Chapter Text
Bright sunlight streamed through the open window, lighting up the once dark room. Thick shadows were cast throughout it as the hard, bright daylight invaded into it, reaching the closed eyes of a sleeping purple dragon. The light shone through his eyelids, rousing Spyro from his slumber, and he awoke with a groan.
As usual, the purple dragon struggled with a new routine, a new life. Since the war ended five years ago, he’d spent the rest of his life as a student at the Warfang Academy. Spyro had graduated five weeks ago however, and although he felt free, the young dragon felt almost too free. Spyro had no clue what to do with his life, constantly trying to fill in time, despite some of the commitments he already had.
Spyro rolled over with a groan, not wanting to get out of bed. While the purple dragon lay in bed, his mind began to wander, eyes scanning his room. He spotted a painting up on his wall next to his bedroom door. It was a painting of the swamp; Spyro had gotten Cynder to paint it for him, as she had taken up painting as a hobby, even getting paid to do commissions on the occasion. The painting helped him remain thankful for his childhood and for his foster parents, reminding him of his first home, but it also caused him to think of Cynder every time he saw it.
He and the black dragoness had gotten closer over the years, and they were now in a relationship. They had been dating for a good three years now, having started when they were seventeen. He remembered when he had asked Cynder out for the first time. It was scary, but it had gone super well, especially since they already had two years of a strong friendship that had helped get them even closer.
After focusing on Cynder and thinking back on their first date for a bit, Spyro’s mind began to wander again, focusing now on his friends. He was looking forward to spending more time with them, especially since they were all graduated now and could spend a lot more time together. He’d managed to get with a group of dragons quite quickly and was super happy about it, especially since he was still only a couple years into his life as a dragon rather than a dragonfly. It was great to have friends to help him out and support him.
Speaking of which, he actually had plans to play pawball with his friends today. It was something they tried to organise every week or two outside of league games, as Spyro played in a league, and it was great fun just to let out some energy and run around the field in pursuit of the ball.
Pawball was a very similar game to ‘football’, a game that the feline tribes often played, but it also included other modifications like the inclusion of wrestling to fight for the ball, as well as unguarded goals. The aim remained the same: to get as many goals as possible.
Spyro had planned to head over to the pawball field early in the morning and play it up until lunch, which he and his friends planned to have together. Because of the early start and a need to actually get out of bed, he rose immediately, stretching like a cat once he was on the ground. He felt his muscles stretching as a satisfactory pressure went down his spine, and he let out a massive yawn, strings of saliva hanging between his jaws and his tongue curling in on itself.
The twenty-year-old purple dragon straightened and shook his body out a bit, before he walked out of his room, having a short and easy breakfast: a simple piece of steak which he cooked using his fire breath. After he finished eating, he grabbed his pawball and put it into a satchel that he then slung around his shoulder, before he made his way outside, closing the door behind him. With a heavy flap of his wings, he took to the skies en route to the pawball field.
Upon his arrival, he noticed two of his three friends were already there waiting for him. The first was Blaze, a twenty-one-year-old fire dragon that had graduated alongside him, and was also the first friend Spyro had made since the war ended. He was well-defined, his snout large and square, and his eyes blazing red. His five horns were long and golden like his wing membranes and chest. The dragon’s tailblade was a large golden spiral made of three blades that curved around each other.
The second dragon was Kairo, a twenty-two-year-old electric dragon that Spyro had met through their pawball team, bonding over the sport. He had graduated from Warfang Academy a year before Spyro and Blaze did. He too was muscular and well-built. His tailblade was a long indigo spade that ran down two edges of the tip of his tail, and long, zigzagging indigo horns shot out from the back of his skull.
Spyro greeted them as he landed, before they heard loud flapping of wings behind them. They all turned around in the direction of the sound and saw Arcton flying in, landing behind them, panting heavily. The twenty-year-old ice dragon was small and round, having a somewhat feminine stature. His neck was long and eyes large. His crown of three purple horns shot up in the air and his tailblade a five-pronged tip consisting of long purple spikes. He and Spyro had met while studying for an exam, Spyro helping him out as he had not studied for it, and they had become close friends afterward.
