Dragons Change

AN: Well, this came out a lot later than I expected. It turns out that September was an unexpectedly busy month for me, but I'm finally back and ready to start putting words on the page again.

I won't keep everyone for long, but I will say this: the next story for the Dragons Change universe has been decided! It will be about the great war 15,000 years ago and how Urfael came to be the evil SoB we all know and hate. I'm not entirely sure who I want to put the POV as, so I'll put up another poll asking what all of you think.

EDIT (10/09/2021): A lot of people didn't like the way this chapter originally ended, which I can understand. It was more of an experiment than anything-seeing how far I could push the limits before someone said 'hold up, now!' So I changed it. Hopefully that makes everything a bit better. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire. My OCs Aurora and the Spirits, Flint, and Faredir belong to me. Cover art for the story belongs to beyzul on deviantart.

Chapter 33:

Winter sat quietly as Faredir slowly ate some of the food Winter had brought. He kept a claw on his father's shoulder in a reassuring manner to let him know that he was still here for him. And despite the fact Winter had decided he was going to talk to him about what happened, he couldn't figure out a way to breach that subject. So after a few minutes passed by in silence, Winter finally spoke. "Are you okay?" he asked gently.

Faredir stopped munching on the apple he was currently eating and set it aside with a sigh. "No," he admitted quietly, looking down at his injured arm.

Noticing, Winter furrowed his eye ridges in confusion. He didn't see how getting injured like that could cause…this. However, to be polite, he asked, "Does it still hurt?"

"It's not the pain that bothers me," he snapped, though without much bite. "It's the fact it's still there when it shouldn't be."

Winter nodded slowly, that explanation making more sense, but he still didn't fully understand. Although he had a guess as to what he meant. "Because you don't have your powers anymore," he said as a statement.

Faredir froze for a moment when he heard that, and his entire posture slumped. "Yes," he confirmed.

Winter studied him for a moment. "Why does that matter?" he asked, cautiously.

"Why does that—" he began incredulously. Then he whipped around and glared at him, his teeth bared. "Because it's who I am!" he yelled. "It's what I've always been! Without them, I'm nothing! A nobody!" Winter had recoiled backwards in surprise at his outburst, and seeing this, Faredir's glare lessened and he looked away. "I am what my powers—what…my father—made me into," he spoke softly, a hint of shame in his voice. "Without them…I don't know who I am anymore…"

So that's the reason, Winter thought to himself. Faredir is ancient—over fifteen thousand years old—and he had been labeled as the most powerful dragon to have ever lived because of his powers. With them, he was literally unkillable, and he could do almost anything. To have lived like that—knowing what he was capable of—and then suddenly have the one thing that made him who he was taken away…

He didn't know how to be a normal dragon. He knew the basics, sure. That was evident by him knowing that his injury needed to be cleaned and bandaged, and that he needed to keep weight off of it for a while. However, the fact that he could be hurt meant he could now be killed, but that had never worried him before since he literally couldn't be killed. It left him more vulnerable than he had ever been, and Winter could see in his eyes that that fact scared him.

It was kind of sad, really. Faredir's powers had given him both his identity and his purpose, but they had also made him take his immortality for granted. Now that he no longer had them, he had to rediscover who he was. And while he couldn't really help with that as that was for his father to figure out himself, he could give him a small push down the right path.

Winter reared up on his hind legs and wrapped his arms around Faredir's neck in a hug. It was returned, but Winter could tell he was confused by how stiff his movements were. "You're my father," he said quietly. "Just because you don't have your powers anymore doesn't change that."

Faredir released a small breath as if a weight had just been lifted from him. His stiff embrace became much warmer, and he hummed in contentment. "I still can scarcely believe that I was blessed with a son such as you after everything that I've done. No one has ever looked up to me as you do, Winter, and you've just made me realize something." He pulled away for a moment and looked in Winter's curious gaze. "I may have lost my powers, but I gained so much more in return." Faredir smiled at the Icewing's surprised expression and pulled him into another hug.

