Author's note:

It's been a long time. A long time away brings a long author's note, and with it a long list of excuses. None of this will impact the story or reading experience, so for those who just want the story feel free to skip ahead.

I said at the very beginning of this ordeal that I could take several months between updates, and that I'm bad at consistency, but promised to finish the story "eventually". That was of course before I had a story with over six times the follows of any other story I put out before. I never once expected people to actually care about the story, and thus I myself hadn't cared much about being consistent or driven. I've never been good at consistent story writing; I don't plan things out nor do I try to write something that feels unsatisfying to write. All of my previous stories were more or less spontaneous. That had to change, now that I have a very ambitious story to tell. And I think it's safe to say that I did a really really poor job of changing.

There were a lot of real life issues that happened as well. I had begun my first full course load college semester, and my schedule made it very difficult to keep a good sleep cycle, thus leading to me having no motivation like ever. More recently I took a personal trip that, sparing the details, ended with me being in a pretty rough mental place. On top of that I've been busy getting ready for the summer semester, and have had to move house fully.

That's my long list of excuses. None of those are valid. In truth the real reason all came down to this chapter in particular. I hated writing it, and that might be an understatement. It was hard, tedious, and incredibly unsatisfying to write. I didn't know what I was trying to accomplish, I didn't have a goal, and I didn't have a strong connection with the core of the chapter. All of that cultivated into having a document that I couldn't even keep open before wanting to leave it behind. I didn't have a lot of motivation, I didn't have a lot of desire, and I didn't have the discipline to keep myself working steadily.

That's a lot, I know, but I've always tried to stay as transparent as possible. At the end of the day, I'm just another person. I hope I at least made up for it a little with this chapter's length, and I promise I'll try to have another chapter out before next christmas. The next chapter is one I'm actually interested in, so with luck it won't be as rough.

Thanks as always to Firehawk for reviewing the chapter and forcing me to actually finish it, but more than anything, thanks to you all reading this for your support and kind words, and thank you for even giving me a chance in the first place. The fact that you even gave this fanfic a chance and are reading this now already means more than anything to me.

Winter opened his eyes slowly, and was met with the knotted wood of his bedroom ceiling. The sun had just begun to rise, the orange yellows of the morning light pouring in from his window, washing over the Icewing's sprawled out form as he laid in bed. After a few moments of staring up at his roof, Winter let out a sigh, before rolling off his makeshift mattress and setting his claws unsteadily onto the floor. He walked over to a mirror in the corner of his room, and, with the help of a clean rag and bucket of water upon a low shelf, proceeded to straighten up his scales and polish his spines. After he was content with his appearance he reached over to the nightstand where a half opened scroll sat, with a silver wristband settled beside it. His talons made for the rock-embedded accessory out of habit before he paused, his paw hesitating as his eyes crossed over the item. A pang of emotions suddenly zipped through his chest, contorted and unfocused. Moon…

Just like every other time he set eyes on the skyfire, he couldn't help but be reminded of the anxious Nightwing he shared a winglet with long ago. And what memories had been forgotten in his restless sleep seemed to only come flooding back stronger than ever. Before, the band had only served as an occasional reflection on his past, as a way to take his mind back to the days he used to live. Most of the time he tended to gloss over it, allowing the jewelry to just simply become part of his general appearance. This time, though, it served to remind him of something much deeper. With Moonwatcher's sudden reintroduction into his life, memories of the past he tried so hard to forget had been unearthed, and his thoughts constantly ran to her at every other minute.

Winter let out a chilled breath before grabbing the bracelet and reluctantly securing it onto his wrist. It had been two full days now since Moonwatcher arrived on his doorstep, soaked and chilled to the bone, and it seemed his emotions only got more and more complicated the longer she stayed. No matter how much he tried to suppress it, her reappearance had been constantly playing through his thoughts. It was like his mind constantly flipped back and forth between yes and no and good and bad and stay and leave and by the moons, why couldn't he just stop thinking about her for twelve seconds? Sometimes he just wished that he could escape his own head for a few precious moments, to get away from the constant circles he kept pacing around in his mind. While it was still uncertain to him whether her return into his world was good or bad, one thing was made clear in the days since: his life wasn't going back to normal anytime soon. Winter grumbled to himself as he tried to push down his thoughts, before finally making his way to the door, bracing himself to greet the physical embodiment of his strife for the first time that morning.

Instead, he saw no one as he opened the door to his living room; Moonwatcher was nowhere to be seen. Winter looked around, stepping further into the room, confusion crossing his face as he scanned for clues. The makeshift couch she had been sleeping on was still messy and ruffled up, but otherwise his house seemed exactly the same as normal.

