Hello my friends,
With this chapter, we will start going through Winter's six-year journey. In these chapters, I will show where The Darkest Eclipse AU deviates from canon.
Now, without further ado, let's take flight!
5,012 A.S. (After Scorching)
3 Months after the Pantalan War
Something Winter always appreciated about city meetings in Sanctuary, was the lack of coldness when compared to gatherings in the Ice Kingdom.
IceWing royal gatherings were always business-related, you began the meeting with a call to order, and all those in attendance would announce themselves and their rank. An agenda would be followed to the letter, with even the smallest deviation frowned upon (he supposed some things changed ever since Queen Snowfall's ascension.)
In Sanctuary: meetings were still considered important as representatives of the city would bring up important topics ranging from trade with other towns to disputes among different individuals. But overall the mood of these meetings was much more relaxed than any meeting held in the Ice Kingdom.
If Winter were honest, he liked these meetings. By no means would he say he was friends with the district leaders of Sanctuary, the sense of openness and respect among the group of ten dragons was something he appreciated. Despite having a seat on Sanctuary's council, Winter did not have the privilege to represent the IceWings as such a role was given to someone named Brisk. It was only because his Scavenger Outreach Project was supported by all of the Queens of Pyrrhia and Pantala did he have the privilege to have a seat here, something he did not take for granted.
The meeting took place in Sanctuary's community hall, a large building that was the sight for community feasts and celebrations. Meetings among the district leaders were the rare exception where the hall was closed to the public.
As Winter took his seat around the table that the ten district leaders of Sanctuary sat around during their weekly meetings. Each of the dragons, hailing from one of the seven tribes of Pyrrhia and the three from Pantala, represented a respective culture from the two continents. Riptide, of course, represented the SeaWing district of Sanctuary but was generally looked to as the defacto dragon in charge given he was one of the founders of Sanctuary. It was thanks to Riptide that Winter was allowed to have a seat during these meetings.
Once the council leaders took their seats, and drinks were passed, Riptide himself called the meeting to order and quieted down the chatter.
"Alright everyone, we've got a lot to talk about, so let's get started," Riptide announced, his voice echoing through the community hall to get everyone's attention. It only took a few seconds for the lingering chatter of the district leaders to stop and now all members of the council were looking at the SeaWing who led the Talons of Peace. Giving the assembled dragons a soft smile and nod, he finally took his seat at the table. "Firstly, I just want to thank you all for the hard work you put into coming up with ways we can expand Sanctuary for our three new communities."
While Riptide said this, Winter could see the three new district leaders (a SilkWing, HiveWing, and LeafWing respectively) who were in charge of their respective districts. While Sanctuary had dragons from Pantala ever since they arrived in Pyrria during their exodus, Sanctuary did not have cultural districts for them like the Pyrrhian tribes. It was only last month that dragons from Pantala officially had districts to call their own.
And already they were blending in with regular life in Sanctuary. The three new district leaders were recently chosen by their respective tribes and were working hard to pull their weight on the council.
What followed was a roll call of sorts starting with Riptide. Each of the council members announced their names and gave a summary of how their districts were fairing. With so many dragons from different tribes (and a high population of Hybrids), Winter realized that it was important that each district have a chance to speak their concerns. That way the community could grow closer.
Once each leader was finished giving their summary: the representatives of the Pantalan districts summarizing what their constituents were doing to build up their district and thanking everyone for giving them the privilege to be a part of Sanctuary.
As each of the Pantalan leaders finished their summaries, Winter felt his heart start to beat faster as a little bit of anxiety filled his veins. While keeping his expression composed, it was difficult for the six-year-old IceWing to keep the anxiety in check...knowing he was up next to present his status.
And he was not sure what the reactions of the council members would be based on his first, real, update on the Scavenger Outreach Project.
"Once again, we are humbled and grateful for everyone allowing us to build our homes here in Sanctuary, despite the crimes of our Tribe over the last decades," The voice of Anasa, the HiveWing representative, echoed in Winter's ears as he finished his update.
Hearing this, Winter's head raised as the predominantly black scaled HaveWing bowed his head to the rest of the assembled council and took his seat at the table. That was all of the representatives delivering their announcements...that meant it was his turn.