Winter's heart felt as if it was soaring with the amount of happiness he was feeling right now. Narwhal had never spoken to him like this, and it came to make him resent his biological father. Then, his thoughts drifted to one of his ancestors. Would Darkstalker have killed his father, Prince Arctic, if he had been more supportive of his son? Would he himself have snapped eventually and killed Narwhal?

Though as he thought about those questions, he wondered where exactly they had come from. As a matter of fact, why was his heartbeat quickening as if he was excited for something? And what was he excited for?

"WINTER!" a familiar voice called excitedly from the door. Faredir released him just in time for him to be pulled into another embrace. His face ended up buried in the black chest scales of a rather large Nightwing.

He blinked a few times in confusion before he was able to compose himself enough to speak. "Darkstalker, what are you doing? And when did you get here?"

Darkstalker released him, and as he pulled away, Winter suddenly felt a wave of regret wash over him because of interrupting the embrace. He didn't get a chance to ponder why he felt that way as he looked up at the Nightwing in question. Darkstalker had a wide smile on his face as he looked down at him with unbridled happiness. "Sorry, I was just really excited to see you," he admitted sheepishly, though his smile didn't fade in the slightest. "And we just got here a few minutes ago."

Winter raised his eye ridge in confusion. Sure he and Darkstalker had begun to grow a little closer when they last parted ways, but he didn't think this amount of excitement came only from that. "You were excited to see me?" he asked, surprised and a bit skeptical.

However, Darkstalker only nodded vigorously. "Yep!" Then, he seemed to remember something and his smile began to fade slightly. "Right…We weren't that close when we had to split up. Umm…this is embarrassing," he chuckled awkwardly. "How best to explain things?" he mused, scratching his chin with a single claw, and Winter let him gather his thoughts. While he was waiting, he took in the Nightwing's appearance to see if there was a physical reason—like an enchanted item—for his strange change in behavior.

What he discovered wasn't at all what he was expecting. For starters, Darkstalker was even bigger than he remembered. The Nightwing had only been two heads taller than him last time they were together, but now as he sat next to Faredir, Winter saw that the Nightwing almost came up to the middle of Faredir's neck while Winter himself barely reached Faredir's chest.

His new size was surprising on its own, but the next thing he noticed stole Winter's breath away. Darkstalker's eyes had changed color. They were no longer silver. Instead, they were a vivid light blue. That was strange enough at first as that was usually an Icewing color—and a rare one at that—but then as he studied them further, Winter recognized them. He saw them every time he looked at his reflection, and they were the same eyes his ancestor gave him.

They were his…

That realization simultaneously made him uncomfortable and strangely happy. He couldn't explain that second one, but the first one was rather obvious as to why. "Y-Your eyes…" he stuttered.

Darkstalker smiled and nodded, but it was Faredir who spoke. "Interesting…I had heard the rumors, but I was never certain."

"Certain about what?" Winter asked, hoping someone could explain this rather…strange development. "Can someone please start making sense?"

"I know this probably sounds strange, but once you start regaining your memories of your past life like I've started to, it'll make more sense," he started, and Winter nodded for him to continue. "The bond between Spirit and Champion is deep, but the bond between us is even deeper." Winter opened his mouth to argue but then closed it as he thought about it. For some reason, arguing against him felt wrong, so Darkstalker continued uninterrupted. "In our past lives, we were extremely close friends—more like brothers than anything—but that wasn't good enough for us. We wanted to be more, so—"

"They linked their very souls to each other," Faredir finished. Winter snapped his gaze over to him, stunned silent by his declaration. "It made them nigh unstoppable when they fought together, but I was smart enough never to take both of them on at once."

Winter looked over at Darkstalker, thinking maybe Faredir was mistaken, but the Nightwing just nodded. "I don't know everything about it yet since I don't have all of my memories back, but I do know that I started feeling your heartbeat a few days ago."

