A/N: I really need to stop saying things about kicking my writing into gear. It never seems to work out like I plan. Anyway, enjoy the chapter!

Chapter 14

It was a weird feeling, that mix of nervousness, excitement, trepidation, and eagerness that Winter felt as he stepped through the town with Moonwatcher. It was a feeling that could perhaps only be described as "awkward". For while Winter was a little proud of himself for asking Moon on the walk and her accepting, he really didn't have any idea of what to do after she said yes.

"It's a…it's a lovely afternoon, isn't it?" he asked her, not sure where to start, "Clear skies, good weather…" he trailed off, not sure what else to say.

Moon gave him a look, with a small trace of a smile on her otherwise unreadable face. "Yes, yes, I suppose it is. Pity I can't fly, though. It would be a great day for it."

Winter felt that little twinge of guilt again as she mentioned her wing, no matter how many times she said it wasn't his fault. But he shook his head and tried to put it out of her mind. "How's your reading club going?" he found himself asking, searching for conversation, "When's your next meeting?"

"It's going well, I'd say, even though I've still only had one meeting," she answered, "The next isn't until tomorrow."

Winter blinked. "Really? You've been reading so much, I thought you've been through that scroll three times already by now."

Moon chuckled and shook her head. "Not quite, although it's been more than tempting to read ahead. Instead, I got distracted with a different scroll. Thanks for reminding me, though; I really should refresh the chapters before the meeting." She paused, then grinned at him. "Why the sudden interest? Interested in joining up yourself?"

"Hardly," Winter rolled his eyes, "Current's asked me before, of course, but it isn't my thing. Besides, I have to be at the scavenger sanctuary most times they'd meet."

"I guess that makes sense," Moon said, "Anything you do read, though? Aside from your own reports I mean."

He shrugged his wings. "I have a few Icewing scrolls that I keep in my room, but I'm not sure if they're anything you'd be interested in. You can take a look at them if you want. I barely have the time to read any of them for leisure, and I've been through them all before."

"I may just do that, then," Moon told him, "What are they about?"

"Oh, a variety of things," came his answer, "Some history, legends, and some of my favorite stories from when I was a dragonet. All very Icewing-focused. Again, I don't know if it would be anything you'd care for."

"Well, that will be for me to decide," she told him matter-of-factly, and all he could do was concede that point.

They fell silent for a few minutes after that, idly just looking at the town as they walked. It had been a while now since Winter had actually taken a moment to appreciate Sanctuary, and with him learning under Riptide (despite how boring it could be at times) he found he had a renewed sense of accomplishment and optimism as he looked at the buildings himself and others had helped create. It really had been growing from its humble beginnings, with more dragons coming and more businesses being created. He was proud to call the town home, and to be raising his son here. And…dare he even think it…to have Moonwatcher here.

"Do you miss the Ice Kingdom?" Moon suddenly asked, seemingly out of nowhere, and Winter actually looked down at his wrist to make sure the skyfire was there. Once he did, then came the sudden hesitation of how to respond.

"I…well…" he looked at her, then away, "I mean, I do a little bit, of course. It was my home, and I have to say I prefer the climate there. I'm used to the temperature here by now, but nothing beats the cold of the Ice Kingdom."

"I can imagine," Moon said sympathetically.

"I really do miss Hailstorm, though," Winter continued, "It figures that after saving him, I'd be banished from the Ice Kingdom for pretty much ever. I've only seen him a clawful of times since the Diamond Trial, and even less of those were we actually able to talk much. He said in a letter he plans to visit sometime in the next few months, so that at least should be nice."

He paused for a second as they reached a fork in the street they were walking down. Moon gave a little tilt of her head left, and so that way they went.

"I even miss Icicle, too. We were never the closest of siblings, but she is my sister. I remember back when were younger and innocent—at least as far as Icewings go. Throwing snowballs at the guards, trying to start a fire just to see what it looked like, hunting penguins and collecting feathers…those were good times."

Moon snorted in amusement. "Somehow, I struggle to envision Icicle at any age collecting feathers."

