Rescued
AN: I'M NOT DEAD!
Seriously, though. This took way too long to do. A good 80% of it was done about three months ago, but I hit a rough patch and got hit with curveball after curveball. Depression sucks, and I'll just leave it at that.
My hopelessly horrendous college schedule last semester didn't help matters, what with having two twelve hour days and an eight hour day every week. But my schedule is a lot better this semester, and I'll have a lot more free time than before, so here's hoping I don't disappear for five months again.
Anyways, I hope this chapter is adequate enough for how long you guys have had to wait for it. It doesn't really feel like it to me, but I'll leave that verdict up to you.
Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire. My OCs Aurora and the Spirits, Faredir, Horus, and Flint belong to me. Cataclysm belongs to her owner BizmuthTheRainwing. Inferno belongs to his owner IceDragon07.
Qibli:
He liked to think of himself as physically adept. His time in Thorn's employ both before and after she became Queen had given him a lean musculature—a benefit of being raised as a thief and then becoming Thorn's personal bodyguard and errand dragon. And the time pounding metal in the Changewing's prison camp had bulked him up quite a bit. Honestly, he looked like a soldier twice his age now. However, as if in direct contrast, the malnourishment he had suffered through made him look skinny, and the odd proportions made him look a bit…well…out of proportion.
He decided to voice his thoughts to the gloomy-looking hybrid sitting next to their campfire. They had decided to camp for the night, the previous fifteen hours of constant flying wearing both of them out, but Inferno seemed to be either worried or upset about something. They were in the Sky Kingdom now, so they should be safe for the night which is why they had stopped where they had. He had been studying his reflection in the lake they had camped next to—if one wanted to call it that. It was more of a large pond, really. "Do you think I look weirdly shaped?" he asked out of the blue, hoping a conversation would help ease the hybrid's mind.
Inferno furrowed his eye ridges as if trying to puzzle out what that was even supposed to mean. His eyes roved over his body, and Qibli waited patiently with a small smirk playing at his muzzle while Inferno checked him out.
Okay, he knew it wasn't meant like that, but still…
Then, Inferno just shrugged. "I guess? But I doubt it's something that a few proper meals couldn't fix."
Qibli scratched his chin with a talon as he looked down at his reflection in thought. He had taken a few opportunities to grab some food whenever he could yesterday. Right now, there was a goat, three fish, and half a pig getting acquainted with his stomach. Sandwing metabolism wasn't exactly quick, either. He could eat less and stay full for longer which is why he wasn't hungry at the moment. His stomach's current occupants equated to an entire day's worth of food normally. What he needed right now was weight, pure and simple. "I need food," he declared.
"But you just ate…" Inferno stated, confused.
"I know, but if I gorge myself, I'll gain a lot more weight than if I just ate normally," he pointed out.
"And all that weight will make you fat, and then you'll really be weirdly shaped," Inferno argued. "Why does it matter anyway?"
"Because this is important!" Qibli grinned. "I can't show up at the Sea Kingdom and let my friends see that I've become shapes!"
"…So making yourself fat is the answer?" Inferno asked, utterly confused.
"Round is a better shape than tubular," Qibli shrugged, voice completely serious. "But that's not what I'm aiming for. Gaining weight is. Then, I can exercise to get an even better shape…like a brick."
"O…k…? I guess you can do whatever you want, but I don't see what the big deal is," he stated. "But if you're going to be weird, I will, too." So saying, he grabbed a good chunk of what used to be their stash of spare firewood and spread it out on the rock he had been lying on. Then, he breathed fire on the wood until they were nothing but hot coals. He couldn't stop himself from wincing when the hybrid laid down on them like nothing was wrong.
"Err…comfortable?" he wondered, his tone making it known that, yeah, he thought that was weird.
Inferno just rolled his eyes and laid his head down. "Don't judge me. I'm not judging you for wanting to get fat." Qibli just snorted in amusement and left to go find some more stuff to stuff himself with. At least his plan had worked. Inferno wasn't gloomy anymore.
After he succeeded in giving himself a stomach ache and nearly getting sick because of it, he just plopped onto his back so as not to disturb his slightly distended belly and slipped into a food coma.
The flight to the Sea Kingdom would take another three days' worth of flying, and Qibli spent every opportunity trying to work off his newly acquired paunch—which was easier than he thought it would be. Though, that was probably because he couldn't bring himself to eat anything for two days afterwards for fear of actually making himself sick.
He hadn't worked all of it off by the time they were nearing the Summer Palace, but he had gotten most of it. His core wasn't completely solid, and there was a slight give, but he wasn't what one would call chubby. Honestly, he now looked more like his old self…if a bit doughy around the midsection. And he would probably have that worked off in a day or two anyways.
He knew how to get himself in shape quickly, a fact Inferno seemed a bit envious of if the incredulous comments on his progress were anything to go by. He was still a bit skinny in his mind, but at least he wasn't shapes anymore.
