Just Another Day at the Academy

AN: I went back and edited all of these, too. This one just had spelling errors in it. The chapter itself is still the same.

Edited: (5/30/21)

This scene is in Turtle's POV on the morning of the day that Winter shows up at the academy. So chapter wise, it takes place during chapter 2. (Or 3 if you count the prologue as a chapter. I don't.)

Disclaimer. I do not own Wings of Fire. Sky the Skywing belongs to her owner Nightfall. She was submitted as a potential OC for Dragons Change, but I decided to do her cameo in here. Lastly, IceDragon07 asked me to put one of his characters in my main story. I agreed. The Mudwing-Skywing hybrid Inferno belongs to him. He'll show up later in the main story, but I put a little nod to him in here.

Turtle awoke with a groan at the morning gong. He blinked the sleep out of his eyes as he gazed around his personal cave. Kinkajou still wasn't back. She had been gone for over three weeks now, and he was beginning to miss her. It was rare for her to stay gone for more than two weeks at a time, but she had been gone for longer than that before.

Maybe it was best not to worry about it for now.

Today was…well, it was just another day at the academy. After Darkstalker, there hadn't been very many interesting events that happened here. The only other time he could think of was when some Skywings had come by looking for their new Mudwing clawmate, Inferno. Technically, Inferno was a Mudwing-Skywing hybrid, but since Peril had been their new Skywing, it had worked out in the end. That was about six months after Winter disappeared, too.

He never did find out what happened to either of them.

Moon probably knew. She had acted weird for days after both of them had left, but Turtle never asked. If she didn't want to tell them, he wasn't going to be the one to pry. Besides, he hadn't seen her or Qibli for almost four years now.

Besides Kinkajou, Peril was the only one of their old winglet that still stuck around. Turtle sighed. We used to be so close. When did we begin to drift apart? He was pretty much deluding himself at this point. It all started when Winter left. Nobody had been the same when he disappeared that night. Qibli had blamed himself and started closing himself off from everyone except Moon.

Moon had been depressed for months after that night. While he and Kinkajou were never Winter's biggest fans, even they realized that they had screwed up. He didn't think Peril cared that much, but at least she was smart enough not to comment on it—around them anyways.

Turtle was brought out of his thoughts with the sound of the second gong. Now he was officially late for the morning faculty meeting…and he had missed breakfast. Apparently, he had been thinking for a lot longer then he had thought because those two gongs were thirty minutes apart.

Everyone at the academy had thirty minutes to eat their breakfast once the first gong sounded. When the second sounded, students would report to their first classes for a fifteen minute unsupervised study session while the professors had a faculty meeting in headmistress Tsunami's office.

It was always the same stuff. She just wanted to tell everyone what was expected of them, who needed to pick up the pace or slow down, and other such trivial nonsense. Five minutes into the meeting, he walked through the door and took his seat.

He only just now realized that everyone was silently staring at him. He observed their faces with slight concern before it evolved into slight fear once he saw his sister's face. To say that she was furious would have been an understatement.

If there was one thing Tsunami hated above all others, it was dragons who walked in late, "Finally decided to join us, huh?" Her tone was scolding, and he shrunk down slightly at it. "Why don't you tell all of us what happened to be so important to be so late to our morning meeting…and miss breakfast." She added that last part when his stomach decided that now was a good time to make its displeasure at being empty known.

The others made it clear when he looked at them that he wouldn't receive any help from any of them. They didn't want to be the ones facing Tsunami's wrath. He knew she wouldn't let this go either, so with a resigned sigh, he answered, "I was thinking."

Please don't ask for any more than that! He silently prayed. He didn't want to talk about his slightly depressing thoughts that he had this morning—especially in front of everyone. If it was just his sister, he would be more willing, but his hopes and dreams were shattered when Tsunami growled, "About what!?"

Damn! He REALLY didn't want to do this, but he didn't have any choice right now, so with a depressing sigh, he answered, "I was thinking about my old winglet." He could have lied, of course, but it wouldn't feel right doing that to Tsunami. She had done a lot for him, and he didn't want to betray her by lying.

