FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 29

They braved the next wall in silent contemplation, eyes darting towards the fortress in the distance on every possible occasion, at least the trio of today's Realms did, their steady climb serving as motivation for the two other dragons.

While technically it wasn't the best of efforts, they reached the top eventually without too much of trouble, Flare due to recklessness earning a strain in the muscles when he pushed too hard while Iris gaining an extra cut or two as she tried to prove that she isn't worse, entirely ignoring the fact that the trio above moved relatively slow, their minds being occupied by something else entirely.

When on top Cynder automatically moved to the ledge of the mountain, trying to be as close to the fortress as possible, observing the flying, black, draconic silhouettes in the distance with something that could be easily called obsession burning in her eyes.

Every time reminding herself about one thing, repeating it like a chant.

I might be a normal dragon.

I might be a normal dragon.

I might be a normal dragon.

Chances were high for that, while there was no solid evidence what Corruption is exactly, there was no denying the fact that it's impact was lowered, or even killed with Malefor's demise. This led to only one conclusion.

The Dark Master had to be responsible for the Corruption.

Her heart raced as she stared at the flying figures, every thought about the dragons in the distance being nothing else but dragons sped that beat just a delicate tone faster.

No Malefor. No Corruption.

Yet black dragons were there nevertheless.

No matter how many times she reached this conclusion, the idea of this being a long forgotten truth pimped her excitement like a mosquito pumps its belly on blood.

"Cynder?" Spyro approached her quietly, voice as tender as the click of his claws against the rock

"I know I'm slowing us down and that we have a job to do, but..." she waved her paw at the spire "Just look at it Spyro"

"I know" he acknowledged solemnly, familiar with the feeling, he was awestruck almost in the same way when he learned that he was a dragon and not a dragonfly many years back

As if he would be born again.

Seeing so many black dragons must mean a mental rebirth for Cynder as well, after all you don't learn everyday that your scale color might be nothing else but a dark hue. Growing up in a world where black scale is considered vile and evil, a side effect of corruptive magic and then finding out that all of this might be a false assumption must be world turning.

He knew the feeling, it was a bittersweet taste, in the end though he was glad that Cynder found hope, the truth might be not there yet, but it was very probable that their assumptions were correct.

Besides the obvious there was also something else bothering him

The lore of the Realms.

They've been in only two portals and yet in both they found something that, if not shattered entirely, then at least thrust a huge wedge into the known and taught lessons about the world. One purple dragon every ten generations was proven to be false, Flare's prison was full of purple dragons and many of them were in similar age.

Then there was the Destroyer, a supposedly artificial construct with a sole purpose to destroy the known world. Boven proved that this same creature, or whatever its incarnation, was a sentient being.

And now here we are, in a place full of black dragons, dragons that supposedly don't have a birthing pattern, or don't exist at all really. They are a flaw, a side effect, an unwelcome side effect for that matter. Yet here there is a whole castle of them.

Did they got it all wrong?

And if they did, then how it is possible that the truth got so twisted over the millennia? What caused the purple and black dragons to stop hatching in bigger numbers? What changed the Destroyer?

Those were only three questions, but he felt deep down that there is a need to ask for more, these three questions were not enough to...

He gulped, the proper answer flashing across his mind in a second, an answer that chilled his spine.

Unravel the knot.

The thought that they lived in some sort of delusion, that something out there played a game on the chessboard of universe was breathtaking.

As breathtaking as the idea of him holding the pieces in his paws, playing a game against an opponent whose experience and wit was impossible to calculate. His opponent was mastering his skills and the flow of the game for who knows how long, while he, if to take the age of the whole universe in the span of many eons, was just a recently hatched babe with nothing to prove his worth.

What defeating a single black and purple dragon is worth when there were times when dragons like that walked the earth in whole clans?

What is stopping one destruction of the world worth when many worlds before the current Realms were born?

He tapped his claw against the rocky floor, the song of his touches echoing in the wind, thumping like a heartbeat.

What if they live in a world of delusion?

"Mind numbing, isn't it?" Cynder mumbled in awe, wings fluttering as if chills would be shaking the joints

"Yeah" he aimed his gaze at his partner, observing the black scales of her exposed flank from tail to horn, feeling both pride and worry when he noticed no discoloration, no lie in them, everything was perfectly natural

He reached out, paw instinctively craving to feed the sense of touch with this ideal perspective, envy of the Sight taking all the spoils.

He felt eyes burning holes in his slowly stretching out leg.

He recoiled back with a soft hiss, paw slapping against the cheek, claws scratching the scales as if a tremendous, unbearable itch would irritate the scales.

Damn secrets.

