Hello again, my friends! Happy New Year!
I hope 2020 has been good for everyone thus far. For me, it has gone well. Especially with me making my first update of 2020 and the new decade.
This Winglet takes place during Chapter 12 of Finding Peace and is from the perspective of Moonwatcher. With this Winglet, I hope to delve into her perspective on the changes that are happening to Peacemaker, as well as going into detail on her and Winter's first meeting in six years.
A bit of forewarning to those who ship Qinter, Moonbli, and Winterwatcher: This chapter's aim is not meant to support one ship over the other. It is meant to delve into a subplot that, in my opinion, feels incomplete at the end of Darkness of Dragons. Indeed: Qibli, Winter, and Moon all are going through emotional events in their lives right now, as they try to sort through differing opinions and emotions. But, when we reach the conclusion of Finding Peace, and the Winglets, it is my hope to leave readers with an ending anyone, regardless of which ship they support, will be satisfied with.
I have spoken long enough, so all I can say is this:
Let's take flight!
Finding Peace: Winglets
Through the moon's eyes: Part 1
Words Left Unsaid
The last time Moonwatcher had been to Jade Mountain Academy, it had been the afternoon after graduation.
She remembered the farewell party the teachers hosted for their students after the belongings were packed. There had been a mixture of feelings among the graduating Winglets.
Happiness, relief and a bit of sadness, that all of the work that had been done into the Academy had been concluded. Now, it was time for the students to go their separate ways, some farther than others, and make use of the knowledge they had gleaned from their time in school.
Moon remembered how the Jade Winglet had gathered in their small corner of the prey center. Holding up cups of drink in toast to their graduation. Qibli doing his graduation speech to the Winglet, while Peril interrupted him with a few stray comments. She still remembered the laughter the Jade Winglet shared that day.
Of all the Winglets, however, Jade had endured the most loss during the two years attending the school. One student died, another fled to protect their loved one and another leaving the school early entirely because of outdated politics. But those who remained: honored those who had gone, regardless of how far.
Now, four years later, here Moon was: returning to the Academy that had been both the source of great joy and great sadness during her first year of attendance. As the twice moon born NightWing descended towards the cliff ledge of the academy's northern entrance, Moon could not stop the feelings of nostalgia flow through her as her talons touched the ground.
Looking up at the carved out entrance of the academy, Moon allowed a smile to grace her lips as she walked forward. She heard echoes of voices from within the cave, most likely from the rush of students attending their afternoon classes. Lowering her barrier, she heard the echoes of thoughts enter her mind, from this distance they sounded like whispers.
It was hard to believe, six years ago, the thoughts of other dragons were difficult to listen to, how they overwhelmed her. But now she welcomed their thoughts and knew how to shut them out if needed.
Pausing a moment, Moon tried to listen closely to the thoughts, hoping to hear one familiar voice she knew so well.
Peacemaker's.
But when she heard nothing, at the moment, Moon elected to walk through the entrance deciding she had lingered outside long enough.
When she entered the academy itself, the nostalgia returned to her as she walked the halls. Most halls were familiar to her, while others were new. Despite there being different halls, Moon managed to find her way through the academy with ease, following the halls that had been present during her time at the school.
Reaching a hallway that split in two directions, Moon had to stop herself from taking the direction that led to the library. This made Moon laugh to herself, even after four years after leaving the school, muscle memory still urged her to go to the library, her favorite place in the academy.
But she knew that, before she went anywhere else, she needed to go to Tsunami's office, first. After all, she was in charge of the school, so she needed to at least let the SeaWing know she was present, and planned to be visiting for some time. It was a lax procedure, but Moon knew the importance of it.
Veering to the right, Moon made her way towards Tsunami's office.
A five-minute walk, Moon found herself entering the cave that Tsunami normally resided in to do official work.
Luckily, Tsunami was in her office, but she was not alone.
"Wherever Gull is, he isn't in the academy," A HiveWing spoke to Tsunami, sitting across from SeaWing, sitting beside Clay. "I've asked the rest of Silver Winglet. They have no idea where he could have gone off to."
"But if he had left the school, we would also know," Clay said, deep in thought as he shifted, albeit with difficulty, because of his leg. Whoever they were talking about, the oldest of the former dragonets of destiny was deeply concerned.
