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Legend of Spyro: Gifted Curse

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CHAPTER 18

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Unable to sleep, Cynder ambled silently around the Temple, occasionally popping the incubator open to nose at her eggs. Her mind was whirling with thoughts about the situations surrounding her. A fresh load of Flame's cum was slowly slithering down her tail. It still felt a bit weird, now that her heat was fading off...trying to have someone else's eggs. What was she to do about this clutch, if it took? She still couldn't reconcile the notion of giving her eggs up for adoption, and Flame and Ember needed a more stable home situation first before taking more than what Spyro had put in the pink femme.

Licking her lips, she paused at the door to the Pool of Visions.

This room had always creeped her out somehow.

Maybe it was Ignitus or Spyro or others just staring at things she couldn't see? But...maybe now that she was older, perhaps? Could she see something?

Her hesitation wasn't just the creep factor, it was the things she'd heard about the visions the Pool produced. She wanted some sort of answer that could satiate her anxieties, but the Pool could show her something horrific, disturbing, or otherwise unwanted just as easily as it could show her something totally disconnected from her intentions, or something exactly like what she wanted but in confusing ways. Past, present, possible futures...she sure as hell didn't want to see her past again. That was way behind her now.

Her trepidation was only matched by the burning curiosity in her gut. With a small puff of firebreath on the heavy stone, it rolled open and she winced at the loud grinding noise. The Pool sat serenely in the center of the room, giving off a pale blue glow much like moonlight on the ocean. It slowly faded to a gentle, pale green like light through leaves, then faded back to blue. Padding over to the raised stone lip of the basin, she looked at the fluid before her. It almost seemed to have no bottom, just a straight liquid shaft into the unknown. Giving the incubator another small puff of fire to recharge it, she gulped and leaned over the Pool to look into it more "properly", not that she'd ever been trained in how to use it. It was a finicky thing, some would immediately see visions, others had to wait a while, and most never saw anything. She'd tried in the past but never got any of these visions Spyro had told her about.

"Does it...not work because of my...past?" she mumbled. "But I couldn't do anything about that and I'm better now...or...I try to be, anyway..."

The color change from blue to green was almost hypnotic in a way. Even if she wasn't getting any visions, the light from the Pool was very calming. Settling down beside the Pool's rim, she rested her chin on the lip and sleepily let her gaze go unfocused while she tried to see if there was a floor to it or not.

"Am I supposed to...give up my eggs? Will this even work for Flame? Am I supposed to go to the Silver Grotto with Spyro? I don't really wanna leave our home..."

Her head jerked up a little and her senses raced - something had shifted in her peripheral, something with color. "Is someone there?" she asked, looking around, but the doors were closed and she couldn't see, smell, or hear anyone else. Resting her chin on the Pool edge again, she sighed out noisily, but as her gaze relaxed again, she saw those colors...yet turning her eyes in that direction yielded no visible aberrance. It was still bordering her vision though, and, now that she was paying attention, it was only within the confines of the Pool. Was she...starting to see something?

The more she stared, the more that color started to creep towards the center of her vision, picking up more form and definition, until she found she was looking at the Silver Grotto. A low gasp escaped her - she was seeing the completed reconstruction, and it was beautiful! And...there was their house, floating above and just outside the walls. Flowering gardens, flowing trees, children running around playing in the streets...it looked wonderful. And the vision moved in to show herself and Spyro at the center of it, her belly massive with eggs. A happy smile graced her muzzle as she gazed into the Pool, but then dark thoughts clouded her mind and the image. "What's the catch...?" she grunted. "There's always one around the corner..."

The happy view was blurry, but shifted to something else, and as she squinted trying to make it out, it came into clearer view. It seemed to be a montage of seconds of memories, in one brief view she was getting filled by Spyro, in another she and Spyro looked utterly heartbroken giving their eggs to another couple, in another she was furious about something, another view showed her looking horribly indifferent about giving her eggs away... but then there was a view of many young dragons around herself and Spyro, and everyone looked at peace. The oldest girls were heavy with eggs, Cynder saw herself getting casually mounted by a younger boy with her black scales and Spyro's horns, Spyro was filling a young girl that looked almost exactly like Cynder but had fiery red eyes and a gold pattern on her head...but there was no background to the view, just a watercolor blur that couldn't even hint at location.