"It can change everything Cynder" he swallowed "And I mean it. We need to speak with Creep, push him. The things we see..." he shook his head in disbelief "It's a complete mess"

"Hey now" Cynder flipped her head onto her shoulder, offering her friend and lover a teasing smirk "I try to take a bath every month or so, not my fault that dirt likes me"

He smiled.

"You know what I mean"

"Yeah..." she sniffed her shoulder, taking a deep audible whiff, she jerked her head back, wincing in disgust "I stink like an ape"

A chuckle escaped from his mouth, a little humor did wonders in tense situations and Cynder, luckily, knew how to operate one of her best weapons.

And he knew how to appreciate it.

Hunter smiled, observing the duo of dragons with the corner of his eyes, rubbing the symbol of hope reverently. It was good to see them smile, just as him they were aware what this discovery might mean for the known world, dragons are always full of wonderful mysteries.

Those mysteries were also the thing, something that he was not very keen to admit, that made him feel a selfish sense of relief. As a simple feline he had a limited set of skills, the ability to carry such incoming and steadily increasing burden was beyond his abilities. In moments like those he was glad that his race doesn't have much in common with dragons, if there is anyone who can handle the pressure it's Spyro and Cynder, he would only be a log under their paws that just wouldn't stop falling.

He was an expert in simple tasks, like scouting and judging the surroundings.

The wind was rabid up in this mountain, his cloak kept on fluttering widely in the air, pushing every strand of his fur back so strongly that they felt like sharp needles on his skin. He covered his face behind his hand, scanning the world through the spread fingers.

The hill was barren, whatever sap or seed wanted to make its home here was chased off by the one and only ruler, wind. It lashed against the rocky floor mercilessly, kicking wave after wave of dust into the air, it was impossible to breathe when facing the direction from which it invaded.

It was clear for him that up here they were safe from any bloodthirsty danger, Nature ruled here and it had no intention of giving away its dominion. This insight betrayed another crucial information that helped explain why there was no life to be found here, scaring it away was not as palpable as never letting it get to the top in the first place.

It would explain also why there was so much feral, wildlife on their side of the mountain, the wind stopped everyone who wanted to scale the hill from the other side, climbing in such conditions was impossible, the gale would impale even the most resistant body on the rocks.

This part of the world was not civilized, it was blocked and possibly hardly, or never traveled. The path below was the only way to get to the snowy land and it was a death trap. Perhaps there was another route somewhere out there in that milky fog below, yet this didn't change their current situation at all.

They are heading from a direction that the people of this land considered as uninhabitable and dangerous. This will earn them three perks, the moment of surprise, fear combined with respect and depending on who they find, either death threats or praise.

He spat at the ground, expelling a dusty blob of saliva, the time for suspicions and predictions was over, the moment came to focus on the facts and they said that there is an empty space in front of them which they should cross as soon as possible if they don't want their lungs turning into a never turning hourglass.

"I advise to press on friends!" Hunter yelled over the blaring wind "This weather won't tolerate our presence forever!"

"Five more minutes!" Flare whined, lying on his belly, curled into ball with head shoved into the embrace of his legs

Even if he had a little break, his voice was still labored.

The strong wind yanked Flare's burning body parts with the strength of a child not wanting to let go of its favorite toy. Tendrils of fire stretched out into the air, twirling and twitching like an unending, never to be extinguished candle flames in a room with an open window. Stretching far longer than any candle, as if a bucket of blazing paint would be splashed against the air.

It would be a magnificent sight if Nature would allow it.

"We need to go my friend!" Hunter urged the dragon "We cannot stay here! Can you walk?"

"Yeeeeeaahhhh" the fire drake groaned, lifting himself up on shaky legs, covering the snout behind his fiery wing

"Spyro! Cynder!"

Both young drakes balked at the sound of their names being carried across the wind, in their forgetfulness they became completely unaware of their situation. Wings were automatically up in the air, used as a shield.

Spyro cursed under his breath, no matter how hard he might try this damn recklessness of youth just didn't want to go away.

To make amends they both immediately darted to join the cheetah, tapping their claws so quickly as if the world would be burning behind their tails.

"My lady!" Hunter blared out, spitting another rough blob of saliva onto the ground

There was no response, in the cacophony of noises, combination of blowing wind and clicking claws it was impossible to tell if the ice dragoness heard his call or not.

"Iris!" he called out again, deciding by himself that there are moments in life where chivalry has to make a little break

He grunted when something unexpectedly smacked into his side, making him fight for balance, flailing arms uncovering his face, dust stinging his eyes. He hissed, recovering quickly, bloodshot eyes gazing to the side, where Iris was glaring at him.

