This is a different type of story that many of my audience might expect. This is a story... with no plot! By that, I mean that the plot is the characters growing up and finding their place in the world. Meaning that these next three chapters could very well be the end of the story if I need it to be. It's going to be a collection of one shots and mini arcs that show time passing and what the characters do now that there is no major threat.

Meaning no Darkstalker returns big story. No new tribes planned. This is a story of companionship and growing older.

Title of the story comes from 'Anywhere' by Evanescence.

Please enjoy.

Today was the day.

Qibli couldn't believe it. Time flew by at record speed ever since he came back from Pantala, and before he knew it, he was graduating from Jade Academy. A day he never thought he'd see given all the battles he was in. But, no, here he was.

After the Pantalan war, life had just… went back to normal. And once it did and he got settled, the days just went by. He felt like the dragonet he should've been in that time. A normal life away from wasteland wars and giant eldritch dragons.

He'd gotten his happy ending. But the question of 'now what' nagged in the back of his mind. What was going to happen once he left these halls?

Qibli couldn't help but stand in the Great Hall, watching dragons put celebratory decorations. It ranged from glowing ice sculptures to wind-kissed precious stone, and so on. Every tribe was represented here in one way or another. Fading sunlight filtered into the hall, almost as if representing the eve of his final day here. A tapestry hung in the back saying 'Congratulations, Graduates!'

Qibli was among the first to ever graduate here. It was an honor that he wasn't quite sure what to do with. He'd never had any form of education other than this so what was it supposed to mean? One way to find out, he supposed.

Instead of dwelling on it, he dragon-watched for a bit. Family and friends of the students from all over had come, with more on the way. Qibli spied Queen Glory and Deathbringer chatting in a corner. By chatting, it was more like Deathbringer babbling at Queen Glory about something indistinct while she pretended to be disinterested. It was only due to her twitching tail and the faintest outline of a smile that Qibli knew she was secretly enjoying the conversation.

How the two of them ever got along was beyond him. It just seemed like they snarked and ribbed each other at every given second. Apparently, Deathbringer was on a mission to kill Glory and that failed so badly they wed. The larger Nightwing all but curled around the Rainwing Queen, his starry wings pulling her close.

Glory turned a brief shade of pink at the action before returning back to her normal green, blue, and oranges. She snapped at him, but she also didn't pull away. It was just a mystery relationship that Qibli would never understand. As all good relationships tended to be.

Headmistress Tsunami oversaw the decorations. The battle-scarred blue Seawing was a feast for the eyes, and despite himself, Qibli couldn't help but look twice at times. She was the type of dragon that could pummel him right into submission and he'd love every bit of it. Out of instinct, he rubbed the Skyfire on his wrist. Not that it mattered… Moon already caught him. And she merely ribbed him teasingly, so Qibli took that as her being okay with it. So long as he stayed loyal, there was no harm in admiring.

And hurting his little Moon – a nickname that always got a rise out of Moon – was so far down the list of things to do that it wasn't even on there.

Helping Tsunami with organization was Fatespeaker, Starflight's mate. The bubbly, energetic Nightwing was bustling back and forth, never staying in more than one place. She was alone, as Starflight would not be able to keep up with her with his blindness. It's just a shame that he couldn't see how Fatespeaker had looked… but the added sense of touch most likely made up for it.

"Hey Qibli, can you hold this for me?" A small voice came from his left. He turned to see what was basically his sister, Sunny, attempting to position an exquisite piece of art. It depicted every single student that was graduating today in very life-like detail. He was astounded to see himself in the Jade Winglet section, like looking in a mirror. He was sat next to Moon, and the two of them were looking at each other. It made his heart swell.

Next to him was Kinkajou, who looked so happy she might just explode into a rainbow. The young Rainwing was a constant source of joy for him and Moon. And this captured her perfectly. She hadn't grown much taller over the years, but she had grown longer. Her body was almost serpent-like, and had the agility of one too.

Beside her was Turtle, who looked nothing like he did when he arrived. What was once a chubby, shy little Seawing had grown into a tall and weedy dragon. He carried a scroll in his claw, reading it with interest. Even in painting, his emerald scales sparkled in the light. No longer did he look shy, either; his stance was confident, eyes focused not just on the scroll but on the world around him.