"What does any of this mean...?" The door behind her rolled open and she bolted up to find the Matron padding in so silently she seemed like a ghost.

"Oh, Cynder, dear, hello. Can't sleep?"

"No...got too much on my mind."

"Mind if I pry?"

Laying back down by the pool, she sighed heavily. "Just...lost. Feel like I don't have a real purpose. Or...even a home...I don't know if I'm supposed to go to the Grotto, stay here at the Temple, live in our house..."

"Mmmm..." There was more to it than that, but she didn't push on it for now. "You sure seem to be dealing with a lot of mental struggle."

"I don't want to though...but I just don't know what to think about anything."

"Are you afraid of something?"

She opened her mouth to reply, but so many things bubbled up quickly she couldn't formulate any one thing to start with, and so many of them felt stupid anyway. Looking into the Pool again, she huffed, sending a few ripples across it. "I saw...something, in here."

"What was it?"

"Looked like the future. But some of it...is what I'm afraid of."

"I cannot see things in these Pools, but I do know they show potential futures, or insights to one's troubles by way of a visual medium. What did you see?"

"The Silver Grotto...Spyro and I were happy there. Then he was breeding me again...and we were...giving away our eggs and everyone looked upset... I was angry over something...saw a me that looked dead inside... then saw what must have been a family for us..."

"Mmmm...to me, that sounds more like the Pool trying to have you confront your fears. You're not willing to part with your eggs."

"...No, not really."

"Even though you may have to part with them to spread our species."

"...I know..."

"It's normal to be hesitant and unsure, and to want the best for your children. And that's what we're here to help with. All of us."

Staring at the color-shifting fluid in the basin, she sighed again, then nosed at the eggs suspended from her neck. "Are there...really dragon families that can't have eggs?"

"Sadly...yes, there are. Some girls have come to us looking for miracle cures...but their uterine tissue is deformed, or their ovaries are malformed, or other sterility issues. In...theory, Spyro's Patriarch power should be strong enough to cure them, but...it would require significant exposure to him. There are many theories we would like to test but don't yet have the time or stability to do so...but yes...there are families looking to adopt."

"I already told Spyro I wanted to keep our first eggs..."

"And that is perfectly fine. Have you four reached a conclusion on what to do if this attempt with Flame takes hold?"

"Not yet. But...Flame did say it might be better to give them for adoption than try to take care of them on top of the ones Spyro gave to Ember."

"A wise decision, yes. And we do have at least five families of good repute looking to raise eggs."

Gazing at the dark and red shells she'd laid, Cynder fell quiet, thinking it over. "I guess I won't know until I have to lay them..."

"Whatever your decision, we'll assist, dear. There are other girls who would love to surrogate as well."

Rubbing her face, the black dragoness groaned. "The problem is more...our sex drives. It's already so hard to keep away from each other, and if I'm a superoviting Matriarch, we'd...have to abstain from sex with each other because we'd be making too many kids to raise ourselves. So...I have to give them up at some point."

"That is true, yes, you two are very amorous together."

"I wish I had the ability to just turn off egg production for a bit...the idea of being constantly pregnant sounds really hot and tempting but...also...scary."

"You might have that ability, we will have to see. Time will have to tell. Of course...with your elemental abilities, there may perhaps be some methods of allowing your indulgence with your mate without the risk of pregnancy. For example, lining your uterine walls with your shadow power...or the more risky route, using your toxin abilities to sterilize Spyro's semen as he ejaculates into you. We can potentially train Spyro to ejaculate less volume, too. Time and practice. But the end question is likely still the issue of adoption. You are only one dragoness, and even if you are a Matriarch, pregnancy takes time, and even with superovitating abilities, it's extremely unlikely you'll get pregnant with every round of sex."

Cynder was all blushes. "How...long would I expect between pregnancies then?"

"I'm not entirely sure, really. It varies on the female. There aren't a lot of noted cases to really get an average from. The one that I spoke of earlier with the dangerous levels of pregnancy, she was ovulating every week, sometimes mere days apart even. The other we know of had six-month gestation periods and she'd ovulate every two or three months, usually three, and with my understanding of the body that would be a more normal average. But, who knows, perhaps you might be a more lax case and only ovulate right after birth, as you nearly did this time."