"Actually, it wasn't something she grew out of," Winter told her, "She has a pretty large collection, tailfeathers from all sorts of birds from all over Pyrrhia. If you ask her, she'll say it's because she wants to see which ones work best on arrows and darts, but in truth I think she just enjoys it as a hobby. That and to see the softest ones for pillows, which she also has a collection of."

With a shake of her head, Moon gave him an incredulous look. "You're joking with me, right?" she asked him, "This is Icicle, the one who was obsessed with being the most lethal and intimidating she could be. You don't expect me to believe she collects feathers and pillows."

"It's true!" Winter insisted, "Just…uh…don't tell her you heard it from me. She tries not to come off as soft, or sensitive…" he trailed off, then sighed, "I hope she's doing well. Icewing prison isn't exactly a great place to be."

"I'm sure she's doing fine," Moon offered, "She's a strong dragoness, if nothing else."

"That she is."

Another brief silence fell as they walked on. A minute or so passed and they reached the edge of town, nothing but woods ahead. It was Winter's turn to motion the direction with his head, and he began to lead her back into town.

"What about you?" Winter asked, "Are you missing…" he hesitated, not sure whether to ask about the Sand Kingdom, "Are you missing home?"

Like Winter was sure he had when she asked him, Moon suddenly looked a bit awkward. "I…I guess so, a little," she told him, "Assuming you mean the Rainforest. It's been a long time now since I saw my mother, and the fruit there is the freshest. But even then…I never really had a home, you know? It was just me for so long in the Rainforest, and as soon as mom was actually there and we were getting our house built and everything seemed to be becoming normal, I was off to Jade Mountain. And then from there to the Sand Kingdom, now here." She sighed, then shook her head.

"Well, I believe your house is still getting built here," Winter said, "I know things aren't exactly ideal, but you seem to be fitting well into Sanctuary. Maybe this is what you're looking for."

She glanced at him, an unreadable expression on her face. "I…I hope so."

Winter nodded, then took a deep breath. "And do you miss the Sand Kingd—"

"No."

Her answer was blunt and to the point, and Winter left it there. He didn't want to spoil their walk by bringing up a sore subject. So instead he turned his attention away from the past and to the present, looking around at their surroundings as they approached the town center. He noticed a Seawing next to one of the older buildings in town, standing on a stack of crates and nailing something to the top of the building, which looked to be undergoing some sort of renovation. Which was a little odd, since even the older buildings were quite new.

"Oh!" Winter observed aloud as he realized what it was, "Riptide mentioned a new Seawing was coming to open a tavern in town, focused on authentic Seawing food. I bet that's where it's going to be."

"Really?" Moon asked, looking over and taking note. "Neat! Looks like it will be opening soon, too. We'll have to try it out once it is."

Winter followed her eyes to a sign that had just been hung up while they were talking. It had the name of the tavern—the Yellow Cod—as well as the expected opening date. He was surprised to see that it was only in a couple of weeks.

They must be pretty busy. He mused to himself. It's got to be a lot of work getting it set up, and from what Riptide said they only just started. But then, he'd learned since moving to Sanctuary that Seawings were quite industrious. He'd also learned to appreciate their food, which was why he'd been glad to hear about the eatery and remembered Riptide talking about it.

"Yeah," he agreed with Moon, "Trying it out sounds nice. We could even go for opening night, if you wanted."

"Excellent!" Moon told him, "It's a date, then."

Winter almost missed a step. Had he heard that right? His eyes glanced to Moon, but she didn't seem to be looking for any reaction from him. Which did nothing to confirm if she meant an actual date or a romantic date or any other type that his mind couldn't think of. Three moons, he hadn't even really meant to ask her, not like he had with the walk.

But then, she had said yes so easily, first to the walk and now to this. And perhaps, in the end, it really didn't matter which Moon meant. Either way, it would be a bit of a special time together and an opportunity to take another step forward.

Winter was already looking forward to it.

Moon gave a pleasant hum to herself as they neared home, coming to the end of their walk. It had been a bit of an unexpected surprise, Winter asking her to come with him like that. Since she'd arrived in Sanctuary they had spent a lot of time around each other, but rarely actually talking in a meaningful way. And even more rarely like they were now, in a more relaxed and casual fashion. And…it was nice.