"Thank you, everyone, for your updates," Riptide said, bringing the introductions to a close. Slowly, the SeaWing turned his head to look over at Winter. As this happened, Winter saw from his peripheral vision the heads of MudWing and SandWing representatives look at him along with the rest of the representatives. "Now, I want to give Winter, the one who is responsible for our home's namesake, the chance to give his update on the Scavenger Outreach Project that I know he's spent months working on."
He knew that Riptide was trying to show how Winter played an important role in Sanctuary, like mentioning how Winter had been off-talondly responsible for Sanctuary's name in the first place. But that did not help Winter feel anymore calmly. It seemed to add to the stress.
This is not the first time you've delivered a speech, Winter, you've had plenty of practice both in the Ice Kingdom and Jade Mountain. He reminded himself. All he had to do was present the steps he, and Daffodil on her part, for his project.
Exhaling through his nostrils, Winter stood up from his place at the table and placed the bag containing charts he had for the outreach project.
"Three months ago, during the Queen's Summit, we made many discoveries. The Othermind that affected the Pantalan Continent," At the mention of the threat that nearly enslaved all of Dragon kind, the Pantalan representatives nodded but he could tell they did all they could not wince at the mention of the evil entity. Quickly, Winter continued. "But, we also discovered that humans, who we once referred to as Scavengers, were just as intelligent as dragons."
This garnered a nod from the council members, especially Riptide who had overseen the Summit itself. Winter still remembered how the SeaWing had almost fainted when Daffodil and Wren started talking to him, or how the peculiar SkyWing, ironically named Sky, spoke human. Of all the council members, he knew that Riptide was the one who would support him.
However, the others were different topics entirely. Especially when he saw a few of the dragons frown slightly.
"With endorsement from the queens, I have a few plans on how I can carry this Outreach project forward," He continued, trying to build momentum. Undoing the flap of his bag, he revealed his charts and notes.
"You've been doing your research," Mused the MudWing representative, Aspen. Of the council members, the MudWing was perhaps the most neutral in his thoughts regarding Winter's project.
"Yes, very detailed," Said the IceWing of the council, Algid said. He did not know much about her, as she had only started representing the IceWings in Sanctuary around the time the first Pantalan refugees arrived. "With the amount of faith the queens have in you, I can see why they support your project."
At face value, nothing Algid said was insulting. It was all true, the Queens believed the Outreach Project was beneficial. But there was something underneath her tone. Something Winter had heard from other dragons who knew of the project.
Why should we care about a lowly species? Why are you wasting the Queens' time?
It was understandable, Winter thought. Centuries of belief could not be changed in a few months because the Queens told them not to, or just because one or two humans could speak the dragon tongue. It was his job to get dragons to reach out and understand that they are not the only intelligent species in the world.
"Thank you Aspen, Algid," Winter nodded at each council member. He did not let Algid's words bother him, and instead, he pulled out one of his scrolls. "What I have planned, is to use the valley just south of Sanctuary as a safe zone for the humans to live. Here, the humans can live close to Sanctuary, but far enough away to go about their lives. Then, we can further reach out to them.."
"Clever, Winter," Riptide said, smiling at the idea. "In turn, the regular sight of dragons flying overhead, not attacking them, could show that at the very least we can live close enough but not intruding in the other's way."
When the rest of the council members nodded, Winter, resisted the relieved smile that tried to tug its way onto his lips. Maybe this could work.
"The human, Daffodil, says she knows of some humans who need a more permanent home...they trust her," Winter explained, recalling the brainstorming he and Daffodil had down over the months.
"All well and good, Prince Winter," Rutile, the SkyWing councilman, said. "But...you should know: the valley may not be suitable for small creatures like Scavengers to live in. The lake, in particular, used to have a healthy population of fish but not anymore. The soil may also not be suitable for crops."
"Humans," Winter corrected Rutile, respectfully. He paused for a moment, realizing he was getting to the point he was not sure would succeed. "I am aware of what you mentioned. That's why I wanted to come to the council...and ask for permission to have resources to help make the valley a more liveable place."
At the mention of requiring resources and, potentially, funds to create an area that could be suitable for human habitation, Winter saw the expressions of every council member, minus Riptide, shift into varying degrees of offended. It was like they thought he was asking them to give him all of their food and money.
"I'm sorry, but you want us to approve funds and resources meant to be used for building Sanctuary, to instead be directed towards your pet project?" Said Algid.
