There is a plot thickening soon that will come in the next few chapters. I'm sorry this one took so long, but it was very difficult to pull off. Hope it's a good read
"Spyro, get your scaled butt back here!" Spyro whirled around from within the hallway, his eyes meeting the eyes of his lover's. He smiled and shook his head.
"Sorry honey," he replied still holding his grin in place. "Maybe tonight?"
"Hmmf," she snorted angrily. "With the way your being, you'll be lucky to get it next month."
"I have tricks to make sure that doesn't happen." Spyro turned back around, his rear facing Cynder while his tail flicked harmlessly to-and-fro; it was obvious her threat had not persuaded him. "But I do need to visit the other Guardians. They have been rather quiet these few hours. And you must admit that is pretty scary."
"I guess," Cynder trailed off. "I'm sorry for what I did, Spryo. I was not expecting you to be that upset." The Master Guardian turned around once more and gave the dragoness a soft peck on her lips.
"I think the right term to use would be jealous, not upset. I wish I thought of that plan myself. But I really need to get going. Do you want to come with me?" She purred at his question and lovingly nuzzled against his neck with her head.
"Well, I have nothing to do in our room without you anyways. What other choice does a girl have?" Spyro snickered and entwined his tail with hers while they headed together down the hall to find the other Guardians. Together they had walked throughout the temple in search, but came up empty-handed. All the Guardians were gone.
"Strange," Spyro and Cynder both whispered to each other. Suddenly, Spyro got a cold chill down his spine, spreading throughout his entire body. He shuddered and tightened his grip on Cynder's tail.
"What's wrong?" Cynder asked worriedly.
"W...wow," was all he muttered. "I feel it." Cynder cocked her head at him.
"Spyro, you're scaring your wife."
"Spyro!" Both dragons snapped their attention down the hall to see Cyril flying full speed towards them. "Avalar! We need to move now!" Without hesitation, the two lovers took flight right after the Ice Guardian, following him down the hall and out of the large window at the end of it. Once they were through, Terrador and Volteer joined the formation.
"What's going on?" Cynder asked Cyril. "Who attacked Avalar?"
"I wish that was the case," Cyril explained. "Volteer and I felt an unsafe drop in air pressure a few moments ago, and..."
"The ions in the sky are explosive!" Volteer interrupted. "This may be the most powerful storm our realm has ever encountered!"
"Okay then," Cynder said, raising her eyebrow while still beating her wings to keep in formation. "What does this have to do with us?" Cyril sighed and shook his head.
"There is enough moisture to turn the valley of Avalar into a lake," he stated bluntly, "but that's not the worst part. Terrador, can you explain your findings in the Library?"
"From what I read, a storm similar to this hit Avalar a century ago. It was listed as the most catastrophic incident ever recorded. Hundreds died from flooding among other undocumented causes."
"So how can we help?" Spyro asked. "I felt it too and you're right, it's powerful."
"Indeed it is, Master," Cyril replied respectfully. "We do not know the direction of this storm or what it brings, but we can act quickly and evacuate the valley beforehand."
"Yes, yes," Volteer chanted annoyingly. "If we get them out and to safety, the water will fill the valley but not harm any Avalarians."
"Define safety," Cynder shot back. "If this storm is so bad, where can we hide?"
"Our only option right now would be higher ground," said Spyro. "We can pull them out from the valley and take all of them up above the cliffs overlooking it." Spyro's eyes darted off and came in contact with the most menacing black cloud he had ever seen. "Ancestors..." Lightning bolts fired from the cloud, striking every direction every two seconds. Just by its appearance, this was going to be the storm that would replace the older one in the history books. "I have never seen clouds that dark before. Someone needs to make sure that the Temple is squared away. I don't know what can come out of this storm, but its best to be prepared. Terrador, can you see to it that the Temple is secure? Have the moles and any other resident fill up sandbags to absorb the water in case of a flood and make sure no one is on the lower levels, okay?"
"Consider it done." Terrador broke off from the formation and headed back, leaving the other four to continue to Avalar.
By the time they had reached the valley, rain was already pummeling down across their scales. The wind was so fierce that they struggled just to keep moving forward.
"This is terrible!" Cynder yelled to Spyro over the wind. "What do we do?" Spyro looked down and saw the valley in sight. Water had already begun to pour from the cliffs into the stream below. He could tell that the stream had grown already to about three times its size.
"Dive!" Spyro ordered. "Tuck your wings and swoop in. There's no time!" He took the lead in the decline, followed by his wife and the two other Guardians. Right as the ground approached, he flung his wings open to slow his decent to a perfect landing, right in front of Blade, the new Avalarian chief since Prowlus was killed in battle so long ago.