“Sorry I’m late,” Arcton panted, walking towards the rest of the group, a nervous smile on his face.
“You’re always the last one, Arcton,” Blaze chuckled jokingly, gently shoulder-barging Arcton.
“Hey, I was just behind Spyro! I wasn’t too late!”
“Arcton is right on that one, Blaze,” Spyro replied, his voice somewhat stern. “Give him a break. He’s not as late as he usually would be.”
“Oh, you’re no fun,” Blaze complained teasingly, stamping his paw on the ground as if throwing a tantrum.
“You act like a little child,” Kairo scolded. “Get your act together.”
“I’m no child, I’m taller than you,” Blaze retorted.
“It’s your attitude that’s childish, Blaze.”
The fire dragon just rolled his eyes, knowing he couldn’t faze Kairo. The electric dragon’s scolding was natural to him, being so stern a character, and he didn’t laugh much, but everyone knew he still had a sense of humour and would let out a few chuckles every now and then. They’d still yet to see him in a fit of laughter however.
After they calmed themselves down, Spyro grabbed his pawball out of the satchel around his shoulder and dropped it to the ground.
“Alright, let’s get playing. Who should be teamed up with who this time?” the purple dragon inquired.
“I’d like to verse against Spyro,” Kairo suggested. “Especially since we’re on the same team in the actual league, so I reckon it’d be good to play against each other. Plus, I haven’t played with Blaze in a while.”
“Honestly, I agree with that too,” Spyro said. “You good to play with Kario, Blaze? And you with me, Arcton?”
Spyro received nods from Blaze and Arcton, showing they were content with who they were being paired with. The purple dragon smiled.
“Alright then, let’s start. I’ll toss the ball and we’ll go from there,” Spyro announced.
“Guess I’m on first play,” Arcton said.
“I’ll join you on first play too,” Kairo said, following Arcton to the centre of the field.
Arcton and Kairo positioned themselves in the centre, standing directly opposite each other. Spyro stood in between the two, positioned slightly off to the side, holding the pawball in front of him. He counted down from three, throwing the ball up in the air on ‘one’. Arcton and Kairo leapt up into the air towards the ball. Kairo, having more muscle and energy, propelled himself further up off the ground, reaching the ball first. He grabbed it before throwing it towards Blaze. He attempted to catch it but Spyro slammed into his side, the ball soaring over their heads.
They wrestled on the ground before Spyro managed to get free and chase the ball down as it came to a stop. Blaze however knocked Spyro’s legs out from underneath him with his tail, causing the purple dragon to slam face-first into the ground.
Spyro groaned, picking himself up, before a strong grip clasped around his hind legs and began pulling him back. Spyro kicked out against Kairo’s hold, but he was too strong. Arcton luckily came to his rescue; the ice dragon grabbed the larger electric dragon’s shoulders and yanked him back, freeing Spyro from his grip. The purple dragon quickly got to his paws, chasing down the ball that now lay still on the ground, Blaze in hot pursuit.
The purple dragon got there first, and with a massive swipe of his paw, sent the ball flying towards the goal he was aiming for. Spyro felt Blaze slam into him, but he fought back, pushing in the opposite direction. The two dragons were evenly matched for a while, but Spyro was picking up more momentum, as he rushed ahead and swiped the paw further towards his goal.
Kairo had made his way around towards them, sprinting as fast as he could and catching up with them, intercepting Spyro and knocking the ball back towards the other end of the field. The two dragons collided, sending them both sprawling to the ground. Kairo’s aim had been slightly off due to this, sending the ball soaring towards Arcton, who jumped into the air, grabbing the ball and throwing it back in the direction it had once been heading.
Blaze intercepted the ball, before making his way to the goal he was aiming for, running around the perimeter of the field opposite to Arcton, causing Arcton to have to run further to get to him. Spyro and Kairo were also in pursuit of Blaze, kicking up large clouds of dust and dirt. Blaze moved quickly along the length of the field, dribbling the ball efficiently and paws soaring across the ground. It was too late for anyone to intercept Blaze as he kicked the ball into the goal, letting out a loud roar of triumph at the feat.