'A fight breaks out, that I arrived late to prevent. Now a student is missing, under my watch..."
Tsunami frowned upon hearing Clay and the HiveWing speak.
"I haven't received any messages from the surrounding villages," Tsunami muttered. "I did, however, receive word from the Sea Kingdom: they'll let us know if he returned home." Frustration in her gaze as she looked at a series of letters in front of her. "He's also going to be in a lot of trouble when he comes back. Not only starting that fight but leaving the school without permission…"
"Can we help you?" The HiveWing spoke, suddenly, causing Moon to stop listening to Tsunami's mind. The HiveWing, likely a teacher here at the academy, was looking at her with surprise. "I'm sorry, we did not see you come in."
The HiveWing's words caused Tsunami and Clay to look at Moon. At first, they seemed surprised to see her, but this slowly shifted to happiness.
"Moon!" Clay said, grinning happily as he slowly stood up, offering Moon his place. "It has been too long!"
Despite not knowing the MudWing to well, Clay's words made Moon smile. Clay always went out of his way to know the dragons he was supposed to protect in the academy. Even if you did not know much about Clay, that did not stop the MudWing from remembering you and making sure you, and the other students were out of harm's way.
"Hi Clay," Moon said as she took her seat. "Hi, Tsunami."
"Clay is right, it has been too long," Tsunami said, her mood shifting at seeing one of her former students. "What brings you here?"
"I finished my assignment early," Moon answered. "Queen Glory wanted to give me the rest of this, and next, month off. I figured I would visit the academy."
"And how is Glory?" Tsunami asked. Despite appearing stern at the mention of Queen Glory, her thoughts betrayed the expression she tried to give.
"Well, she wanted me to tell you that she's still Queen," Moon answered, this caused Tsunami to huff.
"Still rubbing that in, seven years later," Tsunami muttered. But the appearance of her smile confirmed that she and Glory were, as usual, pocking fun at the other.
"Ahem," Coughed the HiveWing beside Moon. "I do not believe you have introduced me, headmaster."
Tsunami blinked in surprise, forgetting that the HiveWing was present.
"I'm sorry, Professor," The SeaWing said. She then gestured Moon to the HiveWing. "This is Professor Longhorn, she's in charge of mathematics here."
Moon, actually, already knew who the Professor was. While she had not known the HiveWing's name, she did recognize her black and yellow scale pattern from visions she had of the future, involving Peacemaker. In one vision she had, she saw Peacemaker struggling in the class, with Professor Longhorn overseeing the class.
In another, the two were sitting alone in her classroom, the professor handing him pieces of parchment. Followed by Peacemaker giving the most exciting smile as he looked at the papers.
Even before meeting the professor, she knew the teacher was good for Peacemaker.
"It's a pleasure to meet you," Moon said, bowing her head to the HiveWing, which earned her a smile from the HiveWing.
"I understand you are a friend of Peacemaker's?" Professor Longhorn asked.
"I am," Moon answered, smiling at the mention of the dragonet.
"He's doing well, you know?" Professor Longhorn commented, to which Moon smile grew. "He's struggled, but he has improved greatly."
"Thank you for helping him," Moon replied.
Before more could be said, the bronze gong rang, signaling the end of the current class session. Upon hearing that, Professor Longhorn stood up.
"Apologies, but I need to get to prepare for my class," The HiveWing professor said, nodding to Tsunami and Clay. "I will let you know if I see Gull in class."
As Professor Longhorn left Tsunami's office, Moon felt Clay and Tsunami's moods dim. Once again, the mention of this student "Gull" made dampened the mood in the cave. She tried to hear what they were thinking, glean any information she could. But none of their thoughts confirmed anything.
So, instead, Moon decided to be direct.
"Who is Gull?" Moon asked, hoping she did not sound disrespectful to her former teachers by asking about a subject that was likely a source of difficulty for them.
"The SeaWing from the Silver Winglet," Clay answered, sitting back down now that Professor Longhorn left. "He got into trouble a few days ago."
"What kind of trouble?" Moon wondered aloud, a brow raised.
Before either of her former teachers spoke, Moon already knew who was involved when she heard both Clay and Tsunami's thoughts. All she heard were names, one that caused Moon to almost jump to her feet.
Peacemaker.
