FSE

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The second installment of the story! I even surprised myself with how fast the turnaround was on this chapter but nonetheless it is here!

Once again many thanks to SADesian who always helps a great deal~

Do comment, give ideas and offer criticism if you can! I do not own these characters funnily enough!

Spyro once again lay staring up at the emptiness that hung over him. Another sleepless night. He wished his mind was as empty as the darkened space above him but instead it clung to the memory of his meeting with Flame the night before. Having avoided Flame all day by chance, the purple dragon had therefore received no further information with which to sate his hungry mind and now his imagination was once again running amok. It certainly hadn't helped when those mocking footsteps once again passed his room and entered that door. He had almost gone outside to press more firmly for answers but that wouldn't have ended well and his chance passed far too quickly for him to reconsider.

He groaned inwardly and tossed himself over onto his side. He couldn't handle another night with poor sleep. Already he was feeling drained and his eyes were heavy but his mind was alive with rampant thoughts which refused to let him sleep. Spyro thought about how long he had until his morning lessons and felt he time he had remaining until he had to go to his first one slipping away and taking his sanity with it. He just wanted to sleep!

Finally enough was enough. One way or another, Spyro was going to find out what was going on in that hall.

With a quiet determination, he rolled onto his front and forced himself to his feet. He didn't really want to invade the group's privacy but he had no other choice. At least he didn't intend to stay for very long. All he wanted was to learn enough that he could put the evidence towards a fitting (and hopefully innocent) reason for Flame to be there so that he could rein in his imagination and finally sleep.

His stomach boiled and bubbled as he approached the door that Flame disappeared into every night. Those ominous words; 'Guardians Only' scowled down at him from its wooden frame, reminding him that he was breaking the rules that had been so clearly spelled out to him and the others. This was no accidental rule-breaking. There was no chance to play an innocent who had simply stumbled into the wrong area. If discovered, he would have no excuse at all with which to defend himself and that frightened him.

Stood in the pervading blackness of the corridor, he waited silently with unease in his heart as his two halves fought internally. He tried to convince himself that there would be some sort of alarm system on the door or that the door would be locked. After all, if it was such an important door, why would it be left open? But no, Flame always used that door at night. They would have left it open for him. Maybe he would open the door and find Ignitus waiting on the other side, a big frown on his face ready to punish him for what he had done. That didn't seem very plausible either; why would Ignitus spend his nights sitting at a door and waiting for someone to break the rule?

Ultimately, as much as his mind tried to scare him and shoo him away from his nefarious deed, he knew that there was not likely to be any trick or trap in place. His paw shakily raised and pressed on the door, half-heartedly expecting a myriad of noise and light to notify the entire Temple of his wretched deed but, to his relief, the door swung silently open at his delicate touch. The smaller corridor on the other side was almost as dark as the one he was currently stood in but a short distance down there was the telltale faint orange glow of firelight that had drifted out from one of the rooms. He knew that that was where Flame and the Guardians now were.

For a moment he just stared at that flickering glow in the distance. Although the corridor he was stood in and the one in front of him were almost identical, stepping into the new one scared him. Crossing that doorway felt wrong. He felt as though until he stepped into that forbidden hallway, he had done nothing that could be punished but the moment he did, he would be a criminal. However from where he stood, he could make out no voices and without information he would get no sleep.

If he wanted any chance of succeeding, he needed to get closer. With a racing heart, he forced himself to cross the boundary of the doorway and slowly inch his way towards the firelight. Every single step felt as though he was violating the Guardians' trust but he just couldn't bear another sleepless night.

The hall was surprisingly quiet even as close as he now was and Spyro had no doubt that there was magic involved in keeping it that way. He needed to get right up to the hall entrance if he was ever going to hear what the Guardians and Flame were saying. Creeping closer, he noticed exactly where the glow was coming from; up ahead the corridor split into two directions with one heading out of sight to his left (the Guardians' chambers) and the other opening up to the small hallway to his right.

