A Moonlit Winter

by Theresalwaysthatone

Just over a year after he left Jade Mountain Academy, and Winter is finally beginning to feel content with his role in Sanctuary. After everything that had happened before, he had finally began to move on. That is, until Moonwatcher arrived at his door one stormy night, and overturned everything he had worked to forget.

4. Chapter 4

Author's note:

"I'll never write a chapter as long as that again, this one will be so much shorter so I can get it out on time" - Sentence spoken by a complete idiot

So here I am, three months later, with the longest piece of contained literature I've written. I don't know why I did this to myself, and I'll tell myself that I'll never do it again, but we all know how that's gonna end up. I think it was probably for the best though, since this chapter is super important and kinda what was being built up to for the past couple chapters. Not to toot my own horn, but I think the first half came out spectacularly, and I'm genuinely very proud of how this chapter started. I think some of the stuff near the middle gets a bit messy, but hopefully it's made up with the dialogue to come at the end. It took a lotta work to make it fit the way I wanted to.

At this rate if you're lucky I'll get a chapter out by Christmas or something. I'm gonna finish this story, it just might take a few lifetimes to do it.

As always, I can't give enough thanks for the amount of attention this smelly fic seems to have amassed, and I appreciate all the support. I read every review, and each one means a lot to me, so thanks to those who have stuck around for like literally almost a year already. And of course thanks to Firehawk because I think I plagerized like half the dialogue from him. I'd still be working on it now without the help.

Enjoy, and I hope it lives up expectations

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Clang, clang, clang. The reverb of metal on metal echoed through the air as again and again the hammer struck against the iron peg. Winter paused for a moment, catching his breath as he realigned the head of the hammer, before bringing it down again, sending another sharp ring cutting through the warm breeze. It was a relatively hot day considering how far past summer they were by now, and Winter supposed it was just his luck that it was on that same day that he volunteered to help with the construction effort.

He was standing upon the roof of the unfinished town hall, slowly filling in one of the side rooms with wooden panels across its roof. Another dragon was balanced on the opposite side of the hall, doing the same thing he was, and down on the ground a handful of others were either discussing plans or helping out with the effort. A large collection of raw logs were piled up underneath a propped up tarp, sorted out into different types and sizes, and a smaller pile of cut stone sat beside it, also underneath a makeshift shelter of its own. Dragons of all different tribes were moving materials or cutting up wood, overseen by the watchful eye of a Skywing who stood back with authority, making comments and giving commands occasionally.

If Winter had been told a year ago that he would be doing manual labor, and that he would have liked it, he probably would have given whoever said so a verbal lashing strong enough that they'd wish he'd just claw them instead. He was a prince after all, and such an idea would almost be an insult. And yet here he was now, after all those months, finding himself surprisingly content as he tapped away at the hall roof. Maybe it was the feeling of being a part of the community, maybe it was the feeling of supporting the town he led, or maybe it was just the feeling of watching his hard work slowly come to life. Either way, despite the physical strain that taxed him, he still found himself humming softly as he reached for another peg. The work at hand also served greatly to distract him from the past few days that had happened.

It seemed like all Winter had done for the last week was just think. Constantly. Whether it was about the town, his research, or, more often than not, Moonwatcher and her arrival, it felt like he had done nothing but think and stress and worry over emotions he hadn't even known existed. It felt nice to finally just turn his mind off and focus on working towards one goal in the moment. After everything he had to deal with following Moon's appearance, the break away from harsh reality was more than welcomed, even if just for a short moment. At the very least, the time alone to focus on personal projects was much deserved, he absentmindedly thought to himself with a brief smile. He hadn't done anything worthwhile with Sanctuary ever since she had arrived, and the last time he stepped foot into the sanctuary was two days ago when he showed it off to Moon. It was about time he started putting his efforts back into the priorities. Although, he supposed it could have been a lot worse. After all, at least Moonwatcher had seemed rather impressed with the sanctuary…

"Oh wow, so this is what's up here?"

"Like I said, it's more like a house than just a little tower. Mostly because, well… I do kinda end up living here half the time." Winter admitted, trying to hold back his embarrassment. "It's got everything we need to study them, observe them, and spend hours at a time up here."

"Like that teapot over there?"

Winter let out a soft snort. "Actually that's for my assistant. He's the one who brought the "luxury" stuff over… Although yes, sometimes I use it as well."

Moonwatcher flashed him a quick smile, before continuing to look around the room. The two had just walked into the watchtower, and Moonwatcher had quickly begun to try and investigate every little detail that she could find. A whole wall was dedicated to scroll racks alone, with over half the slots being filled with neatly capsuled research scrolls. A desk rested in the corner, blank parchment and vials of ink sitting neatly organized on top. Against the left wall was a wooden counter, with different scientific instruments, scattered notes, and the aforementioned teapot and stove. The whole room felt lived in and very well used, with different trinkets on shelves, lanterns hanging from the ceiling, a rather uncomfortable looking bed, and a message board with notes and an assortment of different letters tacked to it. And then of course there was the most obvious attraction of the tower; the great glass wall that took up the entire front part of the observatory, looking directly out to a sprawling enclosure surrounded by wood logs and covered with a metal meshing that sealed the compound.

