The Legend of Spyro: Hunter of Avalar Introduction

Cheetahs can smell danger from several hundred meters away, and see it from several miles away. And this is exactly what one particular one from Avalar, named Hunter, experienced one night.

It was the Year of the Dragon, the time when the next generation of dragons would be hatched from their eggs. A few would be hatched in their homes with their families, but most would be hatched in the Dragon Temple that lay in the center of the swamp north of the great city of Warfang.

This is the most wonderful of times for a dragon and their mate, but now, it had become a disaster.

Hunter felt that awful smell fill his nostrils as he and the rest of the group he was travelling with entered a clearing in the middle of the woods. The thick, bitter scent of burnt trees.
No, he thought. It couldn’t be.

He quickly scurried up the nearest tree to his right to get a better view. Some of the dragons, moles, cheetahs and satyrs in his group pressed on through the swamp while others stared at him in confusion or concern. One young satyress to the front of the group looked up at Hunter in alarm, which was the same expression etched on his face as he looked out to what lay beyond the fungal trees.

A building far off in the distance on a hilltop had large clouds of smoke rising up towards the heavens. Even if he was well away from danger, Hunter couldn’t help but cough a little when that foul smell entered his nostrils again. He then shouted down to the rest of his group below, “The temple’s burning! Someone’s attacking the temple! We have to help them!”

There were cries of panic and distress in the crowd below. One electric dragoness, however, stepped forward and gave the group orders.

“Listen up!” she barked. “Everyone try not to panic. We can still help the Guardians fight these invaders. But to do so, we must split up and divide into groups. Those who do not wish to engage in combat with this unknown enemy, head back to the city with Lueur! Bipedals that want to help, Akello will lead you to the Temple! And as for you dragons that do not want to see your children slaughtered, follow me!”

And with that, all the dragons took to the skies, the cheetahs and satyrs ran quickly through the woods, and the moles ran back to the city. Hunter, however, jumped down from the tree, got on all fours, and ran through the woods, getting closer and closer to the source of that horrible smell of smoke.

They say that when a cheetah runs at maximum speed, it can reach speeds of nearly 100 miles per hour. This is especially useful when travelling long distances, or chasing down prey. Hunter was doing both here, so it was no surprise when he reached the temple less than a quarter of an hour after separating with the rest of his group.

As expected, things looked worse than they did from afar. There was rubble strewn across the forest grounds, areas of the building were missing or burnt, and it was getting harder to breathe as vast amounts of smoke filled Hunter’s lungs.

Holding his breath, Hunter quickly began to climb the Temple, trying to reach the balcony above. Anyone else would’ve lost their footing, but not Hunter. He quickly scurried up the support tower, then jumped up onto the balcony, and ran towards the entrance of the temple.

Once inside, Hunter ran through the Temple’s many rooms, each damaged in a different way to the others, until he found the only room in the Temple that wasn’t on fire. The Vision Room, where important meetings are held, dragon soothsayers gaze into the future, and where newborn dragons are hatched, now a state of utter chaos. The four dragon Guardians, who represent the grand authority of dragonkind, and teachers of the next generation of dragons who wish to master their elements, were all lying sprawled on the ground, unconscious, along with dozens of smashed dragon eggs. A large group of apes near the door on the other side of the room were laughing at the Guardians’ leader, Ignitus, while also kicking, punching and spitting on his immobile form.

“Oi,” snarled one of the bigger apes, “Don’t hit ‘im too much. Remember what His Majesty said.”

“Yeah, we know what he said,” sniggered the smallest ape in the group, “but just because he’s no use to us dead doesn’t mean he can’t have a bit of fun!”

Just then, Hunter spotted what the ape nearest the door was carrying in his arms. It was a very light grey dragon egg, the only one in the room that wasn’t smashed. Deciding to take action, Hunter readied his bow that he always took with him for hunting and travelling long distances, and fired one of his arrows towards the group of hysterical apes. It plunged into the chest of the smallest ape, who fell to the ground yelping in pain. Unfortunately, as satisfying as that kill was, it also blew Hunter’s cover. The rest of the apes spotted Hunter, then their captain raised his club and let out a commanding screech, before his men got on all fours and charged headlong at the young cheetah.

Hunter wasn’t fazed, however, so he quickly loaded a new arrow again, and killed another ape with a well-placed shot to the head, then readied another arrow which fell another ape, and another, and another, and another, and another until there were only two apes left; the captain, and the one with the egg. The captain raised his club once more, as the archer raised his bow again, ready to down another foe, but then, there was a flash of green light from behind Hunter.

Suddenly, pain unlike anything Hunter had ever felt before coursed through his body, as though the blood running through his veins had been set alight. Once it had stopped, his body all of a sudden became numb, meaning there was no stopping him from dropping his bow and falling to the ground like the rest of the Guardians around him.

He couldn’t move a muscle. Not even his eyelids, meaning his eyes were constantly left open, staring at what lay in front of his paralyzed body.

