FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Kinda short, but I'm still at it!

This is kind of a haphazard chapter, but it's setting up the next few. I can't tell when this will end, but this is the calm before the storm.

CHAPTER 19

"You're telling me the dragon that caused all this is good again?"

Spyro sighed. "Yes. He's hiding, though...he wants to atone for his actions but is afraid everyone will kill him if they realize he's alive."

Kane grumbled to himself. "I can't offer safety for him or Craga, but you and Cynder may stay here if you see fit. Are Christine and Alex still with you?"

"No. They had to go home, but they're still fighting the Shadow."

Kane paced back and forth, muttering to himself and absently chewing on the grass stalk sticking out of his mouth. "Messengers from Mt. Boisitbig alerted us of dragons heading this way, but what you've told me about their attitude towards Cynder...we can offer them shelter and protection here, but if you and Cynder relocate here there will be problems."

"Cynder's really upset about all this."

"I'd think she would be. She helped you defeat the Dark Master twice, along with other disturbances. All that effort and still no one accepts her, unless...you say they were in hiding?"

"That's what Ignitus told me."

"There may be a chance they never received the news about Cynder helping you."

"I was afraid of that..."

At that moment a large bird flew to them with a letter. Kane took the letter and read it, his frown growing. "Warfang dragons are heading for the Temple...Warfang is under siege?"

"Again?"

"Spyro, go back to the temple and tell the guardians. If you and Cynder stay at the temple, we'll accomodate dragons that can't stay there."

Spyro thanked him and flew off, shooting through the air using his time power and reaching the Temple in only five minutes. The sun was beginning to set, but in the waning light Spyro saw Ignitus and several more dragons sitting on the balcony. He flew over them into the dojo to find Cynder and Flare watching a large gathering of dragonlings. Some were older and were helping with the babysitting, some were just beginning to crawl, the rest were of varying ages and sizes. Cynder spotted Spyro slipping in partially invisible and edged her way over to him, looking very tired. He rubbed against her and she murred happily. "Big crowd huh?" he asked, looking over the multitude of dragon children.

"Yeah...the mothers are resting from the flight."

"Do they know about you?"

"Not really, Flare did all the talking while I stayed in here."

"Where's Solar and the guardians? Warfang's under siege."

"Over in the guardian's room, talking with the older dragons." She looked around. "Can they see you?"

"I don't think so."

She looked up at him with pleading eyes. "Could you help us pleeeaaase? I'm gonna fall asleep if I keep going..."

Spyro turned more visible, and everyone in the room paused and stared at him. "Uh oh..."

Later that night Spyro climbed into bed and flopped next to Cynder. She laughed and draped her wing over him as he lay motionless on the bed. "Tired much?"

"Urh.."

She nuzzled his neck and lay her head on his chest. "What was Kane wanting?"

Spyro sighed. "Cynder, do you want to move? Get the kids to safety?"

"Why?"

"Kane and the Atllawa are willing to protect us if need be. They can shelter us in Tall Plains." Cynder lay down on him again, thinking. "If not, they can shelter dragons that can't live here."

"What about Solar and Flare?"

"Them too, but I think they want to go up to the mountains again."

"...I...need time to think about this..."

"Take your time."

"Spyro?"

"Hm?"

"What were you so upset about?"

His smile faded and he lay back against the pillow. "Cynder...the Chronicler is calling to Ignitus. That's all I can say. Ignitus doesn't want to go, let's just leave it at that." He felt her trying to search his mind but she got nowhere and snorted in frustration. "I'm sorry, Cynder, but I can't say anything about it."

"Aleron said 'dadda' today while he was looking for you," she said with a sly grin.

"Awwww...." Spyro chuckled and hugged her. "They're growing so fast..."

She sighed wih a smile and cuddled against him. "Just think...we finally have a family..."

Spyro smiled and kissed her, but looked up quickly when he heard small claws on the stone floor. "Cynder?" came Anya's little voice.

"Shhh...." Cynder whispered, quickly crawling to the edge of the bed and pulling the little dragonling up. "Anya, you can't say my name now with others around."

"'Kay..."

"Something wrong?" Spyro asked, running his paw along her back.

"I miss my daddy and mommy...I can't sleep."

Cynder looked at Spyro sadly and sighed. "I'm sorry Anya...we don't know where they are. If they're out there, they'll probably find their way here since they sent you here."

Anya eventually fell asleep, nestled between Spyro and Cynder under their wings. Spyro couldn't sleep, though...something felt wrong...he hoped Caligin would come back, he needed advice about his elements.