"Woah…" Winter heard the Nightwing breathe out slowly as she made her way to the grandiose window. With gentle paws, Winter followed behind her, feeling a hint of a smile crossing over his muzzle as he traced her gaze with his own. Down below within the bordering logs sat a small sprawling dwelling. Scavengers of all sizes and tones were walking through what appeared to be almost a makeshift village, albeit on a much more miniscule scale, carrying things, jabbering to each other, and going through what appeared to be very purposeful daily motions. A select few looked in their direction, perhaps noticing the movement within their vision, but most didn't even break pace, and even those that glanced over quickly resumed their current activities.

"Incredible, isn't it?" Winter found himself saying, a bit of cockiness sneaking into his words as he watched the contained village below.

Moonwatcher nodded, too distracted to respond for a moment. Without breaking away from the creatures below she asked, "How many are down there?"

Winter thought for a moment. "I believe it's around fifty or so in the enclosure. We started with two and brought in more since then. Finding and capturing that many was not easy. Admittedly my assistant did most of the capturing because, well, I'm not exactly the most camouflaged dragon around here."

The Nightwing let out a soft snort of amusement. "I doubt looking like a small snowstorm does any favors for your stealthiness." She commented, to which Winter found himself rolling his eyes from. "So is that wall all you needed to keep them from escaping? I always thought they were rather slippery creatures."

"Well… Most of the time at least. We've had a couple of them try to escape, mostly near the beginning when everything was still being worked out." Winter stated, observing one of the scavenger's activities as he spoke. "For the most part it seems to work out fine now. And I don't think that's because they couldn't escape if they wanted to. They're very clever and handy with their paws. I think most of them just… don't want to. For the most part they seem rather content here."

Moonwatcher tilted her head slightly, taking in his words with interest. "I take it you've learnt a lot about them then?"

Winter let out a breath as the smile began to worm its way back onto his muzzle. "More than I could ever cover in one day. The amount of stuff we've learnt about them is incredible. If it weren't for the general perception of the public I'd be showing off this enclosure to everyone. I wouldn't be keeping my research reserved to just other scientific enthusiasts either." He commented as he turned around and started walking over to the message board.

This finally caught Moon's attention as she took her gaze away from the scavengers, looking back as Winter walked away. "Well… Why not do it anyway?"

Winter blinked. "Say again?"

Moonwatcher hesitated, before standing up from where she had settled and turning over to him. "Why not publish your findings anyways? It's not like anything will change if you keep it all a secret. Dragons won't know what you know unless you tell them."

Winter huffed, his smile fading as he glanced over to her. "One banishment was enough. I'd rather just keep my job here as it is." Moonwatcher stared at him in confusion. "The last thing I want to do is pull too much attention towards me. Scavengers are a delicate subject, especially with… well with how much like prey we treat them. Dragons don't like touching delicate subjects. It wouldn't be the first time a smart dragon was kicked out of their kingdom for telling the truth. Nor the first time worse happened. It's a fate I'd rather avoid."

Moonwatcher looked at the ground for a moment, tail twitching as she seemingly sorted through her thoughts. "I… I get that. But at the same time, how do you ever plan on making a difference if you keep it all to yourself? If you don't say anything despite the controversy, nothing will ever change."

Winter let out a soft sigh as he started looking over the different notes and letters tacked onto the board in front of him. "I know, I know. It's not like I plan on hiding it from the world or anything. It just… It's going to take small steps first, y'know? When I get enough information I feel confident in, I plan on presenting it to the different queens first. Will it do anything? Probably not. If I'm lucky it'll net me more funding at least. But it gives us a place to start, and it opens up more opportunities to ease others into the idea instead of just throwing my studies into the unknown."

The Nightwing flicked her tail in response. She padded up to where Winter stood, stopping in front of the board of hanging parchment like he had done. There was a moment of silence, before hesitantly she spoke up. "Well, if you'd ever want to, I wouldn't mind looking over any of your papers you've finished. Admittedly I'm more of a fiction kind of dragon but… I've always thought there was something more to scavengers than we thought. I'd be interested to read what you've learnt so far."

Winter looked over to her, surprise and uncertainty crossing his face. His dark eyes met hers for the briefest of moments, before he turned away back towards the board. "I… I'll have to think about it." He stated simply, not giving off any extra hints towards his thoughts.

Moonwatcher opened her muzzle to say something, before deciding against it, instead giving him a quick nod. After a few moments she gestured to the message board and asked, "So, what's all of this for?"

"Hm?" It took a second for Winter to realize what she was talking about. "Oh, that. It's just a convenient place to put notes and whatnot. I use it a lot to keep track of stuff I shouldn't forget. I was just checking to see if Heliconia left anything for me to look over."

"Ah." As Winter flipped through a collection of papers pinned to the board, Moonwatcher glanced over the various notes and letters that littered the wall. Most seemed to be either notes about different research prospects, to-do lists, and various letters that had been hung up to respond to. All except for one with very familiar handwriting that caught her eye, as she let out a soft breath. "That's one of my letters right there, isn't it?"

Winter looked over to her, trying to piece together what she was talking about, before he followed her gaze over to the strip of paper hanging near the bottom of the board. "I…" He trailed off, his eyes clouding with emotion as he looked across the letter she had brought up. "I forgot I had that. I must have forgotten to take it down after I got it from you."

