DISCLAIMER: I do not own Wings of Fire. It and the characters within (Qibli, Winter, Thorn, Moon, Riptide, Kinkajou, Turtle, Capybara, Cobra, Vulture) are Tui T. Sutherland's. Falcon, Oleander, Arid, Pearl, Moor and Morass were created by me.

Moooooooooo.

And other than that, please leave any critiques! They are always welcome!

"Winter!" He called out desperately. What's wrong! What did I do? He failed to wrestle his flailing heart under control as the crowd fell silent at Winter's sudden departure. He sprung up on his back talons about to take to the sky before freezing. He whipped around and pushed desperately through the crowd until he found their delicate box of pastries waiting for him. This would probably cheer Winter up from, whatever he's upset about. But why is he upset? I don't understand! His mind screamed.

Making sure he had a good grip on the box, he lept into the air and swung high above the crowd until he was headed west over row after row of houses and alleyways. He seemed so happy. And I'm sure he could see how happy I was! I was happy… wasn't I? Moon's face flashed briefly through his head but was quickly replaced by the receding form of Winter as he fled.

He felt the worry and conflicting emotions about Winter rise as the scene played over and over again. Do I really mean that much to him? I always tease him, but I never thought…. He felt a surge of fresh emotion as his mind went back to the moment Winter leaned down towards him. He felt his wings falter as his stomach did a somersault. Do I feel the same way? He felt silly for wondering when he realized he still had a big smile smeared across his snout and his heart felt as weightless as a feather floating through the night air. Not to mention the fact that I did kiss him back. Am I that bad of a kisser? Okay, this train of thought can come to an end.

He kept scanning the horizon hoping to spot Winter flying to moons know where, but didn't notice any bright scales ahead of him. Where could he have gone? His sparkly scales aren't exactly easy to camouflage. Tilting his head up he saw the bright moons shining in full view and highlighting the landscape ahead of him.

By now, the edge of the town had passed and he started to worry that Winter landed in a dark alleyway out of sight. If he wanted to hide from me there's lots of places to do that. Or maybe in his panic he would have tried to run as far as he could, he thought ruefully. As he sifted through the landscape before him, nothing looked remotely like an aggravated IceWing. In fact, he was so preoccupied with his search that the large sandstone arch at the edge of town jumped into view. He could see the solitary tower high above him and the surrounding desert.

Maybe a better vantage point would help. I should be able to see him. He ticked through possible destinations. This isn't exactly the way back to Sanctuary and Winter wouldn't try and run back to the IceKingdom would he? Now that he thought about it, he noticed how often Winter would just take off. Guilt followed closely and he asked himself how come I never noticed that? So much for 'best friend.'

He swept up under the sandstone arch and circled the base hopefully. Maybe he remembered this place. He was amazed that sandstone could form into an arch naturally. After all, he described the icicles from the IceKingdom as 'awfully predictable,' in comparison. Of course, he clarified that this was still a good thing. As he came around full circle without any trace of his friend, he sighed disappointedly.

He beat his wings to bring him up to land on the top of the arch, but instead of the rough sandstone, he felt the cold spines of a startled IceWing. Winter looked like he was pressed against the stone as stealthily as he could manage.

"Yowch!" Winter howled.

"Ack! Sorry!" he quickly lept off which turned out to be a mistake since Winter bolted off the ledge and prepared to fly away again. He quickly set down his box, and tackled Winter before he had made it two wingbeats away. "Stop! Please!" he begged. They crashed forcefully into the ground but Qibli wouldn't let go.

After another bout of struggling, he eventually subdued Winter rather ungracefully. "Stop!" he tried again from atop his back. Qibli's talons were nearly thrown off of Winter's arms when he stilled for a heartbeat, then gave one last valiant thrash.

Defeated and realising he was trapped, Winter wilted and pointed his nose away from him and towards the distance.

"Winter…" he began, but had no idea how to continue. What am I supposed to say when my friend kisses me then runs off? He allowed himself one internal laugh. Talk about mixed signals. Since it didn't seem very endearing to talk from on top of him, he chose the easy thing to say. "I'm going to get off of you, please don't run off?"

