Dragons Change

AN: So apparently when I said a few days, I meant a week. In my defense, it is unbelievably hard to pick back up on a story-especially one as long and complex as this one-after two months without any progress on it. Though, the important thing is that it's finally done and the journey can continue.

On a sidenote, if you find a spot a little over halfway through where the writing quality or style seems to dip, you're probably at the part where I left it and then picked back up two months later. So apologies if it's noticeable. I tried my hardest to stay consistent, but like I said, it's difficult.

Second, if you have any Seawing OCs that you want cameos or possible side character positions for, feel free to submit their profile in a review.

Third, the drama bomb just nuked the end of this chapter, so enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire. My OCs Flint, Aurora and the other Spirits, and Faredir belong to me. Cataclysm belongs to her owner BizmuthTheRainwing. Hellstorm and Ashkey belong to their owner Frostbite15. Cover art for the story created and owned by beyzul on Deviantart.

Chapter 19:

The next morning found everyone save Hailstorm gathered in the cave where they had originally met Cliff. Speaking of which, the Skywing prince wasn't exactly happy with the situation. I mean, he's probably happy to be saving his mother…just not with me being the one in charge of the rescue.

He understood, of course. He did get a little…violent during the fight. Aurora had ordered Stratos to heal the prince, and the Skywing Spirit did so, albeit grudgingly. There's something about him that I don't trust, but I can't place my talon on it.

"How much longer are we supposed to sit here!?" Winter rolled his eyes at Cliff's outburst. Thankfully, Cataclysm shushed him, but now there were a few glances his way.

He sighed in exasperation but walked outside to judge the position of the sun. When he walked back in, he addressed them, "Pyrite still has two hours until her deadline at mid-day. Until she's here, we wait."

"Why can't we just go now?" Blaze asked, curious.

"We can't very well rescue the Queen if we don't even know where the Queen is," he stated without looking at her. Instead, his gaze was to the distant city as he rubbed the area above his heart. It was starting to become a habit of his. He became acutely aware of the anxiety and nervousness radiating from Aurora upon touching that spot.

"Are you okay, Winter?" Flint asked, slightly worried, beside him. He looked up at the Mudwing, confused, before he realized what he meant.

He replaced his talons on the ground. "Yeah," he whispered, "It's just a habit." Flint nodded but didn't move until Winter asked for some time alone. He walked outside and took flight for a moment before landing on a slightly higher ledge. He was silent for a moment as he gazed at the city on the distant horizon before he decided to break it. "There's no shame in being afraid, Aurora," he spoke, gently.

She appeared beside him with a frown. "Yes, there is. I'm supposed to be protecting you from our enemies, but I know that I can't protect you from Faredir," she spoke quietly but Winter had no trouble hearing her over the echoing chatter of the others in the cave below them.

"You won't be alone, though," he pointed out. "The other Spirits are with you…and so am I." She smiled at him lightly before she looked away with a sad sigh. He wrapped a wing around her, and she relaxed ever so slightly. I never got the chance to finish what I wanted to say to her. Does she know? I bet she does if that cheeky grin is any sign.

She laughed for a moment before she lowered her head and placed it atop his. "Of course I know, Winter. You can't keep secrets from me, after all. You are as much a part of me as I, you."

He smirked, mischievously. "I guess there's no reason for me to say it, then, since you already know."

She feigned being hurt, "You would deny me my happiness? You would refuse to say the words I have longed to hear?" She backed away a few steps with mock indignation. His smirk, however, was replaced by a surprised expression. As he continued to stare at her in disbelief, her grin fell, too. "Is something wrong?" she asked, concerned, all joking put aside for now.

"How long have you waited?" she tilted her head to show confusion, so he continued. "How long have you waited for me to 'say the words you longed to hear?'"

Understanding dawned upon her and she sighed. "I suppose it was that moment on the balcony in the Skywing Palace. You were so broken at my leaving…" she trailed off, but he didn't really need her to continue.

He had heard enough.

"I didn't know," he whispered. "If we can feel each other's emotions, why didn't I ever know?" She looked at him but didn't answer. In fact, he couldn't even feel her anymore. Understanding was quick to follow, "You were blocking me," he said, confused. "Why?"

She stopped blocking him from her inner thoughts and feelings before she answered, "At the time, your heart belonged to another." That time, he barely heard her, and he looked away in shame.

"I'm sorry," he apologized to her. "But it doesn't belong to her anymore. I—"

"Hey, Winter!" Flint yelled up. "Hailsto—I mean Pyrite is coming back!"

The Icewing's jaw was clenched in fury. EVERY TIME! Aurora giggled at his expense but disappeared before he could say anything more to her. Without another option, he flew back down to the cave in a slightly more sour mood.

