A/N: Not too much to say this time around, except maybe that I am genuinely going to try to kick my writing into gear again here soon (although not necessarily for this story alone). Enjoy the chapter!

Chapter 13

Moonwatcher shifted uncomfortably on her claws, awkwardly holding out her wing as the Sandwing doctor rewrapped it with a new set of bandages. She'd been told to return a week after her injury, and it was already a day past that. Of course, if it were up to her she probably would have waited even longer, but Winter had insisted that she get it looked at again.

Which she wouldn't have minded, if not for who exactly it was changing her wrap.

Her eyes shifted to Doctor Oryx, the Sandwing who—from everything she'd heard—had done near unspeakable things during the war. Moon had never studied too much about the fallout from the War of Sandwing Succession and the trials that followed, so the fact that she had heard of Oryx was telling. He'd been a butcher, a torturer; she was surprised he was even allowed to live in Sanctuary.

That is, she knew the town was supposed to be for dragons to get second chances, but surely not everyone deserved one. Which was almost an ironic thought, considering how she'd tried to give Darkstalker a second chance. But the animus had only used it to betray her, and even his new opportunity as Peacemaker wasn't a real second chance. Yet in a way she could understand Darkstalker, but to test poisons and methods of pain on other dragons was a line that Moon would not dare to cross in terms of letting a dragon start over. It had been hard enough for her to even stomach some of the things Qibli and the Outclaws had done once she learned about them, yet Oryx made such gang activities look tame. If it weren't for him being the only doctor in the town, she wouldn't even let him touch her wing.

Yet as he worked, she couldn't deny that she heard no ill, evil thoughts filling his head. He was focused on his job, on helping dragons. It was…ordinary.

Healing is coming along nicely in the wing. She might be able to remove the wrap a couple weeks early if this keeps up. Moon heard him muse as he worked. After this appointment is Snapper's. Hopefully his foot is healing well. I really don't want to have to clean out another infection.

"Are you experiencing any problems?" he asked as he was finishing up, "Any unexpected pain or discomfort?"

"It feels stiff at times," she told him, "And it itches."
Oryx nodded. "Stiffness is normal when you aren't exercising it. And itching is normal too, although I advise you to avoid scratching at it."

"I'll try."
"Do you still have any of the herbs I gave you?"

Moon thought for a second. "A few. I've been using them, though."

"Good, I'll get you a few more, then," he said, stepping over to a table and putting a few in a small bag, which he gave to her. She took it, hesitantly. "Is there anything else?" he asked.

"That's all for me," she told him, "Other than the wing, I'm fine."
"Excellent," he smiled softly. "Come back next week so I can change it again. If you need anything else, just stop by."

Moon nodded and began to step towards the door. Then she paused. Moon knew that it wasn't very proper to ask about another dragon's past, but with who it was…she felt she had to say something. She had to know what he was doing here.

"Did you treat many Nightwings in the Sand Kingdom?" she asked.

Oryx immediately tensed. She saw flashes in his mind of dragons. Hundreds of dragons. Many crying out in pain. Many dying. Most of the scales were shades of tan and brown, but there were other colors there too, including black.

"I never treated one, no," he told her, "But I do have some…experience with your tribe."

"How so?" Moon asked, playing somewhat dumb, "During the war, or…"

The doctor looked at her and frowned. "I told you my name. You know who I am; please don't pretend you don't. You've been tense since you walked in, and I know how dragons react when they learn. And no, I'm not happy with what I did. And no, I don't intend to repeat my mistakes."

She shifted uncomfortably, not happy with how she was called out like that. "But…why?" she found herself asking, knowing that she shouldn't, "What you did…how could you?"

Oryx was silent for a long few moments. For a second she thought that would just kick her out without an answer—and indeed he did consider that for a moment—but with a tired sigh he sat back and shook his head before talking.

