Anyone here read the Temeraire book series? I do the odd bit of work for the Wiki every now and then, and I recently decided to try and fix up my horrendously inaccurate map of the world as it appears in the series for people who aren't familiar with geographic history.

The series takes place in an Alternate Universe - Napoleonic Wars with sentient dragons acting as an Air Force. I've probably made a few mistakes, but have a look anyway. Several of these will be fixed shortly, as it notes on the page.

Temeraire World Map

Haven't quite thought it out yet, but I'm toying with a follow-up to discuss Elements, and how they relate to the Dragons. This would include Elemental Sigils and Symbols, as well as the "Colour" of each Element, and how a hypothetical dragon of this Element would appear - in terms of both colour and scale growths. Here's what I've started writing, with several incomplete areas with only quick notes.

Concept art for ANB shows three Elemental "Sigils" representing the Elements in abstract form - although I haven't managed to find concept art of the fourth, I am told it appears in game. Each sigil is round, with three small circles placed every 120 Degrees around the outside, plus one circle in the middle - reconstructions of these symbols can be seen here; Elemental Sigils.

Determining the precise symbology behind these sigils would be a good way to expand the knowledge of Spyro's world for the fanbase, as well as allow more accurate fan-characters to be created.

FIRE
Colour: Red.
Dragon Scales Resemble: Flames.
Sigil: Pattern resembles that of a burning fire.
DOTD Symbol: Fire.
DS Symbol: Fire on white background.

EARTH:
Colour: Green.
Dragon Scales Resemble: Rock.
Sigil: A line spiralling clockwise around the centre circle.
DOTD Symbol: Unknown (Couldn't find it online)
DS Symbol: Brown rock on green background.

ELECTRICITY:
Colour: Yellow.
Dragon Scales Resemble: Metal.
Sigil: A line that circles the centre circle, zig-zagging several times.
DOTD Symbol: Classic lightning bolt design; a single zig-zagged line.
DS Symbol: Yellow electricity on black background.

ICE:
Colour: Blue.
Dragon Scales Resemble: Ice.
Sigil: Three lines going straight across the centre from the top left of the circle.
DOTD Symbol: Three-pronged ice stalactites.
DS Symbol: Blue crystals on white background.

We can discern several simple things from this - each Elemental colour reflects the scale colour of the dragon, and all the symbols referring to it will be linked to the main use of the Element - and we can use this to figure out more about the other Elements. The Earth Sigil remains confusing, as the spiral pattern doesn't seem to reflect the nature of the Element, and the only connection seems to be that the angles of the spiral are similar to the rocky edges of Terrador's scales. However, when one recalls that the Earth Element likely uses energy to manipulate the area around it - as theorised in my article - it is likely that the spiral refers to this summoning of Earth - plus, in the first game, Earth also seems to be linked to Wind, which would suit the spiral pattern, but again, this is merely a result of their energy manipulating.

Now, we have the following information about the Elements used by Cynder - bracketed information indicating I haven't actually seen the image, only read a description of it.

FEAR
DOTD Symbol: (Ruby) bust of Cynder's head.
DS Symbol: A Red human skull on a dark background.

POISON
DOTD Symbol: Three green droplets.
DS Symbol: Green bubbling liquid on a white background

WIND
DOTD Symbol: A spiral (White on a background of Grey-Blue).
DS Symbol: A Blue-white tornado on a black background.

SHADOW
DOTD Symbol: (A yin-yang symbol of Dark Purple above Dark Blue)
DS Symbol: A Purple hand on a white background.

We can easily assume that Fear and Poison Dragons, if they existed, would be coloured Red and Green, respectively. Since both symbols share the same basic layout, it can be assumed that their sigils would also reflect this; perhaps a Fear Sigil having a skull pattern, and a Poison Sigil having three droplets on it similar to the Ice Sigil. The scales could resemble

Wind is either grey or blue, but I can't make a judgement until I've seen the pic. Dragon scales could resemble clouds?
Shadow is confusing, cause it obviously can't be purple. Perhaps Indigo, and the Purple refers to the power itself. Fairly close to a "darkness" element.

In addition to this, each Dragon Type has several scale markings of a different colour, as seen with the Guardians - darker for Ignitus, but lighter for the other Guardians. With the exception of Volteer; whose markings resemble lightning bolts, the dragons all have fairly simple markings

that could be said to resemble their general attack?

yes there was an argument in the fandom over whether Cynder was actually spyro's sister. which would raise some very.. interewsting questions, since they are the only young dragons in the game, they would have to mate at some point to keep the race going, and incest is a no-no in our society, a taboo really. so cynder woiuld have to be unrelated to Spyro for it to work. the bond between them was because they were from the same brood. that does not make them related, because i imagine each egg was laid by a different female, who were either killed off or hid extremely well since we never see them.. the quote is that they share a bond, but ignitus diod not say that a dragon could not have siblings, at least it was never explicitly stated as such. but since all the other eggs were smashed that means that they don;t have any other relations..

Hang on, where is it ever said in the series that Cynder is the last Female Dragon? Just cause no other Female Dragons appeared in the series doesn't mean they're all gone - remember that aside from the Dragon Temple and potentially Warfang, all the LOS games pretty much take place away from Dragon-inhabited areas.

All the dragonesses who laid the eggs from the last clutch would still be alive, unless they were somehow all killed, and surely the Guardians would have mentioned such a disaster.  More likely there's whole villages of dragons in places that didn't appear in the games cause they weren't relevant to the plot.

INTRODUCTION
What can be called the "Spyro Canon" is made up of three distinct series of video games: the Original Spyro series, the Legend Of Spyro series, and the Skylanders series.
   While these series are not explicitly said to be direct continuations of events; each series being technically a reboot of the last, it is in fact possible to logically unite the three into a grand unified universe, using some clever thinking to explain the various discrepancies between the three.
   For several reasons; some of which will be discussed in greater detail further on, I have come to the conclusion that the Legend Of Spyro series takes place before the Original series, and the Skylanders series takes place in another world some time after this. These reasons include the following:

*Technology and relations with other species appears to be much more advanced in the Original series than in the Legend Of Spyro series.
*The Dragons of the Original series are largely bipedal while the Legend Of Spyro series Dragons are quadrupedal, suggesting that this method of standing evolved over time.
*The title of "Legend" coupled with the fantastical setting suggesting that the series is an older one - the story of Spyro, Cynder and Malefor may be a well-known story that every dragon in the Original series knows.

This article will thus attempt to explain the primary conflicting issues of the two series - specifically the Original series and the Legend Of Spyro series. Minor discrepancies such as characters or species having different appearances in different games can be simply passed off as a retcon, but some of the more confusing differences will of course require analysing to be properly dealt with.

1.1 REALMS
Drawing a map of the world in the two Spyro series would be a daunting task indeed, due to the sheer amount of locations, and the fact that their relation to one another varies from game to game, which can make in-game maps unreliable, although still useful for orienteering.
   In the Original series, several "Realms" are depicted. In order of appearance, they are;

   *The Dragon Realms:
   As the name suggests, it is the home of all the    Dragons.

   *Avalar:
   A vast realm, home to many different species of    sentient beings, but not to Dragons. It is odd that    the Dragons seemingly had no knowledge of Avalar,    despite being allied with the Fairies who certainly    knew of its existence, but this could perhaps be    Ripto's fault in some way; isolating Avalar from the    rest of the world to prevent them calling for    outsider help to overthrow him.

   *The Forgotten Realms:
   The original homes of the Dragons, until they were    forced to leave - the exact history is unclear; but    it seems like the Sorceress forced the Dragons to    leave, and a dragoness who was posthumously given    the title of “Great Sea Dragon” inadvertently    discovered the Dragon Realms.