While he sat there waiting for her to land, he reflected on his choice to tell Pyrite the truth. She was so innocent like Kinkajou used to be, and now that he had told her the truth, she was more scared of what might happen to her and everyone else. He felt terrible for not only exposing her to the truth but also for exposing Hailstorm's secret.

Flint understood—as Winter knew he would—but Moon did, too, surprisingly. He didn't know why but neither would he ask. It wasn't any of his business anyways. When Pyrite landed a few minutes later, she immediately took off her necklace and Hailstorm was once more among them. "So do you want the good news, the bad news, or the worse news?" he asked.

"How about we start with the good news?" suggested Cataclysm, with more than a touch of sarcasm.

Hailstorm nodded. "The Queen is still alive, but she's being held prisoner in her own room. The bad news: the patrols have at least tripled and the entire city is under martial law. The worse news: The Changewings aren't even try to hide themselves anymore. Faredir has claimed lordship over the entire Sky Kingdom and the entire Skywing military is under his command. I heard that they're about to launch an attack on the Rainforest."

Winter's expression turned grave. Glory was a great Queen but her tribes didn't have the strength to contend with such a massive force. "We should warn her," he stated, resolutely.

The others nodded until Aurora appeared and interjected. "She knows. Shade has passed on the message upon my request, but he will be here in time to face our enemy."

"So what exactly are we to do?" Flint asked. "Seven dragons can't defeat an entire army."

"Perhaps you seven alone can't," a new voice sounded. The ghostly Mudwing from earlier was standing there in the cave with them now. "But we can buy you enough time to do what needs to be done."

"Aye," the Sandwing Spirit, who appeared next, affirmed. "We'll be standin' with all of you as well." Everyone was looking around in wonder at the two new Spirits, followed by the Seawing, Skywing, and Rainwing Spirits.

Winter couldn't help but smile when Aurora stepped forward in all of her splendid glory, "Today is the day that the seven Spirits once more return to Pyrrhia! Today is the day that the old legends and stories are proven to be true! Queen Ruby of the Skywings is essential to the survival of our hope for the future! We must not fail!"

Sediment went and stood by Flint, Stratos stood by Cataclysm, and Arena stood by Blaze. The Spirits whose Champions weren't here instead stood next to Aurora and Winter. Flint and the others were absolutely dumbfounded by this sudden turn of events, but it was Arena who broke the silence. "Certainty of death…small chance of success…" he shrugged nonchalantly, "What are we waitin' for?"

Everyone looked at Winter. His gaze switched between all of those gathered. "If we are to succeed," he started, "Remember: Act smart, stick together, stay alive…but don't be an idiot!" With that said and grim resolve in the eyes of the group as his answer, he turned around and launched into the sky. This is it, Aurora. You have my back, right?

He could feel the devotion in her voice when she answered. Always.

The plan was actually quite simple. Most of them would create a distraction near the main gate of the city while he, Aurora, Cliff, and Shade would break off from the main skirmish and make their way through the castle—hopefully undetected—and rescue Ruby.

And what better way to announce their presence than by walking through the front gate?

They garnered a few angry words from the dragons waiting in line to get in but they quieted significantly when they saw the guards at the gate raise their spears…and the alarm. Within seconds, another platoon was blocking their way in. "Resistance is futile! Surrender or die!"

"Sediment, Arena, you know what to do," Aurora addressed them. They nodded at her and then at each other. The Mudwing Spirit slammed his fist into the ground, followed by the Sandwing Spirit doing the same.

An orange and brown shockwave raced along the ground and every dragon present looked around in both confusion and slight fear. That quickly changed to terrified screaming when the ground started shaking violently. The buildings stayed standing, but there were visible cracks forming upon them as the ground continued to shake.

A furious roar was heard coming from the palace. "I think he knows we're here," Oceania stated dryly. A large red dragon launched itself into the air as they continued to watch. The ground stopped shaking at this point, and the civilians and guards in the area slowly got to their feet.

"We have to get the civilians out of here!" Flint yelled.

Sediment turned his head to acknowledge him before nodding sharply in agreement. He looked at Aurora, and she gave him her silent acceptance. Winter was a bit confused until the dragons near them started either screaming again or looking on with bewildered expressions. A few even bowed. "I would suggest that all of you evacuate the area!" Sediment yelled.

He received no argument as most dragons immediately took flight away from the city. Faredir's Skywing form landed in front of them. "You dare to attack my city?" he questioned, sounding as much surprised as furious.

"This isn't your city, Faredir," Aurora spoke. His blazing eyes locked on her, and Winter felt her composure crack ever so slightly. He placed a talon on her shoulder as a show of support.

The massive Skywing saw this, though, and a wicked grin spread across his lips. "I see you have returned to your ways of hypocrisy. I'll make his death as painful as I made his namesake's."

Aurora growled. "You will not harm him, Faredir! You will not harm anybody, anymore!" Everyone except Faredir got into a battle position at that.