Trying to keep her composure, she waited for either dragon to answer her.
She did not need to wait long for Tsunami to answer.
"He got angry with some members of the Quartz Winglet, he confronted three members, Peacemaker included, and tried to hurt two of them," Tsunami said, her eyes grew dark. "The MudWing, Alligator, had his glasses broken by Gull."
"What did Peacemaker do?" Moon asked, urgently. "Was…was he hurt?"
"No," Clay spoke, this time. "He stood up to Gull, and yelled at him."
Moon blinked in surprise at hearing this.
Peacemaker? He…yelled. Indeed, Peacemaker had raised his voice before. But it was normally out of happiness or joy. From what she heard from their thoughts, even saw, Peacemaker had yelled at Gull furiously.
The idea that Peacemaker, a dragonet she knew for years, raising his voice in anger was alien. She could not help but think back to Darkstalker, the way he raised his voice.
But…it was unfair to think that, Moon knew that. Just because Peacemaker yelled at Gull, to protect his friends, did not mean he was like Darkstalker. Deep down, she was proud of him. But in the deepest part of her mind, she could not help but think about Darkstalker.
"What happened afterward?" Moon asked, recomposing herself.
"Well, Gull hasn't been seen since, we haven't found him in the academy." Tsunami replied. "He likely wants to avoid punishment. Even his Winglet does not know where he went."
Moon nodded, wondering where the SeaWing could have possibly been. Strange how she had not received visions of this incident.
"How are Peacemaker's clawmates?" Moon wondered.
"No one was hurt, but Alligator, the MudWing of the Winglet, had his glasses cracked," Tsunami answered, frowning as she said this. "I sent the glasses to some friends to have them repaired."
Alligator...she remembered that name, from Peacemaker's letter. She hoped that he was okay.
"I can help find Gull if you'd like?" Moon replied. Even if Gull had started an altercation with Peacemaker, she still wanted to help her former teachers, knowing they had a school to run.
While she could not simply look into the future, in recent years she had learned to develop when these visions could happen, and what she wanted to look at. They were not as accurate, or as powerful, as Clearsight's foresight was, but it was something.
If Tsunami and Clay agreed, hopefully, she could use her foresight to find Gull.
However, Tsunami shook her head at her offer.
"I'm sorry, Moon," Tsunami said. "But we can handle this, you should not have to worry about this." Slowly, Tsunami pulled out a parchment from a stack, and looked over it. It had a list of names on it. According to the SeaWing's thoughts, she was reading the names of students who would be in which classes. Once she found the desired name, she smiled. "Peacemaker should have no classes, this hour…if you wish to see him."
Moon felt her heart warm at hearing Tsunami say this when she realized Peacemaker had no classes at this time. She wanted to see Peacemaker, she hadn't seen him in months.
"Thank you, Tsunami." Moon nodded, standing up from her place. "It would be great to see him."
"Then, better get to it," Tsunami said. "You have the entire hour to visit."
Moon made her leave from Tsunami's office and she was back in the halls of the academy.
As she walked, she actively searched for Peacemaker's mind. Having known the NightWing/RainWing hybrid, she knew the dragonet's mind very well, his thoughts were always warm and calming to hear.
Sure enough, a few seconds of looking for Peacemaker, she found him. In the direction of the academy library. Moon's eyes opened wide, feeling the stinging feeling of tears in the edge of her eyelids.
The library…her favorite spot in the entire Academy.
Smiling, Moon quickly walked towards the library cave, the warmth of Peacemaker's mind growing the closer she got.
When Moon had left the Academy, the library itself had been in the middle of an expansion, many books from Panatala were being brought to the academy in order to expand the wealth of books the library already had. It had always disappointed Moon that she had never seen this expansion be completed.
That is why, as she stepped into the library, she could not stop the smile that crossed her lips as she saw the once small library located in a cave, had now been expanded to include two floors with rows and rows of books and scrolls.
Reluctantly, she had to stop admiring the library as she continued searching for Peacemaker through the library.
Slowly, his thoughts became clearer among the few minds in the library.
Of these minds: she felt Starflight's, who was excited from a letter he was reading from Fatespeaker, at the entrance of the library. As she made it to the second floor of the library, she felt three minds in close proximity.
One of these minds held excitement inside of him.
