He had finally briefly interacted with the rest of his winglet. Technically.
Sepia was as blunt and uninterested in interaction as ever, but not unkind. Boto apparently must have hidden a switch for "Laziness" and "Hyperactive Child of the Year", as one moment he could be resting on his hammock, the next he was stuck to the roof like a wad of gum. Anemone had an air of entitlement, yet she willingly left the place in which she would be given the most luxury. A contradiction, but perhaps she simply was lonely. Thrush was a friendly guy, differing from most other Skywings. Truly, a potential friend. He tried to politely end Rime's academic rambling, the one caused by Ostrich. Ostrich was the one who was glad to inquire about his bout of knowledge on "Dragon Heart Work and it's incapability of stopping". She didn't understand much, but she tried and likely learned a lot.
It was true, though. Dragon hearts worked more than Human hearts, but could not function long unless completely intact. Human hearts could handle a lot more damage, but weren't as powerful. In his previous life, he once saw a man whom had his heart work at an extremely worrying pace. Still alive, but struggling. A dragon would be dead long before that point.
Fearless was an aggressive little thing. He half expected to find her in the shadows next he slept, vibrating vigorously while attempting to turn him to dust with a hateful glare when he would wake up.
Speaking of bed's Jade mountain had semi-decent beds! Oh, sure they were literally moss on a rock and the occasional hammock for a Rainwing, but it was better than nothing. He was going to request a hammock from the staff ASAP, fellow Icewing opinions be damned.
He was feeling awfully bored. It was still the first day of school and very little time had passed at all. It wasn't like he could politely ask for a cadaver, this was a school. And many became nauseous of corpses, and rightfully so. He didn't open any cadavers before coming back into existence. Winter, his best friend, avoided him whenever he went onto that part of his work.
Winter.. Could he even claim him as his closest friend? It had been so long since he had last spent some time with him, or had a long discussion or anything. They talked, he even once told the occasional joke to him but Winter had been training, becoming stronger, trying to prove himself while he just researched medicine. They were no longer close, at least not like before.
He got up. Maybe, he considered, maybe he should go reconnect with his friend. What was he thinking? Of course he should. At the very least to tie up loose ends, even if he couldn't get to work on repairing their friendship. God knows how long they had left it in disrepair.
He took a short stroll and searched for Winter, wherever he was.
He did find him, near the food place. He had a man in a cage, and he suppressed a grimace. He greeted him, and Winter seemed to pause and looked towards him slowly.
He greeted back. It was an awkward moment.
"So." he started "How's it going with him?"
"Alright."
"Learned anything new about humans?"
"I don't know. He just sits there-" He gestured at his 'pet' "-and just flops. He hasn't eaten any of the meat I give him."
"...You do know they eat cooked meat, right?"
"They do?" Winter shuffled. "I never asked you about eating habits."
"Winter." He stated, deciding to get to the point. "We need to talk more. Before, you catching a human would have had us talk and debate for hours. Now look at us. Missing such information."
"I know. But ever since he was... Well... You know."
"Look. Let's just try to repair things, alright?"
Winter seemed to mull it over, and nodded.
"I knew you had a heart!" They were ambushed by a Sandwing. Truly a sneaky specimen.
"Qibli!" Winter yelled it in a manner that made it clear he was not happy about being eavesdropped on.
"..That's a strange name for a Sandwing."
Qibli regarded him in a polite but searching matter, as though trying to classify him as some subspecies.
"It is, yeah." He smiled. "You never told me you had a friend with a similar scavenger obsession!"
"I'm surprised Winter has bonded with you."
"What? No!"
"The deepest of bonds. He's going to cement me as an ambassador between our tribes. Back to the point, Winter, why didn't you tell me you had a friend with a scavenger obsession!"
"Human." He was glad Winter agreed to not name them scavengers and instead give them his suggested name.
Qibli rolled his eyes, but chuckled. "Human, alright." He observed the one in the cage whom was shivering. "Well. Hey, back to what I what saying before I left, can I just - well- I just want to take a closer look is all."