Unsurprisingly, they were stopped by a guard patrol before they made it to the palace itself, but several of the guards recognized Inferno, so they were escorted the rest of the way to their destination. "You never said you were a musician," Qibli commented a bit excitedly when he picked up that little tidbit from the guards. He loved music!
"It didn't seem like an important detail at the time," he replied. "But, yeah. I play guitar. There's an outdoor tavern not far from the palace where a lot of the guards spend their nights, and I play there at least once a week."
"Sounds fun!" Qibli grinned. That seemed like his kind of scene: music, alcohol, probably some dancing, too. "Can't wait to check it out!"
Inferno shook his head. "You probably won't get the chance. Once we tell the others what we saw, things are going to get a lot more serious. None of us will have the time for anything like that."
He was a bit disappointed by that, but he nodded, nevertheless. It made sense, though, if what Inferno said was true. If things were as bad as he made them out to be, there are some things that would have to take precedence…like staying alive.
At that point, they had reached the underwater tunnel that would lead into the palace, so the conversation stopped there. He had never been to the Seawing's Summer Palace before, so when his head breached the surface and he got the chance to take in his surroundings, he was in awe. The coral architecture was unlike anything he had ever seen as he was more used to the sandstone dwellings in the Sand Kingdom or the more ornate marble structures of the Sky Kingdom. Of course, he had only been to the Skywing capital a clawful of times, so most of his experience in the Sky Kingdom was from Possibility.
But this was just majestic.
"Wow…" he breathed. Some of the guards seemed to puff up with pride at that one simple word, and honestly, Qibli couldn't blame them. He looked straight up, trying to take in the multi-leveled atrium and the coral spires that held everything together as best he could. That's when he heard a surprised gasp. He looked down and saw a Rainwing whose scales had gone stark white as she stared directly at him in utter shock. Qibli studied her for a few seconds before recognizing her. She may have been older, and she may have not had her normal colors on her scales right now, but he could never forget one of his friends. He smiled at her excitedly, giving her a toothy grin, and that seemed to shake her out of her stupor.
Though, her reaction wasn't quite what he expected. Instead of being happy to see him, she closed the distance slowly, almost warily until she was a few steps away. That's when she finally noticed Inferno. At first she was confused, as if she couldn't believe the hybrid was actually standing there, but then she seemed to come to a conclusion. "You were captured, weren't you?" she asked, to which both of them nodded. Qibli understood the question was meant for Inferno, but he decided to answer it, as well. However, she pointedly ignored the Sandwing, though he could tell that she was holding back her emotions and partially failing. "I-Is that really h-him?" she asked the hybrid, her voice breaking twice in that simple sentence.
Inferno opened his mouth to answer, but Qilbi beat him to it. He placed a gentle claw on Kinkajou's shoulder, and she finally turned to look at him, tears brimming in her eyes. "It's really me, Kinkajou," he said softly with a reassuring smile.
That seemed to be enough for the dam holding back her tears to burst as she immediately broke into sobs and latched onto him. Qibli returned the hug without hesitation, though his heart broke a little when he realized just how long he had been gone. Inferno had told him, of course, but knowing five years had gone by hadn't seemed like much until this moment. It was only now that he truly understood just how long five years was—especially when everyone thought you were dead.
She calmed down rather quickly, and her hug became less desperate and more happy—much more happy. "You're alive!" she proclaimed excitedly. "We all thought you were dead, but you're here! I still can't believe it!" she smiled at him.
He smiled at her exuberance. "You better believe it! You aren't getting rid of me that easily!" he joked with a grin.
Those words seemed to resonate within her as her smile began to fade. It didn't mean she was any less happy to see him, though, she was just showing it in a different way: a genuine smile and a sparkle in her eyes to show how much she really did care. She gladly accepted his offer for another hug, and he sighed in contentment at finally being back where he belonged—with his friends. "I missed you," she told him.
Qibli actually felt a few tears spring into his eyes at that, and he hugged her a bit tighter for it. "Not as much as I missed you. I thought I would never see any of you again. I know you thought the same about me, but…" he sighed sadly. "At least you had each other."
She nodded, accepting his words. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. Trust me, I know what it's like to be a prisoner of war." Then, she perked up. "What am I doing!? The others need to know you're alive, too!" She grabbed his arm, and all but pulled him in the direction she wanted him to go. "Come on!"
"Alright, I'm coming!" he chuckled. He was excited about seeing everyone again after so long. It would be an emotional ride, he was sure, but it would all be worth it in the end. Though…his smile fell as he remembered one particular dragon he wasn't sure how he felt about. He had decided long ago to forgive Winter for how they parted ways, but that didn't mean he had forgotten it. He didn't know how he felt about the Icewing anymore. Maybe he was still angry with his old friend, or maybe he would just be glad to see Winter again. He honestly didn't know how he would react until he saw the Icewing face to face.
