A Dragon out of Time, A Crash and Spyro Story

Chapter 3: I Loved Him, So I Named Him

 Crash let go of the tiny purple claw in his hand and stood up from his kneeling position. He continued to look at the endearing yet potentially dangerous little Dragon in front of him. The young Dragon also continued to stare at Crash inquisitively, observing and learning about him. Crash decided to clean off both the table where the large egg was resting in pieces and the baby Dragon of the embryonic fluid which clung to his scaly skin... He didn't mind the warm water surprisingly, and held still while Crash removed the thin, white, viscous fluid from his body. Afterwards, Crash discarded the pieces of the Dragon egg, keeping only one of the larger pieces for memory's sake. After the young Dragon dried, Crash brought him back to the living room and sat on the couch. He remained on Crash's lap and fascinatedly fidgeted with Crash's jeans.

How does one care for a Dragon? What will I feed him? How large will he grow? Will he become more aggressive as he ages? As nervous as Crash was about this Dragon, he became at ease when the he fell asleep, with a rhythmic sound of calm breathing and the rising and falling of his chest. A flying, apex predator that can breathe fire is sleeping on my lap, but right now he was almost completely helpless. Crash began to think of what this Dragon would be like when he grew up. Would act like a domesticated pet, or would he be independent. Sitting on my lap now, he was cute and harmless, but who knew how long that would last. Would he try to kill me when he's able to? Would he see me as prey or as family? The way he looks at me, the way he trusts and depends on me, I want it not to be true, but I can't really be sure. The thought of how intelligent this Dragon could be ran across Crash's mind again. Those thieves stole treasure from the "Dragon Realms." This implied that Dragons were both sociable creatures (since they all lived in one place) and had a sense of wealth. Even now, this Dragon seemed to have complete motor control over his legs, along with being able to spit out fire, and when I reached out my hand to him as a comforting gesture, he mirrored the action. He saw what I was doing and did it himself, literally seconds after hatching. Maybe someday he'll start talking, too, Crash joked to himself.

I need to name him, Crash then thought. He was no longer just some animal, but a part of his family. Do Dragons have names? Would he react to a name I give him? But as Crash thought of this, he remembered that he himself couldn't speak and felt really dumb. But he needed a name nevertheless. Something related to fire possibly. "Flame?" no, way to generic. Although I did end up nicknaming that young polar bear cub I rescued Polar. But that was because I never planned on raising the cub in my living room. Crash caught himself in mid-though; He's part of my family? I'm planning on raising him!? I need to bring him to the past and never see him again. He doesn't belong here and I'm doing him a disservice by keeping him in the present. But subconsciously, Crash just couldn't accept this rational thought. He needs me, Crash irrationally convinced himself. Sparx, Sparky? He's not a lap dog, no need to add an affectionate "y" at the end of his name. His name should be more subtle. Pyro? Latin somehow seemed appropriate, but pyro didn't sound right. He breathed fire; he wasn't fire himself (I'm back to square one here). Hmm... breathing fire - spiro was Latin for breath. Spyro... Spyro. Crash decided to stick with it. He inhaled deeply and attempted to say it aloud. Talking wasn't impossible for Crash, it just really bothered his throat and ended up sounding really high pitched and annoying to anyone else listening. Plus the vibrations caused almost unbearable scratching and itching in his vocal cords. To talk required concentration for even basic sounds. "Sp – I... ro."

Spyro woke up upon hearing the strange sounds coming from Crash, and lifted his head to face Crash. Spyro it is then. Spyro seems to like the name, or he's annoyed with me that I woke him up. Although naming things isn't really my specialty. My label of Subject C1 was given to me by Cortex, and then I was named Crash by my sister Coco... She's been gone for a very long time. Something was wrong. She must be in trouble. Crash gently lifted Spyro from his lap, waking up the tired Dragon again and placed him on a pillow, where he fumbled around for a couple of seconds before falling asleep again. I'm going to have to ask Aku-Aku where she is.

Conversing with Aku-Aku, although it was completely mental, was just as frustrating as actually speaking for Crash. He entered you mind and knew what you knew, while you ended up being lost in a confusing headache. But his wisdom had come in handy ever since he found this artifact on a beach one day. Supposedly Aku-Aku isn't really just an artifact that you drape around your neck. He is a spirit that inhabits the "tiki mask" shaped pendent and that is about as much as Crash new about him.

Crash searched around the house until he found the necklace, and draped it around his neck. The calm, intrusive, soothing, and overpowering voice echoed in his mind.

<Your sister is currently on the third island.>

The third island? Cortex's old castle. Why would he come back to the N Sanity Islands?

<Your heart and mind are split between your sister and Spyro.>

<What do you mean, I love my sister. It's just that I can't leave Spyro here while I try to rescue her.>

<You're concern for the Dragon stems from the fact that you love it like a son. A child you could never have, and one whom you fear Coco will want sent away.>

This mask reads me like a book. Sometimes I just want to throw it in the ocean.

<Getting rid of me will not solve the problem.>

I was just a thought. Impulses are normal for flesh beings, as well as thinking irrationally.

<Well, what am I supposed to do Aku-Aku? And I'm talking about rescuing my sister while not leaving Spyro at the house alone.>

<I can induce a temporary coma upon the infant Dragon that will cause him to sleep indefinitely until I revive him. Though you cannot leave him in such a comatose state for too long, or he will die of starvation. You would need to be back here soon.>

I could work with that.

<Coco would be right. It is unnatural to disturb the time continuum in any fashion, yet current events cause for you to meddle with time and retrieve Crystals. However, bringing that Dragon here was a mistake and not your right to do.>

<I saved his life, Aku-Aku. Was I supposed to let him die>

<You were not to interfere. But you acted with good intentions, and for that I commend you. When you learn the truth about your actions, however, you will find the courage to let him go.>

And with that, Aku-Aku went silent. Crash was free to his own thoughts without intrusion. Crash took Aku-Aku's advice in putting Spyro in a deep sleep. Then he made his way to the third island. Cortex needs to learn not to mess with my family, even though he might technically be my father.