The captain and his subordinate carrying the egg were grinning up at a humongous ape wearing a horned helmet and thick, dark armor, clutching a glowing, green staff and a large, palantine steel blade.

“Thank you, your highness,” said the captain, as he bowed down to his gargantuan superior. “That cheetah whelp was stronger than he looked.”

The large ape clad in armor turned to glare at the immobile Hunter. If he could yell in shock, he would, for that ape had a horrifying, ugly, hairy face that looked evil in every sense of the word. Worst of all, the ape had only one eye, for where his left one should be, there was a gleaming green crystal not unlike the ones that can boost a dragon’s magic.

“None of these whelps are strong,” growled the Ape King, who walked up to the young archer, grabbed his tail and held him upside down for him to look at more closely. “They’re all weak, pathetic fools. And yet, in the absence of our master, we’ve allowed them to dominate these lands. But once we bring him back, apekind will be showered with glory!”

With every word he spoke, Hunter grew more and more afraid. The stench on the King’s breath just added to the fear. Then, the King, still holding Hunter upside down by the tail, brought him over to the Pool of Visions, then outstretched his arm so that the top of Hunter’s head barely touched the water’s surface.

“Don’t you worry, cheetah whelp,” snarled the King, baring his rotting teeth in triumph. “You won’t live to see what becomes of your tribe.”

And with that, he dropped the cheetah into the pool, laughing down at a frozen, fragile Hunter who, because he couldn’t move, was now drowning in reasonably shallow water. The King then left with his men, still carrying that poor, grey egg in their arms, leaving all within the Temple to die.

Meanwhile, the paralyzed archer was in a state of panic. He couldn’t hear, breathe or see anything other than the blurry ceiling above the pool’s surface, and he couldn’t believe he was going to die like this. The worst way for a cheetah warrior, creatures that aren’t known for the best swimming skills, to die.

A pounding sound began in his ears, and his head began to feel light. His vision worsened, turning dark, so he closed his eyes, and then felt as though he was falling. Down and down he fell, to a place he knew he would see some day, though he had hoped it would be at an old age instead.

Then, he saw a white light in front of him, getting brighter and brighter until Hunter opened his eyes, and saw something he did not expect.

He was standing in a dark cavern, dimly lit by some nearby torches, with two ape commanders standing on either side of him. In the center of the chamber was a large black well with strange runes etched on its side, and behind him was a large door whose frame stretched to near the cave’s ceiling.

Hunter had no idea where he was, how he got there, and why the apes next to him couldn’t see that there was a young cheetah standing right next to them, but nonetheless, he was glad he was still alive and could move again. However, that pleasant thought was quickly ruined by the sudden opening of the door behind him. The Ape King entered the room, in one hand carrying a collection of heavy metal chains and manacles, and in the other, a small, sleeping dragon hatchling. He carried both to the well in the center of the room, then placed them both down and said to his men; “Leave us in peace.”

The commanders nodded, then left the room, leaving Hunter, the Ape King and the hatchling alone. Hunter wanted to see what the King was doing, but couldn’t take his eyes off the hatchling. It had four tiny white horns, dark pink wings and dark grey scales. Judging by its shape, Hunter guessed it was a newborn dragoness.

The hatchling started to stir and mumble slightly as it opened its toothless mouth to let out a yawn. It then opened its eyes, now shown to be a dark green, and dozily looked around the cave, before it’s eyes came to rest on Hunter. Something resembling a smile was etched on its lips, so Hunter smiled back and waved a little, making the hatchling coo in delight.
This noise compelled Hunter to remember who was in the room with him and this newborn dragoness, so he tried to run towards the hatchling, but found he couldn’t, for there was a shadow locking him in place.

Even if he could move, he would’ve been too late, for at that point, the Ape King fastened a manacle onto the child’s neck, causing it to bawl in fear and discomfort as it tugged at the two chains the manacle was fastened to. The other end of the chains was attached to two manacles on opposite ends of the well.

“Oh, shut up,” snarled the King as he picked up the hatchling, though it did not stop crying as he held it above the well, arms outstretched, and let go.

“NO!” yelled Hunter, desperately trying to run to catch the falling child, but instead, he could only watch in shock as the child disappeared as it fell into the dark pit below.
But then, as if suspended by invisible strings, the hatchling came back up the well, floating less than a meter above the circular pit. It wasn’t crying anymore, and had seemingly fallen asleep again.

Then, a new voice entered the room, a dark, twisted, warped voice that sounded as though it had come from beyond our world. “What is this, Gaul?” the voice said, making the fur on the back of Hunter’s neck stand up. “My orders were clear. Capture the purple egg and smash all the others. Why have you brought me this useless hatchling?”

The Ape King named Gaul bowed down to this ethereal voice and responded, “We did what you asked of us, master. There will be no more dragons born this year. However, we couldn’t find the purple egg, so we decided to bring this one to you.”