Moonwatcher pulled herself together a little tighter as she examined the writing on it closer. "This is the last one I sent, isn't it?" She asked out loud, her voice growing softer as she glanced at the Icewing.

"Yes. That's the last one you sent. Over a year ago." A hint of bitterness laced Winter's words as his expression grew more rigid, before he shook his head with a grumble. He turned around away from the message board and started trotting over to the doorway, keeping his muzzle well hidden away from her. "Let's keep moving. I still have more of the sanctuary to show you on the ground." He said abruptly.

Moonwatcher fidgeted with her talons as she looked down to the wooden floor below, before taking in a breath and nodding, following behind with uncertain footsteps. "Okay."

"Winter!"

The Icewing blinked, the voice shaking him out of his memories as he looked around to see where it came from. He lowered his raised hammer, in the middle of nailing down another panel, and peered over the side of the building. The rich red Skywing from before was staring up at him with a decidedly stern expression, holding a scroll against a board in one paw. "Carmine?" Winter called down in confusion.

"It's well past midday. Your break was scheduled half an hour ago. Come down and get some rest, okay?" The Skywing commanded back.

Winter looked up at the sky, noticing the sun's position. I must have lost track of time. He glanced back over to the roofing that he'd been working on, and a hint of rebellious pride snaked its way into his thoughts. "I don't need a break. I'm not tired. I'll let you know when I need to swap, alright?"

Carmine flicked her tail and shook her head. "I don't care. I'm the project lead, and I say you get down there. Have you even had a meal yet?"

Winter glanced away for a moment, knowing full well he hadn't. "Well I'm the town lead, so quite frankly you're below your authority here."

"Which is exactly why you should take a break." Carmine shot back with a challenging gaze. "You're one of the town leads, you have far more important things to do than hurt yourself. The last thing I need is for you to bust your back because you're too stubborn to at least take a walk, and leave Riptide stuck with all the work. Now get down here and go take a break. That's an order, Winter."

Winter tapped his serrated talons against the wood he had built, debating how much effort he wanted to put into arguing with her. With a soft growl he gathered the leftover equipment, grabbing the hammer with an annoyed puff of icy air. "Fine. Let me clean up here and I'll come down."

The Skywing nodded, relaxing her posture. "Thank you. Let Muskeg know he's to take your place. I don't want to see you back here for another hour, okay?" Winter rolled his eyes out of sight before his attention was caught by her next words. "And Winter? Don't kill yourself over this. You know as much as I do we're still ahead of schedule."

Winter sighed, before dipping his head. "I know." As the construction director began to walk away, Winter returned to scooping up the rest of his tools before stretching his wings to glide down. Deep down he knew Carmine probably had a point, like she usually did. The red Skywing had been a soldier of Queen Scarlet's army during the Twenty Year war, although her life passion had always been architecture and engineering. When Ruby took over the Kingdom she had returned to her studies, and eventually she heard word of Winter and Riptide's town, and decided to offer her help with the development. The sharp attitude from her military days hadn't left her though, and getting her to change her mind had always been nigh impossible.

Winter searched around the construction site for Muskeg, letting him know of his newfound role with as much civility as he could manage, before breaking away from the efforts at the town hall and stepping into the cobbled road. He took in a deep breath and looked around, taking in the scene of the small yet bustling town. Annoyingly it seemed that Carmine was right, as with the first few steps he began to feel a growing soreness within his shoulder, although he refused to admit it to himself. Now that he was forcefully given extra free time, the question that popped up was what exactly he was going to do with it. I suppose I could go check up on Heliconia and see if he's found anything. Or perhaps I could visit Moonwatcher? Right before he had left to help out at the hall Moon mentioned how she had mostly planned to stay at their rather unloved library, hoping to get some reading in or help out around the place a bit.

As he was pondering over his options he remembered how he still had his shopping to take care of, and he turned to face the direction of the marketplace. Well, I've been productive for quite a while today. Might as well keep the trend up. He thought to himself with a huff of resignation. With that Winter found himself walking towards the town center, heading in the direction of the daily market that resided within the center of Sanctuary. He took some time to look around the more exotic commodities, glancing over luxurious trinkets and jewelry, before moving over to the much more reasonably priced goods. With how small the town was, there were only a few merchants who boasted wealthy products, and even then they weren't nearly of the same caliber Winter remembered seeing when he was still within the Ice Palace. For the most part the market consisted of just the necessities that a pioneering town populous would need, such as an assortment of food, simple decorations, and various common tools and materials that a dragon might need for personal projects.

A handful of the merchants nodded towards him as Winter browsed their stalls, clearly recognizing his status as he shopped. Winter did his best to interact with the town as much as possible, despite his natural icy demeanor. He wanted the village to know he wasn't any more above them than they were to him. After all, it was the people in the town that made all of his dreams possible. That didn't stop people from offering small tokens of respect of course, and by now he was more than used to the subtle nods as he walked through the streets. After scanning through different temporary shops, he inevitably decided to just buy a quick snack to have before doing any real purchases. One life lesson he discovered quickly was just how bad of an idea shopping with an empty stomach was.

