Dragons Change
AN: So I thought about finishing this chapter up yesterday, but decided to do it today because it's father's day today. To make up for the wait, this is the longest chapter to date by almost a thousand words.
I just wanted to say this, too: I may not reply to every review you guys submit, but I do read them. I read guest reviews, too, so don't be sad, dude. It'll be okay. I would also like to say think you for to everyone who DOES take the time to review. It means a lot. Truly.
Random Question: I have no idea if I read this somewhere or if this is my own thoughts on the matter, but since Icewings are so isolated compared to the rest of the tribes, don't they have accents? If so, what kind of accent do you guys think that they would have? I am VERY curious to hear your opinions.
Also, real fast, there is a POV switch at the end of this chapter. 0.0
Shocking right? It's for a flashback/story, though, so you'll be able to differentiate it by the italics, line break, and switch from third to first person perspective.
Oh, one more thing: I hid a Jurassic Park 3 reference in the story. I think that it's kind of obvious, but I'm the one who wrote it, so what do I know? See if you can find it.
Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire. My OCs Flint and Aurora belong to me. The Skywing, Cataclysm, belongs to her owner, BizmuthTheRainwing. Cover art is by beyzul on Deviantart.
Chapter 10:
As he had predicted, Winter didn't get much sleep last night. After his prayer to Aurora and his subsequent stargazing, he had had too much on his mind to get any real sleep. He thought about something that he and Flint had spoke at length on: possible enemies and allies in the two Kingdoms. Who could they trust? What if Prince Cliff was already missing, and a Changewing had taken his place? What if Anemone had been taken to wherever the other Changewing victims were? Nobody knew where exactly they were, so it would be almost impossible to find her if that were so.
He also thought about the aforementioned victims. Would he ever see Deathbringer's famous smirk or hear his witty banter again? Would Sunny ever see her mother again?
Would they ever find Qibli?
That, in turn, prompted another problem. Winter wasn't an idiot. He knew that Qibli's reappearance would cause problems between the two of them and Moon. The question on his mind was: Would she stay with him…or go back to Qibli? Moon said that she had moved on. She also confessed her love to him, but she also said that she wouldn't know what to do if Qibli was ever found. He was her first love, after all. If anything, Winter was probably on the hook.
What happened last night was still fresh on his mind, though. She had a nightmare about him and calmed when she heard his voice. She had smiled when he kissed her cheek. Winter had promised himself that he wouldn't become attached to her. He promised himself that when they found Qibli, he wouldn't stand between him and Moon's relationship.
Honestly, Winter was putting serious thought into breaking that promise. The only thing holding him back was fear—the fear of being dropped as soon as Qibli came back into her life. He didn't think that Moon would do that to him—again—but he was still afraid, all the same. It was that fear that prevented the deepening of their relationship.
He had originally wanted to find Qibli to reunite him with Moon and make her happy. Now, though, he wanted to find Qibli because he had to know for certain who she loved more. It might sound cruel, but he wanted to put Moon in that situation to make her choose.
Stars above, he couldn't be anymore selfish, could he?
Perhaps it was folly to think about this now. They still had no idea where Qibli was or if he was even alive. Their journey was most likely just beginning, so he had time until he needed to employ such drastic measures. Maybe he would get his answer in the days, weeks, or months ahead without having to resort to that kind of ultimatum. It would be nice if that were so.
He resolved to himself that if no sign of Qibli or the other missing dragons were found in the Sky or Sea Kingdoms…he would put serious thought into thinking about a relationship.
Spirits was he being a coward.
Anyways, after the brain drain, Winter had returned to his hut to find that Moon was still asleep on his bed. Where else would she be though? It was still a few hours until dawn, after all. That left him with an interesting conundrum, though. Should he sleep on the floor or go find somewhere else to sleep?
At the moment, he was too exhausted to give much thought to the matter. Formality and protocol were lost to his expended mind, so he just plopped himself down on the floor and fell asleep. It was a light, restless sleep, though. The doubt and fear that had crawled its way into his mind last night were still present and left him with sour dreams. He was eventually awoken by Moon when she tried to exit the hut quietly.
He lifted his head groggily, having not gotten much rest last night, and looked over to the sheepish Nightwing, "Sorry, Winter," she whispered, "I didn't mean to wake you…or steal your bed."
He blinked the sleep out of his eyes as his mind started working overdrive again. I guess I'm not going back to sleep, then. At Moon's slightly downcast expression, he tried to correct his mistake, "It's not your fault, Moon. I've just got a lot on my mind, is all."
She tilted her head in curiosity, "Like what?"
Winter looked away with an unreadable expression, "I would ask you, this one time, not to read my mind regarding this," he said as those specific thoughts all tried to vie for his attention. He looked back at her with a small frown, "They aren't pleasant thoughts, and I don't want you to worry over them."
She blinked in obvious surprise before reaching down to her satchel on the ground that she usually carried with her. He always forgot she had it because the leather blended into her scales and she kept it tucked under her wing where he couldn't really see it. She pulled out a familiar armlet and tried to hand it to him, "If you don't want me to see your thoughts then this is the best way."
He stared at the proffered piece of jewelry with barely hidden disdain before pushing it away from him gently and before he could realize what he was saying, blurted out, "I don't want anything like this to come between us." Moon's eyes were wide open in shock and Winter had to do a mental rewind. When he realized what he had said he had to stop himself from facepalming and instead settled for a mental facepalm.
"D-Does that mean…" She started but trailed off. She sounded hopeful but prepared to be disappointed.
He couldn't stop himself from bringing a paw up to caress her face as he smiled. He felt how she leaned in and saw the love in her eyes when she looked at him. After his brain drain last night, he realized he could no longer deny her, but he couldn't deny his conscience, either. So, he came up with a compromise. He traced her cheek bone with his thumb as he started to speak, "I'll make you a deal." She pulled her head back slightly and looked at him in confusion as Winter lowered his paw back to the ground. "If there is no sign of Qibli or the other missing dragons in the Sky Kingdom or Sea Kingdom, I won't resist our being together."