Did she just… leave? The thought jumped into his head, followed by a myriad of confused emotions as he pondered the possibility. It seemed like a completely ridiculous assumption to make, but considering how impulsive she seemed recently, he wondered if it was as outlandish as it sounded. And would that be a bad or good thing? A small part of his mind asked, to which the Icewing had no answer for. He shook his head, letting out a soft huff. No, she's probably just out in town for some reason.

With a clatter of his talons, Winter walked over to the counter of his kitchen, sparking a fire in the primitive stove as he went through his morning routine of tea-making. As he waited for the water to slowly boil he leaned back against the counter, before inevitably his mind began to wander yet again, seemingly of its own accord. Ever since he had met her, Moonwatcher seemed to always end up in his mind in one way or another. He had known since the beginning that she was vastly different from the other Nightwings, but he never would have guessed at the time that her story would end up so intertwined with his. In a way, he thought, it was slightly amusing how little things changed. During the first few days of knowing her, he was profoundly conflicted on whether he wanted to see more of her or to never see her again. Now, over a year and a half later, he was struggling to answer that exact same question.

Winter let out a soft breath. To say that her arrival in Sanctuary threw him for a mental loop would perhaps be a massive understatement. Even days later, he still didn't know how to feel. Although he tried not to be angry at her, he still couldn't help but at least feel a bit hurt that she had practically abandoned him. He knew that their lives would become more distant after he left the academy, but to be completely forgotten from her side hurt. Perhaps more than just a bit after all, he admitted to himself.

To this day he regretted every misspoken word and hurtful comment he had thrown at her. He still desperately wished that he could go to the beginning and take it all back, if at least for the sake of his conscience. There were many things he regretted in his life, and taking so long to accept and appreciate the value of her company was perhaps on the top of that list. Looking back, it was almost nostalgic to think of their adventures together that he was so unwillingly thrown into; he would be lying if he said he hadn't grown fond of his winglet during the Darkstalker ordeal. Qibli was somehow as funny as he was smart (and annoying), Turtle was endearing in his own anxious way, and Kinkajou became a close friend after his strong partnership with the Rain Kingdom. And then, of course, there was Moonwatcher. From their introduction to their separation, she had challenged every part of his ideology, and pushed him only to be better than he had been. Moon had believed in him, perhaps sometimes more than he even believed in himself. Even when he casted her thoughts aside as naive or undignified, she still believed in him. Every time he looked into her eyes, she'd return his gaze with a glimmer of hope. Without her guidance and the questions she left, Winter doubted he'd be even half the dragon he was today.

So it was to no surprise to him that shaking her off of his mind in the following months became nigh impossible before he started Sanctuary. Just thinking about her felt like a bittersweet fragment of the past. All he had to do was imagine her soft look and gentle laugh, and he couldn't help but smile to himself no matter what he was in the middle of. And then it all came crashing down in a twisting stab of the heart as he remembered who exactly her gentle laughs were for now. It was a cruel twist of fate, for him to finally find someone he longed for after all that time, only for their devotion to be given to his closest clawmate of all dragons. When he thought of the two together, or remembered how they looked close to each other, he couldn't help but let a spark of jealousy jump into his thoughts. But perhaps worse still was realizing how little he deserved her anyways. All those moons he assumed she had forgotten about him, but discovering the truth of her fears was far far worse. Why would he ever deserve her, when his presence only frightened her? And how could he ever prove her otherwise, when he knew she was justified in her worries? At least with Qibli she-

A searing pain against the back of his wings quickly pulled him out of thought, as he leapt away with a yelp. Turning around he noticed the water boiling over in the pot, scalding droplets jumping over the rim. Mentally chastising himself, Winter drew up the icy-cold from within and let out a puff of frost over the fire, putting it out instantly. As the water settled back down into the pot, he reached over to his teapot with a flick of his tail, carefully pouring the water in. Tsk. Good job there Winter. Hope that doesn't leave a mark. With a huff of annoyance, he finished setting up the rest of his tea, trying to ignore the dull sting left from the burn as he absently turned back to his thoughts.

He didn't hate Qibli. Whether Moon, or even Qibli himself believed it, Winter knew deep down he couldn't hate Qibli. He hated how seeing Qibli reminded him of how he won her over, but in the end he couldn't hate Qibli himself. The last time they had met he had to stifle his jealousy, sure, but in the end being with someone from his old winglet again outweighed any of the memories, whether or not he'd like to admit it. While Qibli wasn't the main focus of their last reunion, Winter still seemed to spend a substantial amount of time with him outside of his studies of Flower. Then again though, he hadn't seen the two together since his departure from the academy, and he still remembered just how much that sight had hurt to look at.