Winter recoiled back in utter shock. "You…can feel my heartbeat?"

Darkstalker nodded once more. "Among other things," he affirmed, but then upon seeing Winter's distinctly uncomfortable expression, his smile finally fell away completely. "It's not wrong," Darkstalker insisted as that very thought crossed Winter's mind. "Once you remember, it'll all make sense, and I promise it'll start to feel natural. Until then, I'll try not to freak you out too much, but I make no promises," he joked, his smile returning.

Winter had to admit that it was odd to see Darkstalker smiling at him like they were best friends, but some deep instinct within him told him that that's exactly what they were. From Darkstalker's explanations and these weird feelings he kept having, he could only conclude that though his conscious mind wasn't aware of their bond, his subconscious was. It was worth thinking about, and maybe he and Darkstalker could talk some more later, but what was said earlier had caught his attention now. "You said the others were here, too?" he asked.

The Nightwing looked away, suddenly uncomfortable. "…Yeah," he admitted hesitantly. "But they're not exactly happy with you right now." Winter winced. He had expected as much but hearing it from Darkstalker just made it even more undeniable. "Aurora's ticked, and Blaze is a bit upset, but the others are more confused than anything. They're not really sure what they feel about your…betrayal."

He winced again. "Is that what they're calling it?"

Darkstalker merely shrugged, and Winter sighed. "Oh, and…there is something else I should mention…" the Nightwing began hesitantly. "We picked up two more dragons in the Sea Kingdom…"

Winter studied the Nightwing, slightly confused at his reluctance to tell him that. Were these two new dragons ones he thought Winter wouldn't particularly care for? Or was he simply worried about how Winter would react to two new dragons in their group? "Alright…who?"

"Well…Inferno is one," Darkstalker began.

Winter recoiled as if struck. "I thought he was dead!?"

"Apparently not," was his simple reply.

Before either of them could speak up again, Faredir clarified. "I had ordered his capture for his ability to become a firescales. I believed he was the best choice to help your friend escape."

Winter stared at him, briefly wondering why everyone was being so vague right now. Then he turned to Darkstalker. "The second dragon?" he asked, wondering if this 'friend' of his was the other dragon.

The Nightwing didn't answer at first, but when he did, Winter's world froze at the utterance of a name he hadn't expected to hear. "It's Qibli…"

"Where?" he asked quietly, his mouth felt dry all of a sudden.

"Moon's with him right now," Darkstalker answered, trying to dodge the question.

However, though it didn't work, Winter felt himself deflate upon hearing that Moon was talking with Qibli. He was still afraid that she would leave him, and a momentary spike of jealousy and insecurity had him wishing the Sandwing had stayed missing.

He felt terrible immediately after thinking that.

"Where?" he repeated, his voice even smaller this time.

Darkstalker sighed, but answered, albeit reluctantly, "Infirmary."

Even knowing where his old friend was, Winter found he couldn't move. He felt a gentle claw on his back, and he looked up into his father's gentle gaze. "I put things in motion that eventually helped him escape. I did this for you, Winter. I know deep down you still feel guilty for taking Moon, so you need to talk to him and put that behind you." Winter nodded, and Faredir gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "Go. I'll be here if you need me." Then he turned to Darkstalker. "Razorclaw?" Surprisingly enough, Darkstalker turned to him at the utterance of that name. "I know you always have, but watch out for him, will you?"

The Nightwing gave him a small smile and nodded. "Always," he replied before turning to Winter. "Come on, Winter, I'll take you to see him."

Winter followed Darkstalker out of the room and through the hallways of Jade Mountain. All the while, his thoughts lay on the conversation ahead. What was he supposed to say to him? He hadn't seen Qibli in eight years, and the last time he had…it hadn't gone well, to say the least. How could he explain that? How could he explain that he had stolen his fiancé from him during his absence?