"I don't expect you to understand or empathize," he began, "I did horrible things. I know it now, and I knew it then. The amount of blood on my claws could stain the sands of the desert red. I take no pride in the suffering I caused."

Moon could see in his mind the sincerity. As he spoke, she saw more brief flickers of memories. Of names and faces of dragons that were gone. And she felt the intense sorrow, the regret, and the despair. It was an avalanche of pain, far removed from his grounded mind from earlier.

"I had always wanted to be a doctor growing up in the Sand Capitol," he continued, "I wanted to help dragons, to make things better. So, I studied and apprenticed, and eventually I became one. Early on I was attracted to the idea of poisons, so often used in the wretched dealings of the lower and upper classes of my tribe, and I did my best to try to find antidotes and cures for any innocents affected. It was my goal for a long time to find a cure for dragonbite viper venom. I never did succeed.

"Then came the war, and our tribe fractured. Like many Sandwings I tried to stay neutral, but the fighting caught up with all of us eventually. I was pressed into the service of Burn and made to fight in her army before they realized I was a doctor. They pulled me out of the fighting to treat soldiers, which I did as best I could. It was a dreary job, but I made the best of it.

"When the higher-ups became aware that I was learned in poisons, I caught the attention of Burn herself. She wanted the secrets of life and death, but only to use for her own ends. She saw in me a way to study, to learn how to better torture her enemies. She offered me the opportunity to conduct research, far from the immediate danger of the war and with plenty of funding. She gave me the opportunity to do research on poisons like no other dragon could, and I accepted. Of course, if I hadn't have my head would probably been on a pike, but that doesn't change the fact I did.

"I'm not sure I have to tell you the rest. They brought me prisoners, I experimented on them. Some lived. More died. I did not take pleasure in the deaths—that much I want to make clear. To see a life end is harrowing, especially when you have the means to save it. But I told myself that what I was doing was important, that it could be used for good someday. If I could understand how certain poisons worked, I could find out ways to stop them. Same for everything else. Burn might have seen them as ways of torture, but I saw them as sacrifices for the future salvation of others. At least, that's what I told myself. That's how I slept at night."
"Yet you knew it was wrong," Moon pointed out.

"I did," Oryx said, "And yes, I did it anyway. Not for Burn. Not for my own glory. I did it because even in the midst of the abyss I thought that some good might come from it. Were it not me, it would have been another. The prisoners would not have been spared—and in truth, I treated them as best I could when I was able. I may have become a butcher, but because of what I did there are over a dozen poisons that have cures that we didn't know about two decades ago. And even if my legacy is one of death and destruction, at least it may have saved some dragons as well."

Moonwatcher was silent for a long time, taking it in. From all she could tell, his words were indeed genuine. Yes, the things that he had done were deplorable, but all the same she could understand why Oryx had done them, even if she couldn't condone it. It was a difficult, war-torn time, and he'd been given orders by his queen, and he carried them out. And he truly believed that what he did would help others.

She couldn't help but wonder if she would have done the same in his scales.

"So you ended up here?" Moon asked.

He nodded. "Once the war was over I was able to escape the Sand Kingdom before Thorn seized full power. While the queens granted amnesty for pretty much all the normal soldiers and deserters, I knew that I probably wouldn't be included. I took refuge with the Talons of Peace, of all dragons, who were sheltering others like me. They allowed me sanctuary, but only limited to the extent that I remain here. If I leave this town, my life is as good as forfeit. But at least I get a chance to do what I wanted to: to help dragons. And perhaps in doing that I might cover over some of my sins."

"I…" Moon began, but she really didn't know what to say, "That…that's good, then." She shifted uncomfortably. "Thank you for telling me."

"Most dragons don't make a habit of sharing their stories," he told her, his gaze shifting away from her and out a window, "But for me, most dragons know. They don't have to ask. All I can do is explain, and hope that it doesn't stop them from letting me help when I'm able." He gave a long sigh, shook his head, then stood. "Well then, if that's all, I suppose I'll see you next week to change your wrap again. Unless…" he trailed off, the implication clear.