At the mention of "Pet" project, Winter struggled not to wince at the word. Images flashed in his mind of the human he had kept as a pet during his first days in Jade Mountain, how the human he called "Bandit" had lived in a cage. Another of when he kept Daffodil in a cage.
Two moments he was not proud of, treating an intelligent species like a pet or subject in an experiment even if he did not mean harm.
Two of the many mistakes he had made within the last few months.
"I don't need much, I just need enough for it to be habitable…" Winter tried to explain, ignoring the jab his fellow IceWing made at him. "All I need is…"
"And how do you know that will be enough?" Rutile interjected. "Do you have any experience in how much food it takes to maintain a population of Scavengers?"
"Well, no...but…" Winter said, but he realized that was the wrong thing to say as what little interest some Council Members may have had in his proposals melted like ice in the middle of the desert.
"So you are asking us to blindly trust you with resources that could be used for new arrivals from Pantala?" Asked the SkyWing of the council.
"No, I just…" Winter started, with all of the eyes on him he felt like he was back in the Ice Kingdom. Maybe he was wrong, this meeting was feeling like ones in the Ice Kingdom. Trying to regain his composure, he continued. "I just need enough resources for a season."
"That is still not enough information, Your Highness," Algid pointed out, the use of his title almost making him flinch. "We need information, proper estimates. We represent the dragons of our districts. Humans, as you insist on calling them, are not our priority. If you cannot give us details...then how can we trust you with resources that could be better off in the talons of our people?"
There was a collective nod from everyone in the assembly. The only one who did not nod was from Riptide himself, who just sat across the circular table directly across Winter. Instead, when their eyes met, and he could see the Talons of Peace leader giving him an apologetic look.
"Instead of just rejecting his idea," Came a voice from his left. Winter looked at the SilkWing representative. He did not know her name, but she seemed to be the more interested in his presentation. "If the main concern is lack of information, shouldn't the Prince be given the chance to get the details he needs? Then, once he has them, we can proceed and make a more conclusive decision?"
At the SilkWing's words, the councilmembers glanced at each other, considering the new member's words. Winter realized what it was they were considering: It wasn't the validity of the Outreach Project. Most of the members had made their decision long before he started talking.
It was because she and the Pantalan dragons were new to their roles. They were welcoming of the dragons from Pantala, to instantly shoot down their proposals would seem disrespectful without consideration.
Whether the SilkWing representative thought his project amounted to anything, or whether she pitied him (he was feeling the latter) did not matter: Because all of the council members nodded.
"Very well," Rutile sighed. "I think we could give him a week."
"Agreed," Algid nodded.
"Anyone oppose?" Riptide asked, looking at the assembled council members. When everyone shook their head, the vote was passed unanimously. "Winter, you have a week to give the council estimates for the Scavenger Outreach Project. By the next meeting, we will decide the best course of action."
Ultimately the meeting had continued without incident, the councilmembers all discussed topics relating to their districts.
During that time, no mention of the Outreach Project was made. While Winter still attended, ultimately all he could do was listen to what was discussed and ignore the occasional glance directed at him. He did his best to ignore the stares, but he had felt small. By the time the meeting concluded, he had almost jumped from his seat. Riptide had pulled him aside and wanted to walk with him as the other council members went about their day once leaving the hall.
"Sorry they ganged up on you," Riptide said as soon as they walked out of the Community Hall, and into the busy streets of the Great Decagon, the very center of Sanctuary itself.
It was here that one could easily travel to any of the ten cultural districts of Sanctuary. Because of the many cultures of Pyrria and Pantala blending in the center of Sanctuary, this area had the largest Hybrid population in the settlement. While much of the Decagon was still under construction, with scaffolding for homes and buildings still up and temporary use of tents for housing, Winter had seen the final designs for the Great Decagon...and he honestly felt excited to see its completion.
He just wished he could take a moment to admire the busyness of the Great Decagon at the moment, but his mind kept falling back to his disaster of a presentation just an hour ago.
"They're right," Winter said while he and Riptide walked past some merchant stands set up. For a moment they paused as hybrid dragonets (one Ice/SeaWing and a Sand/SkyWing) running past them to see what they could spend with money they had been given. "I didn't have numbers to give them."
