The Darksield Chronicles, Book 1: Legend of Spyro

Chapter 8: Arguments

Cynder POV

Cynder was mad. No. Mad was an understatement. She was furious with everyone there at the temple. Flame and Hunter had returned around midday, reporting that they had located 'the creature.' Almost immediately, Terrador had led a group of cheetahs to the east side of town while Cyril led another group elsewhere, leaving Flame, Hunter, Volteer, Spyro, and Cynder alone at the temple.

Cynder couldn't believe Spyro had attacked Wraith, but she wanted to hear what had happened, so she convinced (read, threatened) the others to tell her what had happened.

Flame started first. "I saw the creature this morning sitting on the edge of a roof. It wasn't doing anything, so I decided to wait. After about five minutes, the creature started to sing."

Everyone stared at him.

"What?" Hunter asked. This was news to him.

Flame nodded. "Yeah, I was so surprised I almost fell off the roof." He paused for laughter but only got a few smiles. "Anyway," he continued. "When the creature finished, it stood and turned around and saw me. It raised its hands, and then it turned and jumped."

Volteer and Cynder gasped, as did the others. A jump like that would be suicide without wings, Cynder thought. But then Flame continued.

"Turns out the creature is more agile than we thought. It started swinging from branch to branch, going across the park. At the end, it jumped, and it looked like it was about to hit the ground, but it disappeared and reappeared on the roof in front of it. Hunter tried to shoot it twice, but the creature dodged the first and caught the second."

Everyone was astonished.

"Apes can't do that!" Spyro protested.

Flame laughed darkly. "This thing could. You should have seen the way it moved across those rooftops. It was unreal." And so, Flame and Hunter told them about the whole chase.

By the end of it, everyone was so stunned, even Volteer was quiet. Spyro shook his head. "How does something just disappear like that?"

Cynder and Volteer exchanged a look. They weren't going to answer that question.

"So, who saw the creature next?" Hunter asked.

"I did," said Spyro. "I was walking around the corner when it slammed right into me."

Spyro described how he had attacked it with a fireball and how it used its sword to manipulate the earth as a kind of shield. Everyone was stunned. They never thought of deflecting a fire attack like that before. Then Spyro described how it had sent his lightning attack into the ground and how it had cut his boulder attack in half. Next Spyro described how it had taken off and how he had followed. He had seen it near Cynder, so he attacked it with an ice blast. It had dodged and kept on running.

"And I would have followed if SOMEONE hadn't stopped me." He glared at Cynder. "Why do you even defend that thing?" he asked. "It's dangerous."

"And very smart if it foiled your attacks that way," Hunter pointed out. "Truly, this creature is a force to be reckoned with." He said that with a hint of grudging respect in his voice.

"So, what do we do now?" Flame asked. They had been talking for over an hour as they waited for Terrador and Cyril to get back.

As if the thought had summoned them, they walked in through the door. "I found the creature," Terrador announced. Everyone stood up.

"Did you catch it?" Spyro, Volteer, and Flame asked at the same time. Terrador shook his head.

"No, it got away." He described the chase all the way through.

"The cheetahs relayed the second half." Cyril explained. He shook his head. "This creature is dangerous."

"Why do you think it's dangerous?" Cynder demanded. "It hasn't hurt anyone."

Volteer nodded. "I have to agree, dear Terrador. It seems as though the only one doing any harm was you, and the creature was only defending itself."

"Regardless," Terrador interrupted. "It is a dangerous creature and must be caught." He turned to Cyril. "Where do you think the creature will appear next?"

"Maybe the temple," Hunter offered. "It seems as though the creature seems to be moving in this direction."

Terrador grinned. "Then we will catch it." He looked toward Cyril. "Get as many cheetah warriors as you can. One way or another, this will end."

The two exited the room leaving the rest of them alone. "This is wrong," Cynder said angrily. "He hasn't done anything to us except defend itself." She glared at the others. "I would have thought that you guys would be above judging someone else just because they look evil." Everyone stepped away from her, shock on their faces.

"And you," she turned toward Volteer. "You're a guardian, and you didn't even do anything to stop it. You should be better than this." She turned and stormed down the hallway. Wraith, she thought. Where are you?

Flame POV

Flame was stunned. He had never seen Cynder that angry before. He was starting to doubt himself. Maybe they were making a big mistake. He was about to voice his concerns when Hunter spoke up.

"She might be right." Everyone looked at him. "The creature hasn't done anything except defend itself and run." They were all silent as they thought about this.

Volteer nodded. "You are quite right. And she was right too. I should have stepped in sooner."

Spyro looked shocked. "By the ancestors why are we even discussing this? That thing is dangerous." But even he was starting to sound a little uncertain.

"Maybe we just need to sleep on it," Flame suggested. Everyone agreed.