DISCLAIMER: I do not own Wings of Fire. It and the characters within (Qibli, Winter, Thorn, Moon, Riptide, Kinkajou, Turtle, Capybara, Cobra, Vulture, Sunny, Peril, Tsunami) are Tui T. Sutherland's. Falcon, Oleander, Arid, Pearl, Moor, Morass and Moloch were created by me.

NOT DEAD... but... yeah. No words...


Never before had Qibli wished as much as now that his scales could sink into the desert sands. It felt like little centipedes were crawling all over him. The valley held its breath like a scorpion about to strike. Instead of being lost in the crowd, he was once again thrown center stage for the wrong reason: judgment.

It was just like how he remembered it. The real reason he returned to the Sand Kingdom in the first place — Darkstalker's mysterious defeat was still a fresh wound for all these dragons. I shouldn't be here… Qibli could see the war and uncertainty once again reflected back at him. Curiosity as dragons failed to move on.

No matter if it was in his cave or class, he would always catch dragons whispering. He didn't know what was worse, the subtle glances he could catch, or the open stares that didn't try to hide in the first place. No matter the tribe, it seemed like there was always some reason for the gawking. And even though Moon would always reassure him dragons were just in awe, he could never bring himself to believe it.

Caught up in thought, he didn't realize how tight his tail had coiled or how his muscles tensed until he felt Winter shift closer to him. Winter's piercing eyes were glaring sharply back, and a lot of gazes fell away defeated.

Qibli took a deep breath and tried to draw some semblance of strength from Winter just as Kinkajou exclaimed "OKAAAY, I know he's handsome but he's not that handsome." Her voice broke the spell with rolled eyes and pointed noses in response when she proceeded ahead.

Even though the attention was diverted, Qibli felt himself flush with embarrassment and glanced self-consciously at Winter. Would that offend Winter? Before he snorted at himself. Of course not. Winter didn't show any reaction and just nudged him forward instead.

"Someone's Mr popular…" He quipped.

Qibli snapped his attention to him "is that supposed to make me feel better?"

"Did it?" He shrugged, throwing him a teasing glance. "I thought you liked attention."

"What's that supposed to mean?" He snapped, before clamping his jaws shut, looking away. Don't I? Maybe if it weren't for a secret… "Not when it's for something they can't ever…" he mumbled before his mind caught up to his words and ground to a halt.

An almost imaginary wave of sadness swept through Winter for a fraction of a second, but was covered as fast as tracks in a sandstorm. A wave he would have missed if he hadn't gotten close enough to understand Winter's emotions as if they were his own. For that same reason, the wave tore a hole in his heart.

"Winter…" He began before he had to jump back to avoid a young Skywing chasing a bolting hare.

"Sorry!" Shouted the red blur, and by the time Qibli could collect himself, it was too late. He could see that Winter had caught up with Kinkajou and Moloch, and Sunny and Pearl were just ahead.

So much for trust. He thought, feeling torn. He stomped up to Winter and gave him a 'we better talk about this later look. Winter brushed his tail against his, and Qibli let out a brief sigh of relief. But at least it wasn't enough to drive a wedge between us.

But what am I supposed to say to him? Hi Winter, that evil presence that almost wiped out your tribe is living happily in the rainforest. Can I ever trust him not to do something awful? He shook himself. Of course I can. But he should also trust me! A part of him screamed. But that doesn't give me the right to keep a secret from him.

"Qibli?" He heard Sunny's voice and he growled silently under his breath. What he wanted to do the least was talk about more responsibilities. Can't I just figure out my life first?!

Instead, he gave her a smile "You and Pearl aren't having all the fun right? You better have left something for us!"

She raised a brow at him but didn't press him further. "Pearl sure has some interesting things to say about your plan…" Her eyes fell cautiously on Kinkajou and Moloch.

"It's okay, they know." He said.

"Well I hope that doesn't mean they're planning to leave!" Sunny huffed.

"We're not! See I do listen!" Kinkajou exclaimed before Sunny diverted her attention back to the tattered map spread before them.

Qibli could see the scattered markers of potential hideouts and arrows showing supply movement. "If there's anything I can trust about my grandfather, it's his inclination for evil." He sighed.

"I was talking more about your plan to attack dragons." Sunny whispered fiercely. "Are you serious Qibli?" She looked around to make sure no other dragons had fallen within earshot. "That sounds incredibly dangerous. Not to mention one wrong move, and you could spark another war."

"Hey, I know the outposts are there!" Pearl chimed in.

"Or maybe as the paranoid crime lord he could have faked information! Or not everyone is in on it! There could be innocent dragons that you would be attacking!" As she scolded them, Qibli could see her golden tail tip twitching errantly.

