This Lost Soul

Chapter I

Awakening

Disclaimer: I own neither the Legend of Spyro nor Wings of Fire.

Author's Note: I really liked Wings of Fire.

After all the crap with these stupid Skylanders games, it was nice to have a series that had so much in common with Spyro, yet at the same time was distinctly different.

I was delighted to see this fandom spring into existence on Fanfiction, but I must say I shake my head at some of the stories.

Not that I disapprove,-some of them are really good,-and it's always good to see beginners trying their hand at fan fiction.

Naomi Novik started out writing fan fiction and she's gone on to write the Temeraire series, which is easily a modern classic on par with some of the big ones of the last century.

That said, a lot of them tend to have glaring mistakes that just turn me off:

Formatting, characterisation…

I try to be fair, but I think I may have been a bit snappy once or twice in reviews.

So, I've decided to put my money where my mouth is:

I'm going to write a Wings of Fire\Legend of Spyro crossover.

I can't promise it'll update regularly (hopefully I'll have a uni course to get cracking on soon,) but I do promise quality. Both technical and content wise.

Now that I've gone and had that rant, let's step to:

It wasn't often Webs found himself in a situation that really threw him.

Guardians and Dragonets of Destiny at claw tips with each other? Webs would (attempt) to play mediator.

Kestral or Dune gone a bit too hard on one of the Dragonets? Webs would intervene. He was the good guy. The closest thing the Dragonets had to someone who really cared.

He also had a tendency to run from confrontations and outright problems.

Which was why the bedraggled, half-dead looking SkyWing dragonet washed up on the bank of the stream near the entrance to the hidden cave had Webs stumped: On the one hand, the dragonet in question obviously needed help.

On the other hand, nothing mattered besides the safety of his charges.

Dune would've left him, if it had've been him.

Kestral probably would've broken the youngster's neck just in case.

The dragonet gave a feeble groan and tried to crawl further up the bank, shivering with cold, and meeting with limited success.

Webs however, put aside his net full of fish, picked the dragonet up by the scruff of the neck and positioned him across his shoulders, before reclaiming his net.

He grunted as the youngster settled. He wasn't malnourished or undergrown, that was for sure.

Besides, it'd do the Dragonets some good to meet someone from outside. Might even make them more pliant if this one turned out hostile.

'Webs.' Kestral's deceptively level and pleasant greeting didn't bode well. 'What's that you have there?'

It was probably a good thing that Dune was taking a lesson with the Dragonets at that moment.

'I found him washed up on the riverbank nearby.' Webs replied. 'Out cold like this. I thought we could use some fresh news. Or, maybe he'd serve as an example to the Dragonets why they're better off with us than outside. They've been getting restless lately.' He added by way of explanation.
'Of all the idiotic-' Kestral hissed, then took a deep, rumbling breath. 'Our cave. Now.' Webs didn't argue.

Kestral in this sort of mood was worse than a broody female who couldn't find a mate and a lot harder to placate.

When they were in the relative privacy of the cave, Webs set his blood-red burden down gently as Kestral rounded on him.

'Have you lost your mind?!' She hissed angrily, not bothering to keep her voice down.
'I couldn't just leave him.' Webs admitted sheepishly.
'Oh, you soft headed-' Kestral spat a tongue of flame into the river. 'You put us all at risk because you couldn't walk away from a dragonet who is more than likely a soldier in that skink, Scarlet's army? Have you no sense at all?!'

Webs suddenly found the floor beneath him exceedingly interesting as he mumbled some response quietly.

He was spared having to answer further as the dragonet in question groaned again and shifted, shaking his head blearily.

He awoke in a cave to the sound of an argument.
He had no idea how he'd got there, who he was or what he was supposed to do.
He did know however, that everything hurt, which elicited a groan.

He shook his head to try and clear it as he blinked his eyes open and tried to focus them.

His attempt to stand was successful, but had him trembling with the effort.

'What are you talking about?' He asked, noting that he sounded as worn out as he felt.

'You.' The reply was from a sharp and angry voice with feminine tones to it. 'Who are you?'

He thought about that for a second.

Nothing.

'I don't know.' He answered at last.
'What were you doing in the river?' This voice was masculine and sounded much less hostile than the first.

He couldn't remember. Try as he might, he had no memory of who he was, what he was or what his purpose was.

'I don't know.' He answered again, dread creeping into his voice. His vision was returning, presenting him with two large reptiles with massive wings, scales that shone like jewels and wickedly sharp-looking talons.

Dragons.

'Don't know? Or don't want to tell us?' Snarled the feminine voice, which came from the rust-red dragon.
'I don't know!' He snapped back, taking a threatening stance and feeling his wings open as he did, his mouth opening in a snarl. 'I can't remember anything.' The enormity of that was just sinking in.

He could've been anyone. Anything. And just like that, all of who he was, was gone.

The realisation made his knees buckle and he fell.

'I can't remember anything.' He repeated in horror, more to himself than his interrogator. 'Not even my own name.'

