Hello, welcome to a short spin off from Broken Jade. And I do mean short this time. 3 chapters at most I am limiting myself to. Maybe four. But no past five! This is just a short story about how Turtle and Peril got together. Enjoy!

It'd been two weeks since it happened.

It should've been the most important time of Peril's life. Yet, Turtle could only watch as his best friend sunk into a depressive heap. Nothing he or any of the others seemed to get through to her. Even Sky, her twin, found it difficult to retain her attention for long.

"You're not eating again, are you?" Turtle found himself asking, having brought freshly caught fish to Peril's dorm. He'd caught them himself earlier and prepared them the way she loved.

Of course, when he entered, he saw that she had not gone hunting. There was not a scrap anywhere. Peril wasn't the most graceful eater, so there was always something hidden away. Not this time. Heck, there was a perfectly edible rodent that scurried around near her.

She wasn't unhealthy, but her scales had lost a lot of their glow, and not because her firescales were subdued. She was pale, and had thinned out a little bit, but was still perfectly recognizable as Peril. Her fiery red and orange face held dejection, blue eyes that seemingly glowed filled with confusion and despair.

"Peril." Turtle clicked his green talons in front of her. That snapped her out of her funk for a moment. "You need to eat."

"Oh. Sorry, I forgot." Peril shook her head, taking his fish and eating it slowly. "Is it really lunch time already?"

"How long have you been sitting here?" Turtle frowned.

"I don't know, I don't have a clock in here." Peril shrugged.

"At least five hours then." Turtle sat down next to her. "Alright, we need to get you out of this cave then."

"And do what?" Peril asked blankly.

"Something. It's not healthy to be sitting here all day in the dark." Turtle indicated to the snuffed out lamp. "We're all worried about you."

"Don't. I'm okay, I promise." Peril lied right to his face. She was never a good liar. She always had a tone or inflection that gave her away, and in this case, it was the fact that her expression never changed.

"Peril, don't lie to me." Turtle did his best to be stern. Given his rather… unfit physique and rounder face, it made him look more like a puffer fish trying to expand. He wasn't as plump or a 'circle' as some called him back then, but he certainly couldn't intimidate anyone.

"I'm not lying." Peril lifted her head. Well, good, he got a rise out of her. What now? "Seriously. I'm fine. Clay wasn't hurtful when he rejected me."

"Well, of course not, it's Clay. He doesn't have a mean bone in his body," Turtle said. "It doesn't mean that being turned down doesn't hurt. I know it hurt when Kinkajou and I didn't work."

Peril eyed him for a moment. He and Kinkajou did try and form a relationship after Anemone cast a love spell on her, but it just didn't work out. They were still great friends, but they didn't have a lot in common romantically.

"… How did you get over that?" Peril asked him in a small voice.

"I kept busy. Spent time with friends. Traveled when I had a chance," Turtle answered honestly. "Vented a lot of my frustrations into my writing. Very therapeutic to find something like that."

"I tend to hit things. Does that count?"

"I mean, I guess it does, so long as you're not on a roaring rampage of destruction." Turtle chuckled nervously. Peril was his best friend, but sometimes, he was downright terrified of her.

"Hmm…" Peril frowned in thought. "I guess I could hit the training dummies. Be nice to actually, y'know, be able to without burning them to a crisp." She indicated to the band around her wrist.

Last month, they had discovered a trove of ancient SkyWing animus objects underneath the ruins of an old castle. Ever since Scarlet terraformed most of the region to suit her needs, a lot of things got buried. Queen Ruby had decided to search for some of these objects, and lo and behold, there was a whole vault of them.

Unfortunately, most were broken from years of neglect. Thankfully, there was one band that subdued the effects of Firescales.

Peril had literally leapt for joy at the revelation, and in her high, told Clay exactly how she felt about him. Clay, however, saw her as a very close friend/sister. In fact, he didn't have any romantic interest in anyone. It's not something he ever wanted, either.

Peril did not take this well, leading to their current situation.

Peril got up and started to exit the cave. Turtle had a good idea as to what was going to happen, and so stayed close as she went to the training grounds. Jade Mountain had combat classes now, taught by Tsunami, as they did not want their students to be taken off guard like their first ever week of the academy.

Gently, the SkyWing pulled out a dummy and put it in the center of the room. Turtle grimaced when he saw how she was being. This was the calm before the storm, and there was nothing he could do to stop it. And truthfully, he really didn't want to. This was the most active she'd been in a week.

Whap! Peril gave it a solid whack and caused it to shake. And then another. And then another followed that. It echoed louder and louder with each strike as Peril began to roar with each attack, ripping and tearing into the dummy.