"I know," Riptide said, frowning. "But they should not have run over the top of you like that. This is a project that the Queens support, they should have let you explain your ideas further before discounting it."
He appreciated Riptide's words, but the stares from the council members were still present in his mind. This was not something he was unfamiliar with, he had always been scolded by his parents for his interest in humans, how he wanted to learn more about that. But that was before he was given a task with making an Outreach program.
The council members all but declared his project was worthless. If they were any other dragons, he would have gotten angry at them. But these were the representatives of Sanctuary, his home. If he was disrespectful to them, then he'd be alienating what little support he had.
Almost like the last time he lost his temper. It pushed away from the dragons who became his friends and family.
And just like that, the familiar sting in his heart returned. One that he had been feeling for months.
"Hey, Winter," Riptide said, batting a wing against his own, causing Winter to look up at the SeaWing. "If you need help…"
"I don't," Winter muttered. "I'm fine, I can get the numbers by the next meeting." It came off colder than he would have liked, which is why he quickly added. "Besides, you need to focus on the SeaWing district...don't let my work distract you from yours."
Riptide frowned at Winter's refusal, but it was obvious that he knew Winter was right. Sanctuary was expanding, and it needed its leaders to be focused on building it for the dragons coming into it.
"Okay," Riptide nodded. "But if you need anything, I'm here to help."
Winter smiled, appreciatively. While he would have liked help from Riptide, he also knew that the SeaWing had much more important priorities. If he were to have help, he would need somebody to help him who had no prior commitments.
"Thank you...but I can handle this," Winter said as he walked in the direction of the SkyWing district while Riptide veered off to the SeaWing district.
Because SkyWings were among the fastest fliers in the world, many of Sanctuary's messengers were SkyWings. It made sense to have the messenger center in between the Great Decagon and the SkyWing district.
As he neared the messaging center, a towering building with an opening for messengers to fly through and touch down for quick delivery of packages and letters, Winter felt the breath in his throat begin to grow colder than any frost breath he could breathe. Nervousness and dread filled his mind as he opened the door to the messaging center.
This was a routine he had done almost daily since the end of the Pantalan War, but it was never easy for him. It was hard for him to describe how he felt when he went to the Mail Center…
He felt both dread and hope when he visited his mailbox. About whether or not he would receive a message from his friends...specifically Qibli and Moon.
The thought of the SandWing and NightWing members of his old Winglet once again made his heart skip a beat. It made entering the Mail Center hard every time. He hated this feeling especially knowing that the two dragons most important to him were together and that he wasn't with them.
But, that was his fault. He had pushed them away, with his temper. And when they had finally come to Sanctuary four months ago, he had every opportunity to go see them during the Summit of Queens.
But he had been too cowardly to do it. Now here he was, waiting for word from them after not seeing them for months, especially when there was no reason for them to reach out anyway.
All of these thoughts repeated themselves as he entered the Mail Center. Upon entering the circular building, he was met with the chatter of messengers in the upper levels who had either just arrived from a destination or were about to leave for a courier job.
"Hello, Prince Winter!" Came a cheerful voice upon entering the building. Pulled from the negative loop he was in, Winter's eyes blinked as he saw the receptionist of the Mail Center. She was a hybrid, like so many dragons in Sanctuary. While her scales were orange, the many horns on her head and neck were white like icicles, hinting at her mixed ancestry of SkyWing and IceWing blood. "Coming for the mail?"
"Thank you, Borealis," Winter said, giving an appreciative nod to the receptionist who was always so diligent with her job.
Walking up to the counter, he saw Borealis pick up a huge stack of scrolls.
"From Jade Mountain," She said. "Could have sworn we just sent your assignments yesterday, and they're already giving you more work." The ten-year-old hybrid laughed.
At this, Winter managed an appreciative smile.
"Also, we got a letter for you," Borealis said as she dug through her desk and picked out an envelope.
Seeing the envelope, Winter felt his breath seize in his throat...was it...was it from Qibli and Moon?
Slowly, he took the envelope from her...and saw his name written on it.
Very carefully, as if the letter was frail and would crumble like ash: He dug his talon through the seal and opened the envelope...pulling out the letter. Unfolding it, his eyes nervously looked at the talonship…
But...he did not recognize it as either Moon or Qibli's.