Winter found a stall selling small fish, and after exchanging a few words and some coins from the pouch over his neck he found himself holding a soon to be devoured fish. As he worked away on the brief meal he continued trotting through the town square, making a mental list of all the things he'd need to buy. Like he told Moonwatcher, he seldom kept any food back in his hut, however he tried to make a habit of stocking up the sanctuary watchtower for him and Heliconia for while they studied. Which is how he found himself looking over the fruit selection, desperately trying to remember what fruits the Rainwing assistant liked. No matter how often he did the restocking for the two, Winter still struggled to make out all the different fruits on display, and figuring out how to pick out the ripe ones was a heroic effort in and of itself.

"Winter?"

With a flick of his ears Winter turned over to where he heard the call, trying to determine who's very familiar voice that was. Looking up into the sky he noticed a dusty yellow dragon with a curled-in tail making their descent, scanning for a place to land in the busy marketplace. "I… Qibli?" He pulled away from the produce cart and started weaving his way over to where the Sandwing was settling down at. It was unmistakably him, from the speckles scattering his muzzle, the scar that complimented the freckles, and the hanging earring that looped through his left ear.

Said Qibli had folded his wings in with a grimace, stretching his paws out briefly as he scanned the new surroundings, before turning to Winter and giving him a slight smile. "Been a while, hasn't it?" He said, before adding, "Seems like a lot has changed since I was last here."

Seeing his old clawmate in front of him again filled Winter with conflicting feelings. He knew there was a good chance the two would have to meet again with Moonwatcher's plan, but if he was honest with himself he still hadn't truly prepared for the encounter that'd happen. Here he was, the same Sandwing that he shared a dorm with, the same Sandwing who saved his life, the same Sandwing who helped rescue his brother, and the same Sandwing who was the exact reason why Winter was thrown into this entire situation in the first place. Just like Moonwatcher herself, here was a dragon that represented all of the good and bad that his life had been twisted around in over the years.

Winter went to open his muzzle to throw some sort of retort back at the Sandwing, before he realized he wasn't actually sure just how much he should reveal to Qibli about the whole affair. Moonwatcher had said that her letter consisted of telling Qibli to visit, but she hadn't told Winter exactly what details she had explained to her mate. To top all of that, something about Qibli's demeanor caught his eye, and he began to piece together small cues that hinted towards… something. Although the Sandwing held a smile, it almost seemed forced, much unlike how Winter remembered his old clawmate to be. His muzzle appeared to wear a neutral enough expression, but it was layered by a hint of exhaustion that hid underneath. Yet perhaps most catching of it all though was the look in his eyes; the fatigue that hung underneath them was only overshadowed by the hurt that rested within them.

Despite the untamed emotions that circled within, Winter found that he didn't truly have it in him to retort back with thorny words. He looked around the town the two stood in the middle of, before turning back to him and giving a slight nod back. "The fruit of our labor, one might say. It's been quite the year since you've been here. What brings you to sanctuary again?" He asked innocently, hoping to draw out just how informed the Sandwing was about the rather uncomfortable circumstances.

Qibli looked away from him for a moment, biting his lip before turning his attention back to Winter. "I'm looking for Moonwatcher. She said that you had given her a place to stay here, correct?"

Winter blinked. It seemed like he was filled in on some of the situation at least. "Moon? Last I remember she's in the library right now. I've been pretty busy today though, so there's a chance she's not there anymore. If she isn't at the library still, I'd assume she'd be back at my house."

There was a pause. "Your house?" Qibli inquired, glancing over the Icewing.

Winter could practically see the cogs in Qibli's head turning away, and much too late he realized the assumptions he could make off that statement alone. Winter took a breath though, and kept his voice decidedly neutral as he responded, "Moonwatcher arrived at my door about a week ago asking for shelter. There weren't any huts available and she assured me it was only temporary so, for the moment, I've been letting her spend the night in my house." It was, technically speaking, not strictly true. A resident had moved out two days ago, and three new huts were nearing completion. But even ignoring Winter's turbulent emotions, giving the Nightwing a hut to herself for a few days just didn't make much sense on a logistical level.

The Sandwing tapped his claws against the cobbled road. "I see… Mind showing me where the library is at then?"

Winter looked over to the different stalls along the street, glancing over in the direction of the sanctuary, before letting out a soft sigh. Even though he wanted nothing more than to focus on his daily errands, he knew this was more important to take care of in the end. "Of course. Follow me." He said simply, beckoning Qibli with the tilt of his head.

"Still as to the point as ever, hm?" Qibli jabbed lightly, although even Winter could tell he was shifting through thoughts as he spoke.

With a flick of his tail, Winter began to start walking over in the direction of the library, slipping through the crowd as he resisted the urge to throw a sharp response back. "Suppose you can say that. Sounds like you haven't changed much either." He noted.

"Perhaps. Although this place certainly has. Quite the year indeed. I don't even remember there being a library here before." Qibli commented, looking around the various buildings that had taken over the town center.

"A year is a long time. After we secured funding from the Rain Kingdom we were able to pick up the pace." Winter stated factually. "As for the library, well, it's more of a dragon's passion project than anything. We haven't lent them much more support than the occasional extra coin we could spare. It's hard to justify so much of our resources going towards a library when there's only so many dragons in the town still."