"WHAT DOES ASEXUAL EVEN MEAN!?" Peril roared into the dummy as she tore into its chest. "DOES HE REPRODUCE WITH HIMSELF?! THAT'S WHAT I LEARNED! NOW THIS!?"

"It means he has no sexual drive, which can translate to romantic." Turtle explained calmly, flinching from each attack she made. Oh, Tsunami was going to be maaaaaaaaad….

"He had to have known!" Peril snapped at him. Turtle knew she wasn't angry at him, but it still caused his heart to skip a beat. "What else was I supposed to think when he was the only one who could touch me! Finally, someone who I can't kill! Who else was I going to fall for? He must have known! He's not that dumb!"

"Again, Clay doesn't have a mean bone in his body. He didn't even know Glory and Deathbringer were dating for a while despite it being painfully obvious." Turtle attempted to calm her. She glared at him. "Seriously."

"True as that is, I just… what am I supposed to do?" Peril hissed out, giving the dummy a final whack with her tail. "He was my entire life!"

Turtle didn't outwardly comment on that. But, truthfully, he had reservations about her… obsession with Clay. Sure, she ended up befriending the rest of the winglet – especially himself – but it was impossible to get her to focus whenever Clay was around. It was completely one-sided and he knew something like this would happen if Peril was turned down.

Yet, what could he do? Any time he tried to bring it up, she would give him this dumb look and act as if they were meant to be. And since he was such a bleeding coward, he never pushed it.

"But now you can forge your own path," Turtle said a tad nervously. "As your own dragon. Your firescales are subdued, after all."

"But I don't want that! I want to be happy here, with Clay, but I can't!" Peril lashed her tail against the ground, wings flared.

"Then maybe it's time to leave. For now."

Peril squinted, tilting her head at him. "What do you mean?"

"Queen Snowfall sent a letter inviting the Winglet to the Solstice." Turtle rummaged in his pouch to pull out a letter. "That included you, especially since your Firescales were removed."

"What… exactly is the solstice?" Peril raised a brow. Good, she was listening.

"It's a big celebration for IceWings. Admittedly, I don't know much about it myself, but the aurora lights are killer at that time of year," Turtle spoke with growing enthusiasm. "Have you seen those?"

"I don't even know what they are."

"Basically, it's lights in the sky. Natural lights. One of those things you have to see to believe." Turtle grinned excitedly. "I know it sounds boring, but trust me, it's so cool."

"… I don't really do well with crowds, though. Especially IceWings. I'm too crass for them." Peril lowered her wings slightly.

"Not all of them. Plus, there's been a slow change in society. I think they're a bit lighter now." Turtle approached her, a growing smile forming. "It'll get you out of the mountain. The entire Winglet will be there, too! I think it'd be healthy to be around your friends instead of here, alone."

Peril didn't answer immediately. She avoided his stare, instead looking downward. She was mulling it over, but it didn't seem to be going in Turtle's favor. She wanted to sulk, and Turtle couldn't blame her at all. He was like that for most of his dragonethood.

"It's going to be a disaster," Peril spoke after a moment.

"Why?"

"Because I am a disaster. I break everything, I'm destructive, and I can't keep my temper." Peril averted her gaze. "I'd be a bad fit there."

"Stop it." Turtle took her claw in his. She recoiled, but didn't pull away. "You're doubting yourself again. You're trusted with dragonets, and you had firescales! I think you can handle some stuffy IceWings."

"… I guess I was trusted, huh?" Peril said after another moment. "I mean, Queen Ruby likes me. Same with Cliff. I'm going to assume he'll be there, right?"

"Yeah, Queen Ruby was invited. It'd be a nice surprise to have you meet him there."

"Shoulda led with that, Moose." Peril flicked his forehead.

"I still can't believe you call me that after all this time…" Turtle grumbled, but was happy to see his friend smiling again. He could see, behind her eyes, that she was wearing a mask.

But hopefully, she'd become it.

The flight to the Ice Kingdom was rather uneventful. It was nice, though, to be with their whole winglet.

Qibli flew up to the Mountain to meet them, having been with Queen Thorn for about a week. So, now he had two weeks to spend with his consort, Moon. Moon had been anticipating this for days now, and when Qibli finally showed, had thrown her arms and wings around him. Turtle couldn't help but smile, watching someone who was once so shy and reserved openly show affection like this.

They'd all come a long way. This included Winter, who had met them at Jade Mountain. The IceWing seemed to sparkle even in the darkest corners, and despite no longer holding a royal title, postured himself as if he still wore it. Turtle wasn't sure if he and Winter would ever be the best of buddies, but they had no friction between them whenever the Winglet met up. And, truthfully, Turtle did grow to really appreciate the IceWing's presence.