She's not wrong either. How can we be certain that everyone is guilty? Besides, it's not unlike his grandfather to use blackmail and deception, it wouldn't be fair to hurt everyone. "But what choice do we have! He's still pulling strings. Plotting for his next big move. We need to do something, we shouldn't just wait for him to make the first move!" He countered passionately.

Sunny gave him a piercing look but didn't say anything. Instead, she addressed the other dragons around them. "Could you give me and Qibli a moment?"

Winter exchanged a concerned glance with him but dipped his head before pacing away. Pearl likewise looked conflicted about leaving but instead of following Winter, decided to head off in the opposite direction.

Kinkajou was a lot less reserved. "Whyyyyyyy!" She complained as Moloch drove her away to follow Winter.

In the silence, he just stared into Sunny's golden eyes. Even though she was relatively small compared to him, her gaze bore deep into his soul. Slightly uncomfortable, he tried to joke his way out of any serious conversation that might crop up. "So what's so important that you need to tell me in secret? Did they fail math class? Do you need me to tutor them?"

"What's going on?" She said matter of factly.

He almost let out another witty remark before his maw froze in place. What's going on!? How about my grandfather threatening peace among tribes just as I'm sorting out my relationship with my mom and trying to start one with the Winter! He closed his mouth before any of that could escape.

"Fine, hopefully your ears work even if your mouth won't. Qibli, you have an amazing mind, It's why Thorn trusts you so much. But I also know you can think too much or let your emotions take over. You need to see through the haze that's settling over you, whatever it could possibly be. If you can do that, I know you can find a solution to draw Vulture out that doesn't risk the peace."

She stood up and gave him one final stern look while resting her talon on his shoulder. "And take as much time here as you need if it'll stop you from doing anything you'll regret." There was a short silence as he thought about her words

"Thanks," he burst out as she turned to leave. "For the advice and everything else. No wonder you're one of our wizened teachers."

Sunny scrunched up her snout. "Yuck, that makes me sound much too old. But I suppose training the next generation of dragons would do that to you." She paused as if she wanted to mention something else. Instead, she stepped delicately around the map on the ground and walked off.

Qibli watched as her tail disappeared up the slope, back towards the caves. As always, I'm overthinking things again. That or my mind is too jumbled to think about anything clearly. It's not like I didn't know that… subconsciously. He concluded ruefully. Can't it just be balanced in the middle?

But this has to mean Sunny doesn't approve of our plan, and she trusts us to come to the same conclusion. Another learning moment? If she didn't, she would have stayed and tried much harder to convince us otherwise. If only she didn't send Winter and Kinkajou away! He chuckled to himself.

Maybe that was the point, so I could think about it myself without even more voices. He scanned his surroundings and saw that Sunny and Pearl had chosen a secluded corner of the Prey Center. Which makes sense given the nature of their discussion. It was far from the chaos at the start, and quiet enough for all of his thoughts to ring out loudly, for better or worse.

I can't even remember the last time I was alone to sort through my own thoughts…. So what's most important to me? Stopping Vulture? Repairing my relationships with my mother? Or Winter. How could anyone expect him to choose, they're all important to him! He let out a small whine and lashed his tail. But everything all at once is too overwhelming just like Sunny was saying.

He quickly realized that he didn't have to think hard about what he wanted to do. Even if I can't make a logical decision, I do know what I want in my heart. And Winter can help me figure out the rest.

He jumped up and ignored the fact that he could only last a few minutes alone with his thoughts. Qibli quickly rolled up the map and started to wander in the direction that Winter and Kinkajou had headed.

He abruptly stopped in his tracks. Even though it was the first conclusion he jumped to, what followed close after that realization was the fact that the last thing they discussed was Darkstalker. Even after his defeat, he was causing more distrust and trouble. But I can't start my relationship with Winter based on secrets.

Qibli willed himself forward but was less sure of himself now. Just be honest with him. If he really is who he says he is trying to be, he'll understand. And I trust him. As he padded forward, that realization lightened each talonstep. Even in the valley, the mood felt different. Instead of holding it's breath, it felt like the wind was rushing under his wings to lift him forward. It was going to feel good getting this off his chest. One less secret under Jade Mountain.

Now, only to find him. Where did he get off to? After some searching under the sun, a shiny glint caught his eye and he turned to beam at a random IceWing. The returned look was suspicious and Qibli quickly mumbled an 'excuse me' as he rushed off.

Right, because there are IceWings here who aren't Winter here… The more he searched, the more disappointed he became. Did he not wait for me? Maybe he thought Sunny would have a lot to say. That didn't help find him though. He tapped a talon on the ground perplexed. Where could he have gone?