The next was a young mind, about a month old, this mind felt cold, yet this cold felt comfortable. Moon could describe this feeling as standing in the middle of a field as it slowly snowed.
The last mind was…different. She could not pinpoint their thoughts, but she knew they were present.
Frowning, Moon again focused on Peacemaker's mind as she drew closer.
Turning a corner, she spotted Peacemaker, sitting in a corner of the library, light from the window above reflecting against his black scales and the multi-colored star-like designs on his wing membranes. The dragonet's head was bent down, looking at a piece of parchment.
'This doesn't make sense,' Peacemaker thought, his talon tapping on the paper. 'Division…it's always division.'
Smiling, Moon silently walked up behind Peacemaker and looked over his shoulder. He was working on an equation, likely for Professor Longhorn's class. Deciding to help him, she reminded him how to solve this problem with a phrase she would repeat to him when Peacemaker was in the Rainforest's primary school.
"What do the parenthesis yell?" Moon asked.
"Do me first…" Peacemaker answered, almost instinctively. At first, Moon wondered if he had actually heard her.
Then, she felt his mind grow excited in realization.
Spinning around, the hybrid looked in Moon's direction, looking up at him with the biggest grins he always gave.
"Moon!" Peacemaker shouted, excitedly.
The next few minutes were spent with Peacemaker asking Moon all kinds of questions: Asking her how long she would stay? Would she be staying in the academy? (She sensed some disappointment from Peacemaker when she answered that she would not be staying at the academy, but this disappointment quickly turned back to happiness when she said that she would be visiting him often.)
Some questions he asked her, she avoided answering in detail, such as why Qibli would not be visiting. In regards to Qibli, she wanted to answer him but chose not to burden him with knowledge of the…trials she and Qibli were going through at the moment.
Eventually, their conversation shifted to Peacemaker's Winglet, and how he wanted her to see someone. Who this could possibly be? Moon could not tell, as Peacemaker, surprisingly, hid his thoughts well from her (since when did he become so good at that?)
As Peacemaker guided her to a section of the library on Scavengers, Moon saw a MudWing standing by himself, looking at a bunch of books he had likely gathered.
"Alligator," Peacemaker called out to the MudWing, to which the dragonet rose his head in response and looked in Peacemaker's direction. His eyes squinted at both of them. Moon realized, at that moment, that he was the same MudWing from his Winglet.
As well as the same dragonet who was interested in Scavengers.
"Peacemaker," Alligator said, smiling at Peacemaker as they approached. "Thought I saw you a while ago…"
Peacemaker grinned as he looked up at Moon.
"Alligator, I want to introduce you to my oldest friend: Moonwatcher."
Alligator's gaze looked up at Moon, squinting again. Moon sensed he was struggling to see at a distance, but it was good enough to actually see her.
Dawn of realization resonated through the MudWing's head.
"Oh…" Alligator said, grinning. He then approached her. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
Moon smiled at the MudWing's courtesy. She could tell this dragon was kind, the way he carried himself. He certainly towered over most other dragonets his age, but she could tell he was loyal to those close to him.
"Likewise," Moon answered with a polite smile. "Peacemaker mentioned you in his letter said you were fascinated with Scavengers."
"I am," Alligator replied as he looked at Peacemaker with a kind smile. "Peacemaker also helped me meet my hero."
Moon's heart suddenly skipped a beat as Alligator said that. His hero…he could not possibly mean…
"Your hero?" Moon asked, raising an eyebrow as she tried to maintain her composure.
Before Alligator could answer, she heard a young dragonet talk from down the aisle of books Alligator had been waiting at.
"Swedding?" Said the unseen dragonet.
Then, she heard a voice she had not heard in six years.
"We'll go sledding again, Bobcat."
Was it?...No…it couldn't be…
"YAH!" The dragonet shouted as an adult IceWing walked out of the aisle, with a barely month old IceWing dragonet bounced up and down on his shoulders.
Moon felt her breath get caught in her throat as she recognized the adult IceWing. His white scales, with a light blue hue, were unmistakable. Even more so when the IceWing's gaze met her own.
It was Winter…
"W…Winter?" Moon said, the words just barely coming out of her mouth.
