A/N: Yes, I know, another less than timely chapter. I have a good reason that these are taking longer, but I'm not quite ready to say why. Just know that work progresses on more than just this story. And for now, enjoy the next chapter!

Ch. 11

Moon had returned from the reading club meeting excited and eager to throw herself into the scroll. While she was definitely the odd dragoness out in the group, there was a sense of comradery in the group that just made her at ease, even as an outsider. The dragonesses from different tribes uniting to do something as simple and fun as reading a scroll was good to see—tribes working together was something Moon had always wanted—and she was glad to be a part of it.

And really, it was just good to be a part of something. To get out and do and not be cooped up in Winter's house. She felt kind of like she did when she helped with construction, except without the strenuous labor and chance of injury.

Which was why she was disappointed to have to go home when the meeting was over, even if she wasn't the most active participant in the meeting. But she had her copy of the scroll and, with nothing else to really do at home, she began reading as soon as she got back and ate a light lunch—the remains of the deer Winter had caught for her early that morning.

She had just finished the first chapter when Winter arrived, Coldshock on his back. The Icewing did not stay long, as he had some sort of meeting that he had to attend with Riptide and some other dragons. He apologized for not mentioning it as he left Coldshock in her care, but not before telling her how their son had been able to catch his own lunch and earn a bellyful of fish. She congratulated Coldshock, who beamed at her praise before going to sleep in their room as Winter left for his meeting.

With that taken care of and the first chapter done, she debated before starting the second. It would be another week until the reading club met again, and she didn't want to read it all now and forget what happened for the discussion. But with her broken wing she had little better to do, and so began to read once more.

Overall, the story was interesting so far. A young Sandwing male had joined an expedition seeking treasures in a mythical land across the sea. He'd joined a crew on a large ship (Moon still wasn't sure why Seawings needed ships), and was crossing a sea to seek his fortune. The second chapter ended with a large storm approaching the vessel, threating to destroy it while something unseen lurked beneath the waves.

Intrigued, Moon was just beginning the third chapter and wondering if she should grab a blank scroll and make some notes when a knocking on the door distracted her. Moon paused, setting her scroll down as she debated whether to open it. Most dragons that came by were looking for Winter, and with him not here she could avoid an awkward conversation about who she was and what she was doing there. But as she considered that, she got a thought from the visitors mind which felt…familiar. She couldn't quite place it, and so it was with a hint of curiosity that she got up and opened the door.

She was met with a flash of orange and red scales that it took her another moment to place before her eyes widened at the dragoness before her.

"Peril?" she almost gasped, "What are you doing here?"

The Skywing had a look of equal surprise seeing the Nightwing. "I could ask you the same question!" She exclaimed. A second passed before she cocked her head, then grinned. "Well, this is a surprise. I didn't expect to run into you here, of all places."

"Yeah…" Moon trailed off, not quite ready to breach the exact topic of why she was here. She masked that uncomfortableness with a cheery face—it was good to see Peril, after all. "Well, come in, come in," she said, inviting her into the house, "Winter isn't in at the moment, but I can make some tea and…"

She hesitated, the fact that this dragoness had firescales suddenly ringing in her mind. "On the other claw, maybe we shouldn't risk burning down Winter's house."

"Nah, we're good," Peril snorted, stepping inside without worry, "Didn't you read the last letter I sent you. Turtle convinced me to finally take that spell he made me. No more accidentally setting things on fire for me. Well, at least so long as I wear my bracelet." She shrugged her wings, then noticed the wrap on Moon's wing. "What happened to you?"

Moon saw what she was looking at and grimaced. "Just a little accident, nothing to worry about. It'll heal."

Peril let the issue drop and made herself comfortable—quite comfortable, as though she knew her way around already—as Moonwatcher began to make the tea. She'd gotten quite comfortable with cooking in Winter's kitchen area by now, and it was a small thing for her to pull out the utensils to brew a simple couple cups of tea.

"So…" Moon began once she was finishing up, "What brings you here?"

"Oh, I was just traveling from the Sky Kingdom to Jade Mountain," the Skywing answered, "Sanctuary isn't far off my path, so I like to stop in and visit Winter when I get the time. Just check in and reminisce, you know. We all never get a chance to meet up too often, so I like to take the opportunity when I can."