And how was he supposed to tell Blaze that he had cheated on her? How was he to face Aurora when he left after promising he never would? How could he face Inferno, the dragon he thought had died but hadn't? He had unknowingly abandoned him to be captured—even if Faredir had been the one to order it. How was he supposed to face Ruby after forcefully coercing her into cooperating?

All the while, Darkstalker had been staring at him sympathetically. "I know facing them again won't be easy for you, and it might seem like they'll never trust you again but trust me when I say that they will. It'll just take time, and I'll do whatever I can to help."

Winter nodded at him to show his appreciation for the offer as they turned the corner into the hall that lead to the infirmary. He saw a Sandwing dart around the corner at the far end, but they were gone too quickly for him to see who it really was. As they approached the cave, Moon walked out. "Moon?" he called softly. She looked over at him, and he saw guilt and shame flash through her eyes before she looked away. She walked off without a word.

Winter watched her go, his heart clenching in dread. "I'll talk to her," the Nightwing next to him spoke. Then he, too, was gone.

Now he was alone facing the one dragon out of all of them he wasn't sure he could face. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and opened them again as he tried—and failed—to steel himself for this confrontation.

He walked into the room despite being more nervous now than he had ever been in his entire life. It almost felt like facing his old friend was some sort of massive trial he had to get through before he could finally feel at ease. That is, of course, assuming that this went well. If it didn't, he could feel that this moment would always haunt him for the rest of his life.

The Sandwing turned his head to regard him when he heard his clawsteps crossing the threshold. He noticed Qibli's eyes widen in utter surprise when he saw him, and while the Sandwing studied him curiously, he decided to do the same to him. There were many similarities between how he looked now compared to when he last saw him. For instance, his signature scar was still there, and he still had his roguishly handsome good looks. He was pleased to see that he wasn't covered in scars like his imposter had been and that his eyes still held the kindness and warmth he remembered rather than the murderous gleam of insanity. He was a bit skinny, though, but if he had been imprisoned for the last several years, he supposed it was to be expected. All in all, despite the trials he had undoubtedly been through, he looked well.

After they had both taken each other's forms in, Qibli was the first to break the silence. "Wow…" he started, his tone filled with awe. "If I thought you were handsome before, now you're just downright beautiful," he said both teasingly and genuinely.

"You don't look so bad yourself," Winter commented as he walked a bit further in, though he still left some distance between himself and the bed Qibli was resting on. And though he didn't say anything regarding Qibli's comment, he still felt himself blushing. He knew the Sandwing once had a crush on him and that he found him rather attractive. Truth be told, though he didn't normally swing that way, he found Qibli attractive, too.

He just waved Winter's compliment away, however. "I'm not anything special. Not compared to someone like you, anyways." Winter looked at him funny for a moment. I guess that's another thing that hasn't changed. He's still selling himself short. Seeing the way Winter was looking at him, Qibli cleared his throat awkwardly. "Not that it isn't nice to see you again, but was there something you needed?"

Winter made a mental note of how Qibli stopped his usual witty banter and went straight into business. "I just heard that you made it back, and I stopped by to see how you were doing," Winter explained.

Qibli placed a claw over his heart and smiled flirtatiously at him—though it didn't reach his eyes. "Aww…so you do care!" he teased, but Winter detected a slight biting tone underneath that made him deflate a little.

"You're upset with me…aren't you?" he asked, though he was sure he knew the answer.

Qibli sighed, letting his façade drop as he nodded. He looked away as he started to speak, "Yeah, I guess I am." Then he turned back to face him with a slight glare, "The last time I saw you, you almost clawed my face off. Then I'm told that you killed 'me' about a year ago, and now Moon tells me you two are in a relationship. Did she tell you we were engaged?"

Winter shook his head, his mood becoming more sullen with each accusation against him. "No, I had to learn that from someone else." Winter sighed and looked up at his old friend, his eyes filled with the guilt and regret that had constantly been tearing him apart for the last eight years. "You have to believe me when I say I tried to wait. I didn't want to do anything serious until we found you because I didn't want to steal her from you." Qibli's gaze softened a little at that. "But the more I tried to push her away, the more I hurt both of us. Eventually, I just couldn't do that to us anymore."