As Moon stared into Winter's light blue eyes, she was met with an expression that was difficult for her to read from Winter. She honestly could not tell if he was happy or angry to see her. His expression was just…mute. There was no way to tell what he felt.
A familiar hum came from within Winter's mind, the hum Moon felt whenever someone held sky fire, a piece of meteorite that blocked mind readers from hearing other dragons' thoughts. But where was the Skyfire? She couldn't see it. She could only see a small gold band around one of Winter's forefeet.
Silence filled the gap between the two, neither dragon saying anything. All Moon could think about, was the last time she and Winter had spoken to each other.
In the Lost Kingdom of Night, that very night she had learned about the plague Darkstalker had unleashed on the Ice Kingdom.
The last time the two had ever seen each other was five years ago, when Winter had the Sanctuary Scavenger preserve in its final stages of construction. Even then, no words had been shared between them.
To this day, Moon regretted not saying anything to Winter…
Right now, she still did not have the courage.
"Papu?" Came the voice of the IceWing dragonet, identified as Bobcat, talking to Winter. One of his talons reached up and tapped Winter's neck. "Papu?"
Moon's attention turned to the dragonet, she recognized his scale color and pattern.
White, with a light hue of blue…with small blue scales across his body. Almost like Lynx, Winter's mate.
Moon realized, soon after, that she was looking at Winter's son.
Winter was the first to snap out of the daze he and Moon were in, blinking for a few moments before looking at the dragonet on his back. A smile crossed across Winter's lips, one that Moon remembered all of those years ago, a smile that was typically reserved for her and Qibli.
Finally, Winter looked back at Moon.
"Moonwatcher," Winter said, causing Moon to snap out of her daze when he spoke her full name. While Winter was respectful and courteous, Moon could not help but feel…sad, at hearing Winter say her full name. "A pleasure to see you again.
Blinking, Moon could only smile as she nodded at Winter.
"It's…nice to see you too, Winter," Moon replied. "I wasn't expecting to see you here."
Winter shrugged his wings.
"Sunny asked me to help her teach a unit on Scavengers," He answered.
Suddenly, it made sense why Winter was here at the academy. Honestly? She did not know why she did not realize it until now. After all, Winter famed around circles of dragons who started to show interest in Scavengers.
It only made sense why Sunny would reach out to him to teach the lesson. He was an expert…he was the expert, as Qibli accurately put it.
"She chose right, you know?" Moon said. "You are the expert."
Then, she heard the softest chuckle from Winter. His faint smile looked like it was going to grow. He also looked like he wanted to say more to her, but she could see the confusion in his eyes.
She knew that all too well…she was feeling it now.
What were they supposed to say? After five years apart? Even longer since they had spoken.
"Uhh…Want me to take the books to Sunny?" Alligator suddenly spoke, snapping both her and Winter back to the present.
Winter looked back to Alligator and shook his head.
"No, we can take them," Winter responded. "I'm sure she would appreciate the materials for next week's course.
With that, Winter walked away with the MudWing from the Quartz Winglet, rather quickly. As both Winter and Alligator walked off, Moon caught Bobcat glance at her as he, Winter and Alligator went out of view.
As Winter left, Moon felt the humming noise from his mind start to vanish the further he walked. Until she was left with only her own thoughts.
Even after all these years, Winter still had the sky fire.
"He…Still has it," Moon muttered to herself. Trying to figure out what it meant about Winter keeping the sky fire, wherever it was.
"Has what?" Peacemaker asked, suddenly.
Blinking, Moon looked at her young friend, who was looking up at her with a concerned gaze. She heard his thoughts, thinking about whether or not he had messed up. Whether he had done something wrong.
Moon felt sadness grip her chest. Peacemaker was excited at the idea of her seeing Winter again…he wanted to do something nice for her.
But her reaction was not what he had expected, likely worse than he expected.
"It's…" Moon began, trying to think of what to say, trying to make him feel better. "Nothing," She said, regretfully. "I'm sorry, I just wasn't expecting to see Winter here."
If she were honest, it was what she least expected, seeing Winter again.
"It was nothing you did, Peacemaker," Moon added, trying to ease Peacemaker. "Winter is still a friend, it's just that we have not seen each other in such a long time."
Even longer since we spoke…the last time I doubted him when my friends needed me most. She thought, remembering their last conversation, almost vividly.