Naturally, Winter didn't give any kind of confirmation, but Qibli stepped off of him nonetheless. I suppose it's a good sign he's just lying there and not running off. After a couple minutes of sitting beside his friend, the silence between them began to drag on. But he is just lying there… probably waiting for me to say something. Great.

He picked indecisively at the ground as he thought about what he could say. I get the feeling he doesn't want to talk very much, but we shouldn't just leave everything in the air. I do think I feel the same way about him. Even with exhaustion pressing down on his limbs, he felt a familiar feeling of strength, hope, and determination push through him; similar to when he was around Moon. Looking back at his life, having Winter around might have kept him going when he left Jade Mountain to rescue Ostrich.

Regardless of how he felt, he was still completely lost on what to say, which was a completely foreign and unsettling concept for him. He looked up at the Moons hanging high overhead. I wish you would tell me what to say. They sparkled down at him mischievously. No one ever liked me, not to mention liking me enough to kiss me! His spinning mind manifested itself in his twitching tail and he had to consciously stop it from jumping behind him.

Winter was now laying in a lump, with his wings splayed out on either side of him while his other limbs were curled into a tight ball. Just tell him how you feel! But those words were just as lost. Instead of saying anything, he nervously picked his way to Winter's side. With a pounding heart, he nuzzled under one of his outstretched wings. This prompted Winter to lift it back and snap his tired, glazed eyes towards him. Qibli met them nervously and paused before tucking comfortably against his side. The cold felt similar to the desert air around them and he curled his head away from Winter and under one of his own golden wings.

It wasn't long before he felt Winter's soft wing fall over him, sheltering him from the slight breeze. As his mind slowed like his heartbeat, he let his fatigue overwhelm him and it wasn't long before he fell to the clutches of a dreamless slumber.

. . .

His body woke before his mind. He rubbed his snout sluggishly as he began to push himself up. He stiffened suddenly and he slowly peeked his eyes open when a cold sheet shifted above him. As his senses trickled back through him, he realised that his back was pressed against a cold yet soft underbelly and an arm was gently draped over his neck. Turning more, he saw Winter's peaceful expression contrasted against the tumultuous storms which were his eyes.

At the sight, his mind crashed back into focus. Right. I was too lost for words to say anything last night, so I chose to what? Solve it by snuggling up next to him? Good job talking through your problems Qibli. He gave Winter an apprehensive smile and couldn't help himself from mumbling "good morning creepy, did you watch me all night?" Instead of getting up, he decided to settle himself back down and press closer to Winter.

Before he did so, he caught Winter's deep blue blush as he turned away quickly. "No, ahem, of course not! You fell asleep very quickly! I mean, I did as well if you were wondering."

Qibli turned his amused snout over so he could look at Winter's face.

"What?" Winter demanded.

"You're very adorable when you're flustered." Ten different expressions flashed through Winter's face before settling on annoyance.

"And you're very handsome when you sleep!" Winter bellowed looking at him triumphantly.

Qibli just blinked back at him. I don't get it. Was that supposed to be a... compliment? "Umm, we don't all get flustered when we're complimented, if that's what you were going for." He laughed as the embarrassment flooded back through Winter's face.

Winter turned his head towards the bright ball of fire in front of them, unable to meet his eyes.

Deciding that he shouldn;t tease him too much, all things considered, he asked softly "are you feeling better than last night?"

Winter took a deep breath and said "Yeah, you could say I was a bit panicked after... umm… everything. Anyways, thanks for coming after me." Winter was still actively avoiding his eyes.

Qibli looked at him thoughtfully before reaching out and guiding Winter's head towards his so they had to look each other in the eyes. "I can't say I was expecting it, but that doesn't mean I'm against it. It was just a bit shocking."

To his disappointment, Winter pushed himself up to his talons and started pacing back and forth while his tail lashed behind him. "Well, it was just everything that happened that evening, plus all the gifts you had gotten me." He brushed his ear unconsciously before shaking his head and continuing his pacing. "Dancing with you just sort of topped everything off."