"Fuck you!" she snarled in his direction, obviously not moved by her action, completely ignoring the fact that she nearly toppled him, there was no point mentioning the discomfort she put him through

"Iris!" Spyro roared angrily "What the hell is your problem?!"

"Fuck you all! You idiots dragged me out here!" she opened one of her free wings, presenting it to anyone who would look upon it

It lost its beauty, the weather didn't serve the feathers well, in fact they looked far worse than after their drool adventure with the sea monster. Not only they looked trampled, but also ragged, disheveled like a fur of a depressed cheetah who is binging on alcohol for several days in a row.

"You fuckers have no idea how hard it is to get dust out of the feathers!"

"Phew!" Cynder gasped "And here I thought I had problems with worrying about our lives! Bye, bye pressure!" she waved her paw theatrically

The white eyes flared up with murder.

"Wag that tongue, keep it moist, you have a lot of licking to do slut"

"There's a policy in our slut club- touch everything, but no assholes" she winced, clicking her tongue in fake defeat "Would want to help but standards are standards" she shrugged "No shit touchy, sorry for your loss"

Iris growled, the cheeky sarcasm was very quickly getting on her nerves, she hated seeing this bitch happy, she hated it more when that happiness spoke through sass. She hated that black slut, Spyro and everyone around, she can start the tearing from her black hide if Tat so badly wants it.

"Why you little-"

"Go!" Hunter roared over the girls, the longer they spend on bickering, the more dusts gets into their lungs, after so many adventures and dangers such death would be a shame for all of them.

The wind gained on power, throwing a wave of gust of them as strong as a whizz of air near a falling golem's fist. The gale took a special liking to Flare's wing, grabbing onto its burning edge and stretching out the tongue of flame nearly across the whole surface of the mountain.

The fire cracked widely, running right in front of Iris' and Hunter's eyes, making both jump back with a startled gasp, heat of the small explosion stinging their bodies. Both immediately looked themselves over, scanning for burning spots, the worse didn't come to pass, luckily, yet the smell of something burning that suddenly got mixed into the dusty taste of the wind showed them that some strands of their fur or feathers fell victim to the accidental attack.

"Sorry guys!" Flare cringed, he's already not very masculine frame shrinking even further "I can't control it!"

Iris glared at the fiery drake, her full of disgust eyes speaking volumes, clearly showing what she thinks about him and his apology.

Hunter however accepted it with honor, it was also another reason, probably far more convincing, to urge the most stubborn members of the group to move. The risk of becoming an hourglass not so scary anymore when the opportunity to turn into a living, for a short while at least, torch was far more probable.

Iris as a faithful fan of her angelic wings came to the same conclusion, if she has to bare their presence, she'll clearly preferred to do it with her own sense of dignity. She didn't need any more encouragement to press onwards, challenging the wind out of her own free will so to speak. She pressed her wings closely to her body and kept them there all the time, it made it hard for anyone to decide who was cradling who In that relationship.

Cynder shook her head at the sight.

A gentle smile twisted the corners of Flare's and Spyro's mouth however, both of them had the opportunity to catch a glimpse of a different Iris, her silly behavior reminded them of that girl. Such a simple thing gave Iris a spark of conscience, personality. That glimmer touched both their hearts.

Nature offered a steady beating through their push, making all this endeavor an easy and predictable one, at least when it came to the wind alone. As it turned out the walking trap in the form of Flare was giving the group much more bigger problems, the stretched out flames leaving some black dashes on everything vulnerable to the touch of fire.

As they walked forward, this adventure decided to finally bestow them with some good news, no strings attached. The mountain was massive in width and high, but as it turned out, it wasn't that long. They reached the edge of it relatively fast, the striking dust turning every single one of them into an undecided mummy that was too young to get into bandages.

Hunter reached the edge first, not wasting time he peered down, squinting his stinging, crying eyes. The waste kicked up by the wind obscured the view, making him feel as if he would be trying to look past a sandstorm, still he managed to catch a glimpse of ground below.

"And?" Spyro yelled over the gale "How does it look Hunter?"

Feline ears flattened on the skull, this is where the good news ended.

"There's terrain below us, I strongly advise against climbing down, the wind would tear us apart"

"Can we jump?"

Yes they could, the idea however was not the most appealing. It was hard to measure the distance, while it didn't seem that far and the terrain looked relatively safe, there was still the wind and artificial fog, both adding uncertainties that greatly hindered the calculation of possible injury.

One strong blow and they land on the rough wall, perhaps one unlucky jump and they land into a pile of rocks or Ancestor's forbid a spike.

Hunter gulped, the raw taste of rocky debris scratched his throat.