He looked at all of them dismissively. "You can't kill me, Aurora. None of the Spirits can, and your little band of misfits doesn't stand a chance against the power that I possess. I, however, can kill every single one of you. Since I'm feeling somewhat generous today, I'll give you one chance to surrender and unlock my father's prison."

"And what would be left of the world when he returns!?" Winter challenged. "A cold, dead world ruled over by undead monstrosities!?"

Faredir studied him for a moment before answering. "Not so. Those who submit to my father's rule will share in a grand utopia of his making. All dragons will be treated as equals as long as they recognize Him as their one, true leader."

"And for those who don't submit?" Flint challenged.

As an answer, Faredir gathered a purple aura in his talons before answering, "I would think you of all dragons would know, Flint." Immediately after, he swept his claws backwards through the air with a mighty war-cry.

Flint went flying backwards and landed with a groan. Winter's concerned expression shifted to one of rage, "THAT'S IT!"

Sediment, Arena, Oceania, and Stratos launched forwards and engaged Faredir in battle. Another roar sounded from the large Skywing and guards began charging their location from across the city. Hailstorm, Cataclysm, Blaze, and Flint—when he regained his breath—engaged the first few guards. Winter jumped to the side as purple lightning that came from an unnatural storm summoned by Faredir began striking the area around the battlefield.

"We have to go!" Cliff yelled. "We stay any longer, and we won't be able to save my mother in time!"

Winter nodded. The Spirits could take care of everything for now. "Make sure they all get out of this alive, Arena!" Aurora yelled. The Sandwing Spirit grunted in acknowledgement before he started shouting out orders.

Winter and Cliff took off towards the palace, but Faredir noticed their escape, "You can run, you can hide, but YOU WILL STILL DIE, WINTER! AFTER THEM!" Several guards split from the main battle and began flying after them as other groups running towards the battle shifted their attention to his group.

As they ran, Aurora took this time to remind them of a crucial detail, "Without Shade or I there to help them, they won't be able to last long, outnumbered as they are! We must be quick, for every second we delay is another chance for Faredir to kill one of our friends!"

He acknowledged her but didn't look back as he and Cliff dodged their assailants and continued making their way to the palace. They didn't have time to fight them all off, and they would be surrounded the moment they stopped or slowed down. Changewings in their true forms chased them on the ground as 'Skywings' swooped down at them from above.

Aurora did a magnificent job covering them, but if his own heavy breathing was a sign, she was beginning to tire from holding off so many by herself. "We need cover!" Winter shouted.

"There's nothing we can do until we get to the palace, but it'll be quicker if we fly!" Winter shook his head immediately. He may be a fast flyer for an Icewing, but he still didn't stand a chance at out-flying a Skywing.

"Where's Shade?" Winter questioned Aurora. "I thought you said that he would be here!"

Aurora had just frozen another two diving Skywings that shattered into millions of pieces upon impacting the ground when she answered. "He's closer than you think!" She didn't elaborate further as her attention was once again diverted by a small group of Changewing infiltrators. She lunged at them with a savage roar as Winter kept running.

The two skidded to a stop upon seeing a familiar and unwelcome dragon standing in their way. The unnatural green eyes made it impossible to mistake who this was. "Ashkey," Cliff growled. He turned to Winter, "I'll handle her. You keep going!"

Winter nodded before launching himself straight up. He had confidence in Aurora's ability to protect him for the short flight to the fifth floor, but a Skywing got a lucky shot off and singed his back left leg. He landed upon the balcony with a pained grunt, entered the room, and immediately blocked the door by pushing a large piece of furniture in front of it. He scanned the room and saw Ruby unconscious and tied up on her bed. He ran over to her and began cutting her bonds, causing her to stir.

"What are you doing here!?" she yelled at him, almost in hysterics.

"I'm getting you out of here!" He said back with conviction.

Ruby's gaze kept scanning the room. "Look out!" she yelled, fear obvious from her tone.

The warning came too late as someone tackled him and threw him out of a stained glass window that he hadn't noticed before. He landed on his back in the throne room five floors down—blasting the air out of his lungs and threatening to knock him unconscious. Shards of glass rained down on him as he fought to stay awake with a massive groan.

The sound of wing beats echoed through the room before someone landed next to him. The next thing he knew, he was being lifted into the air and then thrown into the wall. He began seeing stars before talons squeezed themselves around his neck. He began choking. "It's too bad Moon isn't here," the dreaded voice of his enemy whispered. "I would have enjoyed breaking her."

"Release him!" Aurora shouted. Through his muddled senses, he could feel her hatred for this Skywing and determination to protect him.

Hellstorm shifted his gaze to her, "Lord Faredir has made his wishes quite clear. You know what you must do. If you wish to save his life, you must take your own, Aurora…And don't bother trying to attack me. I'll kill him as soon as you make a move." She looked at Winter as he looked back at her, his vision finally cleared enough to see her. She looked at her talons in thought before looking at him. He shook his head, horrified that she was even considering this. "If you will not, then there is no hope for his survival."