Winter let out an aggravated growl and stepped to the edge of the sandstone cliff so he could look back over Possibility. "I didn't even know what I was doing or feeling. All I know is one second we were dancing, and then the next I was kissing you!" He hung his head.

Qibli stepped up beside him and set his wing over Winter's back but didn't want to interrupt.

"In the Ice Kingdom, we were always taught to stifle our emotions since they would get in the way of rational thought so I don't know what came over me. And I wasn't even thinking of what you thought! How was I supposed to know if you felt the same way? I didn't even know how I felt about it myself!" As Winter became more worked up, little snowflakes fluttered out of his nose.

"We all get carried away, and for the record, I don't regret it, Winter," he assured him.

The spark that Winter had in his eyes was heartbreakingly hopeful. Qibli reached out towards his talon but Winter quickly brushed him off, anger worming its way back in. "But look what I did! It was ill thought out, irrational, and, and stupid!" His voice dropped suddenly and he gripped the stone beneath him. "Besides, how could I do something like this to Moon. I… I know she went to see you… it wouldn't be fair to hurt her like this again." Winter stepped back to the cliff as if he wanted to fly away from his own mind.

Moon. What would Moon think if I just ran off with Winter? Again? But then, her words back in the observatory came back to haunt him. I'll have one of the most amazing friends a dragon can have. Stunned, he choked out "actually, I… I think she guessed this would happen."

"What?" Winter whispered murderously. He turned around and narrowed his eyes at Qibli. "Does that mean you knew this was going to happen?"

"NO! Winter, absolutely not!" He tried reaching out again but was shrugged off once again.

Winter lashed his tail in disbelief. "What, were these just ways to… to manipulate my feelings to get what you wanted?" He grabbed at the scarf forcefully and tried to yank it off but it was tangled to him stubbornly.

The more Winter struggled, the more he could feel him slipping away from him, just like a fish caught in a current. "Please! She didn't tell me anything! She just seemed to know that we wouldn't work out once I decided to leave and help you. I didn't think anything of it until, well until now!" Qibli grabbed Winter's arms before he could take off the little gem clasped to his ear. He leaned in close, calmly nuzzling Winter's nose before saying "I swear on my life."

Winter still had a light growl in his throat but he stilled and closed his eyes. Please believe me! It was strange, just moments before, he never thought twice about Winter's anger. Now, the thought of Winter hating him felt life threatening. But if I had felt this way about Winter, wouldn't I know? He knew immediately when Moon stumbled into his life, but Winter was always there along with him… So why am I feeling this way just now? I mean, sure we were close friends, but I feel like I just jumped into a large icy lake! Maybe my feelings were too focused on Moon and I pushed everyone else aside.

He pulled Winter into a tight embrace and whispered "I never would have guessed what could have happened at the festival. But I can say with absolute certainty that I care about you with all my heart. I might have all along, but I think you've opened my eyes to just how much." He heard a sniffle and pulled back to look at Winter.

"Arghhh," he growled, "why do you have to be so nice." The fierce IceWing had small tears forming in his eyes. "Stupid sappy SandWing" he chocked out and burried his snout into Qibli's shoulder.

"I think what you meant to say was 'I care about you more than every single scavenger on Pyrrhia combined'." Qibli soothed, running his talong over Winter's spines.

"Now that simply isn't true." came the muffled reply.

"Oh really? Hmph." He pushed Winter away from him grouchily and turned his back, walking back towards the arch. "Is this going to be a one sided relationship? I sure hope not."

The panic that flashed through Winter made all the teasing worth it as he lept after him. "No! I care about you too, more than I should!" Winter flinched as if he regretted his wording. "You're kind, funny, charming…. and…"

"And…? "He turned to look over his shoulder towards him intrigued.

Winter's eyes darted back and forth. "And.. uh, very handsome too." He had stopped a short distance away and looked very bashful.

Did he just say what I thought he said? His maw hung wide open before he slowly began to beam at Winter. I knew he always loved me "True on all accounts, which is also why I grabbed these!" He flew to the top of the arch and retrieved the small box of pastries. Then he sprung down and kneeled before him. With a twinkle in his eye, he opened the box and said "Winter, will you marry me?"