Arcton rolled his eyes, grabbing the ball out of the goal and preparing to start the next round. Spyro stood a good distance away from him. Blaze positioned himself right in front of him to block him, Kairo standing beside him to push him out of the way if Blaze failed to steal the ball.
“Oh, go away, Kairo,” Spyro huffed heatedly.
“We may be teammates in the league, but not now. I’ll do anything to prevent you from getting that ball,” Kairo replied.
Spyro rolled his eyes, before Kairo’s heavy weight slammed into his side. Blaze had missed the ball, and Spyro hadn’t been paying attention as the ball soared towards them. Kairo had taken the chance to knock Spyro out of the way. Kairo kicked the ball back towards the goal, but Arcton ran in front of it, catching it and throwing it to the far side of the field.
For another two hours the game went, the ball going backwards and forwards across the field, the four friends tackling and wrestling with each other. Kairo and Blaze ended up winning the game at twenty-nine goals, seven ahead of Spyro and Arcton. After the rough game was over, they shook paws, congratulating each other, before they settled outside the arena to cool off. Arcton aided with this using his ice element, cooling down the hot summer air around them.
After a few minutes, they stood and made their way to the bar just across the street from the playing field, ready for some lunch, as well as a drink. It was quite busy, only a few empty tables littering the dining area, the stools at the bar itself all taken. Each table was filled up with either couples or large groups of friends. The bar was lively with conversation as laughter bounced around it. There was one table in particular where the laughter was coming from, and it was a group of about seven dragons all cackling their heads off, yelling and laughing drunkenly, eyes red and hazy.
They found an empty table for four, before sitting down and discussing what they would order. Afterwards they went up an ordered: Spyro got some chicken, Kairo and Blaze both got pork ribs, and Arcton ordered a beef steak. They each got a bottle of wine to share between them, getting four glasses as well before they sat back down at the table, diving into conversation.
“So how have you all been coping with the recent graduation?” Spyro asked.
“Pretty good so far. It’s weird not having to go to the Academy every day, but I also kinda like it. I love the freedom, the fact that we don’t have to wake up so early, and not being bossed around by the teachers, especially when they’re Master Cyril,” Blaze said, his last comment pulling a few laughs out of everyone.
“Are there any jobs that you’re thinking you want to take?”
“Uhh, probably blacksmithing?” Blaze replied with a shrug. “My grandfather was a blacksmith and I caught up with him quite frequently in the smithing shed… Before he got killed during the war, that is... Plus, it’s something that interests me, and I can also give into the community by making things for people. I’ll have to try and figure out how I can get involved but I guess I can take some form of apprenticeship.”
“I’m really unsure about what I want to do,” Arcton piped up a little nervously, his voice soft. “I just… haven’t really thought about it, you know? I used to always want to be a scientist as a little kid but now I’m not so sure anymore. I didn’t particularly enjoy science in school.”
“Well I’m sure you’ll find something, Arcton,” Spyro said.
“You just have to keep your eyes and ears open, and be ready for opportunities,” Kairo added.
“Or look around and try to find your passion. Just like me with blacksmithing. I knew I liked it, but I only decided I wanted to do it a few weeks ago, just before we all graduated,” Blaze explained.
“Well… apart from me, having graduated last year,” Kairo pointed out with a smirk.
“Yeah, yeah. Don’t rub it in,” Blaze moaned jokingly, rolling his eyes and taking a sip of his wine.
“There’s nothing to rub in,” Spyro chuckled. “We’ve all graduated now, so it doesn’t really matter. Anyway Kairo, how’s your job going?”
“Boring. It’s retail, so I guess that’s to be expected. I should probably try and pursue what I want to do and join the Warfang Army,” Kairo replied.
“The army, huh? That’s interesting,” Blaze said, before adding under his breath, “Not surprised with your stern, tough manner to be honest.”
“Yeah it is,” Kairo said, ignoring Blaze’s last remark. “I honestly reckon you’d be good at it Spyro, if you ended up joining.”
“I wouldn’t sign up for it unless I had to. The war I fought in was taxing enough, and I was between twelve and fifteen at the time,” Spyro recalled. “It’d just bring up a bunch of bad memories and events. I may have been good at hiding my fear back then, but I was terrified every day. A little twelve-year-old out in the wilderness, fighting apes and being forced to kill, after only just learning that I was a dragon. It changed me a lot.”