She enjoyed it. She enjoyed it a lot.

It seemed like Winter, did, too. Seldom had she seen him so relaxed around her, and normally when he was it was because his attention was on Coldshock. Now, it seemed like he was finally beginning to open up a little, acting a little bit more like the Winter before everything had happened.

"They called them popsicles," Winter was saying, the more or less idle chatter continuing as they'd walked on, "Some Rainwings had me help make them. They're essentially a bunch of mashed fruit frozen on a stick. I feel like you'd like them, and they're easy enough to make if you ever want to try."

"Sounds tasty," she agreed. Their talk had stayed around the topic of food since they'd passed the tavern, and Winter had been telling her about some of the unique dishes he'd encountered in Sanctuary. There really were a lot, which made sense with there being so many tribes. The town was a veritable melting-pot of the different cultures, many of which Moon couldn't say she was used to despite her time at Jade Mountain. So far she'd mostly kept to what was familiar to her in terms of food—she'd have to change that.

"Lots of different flavors, too," Winter added. "Just depends on the fruit you use."

"I could see mango going well," she told him, "I was always fond of mango."

Winter grinned. "Good to know. I'll be sure to look for them at the market."

"Lovely!"

They were practically home now, pretty much on the doorstep. Moon was actually a little disappointed that it was over, even if her claws were beginning to ache a little. Hopefully, they'd be able to do it again.

"Hey, Winter. How abou—"

SQUAWK!

Moon was cut off as a loud cry erupted from beneath her. She instinctively jumped back, her eyes scanning downward and seeing a small black creature rushing away. It made it several feet before pausing and emitting another loud squawking noise.

Moon blinked at it, vaguely hearing Winter stifle a laugh beside her. It took her a second to process seeing the feathers and beak the creatures had that indicated it was a bird, and another few seconds to identify it as a raven. A very upset raven that was hopping back and forth, glaring at her.

"You almost stepped on it," Winter chortled as Moon eyed it with confusion. The raven seemed to thinking the same thing as it croaked indignantly. And Moon couldn't help but pick up that same indignant feeling in the creature's mind, projecting itself to her vaguely, not too unlike how scavengers did.

"Sorry," Moon offered, less to Winter and more to the bird, regardless of silly she felt immediately afterwards. The Raven cocked its head, but quieted. "I normally don't have to worry about birds. They usually, you know, fly away."

"Maybe this one's brave, or stupid," Winter guessed. He took a couple steps towards it and swatted at it, and while the bird hopped away and croaked angerly, it didn't fly. Moon noticed now that she wasn't so startled that the creature that it didn't quite look right. One of its wings was dropping, looking a bit off. And from its mind she felt a small spike of pain as it ruffled its feathers.

"I think its injured," Moon told him, "Does that look like a broken wing to you?"

Winter peered at it. "Looks like a snack," he told her, seemingly prompting the raven to hop back even farther.

"No!" Moon huffed, raising his wing and acting like she was about to hit him with it, but holding off before she connected. She knew how he was with touching, after all. "Don't hurt the poor thing!"

Perhaps it was just her normally empathy, or maybe it was that she sympathized with how being stuck with a broken wing felt. Either way, she felt bad for the bird, and she didn't want to kill it. Besides, ravens weren't even good food. Or at least, she'd heard as much—she'd never tried eating one herself.

She found herself taking a step towards it, and it cocked its head warily at her. "It's okay," she told it, "I don't want to hurt you." Remarkably, it seemed to believe her, as it didn't immediately run away like she'd almost expected it to. It looked quite cautious, but allowed her to approach.

"Moon, what are you doing?" she heard Winter ask, but she ignored him for a moment. She reached out a claw, low and to the ground. The raven inspected it, slowly at first. Then it pecked at her talon, which hurt a little, but Moon resisted pulling away. The raven seemed to be content, and it hopped onto her claw.