She was silent for several minutes as she looked at him in deep thought, and Winter became increasingly worried as the minutes ticked by until finally, "Deal." She smirked, "Though, the longer you wait, the less interested I'll be."
He smirked right back and replied, "Then I'll just have to keep you interested somehow." Without warning, he came forward and lightly kissed her on the cheek before pulling back slowly and rubbed their noses together. Consequences be damned, all right, he thought to himself as a smile pulled at his mouth. He was in this all the way now.
His eyes were closed when he heard her speak, "Keep this up, and you'll definitely keep me interested." He could hear the smile in her voice. She was the first to pull back, and he opened his eyes to see her slightly downcast expression, "Have you thought about what to do, yet?"
Just like that, his mood became sour again, and he nodded as he looked away, "It's best to tell everyone at once. Glory deserves to know, too." He was silent for a moment as he looked out the window at the rising sun, "Find the others and tell them to meet in the Queen's pavilion in an hour."
"Why so early?" she questioned.
"We have a lot to do today, and a short time to do it in. We leave the rainforest at midday." He looked over to her at the sound of her gasp—whether it be excitement, worry, or shock—he couldn't tell, but she left soon after to spread the word.
He walked outside and sat on the ground as he listened to the sounds of the rainforest waking up for the day. This was like a second home to him, but he was going to leave it. Moon was right, he was prepared to sacrifice in order to help others. He cared about helping those who couldn't help themselves before he cared about his own desires. The Changewings might think of that as a weakness, but he knew it meant something else.
It meant that he was a good leader.
It had taken him so long to realize that, yet others had claimed to know long ago. It made him laugh quietly to know that he was the last to realize. He was his own worst critic, apparently. He had always believed that his failures in the past were just that, failure, but he now saw them in a new light. There had been many times on this journey where things could have ended a lot worse than they had, yet Winter had lead most everyone through safely.
Yes, he wasn't able to save Mojave, but he prevented anymore from dying by acting. He killed 'Qibli' and two other guards, driving the others away. Swordfish seemed to have died meaninglessly, but his sacrifice had ultimately lead to the revelation of Raven's true identity and the defeat of the Changewings in the rainforest. His death and the Nightwing village bombing had prompted action. That action had, in turn, lead to victory.
If he hadn't have done the things that he did, how many more would see an early grave? Aurora had said that it was his destiny to lead the fight against the Changewings. He didn't believe in destiny, though. How could his life be preordained? He believed that it wasn't destiny but rather a sense of purpose that drove him. As Cataclysm had once said, 'If I don't stand against them, who will?' It was true. He stood against them not by obligation or destiny but because he wanted to.
He wanted to help those who couldn't help themselves. Why? Because of his compassion. Aurora had said that it was his greatest strength. It was what set him apart from other Icewings.
Now, after everything that has happened, he believed her.
With these new revelations, Winter set out for the Queen's pavilion. It would be best if their leader was there first, after all. He was responsible for the seven dragons who fought with him. Somehow, that wasn't as scary as it sounded.
He had spent a while thinking, but he still arrived twenty minutes early. The Queen greeted him with a smile and motioned for him to take a place by her side. He smiled to himself. Not so long ago, he had been pretty much a hermit in his Sanctuary. Now though, he was friends with a Queen.
He took his seat behind and to the left of her to the whispers of the few guards present in the room. Winter informed her of the meeting he had called when she looked back to him. She had nodded her acceptance. When the others began filing in, Glory sent all of her guards out of the room since this meeting was considered top secret.
Once everyone was there, he took in their appearance. All in all, he got what he expected from them. Moon, Blaze, Flint, and Cataclysm were ready to do whatever he said. Darkstalker didn't like being ordered around—especially by an Icewing—but still gave Winter his begrudging respect. Turtle and Kinkajou looked especially haggard. They must not have gotten any sleep either. He could imagine how Turtle must be feeling right now since he was about to split he and Flint up for now. With Turtle and Kinkajou as close as they were, it was no wonder the Rainwing was sharing Turtle's misery.
He took a deep breath and started, "I've thought long and hard about what to do next and spoke with Flint regarding the best course of action to take. For those of you who are unaware, Turtle's sister, Anemone, is in danger." He saw Darkstalker noticeably change his expression from annoyance to rapt attention after that last part. Of course, he knew about the history between those two since he was there during that whole fiasco. Seeing the small amount of concern in his eyes made it easier for Winter to pick the groups.
"Not only that," he continued, "but thanks to Cataclysm here, we know that there is a possible assassination plot against Prince Cliff of the Skywings." The others in the room looked at the Skywing with a varying range of expressions such as suspicion and distrust but also respect and concern. "I hope that all of you can understand the importance of both of these matters. Should Prince Cliff die, the Skywings would be thrown into utter chaos, but we also can't let them use Anemone, an animus, like a weapon. They could cause unspeakable damage to Pyrrhia with her powers."
He saw Turtle's downcast expression, "Then what do we do, Winter? We can't be in two places at once."
"Can we not?" He replied.
"Wait, you want to split us up?" came from Cataclysm. "There's only eight of us and you want to divide our forces?"
"What, you think we wouldn't be able to manage!?" came the hostile reply from Kinkajou.
"I didn't say that! I just don't think that it would be a good idea!" came the equally hostile retort. Turtle started speaking up in defense of Kinkajou and Darkstalker tried to back up Cataclysm while Flint was trying to calm everyone down. Eventually, the shouting match was in full swing and the two females looked like they were going to come to blows. With Kinkajou's venom and Cataclysm's martial skills, there was no telling who would win in a fight between the two of them. He wasn't going to let it happen either way.
