mind"

"Hey" he raised his paws defensively "Don't put it on me. I came here to show my gratitude, you're the one that's doing everything not to accept it"

"You're not showing gratitude, you're spreading delusion. I hate delusion, delusion is a murderous whore. I didn't fight with you because I like you, no, I hate people and I hate you, I would love to see you getting stomped in the ground, cherish the opportunity to spit on your rotting carcasses. I fought with you to give that monster more targets, I cared only about my survival and to my great displeasure survival meant protecting your worthless hides. End of fucking story, don't bring this up again"

He didn't believe her.

Iris has ego issues, there was no doubt about that, she had to make everyone believe that she is always right and her actions are always correct. It was an ice dragon fetish, in most cases at least, what she didn't do however was to punch her point of view into his head.

It was more betraying than the standard defensiveness people usually fall into when they are getting pointed out.

He wasn't naïve to believe that she helped them out of her own decision, survival played a big part there, of course, but it wasn't the whole deal as she wants to make him believe. Cynder probably would say that she charmed him, that she wrapped him around her claw, making him believe that the change of approach she had towards him is only a fake act.

Maybe Cynder would be right, maybe she toyed with him for whatever reason.

His mate wasn't in his head though and without her arguments around, as solid and trustworthy as they can be, he couldn't accept the fact that a creature as beautiful as Iris can have such a black soul. After all people said that Malefor himself wasn't always evil and the Dark Master was the most evil being he had ever faced.

According to stories he had a good side once.

Simple logic demanded that if Malefor could be good, a sweet dragon as Iris can be too, the difference that made him believe there is still a chance for the dragoness was that she didn't taste true power, no matter what she thinks about herself, the truth is she didn't know what true corruptive force of strength looks like.

Maybe she cannot be redeemed, that didn't mean however that she cannot do good in her life, in his opinion she didn't cross the border yet and, let it be called charm or manipulation or whatever, he hoped she will never cross that line, she is a gem and it would be tragic to lose her.

"Can you walk? We need to go"

"I'm not going anywhere without a bath first" she snapped sternly

"A bath?" Spyro jerked his head back "Right now? What for?"

Her whole body twitched, shook by a bolt of irritation, the snow that covered her body fell off of her in waves. She shoved her feathery wing almost right into his eyes.

Trail of gluey, green liquid covered the feathers near the joint, making them stick together like flowers in a tightly squeezed bouquet.

"I'm not going to walk with that thing's saliva all over my back"

"But, Iris, bathing makes no sense, we might get into more fighting soon, who knows"

"I'm NOT going to walk with drool over me"

"Oh come on! I have blood on my scales, it's far more uglier than spit! Besides" he spread his paws wide "I have no idea where we are and where to find a pond without a predatory monster inside"

Cynder approached the dragoness from the other side, she was looking at her sprawled for with an irritated frown wrinkling her nose.

Spyro gulped, afraid that this is going to quickly escalate beyond control.

"I don't-" Iris' words froze in her throat, eyes bulging out, she balked, every stretched out limb hit by a paralyzing bolt

She felt a soft tongue, feminine tongue running over her back.

With a jerk that could rival the speed of light she pushed herself on her haunches, eyes burning and full of murder. She spun around, aiming her deadly gaze at the black dragoness at her side who had her head directed at the ground, spitting at it.

"Ugh, nasty" Cynder whined, spitting over and over again

"The fuck you think you're doing bitch?" Iris growled, mist wafted from her nose, saliva glistened on her chin, she looked like a rabid dog

"Cleaning you" she replied indifferently, giving the ground another taste

Magical aura began growing around the dragoness, very fierce magical aura.

"You will regret touching me"

"Snarl and roar all you want" Cynder challenged the dragoness with her own stare, eyes confident and devoid of fear "But there are only two ways you're getting rid off that saliva, either you let me clean you or we're going to throw you into that lake over there" she jerked her head in the obvious direction "The monster will be happy for the company"

"You won't order-"

"You won't order Spyro around" Cynder cut off the dragoness, her gaze remaining steady on the white, piercing eyes of her blue companion "We won't be detouring because you say so, you're alone and there's five of us, good luck going back into our world if you rebel. Only Spyro can open the portal and he will sacrifice one life to save four if he will have to"

The group watched the scene unfolding with held breaths.

Only Danox was smiling.

The magical energy surrounding the dragoness kept its intensity, but it wasn't lashing out at Cynder, but growling and snarling like an feasting animal at whatever that decided to find interest in its prey.

"I should let you rot in that drool, but I'm feeling generous today. Your idiotic cries aside, you did help out the team and lucky for you I'm a team player and respect the sacrifice. I'm a girl too, I don't like to be dirty as well, I get it. Let me clean you as a gesture of good will of a teammate to teammate" she shrugged "But if you have a better offer then go ahead, do what you want"

She wanted to slice the black whore to pieces, she would shove her tail tip down her throat, make her feel like the true cocksucker she is, make her choke on something else than her retarded boyfriend's dick.