Winter watched as Qibli took in the information, seemingly compartmentalizing it into his mind as he nodded along. "Sounds like the kind of place Moon would like hanging around at. Guess I shouldn't really be surprised she's at the library, should I?" He gave Winter a smile, although even despite the lighter words somehow it still felt forced.

No you shouldn't be. She's your mate after all. Winter found himself thinking a bit sourly, before shaking off his internal words. "If there's one thing she's fond of, it's scrolls. From what I remember before she left, she talked about possibly staying to help out a bit. I'm sure Cobia would appreciate the extra paws."

Winter could see that it didn't take long for Qibli to connect that he was talking about the librarian. "And I'd bet she'd probably make their day, considering how stretched thin this town seems to be." There was a lapse in conversation as Winter guided him down the street that nested the library near the end of it, before Qibli spoke up again. "You've gotten better at small talk, I'll give you that much at least." He pointed out.

The Icewing gave him a glance. "You have to in order to run a town like I do. I'm glad my pleasantries fit up to your standard though." Winter poked back.

At this the faintest hint of a genuine smile crossed Qibli's muzzle. "Alright now you're making this awkward. I take back what I said."

Winter scoffed. "You're the one who made it awkward when you landed here." He found himself saying out loud, his facade falling for a brief moment. Realizing the more personal nature of his comment, he looked away slightly, although he refused to follow it up with an apology.

The smile Qibli wore fell quickly, and he shot Winter a look. "I'm sure you're aware that I don't want to be here any more than you probably want me to, considering the circumstances. It's not exactly like I wanted to fly two days straight to visit Sanctuary or anything. Not that I hate being here or seeing you of course, but you and I both know that… that…" The Sandwing trailed off on his words as he noticed a dragon stepping out into the street, closing the door behind her. She was covered in night-black scales and under her eyes two silvery ovals were embedded into her muzzle. "Moon?..." He asked, a thread of disbelief woven into his voice.

The Nightwing looked over towards the direction of the pair walking down the street, and her expression faltered. Winter saw her take a deep breath, her tail twitching nervously behind her, before she nodded. "Hey, Qibli."

Qibli took a hesitant step forward, before dashing towards her, relief washing over his muzzle. "Moonwatcher! I've been so worried about you. I came as fast as I could." He wrapped his wings up over her, and for the first time Winter saw true vulnerability cross over the Sandwing.

Moonwatcher quickly pressed Qibli away from her, slipping out from his winged embrace. "Qibli, please… Look, we- we need to talk, okay?" Even from where he stood Winter could see the conflict swirling in her emerald eyes.

The Sandwing looked over her, as if trying to decipher her mind, before pulling further away from her. "I think that's more than obvious by this point, but… why here? Why not back at our house? Why did you make me fly to Sanctuary? Why did you go to Sanctuary? You've left me with so many questions Moon, and, well, even I haven't pieced it together yet."

Moonwatcher was silent for a moment, breathing in as she tried to steady herself. "Yeah… I know. I want to say first though that I… I'm sorry for how I acted that night. I was brash and immature and I said a lot of things I shouldn't have. We both did, really. I acted like a dragonet having a temper tantrum, and that's not who I should have been. I… Well, I probably should have acted more my age. I'm sorry."

Winter blinked at her words. All he could think back to was his talk with her the day after she had arrived. It almost mirrored his own thoughts he'd given her at the time. For so long it was her that always knew what was right, and that was always pressing for him to be better, but now… Am I the one that's pushing her this time around?

"You don't have to- well, what I mean is, I appreciate the apology. You're right, I think we both said things that we didn't actually mean. I'm really sorry for what I said, believe me I am. I wasn't thinking clearly myself, and I shouldn't have acted the way I did." Qibli began. "But… that still doesn't answer my questions, Moon. You've left me so confused, and… I just want to know what happened."

At this the Nightwing let out a sigh, her head drooping a bit lower as she nodded. "I know… I know. Which is why I intend to tell you." There was a pause. "... Remember when this all began, at the very beginning, that day in the observatory?" Qibli dipped his head in affirmation. "I had told you that I wanted to give this a try, that I wanted to see where it goes, without any prophecy junk or ridiculous adventures across the world. Well… I gave it a try. A lot of tries actually."

Qibli's tail began to curl inward. "What exactly do you mean by that?" He asked, a faint emotional edge slipping into his words as he looked over her.

Moonwatcher looked away for a brief moment. "How many times did you leave me for days, Qibli? How many times did I have to live in the Sand Kingdom by myself, waiting for you to come back? And every time you came back you became distant from me again. It was like I had to learn to fall in love with you over and over again. But I kept giving it a try. I kept giving it a try because I loved you."

"Moonwatcher, we talked about this, I-"

"But you know what the hardest part about this all is?" Moonwatcher cut him off, taking a shaky breath. "The hardest part is that I still love you. Even despite everything that's happened, even despite all the arguments and difficult situations, I still love you. Moons, there's a reason why I stuck with you for so long in the first place. Whether it be your wits, or your charm, or your drive to help others. There was a reason I stayed with you. But at the same time, there's a reason that night happened in the first place, Qibli. I had bottled it up for so long, and it wasn't until then it broke out, but… the truth is, I wasn't happy there. I wasn't happy in the Sand Kingdom. I wasn't happy with you."