Winter's timid attitude vanished and he shoved him over. "It's going to take a lot more than pastries!"

Qibli dissolved into a fit of laughter and fell to the ground. "Oh well, more for me then!" He picked up a star and eyed it lovingly. "I knew you were my true love. We don't need anyone else do we," he cooed.

Winter laid down next to him and grumbled "you know I bought those right?"

"Hmm? Would you want some of these poor pastries that were abandoned by their owner?" He looked at Winter mischievously. "Maybe I should ask them first… they might have developed a grudge."

"Give me a cookie Qibli!" Winter roared.

He stifled a giggle and passed Winter a cookie.

"Thanks." he mumbled, settling the spikes atop his head while he bit into it blissfully.

Qibli looked at the red-topped cookie in his own talon and took a bite. Even after surviving the dramatic flight last night, it still tasted wonderful. Winter was right, he could taste the blend of forest berries whose tartness was fought off with the sweet cookie underneath.

The two of them continued to eat through the entire box as they snuggled up next to each other, calmly watching the sun rise over Possibility. They just enjoyed each other's presence without the need to exchange any words. He found himself absentmindedly fiddling with Winter's talon when the IceWing finally spoke up.

"I know I can be a bit grouchy about it but I want you to know how much it meant to me when you didn't abandon me."

"Abandon you?" He could never imagine himself abandoning Winter, or anyone in the Jade Winglet for that matter. Does he feel abandoned by the others? I'm sure they sent letters...

"I… well, I tend to run off if I ever think my… emotional outbursts might hurt someone. And sometimes I try to push the people around me away even if it's not what I want. Dragons try to avoid me whenever I do..."

Qibli thought back over the short time they had spent together. Oh, he did excuse himself from the group quite a few times and rather abruptly.

Winter cleared his throat and went on. "And even though I ran away after the dance, you made sure I was fine. So thank you."

"You don't have to thank me, I know you'd do the same for me." He smiled up at Winter but he just got an unconvincing look in return.

"Okay, let me dream you big oaf." He grumbled and shouldered him roughly.

"I would. I'd do anything for you." When he turned towards Winter he saw that every ounce of his being was poured into the statement.

"And no matter how much you run away, I'll always chase after you to make sure you're alright" he promised back.

Winter smiled at him and pulled him tighter against his side.

"For entertainment purposes," he added. Aaaaaaand there goes the smile.

"You really don't know how to shut up do you?" Winter asked.

"I know one way." Qibli hinted. Winter looked at him cluelessly so Qibli leaned his head towards him making smooching sounds.

Indignation flared through his features and Winter pushed his face back with his talon. "Gross! How indecent you raunchy SandWing. Shoooo!" He was forced away and Winter settled himself a couple paces away.

He tried to put on as hurt of a look as he could muster and shuffled closer, one step at a time. Winter's growl increased in volume with each talon all the way until he was settled against him once again. Now Winter was glaring at him suspiciously as well.

"Oh calm down, you were the one who kissed me. Nothing can change that fact." He leaned his head comfortably against Winter's cold shoulder. He had to admit that it felt good to lean against Winter. It was like a refreshing swim in a river without the annoying wetness that came after it.

The growl turned into a groan and he turned, amused, back to Winter who had buried his head under his talons. "And just think what our winglet will say," Qibli continued.

"Don't you dare," came the muffled whine.

"Moon would be happy for us." He reflected tapping his snout thoughtfully. "Turtle would be surprised…" As he listed out his friends, Winter began pounding his head with his talons.

"Kinkajou would fly out of this world. After shooting rainbow beams all over you of course."

"It's okay, they wouldn't believe you anyways." Winter said, placating himself.

"Oh my GOSH! Winter did WHAT? I KNEW there was a sweet seal in there all along!" He mimed, raising his voice as high as it could go. Winter shifted his talons to cover his ears and closed his eyes as if this was his worst nightmare and he wanted to wake up.