She looked down, tapping her tail. Her mind sped, going over his story and the thoughts and emotions she'd heard from his head. Slowly, she nodded.

"Yeah, I guess I'll see you then."

Oryx smiled, softly, as she turned and walked towards the door. She opened it and stepped outside as another dragon limped in, a pale green Seawing. They brushed past each other, and she heard Oryx's voice, suddenly bright and cheerful as if their conversation had never happened.

"Snapper, come in! How's the foot? It's healing well, I hope."

Moon shook her head and walked on.

"And on this shelf are all the building plans for the town," Riptide said, touching a claw against the massive stack of scrolls, "For overall layouts and individual buildings. Dragonfly has copies of most of these in her own house, but we keep them here, too. And below them on this second shelf is a map of this whole region and ideal areas for potential expansion. You'll want to look over those whenever new construction is needed."

Winter nodded, his eyes slightly glazing over. He'd been in this "lesson" with Riptide for the past couple hours, and he was struggling to stay focused anymore. Really, it had just been one thing after another, Riptide showing him over the town and all the management details he had never paid attention to before. But it was all the boring stuff, scrolls and lists of instructions. The last hour had been nothing but Riptide going over what was in the town hall's storage.

Even Coldshock, who had accompanied Winter and was normally so full of energy when he was awake, looked completely unamused and disinterested as he lay on the floor watching.

"This last rack is a lot of miscellaneous, mainly," Riptide went on, moving to the next, "Lists of suppliers for building materials, roll call of the Talons of Peace, names of dragons blacklisted from the town…"

That last one caught Winter's attention—or at least he was desperate enough to do something besides listen to Riptide droning on that it made him think it did. "Blacklisted?"

"Yeah," the Seawing nodded, "Different dragons that we decided wouldn't be allowed to have sanctuary, like the ones in the Agate Accords after the war. I thought you were familiar with all that."

"It rings a bell, yeah," Winter told him, "Are we even tracking that anymore?"

Riptide shrugged his wings. "Not really. Towards the beginning we did keep track of why dragons were coming to Sanctuary, just to have a record in case of incidents. We still have that around somewhere, I think…"

"I do remember doing that," Winter tapped a claw. Back when the town had started, there was a worry that letting some less-than-popular dragons in would cause some problems. Not so much from the inhabitants, but from other outsiders. Not all dragons had the same idea of post-war "justice" in the first few years, and it was the unfortunate truth that several dragons that had come to the town had been found killed within the first year. Some of the killers they'd been able to find and bring to justice, but not all.

"I still try to vet the dragons that come to Sanctuary," Riptide went on, "You'll probably want to handle that. These days it's not much more than introducing myself, getting their names, and getting a feel for them. You should be fine with that."

Winter yawned. "I imagine so."

Riptide looked at him out of the side of his eyes. "Yes, well, as far as documents go, Mayfly can probably help you find most things, and if she can't then Jackal or Stingray should be able to. Any questions?"

If Winter had been paying more attention, he probably would have some. As it was, he just shook his head.

The Seawing frowned a little, but didn't push him. "Good, then, I guess. Hopefully next time we meet I'll have a few information requests that I can over you with, or we can go through some more processes. I know today wasn't too glamorous, but it is important just to know where things are."

"I know, I know," Winter half-sighed. "I'm trying Riptide. It's just a lot."

"It is, but I know you can do it," Riptide assured him, "It'll all come in time, I'm sure."

"Hopefully."

With that, Riptide finally began to wrap things up. They exited the storage room of the town hall, and the Seawing said the words Winter had been waiting to hear. "That's about all I have for today for you, then. Let me know when you're free next, and we can do a deeper dive."

Winter nodded. "Will do."

"Have a good rest of your day, then," Riptide said as they walked to the door, "I imagine you'll be back to your scavengers."