Moon nodded. "That's good of you, Peril," she said before falling silent, feeling guilty. She hadn't really kept up with the winglet as much as she probably should have after graduating from Jade Mountain. She'd visited Winter a couple of times after she'd moved in with Qibli, and she'd seen Turtle on a few different occasions, but aside from the letters that was mostly it. Really, the only other time that came to mind was when Winter had come to visit them, and that was the night that ended up giving her a son.

"How about you?" Peril asked, "What brings you here? Just on a visit?" Moon hesitated, but before she could answer the other dragoness continued. "Wait a second, weren't you and Qibli expecting the hatching of your dragonet? Maybe I could be wrong, but wasn't the egg supposed to hatch, like, a few weeks ago? I'm surprised you wanted to travel with it all the way here, or did you leave your hatchling in the Sand Kingdom with Qibli; he doesn't appear to be here."

Under the barrage of no doubt good-intentioned questions, Moonwatcher grimaced, now thoroughly uncomfortable. She didn't exactly know how to answer the questions without telling the truth—not that she wanted to lie to her friend—and she hated to do it. She hated the idea of her friend knowing what she did, how she'd betrayed Qibli. It was one thing to have it be known that she had a child with Winter by the citizens of Sanctuary, who were still practically strangers (even if a lot of dragons, like those in her reading club, still didn't know the specifics of their relationship), and it was another thing to admit what she'd done to a longtime friend.

She opened her mouth to begin her explanation when she heard a small yawn and the click-clack of claws behind her. Coldshock had awakened from his nap and had come out of their room, no doubt curious as to their visitor. He paused as he saw Peril and Peril saw him, and with a tilt of his head gave and inquisitive coo.

"So you did bring it—him—her…is it a dragoness or…?" Peril exclaimed, then questioned.

"He's a male," she gestured him forward. "Peril, meet Coldshock. My son…and Winter's."

The Skywing clearly wasn't expecting that. Her eyes widened, and Moon could tell she almost spat out a sip of the tea she was drinking. "Winter's?" she asked, "But I thought…"

"Yeah…" Moon looked down and rubbed one of her arms. This was what she hadn't been looking forward to.

"So you and Winter…"

"Yep," she cringed under the Skywing's gaze.

Peril tapped her tail on the floor. "And that's why you're here with Winter and Qibli is, presumably, not."
Moon nodded mutely.

Peril took a moment to process that. She had stood when Coldshock had entered, and now she sat back on her haunches. Taking a long drink of her tea, then giving an equally long deep breath in and out, Peril looked between the mother and son. It took all of Moon's willpower not to dig into her mind and find out what exactly she was thinking.

"Well," Peril finally said slowly after an uncomfortably long pause, "I always thought you'd make a better pair with Winter than with Qibli."

"Heh," Moon snorted, then realized the Skywing was serious. "Really?"

"Uh-huh," she nodded, "I mean, it was never my place to say anything, but I always thought that you complimented each other well. Reminded me of myself and Clay. I was a little disappointed when you chose Qibli, if I'm honest."

"I see…" Moon wasn't sure what to say, so she defaulted to what she had expected to say in how she imagined the conversation going. "I'm not proud of what I did, cheating on Qibli," she told Peril, "I didn't really…I didn't want this to happen. But I do want what's best for my son, and that's having his father in his life."

Peril nodded. "I get that. As a dragon that didn't have a father—or really even a mother—growing up, I can say that it's something I would have liked. I'm glad for his sake that he'll be able to have that."

Moon swished her tail awkwardly on the ground. "So you're not upset or disappointed with what I did?" she questioned.

The Skywing shrugged. "It isn't my life. And I was always a bit outside the friend group, with me being older and having Clay and all. Qibli was always more of the rest of your guy's friend than mine. And besides, it isn't my life." She tapped a talon on the ground. "That said, how'd he take it?"
"Not very well," Moon shook her head. "It was…well…rough. I think me leaving helped. We were having problems before any of this too and...and…" she sighed, "I'd prefer not to talk about it all."

Peril gave her a look, but nodded. "Well, then how are things here, with your new life?"