"Too bad we had to meet under this circumstance," Blade yelled over the wind and the rain. "Its been like this since sunrise, and it shows no sign of stopping. Meadow told me the stream is steadily rising and we have no place else to go. There is one waterfall that the stream takes out of the valley, but this is too much water for it to just dump out. I hate saying this, but...we desperately need help." Spyro turned to Cynder and smiled.
"Its an honor to pay you back from your services to us against Saylo," Spyro told him with a smile. "Gather all your villagers and get them to the highest point of the valley." He sighed and looked up, raindrops splashing against his scales. "This wind makes flight useless, even for Cyril and Volteer." He suddenly smirked, remembering how his wife has the wind element and can use it more to her own advantage. "Cynder?"
"Yes?"
"Do you think you could use your Cyclone powers to stop the wind for enough time so Cyril and Volteer can fly them up?" She looked away in thought and dug her claws into the soaked soil.
"I don't know how exactly I can, Spyro. And that's risky." She tilted her head, listening to the howling wind of the storm. "It's coming from the west. I can try to hold the wind off with my element, but...worst case scenario...it could cause the wind to swirl together and create something I can't control."
"We have to go with that plan," Spyro yelled out to her over the pounding rain. "Get to the cliff's base and use your Cyclone power. When the wind stops forcing against you, fly upward and keep it stable. If you cause what you fear, still...don't stop. I would rather lose a village than all the villagers, okay, Cyn?" He turned away and used his wings to shield him from the wind.
"And where do you think your going?" Cynder yelled back out. The two other Guardians stood patiently, waiting for their orders.
"Blade said that waterfall is too small to dump out all this water, right?" He smirked and faced her. "I'm going to see if I can fix that issue. Cyril and Volteer, I want you two to work together hoisting up the Avalarians. Once all of them are safe up on the ridge, stay there and wait for me. And that goes to you as well, baby girl." He nodded his head at her and pointed. "Be safe and careful okay, sweetheart. We are fighting Mother Nature today, and she does not like to play fair."
"I will," she replied, inclining her head. "I love you Spryo. You be careful too." He grinned and looked back into the wind. The water was rising furiously from the amount of rain the storm was pouring in. With a roar, Spyro leapt forward, sprinting against the wind alongside the rising stream. Its current was flowing at a rapid pace downstream where the lone waterfall emptied it out into the rest of the realm. Ancestors, how can I do this? He asked himself, still sprinting. Lightning struck an ash tree to his right, knocking him down and into the mud face first. He shook off the impact and looked to see the charred remains of the tree. Further down, he saw three more trees meet the same fate with the similar crack of lightning dashing through them. This storm was unlike anything he had ever seen. Still, he was wasting time. I got to get to the falls, he thought. I hope Cynder and the others can manage.
Cynder sighed as the looked up at the cliffs. She had never used her element to actually 'stop' her element before like this. Can it really be done? She turned to the Avalarian villagers, their fur soaked from the rain and slight fear in their eyes. I have to try for them...and for Spyro. She turned to the Guardians and smiled. "You ready?"
"As always, Temptress," replied Cyril. "We fly once you start."
"Load them up and get ready. I have to time this perfectly."
"Be careful and wise, Cynder," Cyril told her calmly. "If you blow your element in even the slightest wrong direction, the two winds can collide and cause..."
"I'm aware," she sighed out. "Still, I have no choice. Give me a few seconds to make sure before I start." All the dragons were to their forepaws in muddy watter. It was rising at an alarming rate and seeping into their scales. Volteer looked down and grimaced slightly.
"Take all the time you need," he muttered in a sarcastic tone. Cynder sighed and stepped forward, allowing the wind to slam directly into her face. This has to be the direction, she told herself. Here goes nothing. She took in a deep breath and forced her wind element out directly into the oncoming breeze. The impact of the colliding winds forced Cynder to slide back in the mud, but she kept strong and continued to push. So far, it was working! With a mighty beat of her wings, Cynder propelled herself upwards and held firm facing the same direction. As she did this, the two other Guardians took flight and dropped the villagers into a cavern at the top of the cliff. They kept a steady pattern, constantly dropping off and picking up their passengers while Cynder continued to hold the devastating wind back. Suddenly, a mighty clap of thunder echoed throughout the valley, startling the dragoness to the point of twitching, which was exactly what she feared. The twitch caused her element to hit the oncoming wind at an angle instead of directly. She watched wide-eyed in horror as her element rotated around with the storm's, forming a menacing black funnel cloud. "Oh no!" Cynder yelled. "Cyril, Volteer, move your ass!" She looked down to see the final villagers loaded up and nodded with approval before flying up to the cliff herself. She had managed to die the wind off just enough for their final trip. Once she touched down at the cliff, she felt the wind shift, pushing the newly created tornado downstream to where Spyro was heading. She felt helpless, knowing that the wind would be too powerful for her to fly in. "Oh Spyro," she mouthed, watching the tornado head away, "I'm sorry."