"Actually, no. Swallow said he'd be fine for the day, so I won't need to go in. I'll probably work on some reports at home or something."

"Have fun, then," Riptide told him, "And you too, Coldshock." The dragonet had silently been following him, and he raised a small paw and waved a silent goodbye to the Seawing.

The father and son stepped out into the sun, Coldshock appearing happy to be up on his claws again. Winter hadn't really wanted to bring the dragonet along to his meeting with Riptide, but with Moon having her appointment with Oryx it was for the best that he take him. And to the dragonet's credit, he had behaved quite well, staying out of any mischief most dragonets would have gotten into. It was almost as if Coldshock could tell when he needed to be on his best behavior.

…But he was still a dragonet.

"Treat!" the small dragon cried, and rushed from Winter's side across the street. There sat a small shop owned by a Skywing that sold sugary candies. Moon had gotten a few out of curiosity when she was out a few days ago, and they had made the mistake of letting Coldshock try a piece. Now every time the dragonet saw the sweets he immediately did his best to get some.

Winter snorted and rolled his eyes, but he followed his son to the stall. There was a wide variety of candies on display, from caramels to hard candies to even some chocolate from the Rainforest. Winter had tried many of them during his time in Sanctuary, and he knew what was good. Even though he didn't normally go out and buy sweets, he found himself purchasing a small amount of caramels and cherry-flavored sugars.

When he gave a caramel to Coldshock, the little hybrid just about burst with glee as he took it and began to happily chew.

With a smile, Winter turned towards home. The energy that candies gave his son had made him and Moon decide to limit the amount that he got, but Coldshock had been so good during the time with Riptide that the dragonet deserved it. And Winter felt that he himself did as well, and he rewarded himself with a snack of his own.

In no time at all the two were back at their house. Moon greeted them as they entered, apparently having come back from her doctor's appointment already. Their son rushed to her immediately, giving her leg a hug as she set down the scroll she was reading and patted his side.

"Everything go well?" Winter asked as he set the candies on the counter and stepped into the living room. Everything looked normal, and Moon appeared in good spirits, so he guessed that it had.

"Yep," Moon confirmed, "Oryx seemed to think that the wrap might even be removed early if things keep up, but it might be too early to tell."

"Good, good," Winter nodded. He tapped his tail on the ground, then walked past her. "Well, I'll be in my office working on reports if you need me."

He was halfway there when he paused. Peril's words from her last visit unexpectedly rang in his mind: "I found someone to make me better. Maybe you've found someone, too." He glanced back to Moonwatcher, looking so peaceful and at home as she went back to her scroll, Coldshock resting at her feet.

Winter felt a flutter in his chest. As he had told Peril, he'd always cared for her. And like Peril had advised, he wanted to take those next steps and try again. Despite that trepidation—despite the fact that he still feared the lovely but poisonous touch of her scales against his—now that Winter had her in his life again, he wanted so desperately to keep her there.

He shifted on his claws, and Moon looked up, noticing his hesitation. Three moons, he just wished he knew how he was supposed to go about things. While for the most part they were doing fine living together, in many ways it felt like they had to walk on eggshells. Both he and her were constantly careful about what they said and how they acted, worrying about doing something to negatively affect the other. And Winter just wished that they could relax around one another.

That wasn't going easy so far but…maybe it was best to just start slow. At any rate, it was important to just start.

Winter turned around. "Actually," he said, and Moon cocked her head in interest, "I haven't been about too much today. I think I'll take a walk." He paused and took a breath. "Would you like to come with me, Moon?"

She blinked. "A walk? Sure. Anything special?"

"Nope," he shook his head. "Just an old-fashioned walk. Together."

For a moment he was worried he had overplayed himself with that last word, but then Moon smiled. "That sounds lovely."

Her smile was infectious, and when they stood to go and their tails brushed walking out the door, Winter didn't feel an overwhelming urge to pull away. He didn't even shudder.