Ignitus 16: Morning _old_

The sun had only just risen when Ignitus woke up. He stretched as he got up, his back making a cracking noise as he let out a big yawn. Volteer was at the other side of the room, still asleep, babbling undecipherable gibberish at random intervals. He chuckled. His attention soon shifted to his right when he heard a loud snore - it was Sparx. He was quick to notice that Spyro was gone. This didn't surprise him too much, as Spyro was an early riser, but he wondered where he had run off to, since he would usually stay there until Sparx woke up as well. He made his way out of the room as silently as he could, so as to not disturb Volteer and Sparx, and began to search. Spyro was not to be found in the training room. He realized as he looked that the sun had hardly just risen - Spyro had never woken up quite that early. He decided to look outside on the balcony next; here, he found Spyro sitting down, looking onto the horizon.

"Up so early, young dragon?" Ignitus asked.

"Huh? Oh, I haven't been up for too long." Spyro replied. "I just didn't want to bother anyone, so I came out here. I was lucky enough to see the sunrise." he continued, chuckling.

"I see." Ignitus stated. He walked over and sat down next to him. "It certainly is beautiful in the morning, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I like mornings. The air is fresher too, and it's quieter. Good time for thinking."

"My, my, I finally meet someone who shares my feelings on mornings." Ignitus stated in an amused tone. "The other guardians always detest rising at such early hours." he continued, chuckling.

"I know how you feel. You don't want to know what Sparx is like when he wakes up early!" Spyro stated, laughing.

"Oh, endless complaining and grumbling, I imagine." he replied.

"Yeah, pretty much. 'Dude, how can you wake up at such an ungodly hour?! You're CRAZY! Purple and crazy!'" Spyro said, mimicking Sparx in a mocking manner.

"Ah, just like Volteer! 'This is insanity, I tell you!'". They both laughed. Ignitus started telling how he would wake the other guardians up that early when there were things that needed to be attended to, how Cyril and Volteer's complaining would be endless and how Terrador would be prone to yelling, especially if the other two began to bicker. But as he spoke, for a split second, a feeling of sadness came over him as well - he reminded himself that all that had been before the war, when things were more normal. Once the war came... everything changed. They changed. Once the war came, they couldn't grumble over matters like those, and morning was no longer a time of day he could enjoy like he always did. They could only focus on fighting the dark armies, to defend themselves, to defend everything they could. He quickly stopped thinking about it before the melancholy showed; he didn't want to worry Spyro.

Spyro began to tell of some of the fits Sparx would throw when waking up early, each more amusing than the next.

"One time, he tried to pick up a mushroom and throw it at me because I woke him up earlier than usual. He managed to pick it up, but he couldn't throw it. He fell on his back with the mushroom on top of him!". Ignitus laughed at this, Spyro joining him. By the time Spyro finished telling his few stories, nothing remained of the sadness that had come over Ignitus.

"You know... even though mornings are a good time for thinking... I think it's better to spend them talking to someone. Like we did now. Don't you think?" Spyro stated.

At this, Ignitus realized something. What had just happened... the anecdotes, the laughter... Even though the battle wasn't quite over yet, it was still possible to enjoy the mornings, provided there was someone to enjoy them with.

"He is more insightful than he realizes. Perhaps it is I who needs his words of wisdom at times." he thought, a smile now on his face.

"Yes, young dragon... I agree. It is better to spend them with someone."

And if sharing the mornings brought you and the person you were sharing them with closer... well. What more could one ask for?