Winter looked thoroughly unconvinced. "No."
Rime couldn't help but feel sympathy. "Aw, come on. Let him do it. What's the harm?"
"He cold eat him!"
"I wouldn't hurt a fly!" Rime suspected this to be false. Qibli's scar didn't look like a workplace accident, and the Sandwing looked scruffy - If he could give a comparasion between a dragon and a human, he looked like he someone he knew back when he was living on the streets in his original life.
Still, he would put his trust in Qibli being intelligent enough NOT to anger the Winter.
He voiced his thoughts to Winter and Qibli gave him a mock hurt look.
Winter allowed him, however and Qibli very carefully opened the cage.
The man in it seemed to pause. He was tense, Rime could tell. When the cage fully opened, the man didn't hesitate.
In a surprising display of agility, the man (he really should learn the name given to him) jumped out and started running. It was all so sudden that they spent a second being bewildered.
Then they started to give chase to the very much unaware of danger idiot.
Moonwatcher held the scavenger in her talons, it's fear ever present.
So much for staying down and inconspicuous
The Icewing infront of her was frighteningly handsome, and she could hear him think as he pinned her down with his gaze as though prey to a spear.
His thoughts were briefly curious: Never seen one like that before, didn't think they had silver scales in any place but their wings. Those ones by her eyes are remarkable, and she looks as though she listens to something. But were quickly taken by anger and self-loathing. What was that? Nightwings killed him, distanced both my friends from me, and that is why I hate them with every piece of my being. Every. Single One.
Moon wished she could shut the flow of hate off. She suspected it didn't matter. One could tell from his expression alone he hated her. She wished she were someone else.
"Five seconds," Came the snarl.
There was a crowd, and she could hear as they mentally called for them to fight.
"No," Moon said, going against her every instinct for the sake of the scav-
"Winter?" It was another Icewing, less sparkly, more blue, though that gave him a more down to the ground look. His thoughts were strange. One second she could hear clear words, the next it was like he was a scavenger. "What's going on here?"
"She want's to eat Bandit!"
She wants to eat Bandit? Then she could only feel his emotions as they briefly turned to sheer, utter disgust at the thought. It didn't show outwardly, however. "I'm sure we can negotiate his release. She'll surely see reason."
Before things could devolve further a Sandwing came through, politely pushing through the crowd. He stepped in between them. "No one is getting sliced OR frozen and snapped apart." He said to the Icewing. "What is wrong with you? Did you even attempt to ask nicely? You friend did, and he knows nothing of what's happening other than what you told him." He turned to Moon with a winning smile. "Hi, I'm Qibli. That there is Winter, and beside him is Rime. I'm the one who accidentally freed the little thing you have, and I and my two friends here would appreciate if you didn't eat him. Thank you."
"I-" She took a breath she had been holding in. "I won't eat him. No one can eat him. Ever."
Winter tilted his head at her curiously, and Rime simultaneously felt guilt and approval. "That's exactly how I feel."
"Great." Qibli said. "Weird, but great." He turned to Winter "And hey, you didn't tell all of us that you were the nephew of Queen Glacier, and 5 minutes have passed! I checked!"
Winter glared at Qibli. "I was only informing you that I will soon be leaving your cave for a much more private area due to my status."
"Eh." Rime said, in his weird not-Icewing accent. "Qibli seems fine. Could have gotten a worse clawmate."
"Mm." Winter replied. He refocused his attention on Moon. "Give me Bandit back." His voice was still laced with suspicion, but he was much calmer, both in mind and demeanour.
She gently gave it back to Winter.
"What is your name anyway?" Rime asked.
Winter looked up in some curiosity and Qibli aborted a train of thought that was going to ask her just that.
"Oh." She did NOT like becoming the center of attention again so quickly. "Moon." she let out quietly.
"Moon what?" Winter asked. "Mooncrusher? Moondestroyer? MOONEATER?" Rime let out a strangled snort as Qibli gave a shocked look.