He shook his shoulder but Winter's eyes remained closed. "Hey! Just because you can't see me doesn't mean I don't exist." When he continued to be ignored, he let out a little whine. "What, are you trying to sleep? You just woke up!" Unless Winter really did watch me all night. That thought was especially entertaining. But we have things to do today, we can't just sit here all day. He started to nuzzle Winter's head, but when he remained unresponsive, Qibli resorted to licking the tip of his snout. That drew out Winter's glare once again.

"Must you be so clingy!?" He exclaimed while wiping Qibli's saliva off his nose. "Can I take that kiss back?"

"Well, we have things to do today, like getting back to your friend, and then catching my evil grandfather," he retorted.

"Yes, those friends don't appreciate waiting around especially when you seemed so desperate to see us," a snappy voice rang out across the landscape.

Qibli looked around and saw a MudWing followed by a SandWings flinging dust every which way as they touched down. One he recognized as the muscular figure of Morass, and the other he guessed was Arid. "Oh! Hello." How did they find us? He glanced at them suspiciously. Have they been spying on us?

Winter's reaction was a lot less tame. He sprung up and disentangled himself from Qibli all the while blushing deeply. "Arid! Morass! I didn't realize you would come looking for us."

She looked as amused as Qibli felt. "I got into the warehouse today and Morass told me that you needed to speak to me urgently."

"But how did you know where we would be?" Qibli interrupted, his voice letting in a fraction of his suspicion.

"Well, we saw you two dancing at the festival. Not to mention couples really like, umm, the scene from up here." She gestured to the arches awkwardly.

He beamed at Winter. Did you hear that? Couples! The butterflies felt equally nerve wracking, yet surprisingly prideful. But any color that had risen earlier immediately drained from Winter's face.

"Oh, no! We didn't…" He shivered violently, shaking his head and started an exasperated uproar from his icy spines.

"Oh it's alright! We understand. I think you two were phenomenal together, You could really see the connection you two had as you swung about the stage. I don't think any other dragons could compare," Arid said pleasantly.

"Thank you!" Qibli said wholeheartedly. "Winter really is an amazing partner."

He felt a sharp kick against his rump and turned around. "Ow what?"

"Anyways, let's just talk about what really matters," Winter urged, trying to recapture the conversation.

"The attacked convoy, I'm sorry that it never reached you." Arid looked slightly embarrassed as she apologized. Because she feels responsible. But it's my horrible grandfather, not her!

"Did you talk with the transporters?" Winter asked.

"I didn't. For obvious reasons, they never reported back to me. But they had transported other shipments for me in the past so it seems unlikely they would be involved with stealing this one for themselves."

"Could they have been paid off?" Qibli interjected. All dragons have a price… do I? He glanced uneasily at Winter.

"It seems pretty unlikely, they're good dragons. If you found the wreck then I'd say they were attacked."

"That's the thing, it was pristine and we didn't see any signs of a struggle like blood or any bodies." Qibli added. It could also be staged, but that would take too much work, they could be spotted easily.

"Well that's a relief, except for the fact that it would seem like they were bought off. Which is an embarrassment for my business." She rubbed her neck uncomfortably.

"Can you give us any information about the dragons?" Winter asked. "Maybe where they lived so we can track them down?"

"Absolutely, I can get a list of their names and addresses back at the warehouse. They're all dragons from Possibility." She motioned to them and they took off back towards the city. "Do go easy on them, these were good transporters and I knew them personally. It seems unlikely that they would betray me."

"Do you know who else might have passed off information about the shipment?" Winter asked.

Arid narrowed her eyes. "It was just us and the dragons who were carrying everything. I can assure you that Morass and I didn't disclose any information. We keep things close to the heart." Can we really trust them though? Winter seems to think so. He looked over his shoulder and saw him with a blank look on his face as he processed the information.

"I suppose we'll check on the dragons who were sent then. Maybe we'll find a clue as to exactly which group attacked the shipment. Hopefully they'll lead us to my grandfather."

As they flew, Winter swept closer so the others couldn't hear them. "Why don't we just ask your mother?"

