Such is Life

By Centrifugal Convexity

Book one: Awakening

Cynder awoke with a small start, wincing immediately after from the pain in her muscles, which were sore from the weeks of constant fighting. A small, cool breeze rustled her scales, evaporating some of the sweat that thinly layered her midnight-blue scales. She groaned as she stirred, working her aching legs underneath her, trying to stand up. She attempted to push herself off the ground, and squeaked slightly with pain.

She collapsed to the ground, sighing. I guess I'm just going to have to lay here for a while… she thought to herself. Hm, at least this grass is nice and soft.

Her head bolted upright, and she didn't even notice the twinge in her sore neck muscles. "Where am I?" She whispered to herself. She looked around frantically for Spyro—and her heart stopped for a split second when she saw him. He was sleeping peacefully on his side, his wings folded beside him. And his sides weren't moving.

Cynder's heart jumped into her throat, cutting off her short gasp. Then Spyro's sides rose slowly, and she let out a gracious sigh of relief. He was breathing, at least. She yawned, lying her head back down on the cool bed of grass. "Where are we?" She whispered to herself again as she slowly drifted back into the cool, black velvet blanket of sleep.

~…~

Tricoseri's eyes snapped open as he felt the wave of another dragon's consciousness brush against his. His mind retreated back into his head as he stood up from his meditation position. He began to walk around the perimeter of his large prison, the walls and ceiling of which were made of pure Convexity, bathing the room in a dim, swirling, purple and pink light. His unclipped talons clicked harshly against the polished stone floor, echoing off of the opaque Convexity barrier.

"Master?" A giant ape in the corner flinched as Tricoseri walked near him.

Tricoseri growled, silencing him. "It's the black one—she's awake. She should take care of the purple dragon long enough, seeing as she's already became attached to him…" Tricoseri smiled, a giddy feeling loosening up his muscles, which were stiff from meditating for hours on end. He was going to enjoy watching the black traitor's face as he tore apart her purple lover right in front of her eyes. His tongue writhed in his mouth, eager to taste dragon blood once again, after so many years in captivity…

Tricoseri shook his head to clear it. Later, he thought to himself. He walked back to the center of the room, where a simple bed and pail of water sat. He struck the pail of water with his tail in frustration, sending it flying towards an ape that had still been asleep. The ape jumped up, expecting a beating. When none was forthcoming, he relaxed, and opened his eyes to see Tricoseri lying on the small bed, meditating again.

"Soon," Tricoseri whispered to himself. "Soon."

~…~

Terrador's chest heaved as he slept, his dreams quickly becoming more and more vivid. Images, frightening even for the giant Earth Guardian, flashed before his eyes, causing the green dragon to twitch and flinch in his sleep.

Then, suddenly, he landed in the Chronicler's library, his knees buckling as he landed. Terrador groaned and growled as he stood, rolling his shoulders and popping his knees; he looked around for the Chronicler, who was nowhere to be seen.

"Forgive me, old friend—I'm still learning how to do that," said a big, familiar-looking green-blue dragon that had recently stepped out from behind a bookshelf, the amulet on his neck still swinging from the movement.

Terrador flinched, swiveling his head around to see his friend and fellow Guardian, Ignitus. "Ignitus!" Exclaimed Terrador.

Ignitus smiled at Terrador's surprise. "Hello, Terrador," he said with a chuckle. "Yes, it's good to see you, too," Ignitus said to Terrador's shocked face.

Terrador fumbled internally, trying to regain his composure. Once he trusted his voice enough to speak, he said, "I-Ignitus, how did you come to be like this?"

Ignitus smiled and looked up, motioning with his head at something near the top of one of the bookshelves. "That's another story for another time, my friend. However, the more pressing matter is finding Spyro and Cynder." A book floated downwards to Ignitus' waiting paw.

The green Earth Guardian's eyebrows shot up. "They're alive?" He asked, excitedly hopeful.

Ignitus smiled at his friend's enthusiasm. "I believe this will explain it all," he said, handing the book to Terrador, who looked critically at the thick, leather-bound book. It had been dyed purple and black, with a few swirls of pink and gold mixed into the hypnotizing pattern of color that adorned the book. In shiny, raised gold lettering, the title of the book was written: The Legend of Spyro.

Terrador reached for the book, which was still in Ignitus' patiently waiting front paw. The second the tip of his claw touched it, Terrador's vision was engulfed by a blinding flash of white and purple light. The feeling of weightlessness hit him in the stomach, and a roaring filled his ears, as if he were falling.

Then, suddenly, it stopped. Terrador, who had shut his eyes against the bright light, opened his eyes. What he saw shocked him and filled him with relief at the same time: Spyro and Cynder lay asleep in the grass of a meadow, the sounds of a small brook gurgling off to his right.

"You are now their Guardian, Terrador," Ignitus' voice echoed from inside Terrador's head. "Please, take care of my son," he added. "And, I don't think that I have to tell you to take care of your own daughter," chuckled Ignitus' voice.

"But, Ignitus," Terrador queried. "How will I help them? Assuming I'm still asleep, I can't touch or speak to them, can I?"

Terrador heard Ignitus sigh, and had to fight the growing pit of worry that had embedded itself in his stomach. "You, old friend, are no longer a part of the mortal world. I hate to be the one to tell you this, but your body has died."

~…~

"You'd think that… months of fighting… and running for our lives… would've made you lose some weight!" Cynder grunted and panted as she dragged the vine harness that she had made up a grassy hill. She winced with every step she took; the soreness in her muscles and her persistent exhaustion was starting to get to her.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, she crested the hill. From her vantage point high above the trees, she could see for miles amongst the low-lying mountain range. Scanning the surrounding peaks and valleys, she sighed with relief as she spotted a small village nestled in a valley in between two sheer cliff faces.

Turning her gaze down the side of the hill, which was nearly a mile above the surrounding valleys, she spotted a herd of deer grazing among the soft, lush grass that grew at the bases of the mountains. She took note of this, tucking it away in the back of her mind for later use. Cynder flopped down on the grass after shifting Spyro's limp wings and limbs into a more natural position. As tired as she was from dragging Spyro's limp form nearly a mile to the top of the small mountian, she succumbed to sleep in a matter of seconds.

(A/N): Hey, all! I hope you've enjoyed the first rewritten chapter of Such is Life! I'll be posting the other chapters slowly at first, seeing as marching season is still going strong, and my school's team is in the playoffs, so I doubt I'll have much time, between marching band, the rock band that I recently became a part of, school, and my various other hobbies. Don't think that I've forgotten about this, and if I don't respond to your reviews, it's because I physically can't.

~CC.