Qibli looked like he had been shot with a bolt of ice. "I… Where are you going with all of this? I- I thought you were happy there. It wasn't until that night that you even said anything about it. And I thought you of all people would understand why I was away so much. I know it's not easy, and I hated leaving you too, but I was trying to make our home a better place for us, for everyone."

Moonwatcher let out a weak snort. "Did you not hear anything of what I said that night, Qibli? You're usually such a good listener." The Sandwing winced at the response. "I meant what I said back then, Qibli. I shouldn't have said it the way I did, but everything I did say was the truth. And again, our home? You were the one given the house from Thorn. It's not like we found a place to settle down together. I went to the Sand Kingdom so that I could be with you, not because I liked being there."

"How should I have known you didn't like the Sand Kingdom? You're the one who never told me. You never said anything about it during all those moons. In fact, why don't you like the Sand Kingdom then, if you finally feel like telling me now?" Qibli asked a bit sharply, a look of indignation briefly crossing over his muzzle.

"Is that a trick question?" Moonwatcher asked incredulously, outrage flashing within her eyes. "That shouldn't even have to be asked! Do I really have to list out the blatantly obvious reason to you? For one, the desert itself is miserable for me to be in, because if you remember I'm a Nightwing not a Sandwing. Just stepping outside feels like I'm being melted in a forge. And speaking of being a Nightwing, do you have any idea how much I'm constantly harassed by others there?" She demanded, her voice raising higher. "'Oh look at that Nightwing over there'. 'Why don't you go back to your bastard tribe?' 'Bet you can't read my mind darling'." She mimicked. "That's not even scratching the surface. I can't even go to the market there and feel safe, much less welcome. How could I call a place like that my home? And all while you hang out and joke around with these- these disgusting dragons, as if you don't even realize? Tell me if I'm being unreasonable here. "

Qibli's expression hardened at her words, before breathing out heavily and looking away, his muzzle softening as he sifted through thoughts. "Well, I… Okay I'll admit it, I'll admit, the Sand Kingdom isn't a kind place. That's just how it is. The dragons there can be… rowdy, that's undeniably true. Maybe it's different for me since I lived there all my life. They don't truly mean anything by it though." To this Moonwatcher snorted. "And I know it's rough around the edges right now, but the kingdom is getting better. Thorn is really making a difference here. The streets are safer, the kingdom more prosperous. That's why I do what I do, Moon. I'm doing it to help make this kingdom better than it was. And look, I know in hindsight I probably should have picked up on it sooner, but how could we ever have a conversation if you stayed silent? How was I supposed to do anything if you never told me?"

Moonwatcher let out a huff and looked away for a moment. "Yes, I should have told you. You're right in that regard." She admitted, although her emotion-strewn voice was still more than present. "But I didn't want to worry you too much, especially with how stressed you always were after work. It hardly seemed appropriate to have a conversation like that when you've just gotten back from helping Thorn for a week straight. And even once you did you spent the time back in no real state to have a discussion as heavy as that, or even worse already preparing to leave me yet again. Don't you see that you boxed me in, Qibli? How was I supposed to ever have issues of my own when you were always either gone, or stuck with your own problems after work? How was I ever supposed to expect that you'd take the time for me when you barely even had time for yourself?" Qibli began to open his muzzle, but Moonwatcher continued. "In any case, what would you have done anyways? Move away from the Sand Kingdom like I wanted? I have a strong feeling you wouldn't do that even if I asked."

Qibli faltered, tapping his talons against the ground. "Look, I didn't know it was that bad, okay? If- if you hate the kingdom so much we can move. I don't know why you think I couldn't. We could live outside the kingdom if it'll make you happy, maybe find some place in the mountains where I could go visit Thorn when she needs me."

"No. That's not enough." Qibli looked at Moon in confusion at her dominating words. "It's not just the desert that's the issue here, Qibli. It's the kingdom. You being gone all day, all week even, you always ignoring my issues for your own, you never having the time to do something nice with me for once. That is the issue. So, could you do that?" She challenged. "Could you live outside the Sand Kingdom? Leave it all behind? Leave Thorn and the Outclaws? Could you leave your home?"

"I- Yes of course I would. For you I'd- Well but what about my duties? Or Queen Tho-" Qibli closed his muzzle and took in a breath, clawing at the ground. "Grahh. You know it's not as simple as that, Moon. My job is there. My queen, my friends, my life. How can you expect me to leave it all behind?"

"The same way you expected me to leave it all behind, the same way I did leave it all behind for you." Moonwatcher shot back. "I left the Rainforest behind, I left Glory behind, I left my mother behind. If I can do it, so can you!"

Qibli looked away, finding himself at a loss for words as he tried to gather a response. "Moon, you're- you're being unreasonable here. You know I have responsibilities in the kingdom. I owe my loyalty to Queen Thorn. I have duties Moon-"

"Unreasonable?" Moonwatcher cut off with a lash of her tail. "I'm the one who's unreasonable here? What about your loyalty to me? To your own mate? How am I being unreasonable when you insist on staying in the most awful place for my tribe? How am I the unreasonable one when you're the one who leaves me alone for days on end?" She paused for a moment, taking in a breath, and before Qibli could say anything she added, "I can't do this anymore, Qibli. I'm sorry, but I can't. I just can't."