"I would ask you to assess the situation yourselves, I hope you can offer your draconic expertise on the matter that somehow lessens the risk. Leap of faith in this circumstances would be a base for a probable great injury, or might even prove fatal"

"I don't like fatal" Spyro hissed waving for his draconic companions to join him near the edge "Come on guys, I need your brains. Maybe we'll figure it out together"

His heart grew bigger when he realized that he doesn't have to repeat himself, the group of dragons stretched into a line automatically and proceeded to the ledge, heeding his call. Even Iris, she was the only black sheep in the group right now that had no interest in making the well being of the group her priority, yet she still obeyed his request.

He didn't care about her motivations, while Flare and Cynder did it because they really wanted to help the group, which in itself was precious beyond belief, Iris was obviously determined by something else entirely. Whether it was annoyance, a demand to prove her worth, or anything else was not important.

Important was the sight of this team working together without directions, by only one request. It was a small thing, a stupid thing that no one of them noticed, but for him it meant the world. It meant hope and a goal, maybe one day will come a time when they will truly unite, maybe with additional members joining in the future.

He didn't know why the perspective of having a working team became so damn appealing all of a sudden.

Perhaps it had something to do with destiny after all.

No matter how much he resented the Prophecy, it seemed to come true anyway, it spoke of him becoming a leader one day. While he still had troubles accepting the perspective of him becoming the ruler of the world, the idea of him becoming the leader of a group of misfits didn't seem so scary anymore.

Having people, loyal people, unique people by your side that are ready to fight for good...this was indescribable, what evil would dare to face a force like that?

Prophecy spoke of peace.

If he would believe it, then there was no other way he can imagine achieving it, peace needs its Guardians.

This mission, this adventure, it became so much more exciting now, it was perhaps for the very first time when he evaluated this group forming with true hope instead of fear.

There was something great to be achieved here, he could feel it in his guts.

"I could blink down" Flare shrugged "Don't know where I would land though"

"And impale yourself on some stick?" Spyro shook his head confidently "Out of the question"

"Pain doesn't bother me"

"But you're potential death bothers me, we won't risk it, there have to be better options"

"Well, I could push the wind away using my own wind breath, I can keep it at bay, or at least lessen its force in a particular spot" Cynder scratched her throat, while it was possible she didn't know for the time being where to go with this "No idea what that would give us though"

"I can jump down while turning into a boulder, I would be safe from spikes and all that" Spyro proposed

"It would be loud right?" Flare cocked his head

"Yeah, I think so"

"I don't know, but wouldn't that be scary? I mean, when the Keepers walked around the whole ground shook and things fell from the ceiling and walls. A falling column crushed one guy, it looked like this mountain, you know how funny he exploded? One boom and guts were sent flying. I got hit with something like that once, feels like a wet towel smacking against your scales, stinks bad tho" the fire drake wrinkled his nose, tip jerking as if it tried to shake off the remembered stench

Spyro, Hunter and Cynder looked at the fire drake with bewildered frowns, the light heartedness with which Flare described the horrific scene was jaw dropping.

"You could spare us the details Flare" Cynder complained

The burning drake buried his head behind the wings a little deeper in shame.

"Sorry"

"Disturbing images aside, Flare pointed something very important" Spyro tapped at the rocky ground, the hollow pat kicking dust in the air "We would risk an earthquake if I smacked into the ground below, if this wind blows like this all the time, this hill is under constant beating, provoking it further might be a bad idea"

"You can do anything else with this Earth magic?" Iris asked, her tone impatient, snout obscured by the wings "Like spit something solid?"

The group exchanged surprised glances, despite everything she put them through, Iris proposal put proud smiles on the mouth of the male part of the group, only Cynder remained stoic to this situation. While additional help is always welcome, she wasn't stubborn enough to completely push Iris away, it was too late for that now since she traveled with them and did participate in forming a mutual line of defense.

Still she wasn't hopeful or naïve enough to believe in her good intentions, while the insight might prove helpful, Iris' motives remain the same and are directed in the same way as they were from the very first meeting.

Iris motives were directed towards Iris alone.

"Yeah" Spyro nodded eagerly "Why?"

"I could freeze it, form a barrier" Iris concluded

"Or a ramp" Cynder added, idea sparkling inside her brain with the intensity of a torch dispersing darkness in a dark cave

The metaphorical illumination enveloped Spyro immediately, intelligence kicking into life, head balking.

"Cynder pushes the wind away, I sent the leafs and Iris freezes them. We put together a ramp, long enough for somebody to make a jump and slide down, giving some control to the fall"

"I can jump!" Flare announced excitedly, throwing away the cover of his wings, something he regretted momentarily when the wind and dust scratched his scales

He covered himself under his brightly burning wings, wrapping them around himself like a cocoon.