"I don't necessarily trust her yet so we shouldn't rely on her for everything. She might need time to work her way into the organization. Besides, I'd like to make some progress on our end. That way we'll be one step ahead if they might plan to betray us."

"Makes sense." Winter admitted. The four dragons flew over the city and touched down in the familiar alleyway. Arid and Morass ducked inside while Qibli and Winter waited patiently outside. It seemed like the entire city was still asleep. Even though this wasn't a busy alley, he couldn't hear so much as a peep or wingbeat from the markets or other dragons. They're probably asleep from a late night. And most likely in preparation a late night tonight as well. He peered at the moon decorations here and there and was slightly saddened that they wouldn't be able to stay another night. Unless...

He turned towards Winter but Winter just said "No. As fun as it was, we need to keep moving if we want to meet your mother on time. We really shouldn't keep her waiting."

He knew of course, but deep down he just wished he could spend every night of the week-long festival exploring fun activities with Winter. Some other time. He let out a disappointed sigh and tapped his talons, killing time until Arid reappeared with a torn sheet of parchment.

"Sorry, I needed to check and make sure the names were correct." She handed them a long list of names and addresses. From the looks of it there were almost 20 dragons on the list. It makes sense, they would need a lot of dragons to carry everything over. "Best of luck with the search, if you need anything else, feel free to reach out. I do have to take care of my other clients though." With that, Arid dove back into the door.

"Wow, from the number of names, we might need to stay the night after all." He grinned at Winter.

"No Qibli, come on, don't get distracted." Winter whacked his head with his wing and he jumped away playfully.

"But you're such a nice distraction, especially when it's from my grandfather."

"Let me put it this way. Every minute we're wasting idling around, your grandfather is one minute closer to murdering you." Winter ended it with a big smile.

Qibli felt a cold shiver breath down his spine. "Jeeze, did you really have to put it that way?"

"Are you motivated now?"

"I suppose," he conceded.

"Then yes, I really did have to put it that way."

The two of them spent the bulk of the morning and afternoon checking names off the list. Most of the locations were houses without any signs of life. Others had the lost dragon's mates who were equally confused as to where the dragons might have disappeared to.

"Seriously nothing?" Winter growled as he pressed his face against the wooden boards blocking the window into the house. They were half way through the list without any leads yet. All the houses they visited were boring and ordinary, and the dragons they did talk with didn't know anything as far as Qibli could tell.

"Don't worry, we still have half the list to go through. Something is sure to turn up," he said optimistically.

"Not necessarily"

"That's the optimism I'm looking for!" He stuck his snout next to Winter's and peered into the crack between the wooden shutters. Like most of the others, it was dark and barren inside. They had tried knocking but all that answered was an empty echo.

As he turned away, he saw a dragon peeking around the corner at them. Qibli couldn't get a good look at them and he had no intention to stick around and find out. He turned around slowly as if he hadn't noticed anything out of the ordinary then nudged Winter. "I don't think this is the restaurant we heard about." He made sure his voice carried down the alley.

He motioned with his eyes and Winter caught on immediately. "Those rotten pranksters" he growled and they moved away from the house.

"We could always just grab something simple from the large food pavilion we passed earlier. There were some pretty good scents wafting out of it."

"I didn't come all the way to Possibility for some run-of-the-mill food" Winter said pretentiously.

Qibli glanced behind him and just under his wing to see the dragon tailing them. He scanned the scene in front of him and motioned towards a dark alleyway. "It's called street food. Just because it's not served on a silver platter doesn't mean it can't be good."

Winter shot him an irritated look that said 'we're going to talk about this later.' In response, Qibli just rolled his eyes. They turned the corner, and Qibli found a doorway to a recessed courtyard that was large enough to hide him. He jumped in quickly then shooed Winter farther down whispering "go find a corner and stick your tail out. I'll catch whoever is stalking us."

Winter moved away grumbling "how undignified," as Qibli hid himself in the shadows, waiting for the dragon to show himself. His breath stilled while his heart jumped. It reminded him of his days in the Scorpion Den, where shaking tails were a part of daily life.