   *The Fairy Realms:
   A realm inhabited by Fairies. Fairies are known to    inhabit Avalar, so the Fairy Realms may be located    nearby, or they may even be a part of Avalar or some    other world - the information surrounding it is not    consistent.

   *The Shadow Realms:
   Presumably, the Shadow Realms are another dimension    of the world that the Dragons live in, as they are    identical to the other realms, but are monochrome    and inhabited by strange creatures.

   In the Legend Of Spyro series, no Realms are actively identified, but a small part of the "Valley Of Avalar" is shown; inhabited by Cheetahs - it can be assumed that the unexplored areas of the valley contain the same regions and inhabitants that they do in the Original series - along with the un-named area that Warfang, the Dragon Temple, and all the major areas of the series exist in. There is also "Convexity", which is less a location and more of a gap between worlds.
   So how do these two series of Realms fit together? The answer lies with the moles; in the original series, they only inhabit Avalar and the Forgotten Realms, while in the Legend Of Spyro series, they live alongside the Dragons.
   This suggests that the un-named lands of the Legend Of Spyro series and the Forgotten Realms of the Original series are the same location. The lack of Fairies in the Legend Of Spyro series also suggests that they had not established strong relations with the Dragons at that point - it could be that the un-named lands at the time did not border the Fairy Realms. This can also be used to explain the absence of many of the species seen in the Original series; their homelands hadn't been explored at that point.
   At some time in-between the two series, the Dragons branched out and founded more cities, and the Sorceress established herself as a formidable power alongside the Dragons, and eventually banished them for some unknown reason, whereupon they founded the Dragon Realms, using their magic to build their cities quickly - it is not clear whether this magic is linked to the Elemental Powers, or whether it is Fairy Magic, or if it is an entirely different magic altogether, but it is arguably linked to the magic used by the aptly named "Magic Crafters" and "Dream Weavers". One wonders why the Dragons fell so easily; had they become overly peaceful by this point? Was there no Purple Dragon to stop the Sorceress, or did she best the Purple Dragon of that time - did he become the "Sorceror"; trapped in the Shadow Realm?
   With the death of the Sorceress, the Dragons are of course free to return to their ancestral lands and re-establish their cities - something that never happened in the original series, but which is a logical turn of events.
   It seems that despite having the ability to create portals between various areas of their world, a complete map does not exist, otherwise Avalar would have been a well-known location, and the Fairies could have "reminded" the Dragons of the Forgotten Realms - alternatively, it could be that the Dragons knew of them, but had no desire to return to the Sorceress.

1.11 SKYLAND REALM
What is known as the Skylands is of little relevance to the Dragon Realms of the other two Spyro series. The Spyro of that world is said to be descended from a line of "Rare Purple Dragons" from a faraway land.
   It is highly possible that the Skylands are an entirely different world that was colonised by Dragons - one of which was a descendant of one or both of the Spyros from the other series - at some point in time, quite likely through the use of Portals.
   The vast physical differences between the Dragons of the Skylands and the Dragons of the other two series suggest that they have evolved in some way - perhaps breeding with a Draconic species native to the Skylands.
   
1.2 DRAGON TYPES - REGIONAL VS ELEMENTAL
Different types of Dragon are shown in the two series;
In the original series, there are five, each referring to a different cultural region of the Dragon Realms; Artisan, Peace Keeper, Magic Crafter, Beast Maker, Dream Weaver.
   In the Legend Of Spyro series, there are also five, but these refer to what special ability the Dragon has; Fire, Earth, Electricity, Ice and the many other abilities that are achievable only by a Purple Dragon (Elements will be discussed in greater detail later on).
   If, as suggested above, the Legend Of Spyro series predates the original series, than all these different Elemental "breeds" should still exist as a part of the Regional divisions, which would have first appeared when  the Dragons first colonised the Dragon Realms following their banishment by the Sorceress. This would make Flame and Ember of the original series both Artisan Fire Dragons.
   As for Purple Dragons, it would seem that their numbers have remained low over the years; given that the Skylanders series states that the Spyro of that world comes from a "rare line of Purple Dragons", although this suggests that they are no longer born "once every ten generations", but that a small family of them exists - presumably Malefor never bred in his lifetime, but Spyro and Cynder did, passing on the Purple Dragon "gene".

1.21 DRAGON ELDERS VS GUARDIANS
Two distinct types of authority figure appear in the two series; the Original series has "Dragon Elders", while the Legend Of Spyro series has "Guardians".
   The Guardians are dedicated to raising young dragons in the Dragon Temple and training them to use their Elemental Powers in a Dojo. The Elders appear to be Diplomats, responsible for keeping things calm across the Dragon Realms from the Dragon Dojo - this does not mean they rule the areas; each region still has its own leaders - although this doesn't prevent them from passing on their own knowledge about Draconic Abilities to the next generations.
   The similarities between the two groups could suggest that the Guardians eventually became the Dragon Elders, but there are differences enough in terms of their duties to suggest that the two remained separate. The Dragon Elders seem to have come into existence following the establishment of the Dragon Realms, as a way to maintain relations between the different regions - they might just be a group of the oldest and wisest dragons who are thus thought of as the ideal leaders of the Dragon Realms, as their numbers don’t always seem to conform to the amount of Regions. As for the Guardians, they are never actually identified as Dragon Leaders; perhaps the Dragons with the title were considered important due to their many duties, but were not in charge of Draconic Affairs.
   If the Guardians still exist, each region may have a Dragon Temple with its own set of Guardians - perhaps these are linked to the Dragonfly Dojos, which train Dragonflies for bonding with young Dragons - or there may be one large Temple with Guardians chosen from across the Dragon Realms.

1.3 DRAGON ELEMENTAL POWERS
An Elemental Power refers to what special ability a Dragon has - whether they can breathe Fire or any other substance. In the Legend Of Spyro Series, a Dragon has one Elemental power based off the colour of their scales - Red/Fire, Green/Earth, Yellow/Electricity, Blue/Ice - with the exception of Purple Dragons, who have the ability to learn and use all these elements and more.
   The Original Series differs from this by seemingly depicting all Dragons as having the Element of Fire - this can easily be ignored as a minor inconsistency caused by retcons, such as the green-scaled Elder Tomas offering to aid Spyro with Fire & Ice Breath, unless, as unlikely as it sounds, Purple Dragons mated with the Elemental Breeds, resulting in a new Dragon Breed able to use any Element regardless of scale colour - with the ability to temporarily use other Elements through the use of "Powerup Gates" or Fairy Magic.
   Assuming that these two methods of powerup are not restricted to Purple Dragons - that is to say, that any Dragon can use them, regardless of scale colour - then it can be assumed that these temporary Elemental powerups were invented by the Fairies, and that the Dragons started using them when their two species came in contact with one another.
   Several powers are granted by a Dragon Spirit to Spyro, but since these are temporary, it is possible that the Spirit - perhaps a past Purple Dragon - was channelling powers from the ancestors directly into Spyro, giving him the ability to use them without training.
   One question arises here: why wasn't the Spyro of the Original series taught to use all the Elements? This is of course the result of a retcon, but it can be explained in-game as one of the following;
   
   A: The Dragons had forgotten the significance of    Purple Dragons.
   B: The Dragons knew of the Purple Dragon's powers,    but decided not to educate him as he was young,    and/or there was no urgency for him to learn them.
   C: The Dragons were attempting to prevent Spyro from    walking down the same path as Malefor.
   D: The Artisan lands where Spyro lived were largely    populated by Fire Dragons, and as such they could    only teach him the one element.
   E: Fairy Magic had become a common way to grant any    Dragon a Temporary Elemental Power, and as such the    Dragons decided it would be easier and less time-   consuming than actually training Spyro.