"Kinda surprised Spyro's loads didn't knock me up already..."

"Indeed. Your Matriarch abilities may allow you to suppress even his potency. Time and trial. But back to the point of the matter...if you are concerned about separating from your children by adoption, you do have the right to visit them and make sure they're okay. If you deign to move to the Grotto as well, you'd likely be surrounded by them daily anyway."

"What exactly is the point of the SIlver Grotto area anyway, other than breeding and raising kids?"

Stretching her wings, the Matron sighed slowly. "A sanctuary of sorts for females to receive assistance in breeding, child rearing, and educational starts for kids and parents alike. Not necessarily a permanent housing, with a few exceptions such as yourselves and perhaps Flame and Ember as part of the breeding and surrogacy efforts, but more of a place for families to get a head start on life before moving to their permanent homes elsewhere. Ideally, families will start there and live for five to ten years, giving their kids basic education alongside each other and giving parents the ability to hone their talents for employment in the wider world. As you and Spyro know, children are quite capable at ten years of age."

"Yeah...Spyro told me there's a girl in Warfang running her parents' spice stall and she's only...eleven? twelve? almost the same age we were when we met."

"If things work out as we are planning, the families from breeding and adoption alike will start here at the Grotto and be able to move elsewhere when they are ready. As things proceed, we will have to branch out, but we intend to keep everything tightly connected. Regional copies of the Grotto are already being planned for foreign territories and cultures, but you will have the option to travel to them and make sure that your children are properly cared for in all instances, if you wish. Once they're old enough to return to their parents' origin villages, well...they're on their own to live their lives."

"...Is that what I'm scared of...?"

"It's a daunting idea for every parent, hun. But a child must learn to live their own life in this nasty world. All we can do is prepare them for it."

Another glance at the pool showed her a faster vision, one of herself in a nest with at least ten young dragons, all bearing some resemblance to herself or Spyro. "I don't know what to do though...about our living situation, I mean. I still don't want to give up our house...but we can't live there and at the Grotto...can we? Even with portals? I feel like we'd need our own Temple of sorts just to house all those portals."

"We could look into trying to move your house and your outdoor cooking area. With the way the world has been levitating land masses, it's possible. Though, I presume you would miss the lake and your hunting routines."

"Yes...there's that. I like to forage and explore, and hunt, in my free time. But if I'm staying at the Grotto...will I be able to do that?"

"Admittedly, not as easily. But, you could spend half the week at the Grotto and the other half at home perhaps? It would be worth a try. Or stay there during the day and head home in the afternoon or evening, and take weekends to do your thing outdoors. You have options. You're not going to be locked to one location or the other, especially you with your pregnancies. Spyro may have to remain there for breeding or collection duties, but those wouldn't be all-day affairs either. If anything you could view it as a job, perhaps, or a second home."

"I think...I'm also...scared of seeing others. I know there are many out there who despise me still. I don't...want negative attention like that. Especially not near my eggs...wherever my eggs are."

"That is among our many concerns of the issue, yes. But, if I may, dear. I would like for you and Flame and Ember to come spend a few days at the Grotto with us. I am aware of your unease...but I think this would be a good experience for you. Flame and Ember are trying to reserve a place and I would like you to get a feel for it before others get more established too. It may help settle your nerves on this problem. And I will make sure no one comes after you for your past."

Giving a long, slow sigh of consideration, Cynder finally shrugged her wings and nuzzled at her eggs again. "Sure...why not."

"Trust me, dear. I think you need this."

Flying over the sea from the Temple was fairly calming. With the sun mostly at their backs, there wasn't much bright glare except where the sun caught the waves below, the sea sparkling and carrying them with updrafts. Flame, Ember, and Cynder followed the two elderly sisters, Cynder holding the incubator against her chest with her forelegs. As exciting as it was to go on a trip with others, she felt so very vulnerable right now, not only with her eggs in tow but no Spyro to retreat to for support. Her first visit had been fine enough, but this was intending to meet others this time. Flashes of snarling faces haunted her from those few trips she'd taken on her own after saving the world. She could probably handle it herself...but with her eggs? The last thing she wanted was for them to be harmed.