"It's Moonwatcher." Kinkajou appeared out of nowhere. "But she prefers Moon." She twined her tail with Moon's in a gesture of support. Moonwatcher appreciated it greatly, however much the Rainwings mind was yelling in happiness.
An Icewing! 2 Icewings! A heroic Sandwing! All potential friends! I love school! I love it! I love it! I love-
"Moonwatcher." Winter said it slowly, as though examining her name.
"Hello, Moon." Rime offered.
"Hey Moon." Qibli said.
"Moon!" Kinkajou said. Everyone stared at her. "What? Everyone was doing it!" Rime let out a bout of laughter.
"Whoever told me Rainwings were lazy lied."
Winter was disregarding all of this, but seemed focused on the scavenger. I need to feed him what Rime told me. But how? Maybe Rime was wrong. He doesn't seem to realize that we asren't among Icewings. Maybe he's not hungry. Whoever heard of-
"He's hungry" She confirmed. Then she felt like biting her tongue off.
Winter gave her a cold look, but it had a modicum of acceptance in it. "He probably is. I just don't know how to get cooked meat."
Rime looked up curiously. "He doesn't just have to eat meat, y'know. He can eat other things. You could also just start a fire." Winter gave him a look of confusion, but before he could ask, Sunny came in. Clay shooed what was left of an already bored (and as such depleting) crowd.
"Hello," she said in a friendly matter. She looked down at Bandit. "That's the pet Fatespeaker was talking about? Oh cool. I saw some like him once."
"He's mine" Winter said bluntly. "No one is taking him from me." He started shaking Bandit vigorously and Moon wished she had the bravery to take him and hold him more carefully. She could feel Rime's disapproval at how harshly he was shaking him.
She paused."We'll tell everyone not to eat scavengers, but you should still protect him." She turned to Qibli. "Is it alright with you, Qibli?"
Winter growled. "No one would dare hurt him. I am the nephew of Queen Glacier."
"Alright." Sunny said with a smile, "Just make sure to take good care of him. There is a lot we don't know about scavengers, so maybe your winglet can study him." She turned back to Qibli.
"I'm alright with it." Qibli said. "No need to worry here. Except if your talking about the scavenger." Sunny nodded, giving a concerned look at said scavenger, then turned to Rime.
"Oh, and an Icewing named Changbai came along for the silver winglet."
Rime blinked. "What?"
"There was a... problem. We had you mixed up. Normally we would turn Changbai away but-" She waved her talons. "But- Well. You know his sta-"
"That haughty son of a -" His speech dissolved into some strange screeching noises, causing Sunny to wince.
He sounds like an angry scavenger Sunny thought. She seemed to decide not to let him know that as she shrugged apologetically. "We decided we'd put him in your winglet in place of you..." Rime briefly looked murderous, pulling at the cloth wrapped around his neck. "...But you get your own private cave and stay here! For now. We'll see if we should keep you as an extra of the silver winglet or another." She quickly turned her gaze towards the scavenger. "Do take care of him, though. He does look kind of floppy." Then she left.
Winter refocused upon Bandit. "He isn't going to die." He growled. He turned towards Rime. "What did you say about alternatives?"
Rime blinked. "He can eat most of what we have here from the rainforest." He looked around. "I think. He should have a general idea though."
Kinkajou perked up even more, somehow, and quickly picked up a blueberry looking excitedly at Rime. He nodded in the affirmative, smiling, so she gave it to a confused Bandit. He took her humble offering and after a few seconds of nervously glancing around, he took a bite out of it.
"See!" Kinkajou exclaimed. "Moon's right."
"That's good for now, but remember to supply him with an acceptable amount of other types of food. He can't just live off of blueberries forever." Rime offered helpfully.
"What else does he need?" Winter asked.
Rime paused, his mind whirring.
Then he shrugged. "Just feed him a variety of stuff and he should be fine. Get him meat to insure his best health, as we don't have lots of vegetables."