"Okay," Peacemaker replied, his smile returning. "Well…I do hope you get the chance to catch up."
If he even wanted to catch up…if she even had the courage to.
But, if she were to visit here for the rest of the term, Moon knew she would have to speak with Winter again. She only hoped that it was not too soon.
The clicking of Peacemaker's talons against the floor caused Moon to snap out of her thoughts. Looking up, she saw her friend smile at her, gesturing at her to follow.
"Well, come on!" Peacemaker said, excitedly. "I have a few minutes before class. I can't wait to show you my Winglet."
As usual, Peacemaker was living up to his name. Seeing his enthusiasm, his eagerness to make her happy, Moon could not help but feel happy at the feeling of his warm thoughts.
Smiling, Moon walked forward, following Peacemaker.
"I would love that."
While Moon met with Peacemaker's friends, Cliff and Tempest, at the Prey Center, she had noticed the changes in Peacemaker's personality slowly, but surely.
When she first spoke with Peacemaker, who had brought Cliff over with him, she had noticed that Peacemaker's meal, while plenty, lacked the single fruit that he enjoyed the most:
Strawberries.
To anyone else, this was a minor detail, and that is why Moon tried not to make a large conversation over it. But she remembered the enchantment Kinkajou had made, that turned Darkstalker into Peacemaker: in her way, she had written that Peacemaker would enjoy strawberries as his favorite food, based on her vision of Peacemaker's future.
Coupled with the fact that Peacemaker was not interested in singing, another detail of the enchantment…Moon could not help but worry about what had transpired.
Then, there was Peacemaker's friend, Tempest. When she introduced herself to the SeaWing, Moon had briefly tried to listen to the dragonet's mind.
Despite these odd occurrences, Moon kept her observations to herself, shaking off Peacemaker's comment about her being tired. In the end, she thanked Cliff and Tempest for being friends with Peacemaker. From there, the conversation turned into a healthy banter between Cliff and Peacemaker, about being placed into the Quartz Winglet.
"You're still on about that, Cliff?" Peacemaker asked playfully.
"Just saying, Peacemaker." Cliff laughed in response.
Moon laughed to herself at this banter, loving every moment of it. At first, she was concerned that Peacemaker would not make many friends in the academy. But she was pleased to see this.
Was this how her mother felt when Moon first came to the Academy? Was this the same relief she had felt?
The familiar hum of sky fire reached her mind as she listened to the dragonets.
Looking ahead of her, she saw Winter, with Bobcat sleeping on his back, walking out of the prey center after having left a conversation with the rest of the academy's teachers. As the IceWing left, Moon looked down at the remains of her food. Deep in her mind, she remembered their first meeting in the library for the first time in years.
She asked herself if she needed to speak with him, right now?
On the one talon, she was uncertain about speaking with him, one on one. Would they continue that conversation that they had all of those years ago?
On the other talon, would they move forward?
Closing her eyes, Moon made her decision…She needed to at least try as Qibli had shortly after they returned from Pantala.
When she left the Prey Center, Moon quickly walked through the dark halls of the academy, lit only with torches that hung from the wall. She did not know where Winter was headed, but she could hear the hum of the sky fire. All she needed to do was follow it.
After a minute or so of trailing the hum, and the soft thoughts of Bobcat echoing in her mind, she eventually found her destination.
Sunny's classroom.
Of course, Qibli always said that, in their letters, that Winter spoke of how he would work well into the night.
"You'd almost think he was a NightWing from centuries ago," Qibli would laugh after reading a letter, once.
To this day, this was something Moon admired about Winter. His work ethic, his passion for his callings. She'd seen his future countless times in the past, and she was proud of every achievement he made before he even made them.
As she stood at the entrance of Sunny's classroom, Moon closed her eyes, summoning the courage to step inside. Taking a deep breath, she took the first step. Then the next.
The only form of light inside of the cave was from a small lantern, of Pantalan make, if Moon was correct. Sitting beside the lantern was Winter, who had pieces of parchment scrawled out across the floor. Close to his chest, Moon saw Bobcat snuggled closer to his father, resting his chin over Winter's left forearm.
As Moon entered the classroom, Winter raised his head when she drew closer.