“You’re the purple dragon, though. People are going to want your help should things happen,” Arcton replied, raising an eyebrow.
“Yeah, I get that and I would gladly help out. I’m not the selfish type that would put the wellbeing of my city at risk. I just don’t want to be in an army environment day in and day out where I’m constantly reminded of those memories.”
Kairo just nodded. “You’ve got a fair point and I totally get that. Plus, it seems you’re more suited for teaching if your new apprenticeship with Volteer at the Academy is anything to go by.”
“Oh yeah, you’re gonna be going back to school,” Blaze laughed.
“As a teacher, not a student,” Spyro clarified with a roll of his eyes. “And yeah, I’m looking forward to it. I’ve only actually helped supervise four classes, and it’s really just watching to be honest. I won’t actually start teaching for a while yet. I’ve been taught how to deal with the kids by Volteer beforehand and I’ve been watching it for the past week or two to see it in practice. From a teacher’s perspective of course, not from a student’s perspective.”
“Well, hope it goes well whenever you do start,” Arcton said with a smile.
“Heh, thanks. It means a lot. Teaching elements, magic and combat has been something that has interested me for a very long time. I’m nervous about my first time teaching on my own but at the same time I think it’ll be fun.”
“As long as you enjoy it,” Kairo said. “I don’t think I’d be able to enjoy teaching. The Warfang Army is definitely what I want to go into.”
“Yeah, you’d fit in well,” Blaze snickered. “I mean, you’re tough and always scolding us.”
Kairo rolled his eyes, and Spyro chuckled. It was at this time the food started to be served to them. All four of them dug in, putting the conversation on pause for a bit while they ate their lunch. After about five minutes of eating in silence, Arcton cleared his throat, before speaking up with a hushed voice.
“Hey, would you guys be able to give an opinion on something?” he murmured nervously. “A-a-an honest one, please.”
“Sure, what’s up?” Blaze asked through his mouthful of food.
“I, um… I… I have my eye on three different girls. And… I-I-I don’t know who I want to… a-a-a-ask out,” Arcton admitted, a blush forming on his bright cyan scales.
Spyro just chuckled. “First you gotta tell us who interests you,” he replied. “Are they from school?”
“Y-y-y-yeah… Fairen, Terrelyn and Cerina.”
Spyro nodded, taking in the names of the dragonesses. All three of them had graduated with them as well. They were all very beautiful dragonesses, particularly Cerina, so Spyro could see how Arcton had fallen for all three of them. If he wasn’t deeply in love with Cynder he was sure he would’ve ended up falling for one of them too.
“Well, last I heard, Terrelyn was already in a relationship,” Blaze said, pausing to take a sip of wine. “Apparently that started a week ago.”
“As for Fairen and Cerina, I’d probably start by talking to them and becoming friends with them. It’s better to have a stable foundation as friends before you take the next step towards a relationship, because if you can’t get along as friends, you can’t expect yourself to get along as mates down the track,” Spyro explained. “Just get to know them, and make your decision based on who you think would be a good partner and how the friendship goes. And it has to be you who chooses. No one else can choose for you.”
Arcton smiled, taking another bite of steak before thanking Spyro for the advice. “Thank you, Spyro,” he murmured. “I’ll… I’ll give that a go. I just need to… find the courage to approach them and become friends with them. But yeah, thanks.”
“I’m not nervous like you, Arcton, but I do get what you mean,” Blaze said, receiving a scolding look from Arcton at his first comment. “I’ve got my eye on Zeena, and while we’ve been good friends over the past five or six years, I’m nervous about whether we’re ready to take that step further to become boyfriend and girlfriend. I mean, I want to, but I don’t know how she’ll feel about it, so I have to try and conjure up the courage to do so.”
“Zeena, huh?” Kairo said, raising his eyebrows. “I think Spyro told me about her. Was she the one who got the best marks for the earth element practices this year?”
“Yeah. She’s really good with her element.”