In the morning, Craga arrived in secret and found Solar by luck not too far from the Temple. She warned him that Caligin was on his way, but wasn't very eager to show himself now that other dragons were appearing. After alerting Flare and the others Solar went to escort the purple dragon to the temple. While he was gone, Spyro, Cynder and the dragons that had attacked her, along with Aryp, were gathered with the guardians in the side-room, discussing Cynder's past. They intentionally skipped over Caligin's existance, but Aryp eyed Cynder and Spyro suspiciously as they headed out to help babysit. Cynder eventually kicked Spyro out though, convincing him that with him not around, less attention would be brought to her. Out on the balcony, Spyro found Craga sunning herself. She bolted up in fright at the sound of claws on the stone nearby, but relaxed when she saw Spyro standing there a bit apprehensively at her reaction.

"Something wrong?" he asked.

"No, no nothing's wrong..."

"A reaction like that isn't normal."

She sighed, then looked around nervously and lowered her voice. "S-Spyro...how...how do I...how can I tell if I'm...pregnant?"

Spyro froze, unsure of how to answer. "Um...I...don't really know, I've...y'know, never been, so I wouldn't know really."

"O-oh...right..."

Thinking quickly he stepped closer. "I do have a way though...I think it'll work."

"What is it?"

"I can use my light power to sense another presence, it should work if you're carrying."

"Oh, okay I-I guess...I really wanna know..." She lay on her side and he gently lay a paw on her belly. Focusing his energy he fed light into her. Craga watched in fascination as she saw thin tendrils of light, like small vines, extending from his paw and curling into her, leaving a comfortable warm feeling around his paw. He smiled and pulled back.

"I can feel small pulses of life, I can't tell how many but..."

Her eyes widened and she smiled. "Really?"

"Yep."

She squealed softly in excitement. "Cal's gonna be so happy!! Thanks!" With that she flew off to wait for Caligin to arrive. Spyro just shook his head in amusement, then quickly bolted when he heard children's voices calling for him. He wanted to be with them, but the guardians wanted him to keep watch for more newcomers. He quickly slipped up to the temple roof and splayed himself in the sunlight, relaxing in its warmth and absorbing its energy. He felt that light crystal of his begin charging as well.

"Wonder how Alex and Christine are doing..." he said to himself, watching the clouds overhead.

As Spyro sat on the temple roof, watching for any more new arrivals, Caligin came up beside him and sat down. "Hey, Spyro..."

"Hey, something up?"

"No, nothing yet. Ignitus can't see anything else in the pool about this, and I've tried but all I can see is the water."

"I get the feeling far more are coming..."

"I know. I can feel it too." Cal sighed. "Craga's inside playing with Anya."

Spyro smirked and nudged him. "Soooo...finally got lucky, did ya?"

Caligin stared at him in surprise and shock. "N-n...w-well, we...I, uhhh..." Spyro cocked an eyebrow at him with a teasing grin and Caligin sighed. "Okay, yes...but Craga wants to have a formal union."

"You don't need a big celebration over it; when I asked Cynder..."

"Yeah...I saw that, come to think of it. I was watching you two that night and tried to interfere, but your bond was far too strong for my power. But I don't have the ceremonial necklaces or bracelets that were core-tradition back then..."

"Flare and Solar had nothing but their words and each other."

"Solar gave Flare a gold chain; maybe not on that night but still, a symbol of affection. I wanna do something like that for Craga but I've got nothing."

"Isn't your symbol of affection inside her?" Spyro asked teasingly, and Cal blushed. "Oh come on! You two are finally back together, you're not evil anymore and you're starting your long-awaited family! Aren't you excited?"

"Yes I am...but Spyro, remember your worry about starting a family? Mine's far greater...you were only concerned about a mere possibility of my return. ...I know what's coming, but only in fragments after that night I saved you."

Spyro's smile flatlined. "What is it?" Cal looked away. "Caligin, we're both purple dragons; if there's a threat, both of us need to know the details, no matter how scattered they are!"

Caligin sighed. "Thing is, Spyro, the fragments are so random...I've talked it over with Ignitus and he says it doesn't make sense. The Shadow wants to kill all the dragons, or at least enslave them like he did with me, but...I get the feeling he's gonna strike soon, like in the next few months or so."

"Terrador and the other captains are planning training sessions to judge the others and hone their skills."

"Yes, but an army of dragons still may not stand up to what the Shadow plans...he kept talking about Paralos, but I don't remember enough of it."

"That doesn't make sense, Solar's the only living member of their elites."