"I can blink down faster, the ramp would give me time to dodge some rocks or whatever and protect me from the rest"

"We have a plan then" Spyro announced, indifferently, as if this would be a completely normal and expected thing to do

Hunter couldn't keep back his smile, claws working on scratching the quickly beating, proud heart through the clothes. No matter how much time he spends around dragons, they never cease to surprise him, a group made of seemingly different determinations acted like a single organism. Each member a different body part without which the rest wouldn't be able to function.

A team.

Maybe with flaws, but he spent enough time around Nature to know that flaws don't necessarily mean defeat. Even in the most ugly of flowers beauty can be found if to look close enough. it's the specimens deemed to fail that prove the most spectacular.

And this draconic team was spectacular and beautiful, they just didn't know it yet.

Cheetahs tend to bond into groups to increase their strength, form clans like that of a falcon tribe he represents. He was familiar with the way packs were formed and most of the times they form without the members even realizing it.

He was glad to be a witness of the birth of something grand.

"All right" Cynder bent on her paws, throwing her body into a warming shake as if she would be kicking dust off her scales

Magic filled the air.

The moment she threw her wings open the accumulated energy was released, a powerful gust of wind shot from the black mouth, striking directly the current of the Nature's arsenal. The momentum and intensity of the magical breath was stronger than the normal wind, she struggled for a while, but eventually her magic breath took advantage, pushing away the current and creating a relatively stable corridor.

Spyro momentarily took the opportunity, opening his mouth, before the first bomb left his mouth Iris was already next to him with her butt turned towards the drop she wagged her tail, icy tip glowing sharply, drawing a blue curtain across the sky that dripped up and down with tears of icy energy like a small waterfall.

He rose on his hind legs, taking advantage of the calm corridor Cynder created he managed to maintain his balance with ease. He released the first leaf bomb, lobbing it, making sure it touches the magical, cold curtain, speckles of ice glimmered on the surface.

Before doing anything else he observed the falling bomb, curious what will happen. He squinted when suddenly Iris' tail flared up with brilliant, blue light, there was a short cracking sound, when he opened his eyes the bomb turned into a ball of ice, sharp spikes still dripped with cold tears.

"Start spitting" the blue dragoness next to him hissed

Another bomb left his mouth, then another and another, every three or so projectiles he kept lowering on his legs, deciding that the width of the barricade was satisfying he aimed lower, to stretch the ramp down and give it that special curve.

Hunter's fur stood on end when the waves of the display of magic shook his tissues, he already stopped feeling the irritating stings of the beating air, whole body becoming hot with excitement. The opportunity to watch dragons in their full glory, weaving their essence so close to build something was a rare sight.

He couldn't believe he was here experiencing it, moments like those made him feel pride and a sense of accomplishment. Reminding him that the decision about leaving his tribe and duties to pursue his own purpose wasn't a bad one after all. Despite the gasps of shock and disbelief all around.

The barrier was quickly taking form, under Cynder's careful watch and Iris' and Spyro's combined creativity there was hardly anything in the world that could threaten it. It was the experience and talent of the group that kept even Nature at bay, it wasn't a complicated task, but it required some kind of coordination, something that it hard to find among strangers.

And yet everything worked just so well.

Spyro smiled to himself at some point, with the eye of his imagination seeing a large chessboard, purple paw nimbly moving the figures while his obscured opponent broke the rules, unable to make a decision passing his turn.

It felt so damn freeing for some reason.

"I'm going in!" Flare announced, sprinting from behind the two dragons that shaped the ramp he leapt into the air, jumping straight at the frozen barricade

The moment his paws touched the freezing surface the consistency of his entire body changed, the surface of the burning wings stretching out and consuming the scales, turning them into a flame that looked like heated to the point of meltdown metal.

Everyone's eyes widened at this spectacular sight, only their sense of duty preventing them from aborting their mission. Of all the things Spyro was certain he could learn he was for one hundred percent sure that this particular skill is unique and only for Flare.

A small fiery tear fell down from the rump, slowly falling down, about to disconnect itself from the burning body. Flare disappeared momentarily, sucked by the tear that suddenly shot from the rump the moment it left its surface, his entire body turning into nothing but a fiery dash.

He reappeared lower on the ramp just to vanish once again, making another teleport. Two were enough to reach the end of the ramp, he jumped from the edge, when he landed his whole body exploded with a bright flame, the illumination lighting up the area in a brilliant, red light.

Hunter's ears perked up at the sight, the show of majesty however not the only thing that provoked his interest, sharp instinct of the scout catching something at the edges of the fog, something running away from the light.

It might have been a shadow.