He looked upon them, flustered and bewildered, as the Queen herself was now throwing out threats when he felt a familiar presence beside him. No one was there but he heard her voice like from a dream, "You are their leader. Speak and they will listen."
He steeled himself and stood up suddenly, "ENOUGH!" The shouting all at once stopped and eight pairs of eyes looked to him. He didn't let the fact that he was on the spot discourage him. In fact, it only strengthened his resolve, "We stand here arguing amongst ourselves while our enemies plot behind our backs and their forces grow! We don't know how much time we have left to stop their schemes, yet here we stand bickering like a bunch of spoiled dragonets!" He paused briefly and continued in a softer tone, "We are better than that. It is not just we eight in this fight, either. We have made powerful enemies, yes…but we have made even stronger allies!
"We need not be the only ones to fight this fight. Others will rise once they have seen our example and they will fight with us to rid themselves of their invisible oppressors. And as others come to fight alongside us, strengthening our cause, our enemies will become weaker.
"They believe us to be a threat to their plans, and they are right! They wish to silence us so our voices will not be heard, yet we will shout all the louder! They wish to cripple us so we can no longer fight, yet we will push on all the same! We will not stop fighting until every last enemy of the free dragons of Pyrrhia are vanquished! They know this! And because of that, they fear us! Do we then let our opportunity to strike back at our enemies pass us by!? Or do we seize this moment to take back our home!?" He stopped and closed his eyes before taking a deep breath. When he opened them a second later, he spoke again softly—barely above a whisper, "The choice is yours."
He saw varying degrees of shock and respect on most of the faces staring at him, yet there were three that meant more to him than anything. Flint and Moon were looking at him with pride in their eyes at Winter's acceptance of his new place in life. He was their leader, yet he hadn't acted like it or accepted it…until now. The third, however, stood behind everyone and was unnoticed by anyone. Aurora sat there with a smile, and Winter gave her a small smile and accompanying nod before she disappeared once again.
He didn't really understand why he kept seeing her when no one else did, but he wasn't complaining. He liked Aurora. He really did. She was kind and caring and acted more like a mother to him than his own mother had, yet he felt as if their relationship was a bit more complicated than that. He couldn't pretend to know or understand the thought processes of a spirit, so he simply wouldn't. He knew Aurora had a plan for them—and him specifically—but that was all he knew. For all of her secrecy and mysteriousness, he found that he trusted her completely. She did everything for a reason, and she wouldn't betray him or his friends.
He was once again lost in his thoughts when he heard someone start applauding and soon enough everyone in the room were either applauding or shouting out praise to him. He blushed slightly at all the attention but smiled at them genuinely. Darkstalker was the only one who wasn't. He was looking at him suspiciously but didn't say or do anything, so Winter ignored him for now.
After everyone had quieted, he began speaking, "I will take Moon, Blaze, and Cataclysm with me to the Sky Kingdom while Flint leads the second group of Turtle, Kinkajou, and Darkstalker to the Sea Kingdom." He could tell that Kinkajou especially wasn't thrilled with the fourth member of her group and was shooting death glares at Darkstalker. Blaze and Moon were also looking between each other with equal amounts of animosity and jealousy. It seemed that Blaze was harboring some resentment over Moon still regarding himself. Blaze must still like him. When Moon shot him a quick glare, he chuckled lightly to himself. I guess that answers that question.
He couldn't let them just go with each other while holding onto such negative thoughts, "I know that some of you don't particularly like each other, but you have to put that aside. The Changewings prey on weakness. If they sense any division between any of us, they'll do everything in their power to widen that divide. That's how they work: divide and conquer." A few of them looked slightly ashamed at his words, but still he continued, "We either fight united…or fall divided." His last words had let his gaze fall on Kinkajou. She looked away but didn't say anything.
Even after all this time, Kinkajou refused to let go of her hate for Darkstalker. Not only that, but she was also suspicious of anyone and everyone. Her paranoia was good at first because they didn't know what they were up against, but now that they did, it was only a hindrance. If she didn't get over that, she would be the first to fall.
In any case, he spoke his piece. He could not force anyone to think in any one way, so for now there was nothing left to do besides moving forward. "Pack your bags and get ready to move out because we leave at midday," he said as he made his way to the door, ignoring the incredulous looks he received. Before exiting, he said one last thing over his shoulder, "Act smart, stay alive, stick together, but don't be an idiot."
He saw the members of his old winglet and Glory react to the familiar yet nearly forgotten line that Thorn and Qibli used to say. He didn't stay any longer than absolutely necessary after that. Old conflict arose within him before he was able to quash it enough to keep moving forward.
Winter would never openly admit it to anyone, but he missed his old rival. While he could be a sarcastic pain in his tail, Winter didn't know many dragons with a heart as golden as Qibli's. Flint, of course, was one. Turtle, Clay, and Sunny were a few more. He might not have liked the Sandwing when they had first met, but by the time Darkstalker was defeated, Qibli had grown on him. Looking back now, when he had first seen the Changewing in the guise of Qibi—before he knew it was a Changewing, that is—he hadn't realized how much seeing his old friend turned into a killer had hurt.
"I can understand how you feel," a familiar voice spoke from behind him, "Since everyone I ever cared about died two thousand years ago—besides my mother, that is."
Winter turned around to regard the Nightwing who had spoken. He still had lingering animosity towards Darkstalker since his father had died in the war that the Nightwing had started, but it would be hypocritical of him if he didn't try to put that aside after the speech he gave minutes ago. He would put aside his anger and hatred for the greater good, "Did you need something from me, Darkstalker?"
"I would like to speak with you if that is all right," he said. Winter knew that Darkstalker's personality was much like Deathbringer's. He was charming, sarcastic, and more than a little cocky, and the only time either of them became serious was when something was…well, serious. Winter saw Darkstalker try to hold back a smirk as he motioned for Winter to walk with him. After but a moment's hesitation, Winter followed.