"Wait here," Kinkajou told him, and he nodded. She waved for Inferno to follow, though, so the hybrid followed her around the corner into a large room nearby. She probably didn't want to overwhelm everyone, and so had decided to take them in one at a time. He could hear the gasps of surprise even from out here in the hallway. He couldn't hear a lot of what was said though it sounded happy, at least. And that's when Kinkajou called out to him. "You can come in, now!"
He took a deep breath to ready himself, briefly wondered if she had told them it was him or not before deciding it didn't really make a difference and planted a smile on his muzzle to hide his nerves. Well…here goes nothing…
He turned the corner, stopping in the doorway to take in the sight of everyone who was gathered in the large room. There were a lot of dragons here he didn't recognize, including more than a few spectral-looking dragons that he could only assume were the Spirits that Inferno had spoken about. In fact, the only dragons he actually did recognize—besides Inferno and Kinkajou, that is—were Turtle, Blaze, and…
"Three moons, he was telling the truth…" he muttered when he recognized the one Nightwing in the room. He may be smaller, but Qibli recognized Darkstalker. Out of all of them, he seemed to be the only one who was unsurprised to see him.
But even still, the welcome wasn't as warm as he had expected as Turtle and Blaze were the only ones who had a reaction akin to Kinkajou's. The Seawing had ran up and hugged him, and after confirming that he was actually here and alive…that was pretty much it. It was nice to see Blaze again, though. They had never been friends per say, but they had lived in the same palace together for a while, so he could consider her a close acquaintance. "I can't believe it…we all thought you were dead," the Seawing said.
"So I've heard," Qibli replied absently as he looked around the room, noticing the lack of several familiar faces. Then he looked back to Turtle. "Not to be rude or anything, but where's the others? I really need to speak with Winter."
Turtle's smile fell and he looked away, suddenly upset. "He's not here," was Kinkajou's clipped—and rather angry—response. "And neither's Moon, so don't bother asking."
Qibli blinked at her, stunned silent by her transparent hostility. "Am I…missing something here?"
"You mean other than the fact your Icewing pal is a turnclaw?" came from one of the Spirits. Upon closer inspection, he looked like a Sandwing. He paused, confused for a moment at the words and hostile tone. He took in the expression of the other three Spirits he could see—the Icewing, Skywing, and Nightwing seemingly absent—but there was a female Icewing here that he didn't recognize. She seemed…deeply upset by the Sandwing Spirit's words. Based on Inferno's explanations and her expression, she could only be Aurora, but that didn't really make sense. She was supposed to be a Spirit, too, so why would she be mortal?
He heard a small chuckle, and he turned to see Darkstalker approaching him. He was a bit wary of the Nightwing, but either Darkstalker didn't notice or, more likely, he didn't care. "I had forgotten how sharp you were, Qibli." The Nightwing sat down next to him with a smile, and Qibli suddenly felt a bit nervous at how close he was. He was quite large, too, which didn't help matters. The Nightwing's grin never fell, though. "And don't worry about the others. We'll be seeing them soon, anyways."
Everyone seemed surprised by that. "Says who?" Aurora demanded.
Just then, a portal opened near them, and another Nightwing walked out of it. Everyone seemed to do a double take when they saw him, surprise on everyone's faces. "I do. We're leaving for Jade Mountain day after tomorrow."
"Shade? How did you…?" Aurora began. She seemed utterly confused, but she was nowhere near as lost as he was.
Shade smiled reassuringly. "I just confirmed a theory I had. I wondered why I could have a bond with Winter as well since he isn't a Nightwing, but the first Winter bound his soul to Razorclaw, my Champion. Apparently, our Winter still carries that piece of Razorclaw within him, and so I was able to make a connection with both him and Darkstalker." He paused for a moment in thought before speaking again. "You should be able to connect to Darkstalker, too, Aurora, if the same logic applies."
The Sandwing Spirit scoffed. "Shouldn't you already know if it'll work or not?"
Shade rolled his eyes. "As much as you like to think otherwise, I'm not completely infallible. There are a few things that elude even my knowledge and understanding—and that includes my foresight."
"I am so lost…" Qibli muttered, trying—and failing—to keep up with everything that was happening around him.
"I'll fill you in later," Darkstalker whispered.
Qibli glanced at the Nightwing next to him with a raised eye ridge. He wasn't sure why Darkstalker was being so…nice, but no one else seemed to have a problem with him. It seemed a bit odd to him since the dragon he remembered was considerably less so, but he supposed he could give the Nightwing the benefit of the doubt for now.
He saw a small smirk tug at the corners of Darkstalker's mouth but decided to pay attention to the ongoing argument again. "Why do you insist on defending him!? Winter chose his path and proved that he couldn't be trusted!" the Sandwing Spirit argued.
Shade was silent for a moment and bowed his head, looking at the floor in thought. When he spoke, it was in a quiet voice. "Arena, we've been friends and comrades for…a long time. I don't know what I did to make you doubt me, but please…trust me as you once did."