Ember, however, was all abuzz with chatter, busting her mate's ears with her rapid-fire ideas that nearly made Cynder think she may be related to Volteer. Flame, for his part, was just patiently weathering her, occasionally nodding or replying, but over the wind of their slipstream Cynder couldn't really make out what they were saying without getting closer. Not that she wanted to right now. She was still very torn over how to feel about anything.

"No wonder Spyro was so moody and upset..." she grumbled to herself. At least he had the clarity of mind to see things quickly...it had taken her these last few months of this drama for it to really start settling in.

Finally, the shoreline came into view, along with the raised cliff bearing the new breeding grounds. Cynder felt a heavy blush heat her face at the idea that, perhaps, she'd be spending time there getting mounted by other males, if this experiment with Flame worked. Progress had leapt and bounded even without Spyro's supernatural help. A gleaming Temple dome sat in the center, with other smaller chambers surrounding it, terraced homes and gardens sloping down to the streets and shops where there was much activity still as finishing touches and inspections were being conducted. Near the east wall, there was a large bonfire, and as their small group winged overhead, Cynder caught the scents of roasting meats and vegetables and breads and sweets wafting up from that fire. Ember was squealing in delight. "Looklooklook there's the smithy!" she cried out. All Cynder saw in the large, round, mostly open area, were a few large anvils and stacks of enormous crates.

The Matron sisters led them to the Temple doors, grand round wood braced with metal and covered in elemental sigils. With a small breath of fire, the doors opened and a cool breeze wafted out carrying the slight smells of incense and leathers and oiled metal further in. Colorful glowing gems illuminated the interior. It felt a lot like a newer, smoother version of the Temple back home, and Cynder found herself relaxing a bit already. There was no central statue, though, and the walls were lined with cushioned seats.

"Are there Guardians appointed here?" Flame asked.

"That is still being debated...the Guardians are, as their name implies, a guarding militant force against hostility. Here, we would need governance for education, health and safety, and of course, sexual conduct."

"Maybe you should apply," Ember teased, lightly punching her brother's shoulder with her wing.

The Matrons giggled to themselves. "He could, if he wished. It would be a terrible amount of responsibility though, I'm afraid a normal dragon may not enjoy it. We would need a super specimen to handle the tasks and the breeding duties jointly."

Flame huffed and rolled his eyes. "Okay, that's stretching the joke a bit there."

"Perhaps~"

Cynder and Ember both looked at him in question, but he just shook his head. "Nothin', don't mind it."

"Well now I'm curious," his sister demanded with a smirk. "What's this about a super specimen?"

"So what're these rooms on the sides for?" he pointedly asked, padding away from her to peer into the round room to the left. Cynder and Ember shared a look and a giggle behind his back.

"Breeding," came the reply, Flame's shaft peeking from his sheath at the affirmation. "This is where males will breed their girls through use of Spyro's semen. The rooms are dampened against sound."

"So this main chamber here is a waiting room?"

"More or less, for now. Designs have been laid but the function and practice may change with use and experience as we sort out all this. A breeding program for Dragons is very new territory, after all."

"Maybe we should test it out?" Ember asked with a lilting purr in her voice, brushing against her brother's side.

"Oh don't tempt me..." he grumbled, not bothering to hide his raging erection from her tease. "But I thought we were here for a more thorough tour first, and to see where we might be living."

"There is that, yes, but if you need to vent some steam, feel free."

"I can wait," she replied with a little grin and lick to her brother's chin. Cynder felt herself wishing Spyro were here right now to mount her and fuck her full of cum and eggs again. Her folded wings rubbed her belly in longing, wondering how long it would take to get big and round with new life again.

The Temple had multiple floors, and the beginnings of a library, accessible from one of the lower terrace rings. It was a beautiful, almost organic cavern in how smooth and round it was. Fresh rugs colored the floors with vibrant threads, banners gleamed with silky surfaces between shelves, and various planters of glowing mushrooms and other bioluminescent things sat on small pedestals between reading tables in the main aisles. Out onto the terrace they arrived to see the hustle and bustle still going on. Housing structures were getting roofs and windows, cobbled paths were being laid down, and bulbs were being planted. "Winter's coming...I guess these are the hardier plants?" Cynder asked.

