I don't know much about the enemies of the game or whether the ones that appear in this chapter are based on anything. For all I know, they are original. This will have Flame and Ember meet up with Felicia. This might be a little scary for some readers so read with caution. No matter how bad it looks everything will turn out all right. Contains some violence as well so be warned.

Chapter Three: A very close call

(Felicia)

The deeper into forest I traveled the lighter it seemed to get. I could have sworn I left at night. Though the sun wasn't up, (not that I could see anyway) I could tell it was getting lighter. Then the more immediate problem of what I had done settled over me and guilt washed over me. I had directly disobeyed my parents by sneaking out of the house and while they were sleeping too.

They just had to be on their way to stop me from this adventure. This mad adventure that had me following wild prophesies. I shuddered at what the look on my mother's face would look like and I shivered again violently. What was I thinking when I listened to what could very well be my imagination. I walked probably snapping a branch and that made me jump. I looked anyway feeling foolish and not seeing anything but trees and plants felt a little better.

I was alone and wandering through a forest with no idea where I was going. I was following a hallucination brought on by my wild fantasies and I wondered if this was some sort of trick. Maybe I was being led to my doom. Another snap and this time I definitely did not cause it. Now icy fingers of fear scratched me and gripped me and I walked on.

I was okay. Obviously whoever they were didn't attack yet and besides most of this stuff was in the mind. I walked on fear forgotten but still lingering. My heart rate slowed back to normal and I continued on.

For five minutes I walked and didn't encounter the noise again. Thinking I had imagined it, I calmed down and fear vanished.

Snap

Oh s***

I ran having lost it. I felt prickles and screaming I looked trying to at least see what was attacking me. Nothing whatsoever was there. Prickles appeared over my skin traveling in a line but no indent to show that something was on me. Oh s***, the things were invisible.

I ran trying to zig-zag in the vain hope that they would fly off. An eye stabbing pain erupted all over my body, blood flashing everywhere. I tripped blood flying on the ground. Nothing for a while except pain and blood; something was on me but was waiting I felt to see what I would do. I crawled whimpering hoping I can get away from what I couldn't see.

Pain exploded and I twitched and rolled on my back. I knew I wouldn't get rid of them that way. It was a million times worse not being able to see them. Again silence and I didn't feel anything new. Covered in tiny but horrendous hurts and sores all over, I crawled hoping I can get away. Pain in one of my cuts erupted again and I yelled as more blood flowed. I stopped not wanting any more pain.

Blood pooled under me and I was whimpering slightly. I was going to die here not even at the beginning of my journey. A groan of something echoed in the darkness or light or whatever. No reaction and I realized they were waiting for me to die! I was going to die and tears flew down my face. Another groan from dozens of voices and I shuddered, as soon as the realization that I was going to die flew through my mind, that was when they appeared.

The sight that greeted me caused me to scream bloody murder. I was definitely going to die here. No question about it.

(Flame)

The walk was long and invigorating and with Ember along, I felt cheered knowing that I had company. We talked about all sorts of things including Spyro, the Guardians, the mysterious feeling that something would happen but not knowing what. After concluding our theories of what would happen, a five second silence occurred.

"Flame, do you think I will ever find someone to love?" The un-Ember like question startled me. She had never mentioned anything like it, usually tagging along and being shooed away out of annoyance. The fact that she would bring up the subject now, on a path to a destination we knew little about. I was unsure how to answer, but she wasn't done.

"I mean Spyro has Cynder, Froster has that dragoness…."

I snorted, "Ember she disappeared many years ago. I doubt that that can be considered an ongoing relationship."

"Well sometimes he would stare blankly into space and mumble something about a dragoness. He could miss her. I also notice that you don't have a mate of your own."

That stopped me. She again wasn't done. "Flame, I shudder to think of you as my mate. We are like siblings, always close, but as mates?" She shuddered as if proving a point. I was unable to say what I knew to be the truth. Deep down, way down, I considered Ember a possible back up. It was horrible to use my best friend but I would have to be truly desperate which I wasn't….yet.