For a second, Winter blinked in surprise, but not as much as he had when they first saw each other. Right now, he seemed more composed than he had in the library (which, Moon admitted, the former IceWing prince did well at keeping despite the circumstances.)
"Moonwatcher?" Winter asked, raising a curious brow. "I thought you were returning to the Rainforest?"
"I am," Moon answered, trying to be as calm as Winter was. "I just wanted to speak with you, before I went back home for the night."
"I see," Winter replied, nodded as he looked back down at the scroll in front of him, making sure he did not wake Bobcat. "Peacemaker is doing well," He said, gently pulling out a piece of parchment, likely Peacemaker's work. "While not as enthusiastic about Scavengers, like Alligator is, he does show interest in learning. Sunny says this helps him improve."
While it was good to hear him speak about Peacemaker positively, Moon could not help but feel disappointed. She had hoped to talk about other things…
"I'm happy he's doing well," Moon replied, nodding at his assessment. "But there is someone I want to know about."
"Oh?" Winter asked with a skeptical brow.
"How…have you been?" Moon asked, getting her words to the point.
At hearing this, Winter's ice blue eyes simply gazed at her. There was no ill will in them, nor was there any feeling of warmth. His gaze was just neutral. It was hard for her to believe that the IceWing before her was the same IceWing she had met her first day in the academy.
Let alone the same IceWing who had smashed a vase in anger. Winter, now, seemed to be more in control with his emotions when he tried to convince her of Darkstalker's actions. Actions she chose not to believe.
Based on what Qibli had told her, he had to…
"Sanctuary is running well," Winter replied as he slid his papers away. "The preserve is popular, and my team helps me take care of it." Slowly his gaze fell to his son, and his eyes softened. "Bobcat loves it here, so excited about everything."
Unknown to Winter, Moon knew that Bobcat loved Jade Mountain Academy, but it was because he was with Winter. In his dreams, Moon saw Bobcat wandering the halls of the academy, Winter easily keeping up with him, scooping the dragonet into his wings and hugging him tightly.
From Bobcat's dreams, Moon saw Winter smiling happily at his son. Seeing this, Moon struggled not to grin as she heard Winter laugh with his dragonet. The dreams then shifted to a snowy hill, both Winter and Bobcat sliding down the hills together, before Winter scooped Bobcat up, and flew into the sky over the snow mountains.
Looking back up at Winter, Moon smiled at him.
"I think he's excited that you brought him here…" Moon said. "And…possibly about your next sledding trip."
A chuckle escaped Winter as he looked back down at his son.
"I suppose he's dreaming about when I took him along the Ice Kingdom border," Winter said. To Moon's surprise, she did not expect Winter to mind her reading Bobcat's thoughts.
"You've…changed," Moon said, unable to stop the words coming from her mouth.
Winter, not appearing hostile, merely nodded.
"I had to," Winter nodded. "A lot has changed since we last saw each other."
As he spoke, Moon's eyes fell towards the golden band that hangs from the wrist of his foreleg. While it was gold, Moon noticed that there were two stones embedded into it. One was a sapphire, while the other, on the separate side, was a black stone.
It was the sky fire piece that she had given to Winter, six years ago. That is where he kept it…
"You still have the sky fire," Moon said, smiling softly.
Winter's eyes looked down at the band, nodding as he realized what she was looking at.
"I do," Winter nodded. "Why wouldn't I?"
That night in the old Night Kingdom's library came to her mind…how Winter had shouted at her.
Then she remembered, how hours later, where Winter would fight alongside his tribe against hers…and that he had vanished when the fighting ended, courtesy of Anemone's spell. Years later, she regretted that the spell that she, Qibli, Kinkajou, and Turtle had made Winter an exception in the spell.
Regardless of what happened, Winter was still their friend. To this day, this was something she regretted, how easily she and the others had forgotten to make him the exception in the teleportation spell.
"Winter," Moon spoke, realizing she could not beat around the bush any longer. "I...want to tell you something, something I should have said to you the day you left Jade Mountain." Moon looked up at Winter. "I told Qibli, the day we became a couple."
"Qibli already told me," Winter answered before she could say anything. Moon felt her heart skip a beat. "He said…that you thought I was strong, smart…and that I would do good things with my life." After saying this, Winter's lips curved into a smile. "I appreciate, that you thought highly of me…even after everything."