All of his energy was spent on keeping quiet, so much so that he hardly breathed at all and moved in only the smallest steps that he could manage. Slowly he rolled his paw from heel to toe before very carefully placing the next heel down and rolling it forward once more. Over and over again he did this, always fearful of making a sound. It was exhausting being so delicate! It took so long that it was a few minutes before he finally reached the end of the corridor, hiding just out of sight around the corner of the hall entrance. He stopped there and paused, listening intently in the hope that someone inside would soon point out what was going on so that he could leave as silently as he had entered.

"...Your fire breath is definitely improving, Flame. You hit targets with greater accuracy today than you did a month ago." Spyro heard from his hiding position. It sounded like it was Terrador. Yes, it was definitely Terrador. That deep, resounding voice was far too distinctive to be anyone else. The statement seemed innocent enough. They had indeed practised their breath weapons today on targets, each training with different Guardians; Spyro with Ignitus and Flame with Terrador. Nothing suspicious there but nothing useful either.

"And so it should be; you've been getting a lot of extra 'training'." Ignitus replied with a slight growl. A few chuckles were heard.

'So perhaps Flame is here just to get extra training, though why he does it at night and not in the evening I don't know.' Spyro thought. Still, there was something in Ignitus' tone that made him decide to stay longer to make extra sure that his conclusion was correct.

"Mm, especially that muzzle of yours, young drake. Lips... Tongue... and Throat." Cyril added. A collective rumble followed.

Now Spyro didn't know what to think. Technically yes, fire breathing (as with any breath weapon) involved control of the throat, tongue and lips but it was mentioned so strangely and the reaction was so bizarre that Spyro was quite sure that he was missing something. Not to mention the fact that Cyril hadn't even mentioned the fire bladder and fire glands and those were perhaps some of the most important aspects of fire breathing! Carefully, he listened to more. Perhaps they would reveal something important soon.

"I think we all played a part in Flame's expeditious skill acquisition. Though I can't deny that it was also due to his eagerness to learn and perhaps a natural, ingrained, innate ability." Volteer prattled.

Again Spyro was confused. Understandably all of the Guardians collaborated to teach Flame as they did with all students. Perhaps they had all pitched in with this extra breath weapon training and were simply pleased with the results. That seemed an innocent enough reason to be hanging out with the Guardians after hours but it seemed strange that Flame was so secretive about it and the Guardians were certainly being weird in the way they talked about it. Still, as long as his imagination had been settled then he could sleep and that was all he wanted.

Just as the purple dragon was about to leave though, Flame's voice trickled out to him.

"Well I'm not exactly an expert yet. I still need a lot of training." The young male replied, the cockiness in his voice quite evident.

"You know that you can train with us whenever you'd like, Flame." Terrador rumbled.

"And whenever I command you to." Added Cyril, his voice carrying a strange tone that Spyro found menacing even though it was well received and held no obvious threat.

"What if I don't obey your command?" The red drake retorted.

'What an odd reply.' Spyro thought. He was definitely missing something and now he couldn't leave until he had guessed what it was or his mind would start worrying over that instead. There was definitely a bizarre rapport in the hall. There was something that he clearly wasn't grasping.

"Careful, young Flame. If you don't watch that cocky attitude of yours then I might have to remind you how far down the pecking order you really are. I suppose that isn't much of a threat though. I know what a glutton you are for punishment." Cyril warned, a round of snickering following his words.

"A punishment? Is that what it was? Didn't seem all that difficult to me. I'm not so sure you could put me in my place, Cyril." Flame replied with a derisive snort, without even a hint of hesitation in his voice. It rather sounded as though he was deliberately taunting the pompous Guardian.

Even though Spyro didn't know the nature of the conversation, he thought it was very much a bad idea to agitate Cyril so openly. Even as he heard the other Guardians chuckling, he felt as though Flame had bitten off more than he could chew. He knew well that Flame was a very cocky and confident dragon when he wanted to be but he definitely shouldn't be disrespecting the Guardians like that and, most of all, disrespecting Cyril; a dragon known for his short temper.

From where he was stood, Spyro couldn't see what was going on but there was suddenly an audible flurry of movement and Flame let out a surprised yip!

Spyro's heart rate spiked as his imagination started going wild at the sound of the confrontation. Had Cyril snapped? Had Cyril had finally decided to exhibit some sort of punishment? It sounded as though there was some sort of struggle going on and physical violence didn't seem like the kind of thing Cyril would do to a student but what else could it be? What was going on?! Was his best friend in danger?