She glared at him, "There is always hope!"

Winter felt a strange sensation throughout his entire body. It wasn't unpleasant, but neither was it a particularly nice feeling. He fell to the floor when Hellstorm dropped him and backed away in shock. "What is this!?" the large Skywing demanded.

Winter watched as Shade—not Aurora—jumped out of him and attacked their enemy. He blinked several times to make sure he wasn't dreaming. Shade was attacking Hellstorm with a ferociousness he had never seen out of the Nightwing Spirit before. The Skywing was on the defensive, but he hadn't yet been injured from his opponent's ferocity.

"Umm…" he trailed off, stupidly. Focus, Winter! There are more important things to take care of first! Aurora yelled at him.

He shook himself to clear his head and observed the fight before him. Aurora had joined in the fight, yet Hellstorm still hadn't been injured. He furrowed his eye ridge in confusion. There's no way he could hold off both of them…unless…

He noticed a random spear laying on the ground. He picked it up and tested the weight before throwing it at the Skywing. It flew true and struck him behind his front left leg—an injury that would have left him near incapacitated—but the spear merely bounced off. "He has impenetrable scales! He's stalling for time!" he yelled to the two Spirits.

Hellstorm snarled that his plan had been discovered. He dropped his charade and let Shade and Aurora attack him to no effect as he stormed over to Winter. "You are too observant for your own good, Winter! I was ordered not to kill you, but I will not let you leave here, either!"

Winter began backing away from Hellstorm's slow yet steady advance while looking around frantically for a possible solution to this latest conundrum. Alright, Winter, think! How do you hurt a dragon with impenetrable scales? Another tremor shook the castle. He stumbled and glanced up as dust and rubble fell from the ceiling. He did a double-take.

The chandelier! Aurora, drop the chandelier on him! I'll get him into position! Her confirmation flowed through their link. With his own plan in mind, Winter slowed his retreat and let Hellstorm close the distance. Without warning, Winter lunged forward and saw his enemy's surprise before the larger Skywing braced himself.

The next thing he knew, he was flying through the air without using his wings. A large shard of glass impaled his burned thigh upon impact and he just barely contained the pained scream from tearing out of his throat. "Well that could have gone better," he grunted. With no other choice, he reached back and yanked out the glass shard from his leg. A steady flow of blood followed its removal.

He clenched his jaw in pain and didn't see the fist that sent him sprawling onto the ground next to the nearby wall. He was grabbed by the throat and the next thing he saw was Hellstorm's snarling visage right in his face. The Skywing's grip was strong enough to prevent escape but not enough to cause him to black out. He saw Shade and Aurora watching with bated breath. They knew there was nothing that they could do to help. If even they couldn't hurt Hellstorm, than that probably meant that Faredir had shielded him from their attacks somehow.

"What makes you so special?" he snarled. "Why is it that the Spirits themselves take an interest in you?" There was no small amount of hatred in his voice.

Winter looked straight into his eye and answered, "Nothing. I'm just doing what I believe is right." In a move so sudden that Hellstorm didn't even have time to react, Winter stabbed the shard of glass he was able to hold onto into Hellstorm's remaining eye.

The Skywing howled in terrified agony. Hellstorm dropped Winter and backed away as he scratched at his face in sheer terror. "Shade!" he called.

The Nightwing Spirit nodded without the need for instruction and jumped into action. He tackled the panicking Skywing before rolling out of the way. Aurora—who was already in the air at Winter's call—breathed ice upon the chain holding the chandelier up. The chain snapped almost immediately so powerful was Aurora's frostbreath.

Winter watched the chandelier fall from almost four floors up. He turned his head and closed his eyes before impact. The sounds of snapping bones, however, was something he couldn't block out. Impenetrable scales are useless against that kind of crushing force it seems.

"Aurora?" he called without looking away from the grisly scene. She landed beside him and he shifted his attention to her. "Can you go check on the Queen? Make sure she's alright."

She looked between him and Hellstorm's body once before placing a comforting paw on his shoulder and nodded. She turned away before hesitating for a moment. She glanced back at him for but a moment before flying back up to the fifth floor.

Shade walked up to him as he stepped towards the body. He had expected the transformation to start by now, but the body was changing. That meant one of two things: either by some miracle Hellstorm was still alive…or he actually was a Skywing. "I know you probably don't want to hear this, Winter, but there are some dragons that would do anything for power."

Winter nodded, "It's just hard to imagine that anyone could be so…"

"Evil?" Shade finished. Winter nodded again. There was a momentary silence as Winter checked the body for a pulse, just to make sure. Hellstorm was dead. For now, there was one less dragon out to hurt him and Moon. "Aurora is our leader, Winter. We all care about her, so I want you to know that all of us will do what it takes to protect you. She's been through enough as it is."