Arena's expression softened ever so slightly because of his words, but he looked away with a huff. "Don't change the subject, Shade. Trusting you and trusting Winter are two separate things, and I don't trust him—not after what he did."
Shade stared at the Sandwing Spirit, looking genuinely stunned at Arena's reply. Then, he growled. "As much as you like to think otherwise, the world isn't all black and white!" he yelled. "That's a truth you're going to have to accept lest we all pay the price for your narrow-mindedness! So if you won't listen to me as your friend, then I'll order you as your superior: We're going to Jade Mountain, and nobody is allowed to hurt Winter in any way! And that includes words…" he finished with a fierce glare at the Sandwing Spirit.
"I thought Aurora was the leader…" Qibli mumbled, thoroughly lost. He had no idea why they were arguing about Winter or what the Icewing did to deserve such hostility from both friends and Spirits alike, but whatever it was, he couldn't have deserved it…right?
"You're right, Qibli. He doesn't deserve it," Darkstalker answered, and he looked at the Nightwing curiously. "He did what he had to, and if any of us were in his situation, we would have done the same damn thing!" he all but snarled, sounding genuinely angry for Winter's sake.
Despite the fact Darkstalker's words didn't seem to have that much of an effect, he did notice that Shade was smiling at the Nightwing, and he seemed almost…proud? That's another question to add to the growing pile in his mind. "And yes, Aurora is the leader," Darkstalker continued much more calmly. "But Shade is the Second." Qibli nodded, thankful for at least a little bit of clarity on the subject, but then Darkstalker gestured behind them with his head. "Come on. I know you'd like an explanation, so I'll give you the full story."
Qibli looked back at the room for a moment, but it looked like everyone was going their own ways for now, so he shrugged and followed behind the larger Nightwing. True to his word, Darkstalker gave him the full story—not just of what happened to make everyone so hostile towards Winter, but of everything. By the time his tale was done, it was already late in the night, and he had to admit that he probably wouldn't have believed it if he hadn't lived through part of it himself.
Spirits, Dark Lords, magic beyond animus dragons, a lost tribe of shapeshifters, past lives…it seemed like some sort of weird adventure story.
He just wished he could have been there the whole time and not trapped in a labor camp. Not that he could've done much to help beyond what they already did, but he still felt bad for missing all of it. He especially felt bad about the Changewing that took his place and all but tortured Moon. What must it have been like for her to have the dragon she loved—or thought she did—hurt her like that? And almost as important: would she ever forgive him? He knew it wasn't him that hurt her, but it was a dragon wearing his face. That had to be all sorts of disturbing and disheartening.
He supposed he shouldn't dwell too long on it. It was done, and he couldn't change the past. And worrying over the future would make him sick for…well, worrying. He would have to take things one day at a time. Though it would have to wait until tomorrow as it was already late in the night. He smiled softly at the moons visible through the window in his room. Somewhere, Moon was looking at the same moons, and her friends would be watching over her—over all of them.
The next day had them preparing to leave for their journey to Jade Mountain. Why they weren't actually leaving today wasn't immediately apparent to him, but Darkstalker explained that Shade would open a portal for them to just outside the mountain, so they wouldn't have to waste days flying the distance. Speaking of which, the Nightwing Spirit had disappeared yet again, so he could only assume he was with the others for the moment.
As he sat next to a dragon who had once been a prominent figure in many dragons' nightmares watching the others—mostly Turtle—get ready to leave, he had to wonder if there was anything he needed to do. Most of the Spirits were still debating amongst each other, and he had an idea of the topic of discussion. Aurora wasn't taking part in the discussion, though. Rather, she was pacing nearby. She was worried and clearly upset about something—which in turn made Arena even more adamant and insistent on his points of view.
He hadn't even talked with the Sandwing Spirit yet, but Qibli was beginning to dislike him quite a bit. Sure he was just trying to protect his colleagues, but as Shade said, the Sandwing was too black and white about certain things. He was cynical and argued whenever someone disagreed with him about something or someone he considered a threat.
But he wasn't on Qibli's agenda for today. As for the others: Turtle was saying goodbye to his very large family while also getting ready to leave, and Kinkajou was helping him pack up things. Darkstalker was still sitting next to him, looking completely content with not doing anything, and Inferno was trying to find his stuff that he had to leave behind when he traveled with the group to the frigid waters north of the Sky Kingdom. So far he wasn't having much luck. And he had no idea where Blaze was—probably still asleep or something. And as much as he wanted to tell her that her sister was actually alive, he figured now probably wasn't the best time for that. Everyone was still recovering from the fact both he and Inferno were alive, after all. It would be better to wait a few days for that.