On the other side of Moon was their resident fire hazard, Peril. Her orange scales had a fiery shimmer to them, and she looked ready to leap into the air and fly around. Despite everything that had changed around her, she was always roaring to go at a second's notice. Insane, in all the best ways. Especially now that she had made great progress in self-confidence.

But, despite how beautiful the painting was, Qibli couldn't help but feel a stab of pain. There was someone missing. It couldn't be helped, as he was forced out of the academy due to situations out of his control, but Qibli felt like Winter should have been addressed. But, the grumpy Icewing had a small town to help run now. There was no feasible way for him to return to the Academy even after he was allowed back.

"I know that look," Sunny's yellow face was somber despite the smile. "I wanted him on there, too."

"Yeah, it wouldn't be right to put him there when he sauntered off," Qibli joked. "How dare he leave us here without his warm, emotional personality?"

Sunny giggled as he helped position the painting. "Yeah, how dare he?"

"Any word from Queen Thorn?" Qibli changed the subject, positioning his end on the hooks that had been placed into the wall.

"No, but mom said she'd be here, so I believe her." Sunny shook her head. "She's got two children to celebrate today, so there is no way she'd miss it for the world."

It was still strange to hear that. Some time after the Pantalan War, Queen Thorn had formally adopted Qibli as her son. It was common knowledge at this point that he was her son for all intents and purposes, but now it was signed and official. Sunny had taken it upon herself to look after him more than she already did, and Qibli counted her as the sister he should have had.

As if to prove his internal monologue, after the painting was hung, Sunny swooped over and hugged him. He returned the embrace warmly, smiling widely.

"I'm going to miss seeing you every day," Sunny said.

"Aw, what are you talking about? I was thinking about moving in!" Qibli teased.

"Hmm, yes, I can see you being an excellent history teacher once Webs retires," Sunny winked back.

"Please, I passed. I can teach it."

"Yes, you passed… barely."

"And so will everyone else!"

Sunny shook her head, releasing him. "In all seriousness, have you thought of where you'll go?"

"A bit," Qibli nodded. "Nothing concrete yet, but I have to think of what Moon would want, too. I'm not going to have her stay in the desert, for example. We'll work something out."

"You could go to Sanctuary. I'm sure Winter will love it."

"Believe it or not, we debated that," Qibli chuckled. "I'll ask Moon again and, if we decide on it, we'll bring it up to Winter."

"I hope the Winglet can stay together," Sunny said. "I don't know what I'd do if I ever had to go my separate ways with my winglet," she cast a glance to Tsunami and Glory, who were now conversing about something.

"I'm sure mom would love to have you around," Qibli pointed out.

"Yes, but my father would be terribly lonely here," Sunny reminded. Qibli winced. "See? That is why I am grateful."

Butting heads with her as a sign of affection, Qibli left her to go wander a bit. Moon said she'd meet him here, but she was nowhere in sight. She was the type to be rather punctual, but then again, a time was never set…

Removing the Skyfire, Qibli reached out with his mind:

"Where are you?"

"Here," the one voice to always make him smile said from a short distance away.

Turning around, Qibli saw the most beautiful dragon to ever live staring back. Her black-green scales illuminated in the light. Her face was calm, brows no longer furrowed. Where once she was this tiny little dragonet, she stood almost at his height now and had a long, slender body to show. He could run his claws along her curves all night and never get tired of it.

"I can hear your thoughts, you know," Moon smiled.

"Good," Qibli grinned.

Moon simply shook her head, approaching. His black eyes met her green ones, and they shared a loving kiss.

It was hard to believe that about three years ago – was it really three years ago!? – she had flown across the desert to meet with him. With him. A nobody street urchin that had somehow been found by the future queen of the Sandwings. And how he was dating a member of the Nightwings, not even his own Tribe.

And he couldn't have been happier.

"And I couldn't be happier, either," Moon said quietly.

"Did you see the painting?" Qibli slipped on the Skyfire once again. He didn't need his voice to add more strain to Moon's concentration.

"Of course," Moon nodded. "Who do you think helped paint it?"

Qibli snapped his head to her in shock. "Wait, really?"

"Of course," Moon giggled. "Sunny saw my skill in painting classes and had me help out. It was a chore trying to keep you and Kinkajou away from it, though."