Winter studied him for a moment, contemplating what he had just heard, before he decided to ask, "Shouldn't you be more…disgruntled by the situation? I thought it was forbidden."

Shade was about to answer when his attention was diverted upwards as Aurora and Ruby came in for a landing. "We can talk more later, Winter, if you wish," Shade replied. Winter nodded at him in acceptance before turning to regard Aurora and Ruby.

Aurora had a bit of a sympathetic look on her face as she gazed at Ruby. The Queen for her part was staring at Hellstorm's body with an unreadable look. She then turned to Winter, "It seems that there is much more to you than I previously thought. The Spirit tells me that I must abandon my kingdom…and my citizens. So I ask you this, Winter: Will you give me your word that we WILL return to free my tribe?"

Winter glanced at Aurora for a second before nodding at Ruby. "You have my word that we—that I—will do everything possible to save your tribe and the rest of Pyrrhia from these invaders."

"We must go now," Aurora stated. "We must regroup in the Sea Kingdom as soon as possible."

Winter nodded, "Shade, see if you can find Cliff." Ruby's gaze snapped over to him at that. "He was engaged with Ashkey at the front gate when I left him." The Nightwing Spirit bowed his head in acceptance before disappearing from his sight. "Let's regroup with the others and get out of here."

He took the lead as he ran through the palace halls. Corpses were scattered through the halls—no doubt Shade's doing. As they came upon the front gates to the palace, they noticed that the doors had been heavily damaged and thrown open by some force. Winter noticed Shade standing on the other side of the door and their eyes met. The Nightwing Spirit shook his head.

Winter's expression fell and his shoulders slumped. He scanned the ground just to be sure, but there was no sign of Cliff's or Ashkey's body. "They took him, didn't they?" he asked Aurora. She nodded solemnly before walking over to Shade. "I'm sorry, Ruby, but he gave me the time needed to rescue you. I just wish I could have done more."

Ruby's expression was unreadable but the slight shudder in her shoulders told him everything he needed to know about her state of emotion right now. "I believe that we are supposed to be abandoning my city?" Her words were cutting, but he understood the reason for her angered response.

"Aurora, ready for round two?" he asked her. She smirked and they all began running towards the area with the most devastation where the fight continued. This time, there was much less opposition. Most of the force had to have been defeated then…

But that didn't make sense…

Several thousand soldiers don't just up and disappear. Where was the main force? He slowed his pace and looked around in confusion. The others noticed and turned back around. "Why have we stopped?" Ruby asked, frustrated.

"Look up," he replied.

The others did so. "The skies are empty," Aurora pointed out. "Where did—"

"Perhaps our answer will reveal itself closer to the nearby sounds of battle…" Shade suggested.

Instead of running, they settled into a jog. When they got closer to the wall without any opposition still, Winter stared dumbfounded. The Skywings and Changewings were engaged not only with the rest of their group and the Spirits but also with an army of Nightwings and Rainwings with Queen Glory herself at the vanguard.

"This is impossible," he mumbled. "It takes two days to fly between here and the rainforest. How could they get here in less than an hour?"

Aurora gave Shade a knowing look, so Winter looked at him for clarification. "I may have opened a Shadowgate for Queen Glory's army…She was quite insistent."

Faredir was nowhere to be seen, though, so now was the best time to retreat. First things first, though. "Round everyone up. We need to get out of here NOW! I'll tell Glory to sound the retreat." He took to the skies followed by Ruby as Aurora and Shade went to gather their friends from within the chaos of battle.

From above, it seemed as if the Changewings were disorganized and confused. It seemed that without a strong leader, they would break easily. The Nightwing's close range assault and the Rainwings long range venom support seemed to be doing just that. Seeing themselves on the losing side, a few Changewings were even surrendering.

Against all odds, Glory had actually won this battle. If this was a normal enemy, this could have been the end, but it wasn't and isn't. Faredir would return with another army no doubt, and Pyrrhia had to be prepared.

"Queen Glory!" he called out when he was close enough.

She looked up in surprise as she turned to him. "Winter? Fancy meeting you here. I can't tell if trouble follows you around or if you go out and look for it." She smirked, "I guess it doesn't matter. It makes for an interesting time at least."

"What is the status of your force? How many casualties have you sustained?" Ruby asked.

Glory narrowed her eyes at the Skywing. "Queen Ruby, I would like to assume that you didn't order an assault on my rainforest."

Winter got between the two as tensions began to rise. Both of the narrowed gazes switched to him for daring to interrupt. He turned to Glory first. "It's a long story—one that I don't have the time to tell you right now—but Ruby didn't order the attack. You talked to Shade, right?"