A trick of the light.

Or someone or something ran away from the light to avoid being seen.

The flash of light disappeared as soon as it presented itself, sucked towards Flare, reforming his body to its normal structure until nothing remained of the light but the usual hue given off by the burning parts of his body.

"Are you alone?" Hunter yelled immediately, sharp eyes looking around the terrain below

Flare looked around, fiery mane thrown from side to side as he scanned the surroundings.

"Yeah, I think so, why?"

"Nothing to worry about, just an old scouting habit, always on the guard, that's the motto of the wilderness, applies even now"

He threw a meaningful look at Spyro, nodding at the ramp, eyes speaking that there is no time to waste. While he didn't want to scare their potential enemy, giving him or them the knowledge of their discovery might provoke them, something that would be very dangerous now with only Flare down there.

If they didn't attack yet, then perhaps they had a reason to do so, there was no point in changing their minds.

If there were any enemies down there to begin with that is.

There was no point in pushing their luck, no matter the predictions.

Spyro was the first one who leapt at the ramp, with no one supporting it with magic any longer he could feel already how the wind was making a short work of the ice, vibrations traveled along the slippery surface, visible lines of cracks began forming on the artificial body.

His belly hit the ice, spreading his paws wide he slid down, rump first towards the end of the ramp. The descent was too fast and the slide too short to begin any maneuvers, even if they made sure the ramp ended as closest to the ground as possible, with no landing control there was no chance that this wasn't going to hurt.

The timing was perfect, the ramp ended the very same second that his mind finished processing the conclusion. Only for a brief moment he felt wind grazing his underbelly and then there was a rough ground and a painful slide along it, he grunted at some point, through the hiss of pain also came relief, he was lucky that he kept his chin high enough, otherwise his teeth would sing an itching tune.

He came to a stop relatively quick, this was the end of good news however, the ground came calling and with it the pain, while the rocky ground didn't manage to break through the scales entirely, leaving mostly red lines across the flesh, there was that occasional, sharp rock that was far more invasive than its friends, eating his body through the natural cracks found in between scales.

He gritted his teeth, pushing himself up immediately, with force of will fighting off the burning sting the cuts sent along Hits underbelly. If there were enemies here, he didn't want them to see any weakness.

He looked around quickly, scanning everything quickly, jumping out of the way of the ramp. Eyes noticed movement, but it was not the foe Hunter suspected to be here, it came from above, clouded in blue and white.

Iris made a jump at the ramp.

Rough scratching and a yip later she was on the ground, receiving the same abrasions as him, she to prepared herself for the worst.

Cynder followed next and then Hunter joined the group the cheetah however to to more flexible body managed to spin around and avoid most of the damage.

"Melt the ramp Flare, we don't want the bombs to go off" Spyro commanded, his vigil intense and focused

As the most proficient fire wielder in the group Flare didn't even use his breath, all that was needed was his hot touch and the weakened ice gave away immediately, turning into water in mere seconds and taking whatever form shaped it into liquid as well.

This particular shelf of the mountain wasn't that much bothered by the wind, large rocks surrounded its edges, higher and lower, climbing or dropping like stairs, perfect for climbing, perfect for protection.

And perfect for hiding.

They didn't see anyone, yet that didn't mean that they relaxed, it wasn't difficult to cover your tracks in this forest of rock. There was always something jutting out of something, blocking your view, crossing your sight in such a way that it created a blind spot.

If there was anyone out here who knew the terrain, he surely knew how to take advantage of those blind spots.

"What are we looking for?" Flare asked, all this time following his team, mimicking their gestures but not understanding what they are for, at first he just wanted to show his usefulness but the longer the improvisation went on, the more he started to realize that the level of usefulness was shrinking

No one responded at first, still focused on the surroundings, all of them letting the question to sink in under this circumstances. Empty, quiet circumstances.

"Nothing" Hunter relaxed his stance, hand reaching to scratch the ear that seemed to enter a paralytic trance, he pulled at the small strands of fur, a delicate urge to keep it focused despite the false alarm

"Perfect" Iris grumbled, throwing her dirty wings an angry wince "If you spend time with fools, you become a fool" she spoke at her feathers, the disappointment in her voice making them look even worse for wear "Great team, making Kit lose his only useful trait"

"You ARE a part of this team grumpy" Cynder retorted, tired, uncaring sight leaving her throat as she glared the dragoness over

White eyes rose up, clashing with the green ones, veins of furious defiance bulging on the throat from underneath the white scale.

"Let's get off this mountain" Spyro ordered sharply, momentarily placing a paw on the nearby rock, immediately scaling it over

There can be many things said about work, but it at least kept your mind focused in something, and for Ancestors love with volatile members in the midst, the group needed focus.