All the dragons that remained were minding their own business, less a curious eye turned his way every now and then. Maybe Kinkajou dragged him back into the school. Showing him a project she was working on?

That seemed plausible, so Qibli abandoned the sun for the shaded passageways. There was always a cool dampness that greeted him and tickled his nose. He could hear each of his footsteps echo down the tunnel. Again, a wave of nostalgia overtook him and he found himself walking towards the library.

When he arrived at the entrance, he peered in almost furtively. He knew why he had come here first, almost instinctively, but he didn't want to admit it to himself. Qibli didn't even know what to think about it, or what to feel. It almost felt dishonest. Nothing I can see from out here. Of course, they might just be further in, tucked in a nook, but I don't know. Is it really worth checking?

He hobbled along the precipes not daring to step in. After a fair bit of scuffling about, a snout appeared from the desk.

The black snout belonged to the blind librarian and it only took a second before a mischievous look crossed Starflight's face.

"You know, you missed Moon by a couple weeks." He teased.

"Oh, come on Starflight, you're not that bad company." Qibli returned, sliding up to the desk at the same time.

"Not bad company, just the wrong company." Qibli didn't need sight to tell him of the big grin on the bemused dragon.

"Is it the librarian's job to judge me?" Qibli asked no one in particular. He fluttered his wings in mock disgust, as if he was flinging grime from them. "How unprofessional!"

"Well, I think all those nights you kept me here digging up scrolls for you would have earned me that right!" Starflight brought his tail tip forward and prodded Qibli in the chest.

Qibli gave a small grin. Even though Starflight wouldn't be able to see it, the down to earth banter had helped through all those stressful nights. Qibli lightly gripped Starflight's tail before it could retreat and gave it a quick squeeze. "Well, thank you kind master of scrolls." He said in an overly appreciative manner.

Starflight grumbled a little before jerking his tail out of his grasp. "But I wasn't joking, Moon isn't here. Sorry Qibli." He turned back towards a pile of scrolls and continued with sorting them.

Qibli just remained where he was. He could smell the scrolls all around him now. Reminding him of the joyful nights, the horrifying nights, and the heartbreaking nights. He could see himself walking next to Moon, desperate to find answers in the aged parchment. Next to the dragon I was so desperate to impress with little gifts here and compliments there. But never had enough courage just to tell her the truth.

I should go. Otherwise I'm just standing here awkwardly next to Starflight. Would Starflight think I'm weird for standing here? He can't really see that I'm just staring at the shelves…

"Thank you Starflight." For everything. Starflight gave him a small nod as he walked out of the library.

Unsure of where to go, he ended up wandering through most of the school. Most of the students just stared at him but never spoke up. After the fourth or fifth dragon, he didn't even notice anymore since his mind was stuck thinking about what to say to Winter.

Still, it definitely didn't help that he knew a lot of them before everything changed. Maybe Kinkajou is right, it's better not to have everyone know. Followed by another pit in his stomach. But it's easier for her because no one on the continent thinks a Rainwing could have outsmarted Darkstalker.

Just as he was turning the corner to the music cave, he heard Kinkajou's distinctive voice ring out. "NOOO!"

Panicked, he sprinted forward towards the entrance. Not again! He burst through the entrance with a gust of wind and nearly trampled Moloch.

"Ack!" She jumped back at his sudden appearance. "QIBLI!"

"Sorry! Sorry." He stumbled back and knocked over a set of wooden instruments which clattered to the floor in an angry ensemble. "Sorry," he whispered to the instruments.

When he turned back towards the dragons Kinkajou was a breath away from the tip of his nose. She was a mix of yellow and red, which he could have guessed from the look on her face.

"And WHY do you need to be flinging yourself all over the place like a rampant rhinoceros?" She thwacked him on the snout a few times. "You ought to feel sorry for yourself, sneaking through the tunnels then jumping at us!"

He peered around her and saw Winter close by looking rather unsettled. Winter quickly shook himself and smoothed his spines as if nothing happened.

"I am talking to you Mister." Kinkajou fumed and used her tail wrapped around one of his horns to make him face her. She puffed up her chest and gave him a hard look.

"Well, I heard you scream and thought something was wrong." What in the world is going on? Kinkajou just kept looking at him. "Sorry?" He tried again, and glanced at Winter, who just stared back blankly at him.

Kinkajou held up for one more second before her scales faded back into a more typical swirl of color. "Apology accepted!" She said cheerfully.

Since Winter was no help, he shot a confused glance at Moloch who just rolled her eyes and shrugged her wings.