She nodded, "Yes, I did, but he was rather vague and mysterious. He simply stated that my enemy in the Sky Kingdom declared war upon my tribes. Of course my first thought was Ruby, and I could potentially understand why."

"You could?" Winter asked in surprise.

"I stopped inviting her to my soirees ever since her husband tried to force himself upon me in the hallways." She glared daggers at the Rainwing Queen.

"…He did what?" Winter asked, completely floored by the claim.

"He did not try to force himself upon you!" Glory argued back. "He was drunk—and an idiot—and he was trying to give you a hug for your hatch-day. Yes…he fell on top of you and then licked some spilled wine from your shoulder, but like I said, he was drunk…and an idiot."

"Yeah, that sounds more like him," Winter commented.

"So you're calling me a liar?" Ruby shot back.

Winter gave her his best 'really?' face before turning back to Glory. "I have the dreamvisitor that you sent with Kinkajou. When Flint left to find me, she gave it to him in order to give it to me. I'll make sure to keep in communication with you if that's okay?"

Glory nodded, "Of course. I asked Sunny if I could borrow hers and she let me, so I'll do the same for you if I learn anything I think you should know. In the meantime, I don't think you came here to exchange pleasantries and awkward stories about my husband, so I'll answer your previous question: casualties were extremely minor. Once we arrived, the enemy seemingly lost all sense of order. It was an easy victory."

"Why would Faredir abandon the battle? He probably could have wiped your entire force out if he wanted." Winter thought to himself out loud. Glory looked between him and Ruby uncomfortably at hearing that.

"Perhaps not," Aurora chimed in. "Arena and Sediment both claim that Faredir wasn't fighting at his full strength. Maybe he was still recovering from our last skirmish? It would explain why he left when our reinforcements appeared."

He thought for a moment, "Maybe, but something doesn't add up…We have more important things to discuss first, though. I think it best that you and your force return to the rainforest, Glory."

"If he's gone, does that mean that I don't have to abandon my city?" Ruby asked.

"I wouldn't advise remaining," Aurora stated. "He will doubtless return here. And now that he has your son, it would be easy for him to make you submit once again." Ruby looked away and growled in frustration but didn't argue with Aurora's wisdom.

"And where do you propose we go?" Ruby finally asked in outrage. "Where could we go that he could not follow?"

"The Sea Kingdom," he replied. "There might be an artifact hidden in the depths that could give us the advantage."

"Might be?" she asked, incredulously.

"Do you have a better idea?" Glory asked the Skywing. "We should at least give Winter the benefit of the doubt. If he believes that an artifact worth possessing is in the Sea Kingdom, then we should make haste to find it before the enemy."

"Thank you, Glory, for your support," Winter sighed, exasperatedly.

Ruby was about to respond to the obvious jab when a familiar yet angry voice sounded out, "WINTER!"

"Spirits, what now!?" he huffed.

"You've become awfully popular," Glory stated with more than a hint of sarcasm.

Winter merely grunted as he turned to face a rather livid looking Hailstorm, "What is it now?"

"After everything that we've been through so far, you still don't trust me enough to tell you the truth!" he accused.

Winter's expression immediately shifted from frustration to confusion at Hailstorm's statement. "What are you talking about? I trust you with my life, Hailstorm…but what truth are you referring to?"

Hailstorm replied immediately, "The truth about this!" He tossed over an object that Winter caught without looking away from Hailstorm's gaze.

Winter glanced at the object as surprise manifested itself across his expression. It was Flint's armlet. "Flint never takes this off. Why do you have it? Where is he?" He pinned Hailstorm with a glare, but his older brother didn't back down from the challenge.

"Follow me," Hailstorm replied after a moment.

Winter followed Hailstorm for a few minutes before they arrived at a rather interesting scene. Several Nightwings and Rainwings were trying to push past his friends while Sediment looked upon the impending scuffle with a clearly growing sense of anger. The odd part: his group of friends were defending a lone Changewing who was huddled into itself on the ground. It was sobbing rather heavily.

Winter narrowed his eyes at the sight before stepping forward. "What's going on here!" he yelled. Every dragon in the area immediately quieted and looked to him. An unfamiliar Rainwing stepped forward and addressed him.

"According to Queen Glory's law, all Changewing prisoners must be arrested, questioned, and—if necessary—executed to prevent possible future incursions from our enemy. However, your group refuses to stand down and let us do our duty!" the Rainwing captain reported.

Winter studied him for a moment before shifting his gaze to his group of friends. It didn't take him long to realize that someone was missing. He looked around for the familiar large, brown Mudwing when his gaze switched to the Changewing. It was staring at him intently with a sense of…longing?

Winter froze immediately when understanding dawned upon him. He looked down at the armlet in his talons before he shifted his gaze back to the Changewing. It looked down in shame.