Moon's eyes widened in awe as she raised it up, marveling at both the raven's surprising lightness and its beautiful feathering. "Aren't you a pretty bird?" she whispered. Despite the disheveled wing, it really was a gorgeous creature, with its black feathers that shone vaguely purple in the light and dark blue eyes. It cocked its head at her, as though observing her in the same way. It shifted on her claw, then gave a few quieter croaks and chitters.

"Cute," Winter said, "But uh…Moon…what are you intending to…"

Before he could finish, the raven suddenly jumped from Moon's claw and onto her shoulder. It squawked at Winter and then hopped up Moon's neck to her head, where it nestled down in between her horns. Moon giggled, the bird's feathers and little feet tickling her.

"I think it likes me," Moon told him. She reached up and tentatively stroked the bird with a talon, and she sensed a pleasant feeling from its mind.

"I have a feeling I know what you're thinking," she heard Winter say, "But Moon…"

"Oh, come on, Winter," Moon said, turning to him, "It's hurt, and it probably won't survive without help. And I mean, it's hard for me not to emphasize…" She gently rubbed her own injured wing.

Winter still didn't seem thrilled. "Moon, you can't just take in any random animal. Even a bird as pretty as she is doesn't excuse…"

"She?" Moon asked.

"I…" Winter paused, "I think it's a female, at least from what Swallow's told me about birds. Skywings keep them as pets, so he's pretty familiar with those things."

"Skywings keep them as pets?" Moon questioned, "So she'd make a good one?"

"Moon…"

"C'mon Winter," she pleaded, "At least until it gets better?"

Winter looked at her, then at the raven perched on her head. He gave a deep sigh. "I don't have to tell you it's a responsibility, and I don't exactly have a cage or anything for it."
"I'll handle all that," Moon assured him.

The Icewing lashed his tail. "Fine. I'll ask Swallow to come look at her tomorrow and see what he thinks about her wing. If he thinks she's healthy and can recover, then we can discuss whether we do anything else with her."

That…seemed fair enough to Moon. At least, she didn't want to protest too much. It was Winter's house, after all.

Winter motioned to the door, and Moon followed him inside, their walk concluding at last. Coldshock greeted them as they entered, and Moon saw he'd spent the time drawing idly on some blank scrolls. She saw a two vaguely dragon figures there, a blue one and black one, as well as a smaller black one beside them. It didn't take her more than a second to realize what it was, and she smiled as he walked over and presented it to her and Winter.

Moon took it and showed it to the hybrids father, who grinned as well. "Quite the artist," she said, and Winter snorted in amusement.

There was a short flutter of wings, and Moon felt the raven hopping down from her head to her shoulder, then down to the ground. It landed in front of Coldshock, and the bird and dragonet regarded each other for a few moments. Each cocked their head right, then left, almost in mirror of the other. Moon watched cautiously and curiously, interested to see how it would go but ready to intervene in case her son had the same response as Winter and saw the raven as a snack.

Hesitantly, Coldshock raised a claw and he slowly batted at the bird. In response, she pecked at his claw and gave a loud screech. Alarmed, the hybrid jumped back, then stepped forward again. The raven croaked, then hopped to the side, then atop his tail and up his body. In a moment, she settled on his head not too unlike he had with Moon, except she looked significantly larger atop the smaller dragon's head.

Coldshock looked surprised, then confused, then content. He bobbed his head up and down a few times, then began to trot around the room, giggling to himself as the raven rode atop him.

Moon smiled as he watched them, the dared to nudge Winter with her wing. "So, what do we name her?"

"Name her?"

"What's a good name for a raven?" She asked. "I can't say I'm too knowledgeable when it comes to bird names."

"I'm not either," Winter grumbled, "But maybe hold off? At least until Swallow looks at her?"

"How about Luna?" Moon proposed, "She does kind of look like a night sky, with her feathers and all."

Winter sighed deeply. "Whatever you think. I guess she's your bird now."

"Then Luna it is," she decided. "I think it's a fine enough name for a raven like her."

She grinned. The name felt fitting, somehow. And she had a feeling that taking in Luna would not be a choice she regretted. Already the bird was growing on her, as she saw Coldshock continue to play with it.

A pleasant walk with Winter and a newfound pet. Today had been a good day indeed.