Spyro could no longer sit idly by if his friend was in danger. Even though he was sure that the other Guardians would stop Cyril, the purple dragon just had to see what was going on. Carefully he poked his head around the corner to peer into the hall. The Guardians were laying around a small fire with Volteer and Cyril side-on to Spyro. Ignitus was nearest Spyro but was facing away and Terrador was on the other side of the fire facing the doorway though the young dragon was sure that the fire hid him from view.

All heads were turned towards Cyril who was now half standing; his hind legs stood up but his forelegs bent to bring his face right down towards Flame's pinned body. The young red dragon was on his back, his eyes wide and his expression a mix of surprise and fear as he found Cyril's snarling muzzle only an inch or two from his own. Cyril really had snapped! Why were the other Guardians doing nothing to help Flame?!

Ignitus' expression was difficult to read at that angle but it certainly didn't seem like he was worried. Volteer was grinning and Spyro could just see his slightly raised tail flicking excitedly back and forth. Terrador's face seemed almost blank but Spyro thought it contained the smallest hint of a smug smile although it could have been the firelight playing tricks on his mind. Why were none of them concerned by Cyril's overly aggressive behaviour?! This was no way to treat a student!

Spyro was seriously considering emerging from his hiding place to confront them and stop Cyril's attack. Even if Flame had been disrespectful, there was no need for violence. He was worried about revealing himself though and that made him hold back for a few seconds longer. Just as he was shakily readying his hind legs to push him out into the open, Cyril began to speak in a low menacing tone that was thick with threat.

"Careful, bitch." He growled, his eyes locked with Flame's. Although Spyro couldn't see if from where he was, Flame was blushing heavily from Cyril's sudden dominance and the rather exposed position he was now in. What Spyro could see however was that Flame's confidence had suddenly disappeared. "You act confident. You play the role of 'uppity brat' well but you and I both know that when I stop playing nice, you fall right into place." A sadistic grin spread across Cyril's face. "And where is that place, slut?" The final word was almost hissed at Flame there was so much venom in it.

Spyro gasped silently. Bitch?! Brat?! Slut?! How could Cyril be using such language and still be getting no reaction from the other Guardians? It was horrifying that they let him get away with such rude and derogatory name-calling and that he would actually resort to using it on young dragons!

Flame let loose a small whimper and turned his head to look away. Luckily, he looked away from Spyro and not towards him.

Cyril's digit quickly intercepted his muzzle and brought it straight back up to point at his, their eyes meeting once more but now with that razor sharp claw resting lightly on his red cheek. When he spoke again, his voice was hardly louder than a whisper and yet Spyro couldn't hear anything else. "You know I don't like to repeat myself." Every single word rolled out of Cyril's mouth with such delicate slowness that even Spyro shivered.

"... U-Under you..." Flame replied in an even more hushed tone. All cockiness was gone from him, replaced instead by an embarrassment so profound that Spyro was shocked that it came from the red drake's lips. Cyril's glare only deepened.

"'Under... you...' what... ?" Cyril spoke even slower this time. Spyro hadn't seen him blink this entire encounter, nor raise the volume of his voice to even a normal speaking level. It was frightening how much command he respected sand how quickly he had reduced Flame to a shaking mess beneath him.

"... U-U-Under you, s-s-sir..."

"And don't you forget that." Cyril growled in response, pausing a moment before finally lifting his claw away from Flame's face and letting him go. Spyro watched as he scrambled to his feet. He didn't move as far away from the Ice Guardian as Spyro would have expected but sat a few feet away with his body still shaking and his head looking anywhere but the Guardians' faces; all of which were now grinning and exchanging pleased looks. Cyril looked the most pleased of all with his chest all puffed out and his head held high. He loved doing that.

Spyro was more confused than ever. He stared at the scene in front of him incredulously. What was going on? Why were the Guardians so happy to let Cyril pin down and threaten Flame? Why did Flame say that his 'place' was underneath Cyril? It all seemed very... 'suggestive'. Spyro wasn't stupid and he certainly wasn't a hatchling. He was well aware of natural desires. Was it really something to do with that? Was Flame...? Were the Guardians...?