   On another note, Spyro's status as a Purple Dragon could be one of the reasons he is the one required to save the day instead of another Dragon - despite it being attributed to his tiny size, it could be that Spyro escaped being frozen inside a Crystal by an unknown-to-him power linked to his Purple colour.

1.31 CLASSICAL ELEMENTS
The four colour system used for these elements - Fire, Earth, Electricity and Ice - suggests that these were the first four elements identified, or at least the most common of them.
   In the Original series, Fire appears to be an ability common amongst all Dragons, although this is likely an inconsistency caused by retcons. Interestingly, it also states that Fireflies are linked to the ability to breathe Fire - without them, the Dragons can only breathe Ice.
   This could suggest that the Fire & Ice Dragons are closely linked in terms of genetics - perhaps something in an Ice Dragon's body makes them immune to the effects of Fireflies, and their Icy body physiology reflects this.
   Alternatively, given the fact that the Fairies are evidently able to grant Elemental Powers to Dragons, it could be that they used the Fireflies to grant Fire Breath to all Dragons, and as such the temporary loss of the Fireflies weakened the spell. However, this wouldn't explain the side-effects causing the Dragons to breathe Ice. It is more likely that the incident only affected a quarter of the Dragons - those who had Fire as their Element.
   There is little to mention about Electricity and Ice, which appear in both series, and whose powers are self-explanatory. Earth, however, does not appear in the Original series, meaning all we know about it is what is shown of it in the Legend Of Spyro series.
   Oddly, what constitutes the Earth Element varies from game to game; in the first game, the element mostly summons Wind storms, in the second, it consists of a Green Energy attack, plus physical attacks that affect the ground surrounding the user, in the third, it involves manipulating rock with Green Energy.
   This suggests that an Earth Dragon does not summon its Elemental "breath" from within itself to use as an attack, as the other Elemental Dragons do, but instead uses a Green Energy that can be used as an attack on its own, or to influence Earth - and possibly also plants - around it; either channelling it through the ground, or using it to bind bits of Earth together into a boulder. It is worth noting that concept art for the Four Guardians shows them all breathing a "smoke" the colour of their scales, which could suggest that all their Elements; not just the Earth Element, are connected to some form of underlying Magical Energy which manifests itself differently depending on the Element.

1.32 PURPLE DRAGONS
Purple Dragons are said to be born once every Ten Generations - whether this is still valid is unclear, as mentioned above. The exact length of a Dragon Generation is not known, as it is still unclear whether or not the Chronicler lived at the same time as Malefor, which would mean that Ten Generations are equal to many Millenia.
   A Purple Dragon's birth could also indicate the beginning and ending of an Age, and as such, the handing down of the mantle of Chronicler to a noble Dragon of the Age. It is not clear whether the rarity of these births were due to magical occurrences, or whether the genetic combination of Elemental Dragons that resulted in a Purple Dragon was so rare that it only came along ever so often.
   Purple Dragons have the ability to use any Element, including the Four Classical Elements. The ability to manipulate time is one such Element that appears to be exclusive to the Purple Dragons, although its origins may lie with the Chronicler - that is to say, whoever created the Chronicler's position may have bestowed this power upon whoever held the title.
   The Element of Convexity is another Element believed to be exclusive to Purple Dragons - it might in fact be the natural element of a Purple Dragon, considering how a Dragon's scale colouring generally reflects the colour of the Element they use.
   Convexity itself - the "Realm, as opposed to the Element - is described as an "airlock" between worlds, so the Purple Dragons are harnessing the mysterious energy of this place every time they use this Element. The Element of Convexity might
   Convexity is shown to have many different versions of attack, generally appearing as raw energy, but also showing throughout the games the ability to summon a portal - which makes sense, given that Convexity exists between worlds - the ability to turn an opponent to stone, and the ability to use a form of fire and bombing attacks.
   This could suggest that the energy of Convexity can in fact be manipulated to achieve any number of attacks, and it may be this that gives Purple Dragons the ability to use all Elements; they are using their natural Element of Convexity to shape raw energy into replicas of the other Elements.
   Although not necessarily one of their powers, it was believed that a Purple Dragon would "put a stamp on [their] Age". Malefor believed that this meant a Purple Dragon's destiny was to renew the world by awakening an ancient machine known as the "Destroyer".
   At this point in time, it is still unclear for what reason the Destroyer was built. Was it intended to be used by Purple Dragons to cleanse the world, or did it have some other purpose; perhaps one linked to the equally mysterious Stone Golems of Tall Plains? It's worth noting that Malefor appears to have equipped the machines with Dark Crystals, which may have corrupted them.
   If the world had indeed been destroyed and rebuilt by Purple Dragons many times - and it is worth noting that Spyro did have the ability to restore the world, although this could have been him manipulating the Convexity Element - then this could explain why the Chronicler said Malefor was the first Purple Dragon; his archives only went back to the beginning of the present age - the Chronicler does also remark when he first meets Spyro that his archives contain most of the history, but not all.
   On that note, he also says that the records date back "to the beginning of time…nearly", so it is more likely that the Chronicler is the proper authority on the subject, and that Malefor merely believes that his purpose is to destroy the world - provided of course the Chronicler is not lying to Spyro to prevent the world being destroyed.
   Malefor's corruption, and his desire to destroy the world could have begun with him discovering the existence of the Destroyer - since its only purpose appears to be to destroy the world, Malefor might have ultimately concluded that the world was meant to be destroyed and rebuilt every few generations, and that a Purple Dragon was meant to activate it.
   In his eyes, this would have justified any crimes committed by him - the world needed to be cleansed, and all would perish anyway, and the end result would have been a new world free of evil.
   It is not clear how Malefor intended for the world to be repopulated following its destruction; perhaps he assumed that the various life forms on the planet would be restored when the world reformed.
   On a final note, the "Sorcerer" from the Original series appeared to be a Purple Dragon, and claimed to be the only "true dragon". What this means is up for debate - it could be that Purple Dragons come from the Shadow Realm, or the Sorcerer could be a Shadow version of the Purple Dragons of the Dragon Realms, or he could even be a past Purple Dragon who became trapped in the Shadow Realm.

1.33 UNCOMMON ELEMENTS
Many more Elements than the Four Classical Elements are known to exist, but it is not known whether there is a Dragon Breed for each Element, or whether there are only the five Breeds known thus far. If they do exist, it is likely that their Scale Colour will match the colour on the Elemental Symbol used to represent it.
   Four elements are all bestowed upon Cynder as a result of Malefor's influence - something that could also be responsible for the unusual colour of her scales - Poison, Fear, Wind & Shadow. With the exception of Wind, all these Elements are arguably dark ones, and they were likely discovered by Malefor upon his corruption. It is unclear exactly how Malefor bestowed these Elements upon Cynder; as it seems the only other way for Non-Purple Dragons to learn other Elements is to have them temporary granted to them by Fairy Magic - which presumably briefly alters their internal Elemental Energy to accomodate another power - but it could be a result of some form of Malefor binding itself with Cynder, causing some of his Elemental Powers as a Purple Dragon to spill over into her.
   Wind is first described by the Chronicler as being one of the Elements learnt by a young Malefor. It has been suggested by some that Wind and Earth are linked, due to the "Tornado" attacks demonstrated in the first game, but this is unlikely first of all due to the fact that the two Elements are identified separately from one another, and also because Earth appears to use Energy to manipulate its surroundings, as discussed above, whereas Wind would probably involve a Dragon's lungs and breathing capabilities.
   Water is an Element that only appears in the Original series, and is made possible by Fairy Magic. As such, it is not clear how this Element works; if a "Water Dragon" existed, it is not known whether they would have a bladder inside the body for the storing and expelling of water, or whether they would manipulate and summon water to attack with, like Earth Dragons.
   There is also a "Bubble Breath" used in the Original series, which allows a Dragon to create large bubbles to trap small creatures - specifically Dragonflies - in safely. This is likely linked to one of the other Elements.   