He had run in to Queen Ruby earlier, which was a surprise. He also met another Skywing named Cataclysm that he didn't know, but according to Darkstalker, had been with the group since nearly the beginning. He spoke with her for a few minutes, and he decided that he liked her. She had a similar loyalty to Queen Ruby that he had to Queen Thorn, and that was something he could respect. And since they were both soldiers, it was easy to relate to each other's experiences. Maybe he could find her later so they could swap stories, but she was with the Skywing Queen right now, and he didn't want to interfere with her duties.
He supposed he should probably help Inferno track down his lost belongings as he was quite adept at such things, but that's not what he decided to do. For now, there was one other dragon he wanted to speak to. Maybe she could shed some light on a few questions he still had. How to go about asking the Icewing Spirit if she wanted to talk, though? Especially with her so obviously upset?
He heard Darkstalker snort in amusement next to him. "Aurora!" he called, and the Icewing turned to see what the Nightwing wanted. "Qibli wants to talk with you." He patted said Sandwing on the back after he said that. "See? Problem solved," he whispered cheekily.
Aurora began walking in their direction just as Darkstalker stood and walked away to leave the two of them to chat privately. Her expression was an odd mix of curious to see what the Sandwing wanted and frustrated at being interrupted from her thoughts. "Yes?" she asked politely.
Well, he couldn't say he expected it to be so easy, but since she was here, might as well say his piece. "Darkstalker filled me in on what's been going on last night, but there were a few things I wanted to ask about," he told her.
"And why didn't you simply ask Darkstalker?" she asked, clearly growing more frustrated by his answer. "I've far too much on my mind at the moment to be answering inane questions from someone I don't know."
He was slightly taken aback by her rude response, but, to be fair, he'd probably be a bit short-tempered if he were in her position, too. From what Darkstalker told him, Aurora truly did care for Winter—loved him, even. And now, after Winter chose to leave with the Changewing Lord rather than stay firm in his allegiance and his personal promise to her, she must be filled to the brim with a whole slew of negative emotions: anger, betrayal, doubt… "It's about Winter," he finally, hesitantly answered.
She frowned. "I see…" Then, she looked away for a moment before turning back to him. "Very well, follow me. This discussion is best held in a more private setting." She turned and walked away without even making sure he was following. But follow he did.
She lead him down a few hallways until they reached a small balcony at the top of the palace overlooking the main atrium. There were very few dragons up near their level, and those down below wouldn't be able to hear them from way down there. He sat next to her, and went to speak, but she interrupted before he even had a chance to say anything. "Before you say anything, I…apologize for snapping at you." Her tone was genuine, so he nodded, accepting her apology. "I would also like to say that I know what you're trying to do, and I appreciate that you want to help, but…" she trailed off with a sigh and shook her head. "Never mind. I may not know you very well, but Winter always spoke highly of you. So go ahead and ask your questions."
He nodded, a bit surprised that Winter apparently spoke highly of him, but was silent for a short while, trying to figure out how he wanted to word his first question. "Winter's choice to leave with that Changewing Lord, uh…what's his name again?"
"Faredir," she answered rather stiffly.
"Right…him. If I was faced with the same choice, Darkstalker would've been right. I would've done the same thing," he told her. "I just don't understand why almost everyone is treating Winter like he personally murdered their entire family or something."
She hummed and nodded. She answered, though she didn't look happy with talking about it. "I can't speak for your friends, obviously, but I can tell you why I'm so upset with his choice," she offered, and he nodded. "Well…to properly explain it, we'll have to go back in time to around fifteen thousand years ago. My Champion back then was one of Winter's ancestors, and he was also named Winter. I grew to care about him, and we became close—closer than was appropriate, to be honest. I loved him, but I kept myself in denial about that fact for a long time. I only accepted the truth less than an hour before Faredir killed him."
Qibli stared at her, stunned silent by her words and the emotion she spoke them with. Darkstalker never told him any of this, so he was unaware of the history behind the conflict between the Spirits and the Changewings. But this…the way she spoke showed how deeply these memories still affected her.
"I'm afraid that history will end up repeating itself," she confessed. "I suppose it already has. A few days ago, I felt Winter's life leave him again." Qibli gasped on hearing that, immediately thinking the worst, but Aurora calmed him upon realizing how that might have sounded. "He's still alive, don't worry…but it was close. Faredir saved his life. I don't know how, and I don't know if I can believe it's for the reason Shade says."
"What reason?" Qibli asked abruptly.
She huffed, whether from his interruption or the question itself, he didn't know. "That Faredir cares for Winter. Shade says that Faredir will become the father Winter never had." She paused for a moment before adding, "And I still don't know how to feel about that." Honestly, he didn't, either. Darkstalker didn't speak about Faredir all that much, and when he did, he spoke as unbiased as possible. He was beginning to think the Nightwing didn't want him drawing conclusions about the Changewing before he got the chance to meet him for himself. Aurora broke his line of thought as she continued once more. "If Shade is right, I should be happy that Winter has found someone to fill that role for him…but how can I be? I've only known Faredir as a ruthless, cruel, and sadistic enemy. To think of him as anything else…Can dragons such as him truly ever change?"