Qibli was quiet for a moment before speaking. "I told myself I would be alright with it if you and Moon got together in my absence. I was gone, and I didn't think I would ever get out of there. Plus, I found someone down there I grew to care for." He paused at Winter's suddenly curious look, but he waved him off. "I'll tell you all about it later. My point is: I thought I would be fine knowing that you and Moon were together, but after I saw her again, I…"

He trailed off, but Winter understood what he was trying to say. "You remembered just how much you loved her," he finished for him.

"Yeah…Something like that…" Qibli admitted. "But…even if I wanted to say otherwise, Moon told me what that imposter did to her. Even knowing it was really me, she was still nervous, and I guess I can understand that." Then he shrugged, his choice already made for him in this situation. "So she's all yours," he declared.

Winter looked at him in surprise. "Thank you," he said, genuinely. "You have no idea how much that means to me." It was true. It felt like a massive weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. All that guilt and shame and uncertainty from taking Moon away from Qibli just vanished now that he had the Sandwing's permission. It was…freeing. For the first time since learning that Moon reciprocated his feelings, he felt sure of his path. He no longer needed to second guess himself, so there was now nothing standing in the way of his and Moon's future together.

"As for what happened the day you left…" Qibli began once more, and Winter looked back at him with slight dread for his coming judgement. "I never told Moon what you did…until today," he confessed, and Winter's blood froze. He remembered the look she gave him when she left the cave.

"H-How did she take that?" he asked, his throat suddenly dry.

"Better than I thought she would," the Sandwing replied. "Deep down, I think she knew something happened between us, but she never knew what." There was a pause as Qibli looked at nothing in particular, most likely trying to organize his thoughts. No doubt he had a lot of things to say after eight years. Almost as if he had heard that very thought in Winter's mind, Qibli spoke, "I spent a lot of time trying to figure out what I would say to you if we ever saw each other again after that day, but none of them fit now, not after talking to Moon."

"Say what you want, Qibli," Winter spoke quietly. "I deserve everything you have to say to me."

Qibli studied him for a moment before doing just that. "I won't lie and say I'm completely comfortable with you being near me yet—kind of like how Moon was nervous around me. I was scared of you for a long time afterwards. I had this fear that you would come back and finish me off, and I had nightmares about it, too." Winter winced as the memory of that day flashed before his eyes.

Qibli lie on the ground, his claws holding his mangled face and staring at him, his eyes wide in absolute fear. Blood flowed around his claws from the lacerations—one barely missing his left eye—and formed a small pool on the ground. More drops fell from Winter's bloodstained talons as they quivered with the effort needed to restrain himself from attacking the downed Sandwing again. He growled, a sound more animalistic than anything, and bit back the red-hot rage burning within him. His talons clenched, scraping gouges in the ground, and he had to force himself not to chase after the injured Sandwing as if he were injured prey when he darted out of the cave.

Winter screwed his eyes shut and looked away as the memory faded. He opened them again after a moment but couldn't bring himself to look his old friend in the eyes again. "I never wanted to hurt you, Qibli, but I…I couldn't stop myself," he whispered.

But Qibli heard him. "I know," came his completely unexpected response. Winter's gaze shot up to his and stared at the Sandwing dumbstruck. He expected him to be furious, to chew him out, to say they could never be friends again. He hadn't expected to be forgiven—especially so easily. Qibli got off the bed and walked over to sit in front of him. He seemed to struggle with what he wanted to say. "Moon…told me things about you." Winter shifted uncomfortably as he had a pretty good idea the kinds of things Moon would say. He had shared his most painful memories with her, after all. He looked down, not really comfortable with talking about this stuff, so it came as a complete surprise when he found himself being smothered with warm Sandwing scales. "If I had known…" he said, his tone full of regret.