"Ah, so that's why you kept sneaking around," Qibli shook his head. "I knew you were up to something, but I had no idea what!"

"Good," Moon winked and wrapped her tail around his. "I really didn't want to ruin the surprise."

"Just a shame we couldn't include Winter," Qibli looked back up at the painting. "Did you fight for it?"

"I did, but in the end, the others were right about it being about the graduates," Moon said sadly. "But, and don't tell him, I did end up painting a portrait of him. I'll give it to him when he arrives."

"And you didn't show me?" Qibli placed a claw over his breast, feigning hurt.

"I didn't get a chance to do it until a few days ago."

"Ah, fair enough," Qibli looked around the Great Hall again. "Fancy a trip down memory lane one last time while we wait on Prince Grumpington?"

"Does he know you call him that?" Moon raised a brow.

"He absolutely does."

"Hey, Moon, question for you!" Deathbringer called them over when they walked past. Glory rolled his eyes at him. "I'm trying to tell Glory that, technically, I am King of the Nightwings. Since I am the highest ranking one of them. Do you support me as King?"

Moon let out a short laugh of surprise, something that Qibli felt the urge to do too.

"See? They laugh at you. How could you possibly be king?" Glory smirked back.

"Well, you're a queen, and I am married to you…" Deathbringer pressed his face close to hers. Glory shoved him away, smiling faintly again.

"Honestly, it does make sense," Moon said. "The Nightwings don't exactly have a leader that is their own tribe. And if Deathbringer is the highest ranking official…"

"See?" Deathbringer turned back to Glory. "A vote in my favor!"

"Yes, a king named Deathbringer. Truly, a king made for peace," Qibli chuckled.

"Hey, better than Battlewinner," Deathbringer pointed at him. "Seriously, who names their hatchling that? What happens when she loses? No foresight! And then she crawled out of her lava pit and died immediately. How was she queen again?"

"Is that what happened in the volcano?" Moon blinked with surprise. "Nobody told me. Then again, I never really asked."

"Yeah. What a fustercluck if you ask me," Deathbringer laughed. "Ah well. Now, as I was saying, you should declare me King of the Nightwings. It would be… Glorious."

"They will never find your body," Glory's voice was deathly calm.

"If you do that, then it'd be a Glory kill."

"Do you see why I am hesitant to put him anywhere near a position of power?" Glory asked the two. "This is all he'll do."

"Yeah, I think he would just throw out punishment," Qibli smiled. Moon scoffed as Glory squinted. Deathbringer, however, slapped his palm with Qibli's.

Leaving the two alone, Moon and Qibli decided to make one last trip around Jade Mountain Academy before the party. They passed other students, all of which looked either nervous or excited. In most cases, both. This was a big thing for them as well. The two stopped and talked to a few of them. All had similar questions of 'what now'? Some had answers; A Skywing was going to go back home to become a blacksmith. A Mudwing to be a marine biologist.

Yet, walking the halls had a sense of melancholy. He remembered the first days being here. So small and… well, certainly not innocent, but most assuredly unsure of himself. A people pleaser who's goals were secondary to those he cared about. He'd never been to any form of schooling, and was unsure as to why Thorn sent him here. He might've even been a bit angry!

But, it was the best thing Thorn ever did after rescuing him from his mother. He had friends. A place of belonging. Somewhere to be every day that wasn't requiring him to be on guard constantly. Here, he met the love of his life and friendships that would never fade.

And once again, he was forced to leave some place he called home. Only, this time he was a bit broken up about it. He passed the Arts Cavern, remembering the time where he, Peril, and Kinkajou would throw paint at each other when the teacher wasn't looking. The Library, where he and Moon accidentally knocked over a shelf and nearly got expelled.

The Music Cavern, where Qibli nearly deafened his whole winglet with his pure singing skill that only he believed he had. The others disagreed, but they just weren't ready for the type of voice he had. As such, he had to begrudgingly give the 'best singer' award to Kinkajou.

The History Cave, where Qibli liked to call his second bedroom. Poor Webs was a good historian, but he was terrible at making history interesting for Qibli. Peril felt the same way, often pretending to pay attention as well. Turtle and Moon, however, loved every second being in there. Nerds.