As silently as possible, Spyro slipped his head back behind the wall and tiptoed back to his bed, shutting the 'Guardian's only' door on the way through. He had hoped that the trip would have eased his sleeplessness but now he had even bigger things to think about. He groaned silently. Another night of laying awake.

*****

Spyro was exhausted as he came through his final lessons. All he wanted to do was get back to his room and try to sleep yet again. He didn't even want to go for dinner. His mind was still curious about everything that had been going on but now he thought he might be tired enough to fall asleep anyway.

Terrador's lecture on aerial combat maneuvers was coming to an end; the last class of the day and the only one in which Spyro and Flame had both been sat together. They hadn't really had any chance to talk today either but they always usually enjoyed sitting next to each other when they could. Flame seemed his usual self, Spyro thought, as the red drake listened intently to the green Guardian, still smiling away happily despite the long day of learning that was now mostly behind them. Although Spyro almost felt compelled to get information from him, he didn't even bother. He was far too tired and he felt his brain wouldn't work well enough to even think of what to ask.

"...I expect all of you to keep these maneuvers in mind. Tomorrow is a practical class and I'll be expecting you to put some of these into practice. You are dismissed." The Earth Guardian informed them, the four young dragons in front of him climbing to their feet and beginning to file out of the room. "Spyro, I would like you to meet me in my chamber after dinner."

Spyro stopped for a moment, staring at Terrador questioningly but the Guardian gave no more hints and walked straight past him out of the room, leaving the young drake to wonder what the meeting would be about.

*****

Spyro hadn't gone to eat. Instead he had gone back to his room and attempted to nap for an hour. He hadn't slept but laying there with his eyes shut had at least made him feel a little more alert. It was difficult to force himself out of bed again but he didn't dare to not show up.

Now, standing outside of Terrador's chamber, the purple dragon began to wonder what he had been summoned for. Maybe Terrador had noticed how tired Spyro had been in his lessons over the last few days and was concerned. Terrador always was a very perceptive dragon and would have easily spotted Spyro's sleep-depravity.

The door in front of Spyro opened up and Terrador stared down at him. Without even knocking the green drake had known that he had been hanging around outside.

"Come in, Spyro" He said, his voice betraying no emotion. Spyro obeyed without question. There was no pushing Terrador. No hurrying him. He would do exactly as he decided, when he decided to do it and so Spyro waited silently for the Earth dragon to begin.

"Have you been sleeping well recently, Spyro?" Terrador asked once he had shut the door. There was more curiosity rather than concern in his voice.

Spyro gave a small sigh and shook his head.

"I thought as much. I'm guessing you didn't sleep well last night either. You looked very tired in class today."

Spyro gave a slight nod. "Yeah, I struggled to sleep last night too."

Terrador nodded too. Just as he had expected. Calmly he took a seat in front of Spyro and took a deep breath before continuing.

"Is that why you came exploring last night?" He asked, his tone unchanged but his trained eyes scanning the small drake's reaction.

Spyro's heart skipped a beat as he heard the question. All his tiredness faded.

"W-What? E-Exploring? Me?" He was left squirming under the pressure of the accusation.

"Yes. Exploring. Just outside in that corridor, right outside our hall entrance." Once again Terrador was calm. There was no anger in his voice. He was a very calm dragon but he didn't like being lied to and he could spot it easily in even the most proficient liars.

Spyro began to protest. "I-I-I never..."

"Don't lie to me, Spyro. I saw you."

He had been discovered. Terrador's eyes pinned Spyro's down so that he could look nowhere else. It unsettled the young drake, making his will to resist fade. He couldn't hope to hide things from Terrador. Maybe he could have hidden it from the others but definitely not Terrador.

"W-Why didn't you tell anyone if you saw me there?" Spyro asked, unsure why the Guardian wasn't bellowing at him in anger. It was Terrador's nature to be controlled and collected but Spyro had broken the rules. He expected some sort of reaction at least but here Terrador was talking to him in the same tone he had been addressing the class earlier.