"But you didn't," Winter said, finally returning the hug. He held onto Qibli tightly, scared that if he let go, the Sandwing would be gone again. Qibli never once tried to pull away, and neither did he say anything. He merely let Winter hold him. He had spent so long thinking about what he would do in this moment—about how he would ever face Qibli again. There had been so many different scenarios he had dreamed up, but none of them had ever been like this. And for that, he was grateful. "I'm glad you're back, Qibli," Winter spoke genuinely.

"It's good to be back," was his reply. He felt as much as heard Qibli chuckle. "Does this mean we're getting married?" Winter scoffed and pushed him away playfully. The Sandwing just laughed even more at that before looking into Winter's eyes for a moment. His amused smile began to fade, and in its place a genuine smile formed. "Three moons, it's good to see you again. I missed you, Winter, I really did."

Winter, however, just furrowed his eye ridges in confusion. "Even with…" he trailed of, expecting that Qibli knew what he meant.

And to his surprise, the Sandwing nodded. "Yeah…even after that. It took a while, but eventually I realized that I shouldn't hold a grudge against you because of how we parted ways. You were my friend—the best I'd ever had—and that's how I wanted to remember you."

Winter felt himself blush, but he smiled, nevertheless. Then his smile turned more mischievous, and he decided to give Qibli a taste of his own medicine. "Just as a friend?" he winked.

The Sandwing just snorted in amusement. "Don't tempt me," he warned, teasingly. "You might not, but I do swing both ways, you know, and I still find you attractive. If you're not careful, you might find yourself sharing a room with me…" he waggled his eye ridges with a sultry smile.

To continue his charade, Winter threw his mask up and stared at the Sandwing with a deadpan expression. He could tell Qibli was confused by the sudden change in demeanor, and he just watched as Winter stood and began walking to the door. However, as he passed the Sandwing, he leaned over and whispered in his ear, "As long as I'm on top."

Qibli actually leaned away from him and stared at him as if he had grown a second head, but Winter kept the same neutral expression. He could tell the Sandwing was trying to figure out if he was joking or if he meant something else. Then, Qibli relaxed and chuckled. "Oh…you meant bunk beds, didn't you?"

Keeping the same serious expression and tone, he replied, "No." Qibli just turned his gaze forward and wouldn't look at the Icewing, his expression showing he didn't really know how to take that. Winter laughed internally at finally getting the Sandwing back for that stupid marriage comment he made all those years ago. He stopped at the threshold of the cave entrance with a smirk as he looked back at the beguiled Sandwing. "You coming?"

Qibli looked at him askance. "Depends… Where we going?"

"To check on the others," was his simple reply, yet what he felt when saying that phrase was anything but. He was nervous to face them again to say the absolute least, and he would appreciate some support. Of course, he would never say that to the Sandwing lest the chucklehead poke fun at him for going soft. Whether or not Qibli had caught onto his silent request, the Sandwing agreed and followed out of the infirmary and into the halls.

He had no idea where the others were, but he had a few ideas. He decided to start with the conference room since that's where most of the school's business meetings took place, and the sound of voices drifting down the hall gave him all the evidence he needed to know that's where they were. As he turned the corner, he noticed Turtle and Kinkajou on the other end of the hallway freeze when they saw him. He, in turn, stopped and smiled awkwardly. Turtle looked away, his expression one of angered disappointment. Seeing that from the mild-mannered Seawing hurt enough, but Kinkajou's look of utter hostility made him deflate.

He felt Qibli place a reassuring claw on his shoulder, and in that moment, he silently thanked the Sandwing for coming with him to support him through this. Neither side had any chance to say anything, however, as two dragons he wasn't expecting to see walked out of the conference room between them.