It was hard for him to imagine Moonwatcher leaving Qibli, especially the way she had done, and he still wasn't sure what to think of it. It wasn't hard to imagine Qibli getting carried away with his duties; his tribal loyalty was matched only by Winter's own back before his banishment. At the same time however, Qibli had been infatuated with Moon, something Winter recalled with a wince, and to think of him choosing his kingdom over her seemed far-fetched. But however confusing Qibli's direction had become, it was still nothing compared to the stark uncharacteristic nature of Moon's reaction. Moon got upset before, angry perhaps once, but furious like she seemed to describe? Even she seemed to be confused over her own confrontation, something that helped his situation very little, Winter thought with a grumble.

As if right on cue, he heard the fumbling of his front door, before Moon carefully opened it to step inside. As she poked her head into the room to look around, she noticed Winter standing in the kitchen, and she relaxed slightly, opening the door fully and closing it behind her. Winter looked behind him and gave her an inquisitive glance, before he finished pouring his tea and turned around to face her again. Moon gave him a brief smile, before stepping comfortably into the living room. "Heh, sorry, didn't know if you were awake yet or not." She explained.

"I'm always awake at this time." Winter commented back simply, trying to wash away his runaway thoughts with a sip of the tea.

"And always with your morning drink too." Moonwatcher observed with a mildly amused look on her face.

Winter let out a soft snort, before replying, "What can I say, I'm a dragon of habit. When you've lived here as long as I have, you begin to get into a routine." He paused for a moment, taking the time to look over her and gather himself. "I don't think I'd say the same about you, though. What were you doing up this early?"

Moonwatcher blinked. "Oh, that? I woke up early this morning and couldn't go back to sleep. Since you weren't awake at the time, and I remember you mentioning you didn't really keep food here, I went out to the morning market to see if I could find anything to eat."

"Ah." Was all Winter said, not entirely certain of what to reply with. A moment of silence slipped over them, as the Icewing focused on his drink.

"So… What about you? Sleep well?" Moon prompted.

Winter hesitated. "I… Well enough, given the circumstances." You certainly don't make it easy though.

"I see…" An uncomfortable lapse in conversation filled the room, as Moonwatcher shifted on her paws, clearly uncertain about his mood. "Is there… Are you doing anything today?"

Winter gave her a look. "I'm always doing something during the day." He said rather pointedly.

Moonwatcher looked down briefly, letting out a soft breath as she flicked her tail. "Right…"

Seeing her reaction, a twinge of guilt poked at Winter. It was easy to forget just how quickly he defaulted to being cold and shut in again. It was almost habit more than anything; being personable and open just wasn't something he was taught to do. It wasn't until building up the town that he realized just how important charisma and tact would be, and it was still something he was struggling to learn. But he was learning, slowly but surely, and now was the time to prove it. I'm not the Icewing I was when I met her after all. I should be trying to show her that. "... It's my turn to observe the sanctuary today." He added after taking in a breath. "I'm probably going to spend most of the day there doing research. Why do you ask?"

Moonwatcher blinked and looked up at him, and the smallest hint of surprise flashed in her eyes. "Oh, no reason. I just… I was wondering what you had planned, that's all." Then she tilted her head slightly and asked, "Sanctuary? Like the… town?"

Winter looked at her with a bit of confusion. "The town?" And then it clicked for him. "Oh, no, no. The sanctuary. The one where we study the scavenger's at."

Understanding crossed Moon's face at his explanation. "Ohhh, right. That's the reason the town is here in the first place, isn't it?"

"Well…" Winter thought back for a moment. "Originally, it was. Sanctuary started as just me and a few others who wanted to study scavengers. But slowly it grew, as some dragons began to study other things, particularly related to the area around the town. Eventually Riptide sprung the idea on me to register it as a proper town, and with a lot of his guidance it started becoming a place for people wanting a second start to have, well, a second start." He explained in between sips of his drink. "... In that instance, I'd say it's been succeeding quite well."

Moonwatcher sat back, taking in the information with a small hum. "And in the research instance?" She inquired.

It took a moment for Winter to realize what she meant. "With the scavengers? It's…" He thought for a moment. The scavenger sanctuary had blossomed throughout the months under the supervision of him, and the rather generous donations of Queen Glory, and they had made unprecedented discoveries. While he was certainly proud of how the town was turning out for those within, he tried to keep as much of the leadership responsibilities directed at Riptide. The sanctuary was his true accomplishment, and something he felt he could be truly prideful of. And in that moment, a part of that pride jumped in his mind, and he answered her question with one of his own. "You haven't seen the sanctuary yet, have you?"

"Can't say that I have. I've seen most of Sanctuary as well, but I haven't come across anything about scavenger stuff." She responded with a look of curiosity, her gaze seeming to almost study over him.

"Well if you're not busy today, I'd be glad to show you it, if you'd like." Winter offered, stifling an almost childish excitement at the prospect of showing off his progress from being seen on his face. It had been a while since he had the opportunity to reveal his sanctuary to anyone but his coworker, and it seemed like a good way to spend some time with Moon… as well as to maybe open up some much needed conversations.