"I feel as if I should apologize to you," the Nightwing continued. "Over the many months you were unconscious, I saw and heard the others' loyalty to you—an Icewing. At first, I ridiculed them for their belief in you, and when I realized they would not be swayed, I kept my opinions to myself but didn't change them. When you first came back without your voice or your memories, I thought they would come to see things my way. It was only a few moments ago when I truly understood why they look up to you." Darkstalker stopped and sighed.
"For two thousand years, I slumbered under the mountain, thinking only of revenge on my father's tribe for everything they did to me and my sister. When I awoke knowing that the old grudge still ran strong, I thought that I would be doing the world a favor by finally ending it." He shook his head in shame, "I didn't realize how much the world had truly changed. The world, it seems, has grown weary of war and conflict."
"What, exactly, are you trying to tell me, Darkstalker?" Winter asked curiously. He was surprised, to say the least, of this sudden turn of events. He never would have expected this, but he was quite relieved at it, nevertheless.
"I don't like Icewings, Winter. I never have and probably never will, but I'm beginning to understand that you aren't like most Icewings." Winter snorted in amusement and smiled lightly at that. After all, he had heard THAT before. Darkstalker, however, continued without commenting, "I know that you hate me and I don't blame you for that, but if you are willing to put aside your feelings for the greater good, then I should be able to do the same." He raised a paw in an obvious gesture of friendship and Winter stared at it for a moment before grasping it in a firm claw-shake. "You have earned my respect, Winter. For better or worse, I will follow your lead in the journey ahead."
Winter nodded sharply. "I don't think that this is the only thing that you wanted to speak to me about, though," he said after a moment.
"You noticed that, did you?" He looked down in thought for a while—probably trying to find a way to word whatever he wanted to say. "There aren't many dragons who can say that they've met a spirit. I happen to be one. The day before Moon released me from my…prison, the Nightwing spirit, Shade, came to me saying that I had been chosen to be his Champion before disappearing without another word." Winter blinked in slight surprise at that. That was completely different to how Aurora was with him.
"That is so odd," the Nightwing said. "I could sense your surprise, but then your mind went blank just like Moon said." They were both quiet for a second before, "Your spirit watches over you directly, doesn't it? It brought you back when you died."
Winter nodded, though he was a bit miffed that he called Aurora an 'it' when she was much more than that. "Her name is Aurora."
"Aurora?" He nodded as he seemingly came to a realization, "And just like that, I can hear her name in your thoughts. It seems that her existence is only known to the dragons you tell of her. I would recommend you not tell others unless you absolutely need to, Winter." The Icewing nodded. He had already figured as much from Moon not being able to notice her name in his thoughts, and the second part was just common sense. It looked like Darkstalker was going to say or ask something else was his attention was diverted to something behind Winter, and his eyes opened wide when he saw who it was.
Winter turned around and saw the familiar ghostly form of Aurora, "I have to admit that when Shade informed the other Spirits and I of his choice of Champion, we were all skeptical. I am glad that you proved us—proved me—wrong, Darkstalker." She looked over to her charge and smiled warmly at him, "Always a pleasure, Prince Winter."
He smiled back before Darkstalker asked in confusion, "How are you here, Aurora?"
"I'm not here—not really, anyway," she looked around the area before continuing. "This form is merely a…shadow, if you will. I can not come to the mortal plane directly, but I can still observe like this. Most of the time, dragons don't know that I'm even there."
"Most of the time?" both the Icewing and Nightwing asked at the same time.
The two of them looked between each other before Aurora replied, "The only reason you can see me, Darkstalker, is because Winter informed you of my existence. The reason Winter can see me is because he died, and his soul is now tied to me."
Winter looked at Aurora in utter confusion, "My soul is tied to you? What are you talking about? How?"
"There's no need to be alarmed. All I mean is that when you died, your soul was sent to the spirit world. In order for me to return you to the mortal world, I needed to anchor your soul to my own. You are very special in this regard, Winter." She smirked slightly before looking down, "As for how…it was the kiss we shared."
He felt Darkstalker's incredulous gaze on him, and when he looked, he could see that the Nightwing was barely holding back his laughter. Winter rolled his eyes in exasperation before a thought crossed his mind, "What did you mean, anchor?" An even more disturbing thought came next and his voiced wavered ever so slightly, "Aurora? Am I actually alive?"
She looked absolutely appalled at his insinuation, "Why would you even think that, Winter!? Of course you are alive!" She sighed and looked down for a moment before looking back to him, "A part of your soul is permanently tied to the spirit realm. I used my own essence to anchor the remainder of your soul to your body. I have been in this form ever since you awoke to keep your soul tied to this realm. Should I return fully to the spirit realm, your soul would come with me and your body would die once more, but I do not intend to do that to you, Winter. I will remain here until your body ages and dies like that of any mortal dragon."
Winter felt a comforting paw on his shoulder and was surprised to see that it was Darkstalker lending his support at this sudden inrush of this unsettling news. He looked at his guardian spirit with a sense of betrayal. After telling himself that he trusted her, she turns around and tells him something like this. "W-why didn't you tell me?" He was trying his hardest not to judge her too harshly. After all, he did say that he couldn't understand the mind and plans of a Spirit. That didn't mean that he wasn't hurt by her concealment of the full truth.
She sighed again and shame marred her features, "I just wanted to protect you, Winter. I didn't want the truth to hurt you, but neither would I lie to you." When Winter looked away for a moment, Aurora used her paw to cup his chin and gently made him look back at her, "I want you to trust me. I would NEVER do anything to hurt you, okay?" At his nod, she smiled as she released her hold on his chin and continued speaking, "Now then, if you wish, I will remain at a distance to observe and only come when you need me or I could stay by your side if that is what you want."