"Someone sure took his time!" Kinkajou continued.

"Well, I didn't know where you three wandered off to!" He started picking up the instruments he knocked down.

"So what did Sunny want to talk to you about?" Winter finally spoke up.

Qibli felt his heart start to beat louder and louder and he hesitated for a second before acting as if nothing happened. "I was actually hoping to talk to you about it."

He met Winter's eyes which were now a mix of worry and curiosity. That sparked similar emotions in him which made him start to second guess himself. Are you sure this is a good idea? His mind questioned.

"Well?" Kinkajou asked, curious as well.

"Ahem…" Qibli cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Actually, just with Winter." Sorry Kinkajou!

"Unbelievable!" Kinkajou exclaimed, throwing up her talons. "I'll just find out from Winter later!"

Qibli winced and didn't know how to respond to that. Luckily Moloch chimed in. "That's not the point," she said softly.

Kinkajou looked between Winter and Qibli before resigning. "I know." She grumbled, and let herself be led away for the second time.

When he could hear their talonsteps retreat down the tunnel, he finally turned to look at Winter. Now he definitely looked worried, but underlying all of it was a calm resolution. As if he knew no matter what it was, he could trust Qibli.

"Soooo what are you doing in the music cave?" Qibli said, looking around at everything he thought offended Winter.

Winter just huffed a breath of frost filled air at him and he felt himself shiver down to his tail tip.

"Let me guess," he persisted through the shivers. "After the music performance at the moon festival triggering our first kiss, you knew you needed to come here to try your luck again." He peeked under his wings and saw that the concerned look had, to no one's surprise, transformed into dangerous daggers. "Ahem." He straightened up. I really shouldn't be teasing him before… this.

Qibli let his facade crumble and hung his head. Closing his eyes, he tried to clear his head. Just tell him. Tell him the truth about Darkstalker. He deserves your honesty.

While he was collecting himself, he felt Winter push his wing away so he could press against his side, comforting him. Qibli almost felt his heart shatter like an icicle hitting the ground. His body responded by leaning closer against him.

That started the avalanche of words. "I know now is not like the past. As in, a lot has changed since… well, Darkstalker's defeat." The second he mentioned Darkstalker, Winter froze, and Qibli could almost feel his heart pounding through their scales.

"I mean just look at you and me!" Qibli blabbered on. "And… an—and I know you hated us for not telling you about anything after you were sent back to the Ice Kingdom. Even though we didn't realize it at the time it meant there was an 'us', and then a 'you'. And we can't blame you! Your father was murdered, and Darkstalker tried to wipe out your whole tribe!"

Qibli let out a nervous chuckle before addressing himself. "And I really shouldn't be saying this all again because I don't need to be picking at old wounds, Qibli!" Okay get back on track. I can't lose myself or else I'll say something I regret.

"So we really should have told you, if we really trusted you as a friend about what really—"

"Qibli," Winter hissed, stopping him mid breath. "Stop. You said it yourself, I was a much different dragon then. I was angry — no, furious. I couldn't see clearly and even if it was justified, that kind of thinking just continues an endless cycle.

"I've thought about it and I think it's best I didn't know." Winter took a painful breath. "I don't think I could have trusted myself not to do something horrific. What I did know was I trusted you. And I know there was a line between 'you' and 'me'. Thank the moons there was, or else we might still be fighting now, and your grandfather would be the least of our worries."

Qibli looked over into Winter's eyes and saw that there was an unmistakable warmth in them that meant he really believed what he said.

"Then just like you trusted us in the past, I trust you now." Qibli stated.

"Qibli." Winter placed a talon on his shoulder. "You don't have to tell me. I don't mean to do that to you."

"I know, but I want us to start this relationship with everything laid out. And that means being honest with each other. I don't want to hold a secret over it all." Here goes, he thought. "Winter, Darkstalker is gone, but he's not dead. Kinkajou used his magic against him to transform him into a different dragon. One who could have a fresh start."

Winter didn't flinch away but it still looked like he had been slapped in the face. Qibli could feel his heart pounding, and he nuzzled the shocked Icewing's snout. But his heart nearly stopped when he met Winter's now clouded stare, just in time to see the warmth and trust there a second ago, replaced with shock warring with anger.


As always, sorry for the VERY inconsisntent uploads. This chapter (being written with such a time difference) likely has a bit of a unintentional style difference so let me know if it strays too far! No promises here for when the next upload will be, but I do promise that I will see this story through to the end. Sorry for those who were hoping for a long chapter, but I'll try and stick with ~3600 words just to balance my time and to keep things consistent. Stay tuned for more!