"Yes indeed. And come spring, we have shipments of saplings and flowers and bushes lined up. Hopefully the winter season doesn't cull too many of the young growths."

"It's gonna look so nice..." Ember mused dreamily. "Is that a waterway? And a pool??"

"Yes, but they will be inoperable until winter is over. We have heating systems under the city to try to offset freezing hazards, but they still require testing."

"Ooooo...what about those warm springs under the Temple we heard about?"

"For pregnant mothers, so you can avail yourself later if you desire."

"Yay!!" She bounced around Flame and he chuckled at her excitement. Cynder glanced at her belly, then at the eggs in their incubator on her chest. If only she could find out sooner rather than later if Flame's seed had taken.

"What're the plans for the market and shop streets?" she asked, gazing down the incline at the stores of crates still being opened and distributed. She blushed at the sight of a male dragon humping one of the girls right in the middle of the road, others around them laughing and carrying on like it was totally normal conversation activity. Cynder suddenly found herself fantasizing about Spyro randomly mounting her in public and swelling her belly with cum for all to see...a thought that simultaneously mortified and aroused her immensely.

"The shops and markets will, ideally, be grouped and organized by trade or similarity, to make it easier to find what you're looking for." The Matrons led them down the way, quite a few workers and young girls pausing their work at the sight of Cynder out and about.

"It's Cynder!" came a loud yelp, and for a split second the black-scaled ness's blood ran ice cold in dread. A whole bunch of girls ran up to her with excited chatter, Cynder stepping back nervously.

"Everyone's been talking about you! Where've you been??"

"Are those your eggs??"

"You two vanished after the War!"

"Is it really true Spyro's the only guy who can make eggs??"

"Are you coming to live here?!"

"What happened that night?? How'd you win??"

"Is it true Spyro's penis is massive?!"

"Girls, girls, please, give her some space," the Matron admonished, though not strictly. Cynder gulped, feeling a little shaky.

"Uh...y-yeah, Spyro and I...we...um. We just wanted time and quiet after the War. I don't know how we won really, Malefor nearly killed us and then we were in the planet's Core and...it's a bit fuzzy from there. I don't know if we're gonna live here yet. Yes, my mate is...quite endowed..." She glanced uncertainly at the Matron sisters and they both shook their heads for the last question. "Yes, these are our eggs."

A collective squeal of excitement rolled among them, then one of the girls peered at the incubator. "Wait...how many eggs do you have?"

"Six?"

They all stared at her in shock. "No way...you've been pregnant twice already??"

"No? This was just my first pregnancy."

Gasps and murmurs met her ears and the Matron sisters chimed in. "Cynder is a Matriarch. Spyro is a Patriarch. Be it fate or coincidence."

"Matriarch?! You're soooo lucky!"

"Yeah! I wish I could have lots of eggs too!"

"How old are they??"

"Not even a month now."

One of the girls blushed hard. "Jeela said his balls are huge and he cums a whole lake, is that even true?"

Blinking and blushing in shock at that, Cynder hesitated. "Uhhh...yeah. I mean, he's...uh, definitely packing... and yes, he's got massive loads." The girls started giggling at that.

"It's true," Ember said with a grin. "He's a little shy about mating outside of his relationship with Cynder though so if you see him, don't be too pushy."

"Whaddaya do for a living, Cynder?" they kept pushing, all eyes back on her.

"I...just live with Spyro, really. I...um. I dabble in cooking and spices?"

"She makes super delicious food!" Flame added, licking his lips.

Somehow, Cynder found herself getting ushered along to the big bonfire area where the food for the workers was being prepped en masse. "Wanna try here??" one of the girls asked excitedly, her tail wagging. The eagerness wormed its way through her hesitance. Reluctantly, Cynder unclipped her incubator and opened it to nuzzle at her eggs again, then breathed a small tongue of fire to recharge its heating element. Flame padded up and gently took it from her.

"I'll hold onto it, unless you'd rather Ember do that?"