Winter thought about it for a moment before asking his own question, "Darkstalker and I are the only two aware of your existence, right?" She nodded with a smile. It didn't take Winter all that long to make up his mind. Aurora was his friend, and he DID trust her, so he couldn't take out his frustration for being kept out of the loop out on her. She was only doing what she thought was right. It's all anyone CAN do, after all. Though the idea of a Spirit watching him from a distance would sound like pure gold if someone was writing a cheesy adventure story of their own, he much rather preferred her to be close, so he could talk to her when needed.
As Darkstalker said, not everyone can claim to have met a Spirit. Apparently, he had gone beyond that and made friends with one. First Queens and now Spirits: if this kept up, he might begin to think that he was important somehow.
He mentally chuckled at that thought.
"If it's all the same to you, Aurora, I'd rather you be with me. Just…don't hide anything from me…please. If you want my trust, you need to trust me, too." His attention was diverted when he saw a familiar Mudwing walking through the village in the distance. Flint noticed Winter looking at him and waved with a smile. The Icewing smiled and waved back before speaking again, "A wise dragon once told me that secrets were like wedges that pull others apart. The less secrets there are, the easier it is to trust."
She smiled at the sight of the pure brotherly devotion and love on both of their faces. "You have had a hard life, Winter. I am glad that you found your brother when you did. He's probably the best thing to ever happen to you."
Winter looked over to her with his own smile, "One of them."
"Promise me something, Winter," her voice was serious, and he turned to regard her. "Whatever happens, you must promise that you will only ever see him for who he truly is on the inside." To say he was confused at her request would be an understatement, but he couldn't think on it or ask for clarification because Darkstalker interrupted his train of thought.
"Listen, I hate to interrupt this lovely matter, but it sounds like there's trouble coming from the Queen's pavilion, so we should go," the Nightwing didn't wait for a reply before running back they way they had come.
Winter looked to Aurora in confusion, but her face was surprisingly void of emotion. With nothing else to do, he ran back to the pavilion as well. He knew where the pavilion was, obviously, but if he didn't, it would be almost impossible to miss it due to the massive crowd of dragons gathered around it. The noise was on a whole other level. Trouble!? It looks like the entire village is about to riot! He thought to himself as he stared slack-jawed at the scene before him.
Hundreds of Rainwings, Nightwings, Sandwings—which were also present in abundance—and many other dragons from the other tribes were gathered around the Queen's pavilion while Glory was trying her best to calm them. "They are afraid," came Aurora's voice.
Before he could ask what she meant, Turtle broke through the crowd and made his way towards Winter. "Oh, good, you're here! The villagers saw us packing up our supplies and everyone started going crazy! I don't think they want us to leave."
He could hear Glory's frantic attempts to keep the peace, but all it seemed to do was rile the crowd up more. Everyone, it seemed, was trying to be heard above the others, and nothing solid could be heard through the cacophony. He was about to do…something when he saw Darkstalker making his way over to him with a visible grimace of pain on his face, "Their fear is too strong! I can't completely block it all out, and it's giving me a splitting headache," he said to Winter's questioning look.
"They believe that you and your companions are the only thing stopping the Changewings from returning. The fear that when you leave, they will return to kill everyone." Aurora looked between him and Darkstalker before shaking her head in what seemed to be exasperation.
Winter took in a deep breath to—attempt to—calm the masses when he felt a firm paw on his shoulder, "Wait, do you hear that?" Darkstalker was scanning the crowd for something when many of the dragons began quieting. That was when he heard it. A familiar voice singing in a heavenly tune. He looked over to the Queen where the source was, and that is when he saw her. Moonwatcher was sitting next to the Queen with her eyes closed.
And she was singing.
AN: If you're reading this for a second time, you'll notice that this part has slightly changed. If this is your first time, well...it changed slightly. I had lyrics on here, but someone reminded me that I wasn't exactly supposed to. I took these off, but I don't know why they were a problem when the lyrics from the earlier chapters weren't, but I am not going to argue. The song Moon sings right here is The Dawn Will Come by Trevor Morris.
She wasn't the only one either, as the song went on, more and more dragons began adding there voice to hers, their fear almost forgotten by the sense of hope given to them by the lyrics.
Winter had closed his eyes at some point as he had also joined in, and when he opened them as the last notes rang out into the morning air, he saw that everyone in the courtyard was looking towards him. All of his friends—Blaze, Turtle, Kinkajou, Flint, Moon, Cataclysm, and even Darkstalker—had somehow gathered in a small semi-circle in front of him.
After the events in the rainforest, he would be an idiot if he didn't realize that the common dragon looked to him as a hero. Though he had never wanted to be one, he was one, nonetheless. They looked to the others in his group of friends as heroes, too, but as their leader, he had some sort of special-ness about him. They saw him for who he could be in times of need, and they saw how their Queen looked to him for advice, too. The guards from this morning must have spread the word of his place by her side—one that was usually only reserved for Deathbringer since he was usually the dragon in charge of security.
They recognized his importance, but no one was more shocked than he when, one by one, they bowed their heads in respect to him—including his friends. He shook his head in surprise before saying in an equally surprised voice, "My friends, you bow for no one." Then, in a quieter voice, "Least of all, me."
He had closed the remaining distance and attempted to lift the others up when he felt strong arms grab him and pull him into a familiar warm embrace, "You stay safe, Winter, and promise that you'll come back to me. I lost my sisters; I don't want to lose my brother, too." The normally stoic Mudwing's voice was filled with emotion, and Winter hugged him back all the tighter for it.
"I promise. I'll see you later, okay?" Flint nodded as he released him from his hold and Turtle and Kinkajou gave him a hug, too while his other friends shared hugs and emotional goodbyes between each other.
Winter saw two familiar Skywings come out from the crowd, and he smiled at them sadly, "I'm sorry that I haven't come to see you guys in a while."
Titan and Flare shared a look before Titan spoke, "That's okay, Winter. We understand. Flint told us what happened, and though some of it seems unbelievable, we know he wouldn't make any of that stuff up. It's good to see you well again."