"Yes BUT, you forget that they possess a technological armament far beyond us." He grabbed Spyro's shoulder with a sense of urgency. "I've seen what they can build, Spyro...bombs that can destroy an entire continent in the blink of an eye. Guns with ammunition that passes through walls and only harms living tissue. Foreleg-mounted blades capable of slicing through solid crystal with a mere flick. What do we have? Breath, claws and fury attacks. Even with your and Cynder's lightbreath attacks, there's no chance of survival if they were to find a way in."

Spyro paused, staring at the purple dragon as he processed this potential threat. "But why does the Shadow want to kill us off so badly?"

"I have no idea, that's just how demons work. If they can't control it, it shouldn't be allowed to function."

They fell quiet for a while, watching the skies. "Do the others know you're here?"

"No. If more arrive, I'm gonna leave."

Spyro lay his paw on Cals shoulder in a stopping gesture. "Think about this. They only know the Dark Master, but few know what you looked like, right?"

"Yeah..."

"Theoretically, no one should recognize you now that you're stripped of your corruption. Ignitus and the others have not said anything about you being reverted, for all the others know you're still defeated and waiting for a chance to return."

"As much as I appreciate your enthusiasm," Cal replied, brushing Spyro's paw off, "I can't. There's too much risk. They'll be suspicious if there are two purple dragons."

"Your true color may gain you more respect."

"But if they respect me and I'm revealed to be Malefor, they'll killl me for 'betraying' or 'hiding'."

Spyro sighed in frustration. "I know you're nervous, but come on, you can't get the forgiveness you want if you hide all the time."

Cal sighed and lay down, closing his eyes. "Spyro, how can you say stuff like this?"

"I dunno, I just think everyone has a chance. Or, at least they should."

"That's what I used to think as well...then Craga...everyone..."

"Craga's alive and those who dragged you down are gone."

Caligin looked up again to say something, but caught sight of a few specks swiftly approaching the temple. "I gotta go." With that he quickly disappeared and flew flew away, sweeping around the temple into the mushroom forest where Craga was resting. She smelled his approach and smiled, stretching and standing up to greet him as he cantered up to her from a hurried landing. His anxiety left him and he smiled when he glanced up to see his mate smiling at him. "Hey...how're you doing?" he whispered, nuzzling her softly.

"I'm fine, Cal...just...kinda feeling a bit sick."

"Get some rest," he said as he lay his wing over her back. "There are more coming, so I can't exactly go out now."

She leaned against him. "Mmm...I think we could use some cuddle-time with 'daddy'," she said, rubbing her paw on her belly. He smirked and gave her a loving lick on the cheek as they walked deeper into the forest.

The next morning found Cynder outside in one of the large garden areas, helping look after the refugee children. She smiled to herself as she watched Aleron tail his brother and sister protectively as they crawled around in the grass. Flare laughed as she played chase with some of the older ones, her kids laughing as they hitched a ride on her back. "Okay guys, lunchtime, let's go eat!" she called.

"Come on guys, let's go get some food!" Cynder said as she helped usher the little ones to the area set up for lunch. To her surprise Aryp walked up to her.

"I wanted to talk with you."

"Uhhh...okay..." They waited until everyone else had left. "What's this about?"

"Do you know where your mate is all day?"

She rolled her eyes. "Whats this got to do with anything? He's pretty much a guardian now, he's got his paws full with stuff now that everyone's coming out of hiding."

"I just find it odd that he'd leave his kids alone with you."

She growled. "I thought Ignitus called an end to this."

"No, I was just curious! Why are you here alone, shouldn't he be more present for his kids?"

"I just told you why he's not here. That, and he doesn't want to be assaulted by others wanting to thank him and jump all over him for his deeds."

"Well...I don't blame him for that. But those who might have done that a while ago are now wondering where he and the guardians have been with these recent attacks."

"We haven't gotten any word about these attacks until recently, the frst few not getting here until after Anya arrived. She was the first." Cynder sighed and looked at the gateway they'd all gone through. "Poor little thing...but...why is everyone appearing? Anya came because her parents were attacked..."

Aryp sighed. "I'm afraid our story is the same as the others...while we defended our homes we sent our children off towards the temple island, some of them in boats crewed by the seafaring species, the older ones in more immediate danger we had fly here like Anya." He looked at the gate sadly, his eyes watering. "She needs to know..."

"What?" Cynder asked, worried.

"I was there when her family was attacked. Her mother...may not survive; she's terribly ill after a poison dart hit her in the paw. And her father...it'll be a miracle if he functions after that blow to the head."

Cynder froze, a look of pain and horror on her face. "Th-th-that's...so awful!!!"