Glory saw him as she stepped out, her scales flashing in surprise before she closed the distance, glaring at him the entire time. "Glory—" he tried. But before he could say anything else, his face snapped to the side from where she slapped him. He blinked a few times in confusion as she walked off. "Not sure I deserved that," he muttered. Then, the other dragon, who he now saw was Ruby, approached him with an equally fierce glare. "Ruby—" he tried, but once again, his face snapped to the side as she struck him even harder than Glory had. He saw Qibli trying to hold back his laughter as he watched the scene, and Winter gave a small sigh. "I may have deserved that."

Honestly, though, he couldn't fault Ruby for doing that. He had wronged her, and even though she and Glory weren't exactly friends, he could understand how Glory would feel the same way after learning he had switched 'sides'. Even still, he stood by his decision. Faredir may have been on a different 'side' then the Spirits back then, but his goal was the same. He just wished they could have all worked together, so he wouldn't have been forced to make the choice he had to make.

Though that lead him to a thought. Was Moon receiving the same suspicious treatment from the others? As much as he wanted to hope otherwise, he had a sneaking suspicion that she was. He could talk to her later, though. Right now he had to face his jury.

With nothing else to do, he walked into the room where the familiar voices were coming from. When he turned the corner, all the prior conversation stopped. He stood there uncertainly as the suspicious or downright hostile glares seemed to pierce his very soul. The former Dragonets of Destiny except for Glory who had already left as was the remaining six Spirits. Darkstalker and Moon were also here, but they were both sitting quietly off to the side. Moon looked upset, and he could only imagine what she was hearing right now. Even Darkstalker seemed to be a bit miffed as he glared at the others in the room.

Unsurprisingly, the most hostile dragon in the room was Arena, and he made his displeasure clear. "I was kind of hoping you had been killed. Would save me the trouble of executing you for treason…"

Winter just stared at him in shock. "Uh…" How was he supposed to respond to that? He didn't see much sympathy in the room except for the four former Dragonets of Destiny, Moon, Darkstalker, Oceania and Shade. Though Amazonia was kind of staring off into space right now, so he had no idea what she thought.

Arena scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Shade's forbidden anyone from laying a claw on you, though…which is unfortunate." The Sandwing Spirit glared at the mortal Nightwing Spirit, and Shade glared right back.

"Setting aside personal feelings, he is the only one that has White Magic. Therefore, he's the only one that could possibly defeat Urfael…and now Stratos," Sediment spoke, and Arena begrudgingly nodded in agreement.

All throughout this exchange, Aurora was deathly quiet, and her furious glare had never once left him. He tried not to glance in her direction to often for fear of riling her up even further. She would be the first dragon he would have to talk to, and he wasn't looking forward to what would come of it.

"Can we just get this over with?" Arena grumbled. "You said you wanted to wait for Winter, and here he is."

Shade just shook his head and sighed, his vast well of patience finally starting to run dry. "There's still one more dragon we need, but he should be here right about…now…"

Sure enough, a large dragon walked up and stood beside him, and Winter looked up at his father as he scanned the room nervously. This was the first time he had ever faced any of the Spirits without his powers, and Winter was acutely aware of the tension hanging in the air right now.

"Oh, absolutely NOT! Winter is one thing, but I absolutely refuse to work with him!" Arena roared. However, Faredir didn't respond, and when Winter turned to regard him, he noticed that he and Aurora were staring each other down.

There was a stretch of tense silence before Aurora finally spoke. "I agree…" she said quietly, and Winter let his wings droop at that. He was really hoping they would agree to work together for the greater good, but it seems that hope had just been dashed across the mountainside. Even Shade seemed a bit surprised by that, and he looked as if he was about to say something before Aurora continued. "I would prefer if we never crossed paths again, but in this case, Shade is right. We need his help."

He saw surprise flash through Faredir's expression for a brief moment, and the other Spirits were likewise dumbstruck. "But—" Arena tried.

"Enough!" she yelled at the stubborn Sandwing. "I don't like it any more than you, Arena, but as Sediment said, we must set aside our personal feelings. Faredir can help us, and with our chances as low as they are, we need all the help we can get." Sufficiently cowed for now, Arena stayed silent. Satisfied, Aurora turned back to the Changewing. "The question is…will you?"