Kairo chuckled. “Then there’s me who doesn’t even have a love interest yet, despite me being the oldest out of all of us.”
“I’m sure you’ll find someone, Kairo,” Arcton replied.
“And then there’s you, Spyro,” Blaze piped up. “Still the only one of us in a relationship.”
“Yeah, how’s things going with you and Cynder?” Kairo inquired.
“Uh… well, you know… same as usual. Getting closer, still loving each other, you know…” Spyro stammered hesitantly, a blush flaring in his cheeks, before taking a sip of his drink to try and hide it.
“Are you alright, Spyro?” Blaze questioned, looking at Spyro with concern. “You’re not normally this embarrassed talking about Cynder.”
“Yeah, I know. It’s just…” Spyro murmured, pausing to gather his words.
“Has something happened between you two?” Arcton asked nervously, worried for his friend.
“No, it’s fine!” Spyro exclaimed hurriedly, not wanting anyone to get the wrong idea. “We’re still together. It’s just that… It’s just…”
Spyro paused as he tried to gain the courage to say the next words. His friends waited patiently for him to finish his sentence.
“I want to take the next step,” Spyro blurted out, causing a few shocked gasps to come out of his friends’ mouths. “I want to become mates with her. I want to propose. I just… don’t know how I’m going to do that.”
All three of Spyro’s friends looked at each other, unsure what to say. None of them even had a girlfriend, so they didn’t know how to advise Spyro on how to propose. The step of proposal already seemed so far away from them, but they needed to say something. They couldn’t let Spyro say something like that and reply to him with silence.
“Well, uh… congratulations, Spyro. I hope it goes well when you do propose,” Arcton said nervously. “Just… J-j-just get her s-s-something nice. Take her out for a fancy dinner, grab her some jewelry or something. Make it something she’ll appreciate and remember for the rest of her life.”
“I just don’t know what to get her,” Spyro admitted. “I mean, I know the type of things she likes, with her being very into painting and everything, but I get her resources all the time! What can I get that will be different that she’ll actually enjoy? What can I do to make sure I don’t make a fool of myself? What if she doesn’t say ‘yes’?”
“Spyro, don’t worry about that last one, okay?” Blaze said softly, putting a paw on the purple dragon’s shoulder and smiling reassuringly at him. “I’ve seen how close you two are. I know she loves you. She’ll say ‘yes’, I’m sure of it.”
Spyro just nodded. “Thanks, guys. I really appreciate it,” he murmured. “I still don’t know what to get for her though. I mean, of course I’m going to get her a ring. I think that’s kind of the standard. But I’ll have to find something else to add onto it. I know it sounds stupid but… I don’t think the ring’s enough.”
“If you don’t find anything, just propose with the ring anyway. I reckon it’ll be more than enough,” Kairo said. “But I’m sure you’ll find something . I know you. You’re determined.”
The purple dragon sighed, smiling at his friends. “Thanks for helping me out. You’re great friends,” he said, voice thick with appreciation.
“It’s alright, Spyro. It’s what friends do. We look after each other,” Blaze said with a smile.
After the deep, meaningful conversation, they finished their meals, having been left forgotten in the deep and meaningful conversation. Once they finished, they all went their separate ways, Kairo having a big family event and Arcton going off to try and begin a friendship with one of the two girls he was interested in. Blaze decided to go try and find an apprenticeship as a blacksmith, so headed off to do that.
Spyro was left alone, so having nothing better to do for once, he began to make his way home. Many dragons greeted him and bid him a good afternoon as he walked through the calm streets of Warfang. They were dragons of all sorts of different shapes, sizes and statuses. Young, fresh couples greeted him with soft, happy smiles. Parents greeted him, eyes gleaming with gratitude for sparing them and their kids from the end of the world, and their young kids jumped around, cheering him. The older ones were a bit less energetic around him, having seen him in some of the classes he was supervising with Volteer, knowing that someday he would become their teacher.
The city was so peaceful; only five years ago, the city had been in ruin, filled with only rubble and the occasional corpse, the streets barren of life. Flames had licked at the buildings, sending thick, choking smoke into the air, shrouding the city in a dark haze.