Relief washed through his body...but disappointment soon took its place. He dreaded hearing from them, hearing about their lives. But, at the same time, he wanted to hear from them. Either thing hurt him, no matter what he did.
Instead of dwelling on it, Winter simply read the letter, trying to desperately keep his mind off of the SandWing and NightWing.
Winter,
It's been a while since I responded to your last letter. A lot of stuff has happened since we spoke, and Snowfall needed dragons she can trust to help her out. Ever since she dismantled the wall, she's been dealing with some of the blowbacks from the older, more traditionalist, nobles. Sadly, this includes your mother. Despite that, she's remained strong and is trying to change our tribe for the better.
One of the things she's tasked me with is to find ways to dissolve the Circles.
But something like that will take some time, years even...but it's better to start now, right?
How is the Outreach Project going? Please, let me know, I would love to come by and see all of the good work you are doing (and believe me, it is good work.)
I wish this letter could be longer, but I hope you are doing well in Sanctuary. Remember to come and visit the Ice Kingdom some time, as Snowfall said: You are always welcome (okay, maybe she did not say those exact words, but I know that's what she meant when she rescinded your banishment.)
Until next time,
Sincerely,
-Lynx.
It may not have been a letter that he was expecting, let alone one he hoped for, but reading through Lynx's letter managed to bring a smile to Winter's lips.
He had not seen Lynx since the end of the Pantalan War. But they had been in regular contact through letters in the last three months. She would give him updates as to what was happening back in the Ice Kingdom. While Queen Snowfall said he was allowed to return home whenever he wanted, his work in Sanctuary largely kept him busy, so Lynx would periodically let him know what was happening.
It was nice to hear from her, and admittedly the letter did brighten his day.
Folding the letter, he stowed it into his bag along with the work he would need to do for Jade Mountain Academy.
Saying his farewells to Borealis, Winter left the Messaging Center. Opening his wings, Winter took flight. From the afternoon air, he admired the sight of Sanctuary below him. Much of Sanctuary was still under much construction, but the districts were coming along nicely.
Flying for the city limits, Winter started his descent as he neared a small home that was built just outside of the MudWing district. Away from the bustle of the city and the noise of construction, the house had a wonderful view of an empty valley filled with pine trees and a cold stream that went through it.
Once he touched down, Winter took a moment to look at the small house that had been built for him shortly after the Queen's summit four months ago. Small, but it suited him nicely.
Pushing the door open, Winter entered the living room/kitchen/workspace/sleeping area (really, the only place of the house, when he thought about it.) Walking over to his work desk, he turned on his Flamesilk lantern and started to pour out the contents of his bag. Charts and scrolls came tumbling out like a waterfall.
Sorting through what was work for Jade Mountain and his diagrams and notes for the human sanctuary, it took Winter five minutes to finally get everything organized. Once he finally got the chance to look at the pile of work ahead of him...the reality of the situation ahead of him finally weighed on him.
He had ten assignments that had come in from Jade Mountain, add that to the five he had yet to complete and send back to the Academy for grading. All of this was stuff he needed to do within the next week, or his grade would have to take a deduced grade. His instructors had been more than flexible with him on his work, but he knew there was only so much flexibility they could give him. Especially with the end of the term coming up within a month.
Then there were his notes on the human sanctuary.
Within a week, he would need to go through all of his charts and figure out proper estimates for the resources needed for the valley not far from his home to support a small community that could grow over the next few years. He did not doubt that the humans in the valley would find the way, but Winter knew that humans would not follow Daffodil on blind faith alone unless they knew that there was an environment that could help them survive.
Groaning, Winter pressed his talons over his eyelids.
If he was going to get a week's worth of assignments and his research completed...he'd need to spend an entire day working on them...maybe even two or three.
As much as he hated the idea of spending entire days balancing his work, Winter knew there was no point in wasting time thinking about it. The only way it would get done was if he got to work.
And so, opening a scroll from the pile that focused on the human sanctuary, Winter slowly started going over the drafts he had made for the fisheries that humans would build in the lake and the species of fish and the numbers required to support a healthy population.
Thus began hours worth of tiresome work.
Numbers filled his head, equations used to find possible outcomes. When he made a mistake on any of the equations, Winter would scratch out the faulty equation and start over again. As the hours dragged on, the more mistakes he seemed to make.