"We came to visit you now and again," Flare picked up where her husband left off. "We wanted to speak to you when you woke up, but with everything that's happened, you were understandably busy."
Titan chuckled lightly before hoking, "I still can't believe that you're the same Winter from before. You seem more…noble and heroic now."
Winter glanced at Blaze when he said that and smiled genuinely, "Thanks, guys." He paused for a moment before saying, "Will you two be alright here by yourselves?"
Again the couple looked between each other before Titan replied, "You know that you have our support, Winter, but we aren't fighters. We'll be safer here. Besides…" he trailed off and looked to his wife who smiled widely at the Icewing.
"I'm gravid, Winter," Winter's mouth fell open and his eyes were wide in shock, but before he could stammer out a reply, she continued, "We wanted to make you the Godfather."
If he was speechless before, now, he was completely floored. "You've done so much for us, Winter," Titan started. "You gave us a job and a home when we had nowhere else to go. You gave us a purpose and a sense of belonging, and we can't thank you enough for that."
Winter was holding back tears at this sudden but welcome turn of events, and he came forward to bring two of his close friends into a hug that they gladly returned, "Thank you. You have no idea how happy you've just made me, and…I accept. Keep me informed, and I'll try to be there when he—or she—hatches."
"You better be," Flare whispered in his ears before pulling back and winking at him. "Now go. Save the world, Prince Winter."
He rolled his eyes with a smile playing at his mouth when he heard the crowd begin to break up. It seems that Glory had finally convinced them to go about their business, and his friends were separating into their separate groups.
Before they left, Turtle came up to him and gave him his healing rock and his piece of flint that can cure any poison. "You might need these," said the Seawing. "I can always enchant more."
Winter nodded before bringing him into a hug, "I hope your sister is okay."
"Yeah…me too," he turned back around and walked back to his group before turning around with a final parting, "Good luck, my friend."
"And to you, as well…my friend. Stay safe, all of you." With a last wave, Winter bid goodbye to Darkstalker, Turtle, Kinkajou, and Flint as they took flight in the direction of the Sea Kingdom.
Moon, Blaze, and Cataclysm gathered around Winter, waiting for his order to take flight. Their new Skywing was the first to break the silence, "So does our little band have a cool name or something?"
"Why would we need a name?" asked Moon.
"I don't know, but did anyone else notice that Winter is the only male in this group? It makes me wonder…Did he do it on purpose? After all, we're all single…" Winter could hear the teasing insinuation and rolled his eyes.
"Oh, please, I don't think that I've ever been THAT desperate," was his comeback.
Cataclysm wasn't done yet, though, "HEY! That gives me an idea for a name! What about…Winter's Angels?"
Blaze was on the ground laughing with the other two directly following because Winter's face had gone from slightly annoyed to utterly bewildered—complete with wide eyes and full blush—so fast that if you blinked, you would have missed the change.
"W-we are not calling ourselves Winter's Angels," came his stammered reply. "Let's, uh, let's talk about this later. We should get going. Do we have all of the supplies we need?"
"Yep," came Moon's chipper response. "I have everything here in this satchel." The satchel in question was much bigger than her normal one. He didn't know if it was heavy or not, and it didn't really matter to him, anyway. He reached behind her neck and grabbed the strap from behind her shoulders, lifted it over her neck, and placed it around his own shoulders.
He smiled at her before turning around and motioning for the others to follow him. Since a good portion of the canopy was missing due to the fire, the group wouldn't have to walk all the way out of the rainforest. Flint and his group had done the same thing when the left, so he saw no reason why they couldn't do the same.
Once they were in the air, he let Cataclysm take the lead since she was the resident Skywing and observed his three comrades. Oddly, Aurora wasn't there at the moment, but he knew that she was close.
They had been flying for a few hours and had filled the time with friendly conversation. Since Cataclysm was the newest member of their merry, little band, she had been more than happy to talk about herself and what she liked, disliked, or didn't really have an opinion on. Like all Skywings, she loved to fly and fight—mostly in friendly spars—and, of course, she loved to win. She also revealed that while she was very friendly and enjoyed making new friends, it was hard for her to trust others due to something that happened in her past that she didn't want to talk about. When someone had her trust, however, she would defend them to her last breath.
She didn't like bullies or corrupt politicians since—in her words—they were basically the same thing. She hated when dragons thought they were better than others because of their station or level of wealth. Winter agreed with her on that one as did Moon. Blaze didn't comment.
The longer they spoke, the harder it was for Winter to think of Cataclysm as a Changewing. He knew WHAT she was, but WHO she was seemed to be more important. It made Winter think back to the argument he had with Flint after he…killed 'Mangrove.' He had said that it would take much more than words to convince him that all Changewings were nothing more than murdering, terrorist bastards.
Cataclysm was proving to be enough.
If there was one Changewing in a hundred—or even one in a thousand—Winter believed it was worth it to find them. Flint was right, after all.
The mere thought of his brother was enough to send Winter's mood into a downward spiral. Apparently, Moon had felt his inner turmoil because she lightly bumped his wing. He saw the concern on her face when he turned to regard her. When Moon and Winter broke from the conversation, the other two stopped, too, to make sure that they were all right. Then, Aurora's ghostly form appeared on the other side of Moon.
Winter mentally smacked himself. As much as he missed Flint right now, he had to remember that he wasn't alone. He had four friends on his side and watching his back. He had noticed that when his mood had turned sour, all of them had turned to make sure that he was well. They didn't let him stew in his own pit of despair.
He smiled back at them. With that, the slightly tense silence had turned more companionable. It lasted for no more than a few minutes before Winter broke it, "Hey, Moon?"
"Yeah?" she slowed down her flight so she was flying beside him once again since she had gone forward earlier to speak with Cataclysm.