Of course the retarded boyfriend was the only way of getting out of here, the only way to see mother again and change everything.

Fuck this shit.

"This doesn't change anything" she hissed through clenched teeth, dampening her magic and relaxing her pose

"Good" Cynder stepped forward, approaching the dragoness from behind "Lie down, it'll be easier"

"I'll help!" Flare dashed towards the girls excitedly

"NO!" Iris howled at the running dragon, a bolt of ice shot from her mouth

Flare jumped to the side with a whimper, the projectile flying right next to him. He cringed on the spot, flames dying down, begging, puppy eyes looking at the dragoness.

She stared at him as if he was filth incarnate.

"No male will be licking me. Only her" her voice rumbled like thunder

Spyro and Hunter exchanged meaningful glances, the dragon channeling elemental energy softly, while the cheetah drummed his fingers against the handle of his dagger. They both knew that if Flare will make a step farther, there won't be any more arguments stopping Iris from starting a bloodbath.

Luckily the fire dragon remained where he was, nodding his head quickly, wings and tail pressing against the snowy ground, depressed beyond words.

Cynder's heart ached, but she decided to give the matter a rest, there was something more to Iris' roar than just simple egotistical protest she is known for. A vulnerable line was touched, similar to the one she has whenever she thinks of Spyro getting hurt by someone.

"The heart gets warm when you see friends understanding and working together" Danox commented with glee in his voice

"Fuck you" Iris snarled, lying down on the ground

"And in such a cultural fashion" he chuckled

Cynder got to work immediately, trapping Iris' body in between her legs she started lapping at the blue back and washing off the green filth. The taste was horrible, making her regret her animalistic nature instantly, she felt as if she would be munching on a pile of stinky, unwashed, dry with dirt socks.

She continued nevertheless finding solace in her work, much to her displeasure she found it in Iris' body. She was one hundred percent passionate about male features, yet she couldn't deny the fact that Iris had incredibly soft scales, each one having its own special surface, round and full as her feminine physical features that draw so many lustful eyes.

She felt guilty and extremely dirty when she realized that she really enjoyed the feeling of them under her tongue, the scales were sin and kiss worthy, just made for touch and caress, perfectly submitting to her tongue, provoking every taste bud and nub.

It was wrong, but nobody could read inside her mind so she went with it, concentrating on the taste of the scales and ignoring the feeling of the ugly, green stuff. She didn't lose contact with reality though, controlling her moves, making sure that they think she wants to get this over with as fast as possible, not letting anyone see that it was passion alone guiding her tongue.

She will never admit to anyone that she got horny when cleaning a girl.

The back was finished before she knew it, tongue momentarily slipping at one of the bluish wing, the saliva glued the feathers into a pulp, yet even through the thick liquid she could tell that they were wonderfully delicate.

She felt pity for them, being so beautiful and divine and yet attached to the wings of a dragoness who has a soul darker than her scales.

"What do you think you're doing?" Iris hissed in irritation

"Whlat?" she mumbled, tongue still pressed to the feathers

The dragoness raised her head, looking behind her shoulder at the black girl at work.

For the first time in her life Cynder saw true horror twisting Iris' snout.

"This is not how you clean feathers!" she squealed, jerking her wing closer to her eyes, the diamond orbs increased even further

"You call yourself a female? When you can't even do such a simple task as feather cleaning?"

Tongue returned back into the mouth with a slurp, Cynder glared back at the yelling dragoness.

"Excuse me if my technique is a little wonky, I'm not a seamstress you oversensitive worrywart. It's not my fault that you have pillows for wings"

"Pillows?!" Iris hacked in shock, practically shoving her wing into Cynder's eyes, the black dragoness had to jerk her head away to save her eyes from being poked out "These wings are a symbol of royalty you ignorant fool. There is no other ice dragon with such majestic wings like mine! These feathers can rival the elegance of gryphons!"

"Eh" black shoulders shrugged in indifference "No idea what a gryphon is, but your feathers look like a chicken's butt after diarrhea to me"

"They will look like that if you keep turning them to the same mush your brain is!" Iris jerked her wing back, ignoring the sting in the joint as she drew the wing before her lying paws

She gently stroked her wing, grazing the tips of her feathers, they bent in idealistic unison like grass touched by the wind.

"See how they flow? Each of them a separate strand? This is the effect of a job well done" white eyes looked at the recently licked spot on her wing, snout twisting in abhorrence and terror as she examined her feathers that looked as if they were trampled

"Not that mess you made" she glared at her assistant, expression returning to the usual hateful look, wing returning below Cynder's about

"Correct it" she ordered

Green eyes narrowed themselves on the white ones, challenging them for a battle of stares.