The maelstrom of emotions swirling around inside him upon making this discovery forced him to close his eyes and take a deep breath to steady himself. He turned to the Rainwing Captain and spoke absently, "I think Queen Glory can make an exception in this case, Captain. Stand down."

The Rainwing narrowed his eyes, "I don't take orders from you!"

Winter growled dangerously as he bared his teeth at the slightly larger Rainwing. After a few moments, he submitted to Winter's wishes and ordered his dragons to stand down.

With the spears lowered, his friends relaxed and the Changewing raised himself from off the ground. He looked around nervously before cautiously walking towards Winter—who was merely sitting with an unreadable expression.

For his part, Winter could sense Aurora's concern through his own flood of anger and a deep sense of betrayal that he was currently feeling. The Changewing stopped in front of him uncertainly and started saying something before Winter completely lost control and, with a ferocious roar, sent forth a punch that sent the now smaller dragon flailing onto the ground.

"Winter, please!" the now alien voice pleaded with him. The Icewing stalked forward with a dangerous snarl and was about to attack the terrified dragon before Winter stopped suddenly as Moon blocked his path.

"Don't do this, Winter! I know that you're hurting, but I don't need to see the future to know that you'll regret this forever if you continue." He stared her down but she didn't once crack under his glare. She placed a claw over his heart, and he looked down at the source of the contact. "Please, Winter…" she pleaded.

"Did you know?" he asked lowly.

She nodded after a moment's hesitation, and he drew back as if she had just burned him. Cataclysm tried next. "Don't take it out on him, Winter, please. He's still your brother, and you know not all of us are bad."

Winter studied her for a minute before looking intently at the Changewing. "We'll be having a nice, long talk later. I suggest thinking about what you want to say to me." He turned away before saying one more thing, "We leave for the Sea Kingdom within the hour."

He walked away without another word. He didn't get far before Aurora intercepted him. "Why are you so angry, Winter?" she asked, worried. "He may look different, but that Changewing is still Flint—the dragon you've called brother for the last eight years."

He whirled around at her and she flinched in surprise, "Is he!? For all I know the last eight years have been a lie! We've seen that the Changewings were trying to get close to the other members of the Jade Winglet and the Dragonets of Destiny."

"Then how would you explain Raven?" she countered. "She didn't know the truth about Flint, and we both know the she was an actual infiltrator." She placed a claw on his shoulder and continued in a gentle tone. "I know that you feel betrayed, Winter, but you must believe me when I say that the past eight years weren't a lie. It was all real."

"Why do I get the feeling you knew about it, too?" he asked, rhetorically.

"Because I did," she replied. He tried to turn away in a huff, but she grabbed him and forced him to look at her. "Look at me when I'm talking to you! Yes, I knew the truth, as did Moon, as did everyone else but you."

"Everyone knew!?" he asked in outrage. She nodded. "Except for me!? Why not!?"

"Because you're acting like a dragonet!" she stated, annoyance beginning to creep into her voice. "Now grow up and start acting like the dragon I chose to be my Champion!"

His anger shifted to her as he forced himself out of her grip, "And why should I!? Twice before you've kept the truth from me and then promised to always tell me no matter what. Now you've kept the truth from me again. I'm starting to sense a pattern here, Aurora."

"What are you talking about?" she asked with a raised eye ridge.

He just sneered and walked away. This time she didn't try to stop him. He stormed through the ranks of Rainwing and Nightwing soldiers without any particular destination in mind. He already regretted all of the things he said to everyone. They were just trying to help, he knew, but he wasn't good at controlling his anger when it came out.

He needed to calm down somehow. Usually he would talk with someone, but who exactly could he talk to? He was pissed at both Flint and Aurora. He didn't know Cataclysm well enough to confide in her. Glory was too busy getting her troops ready to leave to talk with him. Things were still kind of awkward between him and Blaze. He wasn't comfortable talking about things like this to Hailstorm yet, and Moon probably didn't want anything to do with him anymore.

"I'm sorry you feel that way, but that's not true, Winter." He froze at the unexpected voice and turned around in surprise. "I know you like to talk to someone when your angry or upset, so I'm offering to listen."

He looked at her skeptically, "May I ask why?"

She stopped just in front of him and answered, "Because I need to talk to you, too…if that's okay?" He nodded after a moment's hesitation and motioned for her to follow him. They walked to a relatively secluded area away from all of the soldiers.

When he stopped and turned to her, he took a minute to compose himself before speaking. This is going to be so awkward, he thought. "Would…Would you like to go first, Moon?"

She nodded, "Yes. I wanted to say I'm sorry for acting the way I have been." He cocked his head in surprise and slight confusion. "The way you reacted with learning Flint's secret reminded me of your reaction to when I told you the truth about…us. It made me realize that I couldn't blame you anymore. You don't like to be lied to and I…knew you didn't know the truth, but I didn't want to tell you because I was…afraid to lose you, too."