*

They could see trees when they climbed down, some green even and sometimes even more snow somewhere in the distance, like all of the year's seasons would be cramped in one place together. The jagged hilltop prevented them from getting a good sight at the ground, yet the glimpses of the scenery made the group think that soon they will land on a valley, of what season it didn't matter.

The world surprised them once more though.

"Heads down!" Spyro hissed, dropping behind a round, big rock looking like a bottle, paw pumping, giving the team a clear sign to take cover

Three members of the group dropped immediately splattering on the earth with no regard for seeking cover, with their bodies pressed to the floor the surrounding rocks provided enough cover as it is.

Only Flare remained standing, lowering his head down as he was ordered.

"Get on the ground you fool!" Iris growled, grabbing the red back leg in front of her, jerking it towards herself strongly

He gasped, at the beginning unable to tell what was happening, the moment though he looked back he realized that Iris was lying on the ground, with Hunter right next to her. He fell on the earth right after that, with no shard of grace, so roughly that his chin bumped off the ground, making teeth rattle inside the mouth.

"Wha-

"Shhhhh!" Cynder shushed her friend, pressing her black membrane against the red nose

Spyro crawled along the bottle like rock, as a dragon he had the genetic disadvantage when trying to peek above something, before the eyes reached the right level, the horns were already fully on display, an easy target for anyone willing to pay attention.

He instead sought a spot through which he could look without rising his head, luckily the terrain here was constructed from many different formations of rocks, some with holes big enough to serve as the perfect peepholes.

"What is that weird feeling?" Cynder's dumbfounded whisper filled the air, rubbing her chin against the forepaw as if tenderly scratching a healing, itching wound

He felt it too, there was a strange sense of prodding, as if something was crawling underneath his scale, nibbling at the flesh.

Flare twirled on the ground, rubbing the underbelly against the rough surface, biting on the lip as he tried to scratch an itch that just didn't want to go away.

Iris reached for the back paw again, grabbing it strongly by the hock.

"Stop wiggling" she snarled sternly

"But it itches!" he whined, thrusting a paw below the chest, scratching the scales there fervently to the point that the air was filled with a raw sound of tearing as if he would be rubbing away the color from the scales like old paint from a wall

She winced at the sound, feathers cringing, becoming even less admirable, something that seemed impossible to happen due all the dust sticking to them.

"Stop it or you're going to cut yourself. If whatever is behind those rocks will smell blood and come for us, I'm going to throw you on their pitchforks. I've bled enough for you idiots"

Flare groaned in despair, running the teeth along his lips instead to somehow mimic the action of scratching and trying to fool his brain.

He didn't have much luck.

"I don't feel anything" Hunter explained, running a hand over his arm to be entirely certain of his statement

The didn't provoke the flesh in the slightest.

"Really?" Cynder glared at the cheetah with envy, claws on every paw clenched tightly "You don't feel like someone would be mixing your blood with a spoon like a soup?"

The cheetah shook his head, ears flattened on the skull in shame.

"Lucky bastard" the three drakes groaned in unison

Spyro reached the rocks the crawling process that usually was an annoying discomfort proved this time to be a relief, the itching was so irritating that he almost forgot what made him hide in the first place.

Locating the peephole however made him forget about the irritating effect completely.

What he saw ahead was a massive crater, a hole in the ground so big that it looked like one of the moons would crash here. It wasn't devoid of life however, the crater was filled with shelves, circling around it, ring after big ring spiraling down. The top one connected with the ground above by a ramp.

He couldn't see how deep it went from this position, but judging by the faint light coming from the crater he could guess that it went down quite far.

From here he could only see the first ring and a little of the second, this place looked like the mine shaft of Munitions Forge, only in the open. This place was colored in deep red hue, it pulsed from the walls of the crater , the depths, or even the structures of the buildings. Gems, artificial light, fire or magma, everything was possible and probably everything was true in bigger and smaller degree.

Buildings jutted from the walls of the crater, their purpose unknown, bigger and smaller, all looked ominous with their spiked, raw forms and eerie lights. Demonic even, reminding him of nothing else but hall after hall of torture.

Besides the buildings the rings were filled with rocky spikes, differing in size like the houses, it was hard to decide if they were creation of artistic hands or natural rock formations. With most of them pointing upwards he doubted the natural aspect though. Their tips were flashing red as well, the light too intense to be just a mere reflection.

He had a weird feeling that these spikes were some kind of magical cannons.

If Dark Realms would have a physical form, this was what he would imagine it to look like, full of roughness and raw terrain where one bad step would mean death.