Scratch…. shuffle… thump. Each noise brought the dragon closer to his hiding place. Just a little bit farther he thought. Whoever it is, isn't putting a lot of work into being stealthy. The second he saw a red face appear with its eyes riveted towards the end of the alley, Qibli leapt forward. He caught the strangers snout in one talon and used his wings to propel himself forward with extreme force. The dragon yelped and fell back unbalanced. Qibli threw his snout towards the ground, and forced one of the dragon's large wings into an awkward angle.

"Oww!" the dragon screeched.

Winter quickly appeared at his side and looked at him impressed before looking at the lithe SkyWing in Qibli's clutches. The dragon was muttering quite pitifully. Not exactly the murderous assassin I was imagining.

"Who are you?" he snarled. "Why are you following us?"

The dragon scratched at the ground. "Following you? I wasn't —" He flinched as Qibli put a bit more force into his wing. "I — I saw you poking around my house!" the dragon gasped out. "Can't you just leave me alone?"

Winter exchanged a quick glance with Qibli and said "we needed to make sure you were following the rules."

"I… I know you told us not to return but I needed something from my house. I'm sorry! No one knows I'm here, it was just in and out." That's useful. Good work Winter.

"So why were you following us then?"

The dragon looked away uncomfortably.

"What, follow us down some dark alleyway and try your luck at snapping our necks?" Winter roared.

"You're the ones who ruined my life!" The dragon shouted back, reanimated.

"Wait." Qibli slid his talon down until his claws could hover over the dragon's neck. "Who do you think we are?" Winter shot him a glare but he ignored it.

"Who… the dragons who approached our convoy, why else would you be interested in where I live?" The SkyWing turned his dark orange eyes to look back at his and Winter's faces.

"Look, we don't know anything about that. We're just trying to figure out what happened. Can you tell us what you know?" Instead of relief the dragon began to panic.

"I don't know what you're talking about! Let me go! Help!" He thrashed back and forth before Winter jumped to his aid, clamping his jaws shut and hissed into his ear. "That wasn't a request, understand?"

As Winter slowly released his jaws, he whimpered "I can't say anything, they're going to kill me if they knew I talked with anyone!"

"You said it yourself, they ruined your life. We're just trying to find the dragons who did this. Help us and you won't have to look over your shoulder for the rest of your life." Qibli tried to smile at him reassuringly but the dragon below him was shaking violently.

"I... no, I don't know what you're talking about!" He suddenly breathed out a big plume of fire and Qibli was forced to leap back. It had taken him by surprise and he roared in anger as his left talon and shoulder was caught in the path of the fireball. Winter leapt after the SkyWing but as he was taking off, he swung his long red tail around to topple a nearby stack of crates over the two of them. Winter roared in frustration before using his larger wingspan to shield them.

Qibli raised his talon gingerly then shouted "Go after him! He's our only lead! I'll be fine!" He brushed his scales lightly. Some of them were already dark from the soot.

Instead of flying off, Winter turned towards him with concern. Qibli winced as Winter quickly looked him over and nudged his wings open.. But the dragon is getting away! Go after him!

"Let me look at this," Winter said softly. He tried to push Winter away but was met by a harsh snarl that stopped him. The IceWing's talons hovered over his wounds and he winced at the contact. "I don't think it's that bad but I'm going to breathe some frost breath over this. It won't freeze, but it'll numb it a bit and stop the burning. Stay still" Winter said gently.

He held still expecting the same numbing pain from the last time Winter used his frost breath on him, but instead, it was surprisingly soothing and painless. He let out a sigh of relief as his muscles were saved from the pain. The relief just caused his mind to flare into anger.

"Why didn't you go after him! He was our only shot at finding who did this!" Qibli shouted.

"I'm not going to leave you in an alley injured!"

"I can take care of myself!"

Winter snapped his mouth shut and it looked like he was grinding his teeth. He turned back towards the way they came and said "Let's go, we need to find a healer to treat your burns."

He glared at Winter before looking away guiltily. Why did I have to yell at him? He felt Winter offer his wing as if to say 'it's okay', and with it's support, they hobbled down the street in search of help.