Faredir studied her for a moment before looking down at Winter. Father and son shared a short conversation though no words were spoken, and Faredir looked back at her with a nod. "For Winter's sake…I will."

"Hmph…I take it that means you two have become rather…close," she commented. Winter opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off. "Don't bother saying anything, I already know. And if that's your choice…I may not like it, but…I will respect it." Then, she turned her gaze back to Faredir. "You almost killed him," she stated, and Faredir looked down, acknowledging her words as true. "But you also saved his life. And that means more to me than old grudges. If you can look past the history between us for Winter's sake, then I can, too." She held up a claw for Faredir to shake, and though he seemed a bit hesitant to accept it, he eventually did.

After that, there wasn't much else to say. Everyone had already agreed to work together, but in actuality there wasn't anything else to do right now. According to Faredir, Urfael's prison could only be unlocked during one of the equinoxes. Unfortunately, that gave them just shy of a month to prepare for the approaching apocalypse. Both Faredir and Aurora agreed to train Winter since all of their hopes were riding on his shoulders.

Winter thought that would be it. A training schedule was drafted and agreed upon, but then he noticed Darkstalker and Shade whispering to each other out of the corner of his eye. So right when they were about to leave, Shade declared that Darkstalker would also help prepare Winter. Aurora didn't even bother arguing.

Once most everyone had left except him, Aurora, and Qibli, who had faithfully stayed at his side the entire time, he approached her. She studied him quietly, her expression carefully neutral. Taking one last breath, he spoke, "Aurora, I—" His face snapped to the side with the now-familiar sensation of being slapped by an angry female.

Qibli leaned in and decided that this would be a good moment to be witty. "I take it you didn't deserve that one, either?"

"No, that one I deserve," was his resigned reply. "Maybe you should let me handle this one on my own," he suggested, pointedly. Qibli looked between him and the female Icewing radiating righteous fury and eventually nodded, leaving soon after.

Now alone, he finally turned back to meet her furious gaze. "You left me," she accused. "You promised you never would, but you did!"

"I know I did, but I didn't have a choice," he replied, his tone pleading. He hoped she would believe him. He never meant to hurt her but leaving was his only choice. And in his opinion, it ended up being the right one.

She sighed, and her posture slumped. "I know…"

Winter studied her for a moment, not understanding. If she knew he didn't have a choice, why was she so angry at him? "Then why are you so upset with me?" he asked.

"Because I was afraid!" she confessed. He recoiled in surprise at the unexpected reply, and he stared in absolute bewilderment when he noticed tears in her eyes. "I was worried about what might happen—what he might do—and rightly so! You almost died, and I couldn't do a single thing to save you!"

"Wouldn't be the first time, would it?" he tried for levity, and a small, sad smile appeared on her muzzle before it disappeared again. "Look, I won't say that you had no reason to worry because you had every right to worry. But I'm safe, and we're together again. That's all that matters, right?" His voice was gentle, and she looked up at him when he closed the distance until there was almost no space between them. He took her claws in his own.

"Yeah…I guess so. I don't really want to stay mad at you if it means having less time to spend together," she decided. Then, she looked around the room and back down at their joined claws. "I know it's kind of late, and I'm sure you have other dragons to talk to, but…could we just go for a flight together? It might be the last opportunity we'll have for a while."

She looked hopeful, and Winter found that he couldn't deny her. Yes, he did need to talk to several dragons, but he didn't want to rush things. Too many emotional conversations wore him down, so having a nice flight with someone he cared about and who cared about him would be good for him. He smiled genuinely at her as he replied. "I'd like that."

AN: A lot of things happening in this chapter, but I think the most important thing is this: Qibli's back! And he'll be here to stay as one of the main characters for the rest of the story! How he ended up with the others will be shown in the last Perspectives chapter I'll write. I have no idea when it'll be out, but hopefully it'll be soon.

Until Next Time

AdmiralCole22