And of course, how could he forget his second home; the Healing Center. The Seawing doctor had basically anticipated him coming through the door whenever he decided to go on an 'adventure'. These caves and areas were bound to contain some sort of mysteries meant for solving.

Unfortunately, many of said mysteries involved dead ends and lots of darkness.

"Oh, that reminds me," Qibli said after speaking with one of the graduates. "Sunny did bring up us going up to Sanctuary. Is that still something you'd want to do?"

"Of course!" Moon beamed. "That way we can spend time with Winter, and if Kinkajou and Turtle come along, most of our Winglet will be together! Peril's obviously staying here, after all." She sighed. "I still feel really bad that we never checked on him before, what with everything going on after Darkstalker. This way, we have no excuse."

"I still have a pineapple scar somewhere," Qibli looked himself over. "But yes, I imagine Kinkajou will come along. She visits him every break."

"Yeah, I don't need to read her mind to know she's in love," Moon said quietly, leaning into Qibli.

"Now, the question is if Winter will either notice, or if he'll act on it."

"Kinkajou is probably going to tell him tonight. I know if we weren't together, this is when I'd do it for you."

"Yeah… and this time, Winter won't have an excuse to miss it," Qibli snickered. "Kinkajou is about as subtle as a sandstorm when she wants something."

"But, if we don't go to Sanctuary, what were you thinking of doing?" Moon asked as turned toward a ledge overlooking the valley below. They could see dragons from all over flying toward the entrance. The stars began to show through twilight. A gentle breeze blew scents of nearby flowers and food from the Prey Center.

"Honestly?" Qibli looked out at the great beyond before them. "I'd like to be an archeologist."

"What." Moon didn't ask, looking at him strangely.

"I never told you that I used to search the sands for artifacts when I was younger?" Qibli's jaw dropped slightly. "I swore I told you!"

"You did no such thing!"

"Oh jeez, uh… well, I used to do that," Qibli laughed nervously. "Granted, I never found anything important. But it was fun to just kind of go exploring. There are so many things the sands cover up. And I can only imagine the artifacts that the other kingdoms have. It'd be nice to have some sort of neutral zone where we can have them be in a learning center or museum."

"Like Jade Mountain or Sanctuary," Moon nodded, following his thoughts.

"Exactly!" Qibli said excitedly. "What did you want to do, though?"

"I'd love to be a painter, but somehow that doesn't seem quite feasible as an income," Moon chuckled. "Honestly? Being a teacher would be nice. Tsunami said I have a knack for it."

"Ooooh!" Qibli jumped up toward the ledge excitedly, wings flapping. "Imagine if we went to find artifacts, and then you could teach others about it!"

"That… sounds lovely, actually." Moon blinked, excitement crossing her face too. "It's just a matter of logistics, supplies, permission, and so on."

"Indeed," Qibli nodded. "But, we'll work that out once we get settled somewhere."

"I imagine, given our status, we've earned the trust of a lot of tribes too," Moon continued the thought, brow furrowing once again. "But first, we need to make it through tonight and ask Winter about Sanctuary."

Qibli caught a glint of blue scales from below at her words, smiling. "Speak of the wicked one, and he shall arrive."

"He's here?" Moon's ears perked up.

"Looks like he's just getting here. I think he brought Blue and Cricket with him, too."

"Makes sense," Moon stood beside Qibli, spreading her wings. "I remember Cricket wanting to come and celebrate with us. Blue would go anywhere she does, so…"

"That poor sap," Qibli tsked and shook his head.

"As if you're any different," Moon elbowed him gently. "I could go anywhere, and you'd be right behind me."

"I never said I wasn't also a poor sap."

Moon shook her head, giggling. "Let's go greet him. I'm sure he'll be looking for us."

As they stepped back into the Great Hall, sure enough Winter had come. It'd been some time since they'd seen each other, and all Qibli had to say was… well, he looked ravishing. Winter's blue-white scales sparkled in the lights. Although he wore no signs of royalty, he still held the posture and look. Some things just never change. And in Qibli's eye, he didn't ever need the jewelry to look good.

"Jeez, you're making me afraid to leave you in the same room as him," Moon poked Qibli with her tail.

"My eyes may be focused on him, but my heart belongs only to you," Qibli said romantically.

"I used to wonder what would happen if I was never here, but now I think you'd-"

"Makes sure Winter comes on schedule, yeah."

