Hello, my friends! Hope all is well.

This Winglet is divided into two parts: The first is set a year before Finding Peace and the last part is set during the last part of Chapter 14 of Finding Peace.

With the release of Dragonslayer, this Winglet aims to focus a bit on Winter and his work in Sanctuary. While exploring where he is at, emotionally, six years after Darkness of Dragons.

Now, let's take flight!


Finding Peace: Winglets

Beyond the Turning: Part 2

Spring and Fall


Winter,

It is nice to read that you still care so much about me that you would write an encouraging letter about my observation skills. I can assure you, I am still very good at reading you like a book despite my promotion.

Don't worry, I will remain in touch with you. You might deny it, but I know you love our little back and forths like this.

The expansion of Possibility is going quite well, and I'm trying to convince the town council to let you come in and present your little "project." I'll let you know if I make any headway, maybe you can send Swan over to help convince council members?

Also, Moon is doing well. She's happy to hear about the progress you've made in your project.

I won't keep you, I know you're a busy dragon.

Qibli

P.S.

The offer is still open: if you ever want to take a break from Sanctuary, you are free to come to Possibility. It's been forever since we've seen each other. I know Moon would love to see you again.

We miss you.

Winter frowned to himself after straining his eyes to read the three crossed out words that Qibli had written at the bottom of his postscript.

Indeed, he fantasized about the idea of spending a few weeks in Possibility. Being able to talk to Qibli, face to face, and listen to his wit and jokes. It would be like how they were back in the academy, though this time Winter would be more tolerant of his remarks (though Winter would not stop himself from challenging Qibli's comments.)

The idea of seeing Moon again…it would be good, Winter admitted. Being able to finally speak with the NightWing after so long.

But, unfortunately, Winter felt reluctant about the idea of traveling to Possibility. While a part of him wanted to see his old friends, he did not deny that he did not want to leave his team of caretakers. Professionally, there was a lot of stuff he still needed to prepare the newcomer, Stingray, for when he began his duties.

Personally? Winter did not like the idea of leaving the group that had become close to him, like family. Especially with the fact that about who had arrived…

"Winter! Wiiiinnntteeer!" Came the voice of Bumblebee from the other side of the door of Winter's study, followed by the knocking of talons the six-year-old HiveWing against the wood. "Mom wanted me to let you know that it's time to head to the community hall!"

Winter groaned to himself.

That's right, Cricket. She was excited about tonight.

"Bumblebee, thank you, but I would appreciate it if you told your mother that I won't be coming," Winter replied, trying to sound polite to the dragonet.

But Bumblebee wasn't having any of it. Her talons continued to beat against his door.

"Mom was really clear: She wants you out of your room," Bumblebee insisted, knocking on the door again.

"I'm busy," Winter replied, turning back to his pieces of parchment while dipping a talon in his inkwell.

"Well alright," Bumblebee sighed. The clicking of her talons confirmed she was leaving, but not while saying. "Moooooommmm."

Sighing, Winter went back to writing. He knew Cricket would be back to insist that he come back.

At least the door was locked, so he would not have to come out.

Cricket, Swan, and SilentTongue wanted him to come to the Spring Equinox party. He was touched by their insistence. However, Winter was content with being in his room while the rest of the caretakers went to the gathering. It was less about him not enjoying the parties the town held at the start of the seasons and more about him just wanting to get as much work done.

Especially after a recent development during a visit into New Hope, the name of the village the Scavengers of the preserve had chosen. While he could not share his and the caretakers' advancement in the preserve with the public, Winter was excited about what had happened:

The New Hope leader and Winter had communicated through talon signs or a rough equivalent in the case of the scavengers.

Now, Winter wanted to capitalize on this advancement by attempting to develop more of this form of communication. To bridge the gap between the communication barriers that existed between scavengers and dragons.

The further he could advance this, the more he could shift Sanctuary's purpose away from being merely a preserve, a safe place for Scavengers to live, into a community that was the stepping stone in scavenger and dragon communication. Until then, to keep the attention of certain dragons away from the preserve: Winter, Swan, Silent, Cricket and the others would keep the true purpose of the preserve a secret.

But if being able to make progress on this form of communication meant that he needed to spend Spring Equinox to himself, so be it.

Nothing was going to keep him from his work.

Even if the Great Ice Dragon came barging through the door, he would not stop until he was satisfied with his work.

Suddenly, a series of seven knocks came from the other side of his door.

"Ohhhhhh Wiinnntteeeerrr!" Cricket's voice called out from the other side. Groaning, Winter turned his head back and was about to speak, until Cricket continued. "Swan and I are both respecting your privacy by knocking!"

Well, that was appreciative…

"But asserting our authority as your colleagues by coming in any way!"

…Wait, what!?

Moments later, Winter heard a massive THUD, followed the sound of his door falling off of its hinges and falling onto the ground with a crash. Swan, Cricket and Bumblebee walked into his study, Swan looking rather pleased with herself.