1.34 SKYLANDERS ELEMENTS
As the Skylanders series takes place in an entirely different world to the other two series, its Elemental powers might not be bound by the same laws of the Elements in the other series, such as scale colour reflecting a Dragon's Element - for example, a Blue Water Dragon is shown to have Electricity Elementals. Despite this, they can still be useful as they give a greater look into what Elements can exist.
   The Skylanders Elements are; Earth, Air, Fire, Water, Life, Undead, Magic, Tech, Light, Darkness. Of these, the first four can be seen as variants of known Elements, "Life", "Undead" & "Magic" could all be explained as being specific areas of Magic; such as healing and necromantic powers. "Tech" is an artificial element, and it's worth noting that not all of the Skyland inhabitants are Dragons, and as such, they may be using machines or a different form of magic to the Dragons. Light and Dark could also be other forms of magic, or they could be energy-based Elements similar to Convexity and Earth.

1.4 YOUNG DRAGONS
1.41 EGGS
In both the Original and the Legend Of Spyro series, Dragon Eggs are shown as hatching in the "Year Of The Dragon", which is every twelve years. While the latter series does not discuss the subject, the former series flat-out states that Dragons only hatch in the Year Of The Dragon.
   This slow cycle of reproduction could be due to some sort of custom, such as a ritual calendar - perhaps it is considered good luck for a Dragon to hatch in the Year of its species - or it could be something like a form of population control, or it could be that Dragonesses are only fertile once every twelve years, or it could be that some form of magic only present in the Year Of The Dragon is required to let the Eggs hatch.
   The Dragon Eggs themselves are dealt with differently in both series. In the Legend Of Spyro series, all the Dragon Eggs are placed inside the Dragon Temple, and are kept safe by the Four Elemental Guardians who reside there. In the Original Series, Fairies bring the Eggs to the Dragon Realms.
   Presumably, reproduction occurs for Dragons in the normal fashion, but the Fairies delivering the eggs could be an intentional ceremony; where the Fairies make a big show of delivering the new eggs to their nesting place.
   It would seem to be common practise to leave Dragon Eggs in a Nursery of sorts, as both series have a form of this - the Nursery in the Original Spyro series, and the Dragon Temple in the Legend Of Spyro series.
The reasons for the change could be one of several:
   A: Dragon Temples fell out of use in Dragon Society,    and were replaced by Nurseries.
   B: Nurseries were founded as an off-shoot of    the Dragon Temples.
   C: Nurseries were founded for smaller Dragon    settlements without a Dragon Temple nearby.
   D: Dragon Eggs were never meant to be kept at Dragon    Temples; this was merely done as an attempt to    protect the next generation from Malefor.

1.42 DRAGONFLIES
Dragonflies are fairly important in the Original Series. At the time of their hatching, a Dragon is bonded with a Dragonfly who is supposed to protect it; having been trained in a Dragonfly Dojo, which may, as mentioned above, be connected to the Dragon Temples/Nurseries.
   A dragonfly's life expectancy is not known, and none of the adult dragons are seen with them - this doesn't necessarily mean they are deceased or on their own by this age; the dragonflies may just be keeping out of sight.
   It has been suggested that a Dragonfly's purpose is merely to guard the young Dragon until it reaches adulthood, and is such capable of looking after itself, which could suggest their absence is indeed due to death or them leaving their "wards".
   In the Legend Of Spyro series, no dragons are bonded with Dragonflies, but the young Spyro is raised by a family of Dragonflies who live in a swamp.
   This legend could be the origin of the custom of bonding Dragonflies with young Dragons - many reasons could be said as to why; the Dragon parents might have copied Spyro, thinking it a clever thing to do, or it could have been a result of a misunderstanding of Sparx's role in the Legend.

1.5 GEMS
In the Original series, Gems are used as a form of currency. In the Legend Of Spyro series, "Spirit Gems" are introduced, and are said to be the "Life Force" of Dragons. From what has been observed of their nature, it seems that when a Dragon dies, their body disappears and is replaced with a Spirit Gem, which then can be shattered to obtain the Energy within. The same thing happens to the Apes under Malefor's control, but this might be due to them "artificially harnessing" the Gems - in other words, it might be that only Dragons collapse into Crystal, and all other creatures die and decompose as normal, unless of course they have absorbed a Spirit Gem, at which point they will expel it.
   It's not too hard to imagine over time that Spirit Gems started being used as items of barter; being a highly desirable item due to their healing and replenishing abilities.
   Dragon Spirits are said to "bind themselves with nature"; whether this means Spirit Gems are Dragon Spirits in solid form, or merely just the Energy that a deceased Dragon had in life is unclear.

DeviantArt Page

Someone should either tag that post of Apple's or move it somewhere else, cause I think that's one of the most informative posts we've had about the Deleted Scenes yet! This sort of information needs to be set aside somewhere so that we can quickly refer and add to it as new information is found. Even if we never find the missing footage, we could one day uncover exactly what scenes were missing, and where they went, and somebody determined enough could redraw the scenes themselves (although redubbing would be an issue) and make a "remastered" version of the film.

I actually think this thread needs trimming, or perhaps this one needs to be retired and replaced with a new thread - I'm sure I've seen what are essentially duplicates of the same information repeated constantly through the eighteen pages, and I don't think people are scrolling back through the pages to read them, so things are just getting cluttered. This is one of the most important subjects in the Land Before Time universe, and it just seems scattered to me.

Alternatively, why don't we post our findings to the Land Before Time Wiki?

EDIT: Something's just occured to me...a few posts back, Dilopho mentioned that one of the stills that have been found shows Littlefoot and Cera fleeing in a different direction, and Apple mentions a scene where Littlefoot and Cera end up against Sharptooth's foot in the mud (Music must've changed though, cause I don't remember anything missing from Track 2 in that scene, and everything seems to line up perfectly...). I wonder if this was one of the Sharptooth scenes that was cut for being too scary - I know they're supposed to be a part of the battle scene between Sharptooth & Littlefoot's Mother, but perhaps people mixed up the two scenes? They are technically part of the same sequence. Alternatively, what if Littlefoot's Mother first confronted Sharptooth as Littlefoot and Cera fled into the thorns? Except...wait, no, that doesn't make sense at all. There's no evidence for that in the music, and it doesn't fit with the rest of the battle scenes.

Quick note from me: I did a quick collate of the various Deleted Scene stills that are peppered throughout this thread, so that we don't have to trawl through the archives to see or reference them.

Quick Collate

This was an idea that I had after finishing the article I wrote for another forum about a mysterious element of the Pern series - Between; you can read what I wrote here. - and realising that there was an entire plot element that hadn't been explored fully.

So as not to give the storyline away, I'll only say that I came up with the storyline one night and spent the next week writing it, and that it concerns the character Lytol and his deceased dragon Larth...

Dragonriders Of Pern, and all characters and locations are copyright Anne McCaffrey. Veleth, Forth, Folyth, L'mel, Tereth & Ricsen are characters I created for the purpose of this story. Hope you enjoy it! Please read and review!