Winter growled. "I have frostbreath, Rime. Not flames." Rime's mind went to a quiet thoughtful state. She wondered why his mind switched between being scavenger-like to the occasional understandable phrase. Was it related to why he shared a passion for scavengers like Winter?
I would cook it, if you just ask. Moon thought, discarding her musings. Kinkajou was beside her, and her mind seemed to be full of confidence that Moon was braver than she looked. It gave her confidence.
She mustered up some more bravery - no matter how her mind screamed against her - , and said:
"I could cook it, if you let me."
Rime reacted first while Winter was still processing, turning towards her. "You read my mind, didn't you?" Moon cringed, but she felt in his mind that the way he said it meant he wasn't serious, he was just remarking it as a joke/compliment of sorts. It was a strange one that she had never heard before, but he used it nonetheless.
Qibli turned a thoughtful gaze towards her, the churning river that was his thoughts connecting, wondering and thinking on the matter, while Winter had a sudden bout of suspicion.
"Say.." He said slowly. "How did you know he was hungry just from looking at him?"
Oh, Mother, here I am already making mistakes on the first day. How am I to continue for the months to come?
"Just a guess." It was said softly.
"Good guess." Qibli said. His mind didn't stop wondering.
Rime looked confused, and so did Kinkajou.
She took a careful step back, then, another, quicker step. "I- I need to go."
Then she quickly hurried out of the pry center, never once looking back, but hearing every thought directed towards her.
He slept in his own private cave that night. Waking up early, but still groggy, he saw the paper that had been left by the moss-bed. He was going to join the Jade winglet, and should go here, be ready on time, when the gong rings 3 times then get up, blah blah blah there was probably a lot of time before-
Three loud BONGS! rang through the halls. He jumped up alert, groaned his displeasure to the air before dragging himself towards the area instructed. He wondered who was in that winglet. He thought of the people from the silver winglet he cold have got to know better. Ah, well. That's the way it was, he supposed. The least he could is be friendly with his former wingmates.
He was only barely able to arrive there without being overtaken by the uncoordinated horde that was fellow early morning students.
When he got there Tsunami was standing there majestically - or menacingly, take your pick. He chose both. She had that look of one whom was going to do what she wanted, her way, and by God was everyone doing the same if they had a morsel of self preservation.
Everyone was there already, and he felt fashionably late.
"Finally! Now, your an extra of this winglet, but since this school was founded on the principles of cooperation and all that, you'll also have to interact with the other tribes in this room."
He decided to take her advice and observed everyone.
The rainwing from the events of the prey center was like Boto, but with "Laziness" feature unincluded. He feared for his ability for restful sleep. But atleast he no longer needed to worry about being late.
The Mudwing seemed like a completely nice guy whom just wanted to fit in. Turtle, he believed he was named, lived up to his namesake for now. He didn't do anything but sit there passively, but he didn't seem unfriendly.
Qibli seemed to hold up to his memory of him yesterday - witty, lithe and calculating, all from the streets. If he had been human, he wouldn't have been out of place back when he was a young thug.
He hoped to mend his friendship with Winter.
The skywing looked like a defensive little ball of red. If he poked her, he was sure she would bite him. Better be careful around her, than.
Moon, he had learned she was called, seemed shy if anything. She also looked much more healthy than the other nightwings. While all the others had marks of starvation and general unwellness, Moon was healthy. She wasn't present in the group of nightwing's that gathered up like every other tribe did.
Perhaps she was discluded? Jealousy, maybe.
She didn't seem all that bad. She seemed like she could really use a pair of earplugs or headphones to block out the noise. Yesterday, she was helpful, and held a curiosity about humans, clearly. She was perceptive enough to take note of the malnutrition present. She could be a friend, he decided.
The Icewing monarchy would not approve. But damn monarchy. It was dead back on Earth. Let it die again. He wondered what Moon thought of Icewings, or himself in general.
He refocused on Tsunami and made ready to continue the day.