Her expression softened slightly, "I see. Well…go get yourself something to eat. I think we'll end early today anyways. But next time I won't be so lenient!" she warned.

Turtle nodded sullenly as he made his way to the door. He received sympathetic looks and comforting pats on the shoulder as he walked by the others. He was grateful for that. It was hard knowing that the first—and best—friends he had ever had mostly disappeared or broke off contact with him.

He made his way to the prey center to scrounge up the last few fish that were left over from this morning. There were only three decent sized ones. I suppose that'll have to do for now. He proceeded to nibble on his fish for a few minutes when he heard the click of talons on the stone floor. He was quite surprised to see his sister walking towards him.

"I guess you lost your appetite, huh?" she gestured to the single half-eaten fish sitting on the table.

He nodded, "Yeah."

"Listen, Turtle, I'm sorry for making you say that in front of everyone else. If I had known…" She trailed off before shaking her head and starting again. "I know I have no idea what you're going through right now, but I know that I would be in the same position if Clay, Sunny, Starflight, or even Glory decided that they would take off and never speak to me again."

Turtle nodded again before wrapping his big sister in a hug. She didn't hesitate to return it. While he and Anemone had gotten closer after the whole animus battle and Darkstalker affair, his little sister could still be a bit of a self-centered brat sometimes. Tsunami, though…

She knew the value of family and friends. When her and the other Dragonets of Destiny were going across Pyrrhia trying to stop a war that had been raging for almost two decades, she knew that she could always count on her friends.

That's why Tsunami was—secretly—his favorite sister.

He was the first to break the hug. A smile had replaced his earlier frown. Sure, knowing that your old friends were gone hurt, but he knew that he still had dragons that cared about him here and now. "Thanks, Tsunami. I needed this."

She punched his shoulder playfully. Tried to, anyway. It actually hurt quite a bit, but he tried to keep from grimacing. "That's my job, isn't it? I'm supposed to look after my little brother, after all."

All of a sudden, the third gong rang, signally the start of the first class of the day. "I better be going. I don't want to be late…again." She smirked at his joke before nodding and going about her daily rounds.

After the whole Darkstalker debacle, most of the Queens thought it would be a good idea for the students at Jade Mountain to be taught about animus magic. While animus dragons were rare, fear had caused the premature death of several animus dragons in the past ever since the Royal Seawing Massacre. Turtle's job at the Academy was to teach his students about every animus dragon from past to present as well as what happens when animus magic is used too much. Tsunami had made it a rule that Turtle wasn't allowed to use his magic in his class no matter how small an enchantment he used.

He agreed. He felt fine, but he didn't want to be the next Albatross. He wasn't going to take any chances—no matter how much his students pestered him.

Anemone came by sometimes as a guest lecturer, and they would go see Stonemover sometimes when Sunny gave them permission. Those visits were few and far between because someone almost always asked something that got Stonemover riled up. That was three of Pyrrhia's four animus dragons. The fourth…well…he didn't know what had happened to the massive Nightwing, but he doubted Darkstalker would be welcome at Jade Mountain if he was still around.

Turtle knew that he wouldn't welcome the Nightwing.

Regardless, his morning routine had been slightly messed up, so he would make extra sure that the rest of his day would be just like any other day: three classes, then lunch, then another study hall, then three more classes, then supper, and lastly, free time until lights out.

The academy had added a sixth winglet two years ago when another small section of the cave system had been excavated. Tsunami had wanted to call it the Coral Winglet both in honor of their mother and because coral was a precious resource. One of the Skywings had made an argument saying that they could call it the Ruby Winglet for the same reason.

Tsunami had relented after that.

After hours of deliberation, they had finally settled on the Iron Winglet. While it wasn't a precious resource, iron was strong, sturdy, and made up the backbone of several of Pyrrhia's militaries. In a way, that made it precious. There was no telling how many lives had been saved due to iron armor. Another dragon had made an argument saying that there was no telling how many lives had been lost due to iron weapons.

Tsunami had glared at him until he revoked his argument.