"There was no point. You had already seen and heard enough. Pointing you out would have only embarrassed Flame and maddened the other Guardians. You broke our trust, Spyro. You invaded our privacy. But at least this way Flame doesn't have to feel uncomfortable around you and the other Guardians don't lose faith in you. I don't believe you have malice in your heart but you have disappointed me."

The young dragon lowered his head in shame. He had. There was no denying it. He felt awful. What had he been thinking?

"I don't want to know your reason for doing it. I prefer not to know. What is important is that you understand what was going on last night. Do you think you understand what was going on, Spyro? Why we were meeting?"

Spyro lifted his head to look Terrador in the eye and found the same look that he always saw; firm, strong, intimidating, but fair. He sensed the disappointment in his eyes but definitely not anger. The Earth Guardian had always been very practical and being angry right now served no purpose. It would only make discussions harder. Slowly Spyro shook his head. He could have guessed at what the meeting was but it was easier for Terrador to simply tell him.

"It is not right that I should be the one to inform you of this, Spyro. Flame should be the one to tell you but I feel that if I do not then I won't be able to properly explain this situation." Spyro's mind raced trying to guess what it was. "Flame has an 'interest' in males. Not solely males but males nonetheless.

A few weeks ago, Flame came to us to confide in us about his feelings. He was confused and uncomfortable with them. He was worried that there was something 'wrong' with him and wanted to know if it was simply a phase that he would pass through. We talked to him and made sure he knew his feelings were perfectly natural and, although they would not likely pass, he would grow more comfortable with them as he aged. We let him know that even we Guardians had at least some interest in males, some more than others, but all of us for sure. He was granted access to our hall so that he could have a place where he could talk without fear of anyone judging, without anyone listening in to his private conversations and where he could share his feelings and worries with people who knew what he was going through. Things do become 'heated' from time to time but that's only to be expected.

So do you understand why we do this, Spyro? We want to help Flame feel comfortable with himself so that he is as happy as possible."

Spyro remained quiet for a few moments. It was a lot of information to take in at once. Flame liked males. The Guardians liked males. They were all meeting up to discuss their lust for males. It didn't repulse Spyro or anything like that but he was definitely shocked. He had never considered his best friend or the Guardians to have these sexual urges even though it made perfect sense that they would. Now that he was forced to think about their sexuality and the fact that they too had their own tensions, Spyro felt awkward. It was a light he'd never seen the Guardians in.

"So... what I heard last night was...? Y-You mean you guys have had...?" Spyro found himself unable to finish the sentences, trying to wrap his head around the fact that his teachers and his best friend may well have been sleeping together.

"Yes, we have. It is not something that always happens but it does happen from time to time. Everyone needs a way of relieving themselves, Spyro." There was no shame or embarrassment in Terrador's face. He didn't even look away in the slightest.

Spyro's head was swimming. He was exhausted and now was trying to process all this new information. In the end, his mind just gave up. The young drake gave a small sigh; he needed sleep and would sort this all out in the morning when his brain could really give it some thought. Terrador, perceptive as always, noticed Spyro's glazed eyes and overwhelmed look.

"You should sleep, Spyro. Should you have any more questions then you are welcome to come here and ask me but do not ask such things anywhere else. We do not want other students hearing of this and getting suspicious."

Spyro nodded tiredly and rose to his feet but found that Terrador had not yet moved out of the way of the door.

"There is still the matter of your punishment, Spyro. You broke the rules after all." Spyro's heart faltered for a brief moment, a small whine escaping him as he wondered what Terrador would do. The Earth Guardian paused, clearly weighing up an appropriate task to teach Spyro a lesson. "I will stay the punishment on one condition; you must never tell anyone about anything I discussed with you today in my chambers. That means no telling anyone about our meetings and making sure that Flame doesn't find out that you know anything about him and about our meetings. To ensure your silence on the matter, if you do tell anyone else then I will inform the other Guardians of your late night spying and that will be your punishment. Now go rest." Terrador finished and rose so that Spyro could leave which he did quickly.

There was no way he would tell anyone about that conversation, not only to avoid upsetting Flame and losing the Guardians' trust but also because the more he thought about it, the more he saw the sense in what they were doing. Still, he would have to think about this more in the morning when his head was clear.