PARADISE WEYR
On the shores of the southern continent of Pern, a dragon lay amongst the warm sands. If anybody had been around, or in fact, able to see him, they would have been horrified at his condition; how a few shreds of charred membrane that was all that remained of the main part of his wings, and the vast amount of unhealed brown hide along his back which bore the unmistakable sign of firestone scarring. Despite this, the injuries were old ones, and caused the dragon no pain at all, not since he had first gone Between all those turns ago.
   His name was Larth, and he was one of many dragons who, as Marco, their only human companion put it, were presently “being patient” at a place called Paradise River Stake, although most of the dragons simply called it Paradise - whatever that meant. Larth only knew Marco as “Duluth’s rider”, and as far as he knew, he was slightly older than he was, as he had been here as far as he could remember - which was not very far.
   A shout rang out, and Larth lazily moved to face away from what he knew were the sounds of the nearby seaholders returning with their catches. Dragons did not normally have good memories, and Larth was no exception to this rule, but since the seaholders repeated their task every day, Larth had become accustomed to hearing the triumphant yells of a good catch and the peaceful quiet of a mediocre catch. In addition to this, the sheer monotony the dragons endured by “being patient” at Paradise meant that there was little else to remember except the unusual.
   Up until a few turns ago, Larth and the other dragons at Paradise had weyred a lot closer to the river, until the holders had suddenly begun appearing from the bushes. At first there had only been a talonful, and Larth and the others had all watched in interest at the visitors to their weyr, but after it became clear that the people were unable not their riders, nor were they able to see the dragons, they quickly lost interest. Over time, more and more people had arrived, and Duluth’s rider had seen fit to suggest that they move a little further up the coast, “so as not to hassle the settlers”. Larth did not quite understand what he had meant by this; it wasn’t their fault that the holders had housed the herdbeasts so close to their weyr, but he had decided to move anyway - especially once Prideth had forced him to.
   Beside him, a blue dragon stirred. What is it? came the voice of Forth. Duluth had retrieved the young dragon from Between the previous night, his reasons for being there becoming all too-clear when the others had seen the horrendous threadscores marring his neck. It is nothing, Larth rumbled, turning to face the tiny blue. The people have just returned home. Go back to sleep.
   Forth made no further noise, but he trembled visibly as he lay down. Larth understood the young blue’s unease, knowing it all too well. Different dragons handled “being patient”, as Marco put it, in various ways. Some dragons did nothing but curl up upon themselves and huddle away from the dragons, others keened occasionally, but most of the dragons, Larth included, simply tried to make the time pass in whatever way they could.
   Reminded of his grief again, Larth let his head rest on the sands. Where was his rider?  When would he find his L’tol again?

***

“Hold steady, my lord,” the young rider said as he and his elderly passenger took to the air. “We shouldn’t be much longer. Only a few short-”
“Breaths. I know.” Lytol muttered, before looking off into the distance. He preferred to make little contact with the riders sent to ferry him from place to place, instead choosing to focus on the tasks that had been set him. He felt slightly annoyed that the Weyr had sent a young rider who, despite meaning well, obviously didn’t realise that the person he was retrieving knew plenty about dragons, having…
   Lytol shifted such thoughts from his mind and began focusing on the task at hand; Jayge, the Lord Holder of Paradise River, was considering re-establishing the former provinces of the first stakeholders. As one of the few inhabitants of Kahrain Province, Lytol was needed to not only give his opinion on the matter, but to discuss a potential change in borders if the plan was accepted, as Jayge’s holdings already stretched far beyond that of the original stake. Only this morning had he learnt of these plans, when young Lëmel on green Tereth had arrived from Monaco Bay Weyr to both deliver the news and transport Lytol to the proceedings - D’ram and Wansor having decided to remain at Cove Hold.
   L’mel raised his arm in a silent signal, and Tereth went between, before emerging over the clear skies of Paradise River. Tereth bugled happily, as she backwinged to land neatly in the sunny clearing not too far from the main hold building, where several other dragons were lounging. L’mel dismounted easily from Tereth, and Lytol followed suit, as Lord Jayge arrived in the clearing.
   “Lord Lytol!” Jayge called, strolling towards the green dragon. “I trust you are well?”
Lytol nodded in acknowledgement. “Have the other Lords arrived?” he enquired.
“Yes, you’re the last one we expected,” Jayge said. “Come, we should begin the proceedings.”
Lytol made to move towards the main hold building, but Jayge pointed to a small shelter on one side of it, not unlike a small gather tent with the walls rolled up. “Thread’s not due for another two days, and with the weather being fine, we decided to hold the meeting outside.”
   Leaving L’mel in the clearing to wait for his return, Lytol followed Jayge towards the shelter that had been set up for the occasion. As he got closer to the structure, he saw that the various holders and dragonriders were sitting around a large table.
   Reaching the table, Lytol took his seat and began speaking with those sitting around him. T’gellan and Talina had come from Monaco Bay Weyr to represent Jordan, along with Rency, who he was told was the holder of Cardiff Stake. Readis was also present, having arrived dolphinback from Rubicon River Hold earlier in the day to represent Araby alongside his parents and the holders of South Bend Hold. Lytol alone would represent Kahrain - no other holdings had been established there thus far.
   Several other visitors lined the edges of the shelter; various seaholders with minor holdings along the Jordan coast, and several journeymen from the Harper Hall. Lytol noted that they were carrying rolled-up sheets of paper - presumably maps for the holders to peruse.
   “Shall we begin, then?” Jayge said suddenly, gesturing for the journeymen to begin unfurling the maps. “I imagine we’ll have much to discuss.”
   Lytol and the other holders nodded agreement, and began examining the maps that had been prepared for the occasion - detailing the eastern part of the Southern Continent as it was currently believed to exist, with both the modern holds and the ancient’s stakes marked in differing colours. Lytol found he had no complaints about his own borders as they were marked, and thus sat back as the other holders began to debate areas of the maps. He had a feeling that the meeting would be a long one.

***

Larth was roused from his sleep by noises coming from the holding. These weren’t the usual noises of the people and their ships; the sounds were unfamiliar to him.
   Slowly, he opened his eyes and began to look around himself. There was no sign of Duluth - he and Marco were probably Between - and the few dragons of their “Weyr” were all sitting at the edge of the river holding and looking towards its centre with some interest. Larth got to his feet and began moving towards the other dragons, curious as to what had attracted their interest. What is going on? Larth enquired of the dragons nearest him.
   A queen dragon turned her head towards him, causing the sunlight to illuminate the brutal gashes in her neck, still visible many years after the original wound had stopped bleeding. Larth had always thought it odd that a queen dragon would consider a brown dragon like him to be worthy of acknowledgement, but Wirenth had always been kindly towards him since her arrival some…Larth struggled to remember...time ago.
   There are dragons at the river, Wirenth said, before looking back at the events that were unfolding in the distance. They bring new people to the hold.
   Shuffling past Forth, who was watching from the back, Larth moved to where Veleth - the only Bronze at Paradise - stood at the head of the group. Dragons rarely came to Paradise River - unless Duluth brought them - and as such the ëvisitors’ were watched with interest by the Paradise dragons, although none of them knew their visiting kin from the younger Weyr.
Look over there, chimed Folyth, a green near Veleth. All the people are under a sheet!
   Veleth snorted, as several heads swung to look. It is nothing special, he said to the other dragons in a bored tone. They are just sitting down.
So? Wirenth called back. It is more exciting than watching the fishermen in their boats each day. If you are not interested, then go and sleep in the sun and we shall watch instead.Veleth grumbled, but did not move from his spot at the lead. Larth suspected that like the other dragons at Paradise, the large bronze secretly hoped that his own rider might be one of the newcomers, although he’d never say as much.
   What do you think they’re doing? Forth called from the back of the group.
They are discussing things, Larth responded, looking closer at the visitors. The meeting will be a long one.
Larth blinked. Where had that thought come from? That didn’t sound like something he’d say.
   Before he could give it much thought, Folyth began talking again. The people on the left wear riders clothing! she announced excitedly. Heads collided as every dragon moved quickly to better see the people on the left part of the shelter, who were unmistakably dragonriders. The excitement quickly faded away as the dragons saw that the riders were not their own. Several dragons rumbled their displeasure and abandoned the group, returning to the warm sands of the beach.
   Larth continued to watch the ëmeeting’, as he’d called it. He did not recognise their Weyr markings, and the riders were wholly unfamiliar to him. To the right of them, a fat man was shouting at a tall man over some problem, and another one was looking down at something on the table. Larth squinted. The man looked familiar. He suddenly moved, revealing a face marred by a scar caused by some unknown accident, and in the instant that he saw the man’s face, Larth recognised him.
   L’tol! Larth shouted mentally, startling the others, who all looked at him in confusion. The connection was faint, but it was him! His rider! Here! But why hadn’t he come? He was here and Larth was here, so why wasn’t he coming over? Did he not care about him anymore?
   Without a second thought, Larth began running towards the tiny shelter, his companions, having realised the reason for his sudden outburst, began to follow him. L’tol! Larth called again, as he came ever closer to his beloved rider. L’tol! L’tol!!!