From the first ring and all around the crater were clearly built by manual labors towers, their walls also spiky like the rest, the red light traveling through the surface of each spire. Figures stood in the towers, completely exposed, with no ceilings above them. Too far to make out the details of their silhouette.

Scouts.

For some reason unprotected.

Some however were close enough to see their features, the good news however was that he didn't have to regret his quick protective reaction, everyone would hide at the sight of such creatures.

The ramp from the crater wasn't empty, legions upon legions of monsters poured from the crater, all looking the same, it was clear to him that these were artificial creations just like the grublins, much more disgusting though.

The monsters had the size of a grublin, yet they walked on four legs. Their bodies were covered in thick, dark grey scale, massively claws protruding from the legs with two big horns sprouting forward from their foreheads. Rows of spikes protruded from their legs.

Some of those creatures rose on their hind paws, he could see many glands on their chests, covering them from top to bottom, pulsing like small hearts. Drops of something white clung from the orifices, he had no idea what it was, it looked like saliva, sperm or even a string of a spider web.

The latter the most probable however.

The creatures had wings, not the standard type however, but actually their wings were nothing else but four spider legs on each side, every line of leg ending with a stinger, every leg moving on its own as if having its own brain.

The creatures didn't have normal eyes either, instead having the enlarged eyes of a fly.

If this wasn't disturbing enough, among the hordes were also some other creatures, their features similar to the ones occupying the towers. Some also took watch near the crater, scanning the area around the ramp.

Their were bipedal creatures, higher than a cheetah, towering above their smaller brethren. What their had in common was the lack of physical allure.

They had big, muscular, fluffy legs ending with hooves, veins bulging from underneath the coat that looked like it belonged to a goat. Waist and down could be described with two words, fluff and muscle

The creatures weren't wearing any armor, their chests nothing but thick, scaly hide full of muscle, right arm following the muscular pattern with thick hide, ending with a massive talon that held in its grasp and even bigger double edged axe. It looked heavy, yet the creature didn't seem to mind its weight at all. The sides of the arm and chest carried the same strands of goat fur as the legs.

The other arm though was a slithering tentacle, only on closer inspection it turned out that this wasn't just a slimy tendril, but a big, writhing body of a snake. Instead of a hand at the bottom was the gaping maw of a snake. The arm creature twirled around restlessly, looking for something to eat, hissing constantly with venom dripping from its massive fangs.

A small, ordinary tail hung limply in between the creature's legs.

It had wings also, left one made of spider legs like its smaller brethren, right one however was a tarnished, poor and small reminder of a draconic wing with many holes in the membrane and spikes on the bones. Goat coat grew from the top of it.

The neck of the creature was covered by a lush goat beard, its face a deformed, flattened caricature of some animal's snout, hard to say which since there w as a big hole instead of a nose in the creature's face.

Where ears should be, two immense, curvy horns protruded to the sides, their tips burning.

The creature was missing an eye, instead of a socket there was a slit, in the darkness of it burned a red light. The other eye a fly's eye.

Burning, fiery hair like Flare's wings stood high up from the creature's head.

Whatever those creatures were, Spyro had a feeling that they weren't friendly, physical aspect aside, it was the two legged creatures that made him certain of that. Whenever they looked in his direction he felt the itching in his body getting stronger and more violent, it made him seek cover to avoid the creature's gaze.

He didn't like the boiling sensation getting stronger, he had no idea what would happen if it will reach its peak, but he had a feeling that this was an alarm of sorts, maybe this discomfort wasn't a bad thing at all, his gut told him that these creatures use this weird connection for locating.

He had no idea what would happen if they found him out and the itching would reach maximum level, he was quite certain that the whole legion would know his position, was that all? He had no idea.

This itching however served as an advantage though, if these tall creatures travel with hordes of these monsters than it isn't hard to pinpoint their location. Quite strange to give away an important element in warfare as surprise so freely.

He saw enough, there was too much bad stuff that happened already, he didn't really know their chances against a horde of monsters, but he doubted they were high. What are those creatures he had no idea, but he spent enough time around bad guys to tell that they weren't friendly.

"Spyro?" Cynder whispered, licking her lips, leaning in closer, he could hear her heartbeat, a very loud and increased heartbeat "What did you see?"

He looked his team over, trying to find a way to say this without causing too much distress, but found none. After some good news and hopeful consequences, there came a time for something bad to experience.

They won't be able to avoid such a legion, he was quite certain that those creatures patrol the mountains, while they didn't expect anything to come from their back, the opposite side was something completely different.

It won't be easy.

There was no point in lying.

"Trouble" he mumbled menacingly

His fading whisper dispersed quickly, shaken away by the vibrations in the air coming from the fast beating of five hearts.