"She's not the only orphan...many of the dragonlings here...will never see their families again." Cynder gasped, and a few tears slid down her face. Aryp's eyes widened a bit at her reaction. Huh...so she really does care about other lives...it would seem the darkness was merely a shell over her mind, broken as the barrier...

"Th-that's so horrible..."

"It's Malefor's work. His armies that he secretly amassed are beginning to spread in their search for him. By the way..." The old dragon looked at Cynder suspiciously. "I've been told you have defeated him three times, and he's still around."

Now she was angry. "Okay, let's get one thing straight here. I'm getting sick and tired of everyone asking me about that or accusing me of this and that. He's around because of me, yes, but far from by my will; I wanted him dead and gone forever. Malefor used me; I was a puppet of his until Spyro freed me! Malefor himself was a puppet for an even greater evil; Spyro finally broke the Shadow's grip on Malefor and he's trying to regain his light side! Just because someone's been touched by darkness, just because I've sent many into hiding and he's killed thousands doesn't mean we're not sorry for it! Malefor tried to kill himself out of remorse after we freed him! We were both used by an evil far more powerful than any of us; what the hell could we do? Why are we blamed for something we couldn't control?!" A tear fell from her eye and she sniffled angrily. "I'm so tired of this! Isn't Ignitus's acceptance enough? He's a guardian dammit! Who cares if he's old; hell, even the frickin' Chronicler trusts me and he's over a thousand years old!! Life was hell under Malefor's rule; now that I'm on the good side I'm finally happy! I have a family, something I've always wanted! And Spyro loves me beyond anything else, how the hell could I go back to evil in a heartbeat like everyone thinks I'm gonna do?! You have no idea what it's like to live in hell most of your life and then find unconditional love!!" They didn't realize it but many of the others had gathered around them and were listening. "Going from darkness and the pain of longing into a life of love where everything you wanted is given to you, how can I turn from that, how can I betray that?! And Malefor! I still hate him for what he did, but he was used; he suffered from a tragedy and in his weakened state the Shadow gripped him and took him over! You can't fight that Shadow, his will is far stronger than anyone, even Spyro's! Malefor still hates himself for what he's done, but at least he's been freed from the Shadow's control and is himself again! He had to hide because you all would've killed him if he tried to make any kind of amends!"

"What's going on here?" came Spyro's voice, and Cynder looked up at him as he braked his wings and landed by her. She leaned against him and burst out crying. Spyro looked around angrily, and they all slowly left except Aryp, who sat staring at Cynder in shock. Spyro wrapped his wings around her and she cuddled against him as she wept. "Shhh, shhh...it's okay Cynder, you're safe..."

"Oh Spyro...I just wanna be accepted..."

Aryp stuttered a bit and Spyro looked up at him, Cynder turning her head slightly and looking back at him out of the corner of her eye. "I...I can't tell if you're faking or not, but...I'm sorry, I didn't know..."

Cynder just buried her face against Spyro again, hiding in his wings. Spyro hugged her tightly and addressed Aryp. "I think a group-wide apology is in line here. The guardians and I are not thrilled at all that everyone's coming to this island and trashing my mate and children with insults. I've fought alongside Cynder, Aryp. Ever since the Night of Eternal Darkness I've had her at my side...things happened on our journeys that proved her to me. Do I need to explain what happened to me two years ago when I slew Malefor again during the Dark Day?"

Aryp paused, then sighed. "An explanation may help everyone here, but many are under the impression that your mate has you under some sort of dark power."

"I gave up darkness when Spyro freed me...I never wanted it in the first place," Cynder said, not moving from Spyro. "Spyro, can you take me back to the temple? I feel sick..."

"Flare's looking after the kids now, just so you know." He lowered himself to the ground and she walked around him, flopping onto his back and holding on as he took off. Aryp watched them leave.

"I shouldn't have pushed her like that..."

Spyro landed on the balcony and quickly headed to their room to find Flare playing with the little ones on the floor. She looked up as Spyro came in. "Something wrong?"

"Cynder's still under attack from everyone," Spyro grunted, jumping up onto the bed and angling his back so Cynder could slip off. "I'm gonna go have a talk with everyone, she shouldn't be screaming her head off at them to get it across that she's not evil anymore." Cynder snuggled under the covers with a pained moan. Spyro ran his paw along her cheek. "Don't worry, Cynder...this'll be over soon. Just sleep." He ran outside, turning this whole matter in his mind. What could he say that would convince the majority of them that his mate was good? He flew off and went to where Cynder had first been attacked so he could reflect on what was going on. As he came down for a landing he caught sight of a beautiful chuck of gemstone and picked it up, turning it over in his paws. Amethyst encased in snowflake obsidian, with bright red garnets set in the obsidian...