Well, you did, though, didn't you. He couldn't stop the thought from springing up unbidden. He saw her look away in shame. "I'm sorry, I didn't—"

"It's okay," she interrupted. "You're right. I was wrong to blame you, and you have every reason to be angry with me, but I wanted to say that I don't want to be angry anymore. I want us to be friends again, Winter. I've lost too many already to start throwing away those who still care about me."

He sighed in relief. "I'm glad we can start moving on from that…episode, but you know things between us can't go back to the way they were, right?" She nodded, though her shoulders slumped ever so slightly. A moment of silence fell between them before Winter broke it, "You're right that I don't like being lied to," she bowed her head in regret, but he continued, "but I appreciate that you finally told me the truth."

She looked up at him in surprise before another flash of guilt crossed her features. "Not all of it," she whispered. He cocked his head, not understanding. She seemed to struggle with some internal conflict before she closed her eyes with a sad sigh—seemingly resigning herself to what was to come. "The Changewing who posed as Qibli for all of those years broke my spirit. I was in his control," she began.

"When I found you and realized that you still had feelings for me, I…" a few tears started to fall down her cheek at her imminent confession of guilt. "I wanted to be the one in control. I—I used your emotions against you a-and I'm s-so s-sorr-ry!"

Winter stared at her in utter, absolute, and sheer disbelief as she broke down next to him. Looking back, he could think of several instances where it seemed like she had manipulated him: when her mother died, when she asked him to kill 'Mangrove', possibly even when he had killed 'Qibli' and she had been angry with him.

He had been about ready to accuse Aurora of using him like a puppet, yet the true puppet-master was sitting in front of him confessing her guilt. It was a strange feeling to know that the mild-tempered, shy dragoness he used to know had become so manipulative and conniving. However, he found that he couldn't exactly say he didn't understand. He was absolutely furious, but he understood—in part. He had been through enough experiences to know that perspective in life is the key to understanding.

That Changewing had put her through three years of hell, so it's no wonder she felt insecure about her place. She had forgotten what it was like to be loved, so she wanted what she had received.

Control.

Despite the tempest of fury raging in his heart, he picked her off the ground and wrapped her in his embrace. "You should have told me," he whispered. "I can't forget this, Moon," her breath stopped as he continued, "neither can I forgive you—not yet. Perhaps in time I could, but I think it's best—for everyone—if you return to the rainforest with Glory for now." With that, he broke away from her and walked away without another word—even when she begged for him to come back.

He had never expected this outcome when he agreed to talk with Moon, and he briefly wondered if he would ever be able to trust her again. As he observed the first groups of Rainwing and Nightwing soldiers lifting off into the air for the return journey home, he realized that it didn't matter right now.

It seemed that his and Moon's destinies had been entwined…but never joined. Now, their journeys diverged and he had no idea if they would cross again. Perhaps they would, and the two of them could go back to being friends like Moon wanted.

As of now, though, he wanted nothing to do with her anymore. It seems the old stereotypes about Nightwings being lying and manipulative held some truth to them. I was a fool to believe she was different.

After all, stereotypes have to come from somewhere.

He walked back over to his group. Flint wouldn't meet his eyes and he felt slightly guilty about that, so Winter tossed the armlet over to him. It landed on the ground with a small bounce, yet Flint made no move to pick it up. Instead, he looked at the Icewing in confusion. "I believe that belongs to you," Winter said in a soft yet curt tone.

Flint picked it up but didn't put it on. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

"Yeah…me, too," he replied, also in a whisper. He made to turn away but stopped when Flint called out his name again.

"Winter?" the Icewing turned to him, patiently. "I thought about what to say," he stated. Winter sent a glance to the others and told them to finish up any last-minute preparations. They seemed to get the hint.

When they were gone, Winter's attention turned fully to him. "And what did you decide on?" he asked with a carefully even tone.

"That no matter what you think of me, you'll always be my brother…and I'll always love you." He looked down, like he didn't want to see Winter's reaction to his words.

For his part, Winter had expected Flint to say something along those lines. That didn't make the impact it had on him any less profound, though.

Sure, siblings fight. In the end, though, they always make up and become closer for it. After all, isn't family the most important thing? Moon may have faked the love in their relationship, however, though the love between family may, at times, be shaken, it can never be broken…and neither can it be fake.

So…without hesitation, Winter wrapped his brother in his embrace and whispered the only words that needed to be said, "I love you, too…brother."

AN: Sooo...those plot twists.

I'll just leave it at that and ask what you think. I won't confirm or deny anything regarding Moon, so don't even ask. There's always a method to my madness, and I hate spoiling my stories for others.

Lastly, I think the update schedule will switch around a little bit and Chapter 20 of this story will come out before the new Perspectives chapter with periodical updates of Brighter Future sprinkled in when I feel like it.

Until Next Time

AdmiralCole22