"I am waiting for the right one to come along. I doubt it though. There hasn't been a newcomer since Cynder and besides I just don't see myself in a relationship. No one might fall for someone like me, in Spyro's shadow in all."

Another awkward pause, Ember was too close to me friend wise to know something was on my mind, but again she didn't want to push me. What started as awkward silence soon turned companionable as some situations tend to work out.

For several more minutes we walked in silence hoping probably futilely that something would happen. A scream the likes of which we have never heard exploded throughout the silence scaring the hell out of us. It was horrible and shivers of dread began to worm themselves slowly through my heart and poisoning my brain with fear.

Without needing to discuss what we were doing, we both took off, hoping that whatever was happening we wouldn't be late for. I heard a tiny growl and the sounds of what sounded like something shaking something.

I ran faster hoping rather darkly for another scream while at the same time dreading it. Again it came, sounding closer. Ember was crying, experiencing for the first time pure terror. I ran through bushes and smacked myself on trees and saw nothing. I had a feeling (maybe a hope) I was close. A scream sounding weaker than the first and it was off to the right.

Bursting through the clearing, I stopped dead feeling a smack from behind signaling Ember had run into me. Oh this was bad. Thousands upon thousands of small furry creatures with comically big and sharp teeth had the dragoness's (I could tell, don't ask how) neck and various parts of her body in their mouth. She was crying but she didn't struggle. She was soaked in what must be her blood and small but very painful wounds.

I was surprised by her apparent docility and lack of movement. Upon my nosy entry, the creatures and the dragoness stared at me. Before the thought could enter my brain to save her, the one gripping her neck, bit or rather tore into her flesh. Blood ran down her neck and she gave a moan of pain and fear.

The moan snapped something inside me and I roared, dashing into the mix. "Ember, make your way to her side when it begins to become clear, try to heal her." Without waiting for her reply, I charged. I half expected the creatures to tear away from her and chase me, but they were smart guarding her, their tiny claws digging into her scales, clinging to her.

I couldn't use my flame in case I hurt her as well and thus began a very dangerous battle. I thought I had good aim and managed to clear the ones clinging to face plate, and neck (which was bleeding a lot) but still more filled the places of their fallen comrades. They were easy to kill but dodged and jumped out of the way. There was a ridiculous amount of them and they seemed to be instant.

I was beginning to get weak and small hurts sang songs of pain in my ears. I wouldn't die like this and a surge of energy rushed through me. The ones on her body were gone and the replacements either too angry with me or forgetting about her did not touch her.

I led the remaining ones away from her, (about fifty of them) and from there, the battle became somewhat easier for I was able to use fire. The last one, a scarred and black one gave me a glare before running off. I had just met the leader. The minions were yellow and looked like chicks. I collapsed in exhaustion smelling blood in the air. Ember was crying having been too absorbed in the battle to actually do what I had told her. I had a good look at the dragoness and at her wounds all of which looked fatal. I had failed her and arrived too late. I stared at her and vowed to at least make her passing with company then alone and forgotten. As I stared a curious effect began to take place. Her wounds were sealing closed, and blood and sinew stitching together. My eyes grew wide and I heard Ember gasp as well.

She was healing herself on her own, and with no gems to aid her. What was going on? Her neck, which was the worst of the injuries, was both cool and slightly nauseating to look at. The flesh was moving forward and becoming whole once more. I was stunned having never heard of such a thing. Finally the healing was complete and with only her blood as proof that she had needed it.

Her breathing relaxed into sleep but Ember and I were still confused. We had always needed gems of various colors to heal and this dragoness healed herself.

"What are we going to do?" I stared at Ember panting slightly from the long and tiring battle. "We are going to stay with her until she wakes up, then we are going to take her back to the others. There is no way we are going to leave her so those things can get to her. Something tells me that the creatures themselves didn't frighten her."