"Thanks, either way is fine." She was very hesitant to part with her brood but Flame's tender care the last few days at least dulled her instinctive urge to snap at him for getting too close to them. Looking over the available ingredients, she thought to herself, poking at a few for taste tests or to smell them. "Oh...oh my, these are really good cuts...how expensive is all this?"

"We have some generous benefactors for the cause," someone replied behind her.

"Hmmm..." She had pretty much everything she needed - most of the work for the workers was being done by other chefs, but there were a few open stations for personal cooking too, so she moved over to one and fiddled with the grilling bowl and rack. It wasn't too much different from her outdoor kitchen. A cutting board and some bowls and pitchers for measurements and storage were strewn around. Under the grilling bowl was a broiler oven using the heat of the grilling coals above. "Interesting..."

It was really awkward with so many watching her, but once she started working on the food, she found herself able to mostly ignore everyone else while she used her tailblade to dice up or mince various bits. She even started humming one of her little abstract ditties to herself while she finely chopped some herb leaves for a meat dressing. Tubers and roots covered in salt and hot spices went into the broiler while meat slices were basted with berry and herb glazes on the rack, then she put some smoke wood twigs into the coals and covered the rack to smoke it. Some flour, larger soft grains, butter, milk, poultry eggs, and sugar came together into a flat dough, set onto a stone baking sheet and thinly glazed with the berry and herb mix, and some honey criss-crossed on top.

"Where did you learn these recipes?"

"I just kinda make them up," she replied, lifting the smoker dome lid and sniffing at the meat. Using her shadow tendrils to move the meat to a plate, she put the dough onto the grill rack and fanned it lightly with her wings to blow most of the smoke away and get it hotter, gradually crisping the bottom of the dough. There was some chatter behind her about the quality if she was just winging it, but the aromas from the grill and broiler were making quite a few bellies rumble.

Small soup bowls were procured and Cynder did her best to divide it evenly, filling the bowls with the broiled spicy veggie chunks, topping it with some thins trips of meat, and adding a small square of the pastry.

Within minutes, she seemed to become the most popular girl in the Temple vicinity.

Even some of the chefs were clamoring for her recipes once they tried her work.

Flame and Ember shot her encouraging grins and the Matron sisters watched with soft smiles. Cynder felt a confused mix of pride, excitement, anxiety...but as much as her anxiety tried to tell her this couldn't be real, it sure seemed to be. It was actually overwhelming for her, so she dealt with it by tossing together some more of her ideas. A salad rich with onions and honey and sweetened with fruits. Spicy meat strips with a sweet milky dip. Julienned vegetable strips broiled crisp while meat seared on the grill. Fish and crab meat stuffed with butter and citrus and minty herbs. A tuber and root mash mixed with meat drippings. A lot of it was quite simple since she didn't have experience with the fancier ingredients, but her keen nose and intuition had several delicious dishes going out.

Maybe Ember was right,_she thought to herself with a grin as she used her shadow tendrils to briskly whip some cream and sugar together into a light foam. _I actually could possibly get used to this...

Meanwhile, Flame and Ember had ambled off to the housing areas to view their future home. It was still somewhat skeletal, but looking quite nice regardless. A large, round structure with a flight deck on the second floor, a basic food prep area, cold storage below, a bedroom connected to the living area, and several other bedrooms for guests and kids. Out front, part of their small yard was converted to a workshop area for her jeweling. "Wow..." Ember whispered softly. Flame was still chewing on some of the meat he'd sampled to see how different Cynder's cooking was from the more standard fare. "This is gonna be great..." she whispered, flaring her wings in excitement. "Our own home...and who knows, it might be one of the few permanent ones!"

Gulping his mouthful finally, he gritted his teeth. "They're overcooking the meat here, that was super chewy. Ugh. Tasty but dry." Licking his lips, he padded up to his sister and nuzzled at her, laying his wing over her back. "Y'know...if they're looking for a Breeding Guardian...maybe the Stud of Warfang should step up his game."

"Maybe. Then you'd finally have a real job."

"Oh come on, not this again."

"Flame, get real, I can't be the only one supporting our family."

"I never said you were. But how's payment even gonna work? I don't think the Guardians even get paid. What'm I gonna do, be a glorified prostitute and charge for my stud work?"