"You never did tell me what happened to you and the others in that cave."
"I could tell you the same," she smirked before it fell. "Flint told us what happened. All of you were lucky to make it out alive. It's almost like someone was looking out for all of you."
Winter's gaze drifted over to Aurora, who was looking at him in amusement after Moon's comment, and he smiled to himself, "Almost…" Aurora may have entered his life not so long ago, but, already, he couldn't imagine what life would be like without her. To know that a higher power was watching over you…
He smiled to himself again as he looked ahead once more. Not so long ago, he didn't even believe in a higher power. Now though… He couldn't remember anything about the Spirit Realm, but the fear that most dragons have of the afterlife didn't affect him because he knew that his soul would return with Aurora to her realm. He was content—even happy—of the fate that awaited him in the great beyond.
Other than Aurora, Flint and Moon meant more to him than most. He wished that they could meet Aurora. It was tempting to just tell Moon right now, but he knew that he couldn't. Not yet, at least. Maybe one day, though.
He turned his attention back to Moon when he realized that she was beginning her story.
After hearing Flint's and Winter's misgivings about Secretfire, I was on guard. I could tell that something was off, but I didn't want to believe that the Nightwing that we've been working with for the last year was a Changewing. He seemed genuinely concerned about the welfare of his tribe. It's hard to imagine that anyone could fake that.
I had been looking around at the others while lost in my own thoughts before I heard Secretfire's voice, "Alright, fine, I suppose that'll work. Let's get moving, we don't have time to waste."
Everyone started splitting up into their separate groups. Flint lead Winter, Darkstalker, and Kinkajou down one tunnel while Turtle, Blaze, and I followed Secretfire down the other. We had just crossed the threshold into our tunnel when I heard Winter's thought projecting out of where he went, Moon, tell Turtle to do what he has to if things go south. I tried staying with him as long as I could, but the further apart we got, the more I had to concentrate on keeping the connection until I had started falling behind slightly.
I felt a paw on my shoulder. It was so sudden, and I had been concentrating so hard that I had no idea who it was, and it scared me. I felt another paw over my mouth to keep me from screaming before the identity of my assailant was revealed.
"Shh, it's okay, Moon. It's me. Kinkajou." She spoke in a whisper while she was camouflaged so as not to alert the others.
Speaking of the others, they had stopped a few hundred feet ahead once they had noticed my absence, and Turtle was heading back this way to see what the hold up was. "Hey, Moon? Are you okay?"
I didn't answer him right away and instead whispered back to Kinkajou, "Why are you here?"
Turtle looked confused as to the question but understood immediately when the invisible Rainwing began to speak, "Flint wanted me to keep an eye on you guys. He doesn't trust Secretfire."
"Why not?" asked Turtle. "We've been working with him for almost a year."
"I don't either, Turtle. Winter felt that something was off, and I feel like we should trust his judgement," I said. Turtle looked at me dubiously. It took every ounce of control I had not to yell at him and instead I said, with an ounce of warning, "He may not have his voice or some of his memories, but you shouldn't doubt him. He's the same dragon that surpassed everyone else in battle strategy class."
"You mean before he left Jade Mountain?" Turtle shot back with slight venom.
"And who's fault was it that he left?" The Seawing had enough sense to look slightly ashamed. "We spent so much time worrying about ourselves that we didn't realize that one of our friends was suffering!"
Turtle sighed, "I know. I'm sorry. It wasn't fair of me to say that." Claw steps could be heard coming back in our direction, so I knew we had to wrap this up. Luckily Turtle did, too. "I don't doubt him, Moon. The guy's a tactical genius. I'm just scared is all."
Turtle had started rubbing his cheek on thin air, and I only had to guess that Kinkajou was trying to comfort him. The sight would have been funny in any other situation, though. "Oh, and Turtle?" I said before the others could come in range to hear our whispered conversation. He looked back at me, "Winter said for you to do whatever needs to be done."
The Seawing's expression darkened, and I saw him clenching his talons in anger before he looked back up at me with a determined nod. I knew he didn't like using his powers anymore, but he knew just how dangerous this situation was. He might not have a choice.
"What's the hold up?" asked a clearly annoyed Secretfire.
Before I could say anything, Turtle replied, "She's scared is all. I was just trying to calm her down." I would have thrown him a death glare if we weren't trying to avoid suspicion. I wasn't scared. Anxious maybe but not scared. As it was, though, I merely nodded while trying to act like I was, in fact, scared.
It was easier than I thought. When we started walking again, I happened to think about Winter. He was the Changewings' main target. He may have had Flint and Darkstalker with him, but as he was right now, I wasn't sure if he would be able to handle a dangerous situation.
Not long after that, we came into a large room. It was probably large enough to hold twelve or so dragons comfortably. There were torches lighting the bottom portion, but the ceiling was shrouded in shadows. There were also three other doorways along the back wall.
I was standing in the back of the group when the others spread out to search the room. I thought that it was a bad idea to split up like Turtle was doing since I watched him go down the right-side hallway. Blaze was looking around the center room nervously. If it was anyone else, I might feel sorry for them, but she was after Winter, too.
In a completely different way, of course, but still…
Secretfire followed me into the center hallway which lead to what appeared to be a storage area. It wasn't far off from the main room, so I could still hear everyone's thoughts.
Kinkajou was with Turtle in the right tunnel/room—whatever it was. Secretfire was with me, and Blaze was with…
Wait a minute…
Wasn't there only five of us?
I turned around with a sudden sense of urgency just in time to hear a scream coming from the main room. It didn't matter that I wasn't very fond of Blaze at the moment because I wasn't going to just sit there and let her die. In my rush, I had forgotten my sense of caution and was unprepared for the sudden surprise attack that came from the oh so obvious source.
He had me pinned and helpless in a matter of seconds. He wasn't the captain of the NightShowers for nothing, apparently. "Don't move," I heard him say. "Despite what you're probably thinking, I don't want to hurt you." He was calm…almost regretful.