Kinkajou was over the moon to see Winter, too. But, in typical Kinkajou fashion, when it came to confronting her obvious feelings for him - seriously, she had a lovely shade of pink each time she saw him! -, she remained tight-lipped. Turtle warned her that she was going to lose him if she kept waiting, but she just… never worked up the nerve. How strange it was, seeing someone so bold and brash falter.

The rest of the Winglet was more than aware of Peril's state of mind, too. As such, when it came to the usual greetings, they made a special note to include her. If Peril noticed, she didn't say, but did have a notable smile on her face whenever others interacted with her. That was more than enough for Turtle.

"I'm just hoping I'm not going to melt anything." Peril held up her claw. "I'm not burning anything, but I'm still a heater."

"I'd say more like 'warm blanket'." Kinkajou grinned, the smaller RainWing appearing underneath Peril's wing. "Ooooh, yes, definitely a warm blanket." She added, her normally gold and pink scales changing to all sorts of happy hues.

"I think the Kingdom can survive a heatwave." Winter chuckled quietly.

"Oooh, that'd be a cool hero name!" Kinkajou wiggled out from underneath Peril's wing. "Be all like, 'what's your name?' And you'd say 'Heatwave'."

"I think Firescales in itself would be better." Peril toyed with the band that held said Firescales at bay. "I've accepted it. I just, y'know, don't wanna create another fire. Or have you cook over me again, Kinkajou."

The RainWing whistled innocently, slowly moving away.

"Well, when we get up north, we have a bonfire if we ever get too cold. I'm sure an igloo won't melt from you, either." Qibli ribbed Peril playfully. She rolled her eyes, wings ruffling. "Seriously, gotta look at the positive sides!"

"We're going to be late if we don't leave soon." Winter announced to them. "My cousin has learned patience, but I don't want to test it."

And like that, they were off. The flight was full of excitement, everyone chatting. Except Peril, who seemed to grow quieter the further they flew from Jade Mountain. Turtle caught her looking over her shoulder at times, and drifted closer to her after a bit.

"I'm okay." Peril eyed him. "Seriously."

"I know you are. But it's also okay to feel sad. I don't want you to feel like you can't be upset over this." Turtle spoke, trying to filter the words that spun around like a whirlpool in his mind. He was a writer, but not a great speaker.

"Of course I know I can be upset over this! I'm not a dragonet!" Peril snapped defensively. "Sorry." She averted her gaze.

"You can talk to me about anything, too. Even if you have to repeat yourself." Turtle brushed his wingtips against hers as they glided. Peril smiled slightly at the action.

"Why are you so damn nice to me?" Peril squinted at him. "Ever since we first met. I was Queen Scarlet's monster, and yet you just stood there. The most skittish dragon ever, and you didn't run away."

"I was afraid to run, truthfully." Turtle laughed at the memory. "I figured, y'know, maybe there's a chance you wouldn't kill me if I tried being nice. Best decision I made."

"I wouldn't have killed you." Peril frowned.

"Tell that to five year old me who was scared of his own shadow."

"Sure, lemme find a time traveling animus power thing. Then I'll go and beat you over the head with it while saying my unconditional appreciation of you."

"… Why is everything so violent with you?" Turtle couldn't help but stare.

"First eight years of my life were violence. Makes you all screwy." Peril twirled her talon around the side of her head. "Gonna need a new training partner if I can't go with Clay, though… hey, you have invincible scales, you wanna try?"

"I am as fit as a sack of potatoes," Turtle answered blankly. "And just because my scales are invincible doesn't mean my insides aren't soft."

Peril poked his stomach, winking. "I know."

They arrived at the Ice Kingdom the following afternoon. The flight there was long and tired Turtle right out. He meant what he said about being about as fit as a sack of potatoes. He had to ask Tsunami diet tips or something. Being overweight was cute when he was younger but now it was going to start problems.

Alas, he really couldn't sacrifice his stories, either. He needed to teach at JMA and then write more stuff to make a living and if he added exercise on top of it… well, he'd have no free time at all!

Problems for later. Right now, he had to figure out how to warm up. The cloak and gloves he brought were good, yes, but they weren't enough the moment he stepped outside. The Gift of Diplomacy was nice on its own, though. The animus enchanted guest building, however, was just small with all of them hanging around there.

Plus, Turtle did like exploring. Architecture always did get his creative juices flowing. But, he'd wait until sunrise.