"I think you're forgetting that I'm helping, not serving you"

"From the state of my feathers I can tell that you're doing neither"

Spyro muffled a chuckle and hid a stretching smile by rubbing his mouth, scratching a never-ending, fake itch. As an objective observer this whole argument looked funny and kinda sweet, without the bloodthirsty aggression between the girls and a temporary truce binding their relation, they both looked like bickering sisters.

He doubted that either of them would be happy to hear such an observation.

Cynder grumbled, the thought about leaving the dragoness to her own fate surprisingly didn't cross her mind that much. Determination guiding her moves, she made a deal and wanted to see it through, besides she might be lacking some feminine skills, but that doesn't make her any less of a normal girl like all the rest.

She wanted to prove that to everyone.

She returned to her work, completely ignoring however Iris' orderly advice, opting for her own ideas instead. Dropping the thought of stroking the whole dirty part along the wing she decided to clean them horizontally, this way the feathers will bend in the direction where they don't threat much the clean ones.

"Are you deaf?!" Iris shouted the moment the tip of her tongue touched the wing

"What now?" she groaned, rolling her eyes

"You're going to make them glue to each other! You know how hard it is to groom them later? Gods you're useless!"

"Okay then smartass, maybe show me how it's done then instead of polluting the air with your breath?"

"Of course" she jerked her wing away angrily "Show the imbeciles the steps, like always" she grabbed a feather in her claws "Fools" she waved the feather at the black dragoness "See this? One feather, you clean them by washing each and every one of them separately. Separately! When they're wet you keep them away from the rest, not letting them get stuck together, what's so hard to understand here?"

Cynder's eyes widened in shock.

"This is going to take forever!"

"For someone retarded like you, probably"

"Oh yeah? Isn't taking a bath retarded as well? You're wetting them all down after all. When you jump of the water everything is okay, when I try using my tongue, it's wrong even when I touch only a part of the wing. How exactly does this work, huh?"

"You're too stupid to understand the details"

"If you don't tell me you'll stay too stinky for the rest of the day, or several. I can live without the details, can you live with the stench?"

Iris growled.

"Should we stop them?"

Spyro balked at the unexpected whisper reaching his earholes. While he was busy admiring the bickering of his companions Flare approached him quietly, mumble full of worry.

While he stood here, scratching his chin and hiding the grin underneath.

"No" he cleared his throat, a giggle still managed to slip through, Flare however didn't notice it

"It's harmless. Not everyone will be interacting with each other friendly as we did in the beginning. Cynder and Iris will have to work everything out in their own way" he elbowed cheeringly the fire dragon next to him "Interactions like this are important for friendship"

Yellow eyes widened in hope.

"You think Iris and Cynder can become true friends?"

Truthfully?

He had no idea, not so long ago he would say that it was impossible, but after seeing this argument that really reminded him of his brotherly relation with Sparx, he no longer was so sure.

He didn't want to tell Flare that, his carefree, joyful look on life might be the most important treasure, especially in an alien world where most of the members of the team are a big unknown to each other as the earth around them.

"I think so, yes" Spyro admitted, even though his thoughts verged on the border of seeing such an outcome as delusional, there was no tone of a lie in his voice

Hope is a powerful feeling and deep down he believed, as a leader of this group, that they will become like a single organism in the end.

Flare's body blazed with excited flames, the warmth radiating from the drake made him shiver, already birthing the sense of tasting the treasure.

"So cool!" the burning dragon squealed "Cynder was right! You're different! Making real friends! It's settled then. We will be friends! Purple dragons always get what they want!"

Spyro froze, gulping down a huge bulge of saliva.

Without realizing he was thrown back onto the memory lane.

An image flashed before his eyes, everything was dark all of a sudden, a paw extended from that blackness, turned upside down. Gently above its surface hovered a miniature world resembling Dragon Realms, huge set of claws were curled around it, threatening to skewer and crush it.

He was this image once.

This time however he noticed the color of the scales that held the world, they were purple and belonged to him.

He shook his head, dispersing the image, condemning it as nonsense, the certainty in Flare's voice causing for some reason too much fuss. If he would speak the truth they would be all dead now, Malefor would turn the world to cinders.

And yet here they were, breathing and alive.

He had no idea why he reacted this way, as well as he couldn't comprehend why the shake of the head seemed to make his skull rattle. His eyes darted over the group in confusion, as his purple orbs passed over each member to eventually land back on him, he had a weird feeling that the hum he heard was actually a chant.

Coming from somewhere far away.

Like a fading shriek of an explosion that happened way too close to the earholes.

When he focused though he could swear that he heard words, real words.

We are each our own devil and we make this world our hell.