***

Lytol looked back at the map in front of him. Jayge had just proposed that they alter Araby’s borders so that they reached to the hills on the Kahrain side of the river. This was of no concern to him - Jayge’s holders certainly needed the land more than he did, and he had no desire to make things difficult.
   Prior to this, Lytol had only briefly become involved with the discussions when young Readis and the South Bend holder had noticed the placement of the Tuareg stakes differed on their maps, and had begun discussing whether Kahrain’s borders ended at Paradise River or not. Although nothing would be officially decided by this, Jayge would take the results of their debating to the next Council meeting, and propose that the changes be carried out.
   L’tol, a voice suddenly called from across the table. Lytol paused, looking up at those sitting around him.
“Did someone call my name?” he said, abruptly speaking into a rare silence that had fallen across the table. To his right, T’gellan chuckled. “I don’t think so. Are you imagining things, old friend?” Lytol ignored him, and looked back at his map. “My mistake, then”, he said.
   As the conversation resumed around him, Lytol made to call Readis over, having noticed a cove near the present hold that could be put to good use, when he heard the voice call his name again, urgently.
   Lytol looked around the table again. “Are you sure nobody called me?” The other holders either shrugged or shook their heads; none of them had said anything. “I could have sworn…”
   L’tol! The voice called again! “There! Who said it?” Lytol shouted in a sudden anger. Who dared torment him with his old name? Did they take delight in reminding him of his loss? The other holders evidently did not hear this voice, as they regarded Lytol with confused looks on their face.
“Are you feeling alright, Lytol?” Readis spoke first.
“Should we adjourn for the time being?” Jayge offered.
Lytol waved his hands at them. “I’m fine, I-”
   The cries of panicked herdbeasts suddenly echoed from a nearby paddock. “What’s going on out there?” one of the journeymen said, looking over at the fields. L’tol, the voice sounded again! Lytol grimaced. He didn’t feel right. He must be unwell; perhaps dizzy from his trip between. Lytol stood up from his chair. “I’m sorry,” he announced to the other holders. “I think I need to-“
   L’tol! Again! The voice came again in his mind, relentless…L’tol, L’tol, L’tol! Anger arrived to replace sorrow, and he felt a rage building in his body. Lytol clasped his hands over his ears, his eyes becoming wet with growing grief. “Stop it! Stop shouting at me!”
   “Lytol, my friend! Be calm!” Jayge called, getting out of his seat. T’gellan had already risen, and the two anxiously watched for Lytol’s next move.
   Before Lytol could say anything in response, he was struck with a wave of oncoming emotions. The voice…so familiar, and yet so distant…It couldn’t be. Not here. But he was feeling sensations he hadn’t felt in many a long turn. Something in his mind…something like…
   Tears began flowing from Lytol’s eyes as an equal mixture of confusion and understanding came to him. He collapsed to the floor, openly weeping.
 “Shards! Lytol!” Jayge shouted, rushing over to him, along with T’gellan.
Lytol tried to plead that he was fine, but his mouth wouldn’t form the words, his mind still too shaken by his last thoughts. He waved his arms in an attempt to push the others away, to get to his feet, but strong arms grabbed him and held him still. “Please be calm, Lord Lytol!” yelled Ricsen, one of the journeymen holding him. Lytol ignored him, and continued to resist their grip. They did not understand! He must go!
   Voices echoed around Lytol as the other holders closed in around him.
“What’s going on?”
“Is he alright?”
“He’s not well, get him out of here!”
“Where’s that blasted rider?”
“Drink this, my lord,” someone said to Lytol, as a set of hands pushed a cup towards his face. Lytol attempted to push the cup away, but another person forced the drink upon him, and he had no choice but to drink, recognising the taste of wine laced with fellis juice. As the world before him began to blur, Lytol had the faintest sense of a familiar voice yelling in protest. Then the drowsiness overtook him and he knew no more.

***

L’mel? Teleth called as her rider rushed towards the clearing, followed by two journeymen carrying the unconscious figure of Lord Lytol.
Something is not right. Teleth told her rider, as he began strapping Lytol into the flying harness. Monarth and Arwith say they hear voices.
L’mel looked to one side; next to Teleth, Monarth and Arwith were moving about restlessly, their eyes whirling yellow in anxious confusion. L’mel had been calmly resting in the clearing moments before, when all of a sudden the herdbeasts had begun panicking, and a journeyman had rushed from the shelter to inform him Lord Lytol had had a breakdown of some sort, and was to be escorted home.
   Things seemed to have gone wrong all at once across the holding, L’mel thought to himself. Let’s move quickly, my dear, L’mel called, mounting his dragon after he checked that the unconscious Lord Lytol was safely strapped into the harness.

***

Unable to fly ever since the accident that had forced him Between in the first place, Larth could only thrash his wings uselessly and watch as the green dragon took to the sky, taking his rider away with her.
   NO! NO! L’TOL! DON’T GO! L’TOL! Larth wailed, his eyes madly flashing red and purple in distress.
   The dragon did not hear him, or if it did, it paid him no notice, as it abruptly disappeared Between. Larth fell to the ground, keening in despair. Wirenth and the other dragons joined in his keen, understanding all too well the pain a dragon felt to be parted from their rider. But to be separated again…

***

Marco returned from his daily journey Between to find the entire ëweyr’ downcast; the various dragons all resting on the beach; a visible grey tone marring their hides. Marco squinted. Not too far from the Paradise River Stake, one dragon sat alone, essentially sprawled out on the surface…Larth? Marco was used to this sort of thing; every now and then one of them would sink into a melancholy about their rider, but ever since he had retrieved him from the greyness of Between, he had thought Larth to be one of the more steadfast dragons, at least when compared with dragons of his past such as the panicky Arith, who had caused him much trouble until she had finally disappeared Beyond. To see him so low was unusual.
   Duluth? Marco thought to his dragon. What’s happened here?
After a few seconds of silence, Duluth responded. Riders were here, and Larth’s rider was with them. Duluth hesitated for a moment before continuing. His rider did not come to him.
   Marco looked again at the stricken dragon, before telling Duluth to land beside him. “Larth?” Marco called, unsure of what to say to the poor creature.
Larth responded by opening one eye that slowly whirled grey with sorrow.
“Come away from the river, Larth.” Marco said, aware that nothing he could say would be enough to soothe the old dragon. He was about to ask Duluth to call Wirenth over - he had often seen the two dragons together, and Larth would not refuse a queen’s request - but Larth had feebly rumbled in acknowledgement and begun picking himself up from the ground.
“That’s the way.” Marco said softly, as Duluth began to walk towards their main camp. He knew of a secluded spot, near where the queen dragon Prideth had often rested before she’d disappeared ëBeyond’. Larth could lie there in peace until he’d forgotten the events of this day. Draconic memory was blessedly short. “Follow us, old friend.”