There was a low growl, then that same gravelly voice came again and said, “The prophecies are never wrong, Gaul. There must’ve been at least one purple egg in that chamber, and if you missed it, and the hatchling inside it survives, your life is forfeit. And you still haven’t answered my question. Why did you bring a sniveling whelp of a dragon here?”

Gaul bowed again, and said, “You still need a dragon for your plans, master. Even if this one isn’t the purple one, it can still be useful to you.”

“Hmm,” said the voice, deep in thought as there was silence for a few seconds, before replying, “Very well. She will become my new general. But know this, Gaul. She is now your equal, and the privilege of naming her falls to you. And if, for any reason, she betrays us, you have my permission to execute her.”

“Understood, master.”

“Good. Now I recommend you stand back. This won’t be pretty.”

The moment the disembodied voice finished its sentence, there was a rumbling noise, as everything around them shook as though they were in an earthquake. Then, a black shadow emerged from the well, and entered the body of the small, floating hatchling.

Hunter was more horrified than ever as the child opened its eyes, now a pure white, and began to transform, growing bigger and bigger, its neck getting longer, white horns, talons, a crest and a sharp knife-like ridge on the end of its tail appearing, wings stretching out with holes forming in them, muscles forming, scales darkening to become a shiny black…
It was like watching a dragon maturing very rapidly.

The process continued until a large, black dragoness with pure white eyes glaring at Gaul appeared hovering above the well. With one quick movement of the neck, it broke it’s chains and let out a long shriek that stroke fear into Hunter’s heart, while the Ape King just grinned up at the monstrosity in delight.

It was all too much for Hunter, who shut his eyes, refusing to believe it was real, but it was. The fear the dragoness put in him was too real, it was deafening, everything around him got colder, he couldn’t breathe, he was plunged into darkness as his chest began to get tighter and tighter, as though a large hand was squeezing it…

Then, the nightmare ended, as Hunter felt himself be placed down on a cold, stone floor before his chest loosened. He no longer heard the shriek of the dragoness, but a familiar, panic-stricken voice speaking to him in hushed tones.

“Hunter? Hunter, can you hear me? Please get up! Hunter!”

Hunter opened his eyes to find himself back in the Dragon Temple, in the Vision Chamber, lying next to the Pool of Visions. He was soaked to the bone, and had to spit out a surprisingly large amount of water before he found he could breathe again.

He heard someone nearby sigh in relief, so he looked around to see who it was, only to find himself surrounded by several members of his group, such as his adoptive father, Akello, several satyrs and cheetahs, the electric dragoness from earlier and two of the now conscious Guardians; Terrador, the Earth Guardian, and Ignitus.

“Thank the Ancestors you’re alive,” said Ignitus. He sounded glad, but there was no smile upon his face.

“What happened?” asked Hunter. “I remember Gaul leaving me to die, but nothing else.”

“Well, as soon as Akello and his men got here,” said Terrador, “they woke us up and we saved you before you could drown.”

Hunter smiled up at Terrador, who was a kind dragon despite his intimidating appearance, and said, “Then I am in you dragons’ debt more than ever now. Thank you.”

Unfortunately, Hunter was the only one smiling in the room. As he looked more closely at his surroundings, he saw several creatures putting out the fires, while many dragons were comforted by, or cried with their mate over the loss of their unborn children. It was one of the saddest sights Hunter had ever seen, and one he would never forget.

As tears started to fall from his eyes, Akello placed a hand on his shoulder and asked, “Hunter, what exactly happened here?”

Sniffing slightly, Hunter replied in a shaky tone, “The apes came and smashed all the eggs. I don’t know why, though. I think they were trying to prevent the birth of the purple dragon.”

The electric dragoness then said, in a desperate voice, “But there are two eggs missing here. The purple egg and a wind egg. Where have they gone, Hunter?”

“I don’t know where the purple egg is, but the apes took the the wind egg with them.”

The dragoness’ eyes widened with shock and fear as she clasped one of her claws over her mouth. A wind dragon bended low, and whispered something in her ear. She nodded, then walked to the balcony nearby, with many dragons following her.

“There’s something else, as well,” said Hunter, causing everyone’s heads to snap back to him. “When I was drowning in the pool, I had some sort of… vision.”

Akello and Ignitus exchanged looks of concern, before the Fire Guardian asked, “What kind of vision?”

Hunter opened his mouth, ready to reply, but couldn’t find the right words. He tried to explain to them, best as he could, about the cave, the well, Gaul, the voice and the transforming hatchling. When he was done, Akello and Ignitus exchanged another look, prompting Hunter to ask, “What’s wrong?”

Ignitus turned back to Hunter and said, “Hunter, do you not realize what this means? The vision you had, what happened in the pool, how you got to see it?”

Hunter raised an eyebrow and said, “No…?”

Ignitus then leaned closer to his face and whispered the words that would change the next two decades of Hunter’s life.

“You’re a Reflector now, young cheetah.”