Qibli looked away for a moment to mull over her question. It didn't take him long to figure out his answer, though. "I think every dragon possesses the capacity for change. Just look at Darkstalker. He tried to take over Pyrrhia. Twice! But now everyone seems to trust him, and even I'll admit he doesn't seem at all like he used to be," he pointed out.
Aurora studied him as she thought on his words. "I suppose you are right," she finally conceded. "If Shade is right and Faredir truly has changed, then clinging to the past would only be detrimental to our future. I had once doubted Shade about Darkstalker, yet now I would call him an ally—perhaps even a friend." She sighed again. "But it will be hard for me to accept that Faredir has truly changed with the long history of violence between us."
"I never said it would be easy, but nothing worth doing ever is. I think you should give him a chance. If not for yourself, then do it for Winter's sake," Qibli replied.
Aurora looked away and was silent for a long time. He was beginning to wonder if their conversation was over and he should leave her be when she finally spoke again. "You are wise for one so young," she told him, a small smile gracing her features. "You've given me much to ponder on. You should return to the others. I need some time alone to think things over."
Qibli nodded and left, respecting her wish for privacy. He wondered if Inferno had found his stuff yet…
As he was returning to the others, he noticed a Seawing with an odd patch of lighter scales on his chest walk out of a room with Inferno right behind him. He heard Inferno thank the Seawing before he walked away, leaving the hybrid standing in the hall with a pack of stuff and two guitars. Well, I guess that answers my question, he thought humorously. Inferno noticed him and seemed to perk up a bit as he walked over. "I see you found your stuff," Qibli commented.
"Yep!" Inferno nodded cheerfully. "It took me a while, but I finally tracked it all down. I was worried that they might have gotten rid of it, but Turtle introduced me to that Seawing, and he took me to where they had stored all of it."
Qibli nodded as he watched the Seawing turn a corner further down the hall, taking note of the swirl pattern on his wings, and realizing that was one of Turtle's brothers. "Well, I'm glad you found it, but…why do you need two guitars?" he asked curiously.
"Oh, this one's not mine," he said as he held out the older, more worn one to him. Qibli grabbed it and looked it over, admiring the quality of the instrument. It may have been old and worn, but he could tell this was of a higher quality than Inferno's. That begged the question, though…
"If it's not yours, whose is it?" he asked, running a palm down the side to wipe off some dust.
"Winter's," came the simply reply. Qibli's head shot up, and he stared at the hybrid in utter shock. Inferno blinked at the Sandwing's response. "What?"
"N-Nothing," Qibli stuttered. "I was just surprised is all." He remembered Winter's reaction to when he played the drums that one time on the first few days of school. "He just never struck me as the kind of dragon who played—or even liked—music. Is he any good?" he asked, curious.
"Well…" he started. "I only saw him play the one time, but…yeah, he's pretty good. I doubt he's as good as me, though," he smirked.
Qibli wasn't really paying attention to Inferno at this point. He was still stuck on the fact Winter played guitar. It was such a small thing, but it signified something much greater. As he said before, Winter never struck him as the kind of dragon who would ever play music. The fact he did, though, suggested his old friend had changed in ways he hadn't expected. Of course, it had been… "Eight years," he whispered.
"Hmm?" Inferno hummed in question. When Qibli didn't answer, he asked. "You okay, Qibli?"
"What? Oh…yeah. Just…thinking," he said, still deep in thought. "I'm just now beginning to realize the Winter I knew eight years ago and the Winter today might be two completely different dragons. And I don't really know how to feel about that," he confessed.
Inferno placed a claw on his shoulder in sympathy. "I know I never knew him as well as you or the rest of our winglet did, but I can guarantee you that the Winter today is…a thousand times the dragon he used to be."
Qibli huffed in amusement. "Only a thousand, huh?" Inferno shrugged. "But it's not that I doubt he's in a better place now than he was then," he explained, a bit more serious. "I'm just…nervous about seeing him again. We didn't part on the best of terms, remember?" Inferno nodded. "And as much as I want to believe I'm worrying over nothing, I know things aren't going to be that easy." He shook his head. "But I can worry about that tomorrow. You mind if I hang onto this?" he asked, referring to the guitar he was still holding.
Inferno shrugged. "Sure. You can use that as a peace offering or something if you're that worried about it." The hybrid walked away after giving him one more reassuring pat on the shoulder. Qibli glanced down at the instrument with a small smile. He hadn't even thought of that.
The rest of the day passed uneventfully, and he woke up the next morning even more nervous than he was yesterday. Shade was back again, and he was already gathering everyone to get ready to go. It didn't take long for him and everyone else to get their things together, and now they were standing in front of one of Shade's shadowgates. It was supposed to be a portal to just outside of Jade Mountain…but it didn't look like what he thought a portal was supposed to look like. There was no swirling vortex of energy or weird magical aura coming from it like the old Nightwing tunnels.