Moon gave a sigh of relief and began to fill her in on what had happened, how she was adjusting, and how Coldshock was growing. Even things like her reading club. And as she asked how Peril was doing and the Skywing began to talk, she found herself relaxing. It was nice to see the familiar face of an old friend, and the longer they talked the more her fears faded away.

"Sorry I'm late," Winter apologized as he walked into the town hall for his meeting. Time had gotten away from him a little bit at the scavenger sanctuary, and then he'd gotten into a conversation with Moon when he'd gone to drop Coldshock off with her. Plus, he wasn't even really sure what this meeting was supposed to even be about, so there wasn't any sense of real urgency or enthusiasm motivating him to pick up his pace.

"You're fine, Winter," Riptide greeted, "We haven't started yet."

The Seawing was sitting and chatting with some of the other town leaders. Dragonfly was there, as were Scorch and Jackal—two Sandwings from the Talons of Peace who had helped Riptide make the town a reality since its inception. Stingray (a well-off Seawing shopkeeper well known for bringing in essential goods) and Oriel (a Skywing blacksmith) rounded out the unofficial town council.

"Afternoon, Winter," Dragonfly was the first of the others to greet him, and the rest followed suit as he took a seat next to Riptide in the rough circle they'd formed in.

"So, what's the business at claw?" he asked once he'd settled himself down, "I assume it's something important for us all to be called. More building projects? Security concerns? Agriculture planning?"

"Not quite," Riptide shook his head, "Although I would like to touch on those while we're all together. Really, I wanted us all here because I have a bit of an announcement to make." He paused and took a deep breath, as if for dramatic effect. "I'm going to be leaving Sanctuary. Likely within the next few months."

"You are?" Oriel said with a gasp, a look of shock on her face.

Winter shared her emotion on the subject, looking to Riptide with wide eyes. He'd had a lot of ideas of where this meeting might be going, but this was definitely not one. The idea of Riptide leaving was…was almost unthinkable. He was the undisputed leader of the town, making sure everything ran smoothly and efficiently, watching over the town with the diligence worthy of any monarch. And on top of that, he was a good friend to Winter, one that had helped him build the new life he called his own.

And now he would be gone.

"Don't look so surprised," Riptide snorted, tapping a claw on the ground, "You've all known this was coming eventually."

There was a silent pause as they took it in, then…"Didn't think it would be so soon," Jackal commented, his voice gruff and gravely.

"Well, I thought it was time," the Seawing continued, "You know how hard it's been for me to balance things here while constantly visiting Tsunami at Jade Mountain. Now that everything is steady in Sanctuary, I'm ready to finally let things be and move closer. There's a village near the school I can stay, if not join it altogether, and Tsunami and I can finally have an official marriage ceremony."

"And we're all happy for you for that," Dragonfly spoke, "But the thing is, where do we all go from here?" The way she spoke was far more even and less surprised, giving Winter the impression that she might have been privy to the news before everyone else.

"I have full confidence that all of you will be handle things when I'm gone," he said, looking at each of them in turn, "We've been talking for a long time now that we should make the town council an official thing, and I think it's about time that happens. It was never good for everything to be put on one dragon's shoulders, after all."

Winter almost snorted. Riptide had made it seem easy enough. The town wouldn't be the same without him, that was for certain.

"But we'll still need a leader, certainly?" Stingray observed, "Dragons are used to going to you, Riptide, for help to get things done. We can talk of a council all we want, but what happens if we disagree, and who facilitates things?"
"As the town council, that will be up to you to decide," Riptide told them, "Although I'm not leaving tomorrow; I can help facilitate this transition and show my processes."

"That will make things easier, yes," Scorch spoke up, "But who takes on the role?"

"You're good at these things, Dragonfly," Stingray proposed, "You're excellent at leading the building projects."

The Mudwing snorted. "Yeah, and that takes all my time. Plus, I'm no good at all the dragon-to-dragon stuff. Riptide is the people-person, I just get stuff done."

"Smithing is pretty much a full-time thing," Oriel shook her head, "Even if I wanted to take on a leadership role, I can't just drop what I'm doing every time someone needs something or there's a chance whatever I was working on will get ruined."

"And I'm out of town half the time," Jackal said, pointing to himself.