Now it was clean and bustling with life and energy, children running around, friends spending quality time together, couples finding love. Seeing this city being rebuilt was very odd to Spyro, and it still was weird even after the rebuilding. Setting his eyes on a city in peak, pristine condition every morning he woke up was something he was very thankful for.
The strangest thing for Spyro, upon the city being so freshly rebuilt, was seeing it fill up with inhabitants for the first time. It was difficult for him to adapt because the swamp had always been quiet, despite the dragonfly village and native creatures all making their noise. When the refugees had started filing into the city, Spyro had been overwhelmed just because of how many people there were. How many dragons there were. He’d never seen so many before. He remembered being extremely awkward around everyone, but meeting Blaze had changed that. They quickly became great friends and Spyro overcame his nerves about talking to other dragons.
He was about halfway through his walk home before he ran into Cynder in the streets, surprising the both of them. Cynder was pulling around a large cart with an easel, canvas, and multiple different paints inside it.
“Hey, Cynder. You going off to paint something?” Spyro asked.
“Yeah, I’m going off to paint the water fountain in the centre of the main square. I never really seemed to notice it there, just dismissing it as part of the surroundings. I stopped to have a look at it and it’s actually really pretty, so I’m going down to paint it now,” Cynder explained.
“I reckon it’d look beautiful, like all your other paintings. You really do capture the beauty of what you’re painting,” Spyro chuckled.
“Well… not all of them. My vent paintings are pretty… dark… You should know, you’ve seen them.”
“I’m not talking about those ones, Cynder, although I do still really like those ones. They’re heartfelt and carry a lot of meaning, even if they come from a dark place. At that point in time, it’s you on a canvas. Isn’t that what art is meant to be? For personal pieces, it’s an expression of yourself, good and ugly, and that’s why I like those vent paintings, because it’s still you. You’re expressing yourself and you’re open about these things. Well, more open than you used to be, but you’re actually talking about things now. You’ve grown so much over the past five years, Cynder.”
Cynder blushed, turning her head away slightly as she smiled sheepishly. “Thanks, Spyro. I mean… we’ve both come a long way since the war finished,” Cynder murmured.
“Yeah… we’ve been through a lot together. But I guess it’s because of that that we have such a close relationship.”
The black dragoness mumbled in agreement, stepping forward to nuzzle Spyro. The purple dragon sighed, nuzzling her back. They stepped back, staring into their eyes. Spyro lost himself in Cynder’s eyes as they shone in the sunlight with a bright emerald glint. A beautiful smile was painted on her lips. He wanted so badly to hold her and kiss her, but they were right in the middle of the public, so he decided to nuzzle her again. Cynder giggled at the contact, stepping back to shoo Spyro away jokingly.
“I love you, Cynder,” Spyro said lovingly. “Don’t ever forget that.”
“I won’t. I love you too, Spyro,” Cynder replied.
Hearing Cynder say those words made Spyro’s heart leap for joy. Every time her beautiful voice formed those words he felt that lurch in his chest. It was such a good feeling. Not only was her voice beautiful, but she looked amazing.
If Spyro had something to give right now, he would propose at this very moment.
Unfortunately he didn’t. He didn’t even have the ring yet; he’d have to buy it tomorrow, since today was a non-business day. So, he swallowed the words down and just smiled at Cynder.
“Anyway, I might go home and rest up. I had a big day playing pawball this morning. Have fun painting,” Spyro said.
“I will.”
“Can’t wait to see how this painting turns out!”
“You’ll be one of the first ones to see it!”
With that, Cynder grabbed her cart of painting equipment and made her way off to the main square where the water fountain she wanted to paint was located. Spyro watched as Cynder left, staring at her with love in his eyes.
As Cynder turned the corner, his heart slowed a bit as he lost sight of her. He remained staring in the direction she disappeared in for a good ten seconds before he turned and continued his course back home. He walked in and sighed, before sitting down at his desk and grabbing some parchment. He spent all afternoon and all night trying to get ideas for what to get for Cynder when he proposed.
He ended up scribbling out most of his ideas, apart from ‘ring’, written at the top of the page, being the obvious and definite thing to get. He spent so long thinking about it he fell asleep at his desk.