"Qibli!" Moon smacked him with her wing, trying her best not to laugh. "Moons above, you're going to cause me an early death from embarrassment."

Qibli merely winked and sauntered over to the Icewing, who didn't seem to realize they were approaching as he spoke to Sunny. Sunny looked so happy to see him, as she did with every friend that passed by. A little ray of sunshine indeed.

"Hey best buddy, how you been?" Qibli threw his arms around Winter, startling the former Icewing prince.

"Get off me!" Winter reacted as predicted by trying to squirm away from Qibli.

"Ow, you're hurting my feelings!" Qibli released him, looking dejected.

"Don't do that!" Winter puffed up, grumbling under his breath. Ah, it was such a welcome sight to see that while Winter had changed much, some things would forever remain the same.

"Is that not how best friends greet each other?" Qibli chuckled.

"They don't ambush each other, no!" Winter fired back.

The two had a stand off for a moment before both started laughing. Winter's was much quieter, but he sure enough embraced the Sandwing in kind.

"Oh good, for a moment I thought a fight was going to happen," Cricket whispered to Blue.

Cricket was an admittedly pretty looking Hivewing, one of the Pantalan dragons. She strongly resembled a bee or a wasp, with yellow scales mixed with black. Four insect-like wings. A pair of spectacles on her nose, glinting in the soft lights. Her face was full of questions and curiosity, but she was keeping it remarkably under wraps.

Blue was also a Pantalan dragon, but a Silkwing rather than Hivewing. His iridescent azure scales mixed with light purple made him stand out in a crowd. Just one of his scales could make a piece of jewelry. When Cricket was telling them about how they first met, Qibli a hundred percent believed her on how she was instantly enamored. And that wasn't getting to his four translucent set of wings.

"If it was a few years ago, probably," Moon dipped her head in greeting to all of them, hugging each individually.

"I was forced to get used to it," Winter grumbled.

"Yeah, but you love it," Qibli winked. Winter looked away.

"Where's Bumblebee?" Moon asked Blue and Cricket. "I thought you would've brought her."

"We were going to, but decided it wouldn't be right," Blue said brightly. "This is your day of graduation, after all."

"Ah, that's what Hope said about not coming with Peacemaker," Moon nodded.

"But, we will be bringing her here soon," Cricket said happily. "I think we're going to have Bumblebee attend here next year."

"Oh, that's so exciting!" Moon said happily. "She'll love it here!"

"From what you all told us, I imagined that would be the case," Blue cast his eyes in all direction to take in the scenery. "Don't be surprised if you get more Pantalans wanting to join, too."

"We'll need to hire more teachers if that's the case," Sunny giggled.

"I don't mind helping out here, you know," Cricket said. Winter looked surprised to hear her say that. "I can teach Pantalan history. I was top of my class there."

"I excelled at math, too," Blue nodded. "I noticed you don't have anyone here that teaches that.

"Oh, that would be wonderful!" Sunny bounced slightly. "You'll have to talk with Tsunami, but I'm sure we can work something out."

"We'll do that!" Cricket said with the same bouncy energy. Qibli dreaded having her, Sunny, and Kinkajou in the same room… which tonight may bring about. "Sundew and Willow also told us to say congratulations. They'd come, but someone has to watch Bumblebee. That and Sundew doesn't do parties, the spoil sport."

"Well, if she won't come to us, we'll go to her. I'll give her a hug like I did for Winter," Qibli winked at the Icewing.

"Your funeral," Winter shrugged.

"We're going to go look around before the party starts, though," Blue said. "If Bumblebee is going to attend, and if we're going to teach here, best chance to scope it out."

"I'll show you around!" Sunny offered immediately. "Come on, it's easy to get lost in here your first time."

"Poor Blue," Moon mused as they left. "He's already so passive, I can't imagine he'll even get a word in with those two."

"I had no idea the two of them were considering teaching here," Winter frowned slightly. "They moved in a year ago to act as ambassadors for Sanctuary, and now this. I guess it makes sense, but…"

"Cricket tends to act impulsively, and Blue follows her wherever she goes, so," Moon shrugged. "They'll probably discuss it at length with you later. They aren't the type to leave you high and dry."