Students—and therefore teachers—had the same order of classes. He would teach the Gold Winglet, Quartz Winglet, and Iron Winglet before lunch and then the Jade Winglet, Copper Winglet, and finally the Silver Winglet after lunch.

He finally reached his class—two minutes late—and took his place at his podium. His students immediately quieted down as he began. "Sorry for the slight delay, I've had a bit of a rough morning." The Seawing in the group raised his claws, "Yes, Brine?"

The Seawing lowered them before asking, "Are you okay, Prince Turtle?"

A small smile formed on Turtle's face when he answered, "Yes, I am, but while I'm in this classroom, it's Professor Turtle not Prince Turtle, understood?" The Seawing, Brine, nodded. "Good." He picked up his scroll that held his teaching plans for the year and balked when he saw what today's topic was. Am I not going to have a break today? "Umm…Uh, today's topic is a sensitive one. You know the rules, though. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and no one is allowed to take disagreements further than debates."

The Mudwing spoke without raising her claws, "You've never given us a warning like this before, Professor Turtle. What's so bad about today's topic?"

He decided not to chastise her for not raising her claw and instead answered her question, "Because today, we're talking about Darkstalker." The Icewing in the class immediately growled at the mention of his name and the Nightwing shivered in slight fear. "I share your sentiments, Crystal, but please stop growling." The female Icewing stopped, but she narrowed her eyes to make it clear she wasn't pleased that she couldn't voice her displeasure.

"You know how it goes by now. You'll take turns saying something you know about Darkstalker. Try not to repeat another's fact, but if you don't know anything else, just say pass."

The Mudwing, Delta, decided to go first, "I heard that he was the oldest and largest dragon alive."

"That is correct," Turtle answered. "Darkstalker is over two thousand years old and was approximately three times larger than Burn—the largest of the Sandwing sisters." He shivered slightly when he remember seeing the goliath of a dragon rise from underneath the mountain.

The Nightwing, Cometstorm, went next, "He was a Hybrid. Icewing and Nightwing to be exact, which is why the two tribes hate each other." The Nightwing glanced back at the Icewing who only glared at him. He pointed at her and said, "My point, exactly."

Turtle nodded before pointing at the next volunteer, Brine. "He was personal friends with one of the only survivors from the Royal Seawing Massacre, Prince Fathom, who also happened to be an animus."

The Skywing raised her claws next but didn't wait to be called on before answering, "Didn't he kill his own father?"

"Yes…he did," Turtle stated, somewhat uncomfortable with that particular addition. "Though, you should wait to be called on before you answer, Skye. Do you know the name of his father?"

Sky opened her mouth to answer, but someone interrupted her, "Prince Arctic of the Icewings."

"Thank you, Crystal," he said annoyed. "Because you interrupted your clawmate, you can go next."

"Alright," she glared at him. "When Darkstalker was resurrected—by a Skywing, I might add—he unleashed a plague that killed almost half of my tribe, including my Queen, my brother, and my father."

Though she had tried to prevent it, her voice cracked ever so slightly at the end of her answer. He didn't appreciate the obvious jab at his friend, Peril, but Turtle still felt terrible. Great moons! I just pulled a Tsunami! "If you wish to be excused, Crystal, you may be…I'm sorry." The Icewing didn't say anything as she got up and left.

The Sandwing, who had yet to say anything, raised his paw next and answered when Turtle pointed at him, "It was also a Sandwing who replicated his enchanted earring to give to all the Icewings, and the two tribes have become closer allies ever since then."

That's news to me. I didn't know that the Sandwings and Icewings were allies. "Do you know the name of that Sandwing, though?" Turtle didn't want to show it but being reminded of those days was making him kind of sad again. While he was content with his lot in life nowadays, talking about his adventures made him miss them. The good parts, though. He could live without the giant, invincible Nightwing intent on tribal genocide.

"Yep," he answered. "Qibli. One of the original Jade Winglet members who defeated Darkstalker, and you were the animus that originally enchanted that earring, too!" Turtle nodded.