As I lay there completely at his mercy, I heard another scream from Blaze, followed by Turtle's horrified yell, "BLAZE!" Then, I felt a massive wave of heat followed by screams of agony that didn't sound like any of my other friends. Turtle must have unintentionally let slip some of his power when he yelled her name.
I felt the dragon on top of me lunge to the side suddenly before the sound of a wet splash was heard directly behind me on the wall. "Wait! Wait, stop!" I turned around to see Secretfire on the ground surrendering and an angry Kinkajou staring at him with barely restrained fury.
It looked like she was going to ignore his pleas, but I held her in check, "Let him speak." She wasn't happy but obliged.
"Show us who you really are, Secretfir," I commanded, but he looked up at me helplessly.
"I'm…I'm not a Changewing," he removed all of his armor to prove it to us, and I sat back in shock as I comprehended what he was saying. He wasn't a Changewing, but he was helping them regardless.
"Why!?" I all but screamed at him.
He had the decency to look ashamed, "I just wanted to save my tribe. They told me that if I helped kill the Icewing, then they would spare my village. Please… You have to believe me. It was a stupid thing to do, but I did it with the best intentions."
"The best intentions?" Kinkajou scoffed. "Some of the worst things imaginable come from the 'best intentions.'"
I had to agree with Kinkajou, but there was something in his eyes that told me he was being sincere. I didn't want to kill him, and I think that, deep down, Kinkajou didn't want to kill a dragon who wasn't a Changewing, either. It went against everything that we stood for.
"Go," I told him. "Leave. The second you step into the village, you'll be executed for treason, so go."
To say that Kinkajou was beyond livid was an understatement, but she didn't try to stop him on the way out. Before he left completely, though, he turned back to me and said, "I'll make up for my mistakes one day. I hope that you'll let me when the time comes. Don't tell them what I did, please. Tell my Queen that I'm sorry for failing her." I nodded.
And with that he disappeared into a secret tunnel behind the barrels in the back wall. I motioned for Kinkajou to head back out into the main room. We were met with the sight of a corpse burned beyond recognition and a wounded Blaze. It didn't look too bad, though. She would live.
"The chakram embedded itself in the bone. I can't get it out," came Turtle's voice. I could tell that he was panicking, but he was trying to calm an even more panicked Blaze.
We had no time to waste, though. If we were attacked, chances are that Winter and the others were, too. "We need to go help the others!" I ordered. "Can you walk?" I asked the Sandwing. She nodded. I had to give her points for that.
Turtle nodded. "Let me grab my bag first. I found a bunch of important-looking documents." I nodded. That might come in handy.
Thirty seconds later, we were all half-running down the hallways to try and reach the others. Even at that speed, it took almost five minutes to get to where the sounds of pain and battle were coming from.
When we entered the massive cavern that could've easily held at least three of the other room, we were met with a grisly sight. Darkstalker was groaning in pain on the floor while an unconscious Flint was laying on top of him with at least three chakrams embedded in his scales. There were holes and pillars of earth everywhere. What could have made those?
The last sight, though, made my heart stop. Winter was shackled to the ground with a stake held by 'Deathbringer' racing towards his heart. I thought about screaming. I had just gotten him back, and now I was about to witness Winter die all over again. I would have screamed had not someone else beat me to it, "STAKE, TURN TO SAND!" I looked to Turtle who had yelled out the command before looking back to Winter who looked as relieved as I felt—if not more so. "SHACKLES, BREAK!"
I had always known that Winter was a fighter. I caught glimpses of him during the fighting eight years ago during the conclusion of the Icewing-Nightwing war. That was from a distance, though, and I had had other things to focus on that day as well.
Seeing him in action now, however, was something else entirely. He moved with such grace—even in his weakened state—that the stunned Nightwing imposter was on the ground in seconds. All of us watching were either in no condition to fight, or we just weren't fighters. We watched as Winter's teeth lunged for his enemy's throat, only to catch a foreleg brought up in defense.
I could see the struggle unfolding between the both of them, but I was more focused on Winter's eyes. They held a ferociousness that I was all too familiar with but had not been there since he awoke from his coma. For a brief moment, I thought that a small part of him had returned. This new Winter was much too mellow. He didn't have the raging blizzard in his soul that made him so unique.
My hopes were short-lived, however, when a pillar of earth shot out from the ground and Winter went flying across the room, a good chunk of the Changewing's leg with him, and landed in a heap on the wall. I heard the screams of pain followed by even more screams when I saw Kinkajou spit into the fresh wound from the corner of my eye. I heard Blaze run over there and could only assume that she must have stabbed him with her barb, as well.
Right before Winter lost consciousness, I saw his mouth moving like he wanted to say something, yet I heard no words. Then, his head slumped to the ground. I ran over to him to make sure he was all right. His breathing was strong if a bit ragged, but I was sure he and Darkstalker would live. Flint, though, "Turtle, Flint needs healing!"
I looked over to him and saw him pulling the bracers off of the corpse. They gleamed with an unnatural light. They must have been animus-touched. There weren't many animus dragons on Pyrrhia. Darkstalker no longer had his powers, Jerboa was well-hidden, and Stonemover had vowed to never use his powers again. That only left, "Anemone."
Turtle had whispered it, and when I looked over to him, I saw a look of pure anguish on his face. I don't thing I've ever seen him that sad before. I didn't like it. After a few seconds, Turtle shook himself before healing Flint. Kinkajou had volunteered to run back to the village for help, so all that was left to do was wait…and pray that our friends were okay.
AN: I hope you guys liked it. What did you think about Winter's speech in the Queen's pavilion? The POV switch? Darkstalker making up with Winter and meeting Aurora?
Looking forward to your thoughts. Read, review, but most of all just enjoy the story.
Until Next Time
AdmiralCole22