In fact, it didn't really look like anything except a slightly darker, slightly distorted shadow. Aurora walked through it without hesitation, and everyone else except Shade followed shortly after until it was his turn. He shrugged to himself and walked across the threshold, feeling a slight give to the shadow, and his eyes were immediately assaulted by the mid-morning sunlight cresting the mountains in the distance. "Wow…" he breathed in awe. "That's convenient."
Shade chuckled as he walked through the shadow next to him. "It does make getting around a lot easier."
There was a lot of chatter going on around him, though he noticed most of it wasn't exactly positive. The tension hung thick in the air. The Spirits, including Aurora but excluding Shade, all seemed agitated for some reason or another. He did hear Faredir's name thrown around a few times, so he could guess that was probably the reason for their unrest. And he could hear Kinkajou and Turtle quietly discussing something about Winter.
Blaze and Ruby were talking business as well, but he couldn't hear what they were saying. Though from context clues, it had something to do with either Winter or a potential alliance between the tribes for the upcoming war.
Probably both…
"Qibli!?" a surprised voice all but shouted from behind him. Thankfully, he recognized that voice, and he smiled at the dumbstruck Rainwing Queen as he turned around.
"Hey, Glory! Miss me?" he smirked.
Glory just rolled her eyes. "Like a disease," she shot back, though she couldn't hide her smile. She closed the distance between them, and in a very un-Glory-like act, hugged him. "Of course I missed you," she whispered. He could hear some heavy emotion in her voice, and he hesitantly rubbed her back to comfort her. It didn't take long for her to break away after that, and she looked away, trying to keep up her composure. "Sorry. I've just had a bad last few months, but it's good to see a lost friend returned. Gives me hope that everyone else we've lost can come back."
"I-It's no problem," he said sheepishly. "But, uh…what are you doing here?"
"I'm pretty sure I should be asking you that," she snorted. "But to answer your question," she gestured to Blaze and Ruby, "I'm here to discuss the alliance. Coral and Moorhen should arrive tomorrow for the same reason. I just wanted to get here earlier to have a chance to catch up with everyone."
"Well, I've got some intel you might want to hear, but we can talk about that when the other two Queens arrive," he revealed.
Intrigued, but understanding of his desire to wait, she merely nodded. "I'll make sure you're invited to the meeting, then," she said, turning away for a moment before stopping and looking back at him. "I'm glad you're back," she said genuinely.
"It's good to be back," he nodded. She just huffed in amusement before walking to join the other two Queens as several dragons started taking to the skies towards their destination. He readjusted the straps of his bag and followed them.
It didn't take long until they arrived at Jade Mountain where they received a welcome in the form of a dragon many of the group—including himself—wasn't particularly happy to see. A lone Changewing stood at the entrance waiting for them. He wouldn't call himself a particularly prejudiced dragon, but it would take a long time for him to trust any Changewing after the hell he had to live through.
It didn't seem too bothered by all the glares, though. "Tsunami, Sunny, Clay, and Starflight are waiting in the conference room for all of you to arrive. I would suggest making your way their at your earliest convenience," it said. As he went to walk by, its wing stopped him as it studied him. "You should go get yourself checked out in the infirmary. Prolonged captivity can be hard on the body and mind alike."
Turtle, Kinkajou, and a few others had stopped and tensed when the Changewing stopped him, and they were now waiting for his response. "Alright. A quick checkup couldn't hurt," he agreed, to which everyone relaxed. Inferno decided to go with him, so the two of them split off from the main group once their turn came up.
Another Changewing was in the infirmary, and it greeted them as they entered. "Hi. Can I help you two?"
They both froze at the unexpected surprise, though Qibli recovered quickly enough to answer. "We were just looking for the doctor," he said.
"You found him," the Changewing replied.
"You're a doctor?" Inferno asked incredulously, and Qibli couldn't help but agree with him. Of course, his experience with Changewings was rather limited.
"Combat medic, actually, but I'm all that's available right now." He gestured to two open beds expectantly. Qibli and Inferno looked at each other before shrugging. It's not like they could argue his claim. Once they got settled, the Changewing looked them over, and his expression fell. "You two were POWs, weren't you?" he asked solemnly.
"Yeah…" Qibli answered quietly. "How could you tell?" As a matter of fact, how did the Changewing at the entrance know he had been captured?
"I've seen enough to recognize the signs," he replied. "I'm sorry you both had to go through that. Not all of us are that…" he trailed off, trying to find the right word.
"Evil?" Inferno answered in a rather clipped tone. "Cruel? Sadistic?"
The Changewing flinched at the accusations but didn't argue. "This shouldn't take long," he instead said quietly, his voice apologetic.