The Rainwing, Monty, was the only one who hadn't gone yet, so Turtle picked on him to go next, "Umm…he brainwashed dragons?"

"You're correct. Darkstalker used a spell that made every dragon on Pyrrhia who wasn't wearing an enchanted earring instantly like and trust him." Crystal entered the room during his pause and he looked down in shame when she glared at him. "Well then, let's begin the lesson, shall we? Darkstalker was hatched during the brightest night over two thousand years ago…"

When the next gong rang, the Gold Winglet headed over to their next class as the Quartz Winglet entered. This period and the one with the Iron Winglet immediately following were pretty much the same as the first, except he didn't accidentally insult someone with an insensitive question. When the lunch gong rang, Turtle decided to stay for a few minutes to collect his thoughts. Spending three hours talking about the single most terrifying dragon in history could take it's toll on a dragon. Even more so when you've actually met said terrifying dragon before.

No students were in his classroom at the moment, so he decided to relish in the peace and quiet. He closed his eyes for just a second before he heard someone clearing their throat, most likely to get his attention.

He opened his eyes to see Python, the Sandwing from the Gold Winglet, in his door, "Sorry to interrupt, Professor Turtle, but there's an Icewing walking through the halls towards Headmistress Tsunami's office, and he looks like he's ticked off about something."

He wanted to say, "That's just how Icewings usually look," but he bit his tongue. Besides, if this mystery Icewing was headed straight for his sister's office, it was probably a good idea to go back her up. He was the little brother with the animus magic, after all.

It wasn't that hard to find the Icewing. He just followed the trail of frost vapor in the air. That probably wasn't a good sign, so he picked up his pace. He found the intruder pinning three dragonets with his gaze. He couldn't get a very good angle on the Icewing's face because he was coming up from behind, but he could see that the dragonets in question were a Rainwing, Seawing, and Nightwing.

It's probably best if I intervene. Those dragonets look nervous. I don't really blame them, either. He walked forward and around the Icewing while using his most professional voice, "Excuse me, sir, but you're frightening my students. I'll have to ask you to—"

He froze.

That looks like… It can't be, though…can it? Nobody's seen him in seven years! "Winter?" He received no response from the Icewing. "Winter?" He asked a bit louder this time…still no response. He was beginning to think this wasn't who he thought it was. Winter had a brother, right? Maybe this is him. Though, maybe I should try one more time. "WINTER!"

Turtle saw the Icewing blink, confused, before shaking his head to clear his mind before he turned his gaze on the Seawing. He saw confusion on the Icewing's face, then he blinked. Recognition followed, and Turtle could see a whole swarm of conflicting emotions in his eyes. If this is Winter, he looks much different than he used to. He almost looks…broken. "Winter? Are you okay?" Panic broke through Winter's eyes, so Turtle put a comforting paw on the Icewing's shoulder.

The Icewing looked down in slight confusion at the new pressure on his shoulder. "Winter, you're starting to scare me. Please say something," he urged.

The Icewing looked up and spoke in hardly more than a whisper, "T-Turtle?"

The Seawing smiled. That confirmed it. This was Winter. "Yeah, it's me. I've missed you, my friend." Winter looked at him with surprise and was quiet for several moments. Turtle didn't want to rush him, there was no telling what was going on inside his mind. That was when he noticed something that completely shattered his previous outlook on his old clawmate. Moisture was beginning to build up around Winter's eyes, and Turtle could hear his breathing hitch. By the moons! Is he crying!?

When Winter threw his arms around Turtle, the Seawing stiffened for a second before eventually returning it. He tried to be as comforting as possible whispering reassurances like, "It's okay, Winter. It'll be okay."

In reality, he was horrified at how Winter was acting. He remembered the Icewing being a proud royal who didn't put up with anyone's crap. He could be a jackass, sure, but he always ended up doing the right thing in the end. Now though, he looked to be a shell of his former self. Before, Winter wouldn't be caught dead acting like this. Now though…

What has the world done to you, Winter?

AN: Nothing much to say down here except that I hope everyone likes it.

Until Next Time

AdmiralCole22