I had never heard of anything like the creatures that we saw. They were new and they fought horribly and the scarred face of the leader still caused me to shudder. I helped Ember move the still bloody dragon we had saved to a rough shelter. She didn't wake the whole time but breathed so we knew she was still alive.

I couldn't make out her appearance but a wash in the pond nearby (I could hear it) when she woke would work wonders. We didn't talk much as we waited for her to wake up. I wonder what she would be like and where she had come from. I had never seen her before so she must be from far away.

As the day turned darker we realized that we would need a fire to keep all of us warm and food. Ember volunteered to stay and keep an eye on her as I went for food and wood to make a fire. I had to make several trips and when I finally dropped my last pile of wood, I noticed that she was still not awake. I was a little worried about this but she wasn't showing signs of stress or deathly symptoms so I knew it was simply a matter of time.

Unfortunately all I could find were berries figuring that my fight with those creatures must have scared away any game. Ember was licking some blood that had splattered onto her but the stain refused to come off. "There is a pond nearby by the sound of it, why don't you wash off there. I will stay watch."

Ember hesitated slightly but figuring that nothing would want revenge too soon decided to trust to the fact that I would be alright left. When her footfalls died, I turned my head back to the dragoness that we had saved. Ten minutes passed since Ember left and the mystery dragon started moving, showing signs of life for the first time.

A groan confirming any lingering doubt in my mind that she was female was my sign that she was waking soon. I found myself slightly nervous as to how this dragon would react. Her eyes fluttered and opened at last and she looked at me.

"Um, hi!" I groaned inwardly at how stupid that sounded. She blinked and got up in a rush, her eyes wide with shock. "Get back, please don't hurt me!" She must have expected I was going to chase after her with some malice and when I just stood there stunned she calmed down enough to at least ask, "You aren't chasing me?"

"Why would I? I just saved your life. Don't you think I would have left you to those creatures if I intended you harm." Great just great act bitter and see where that gets you. She eyed my wounds, and weighed the possibilities of whether or not I had faked them to gain her trust. I had no idea if that was what she was doing, that was what I would do.

"Right, sorry about that." What did she have to be sorry for? "Are we alone?" "I was walking in the woods with my friend Ember when we heard the scream. I take it that was you."

Wow that sounds so dumb as if it was her fault. Jeeze what is wrong with you today? She did not seem to notice my awkwardness and I was eternally grateful. "I am Flame and my friend Ember is out washing in the pond."

Her eyes took in my appearance and widened slightly but did not mention an explanation. "I am Felicia, I am sorry if I caused any undue stress in my rescue." She hadn't laughed at my bad jokes and I put it off as a good thing as they were quite bad. She was staring at me and I figured I wasn't going to be written off as a creep for doing the same thing if she was so I stared at her.

Her eyes held sadness, a kind of haunted look an age that was there despite her youth and various amounts of fear. My heart beat just a little bit faster and I prayed she wouldn't notice. We were interrupted by Ember and to my horror I realized she had long turned away. Hoping she didn't notice, I quickly turned to Ember, whose eyes twinkled slightly letting me know that she had noticed and would be telling me about it later.

"So sleeping beauty wakes" I mentally slapped my head at her reference. Why did she have to arrive then? "I take it you are Ember?" "So Flame managed to get out an explanation after all. That is surprising." Ember why must you embarrass me like this, it is humiliating enough to be caught

"Yes he made the introductions in your absence." She didn't catch the implied reference to my embarrassment and it was a little worrying but figured I was slightly off the hook. She looked down and noticed that she was covered in blood and she blushed slightly. Ember and I pretended not to notice. "There is a pond that I am sure you know something about by now; why don't you wash up there?"

Felicia nodded and got up. She wobbled slightly but got herself under control. To my relief/horror she stood by me and even used me as a crutch. I pretended to ignore Ember's smug look.

How were the action scenes and the implied romance? More coming soon!