The remainder of the checkup was spent in silence except when the medic asked them questions or told them to do something. True to his word, he was through in less than ten minutes. Other than the obvious signs of malnourishment and some advice to take it easy for a while, the Changewing told them they were in remarkably good health despite their recent internment. He did grab a pair of bottles from a cabinet nearby and gave one to each of them. "What's this?" Inferno asked.
"Dietary supplement," he answered. "Take one with each meal until the bottle runs out."
It was at that point they heard claws running frantically down the hallway. All three of them looked up to see what was going on as a dragon appeared in the doorway. She gasped upon seeing him, and he was likewise speechless, his jaw hanging partially open as he locked gazes with his former lover. "Moon…" he breathed.
She just stared at him, wide-eyed and unresponsive, as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing. And he couldn't blame her if that was the case since he was equally speechless. He knew she would be here, but that didn't prepare him for the sudden onrush of emotions he was feeling right now.
Stars…he'd forgotten how beautiful she was.
"…Maybe we should give you two some time alone," Inferno voiced before getting up and ushering the Changewing to follow him. Once they were gone, it was just him, her, and the distance between them.
A thousand emotions seemed to play across her face in the span of a few minutes as the silence continued to stretch on, but finally, she seemed to settle on what looked to be heart-wrenching guilt. "I thought you were dead…" she whispered, not able to meet his gaze anymore. Then she looked at him again, her expression and voice filled with panic. "I didn't know! You have to believe me when I say that!" she yelled, almost hysterically, as tears began to fall.
Qibli shot out of the bed as she began to break down in front of him, intent on comforting her with a hug, but stopped when she flinched away from him. That's when he remembered what Inferno said about the Changewing who took his place. Moving slower, he brought up a claw near her cheek but didn't touch her yet. "Moon…it's me. You know I'd never hurt you," he said gently.
She looked up at him and then at his claw before slowly leaning into his claw. That simple action seemed to open the floodgates as she began sobbing heavily, throwing her arms and wings around him as if she was afraid to let him go in case he suddenly disappeared. He just held her as she let her emotions out, slowly rocking her back and forth. "Shh…it's okay, Moon," he whispered.
She sniffled to show she was calming down and broke out of their embrace. "No, it's not," she shook her head. "I…I gave up on you," she confessed, her voice cracking with both guilt and shame. Qibli blinked a few times at her statement but didn't say anything. "After a year with no sign of you or any of the others, I gave up hope that you were still alive. I—"
"Moon," he interrupted her. "I don't blame you if that's what you're afraid of. I was gone for a long time, and I thought I would never get out of there." She looked up at him again, though her guilt didn't seem to fade. "Honestly, I'd be more surprised if you hadn't moved on."
She shook her head sadly. "But Winter never gave up on you," she told him. "He never doubted for a second that we would find you again despite my attempts at trying to get him to move on and accept that you were gone." Her breath hitched as a fresh wave of emotions slammed into her. "What does that say about me!?" she cried. "I was your fiancée, so why was it so easy for me to move on!?"
Qibli swallowed thickly at her final statement, not wanting her to see that he was a bit upset by that. He didn't blame her for moving on with his long absence, but to say it was easy was a bit…harsh. He had moved on, too, after all.
At least, that's what he had told himself before the last ten minutes happened.
"Because I was gone," he instead replied. "And Winter wasn't. You may have picked me, but I could tell you still had feelings for him, Moon," he revealed, referencing the few months at Jade Mountain before and after Winter left. "At that point, he was gone and I was there…but I think your heart always belonged to him."
She slowly nodded after a moment and looked up at him apologetically. "I—I think you're right. I was happy with you, Qibli…but I'm happier with Winter. I'm sorry."
"It's okay," he assured her with a smile. "I'm just happy that you're happy. How are you two doing, if I may ask?"
She smiled back up at him, her guilt finally washed away now that she knew he was happy for her. "Thanks for being so understanding. And, uh…" she trailed off and blushed. "We've…actually decided to get married."
Qibli was surprised by the news, but he was fairly certain that gasp he heard wasn't his. Unless he finally got that ventriloquism trick down…but he was fairly certain that wasn't the case. "Who's there?" he demanded, not taking kindly to the fact someone might be eavesdropping on them.
"Oh, Spirits…" Moon muttered, her guilt resurfacing as the sound of rapid clawsteps was heard going down the tunnels, signaling that whoever it was had run off. "It was Blaze. Winter hasn't talked to her about…us yet. I should probably go talk to her."
"I'll come with you," he offered.
She shook her head. "No. You have your own conversation to look forward to," she said vaguely. She hugged him one more time before leaving, and he hopped back onto the bed as he tried to puzzle out what she meant.
It didn't take long for the answer to enter the room.
AN: And so Moon and Qibli finally reunite after all this time. I really hope I did that scene justice. Again, I don't think I did, so please give me some opinions.
But in the grand scheme of things, this is the final Perspectives chapter. Which means...something. Probably more Dragons Change stuff.
Until Next Time
AdmiralCole22