And with every mistake, the more agitated he seemed to become.
The more agitated he became, the more his mind wandered.
That frozen-brained council. Not listening to me. Not letting me talk.
And the Academy, thinking I'm a SeaWing that can breathe under all of this work.
Qibli and Moon not reaching out within the last few months…
Just as his mind wandered to that train of thought, Winter's eyes blinked as he just now realized that he was no longer writing numbers. No, he was writing a single word, over and over.
You are stupid, You are stupid, You are stupid, You are stu…
A snarl escaped Winter as he crumpled up the parchment he had been writing on. The parchment, and anything close to his talons, flew off the table and all over the floor.
Placing his head in his talons, the all-to-familiar feeling in his heart returned. Feeling cold and hot at the same time, that metaphorical knife continued to twist as the thoughts of the SandWing and NightWing filled his mind again. It did not help when he imagined the two smiling and laughing together, having such a merry good time at the Academy.
Without him…
No, no. That's selfish, Winter scolded himself, shaking his head in his talons as those thoughts crossed his mind. They deserve to be happy. You don't deserve either of them. Not after what you said to them.
Inhaling softly, Winter pulled his talons away from his eyes. Just barely he could feel something wet on them, and blurriness in his sight. With a blink, he managed to clear his eyes of the emerging tears before they had a chance to fall.
Once he had suppressed the feelings that distracted him, he noticed that his house seemed darker than before...Looking to one of his windows, he saw that the sun had started to set. Groaning, he pinched the bridge of his snout and rubbed the tips of his talons over them. The sound of his stomach growling and the heaviness in his eyes were a definite sign that he was not going to be getting much work done, not if he was tired and hungry.
Maybe if he took some of his work with him and went somewhere to eat, he could satisfy his appetite and work?
Well, if it meant taking his mind off of certain topics, he decided it was worth a try.
Stowing the charts that he had been studying for the past hour into his bag, Winter stood up from his workspace and left his house.
Since the MudWing district was much closer to his house than any of the other districts, he figured that was the best place to go to for his meal. It was ironic that while Winter's small house was located just outside of the MudWing district, he never really spent much time in the district itself. Normally he passed through, or above, it when going about his daily activities.
So when Winter stepped into the district, he was taken off guard with how cluttered the streets were. Many MudWings were on the streets, doing construction for various buildings. Because MudWing siblings were almost always in troops of siblings, of course, it would mean the streets would be packed. But to still be working as the moons started to rise?
Well...he would still be working while he got a meal, so he was not one to talk.
It took everything Winter had not to bump into the various dragons on the street. Occasionally he would apologize or excuse himself as he squeezed between dragons.
After about fifteen minutes of wandering the streets, Winter found his destination: A bar with indoor and outdoor dining. According to Riptide, who would not stop talking about it, the bar had a variety of drinks and meals from the various corners of the Mud Kingdom.
Entering the bar, Winter was relieved to see that there were not that many guests inside. Except for a single MudWing sitting in the far corner of the bar, silently drinking her beverage, and a troop of three MudWings who owned and operated the establishment.
Just as he took a seat at a table in the middle of the bar, he was greeted by the sudden appearance of a small MudWing, likely the youngest of his troop. The MudWing's scales were a reddish-bronze color...and he almost reminded Winter of a slightly older Umber, the original MudWing of the Jade Winglet. The way the MudWing looked at him was like he was trying to figure out what Winter wanted before he even spoke.
He only knew Umber for a few days, but in class, the MudWing was always the most observant of the Winglet. Whatever happened to Umber? He wasn't sure. It had been months since the MudWing disappeared with his sister, Sora.
"Let me guess, Blue Ice Globe Wine with some Whale Blubber?"
"Huh?" He said, sounding like a SeaWing just now realizing it was in the desert.
"That's what you'd like, right?" The MudWing asked, giving him an amused quirk of a brow. "Most IceWings love those dishes."
Well, he did not want to make it seem like he was easy to read. But right now he was just hungry and thirsty for something.
"Yes please, thank you," Winter said as he dug into his bag and gave the MudWing money.
Once the MudWing took it, a big grin crossed his muzzle as he raced to the kitchen and told his siblings the order. What followed chaotic clanking of metal and chatter. It was like he was back in the Academy's prey center…
Just as quick as the MudWing had appeared in front of him to get his order, he was coming out the door, balancing a tray that held the whale blubber and his drink.