Finally Qibli truly had nothing to say back for a moment, as he tapped his talons on the street, his eyes awash with turmoil. Winter meanwhile, finally took the lapse in words as an opportunity to slowly step away, silently excusing himself from the increasingly tense situation. It was Moon and Qibli's discussion after all, he thought as he turned around towards the marketplace. He really had no business eavesdropping on their relationship debate, nor did he want to draw even more attention to himself than he already had. The conversation had yet to shift from the street, and already he noticed one or two dragons who had turned their heads over to them.

His escape plan worked astoundingly well, considering the circumstances, as he slowly slipped away from the couple and headed back to where he had started from. For all of two steps that was, before he heard Moonwatcher's voice directed at him. "Winter, wait!" The Icewing looked behind him in confusion, giving her a questioning glance. "I need to talk to you too, after this."

Winter hesitated. "I… Me?"

Qibli looked over to his old clawmate, before turning back to Moon. "Him? Why him?"

Moonwatcher let out a rough sigh. "For other reasons. I'm trying to focus on one thing at a time, okay?"

Qibli's tail twitched, and from the corner of his gaze Winter thought he could see the Sandwing's eyes narrow slightly. "You still haven't answered why you came here in the first place, Moon. Why fly all the way to Sanctuary? Why fly to him of all dragons?" He gestured a wing towards Winter. "We all know you two don't get along."

"I'm right here you know." Winter growled softly, trying to hide his surprise at the sudden venom that seemed to fill Qibli's words.

"Qibli!" Moonwatcher exclaimed, shock crossing her face. "Winter is my friend, and he's yours too. There's no reason to be rude to him like that. We get along just fine, okay?"

Qibli snorted. "Just fine? Is that the reason you came here? Because you two got along 'just fine'?" He challenged, emotion starting to slip over his gaze.

"I- What?" Moonwatcher looked at him in disbelief, her tail twitching with uncertainty.

The Sandwing took a slight step forward. "Is that what this was about? The desert was too hot for you, so you had to find somewhere to 'cool down'? Or should I say someone to 'cool down with' instead?" He pressed on, shooting a glare towards Winter.

Moonwatcher blinked, her anger slowly fading away into confusion, before being overtaken by the raw hurt burning in her eyes. "You… You really think the reason for all this is because of Winter?"

"Well give me another explanation for why you came to Sanctuary then!" The Sandwing demanded. "You could have gone anywhere, and you went to him."

Moonwatcher took a hesitant breath, but before she could say anything Winter found himself taking a step forward. "She already told you why she left, sandsnorter." He defended, finding himself unable to keep the insulting jab out of his words. "You're overthinking things. I haven't seen Moon for a year. You think this wasn't as surprising to me as it was to you?"

"Overthinking things? Well how else am I supposed to take it then?!" Qibli snapped, his gaze darting between the two of them. "Am I just supposed to ignore what's in front of me? Practically everything points to it. You're unsatisfied with me, you left to go see the only other person you were close to, you're staying in his house for moon's sake. And I'm supposed to take it at face value? We all know you had a thing for him, or are you going to deny that too?" He asked, his voice twisting near the end.

Moonwatcher's expression contorted, her wings quivering lightly. "How could you Qibli?!" She cried. "I have always been faithful to you! If I wanted Winter I would have walked away a long time ago! Is that really how little you trusted me all this time?"

"Maybe it should have been." Qibli shot back. "If it's not for him then why did you come to Sanctuary? I doubt it was just for their library."

With a soft growl Winter pushed forward in front of Moonwatcher, suddenly finding himself standing face to face with his old clawmate. He couldn't take it anymore, not after watching how Moonwatcher flinched at his words. "Leave her alone." Winter hissed softly. "Do you honestly not get it? Has she not made it perfectly clear yet? She left because of you, moron. You and your horrible desert. You're blinded by your stupid tribe and your loyalty, thinking it's the best place to be as if the desert isn't the most torturous part of Pyrrhia. "

"That's rich coming from someone who's own tribe banished them. At least the Sand Kingdom cares about the people within it." Qibli spat out, standing tall in front of the Icewing as he glared at Winter.

And just like that, something snapped within him. All the arguments with his winglet, all the looks from other tribes, all the encouraging words from Glory, from Riptide, from Kinkajou, from Moon, every accomplishment he pushed through as he watched Sanctuary grow, all came rushing through him in an avalanche of emotions. "You take that back!" He roared, stepping forward as his tail whipped through the air. "I've done more here in a year than you've done your whole life hiding behind your queen! At least I make a difference for everyone, you can't even make a difference in your own tribe! Being banished was the best thing that could have happened to me!"

Qibli recoiled briefly in surprise at his sudden ferocity, before snarling and spreading his wings slightly. "What do you think I do during those days I'm away?! You think I just lounge around in the palace like it's a joke? Do you think it's easy? Do you think I want to be away so much? I go out and help rebuild towns! I spend days planning out agreements and missions! You- you just sit around watching animals in a cage!"