The dark cladded Nightwing pondered over his offer, tapping her claws against the floor for a moment before answering him. "I had thought about exploring a bit more of the stuff I had seen in Sanctuary but… I suppose I don't have a problem with checking out this sanctuary of yours instead." Moon responded. "You seem rather fond of it, after all."

Winter gave her a subtle nod. "It's what I've been working on since… well, ever since I settled down with the Talons of Peace." He pointed out. "I'm going to finish my drink, and unless you have anything you need, I planned on leaving for the sanctuary after that."

After a moment of thought, Moonwatcher shook her head. "I can't think of anything I'd need before we left."

"Well then, let me grab what I'll need, and I should be ready by then." Winter walked over to his room, leaving Moonwatcher to trot around the living room as he ducked through the doorframe. He set down the cup at his nightstand after taking one last drink of it, before heading over into his study. It was a rather crowded room, even in the context of his small house, and the untidiness of it didn't do the room any favors. Along the side wall stretched a scroll rack, already almost filled top to bottom. In the back corner of the room sat a simple desk, complete with rows of drawers running down it, and various scrolls lain across the top. A half-filled inkwell rested on the desk with a rather abused pen resting in it and what Winter knew to be his unfinished notes beside it. Guilt flashed in his mind once again, directed right at himself, as he saw the assortment of paper over his desk.

Ever since Moonwatcher had returned, he seemed to find it nigh impossible to continue on with his projects. Try as he might, he just couldn't keep his mind focused on the work in front of him. It was a constant battle just to keep himself on track with his writings, one that he seemed to always fail. The remaining pride that he kept meant it already hurt seeing how little he accomplished recently, but now that he knew there were others who were awaiting his research, it only felt like salt on the wound. It had only been a few days, sure, but he had a good feeling his mind wasn't going to be clear again anytime soon.

Winter let out a soft sigh to himself and grabbed the satchel that hung from a hook in the wall, before very clumsily tying down the harness along his side. "Stupid bag." He muttered to himself, before snatching some of the scrolls off the shelf that he knew were blank. The satchel was always a pain to put on, especially since his Icewing claws weren't exactly known for their dexterity, but admittedly it was extraordinarily useful in his line of work. After making sure he had everything he needed out of the study, he made his way back into the living room, where he found Moonwatcher looking around curiously in the kitchen. She seemed to twitch in surprise as she noticed him watching her, a flicker of embarrassment crossing her eyes.

"Oh, heh, didn't notice you were waiting for me." She said, turning around to face him.

Winter gave her a look of curiosity. "I wasn't. I just got done." He tilted his head at her. "Is there something about my kitchen that's so interesting?"

Moonwatcher blinked. "Hm? Oh, no. I just…" She shifted in her paws. "I was just curious I guess. I haven't really paid much attention to your house, and, well… I've found that someone's kitchen often says a lot more about themselves than you realize."

Winter wasn't quite sure how he was supposed to take that, something that he was finding to be an increasingly common trend with her. So instead, he focused on a different aspect. "You've spent two nights in my house so far. I thought you stayed here yesterday. How have you not seen my kitchen properly?"

Moonwatcher let a hint of amusement cross her muzzle, before it faded away just as quickly. "Well… I actually didn't stay here yesterday. I think I woke up not long after you left, and I went to the market pretty soon after. And… I guess I just didn't feel like staying inside much. I spent pretty much all day outside around the town. I just needed some time to myself to think about things…" She finished a bit quieter, looking away for a moment. Her expression alone spoke volumes to Winter, and he got the impression that she really had been trying to work through the events from recently. He couldn't deny it: Moonwatcher was in a difficult situation, and as much as Winter disliked the circumstances she had thrusted upon him, he didn't know if he would have been able to do any better himself.

Later, Winter. He told himself, trying to shake off her words. If he started this conversation now, he knew it wouldn't be done nearly soon enough to make it to the sanctuary on time. "Well… Perhaps you want to explore a bit more of the town now?" He prompted, making for the door slightly.

Moonwatcher looked around one last time, before nodding and following after him. "I'm ready if you are."

And with that they headed over to the front door, and Winter stepped outside, with Moon trailing behind him. It was still early morning, with the sun peeking over the horizon, a gentle bite of the cool air greeting him. To him it was almost comforting, feeling the chill worming under his scales, and with a brief flash of longing, he remembered how perfect the landscape of the Ice Kingdom felt racing under him. There were very few people back home who still wanted him there, and even he himself at this point no longer wished to return back to his tribe. His kingdom had denounced him, and all that he'd done since would only be considered a disgrace to those in the Ice Palace. But he was still an Icewing, and there was still no better place than the rolling tundras of the Ice Kingdom and the feeling of snowflakes dusting across his wings.