Despite Winter knowing that she cared about him, that she thought he would do great things. Knowing that Qibli had told Winter what she had said, instead of Moon herself, made her sad. For six years she and Winter had not spoken. They had left their friendship in an uncertain position.
Yet, when she should have been brave enough to tell Winter these words, Qibli had spoken them for her. He did it before she was brave enough to.
"I should have been the one to tell you that," Moon whispered.
"You should have," Winter nodded. "But knowing helped, in a way, for me to move forward, rather than dwell on what happened."
Slowly, Winter stood up from where he sat, moving Bobcat onto his wing, before sliding the dragonet onto his back. Looking up at Winter, Moon saw him walk up to her side, before nodding at her.
"I am glad, to see you, Moon," Winter said. "It's nice to see that you are well, rather than just read Qibli's annoying status updates in our letters."
Moon couldn't help but laugh at this. Even after all these years, there were some parts of Winter that she liked that remained the same.
But as Winter walked up towards the exit of Sunny's classroom, Moon realized she had forgotten to ask about someone.
"Winter?" Moon called out, causing Winter to pause and look at her. Smiling, she finally asked: "How is Lynx?"
The response was everything Moon was not expecting. The smallest hint of a smile that had been on Winter's face had fully vanished…his light blue eyes suddenly saddening after she had spoken his mate's name.
Moon realized something was wrong…something had happened.
"Didn't…Qibli tell you?" Winter asked. While his voice sounded calm, but Moon could just barely hear his voice waver. As if he were fighting back sadness.
Moon shook her head, desperately wanting answers.
"He and I…we had a disagreement before he deployed," Moon replied. "We're…on a break."
"I see," Winter nodded, sadly, as he looked at Bobcat.
After a moment of visible reluctance, Winter finally spoke.
"Lynx is dead."
Moon's eyes widened in horror when she heard this.
Lynx…how?!
Her visions…she never foresaw it. Much of what she had seen in her visions had come to pass, that Lynx and Winter would have a dragonet. The worst possible vision she had experienced was Lynx and Winter separating for a time due to differences in opinion, but they would always come back.
But Lynx, a dragon who loved Winter with all of her heart and made him happy, to be dead…the revelation shocked Moon to her core.
She wanted to ask when Lynx had died, but the answer came to Moon when she remembered what Winter had said: Didn't…Qibli tell you?
The first week after their argument, Qibli had left their house suddenly after receiving a messenger from Queen Thorn. At first, Moon thought he left only because he wanted to get out of their house in Possibility and clear his head.
Yet, she remembered the expression on his face as he had left. He had appeared angry…but sad.
Then, a day later, Moon received a letter from Qibli. It said that he would be on assignment along the Ice Kingdom/Sand Kingdom Border.
Was this…why Qibli had volunteered so eagerly? Had the Frozen Sand bandits killed Lynx? Was Qibli trying to avenge Lynx's death for Winter?
The sound of Winter walking away with Bobcat snapped Moon back to the present. As he walked away, Moon quickly spoke up.
"Winter," Moon said, causing Winter to pause for a moment. "I'm…I'm so sorry."
Winter said nothing, simply standing where he was. Bobcat was still asleep, oblivious to what was happening outside of his dreams, making only the slightest murmur. Hearing his son, Winter sighed.
"I am to…" Winter muttered, before walking out of the classroom, leaving Moon alone in the dark.
When she was alone, Moon felt her feet give way under her, causing her to sit on the floor. Placing her talons over her head, the twice moon born NightWing tried to comprehend everything she had heard. First, Peacemaker was changing. Then, she found out that Lynx was dead.
How come she did not see any of these outcomes? How was she not vigilant on the possibility of Lynx's death?
"You've started to think too much about your visions, while you've become less focused on the here and now, Moon!"
Moon squeezed her eyes shut when she remembered the words Qibli had said to her during their last conversation. The conversation that caused the rift between them.
Digging her talons into the ground, Moon shook her head as she stood up and urged herself to leave the classroom, intent on heading home for the night.
No, no! She was not obsessed with the future. She could think about the "here and now." But she also wanted the futures of her friends to reach the best outcome they could. That is all she wanted for not just Peacemaker or Winter, but all of her friends.
She would continue to make these futures true, all for her friends.