Unfortunately, daylight only lasted for about two hours during the solstice.

"How does it feel to be home?" Turtle asked Winter, who was equally restless. The to-be-again prince held a face of quiet contemplation, eyes lidded as if wearier than the most haggard of travelers.

"Nostalgic," Winter answered after a moment, staring out the window of the heated building. He didn't look uncomfortable by the heat, though.

"Oh. I suppose that makes sense." Turtle nodded slowly. "I'd be anxious. Moons, I was when I had to read my stories off to my mother…"

"At least yours approves of you. I'm dead to mine," Winter said bluntly. Turtle blinked. He didn't sound too upset about it, but Turtle didn't know if that was typical IceWing 'no emotions ever' stoicism or not.

"She'll be there, won't she?" Turtle grimaced.

"She has to make an appearance, yes. But outside of flowery words – if any at all – we'll have no relationship." Winter shook his head, the spikes along his head and neck clinking musically. "My siblings, however… there's a real shot at reconnecting."

"Even Icicle?" Turtle raised a brow.

"Even Icicle. She's still under careful watch, but her crimes were motivated not by selfish means. She was manipulated. The deaths of the NightWing patrols has kept her banned from the Rain/Night Kingdom indefinitely, though."

"Makes sense." Turtle nodded again. "But, you deserve this. So, don't beat yourself up about the past or whatever."

"I'm not?" Winter tilted his head to him.

"I ramble when I get anxious." Turtle averted his gaze.

"Hadn't noticed." Winter smiled thinly. "Thank you for coming, by the way. All of you. It… means a lot."

"Of course, Winter!" Turtle grinned. "We're a winglet. We stay together no matter what!"

"Even if I never graduated…."

"Eh, semantics. You were there when we needed you, and so we're here when you need us."

"Sometimes I forget you're Tsunami's brother." Winter said in such a way that Turtle wasn't sure if it was meant to be mean or not. Very hard to read this dragon. "Get some sleep. By the Great Ice Dragon, we'll all need it…"

Sunlit snow was something Turtle both hated and kind of enjoyed. It was so mesmerizing to look at, to see all the colors it could give off. He hated it because it would also blind him. Ugh. Maybe he should invest in a pair of glasses that could reflect that stuff. He was going to need a pair from how much he read, anyway.

Inside the Ice Palace was much nicer. It was like an igloo, with the walls somehow being insulated despite being icy. IceWings passed by, some saying their greetings. Winter was right; things had begun to change around here. Either that or they recognized his starburst wing markings that only the royal family had. Not that it really meant much to the males of the family.

"I think I've only been here once." Moon shivered next to him. She was dressed with lunar jewelry, a studded necklace, and purple-black sleeves on her arms. Not to mention the heavy cloak on her. "I don't even remember why."

"Diplomacy?" Turtle asked her.

"That makes sense. I know Qibli has to run up here every so often." She shook her head. "It's worse for him, I know that."

"Thinner scales, right?"

"Yeah." Moon nodded. "I'm lucky I'm dark scaled. I can absorb all the sunlight I can. Of course, whenever I go to the Sand Kingdom…"

"Ah, yeah, that'll do it."

CRASH!

Something fell around the corner. Moon flinched and took a deep breath as shouts of anger could be heard. Then came Peril's voice, thankfully without much shouting.

Turning the corner, Turtle saw that Peril had accidentally bumped into an IceWing carrying a crate. It didn't look like the crate itself was damaged, but there was the sound of clinking from inside. He didn't know what was in there, but it sounded delicate.

"Watch where you're going, SkyWing!" The IceWing spat. "This is worth more than you'll ever be! The Queen will have my head if it's broken, and that's the case, I'll make sure she has your too!"

"What happened?" Moon asked them.

"She ran right into me! I don't know how she didn't see me." The IceWing indicated to the flashy jewelry and cloak he wore. "I dressed myself this way to make sure nobody runs into me, but I guess I forgot to count on blind dragons!"

"I'm sorry." Peril murmured quietly. "I was just…"

"Whatever." The IceWing looked inside the crate. "You're lucky this isn't broken. Now, keep your eyes in front of you, SkyWing, lest you actually break something this time."

The IceWing picked up the crate and brushed past them, turning the corner whilst muttering under his breath. Turtle turned back to Peril, seeing a defeated and dejected look on her face. He recognized it far too well from the past few weeks.

"Are you okay?" Turtle asked her.

"No." Peril answered honestly. "I told you that I don't belong here. I can't even watch where I'm going. I'll just get out of everyone's way before I actually break something."