"Thank you," Winter replied with a nod.
And with a, rather energetic, bow of his head and wing: The MudWing left for the kitchen.
Like before, Winter was left alone with nothing but his notes and meal. Looking down at the meal, he picked up the whale blubber and started to eat it, all the while pulling out his notes.
Occasionally, he would shift between eating his meal and continuing the equations he had been trying to solve back at home. He managed to get a few of the equations finished, but he still had so many to go. No doubt he would need to work especially harder tomorrow morning, so that would leave him only a couple of hours of sleep.
The thought made his mood fall, knowing that the next week was going to be a blur of work and exhaustion…
And there was no guarantee that the council would like what he worked on. If the meeting today was anything to go by, then the council had already made its decision.
If that happened...then that meant he already failed the Outreach Project, and the humans it was meant to benefit, before it even began.
Failure. Such a word that describes the kind of dragon he was...
"Whatcha working on?"
Winter almost jumped into the air from the sudden question that had interrupted his thoughts. Turning, he was greeted by the MudWing who had been drinking alone in the far corner. She was perhaps one of the biggest MudWings he had seen in his life (and he had seen a lot of MudWings in his short six years of life so far).
She towered over him, her brown scales reminding Winter of leaves during the fall, and her huge wings furled to her side while she gave him an inquisitive stare. No...those light brown eyes were not looking at him, per se, rather...they were looking at the pile of notes on the table.
"A project," Winter muttered, suspicious of the MudWing's sudden appearance.
"Well, I can see that," She answered, her lips curling into a smile. Like she found his answer amusing. "What's the project about?"
"Sorry, but this is council business," Winter answered, turning his attention back to his work. Taking a sip from his drink while he worked.
"Council business," She mused. "Well...you're not Algid."
He ignored her comments, not wanting to be rude, but because he did not want to delay any further.
"Ah, I get it," The MudWing said, her tone lifted as if in realization. "You must be the one in charge of the Scavenger Outreach Project."
Glancing back at her, he followed her gaze to a single piece of parchment that lay among the pile of his notes. While most of his notes were maps and figures for the Human Sanctuary, there was one that was not of statistical value to the project. Rather, it was a personal one.
It was a drawing, one of two humans and a single SkyWing.
Frowning, Winter pushed the sketch underneath the pile and went back to writing.
"So, if you are working on the Outreach Project...that means you are Prince Winter, right?"
"It's just Winter," He corrected her. Technically, yes. He was a Prince. But he preferred not using his title in Sanctuary. If he was going to start a new life here, he would prefer not to be addressed as "Prince Winter, Cousin of Queen Snowfall." He was trying to move past letting royalty define him, and figuring out how to become his own dragon.
"Okay, that's fair," The MudWing responded as she sat on the opposite side of the table he sat at.
This MudWing either did not catch the clue that he did not want to talk to her, or she did but just did not care. As much as he would have liked to snap at her and tell her to mind her own business like the rest of Sanctuary, he knew that would only further distract him...and needlessly be rude. He tolerated her presence but did not attempt to initiate conversation.
Of course, that did not stop her from talking.
"You know, you should work smarter," The MudWing she mused while watching him scratch out yet another wrong equation.
Lifting his head, Winter's brows furrowed at her comment. Was she calling him stupid? It was not something he was debating, he was starting to think it was a stupid idea even starting this project in the first place. But to hear somebody else say it, admittedly, stung.
As if realizing she said something wrong, she continued. "I mean, you are working hard. But, I think there is an easier way to organize so many numbers and solve the needed equations."
Holding out her talons towards the scrolls he was looking at and the parchment he was writing on, he saw her look at him expectantly. Like she was telling him to trust her.
Narrowing his light blue eyes, Winter doubted this MudWing's intentions. Nobody in Sanctuary took interest in the Outreach Project. It was not something that was hated, rather it was not taken seriously enough to give him support. There was no one willing to volunteer within the first month after the Queens gave their support for it.
How was he supposed to know whether she was being genuine?
Looking down at his parchment, seeing so many parts angrily scribbled out from Winter's frustration...he realized that he was not getting anywhere.
Sighing in defeat, Winter slid all of his work towards the MudWing.