***

Lytol woke from his fellis-induced sleep to find himself in his bed at Cove Hold. A young journeyman dozed in a chair opposite the bed, presumably having been set there by whoever had brought him home from Paradise River. ëNo!’ Lytol thought in anger. Why had they taken him away? For a second, he had been complete again! His mind had been whole, restored.
   Lytol threw the blankets aside, and moved to sit upon the edge of the bed. He was no longer confused; emotionally overwhelmed to the point of madness as he had been at the hold, and was able to think rationally. He had not been hallucinating - he couldn’t have been! Somehow, in some way, he had felt his dragon’s presence, his voice, his touch. His dragon, HIS Larth was there. He couldn’t explain it, but Lytol didn’t care. All he knew was that he had to get back to Paradise River.
   A yawn coming from the other side of the room signalled the journeyman was beginning to stir. Lytol got to his feet and walked over to where the young man sat.
“You there! Where is D’ram?” he said, already making plans as he spoke.
“Lord D’ram?” the journeyman said, rubbing his eyes. “He was in the main hall last I saw him.” The journeyman must have suddenly realised just who he was talking to, for he added, “Please, my lord, you must rest.” Lytol ignored this, making his way for the main hall. Finding it empty, he pushed open the large doors and walked onto the hold porch.
   Not too far from the hold proper D’ram was visible, leaning against his dragon; bronze Tiroth, who thrummed in acknowledgement as Lytol began walking over to them.
“Lytol,” the elderly bronze rider said, noticing Lytol’s arrival. “Are you feeling better, my friend?”
“I’m fine, I’m fine…D’ram, I need you to take me back to Paradise River.”
“What?” D’ram said, confused. “Lytol, you’ve had a shock of some sort; the last thing you need is unnecessary travel.”
“I didn’t, I…” Lytol paused. “Something happened at Paradise River. For a moment, I heard…a voice.”
“What do you mean?” said D’ram.
“He called to me, D’ram. I heard…”
“What?”
“Larth! I heard my Larth!” The words burst out of his mouth. D’ram stood there, shocked at what he’d just heard. Then he shook himself, and stared at Lytol with a gaze the ex-Weyrleader must have once lectured his Wingleaders with.
   “Lytol, listen to me,” he began slowly. “You know…better than anybody that…Larth…“ He stopped. “You’re not thinking straight, Lytol, you must be-“
“Do you think I would make such an easy mistake?” Lytol suddenly snapped. “That I would be so easily fooled by my own wishes that I would hear voices in my head?”
“No dragon can return from Between once they flee there, you know that as well as I do!” D’ram retorted, his voice rising in response to Lytol’s. “Shards, man, what do you think you’ll find at the river?”
   “I don’t know! But I will damn well get there if I have to build a raft and sail there myself!” Lytol finished angrily. Behind D’ram, Tiroth trumpeted defiance, his eyes whirling red as he felt his rider’s anger. Lytol stopped himself. He knew he must calm down, else D’ram would think him unwell and think his words nothing more than ramblings. “I must go,” he began, in a softer tone. “D’ram, you must understand! If I do not, I will drive myself to my grave with thoughts of what might have been.”
   D’ram made to say something, but paused in thought. “There are no records of something like this ever occurring, Lytol,” he began after a while. “Do you not realise that if there was such a way to undo the pain of loss the Weyrs would know about it? I don’t know what you expect to find at the river, Lytol, but I fear you’ll only bring yourself fresh grief.”
   “I know,” Lytol said. “But I must do this. Would you not do the same in my place if you thought Tiroth…” he trailed off, not willing to finish the sentence.
“Lytol,” D’ram began, “You need to rest…”
“I need to do this, D’ram.”
   D’ram looked over at Tiroth, his eyes losing focus as the two engaged in shared thought. “Alright, then,” he said after a while. “I will take you to the river. But if you do not…find anything, then you must return home with me, and turn these thoughts from your head once and for all.”

***

The sun had already been setting at Cove Hold, so by the time Tiroth and his passengers emerged from Between over Paradise River Hold, the sun had vanished below the horizon and given way to darkness. Lytol had brought a basket of glows with him, in case he needed to search the thick forests near Paradise River. D’ram, not realising how far Lytol was prepared to search, had assumed that Lytol had simply thought ahead and brought the basket to prepare for the oncoming darkness.
   D’ram had guided Tiroth to land on the outskirts of the hold, so that Lytol could search the surrounding area in secret, without being harassed by Jayge, who would undoubtedly insist he come into the hold and remain inside, so as not to risk repeating his fit the day before. After dismounting, D’ram had told Lytol that Tiroth would be listening out for him, and if he sensed any harm befalling him, the two of them would take him back to Cove Hold, regardless of what Lytol might say.
   As D’ram disappeared into the open doors of the holding, presumably making up some story to the Lord Holder about why he had chosen to visit the hold at this hour, Lytol started along the path to the herdbeast paddock, which he remembered had become highly agitated around the time he’d felt the ëpresence’.
   He arrived there to find it otherwise serene; there was nothing to suggest a dragon had been here in the past day; no footprints leading away, no sign of disturbed greenery, nothing. Lytol continued onwards - not far from the herdbeast paddock was the beginning of the long beach that stretched across Araby’s coast, and the rocky cliffs along that held forests large enough to hide a full-grown dragon.
   Lytol rushed out on to the beach, dimly illuminated by the glow of Belior. It seemed to stretch on forever, and he could see nothing out of the ordinary about the sand dunes. Already he was starting to think that he had embarked on an impossible quest. D’ram had been right, it was impossible, what he’d claimed to have heard.
   No! He hadn’t been imagining things…he couldn’t have been imagining things…it had felt real…He took a step forwards. “Larth!” Lytol yelled into the night. “Larth! I’m here! Larth!”

***

The other dragons had given Larth a wide berth when Duluth led him across the “Weyr” to the isolated area of the beach where he now lay, far from the banks of the river and the tiny settlement that had caused him such woe. Curled up upon himself, Larth attempted to go to sleep, without success. He could not stop thinking about what had happened at the holding - his rider had abandoned him, disappearing between on another dragon.
   A terrible thought gripped Larth’s mind; perhaps his rider did not care about him anymore. It had not been Larth’s fault that he had gone Between in the first place, but did his rider know that? Maybe L’tol blamed him for leaving him behind, and thus he now did the same to Larth in return; no longer wishing to have anything to do with him.
   Larth shuddered. He knew his L’tol would never do such a thing, but he couldn’t forget what he had seen. He tried once more to sleep, so the thoughts would not torment his mind, but was unable to do so. The normally pacifying sounds of the waves lapping against the beach sands and the wind blowing through the trees of the nearby jungle had become infuriatingly repetitious.
   Larth! Larth! Wirenth suddenly spoke to him from the distance. There is a man on the beach!
So? Larth called back bitterly. Men come to the beach all the time. Why should I care if one decides to in the night?
No, Larth, look! Wirenth repeated, urgently.
Larth grumbled. I am sleepy, Wirenth. This was a lie; he could not have been more awake right now, but he had no interest in watching the actions of some erratic seaholder.
Larth! Look at the man, now!
   That last sentence had been an order, and Larth swung his head around grumpily, unwilling to disobey the commands of a queen dragon. In the distance, he could indeed make out the shape of a man walking along the river, a glowbasket in one hand.
   “Larth!” The figure called, waving the glowbasket from side to side.  “Larth!”
Larth’s low mood vanished in an instant. It was his rider! He’d come back! He did care! Larth scrambled to his feet, and began rushing across the beach sands. He briefly heard the sounds of the other dragons reacting as he ran through the “Weyr”; Wirenth’s happy bugle, Veleth’s disgruntled snort, Duluth’s rumble of confusion.
   Looking again at the figure, Larth realised with joy that the man was now running towards him as well. He had seen him! He was here! He had come back!
L’tol! I am here! Larth called once more. L’tol!