Winter noticed how Moonwatcher was looking at him, how the onlookers were watching, taken aback, as if all eyes were on him. He didn't care. For once it wasn't about himself, it wasn't about Qibli, it wasn't even about Moon. It was about the very town they were all standing in. "They are not animals! They're- They're highly intelligent beings. And if you think all I do is sit around all day then you're more of a fool than I thought." He fired back at the Sandwing. "I have spent over a year studying and writing and analyzing scavengers and have made more progress than any one dragon ever has." Qibli began to open his muzzle again but Winter pressed on. "But more than that, I have given a place for dragons to live their life. I have worked and toiled and slaved away for a place that dragons like myself can be who they want no matter what they are. I have given them a home, a new life, a second chance, and I will never, ever back down from defending them or belittle their efforts. I have done more banished than any other Icewing prince has done while in the palace! So guess what? I'm not ashamed of being banished. I'm not ashamed of what I do in this town. At the end of the day I know I've made someone's life better. Are you able to say the same, Qibli?"

The Sandwing found himself at a loss of words for a moment, before growling. "Of course I can! I already told you! Why else do you think-"

"Qibli!" The shout cut through his voice, causing the two dragons to turn towards the source as Moonwatcher stepped towards them. "Both of you, please." Winter forced himself to pull away from the Sandwing, watching Moon as she took a deep breath in. "You want to know why I came to Sanctuary so badly, Qibli? You want to know why I chose to come here of all places?"

Qibli nodded, a bitter expression still etched over his muzzle. "I feel like I deserve to know at this point."

Moonwatcher tapped a claw against the stone at his response. "The truth is, I came here because I didn't have anywhere else to go. I didn't know where the rest of our winglet was, and I certainly didn't want to go back to my mother in such a state. The only reason I came here is because I had no choice… Yet I still ended up staying here, and there's a reason that I did." She paused as she gathered her words, and to Qibli's credit he managed to hold in any of his more personal thoughts as she did. "I stayed here because for once- for the first time in over a year, I felt like I was able to fit in somewhere. I felt like I could belong here if I wanted to. I stayed here because I liked it here. I like the town, I like the forest, I like the lake, I- I like finally having the chance to be a part of something bigger, to be able to help make a difference somewhere that wants me there. That's why I didn't come back."

A hint of Qibli's ferocity faded away as he took in her words, although he still had enough sourness to say, "And you didn't think we were making a difference back home?"

The Nightwing let out a breath. "You were making a difference back in your home." She looked away for a moment, as if stealing herself, before looking back at Qibli as she continued. "Do you want to know what it was I wanted to talk to Winter about?" It was a rhetorical question, Qibli found, as Moonwatcher pulled her wings slightly closer and pushed forward. "I… I wanted to talk to Winter about getting a proper place here. I want to talk about moving into Sanctuary."

Winter blinked, completely taken aback by her admission. A thousand thoughts ran through his head, and none of them seemed to meet any rational criteria. She wants to move in here? Into Sanctuary? All he could find himself doing standing there was stare at her in disbelief, as if he was still waiting to see if it was all one big joke of some kind. This was not how he expected the day to go in any way even just twenty minutes earlier.

Qibli himself was equally as stunned for a moment, before stumbling over words. "You- you want to move here? But… Do you mean?..."

"I want to live here Qibli, at least for a bit. I want to help out, maybe with the library, maybe with the laboratory, I don't know yet, but I want to help. I want to start living my own life, and…" Moonwatcher looked away, pulling her tail closer as she forced out the words. "And I don't… I don't think you're going to be in it, Qibli."

Qibli's breath hitched in his chest, and his paws tightened against the ground. He clenched his muzzle, realization filling his eyes, quickly followed by anguish that overtook his gaze. "Are you saying… Is this it?"

Moonwatcher hesitated, her wings quivering slightly, before slowly nodding. "... I think this is it. I…I fell in love with the Qibli you were a few years ago, but… that's not the Qibli you are now. You're different now. Or maybe you're still the same, maybe I'm the one that's changed." She took a shaky breath, closing her eyes for a moment. "Either way… I don't think I want to be with you anymore…"

There was no anger left within Qibli's expression. He didn't have the energy left within him. He dipped his head slightly, forcing himself to swallow through the apparent lump that sat within his throat. "T-that's… That's it then, isn't it?" He asked, his voice cracking over the words.

A small tear traced down the Nightwing's snout, breaking away and falling to the ground. "That's it… We're done, Qibli."

Qibli stood there for a moment longer, digging a talon into a crack in the stoned road. He bit his lip, went to open his muzzle, then closed it again with a ragged exhale. He glanced between the two dragons that stood side by side, the black and white picture that had developed in front of him, before wincing and looking away, closing his eyes for a moment. He took a wavering step back, slowly unfurling his wings as he curled his tail in further. And then he simply nodded, and before anyone could say anything the Sandwing threw himself up into the sky, turning around towards the mountains that loomed in the distance.

Winter watched as Qibli slowly grew further and further away, faltering with each beat of his wings through the air. And as his old clawmate slipped over the horizon, the Icewing caught one last glimpse of his grief-stricken muzzle, a sight that spoke more than words ever could, as the Sandwing took a final glance behind himself. And then he was gone.