Winter sighed softly and shook his head as he started walking down the street. Moonwatcher gave him a look, concern crossing her eyes. Winter met her gaze briefly, before breaking away without saying anything. He didn't exactly feel like bringing up his complicated internal struggles so early into the morning, and so instead he focused on his walk down the road, treading a path that had become almost habit more than anything. There were already a handful of dragons on the street, most of which were heading in the general direction of the town center like he was. All in all it almost seemed like a normal day in what Winter's routine life had become, if not for the dragon who walked beside him who proved it very much wasn't.

"... The place around here is beautiful, isn't it?" Their silence was suddenly broken by Moon's comment, pulling Winter away from his reflection as he turned to look at her. Over their past few days back together Moonwatcher had been relatively quiet. For the most part it was him prompting her with interactions. All throughout the morning so far though, it had been Moon trying to start conversation after conversation, and it was starting to become noticeable.

"I… I suppose it is." Winter took a look around the scenery, taking in the autumn-painted forest, before bringing himself to add, "Especially at this time of year, don't you think?"

It was true; even though he still greatly missed the near perfection of the icy north, he had grown fond of the lakeside forest his town had settled into. The colorful woods were gorgeous during the fall, and the shimmering lake at sunset was so stunning that he never stopped having his breath get whisked away every time he witnessed it. And then of course there was the town itself. While a part of him may have been nostalgic about his childhood home, and while he definitely still wished he could have finished his stay at the academy, he knew he could never give up what he had now. He was proud of where he had gone, and there was nothing he'd give up for his old life. It was almost like Moon knew where his thoughts had been heading earlier, and Winter found himself reaching down to make sure the skyfire bracelet was still around his wrist.

"It's so vibrant and full of color." Moonwatcher started, her tail swaying side to side as if lost in thought, her expression seemingly muddled. "And I'm sure the mountains are beautiful too… when it's not storming through the night that is." She added.

Winter thought for a second. "Didn't you grow up in the Rainforest? It's pretty here, sure, but it's nowhere near as colorful as the Rain Kingdom." He pointed out. Too colorful, really. He still held the opinion that there were far too many creatures in the Rainforest trying to one-up each other in the amount of rainbows they could fit on their body, and the actual forest itself had not grown on him either with the thickly hot air and overexcitable bugs. But through his many diplomatic meetings with Queen Glory, he had learned how to at least start tolerating the jungle.

"It isn't, but… I guess anything is better than the desert after enough time." Winter gave her a curious look. "I haven't visited the Rainforest since I graduated. The desert isn't all barren, there's pockets of color here and there. There's oases and desert plants and towns with decorations but… for the most part it's just different varieties of sand. I never realized just how much I missed having proper dirt under my talons, or a cool breeze over my wings."

Winter found that he didn't have a good response to give her after what she said. He was silent for a while, instead focusing on navigating the town center they were passing through. The more he thought about her words, the more he realized just how unhappy she had been while in the Sand Kingdom. It was clear she hadn't had anyone to just vent about things or express her inner thoughts with for a while. Or maybe even she hadn't known just how unsatisfied she was until she got away from things. It was hard for Winter to know, and admittedly his social skills weren't exactly up to par, so reading others still remained a difficult task for him.

Another silence crossed over the pair as Winter guided her through the market, before turning down the road that the unfinished town hall rested upon. He looked over to it for a moment, a smile briefly crossing his face. Despite the several setbacks, progress was still going rather smoothly, and he had to admit that he couldn't help but be a bit excited at the prospect of its completion. It would be a well needed addition to the town, and would help to serve as a landmark of their validity. Moonwatcher however, paid little attention to it, instead focusing on her own talons and, occasionally, glancing over to himself. Past the construction site further down the street, a dirt road branched off from the cobbled path, trailing into the forest that rested behind the town hall itself.

As Winter started making his way over to the beginning of the dirt path, Moonwatcher looked over to him questioningly, to which Winter let out a soft snort. "You didn't really think I kept a whole scavenger study site in the middle of town, did you?"

Moonwatcher flicked her tail, before saying, "Well, no, not really. I mean, maybe it was. I didn't put much thought into it, honestly."

With a huff, Winter began walking down the path, diving deeper into the woods as the forest slowly enveloped them around the path. It was a well worn trail, with numerous prints pressed into the dirt that traveled to and from the direction they were heading. Dried autumn leaves sprinkled the path, leaving an admittedly satisfying crunch with every footstep the pair made. Every now and then, a soft breeze would slip through the trees, bringing with it fresh cool air, and causing a shower of dried leaves to sprinkle to the ground. Glancing behind him, Winter noticed Moon had started lagging behind, and he started slowing his pace to let her catch up. As she closed the gap between the two again he noticed she seemed lost in thought once again.