Taking everything, the MudWing started to scan the paper that Winter had been analyzing regarding the population of a healthy fishery for the valley's lake. Her eyes darted between the list of fish species, their size, and weight, and, without looking, she dipped her index talon into the inkwell and started to set up equations.
Her mouth moved ever so slightly, mouthing out numbers and mathematical terms as she wrote. Blinking, Winter watched as she finished the equations that he had struggled to complete for hours, and continued down the list...From where he sat, he knew these were accurate numbers. He knew that these were the figures he was trying to reach, but he had been too tired and frustrated to reach them.
All he could do...was just finish his meal while she worked.
Just as he finished, she presented two completed sheets filled with equations for the required fish populations. Picking them up, Winter looked over the work as he tried to hide his bewilderment.
"You were doing it right," The MudWing said, smiling in triumph. "You were just taking a long way around."
Winter looked back up at her.
"Thank you," He whispered, feeling a little bit of the pressure lift from his wings. This saved him hours of work. "Pardon, but...how do you have this much experience?"
"You learn a lot when you manage the supplies of Queen Moorhen's army and villages of the Mud Kingdom," She answered, winking. "I've had years of experience trying to find out how to manage numbers like this."
That would explain why it was so easy for her. Indeed, he was fine with mathematics, but it was not his area of expertise. Somebody who needed to manage how much a population needed would no doubt find something like managing a human sanctuary easy, given their size.
"I appreciate the help…" He paused, not quite catching her name.
Noticing this, the MudWing smiled.
"Swan," She introduced herself. "New arrival to Sanctuary."
That would explain why she was so eager to approach and help him.
"Thank you, Swan," Winter gave a grateful nod of his head. "This is going to help a lot."
"Oh? I take it you have much much more work you need to do?" Swan asked, raising a brow.
"The Council wants me to give them estimates on the number of resources needed to make the valley not far from here liveable for hu...I mean, Scavengers," He explained, correcting himself since he knew not every dragon called humans...well...human. "They were not so eager to accept my proposal today."
At this, Swan glanced at one of the diagrams Winter had drawn. It included boundaries for the settlement that Daffodil hoped the humans willing to come to the valley would make.
"Well, I do not blame them," Swan said. Looking up at Winter, she elaborated. "You have good plans, but it sounds like while the Council may not be fully on board for your project: You gave them concepts, but in their mind, they likely think a fully grown scavenger will eat just as much as a dragonet, maybe more. With so many dragons coming to Sanctuary, your project is the victim of poor timing."
That was something he understood. The Council members were not Queens (or Kings). But they still represented dragons of their districts. He fully understood this, though he still wished they would have at least heard him out.
Even if he had the numbers ready by next week, it was all but assured the council would have a majority to deny him resources.
"Thank you for your help, Swan," Winter said, sighing as he realized that her work could be in vain. "But after today, I'm sure the council will deem this project a failure."
"Now, where did I say it was a failure?" He heard Swan say, rather sternly. Looking up, he saw Swan lift his charts. "These are good schematics. Once you have the numbers, the Council will back you."
"They already seemed to make it clear that this project is not worth it, not when most of the council believes it's a pet project of mine, not worth the support of the Queens," Winter said.
"Well," Swan said, leaning forward with a big smile. "Then it sounds like you need somebody who A: Has experience with statistics, and B: Explain why support for this project is beneficial."
Winter's eyes went wide when Swan said all of this…
"Are you...asking me to let you join the Outreach Project?"
"Well, no...I'm telling you I've already joined," Swan replied, bluntly. Her bluntness almost reminded him of Qibli (though less insufferable.) "And that I'll make sure the Council agrees to support this project."
There was still a lot of work ahead of him, and there was no certainty that the Human Outreach Project would succeed. Yet, hearing Swan's confident words and recruiting herself to the Outreach Project caused the smallest trace of a smile to lift Winter's lips.
"Well then, I guess all I can say is this:" Winter said, clearing his throat and holding his talons out. "Swan, welcome to the Human Outreach Project."
Swan reached out and clasped his talons in her's, and shook his. Very slowly, that smile returned as she quirked a brow.
"Human, eh?" She mused with an amused smile as if Winter was letting her in on some grand secret. "Well...I have a feeling you have a long story to tell, Winter."