***

Lytol didn’t realise he had started running until he noticed that he appeared to be making great strides across the beach. In the very moment that he had seen the familiar shape illuminated by Belior’s light and heard the voice echo in his mind, he had begun moving without thinking.
   As both dragon and rider crossed the final barrier keeping them apart, Larth frantically slowed to a halt to avoid crashing into his rider. Lytol did not stop, and leapt against his dragon, clutching his hide tight and only just managing to hold back his tears as Larth joyfully thrummed back at him. His head almost ached at the sensation of Larth’s consciousness flowing back into his own. What was this? Impression? Re-impression? In that moment he was Lytonal again; the young boy who had impressed the creeling brown hatchling Larth in the vast Hatching Cavern of Benden Weyr and become L’tol, Dragonrider of Pern!
   “But…h-how?” was all that Lytol could manage to say. Larth had no answer to this, and simply crooned back at him. Larth either didn’t comprehend the full weight of his rider’s words or he didn’t mind - perhaps both, Lytol thought for a moment. Lytol quickly found that he had no overwhelming desire to know how his dragon could have returned to him after so many years since…
I did go between, Larth stated, finishing Lytol’s thought. And now I am here.
   Lytol looked all over his dragon in a mixture of love and pride - he hadn’t changed at all since the day of the accident! He was still the most magnificent dragon that had ever lived on Pern; his hide a rich brown, his wings-
“Your wings, Larth!” Lytol shouted.
What? Larth said, turning his head to look. Is something wrong with them?
Lytol stared at his dragon in horror. “Larth, they’re in pieces!”
The wings still bore the ghastly marks of Tuenth’s flame, even after all these years! Lytol could not believe that they had not healed, or why they were not bleeding!
   They do not pain me, Larth attempted to tell his rider, but Lytol would not be dissuaded from treating his beloved dragon. Having no bandages or medical supplies with which to care for Larth, Lytol instead pulled off his tunic, and made to wrap it around a particularly nasty burn on Larth’s wing-
   To Lytol’s astonishment, the shirt passed through the wing. Lytol blinked, unsure of what he had just witnessed, before reaching out to touch the membrane, finding it to be quite solid. But when he went to place the tunic on the damaged wing membrane, it once again fell through the dragon, as if he was made of air.
   Lytol suddenly remembered with a sickening feeling a concept he had discussed once with AIVAS, when the ancient machine had still been active. A Keroon holder had discovered records in his hold purportedly describing an event where the figure of the queenrider Moreta had appeared outside a hold long after her fateful trip between. AIVAS had compared the occurrence to an old earth superstition about the spirits of the deceased returning to places significant to them, but had also explained that these “ghosts” were nothing more than illusions, caused by reflections of light or some other “unidentified phenomena”.
   ëAIVAS was wrong then,’ Lytol thought bitterly. Was that it, then? He knew that his dragon was dead; he had accepted it long ago - he had seen his dragon go between before his very eyes! - so was Larth no more than a shadow?
   I do not know? Larth said, having picked up on his rider’s thoughts, his eyes now swirling yellow in confusion. But it does not matter to me, he said after a moment’s concentration. I can feel you, and you can feel me, and that is what is important.
   Larth moved his head to nuzzle Lytol where he stood. Lytol stroked the soft hide, and felt his dragon’s warm breath on his skin. No, Lytol thought to himself. Larth was here, he could feel him; he wasn’t a shadow. He was just…different now. He could accept that. He had faced many hardships in his life; so many of those that he had loved were now deceased, would he now spurn the miracle of one of them returning to him just because they were not quite the same as they had been when they lived? Larth was right; what was important was that they could sense each other once more.
   What now, Lytol thought? Should he return to D’ram and the others and tell them of his discovery? His only fear was that the others might not see Larth, and believe him mad. Perhaps he had gone mad already, Lytol thought pessimistically. Perhaps he had dreamed this whole turn of events. Larth suddenly rumbled his displeasure, showing what he thought of that thought.
I am here and you are here, Larth said, asserting his earlier statement.
   “I must fetch D’ram,” Lytol began, breaking the silence around them. “We must go home.
Larth’s mental tone was confused. Home? Where is home?
“Not too far from here, my beloved brown,” Lytol continued. “It’s just a short trip Between.”
I cannot go Between, Larth suddenly said.
“What?” Lytol was confused. “But you-“
I cannot go Between, Larth repeated. Why would I still be here if I could leave?
“But then-“ Lytol paused, sitting on one of his dragon’s forelegs. But what? He couldn’t go home because his dragon couldn’t go there instantaneously? Was it required of him that he live at Cove Hold, and that he must return to it at the end of the day? He was in control of his own life! If he was forced to abandon the Cove for the sake of his dragon, then so be it! He could live here, at the river - Jayge would not refuse him the use of one of the hold buildings.
   On the other hand, perhaps he could travel overland to the Cove. Piemur had done such a thing many years before; perhaps he could send for him, and get him to guide the ëLord Holder of Kahrain’ across the beaches so that he could appropriately survey the area for Jayge’s proposed borders, or some similar excuse.
   Larth interrupted his thoughts by laying his head down on the ground, his neck stretching out before Lytol’s feet.
You would not leave me again, would you? Larth softly called. Because I cannot go between?
Lytol threw his arms over his brown’s neck; miraculously unmarred, having somehow avoided the heat from the firestone that had burnt so much of his back.
   No. Lytol said. I will never leave you again, my love.
Larth rumbled in pleasure, his eyes whirling green, before he closed them out of sleepiness. Lytol settled down on his dragon’s forearm. His plans could wait until the next day. He leaned against his dragon’s soft neck, and fell asleep in the arms of his dragon, the reunited pair sharing their most peaceful night’s rest for the first time in many turns.

FIN.

I agree - I was more interested in the espionage plot than anything else in the film, save for the designs of course! Obviously a lot of work went into this film to make a "Cars" version of each country. I mean, they even had the Royal Family in one scene; The Queen herself with Prince Wheeliam (I guess they're of the Royal House Of Windshield, heh heh). And then there's all the Car related gadgets and gizmos that popped up throughout the film; just awesome!

I kept getting bored with the jokes in the film - I just wanted to focus on the serious plot.

A hell of a long time ago, I had a crazy dream where I was at a NZ version of Harry Potter's Hogwarts that was a lot like one of my old schools; the Athena Montessori College. Only a few areas were "depicted" in my dream - mostly the Sixth floor, the lower attic, the Charms classroom and the Senior Tower (not pictured here), plus the Fifth floor which was in another dream - so I later filled in the other areas with rooms, and then managed to finish it years later after I finally got the scale right.

The names for each house group are the names my old school used for classrooms - Andromeda, Orion, Ursa Major, Centaurus, Pegasus & Vela. Their colours were Yellow, Blue, Red, Purple, Green and Orange, respectively.

Of course, Harry Potter, Hogwarts, and anything else from the Harry Potter Universe is not mine, and is copyright J.K.Rowling, Warner Brothers, and anybody else who I have forgotten to mention.

Check out the designs!
Main Building Floor Plans
School Grounds
Senior Tower
School Stadium
Care Of Magical Creatures Building

Here's something kind of interesting; it's the sheet I wrote my findings on initially. You can see why I had trouble writing all this up!

Analysis Draft - DeviantArt