"Oh, that reminds me," Qibli turned his attention back to Winter. "Do you mind if uh… we move in at Sanctuary?"

"Do you really have to ask?" Winter turned away slightly again.

"Maybe not, but considering you and Riptide basically run the place, it felt right to ask," Moon said sweetly.

"You're welcome to stay as long as you'd like. Even if it is… forever…" Winter said the last parts quietly.

Qibli wrapped his wing around him, an action Moon mirrored. "Oh buddy, you are so not going to regret this. It'll be just like our days here! Every day, waking up and then waking you up… it's gonna be great."

"I regret this already," Winter squinted his dark eyes at Qibli.

"Maybe so, but what would you do without us?"

Winter didn't answer, instead glowering. However, his tail swished behind him. He'd never admit it, but he was ecstatic about the idea.

"Kinkajou will probably come with," Moon said before squinting. "Actually… she was supposed to be done in the Prey Center by now. Unless Peril burned the food again."

"They let someone with Firescales cook?" Winter stared incredulously.

"Oh, she doesn't have those anymore," Qibli said.

"…How? Animus magic doesn't work!"

"No, but Queen Ruby saved what was left of the necklace that previously took away her Firescales," Moon answered. "All we had to do was cut off the part of the parchment inside that said loyal to Scarlet and like that, no more Firescales."

"Oh," Winter blinked a few times. "I guess that makes sense."

"Nothing else has really changed about her before you worry," Qibli said. "Well, except that her and Clay finally got together. First thing she did with the enchantment was kiss him in front of everyone. Clay had no idea she still had a crush on him."

"… How!?" Winter shouted. "Even I noticed that!"

Qibli and Moon shrugged.

"On that note, though, I'm going to go find Kinkajou," Moon moved away, "I'm sure she'll come bolting out once I tell her you're here, Winter. So, be prepared."

"That reminds me," Qibli said as Moon left. "When are you going to admit to her that you like her?"

"I have no such feelings!" Winter immediately went to the defensive, which all but confirmed he did.

"Winter, my guy, you can lie about a lot of things, but you can't hide emotions from me," Qibli said seriously. "She's head over heels over for you. And I know you feel the same. Don't drag it out, will you?"

Winter glared before averting his gaze.

"I know she is," Winter admitted quietly. "We… discussed it. I told her to finish her studies and then we'll talk."

"See, that sounds like a typical Winter 'push it all away' move, but to me… that shows me you care a lot about her future," Qibli smiled brightly. "But, she waited. And I hope you're ready for her to not hold back anymore."

"Tonight would be the best night for it," Winter nodded.

"You deserve to be happy, Winter," Qibli put his claw over his. Winter didn't shy away. "Kinkajou will make you happy. And not put up with your garbage whenever you act like a brooding, edgy book character again."

"I do not act like - … I suppose you have a point," Winter cut himself off with a sigh.

"See, progress already!" Qibli jested. "By the way, how's things going with Icicle? I meant to ask when we were on the subject of Sanctuary, but… well, this was more important, honestly."

"She is still a work in progress," Winter shook his head. "She'll snap and bite at me and some others, but she has gotten softer. It'll be some time before she ever works off her sentence, though."

"So, none of us have to worry about her?"

"No, she knows better," Winter said. "The instant she does something like that again, its back in the pit, if not execution."

"Good, good," Qibli nodded, looking back to where Moon went. She still hadn't returned. Taking off the Skyfire, he reached out to her.

"I'm helping speed things along," Moon answered via telepathy. One of the things she learned as she grew older was how to respond mentally. "It'll be a little bit."

"Why do you still wear that around her?" Winter indicated to the Skyfire. "I thought with being together…"

"I don't wear it when we're alone," Qibli answered. "At least, not all the time. Sometimes, even I need some space for my thoughts. And in situations like this, it's one voice that she doesn't have to focus on blocking out."

"Understandable," Winter nodded.

"They'll be a bit, though. Wanna go for one last tour of the place, for old time's sake?"

Winter smiled slightly. "I guess I can put up with you long enough for that."

I hope you enjoyed. I wrote this in a single day. Help me.

If you did enjoy, then let me know! Also, if you are interested in my other writing, please check out my Deviantart and Twitter under the same name as here! Additionally, I am writing for a game called Glyde the Dragon as of this posting. Please, check that out as well!