For a moment he hesitated. Part of him told himself not to question it, to leave her alone. It wasn't his business after all, he tried to reason, and he was never good with emotional talk anyways. Yet despite all that, he still found himself asking, "... Are you doing okay?"

Moonwatcher seemed to be pulled back to reality, as she blinked before looking at him. "Hm? Oh… I'm fine." She responded, although even Winter could hear the uncertainty in her voice. Still, the look in her eyes told him she wasn't going to give him anything else yet.

Winter gave a look over her, before letting out a soft sigh and turning his attention back to the path. It was already hard enough on him just to have her return in his life, but her refusal to communicate was only making the situation more difficult. He wanted to help her, although whether for her sake or his own he still wasn't sure, but she made it nigh impossible with how little she seemed to want to tell him. Although, I'm not much better now am I? He thought with a soft grumble. Her arrival had thrown him into a mess of emotions, and it's not like he talked about any of it to her yet. Although, as hypocritical as he was, she was the one to barge into his life unannounced, so perhaps it was valid for him to be upset at her lack of communication. I'm not the one who's been running away from my problems, Moon. He found himself thinking, before brushing it away with a rush of guilt. He wasn't going to be angry, he told himself. He wouldn't let that happen again.

"... I sent a letter to Qibli today." Both the silence and Winter's devolving thoughts were suddenly broken as Moonwatcher spoke up beside him, a hint of unsteadiness in her voice.

Winter was taken aback, and for a moment he didn't know how to respond. He slowed down and turned to look at Moonwatcher, searching for an answer to her sudden words. There were a hundred different questions running through his head, but in the end what came out of his muzzle was perhaps the most predictable response of them all. "What?"

Moonwatcher took a breath. "This morning, while I was out in town earlier, I stopped by the post office, or whatever you can call what you have here. I've been… thinking a lot recently, and I've had some time to sort myself out a bit. So I decided to finally, y'know… send a letter to him."

Winter was quiet for a moment, trying to take in the new information she had shared with him. A letter to Qibli… He wasn't sure how much he approved or not of the idea, but in the end he was at least glad she was making some progress. He remembered how he had chastised her for treating the situation immaturely, and it was a relief to him that she at least had started to take things more seriously. I wonder how much that was influenced by me? He shook his head slightly, trying to focus back on Moonwatcher herself. "So, what did you say in the letter then? If you don't mind, that is." He added quickly. "It's not exactly my business after all. I understand if you do."

Moon shook her head. "No no, it's… fine. It kinda is your business at this point." She pointed out, vaguely gesturing her wings towards the two of them as they walked down the path. "I didn't say that much to him really. I didn't know how to word what I wanted to say and… Well, it'd be better if I told him everything in person." Winter tilted his head slightly at her words. "So I asked him to meet me here when he could, so I can tell him in person."

Winter blinked, trying to sort through his various feelings over the new information. "Why not just go back to him yourself?" He asked slowly. "What's the point of getting him to fly all the way over here?"

Moonwatcher was quiet for a moment, obviously thinking over her words. "I'm not going back to the Sand Kingdom, not for a while at least. I don't know if I can handle the desert anymore right now. I've been there for so long, and just being somewhere as nice as this has been a relief. And I want to see if he's willing to come over, especially with how he's been recently. And… Well, if I'm honest I still need some more time to think. I don't actually know how I feel about what happened still, I just knew I needed to do something or else I'd be stuck in my own head forever." She added.

It was a lot to think about, and Winter spent a good portion of time reflecting over what she had said before responding. Initially his mind went immediately to the thought of having to see Qibli again, before throwing the idea away as he focused on the bigger picture. He was hesitant to conclude that all of her issues would be solved with one simple note, and he knew he'd definitely feel more comfortable if she had just met back up with him herself. Yet at the same time, Winter couldn't help but be reminded of a time not so long ago when he himself felt lost, and he knew that even something as simple as making the first move forward had been a daunting task. In the end, he decided, he was just glad she had finally done something for herself.

"Qibli will come, that much I'm certain of," Winter started, "From what you've told me, he's blinded by the mishaps in the kingdom, but I know him well enough, at least I think I do, to say he'd still take the time to come to you. I… We didn't really talk about you that much, but when it was brought up he… He seemed to really really care for you." Winter recalled, his voice wavering slightly. It wasn't a secret that he had been hurt over Moon's choice, but he still tried to keep those feelings to himself the best he could. After all, it was a thing of the past by this point, and he tried to dwell little on it. Still, even just thinking about Qibli's lovestruck face as he talked about Moon was enough to twist his heart in his chest.