The fierce winds howled viciously at Spyro while he still trudged his way to the falls. Raindrops splashed across his eyes, blurring his vision. The Guardians were right; this could possibly be the storm of the century.
"Ancestors," he mouthed, hearing the immense rush of water from the stream to his left. It was swelling in size and was now brown in color instead of its usual clear blue. Uprooted trees, rocks, and mud littered the water to give it the new color, and it didn't help knowing that the river was getting larger. He feared seeing a villager float mercilessly among its deadly current...or worse, Cynder. Through the wind and rain, he was able to see the mouth of the falls, already partially blocked with debris. The water was backed up, pooling along the cliffs at a much faster rate than it was falling down and out of the valley. Spyro examined the obstruction and sighed. It was too windy to take flight, and if he didn't plan smart enough, he could risk going over with the raging water. Suddenly, a massive howl of wind filled his eardrums from behind him. The ground shook and Spyro felt an uneasy feeling within his gut. He turned around and stared at the monstrosity before him. Cynder had failed and managed to create a tornado within the valley. However, the worst part was that it was heading directly towards him. There was nowhere to run to seek shelter; he had to act fast. Ancestors, give me strength. Watch over Cynder if I fail.
The force of the tornado was strong, trying to suck him into the black vortex, but the dragon held on bravely, still eying the blocked river. To its right, he noticed the cliff and how it rotated to surround the valley. If he managed to take out that one section, the water would have more room to pour out and perhaps the valley could be spared. He had no time to second-guess himself and pushed forward with all the strength and speed he could muster. Without hesitation once he came to the raging pool of muck, he spewed out his ice breath to freeze a path towards the rocky cliff that held the river back. He roared and leapt into the sky, forming into a thick earth ball and slamming with all of his force right into the cliff. It cracked from the impact, and a few pieces fell off into the raging river. Try one was a failure and the twister behind him was gaining momentum. While falling from his initial attack, Spyro froze the water one last time so he could safely land and rushed the wall one more time, slamming into it with a sound louder than the howling wind around him. His energy depleted, he looked up to watch the cliff crack all the way to the top before it crumbled and toppled down over the edge. He closed his eyes and smiled as he fell down, knowing he had succeeded, but he had no energy to either fly or freeze the river another time. The tornado, however, had other plans.
Spyro's wings bent back toward the massive vortex inches from the water as it sucked him right in, twirling the hapless dragon around inside for what felt like an eternity. He opened his eyes and roared in fear and anger, thinking this was his final journey before his death. "You can't take me!" he hissed, still fighting desperately inside the tornado to free himself from the wind, but it was no use; he was in a deathtrap. "I'm going to be a father!"
Suddenly, the winds began to die, and Spyro could start making out objects outside of the twister. It was dissipating, sinking back into the clouds to end its rampage. In moments, the vacuum-like winds were gone, and Spyro was left in mid air, floating down lazily with his wings outspread. He looked to see that his tactic had worked. The river had rushed out of the valley, debris and all, down the falls and into the larger river two hundred feet below it. They had all succeeded and yet again, Avalar had been saved. The storm had moved on, heading further east and away from the valley, but towards the temple instead. That was when realization hit him like he had hit the cliff's bank.
"Dear Ancestors, what have I done?" He roared, taking flight to reach Cynder and the Guardians. "The river below runs across our Temple! That much water coming down could...I'm an idiot!"
After a short flight, he found all the other Guardians and villagers safe at the top of the ridge. Cynder was there as well, but she refused to face him.
"Cynder," Spyro called out, padding over towards her. "I made a mistake. We need to get to the temple now!"
"I made a worse one," she sighed out in response. "I should have held my composure with my element, but I got startled and...and..."
"Shhh," Spyro gently hushed his wife. "Its okay. We're all fine, but we won't be for long! Cyril, Volteer, I forgotten that the river below is the one that runs to the temple. All that water at once could..."
"Oh dear me," Volteer gasped. "All that water, with the debris, at one time...I...I do not even think Terrador and the others are prepared for something of that scale."
"Exactly!" Spyro leapt to the sky, fanning his wings. "We need to find the start of the surge and try to at least slow it down. I'm certain that amount of water caused the river to flood its banks to at least three times its size. And the temple overlooks the banks." He turned to Cynder. "You did great, honey. Things happen, but once again, I need you. You coming?"
"Do I have a choice?" She asked sarcastically with a smile. Spyro shook his head. "Guess I'm with you still."
"Good," Spyro replied. He turned over to Blade, who had walked up to Cynder while he took flight.
"You had better hurry, friends," he told them. "I will take care of my people up here and head back into the valley once everything has dried up. Good luck, and if you need anything, we are in your debt now."
"We appreciate it greatly," Cyril said for Spyro. "If you excuse us, we have another place to save; our own."
PEACE!