A few seconds passed of silence, and it took Winter that amount of time to realize his talons were gripping the ground in shock and his eyes were open wide, almost the size of dinner plates.

Finally, he calmed himself as he glared at his colleagues.

"Cri…Cricket! Swan! I just had that door painted!" Winter groaned to himself, looking down at the (rather expensive) door that was on the floor.

"I'll pay for it," Swan replied, the MudWing shrugging casually.

"I hope so," Winter sighed, before looking at Cricket as his brows furrowed sternly. "I said I wasn't going."

"And I said you are coming," Cricket replied, rubbing the dust from the lenses of her glasses. "Come on, you know you have lots of time before your next meeting with New Hope's leader."

"Yes, and I would like to get this done as soon as possible," Winter countered, turning back to his parchment and attempting to write down more information. "You, Swan and the others have a good time."

The sound of the HiveWing's talons clicking confirmed his longtime colleague was approaching him. As she looked over his shoulder, Winter tried his best to ignore her in his peripheral vision. But he could see the disappointed frown. He hated when Cricket did this, she was a kind dragon, someone Winter appreciated. They debated with each other, but she was a friend.

Because of this: he hated disappointing her, but this work was important.

"Well, we'd have a better time if you were there," Cricket insisted. "Pagona, Ibex, Lilly, and Stingray would love to have you there, Blue will be there and we have a special someone coming as well!"

Winter rolled his eyes when she mentioned someone "special." Last time she said that Sundew had ended up visiting Sanctuary.

Needless to say: Winter and the LeafWing had spent hours arguing…he couldn't even remember what they were talking about. It took both Willow, Sundew's mate, and Swan to break up the argument.

"I swear, Cricket, if this 'someone' is Sundew, I can assure you that my interest has not increased," Winter sighed as he rubbed one of his talons over his eyelids.

At this, Cricket smiled as she backed away.

"Oh, I can assure you, this 'someone' is very special," Cricket laughed.

Despite raising a brow, Winter did not look back. Instead, went straight back to writing. He hoped this would urge Cricket, Swan, and Bumblebee to leave him in peace.

Then, he felt a pair of talons reach out from behind him and cover his eyes.

Quickly, Winter held up his talons to touch the ones over his eyes…until he felt the cool scales that covered him. They were IceWing scales.

He even recognized the feeling of these scales.

A smile tugged it's way up his lips as he gently pulled the talons away from his eyes. After being able to see, Winter turned around and saw female IceWing, about his age, standing behind him. Her blue eyes gazed into his own, blue scales doted her white scales.

"Lynx," Winter whispered, his heart growing warm at seeing the IceWing who had become his beloved.

He was surprised but happy, to see her. In her last letter, she had said that she would be arriving two days from now and would spend two weeks in Sanctuary. The fact she was early, was a pleasant surprise for him.

Lynx's blue eyes showed the glint of mischievousness as she winked at him.

"You sure you wouldn't take time out of your schedule for me?" Lynx asked, playfully.

Turning his head back to his piece of parchment, Winter proceeded to roll up the parchment and stowed it away into his desk.

Maybe a few hours away from work would be nice.

"For you?" Winter responded, standing up from his workspace. "My schedule is always open."


Pappu!" Bobcat shouted happily from a corner of the Jade Mountain Academy library.

The sound of the dragonet's happy shouts dragged Winter from his memories, looking up from the parchment that was covered with Shadehunter's work on information about supposed Scavenger influence in the Sand Kingdom before the Scorching. Winter saw his son trotting through from an aisle of books over to him, the biggest grin on the dragonet's voice confirmed that something caught his attention.

The dragonet quickly jumped up onto Winter's shoulders and pointed at the aisle that he had just left.

"Cwicket book!" Bobcat insisted.

Winter chuckled to himself as he stood up.

"You really want that book?" Winter asked.

"Ywp!" Bobcat nodded quickly, that grin of his not lowering an inch.

Ever since they had visited the library with Alligator that day, Bobcat insisted on wanting to read the book on Scavengers (or "Reading Monkeys" as Cricket insisted on calling them) that Cricket had written. In the end, Winter could not deny his son's request.

Nor did he want to. Seeing the amazement in the baby IceWing's eyes made reading to him worth it.

Seeing the curiosity and excitement Bobcat expressed reminded Winter so much of Lynx, who was naturally a curious dragon who was always willing to learn. This was one of the reasons he would do anything to see his son's smile. Just like with Lynx, he was more than willing to put aside his work for his son. Being close to his son allowed Winter to be close to Lynx.

Yet, at the same time, being with Bobcat reminded him that the losses he endured in the past did not define his future. That he could move forward with his life and find happiness. Just like he had found his happiness in Sanctuary after the Battle of Jade Mountain.

"Well, alright then," Winter announced as he walked towards the aisle of Bobcat's favorite book, all the while giving the dragonet a smile. "Let's go get your book."