Winter took a deep breath, trying to quell the aching within, and continued. "Things might be different now, but I'm sure Qibli hasn't changed that much since I last saw him, and the Qibli I saw last would come. So don't worry about him not coming over here, I'm sure he will. And… If I'm being honest," he added, "You're never going to not need time to think. Take my advice, if you want. You're probably going to think about it for a very long time afterwards too. You'll always need more time to think, and you'll never truly feel comfortable about your decision. You made the right choice though. That is, still making a decision despite being uncertain. I guess that's all to say, I'm… glad you finally got around to taking that first step." He finished off.

Moonwatcher slowed down even more for a moment as he finished talking, looking at Winter with a newfound shimmer of surprise, before slowly matching his pace once again. "I…" She trailed off, seemingly unable to come up with a response for him. Winter gave her a questioning glance, trying to read her expression, and failing rather considerably. Finally Moon opened her muzzle again, before simply asking, "Where did all of that come from?"

Winter thought for a moment. "There was a period of time after I left the academy that I ended up doing nothing but second guess myself." He admitted. "I didn't truly know what I wanted to do next, and I was still very confused on how I felt about… everything. I wondered whether I was doing the right thing, whether I was making a mistake, whether I was even being myself. I spent all that time at the beginning thinking too much and doing too little. It was only once I took a step and started doing things that my life actually began to change." He paused for a moment, before continuing. "Even to this day sometimes I'll catch myself thinking about how things could have been different if it didn't all happen the way it did back then, but then I look around and remind myself that nothing I have is because I spent a while thinking about the past. Thinking really only gets you so far. Sometimes you just have to keep pushing forward and hope for the best."

Moonwatcher seemed to be at a loss for words, staring at him as if she was suddenly talking to a stranger. She looked at her talons for a moment, before turning back to him and studying his expression deeper. "You really aren't the same dragon I knew before you left." She commented softly, her green eyes matching his for a moment.

For a moment Winter couldn't help but return the gesture, finding himself once again trapped within her emerald gaze, before he let out a soft huff and forced himself to break away, focusing his attention forward. "... I hope so." It was spoken so softly it might as well not have been said at all, as Winter let out a soft breath of cool air cross over his talons before picking up his pace. In any case, Moonwatcher didn't continue, and for a few minutes a stillness crossed over their conversation as they continued forward with their trek through the woods. And then, slowly through the foliage of the underbrush, Winter began to make out the beginnings of a clearing, and the row of logs that stood in a line across it. The trunks of oak trees had been buried into the ground, forming what seemed to be a night immobile wall across the clearing. And as the two got slowly closer, it became clear that the logs boxed out a large portion of the empty space, engulfing it in what almost seemed to be a makeshift fort.

A small gasp from Winter's side made him turn over to look at Moonwatcher, who seemed to finally notice the large dragon-made site in its entirety. "Is that?..."

Winter couldn't help but allow a sliver of a smile to cross his muzzle, unable to contain his pride. "Indeed it is. Welcome to the sanctuary." He said, nodding over to the clearing.

As they closed the distance and the greenery began to clear up, more and more of the investigation site began to make itself increasingly evident. The main attention grabber was of course the massive walled off section of the clearing, which took over half the open space with its encompassing border. However, along the smaller remaining portion of the clearing were various modest buildings and huts, most no bigger than the very same house Winter lived in, all connected with a roughly stone-paved path. Nearly all of them were built in a very Rainwing reminiscent fashion, with simple wood walls and a teepee-like thatch roof, although a few were still built in the more traditional Skywing manner. Save for the giant log enclosure, the only other prominent attractions were what seemed to be a considerably large watchtower, so built up that it was practically a room on stilts, and a large building in the middle of the huts, presumably the center of operations.

"So this is what you've worked on…" Winter heard Moon mutter to herself. Winter looked over to her briefly, and the smile he wore grew slightly. He motioned over towards the site, leading her forward into the clearing, all the while as she looked around the various landmarks. "... Is this all just for scavengers?"

Winter shook his head. "Most of it is. That entire compound is part of the scavenger research actually. But again, as the town and its people grew, we branched out a little from the whole scavenger thing." He pointed over to the cluster of huts that sat to the side of the compound. "Except for the scavenger lab, all of those buildings house a different study or hold communal research rooms."

"Scavenger… lab?" Moonwatcher asked, with what seemed to be a hint of hesitation.

Winter studied her carefully, trying to pick apart whatever inner feelings she was expressing, or rather, not expressing. "The scavenger lab is where we examine individuals more closely and test out ideas with specific scavengers. We don't like… cut them up or anything like that if that's what you were wondering. We generally just explore physical features and abilities. What capabilities they have, how it changes throughout age, and so on. Mostly we just use it to log statistics of individuals and their abilities for the data."

Moonwatcher noticeably relaxed and nodded. "That makes a lot of sense. Don't know how much I'd approve of something so seemingly smart being forced into horrible tests or something."

Winter shook his head quickly in response. "Moons no. Scavengers are way too smart for any of us to ever do such tests on. Unethical would be an understatement. Believe me, any notion of harming them was swept away within the first month of proper examination, not that it was even an idea I entertained in the first place."