"Well, you're good at sex, might as well get paid for being good at it."

Rolling his eyes, he sighed and glanced at her belly. "Hopefully I can get better and actually do something with it."

Her teasing smile faded and she kissed his cheek. "Hey...they're working on it, and Cynder's trying too. No one said this curse stuff was gonna be easy."

"I know...I just hate this helpless feeling in my gut. I can't find a job I'm good at and I can't even be a proper stud. Just feel like dead weight."

Nosing at his neck, she hugged him with her wing. "You're not dead weight. You're my brother, and my lifemate. Maybe this could be your calling? I mean, you've already helped almost all the girls here get pregnant."

"It might be. It's weird...we grew up in Warfang, yet something about this place...feels a bit more like home."

Nuzzling at his jawline, she playfully nipped at his chin, making him shake his head to get her off. "So how many daughters are you hoping to bury your dick into?"

"All of them." They both laughed and then sighed softly as they gazed over their future house. His wing softly stroked her gravid belly, her middle feeling just a bit firmer than usual. "We should get back to Cynder. Her tour kinda got waylaid."

"At least she's enjoying herself!"

"Yeah. Spyro should be happy to hear about this, hope he isn't gone for long."

"You should be hoping he is. More time with Cynder, more chance of healing your balls."

Shaking his head, he trodded away, Ember following closely. "She's gonna need him soon. When the novelty of our casual sex wears off, she's gonna start pining for him. I can only really distract her, but I think especially after this, she's gonna have a lot to think about, and that's gonna get her thinking of her mate. This is still all very new for her and she needs his familiarity to help her process it."

His ability to read girls, and his empathy, made his sister smile to herself and nuzzle at him again.

Meanwhile, Cynder was very much enjoying herself with the ice broken. She had some of the dry meat basting in a bowl of melted butter to try to soften it back up, and was busy observing how some of the other chefs were doing their work while her own simmered on the grill. "Cutting it against the grain like this makes it softer, and lets more of the flavor get into the meat fibers. But, if you cut it with the grain, you can get these finer strands pulled apart to wrap around other things."

"I see...but what're these really thin strips full of fat?"

"Bacon. Very greasy, and great for drippings to cook other things with like eggs, or you can wrap the bacon around things like these potatoes and the grease will seep into it and enhance the flavor. It's the crumbly, crunchy bits in that dish you sampled."

"Oh!" She blinked at that. The bacon flavor was new to her but immediately addicting, and the smell coming from his charcoal pit was so tantalizing! "Where does it come from?"

"Porcine bellies."

"What're these things?" she asked, pointing at some weird bits that looked like...

"Intestines. All the leftover meat trimmings and herbs get mashed up together and stuffed into intestine socks to make sausage."

"Ooohhh...interesting..." New ideas were spinning all over her head. She knew intestines were often used for bandage wrappings or as a sort of twine, but using it for leftovers was quite the news to her and opened up an awful lot of possibilities. She moved back to check on her latest attempt, a broiled liver bake. Once it came out of the broiler, the unique odor caused varying reactions around her. Cooling a piece with her wind breath, she took the first bite to see how it turned out. "Hrmmmm...not as great as the other dishes...it neeeeedsssss..." she hissed to herself in thought, tapping her chin with her wingblade while poring over the remaining ingredients. "Maybe this?" Some red vegetable paste slathered over top and mixed in well, and she sampled it again. "Oh yeah. That's good now." Setting out some bowls for others to try, she anxiously watched as some hesitantly poked at it. Liver was one of her favorites, but not many shared her enthusiasm for it. However, after a few bites, pensive looks turned to either passing agreement or active enjoyment.

"That's not bad...really not bad...I hate liver but that's actually tasty."

"Yum!!"

"How are you not already running your own restaurant??"

Cynder blushed and rubbed her neck with her wing. "I ah...I just prefer the quiet myself..."

"Hey Cynder!" Flame called. "Wanna continue your tour?"

"Oh! I forgot!" she squeaked. "Sorry everyone, I gotta get going!"

"Thanks for the food!"

"Yeah this was great!"

"You gotta come back and do this again!"

"Hell, I'll pay you for more!"