Winter's eyes scanned over the dragons present. That shortened the list considerably. Considering Stingray's eagerness to propose Dragonfly, the Seawing probably didn't see himself in the role. And Scorch had never struck Winter as a leadership type. That only left…

"If I may," Riptide said, "I don't want to put this on anyone, but I did have a successor in mind…"

"Who?" Dragonfly asked, a knowing gleam in her eye.

Riptide turned to the only Icewing in the room. "How about Winter?"

Winter baulked, surprised and confused. He'd still been wrapping his head around the idea of Riptide leaving, let alone the idea of taking something like that on himself. "Me?" It almost felt like a joke. "Riptide, I…"

"You've done a lot for the town," Riptide went on, cutting him off, "You've been here since it began. You helped build dragons' houses and they helped build your scavenger sanctuary. Pretty much everyone knows you, and trusts you."
"Plus, you're a prince," Dragonfly pointed out, "You were raised in a palace environment. You were taught—and I'm assuming have experience in—how to lead dragons, how to manage situations, finances, and all sorts of administrative duties. There probably aren't many dragons more qualified than you."

Winter sighed, shaking his head. "Yes, but…I have the scavengers to take care of! Reports to do. That's a lot of work, Riptide. I can't just drop all that. The scavenger sanctuary needs a lot of time and attention."

"And you have Swallow who can help," Riptide pointed out. "He's been helping since you started. Maybe it's time for him to step up and take a larger role in things. I'm sure he's ready for it."

That is possible, Winter mused to himself, then paused. He thought to how Swallow had been preparing the reports for him when he normally wouldn't. The Skywing knew! he realized. Was everyone in on the idea of him taking over?

"Even so, this might not be the best time," Winter tried, becoming exasperated. "You know, what with Moon…"

"Moon?" Oriel asked. Not a lot of dragons knew the specifics of his relationship with Moonwatcher, nor did Winter make them know, and the dragons present besides Riptide and Dragonfly were no exception. Winter decided to ignore Oriel for now.

"Moonwatcher will be fine," Riptide assured him, "From what I hear, she's already fitting in nicely. She might even want to help you with some things. Two sets of claws are better than one."

Winter snorted. That was true, on multiple points. Knowing Moon, she probably would insist on helping him. And if, if, he took over town things as well as his scavenger duties, it would probably be appreciated, too.

"Still, I don't know…" Winter shook his head, frustrated at the idea of this being sprung on him. He wished Riptide would have mentioned this before, instead of telling him now. But then, maybe this was the idea all along, to have the others encourage him to do it.

"Here," Riptide offered, "We can try it on, say, a trial basis. Spend some time with me the next few weeks and I'll show you the ropes and everything, and if you don't feel like you can handle it on top of your scavengers you don't have to do it."

Winter swished his tail, looking to the dragons around him. They all looked at him hopefully and expectantly, and none seemed to indicate at all that they didn't want him as the next town's head. Riptide's argument made sense, and he didn't want to let them down or throw this on someone who couldn't handle the responsibility.

He sighed, feeling almost defeated. "Okay…we'll see how it goes," he told Riptide, who grinned widely, "But if I say I'm done, I'm done. I don't want you or anyone else trying to guilt me into abandoning my studies for this."

"That won't be an issue from me," Riptide said, raising a claw reassuringly.

"Good," Winter snorted. He hoped he wouldn't regret this. "Now, what's the next order of business?"

"Well, the construction is going well," Dragonfly said, "We already have half a dozen houses almost up."
"Excellent," Riptide nudged Winter, "I'll go over my waiting lists with you on who gets in first."

"Oh, the steel supports you wanted from the Sky Kingdom should be coming soon," Stingray spoke, "That should help with the rest of them."

"Approval for equipment and material orders is another thing we'll go over," Riptide told Winter.

The next hour passed in a similar way, the dragons going over the state of the town, planning what needed to be done and how to do it. Winter tried to pay more attention than he normally did in these meetings. Construction and materials was never his responsibility before, nor were tasks like street maintenance and garbage removal. Now it was all stuff he would oversee, even if not directly.

Winter had come into the meeting as just another dragon in Sanctuary. Leaving it, he was the future leader of the town.