The Nightwing beside him gave him a quick look, before returning her attention to the field they were walking through. "So… how much of all of this was you?" He heard her ask with curiosity.

Winter thought for a second. "The scavenger enclosure was built almost entirely by me and Heliconia, my assistant. That was way back when the sanctuary first started out. All of the rest of the studies were built by those in charge of their research, although I definitely pitched in here and there. Of course, none of this would really be possible without Queen Glory. So in part this is her doing as well." Noticing the look of confusion Moonwatcher shot at him, he elaborated further. "Equipment and resources are expensive, especially so for such a small town as we are. The main town itself barely pulls enough income to break even, and tight budgets is something we had to learn to work with in the beginning. And as for the actual sanctuary, well… let's just say everything you see in front of you operates at a complete loss. About half a year after our founding we negotiated a steady donation from the Rain Kingdom, and with Queen Glory's generosity, well, we were able to start building the town you see today."

Moonwatcher blinked. "It… sounds like you have a pretty good idea on what you're doing." There was a slight pause, but before Winter could respond she continued. "... You really have put a lot of work into Sanctuary, haven't you?"

Winter's smile faded briefly, as he thought back through the past year and a half. A lot might have been an understatement, he reflected. After finding himself again with the Talons of Peace, he had poured his soul into the sanctuary. The merciless weeks laboring away building the enclosure, the long hours spent writing his many papers, the countless days of observing and noting even the slightest of uncaught information, and the nonstop stress of keeping the town afloat weighing down on him. He liked to sourly think to himself sometimes that he was putting more work into his little town than some queens did their entire kingdom. Now he understood why none of the princes or kings ever challenged the tradition of queens. Managing one village was already taxing enough. And yet…

"It was worth it. It was unbelievably difficult but… I don't think I've regretted it a single day of the year. I've given others in a similar situation as me a place to start over, and I've finally shone a light onto scientific progress. It took a lot of work, but I think I was about to really make something special. I'm…" Winter trailed off quickly, realizing he was getting uncomfortably open with her. He was arguably supposed to be bitter towards her still, especially after all that had transpired, and yet here he was practically wearing his emotions on his scales like a Rainwing. He turned his head away, letting out a huff of cold air. For once he found himself wishing he could be just a tiny bit more Icewing in that regard.

Moonwatcher was quiet for a moment, before speaking up. "I think you should be proud. Running a whole town, giving dragons a place to call home. Not many people can say that Winter. It's impressive for any dragon, and you… well, I know you weren't exactly the leadership type back then, and yet here you are."

Winter blinked, and he found his smile grew back at her words, despite his best efforts to push down his pride the most he could. He opened his muzzle to say something, before hesitating, as his thoughts slipped over to someone else. "Well, I wasn't entirely alone you know. I… couldn't have done half of what I've accomplished without Riptide. Sure I definitely played my part in the town, and I still do in some aspects, but he's the one who really leads it." He noticed Moonwatcher giving him a look, before he continued. "Riptide is the one who oversees most of the town duties, I really am moreso his assistant than anything. On top of that he… well, he helped me out a lot near the beginning. I wouldn't be where I am today without him."

It caught up to him only too late just how sappy he had accidentally gotten towards his Seawing friend, and with a grumbling flick of the tail and a splash of embarrassment over his muzzle he shook his head and said, "In any case, we still have quite a bit of the sanctuary left to explore. I haven't even shown you the main attraction of this place yet."

Moonwatcher looked up at him, tilting her head curiously as she asked, "Oh? You mean the actual enclosure?"

Winter nodded. "Of course. I'll show you where I do my real studies and all that. That watchtower isn't just for looks you know. And I'm sure you'd love to see the scavengers themselves. That is, if it's something you'd want to do." He finished.

Winter found himself stuck within her glimmering gaze, as she met his eyes with the same hopeful shimmer he remembered all too well. And the soft smile that accompanied it was equally compelling, and that almost seemed to say something. Was that just a smile of politeness, or was there a hint of something else in there? Hope? Pride? He wished he could figure it out. If only he could read her mind.

"I'd be glad to," she told him, "I'd love to see the scavengers, and your study too."

And as the two took off towards the giant lookout tower that oversaw the scavenger compound, Winter began to wonder just what he had gotten himself into. It was only the third day with her back, and he was already opening up far more than he knew he ever should have. She was a burden, he kept telling himself. She only upset the nature of his daily life. She had abandoned him, left him out of her life for moons, and only ever, ever, brought confusion and disruption into his life. So, then why was it that as he saw her give him one of the first genuine smiles since she arrived, did he feel a spark dance within his chest? Tread carefully Winter. A voice whispered in the back of his head. Be careful not to throw away everything you have worked for.