Webs looked at Kestral as the dragonet fell to his belly at his realisation.

The stranger was either telling the truth or was an exceptional actor.

'Where did you come from?' Webs asked gently.
A pause. 'I can't remember.' Came the quiet and scared answer. 'I don't know where I am, who you are, how I got here or what happened before I woke up here.' The dragonet's head drooped lower as he wrapped himself in his wings. 'I can't remember anything.' A shudder ran the length of him.

'Do you know of the Talons of Peace?' Kestral asked, warily.

The stranger's wings twitched oddly as though he were shaking his head. 'No.' Came the reply.

'What do you know of the war that is raging across Pyrrhia?' Webs asked.

The dragonet's wings unfolded as he looked to Webs with a still-scared but also confused expression.

'Pyrrhia?' He asked carefully.
'The name of this land.' Kestral replied. 'Who do you serve?' She asked.

The dragonet shook his head.

'I can't remember if there's anyone who even cares about me.' He said. 'Let alone if I owe loyalty to anyone.'

Kestral and Webs shared another look. If the youngster merely had amnesia for whatever reason, it stood to reason he'd remember at least something.

Either this dragonet really knew absolutely nothing about his circumstances or he was a good actor who was playing the amnesia card for all it was worth.

Really there was only one thing to do in this situation.

'Alright.' Webs said. 'Why don't you rest up and we'll talk more later. Maybe some rest will help you remember something.' He added kindly.

The dragonet nodded once.

'Thank you.' He said gratefully, before retreating into the corner of the cave, curling in on himself and wrapping himself in his wings.

Within moments, the deep regular breaths of one fast asleep filled the cave.

Kestral motioned back out the way they'd come.

'Not a soldier.' She said quietly, though the look she was giving Webs told him she was still angry with him. 'He fell asleep too quickly in our presence and besides shouting back at me, he wasn't nearly wary enough.' She added low. 'Scarlet trains her soldiers better. And not a spy either, a spy wouldn't have gotten caught.'

Webs nodded. 'So he is an amnesiac then.' He said. 'Which begs the question what we're going to do with him.'

Kestral snorted. 'We can't let him go and we can't kee-' She paused, cocked her head, then nodded. 'Actually, we're keeping him.' She said, her tone brightening.

'What?' Webs asked.
'We need a SkyWing, not that lazy RainWing you brought us to replace the egg Burn broke when she killed Hvitur.' Kestral replied. 'He's about the right age and unless he remembers something about the circumstances of his birth that says otherwise, so far as he knows he fits the prophecy.' She added, sounding happier than Webs had ever heard her. 'It also means we can get rid of the RainWing.' She added.
'Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves.' Webs advised. 'The others already know and like Glory. She's their friend. And they aren't likely to take kindly to him,'-Webs jerked his head towards the Guardian's cave,-'if they think we'll replace her.' He added.

Kestral sighed irritably, but nodded, conceding the point.

'At least maybe now, there'll be a dragonet in here who isn't insufferable or spineless.' Kestral said. 'He might even be tolerable.'

When Dune emerged from the study cave later on to let Kestral start on the day's combat training and Webs took the maimed SandWing to see the sleeping dragonet in the Guardian's cave, Webs was almost afraid Dune was going to skewer him on his sting-tipped tail.

'Have you lost your mind?!' He rumbled savagely.

Which forced Webs to hastily recount what had happened, and Kestral's epiphany.

'Look at it this way:' Webs said. 'If the Talons do show up and question why we have a RainWing and a SkyWing, we can just tell them what happened to Hvitur and add that Kestral went and stole his egg from some family further out and that we stole Glory's egg to cover that possible interpretation of the prophecy. Rain comes from the sky as well, after all.' He explained. 'But on the bright side, we have our SkyWing now.' He added.

Dune hummed to himself, the sound a deep rumble that escaped the barrel of his chest.

'Guess we'll have to keep the RainWing around to keep the brats quiet.' He said eventually. 'As to him, we'll see.' He added. 'Can't say I'm thrilled with the idea of having another dragonet to babysit.'

The dragonet didn't awake again until the next morning, shortly after the Guardians themselves did.

After the dragon had stared his fill at Dune, he turned his attention to Webs' question.

'Sorry?' He asked apologetically.
'Are you feeling any better?' Webs asked kindly.
'I'm not as sore.' The dragonet replied. 'But I still don't remember anything.' He replied, sounding dejected.

'What happened before you woke up in here?' Dune asked.

The dragonet paused, his brow furrowing as he thought.

'I…' He paused, the furrows growing deeper. 'I remember pain.' He said at last. 'And light and parched rock. I was afraid and something purple.' He shook his head. 'That's it. I'm sorry I don't remember more.'

The three Guardians traded looks, the same thought on all their minds.

Whatever suspicions they had about this dragonet, he was telling the truth as far as he knew.

Which, considering his completely outlandish, fractured recollection of what happened before Webs found him, just made the situation all the more curious.

And there's chapter one.

Please leave a review and I'll see you next time.