Darting up to them, Flame gave the incubator back to her and she quickly hooked it over her neck and shoulders again, quickly nosing at her eggs and taking a deep breath. "Thanks...it was getting stifling..."

"You okay?" Ember asked, noticing some small tears forming at the corners of her eyes. Cynder nodded against her eggs, then closed the lid and sighed with a small smile.

"For once...it's nice to get out and not be hated. I thought...I was so sure someone was gonna..."

Flame laid his wing over her and she shivered lightly. "World's gotta move on from that past and embrace the future. You're now a vital part of that future."

As they walked around to view the gardens, future herb patches, and various stores in development, Cynder found herself much more at ease. It was hard to focus after the excitement and partial overload of all that cooking and excitement. The sun was setting already, where had the day gone? Back into the Temple they finally walked, the Matrons giving them access to the Temple portal. "For now, we will allow this permission to use these, but you'll have to clear with the Guardians to return here with this portal. We're trying to keep it to administrative use only, but given today's relative quietude, you may pass."

"Thanks," Cynder replied, stepping through, rather eager to get back and rest now. Landing at the Temple, Flame and Ember shook themselves off and wandered to their room, but Cynder remained behind with the elder ladies. "Um...now that we're back here. I wanted to ask, is there any possible way to tell if I'm pregnant yet? I mean, I know Spyro's...cum...makes heat symptoms fade fast when he gets girls pregnant, but would a Matriarch have early tells maybe?"

"It would be worth investigating, for sure. Every case is different, but if you have early signs, it will help the breeding efforts. All the same, you should head to bed, dear, and perhaps have Flame continue his attempts at your conception. We will begin examining you for early signs tomorrow after you've rested."

"Alright."

"Are you okay after all that, though? You seem overwhelmed."

"I...I am, to be honest. But...I don't know, I feel...weird. Not really in a bad way, but...I don't know how to feel about today."

"Let us put it this way - would you say today was a good day?"

She nodded lightly. "Yeah...it was. But it feels like it was...hollow? Or am I just reading too hard into things?"

"Hollow how?"

"Like...not serious. I kept expecting everyone to be lying or something, or faking their smiles at me."

"Paranoia from dark pasts will do that, but they were genuine today. The girls have been wanting to meet their saviors for a while now, especially after our explanations of the breeding program and the basics of the situational gist. I know some out there may still see you for your past, but many more now see you as a hero. You made their day, even more with showing your hobby. They got to connect with you, even if a little. Let that count for something against the darkness in your mind."

On her way back to the fire couple's room, Cynder smiled softly to herself. If every day at the Silver Grotto was like that...well, she'd probably have to take breaks away from the excitement to cool off, but...

Yeah.

It would definitely be doable.

Maybe living there wasn't such a bad idea.

A thought that swirled in her head even more strongly as Flame mounted her and started to slowly thrust into her depths once more, the black dragoness purring in bliss and resting her forehead on the floor to watch upside-down as his pendulous nuts swayed and bounced with his motions against her. "That feels soooo good..." she cooed out, giving whimpering moans as he stabbed his tip against her g-spot repeatedly and made her clench tightly on his shaft.

"You're so wet inside, what got you all worked up?" he asked, licking her shoulder.

"Oooohhh fuck..." she whined out, shuddering on the brink of climax, then cried out and gasped as an all-body orgasm wracked her, her hips bucking against him, her fluids spurting noisily against the floor under them.

"Probably just overly excited from the day," Ember suggested, lightly rubbing herself with her tail at the sight.

Flame kept lightly fucking her through her climax, then when she settled under him he gripped her hips and started bucking more firmly, making her squeal and moan lewdly until he finally growled out and sheathed himself in her, hinds lurching repeatedly with each blast of his hot, heavy load. "Fuuuuck...so much cum...wow you were pent up..." she whispered.

"Someone was teasing me all day," he replied with a sidelong playful glare at his pink sibling, Ember sticking her tongue at him.

"Whatcha gonna do about it?"

"Soon as I recover? I'm gonna fuck you silly."

"Threaten me with a good time," she giggled, waving her ass at him.

The fire dragon turned his attention back to Cynder, nuzzling between her wings, lightly grooming her scales, making her purr in relaxation. "Sure hope this all works."