"Stop it." Moon wrapped a wing around her. Peril instinctively pulled away. "Accidents happen, Peril. They aren't a judge of your character or your worth. You're irreplaceable, whereas objects can be."

"She's right." Turtle affirmed. "Don't let what he said get to you."

"But what worth am I? All I do is hang around Jade Mountain and do nothing." Peril averted her gaze. "I'm a leech."

"Stop it." Turtle repeated Moon's words. "You help keep the place safe. We're at peace, but you never know when the next threat will happen. You're invaluable if that ever happens!"

"So, I'm only good as a weapon of war?" Peril glared at him. Turtle immediately smacked himself internally.

"That's not what I meant." Turtle quickly tried to amend his statement. "I'm saying that dragons feel safe around you. The dragonets can sleep soundly knowing someone like you can protect them!"

"Provided I don't knock them over."

"Peril, it's okay. Trust us." Moon offered a kind smile. "Just take a deep breath and try to relax. We're here for you."

"… I can try." Peril said. Yet, Turtle realized that she was just saying that to get them off her back.

"The auroras are going to be coming out soon." Turtle suddenly had an idea. "Come on, I know a good place to look at them. They may help your mind!"

"Yeah, I was going to go with Qibli in a bit," Moon said. "They help, trust me."

Peril looked between them, a faint scowl on her muzzle. "I don't really have a choice, do I?"

"Yes, you do." Turtle took her talons in his. She didn't pull away like she did with Moon. "It's your choice."

"… Fine." Peril relented with a sigh. "I'll try."

The best spot for the auroras were not in the castle, but rather just outside it on an outcrop. There was a small cave that kept the wind from chilling their scales, but Peril was more than enough for the both of them. He sat close to her, and within five minutes of sitting down, the sky gave way to colors unlike anything else on Phyrria.

Oh how they danced in the sky. Greens, blues, and some other colors in between. It was mesmerizing, and Turtle wanted nothing more than to swim between them. Yet, it was too far up for dragons to reach. Their mesmerizing movements, in a way, reminded Turtle of the unobtainable in life. That some things should be left alone and appreciated for what they are rather than be tamed.

Out of curiosity, he looked over to Peril, only to frown slightly. Her eyes glistened with tears as she stared up at them. In a way, he was glad, as she hadn't cried or shown any emotion since Clay rejected her. It was always a tough face and withdrawn attitude. Seeing her emote meant she might start to heal.

She caught him looking and turned to him. She didn't bother to wipe her tears away; she knew he saw them.

"You're right." Peril's eyes darted around. It was like she was trying to avoid looking at him. "Seeing those… it puts things into perspective. Things I've ignored, tried to swallow down."

"Good." Turtle smiled brightly. "I'm glad you're confronting everything."

"Yeah… confronting. That's a word." Peril shifted, her claws shuffling nervously as her tail swished behind her. "More like letting them hit me in the face repeatedly."

"Well… that's a part of healing, too." Turtle chuckled. "Just don't ignore them. It's not healthy."

"So… you're acting on my emotions if it'll help?"

"It depends on the emotions, but sure. It's okay to cry, it's okay to go to others. Just, y'know, don't beat down a door or something." Turtle tried to make her feel better with a joke. She smiled at that. Good, good, he didn't mess it up.

"Alright… I guess I will act on what I'm feeling then."

Before Turtle had any chance to react, she grabbed him and pressed her lips to his. His eyes flew open and he felt like his soul had left his body. He grew limp in her claws as his brain tried to process everything that was happening. Her hot muzzle against his. The heat that radiated from her and into his scales, his very essence.

He thought he may just turn into a puddle then and there!

When she released him, Turtle fell backward, unable to move. He stared up at the sky, blinking slowly.

"I'm sorry!" Peril panicked. She stood over him, trembling. "I just… you told me to…"

"What?" Turtle found his voice after a moment.

"What? Oh no… you don't feel the same about me, do you?" Peril's words flew out of her mouth quicker than he could register. "I'm so sorry. I never should've done that. I knew I shouldn't have! Stupid, so stupid!"

"Peril, hold on!" Turtle spoke slowly, but she was already spreading her wings and taking off. He tried to call out to her, but he was just so shell shocked by the kiss that his words didn't come out fast enough. She was already gone, and he wasn't sure where.

Peril… she liked him? That thought never crossed his mind. Ever! He just thought they were close friends. She was an emotional mess, and really, it made sense. She had all that bottled up emotion so of course she took it out on him!

But… did she really feel that way? Or was it just rage and frustration and needing to feel something possible?

Better yet… did he feel the same about her?

I mean, if you read Jade, you know the answer. But it's a matter of how, I guess ;D