A/N: Yes, I know this chapter is well overdue. No, I don't have a good excuse. Some bad ones include taking a vacation and getting distracted by the Olympics...so sorry about that delay. Hope you enjoy the next chapter!

Chapter 16

"Okay, Coldshock, watch me carefully," Winter instructed, striding back and forth, "A proper takeoff has three parts, each of which needs to be executed perfectly. First is the run, second is the leap, third is the wingbeat. All three need to work in tandem if you're going to fly."

His son looked at him with wide eyes as he sat on a large rock. He was attentive, of course—Coldshock always seemed to be able to take in more than Winter expected a dragonet as young as him to. But Winter honestly had no idea if he really understood the instructions being given.

"Now, to start, you'll probably want to have wings slightly outstretched, like this," he half-spread his wings, testing the air a little. "Once that's done you— what?"

He paused as he heard a giggle and shot a look at Moonwatcher, who was watching with amusement from the patch of soft grass she'd laid herself down on. They'd found a suitable hill outside of town for Coldshock's first flying lessons, with Winter taking it upon himself to begin the teaching since Moon was herself out of commission when it came to flight. Luna was there as well, the raven pecking at small bugs on the ground beside Moon.

"You sound like a military officer," Moon told him with a roll of her eyes and a grin, "He's going to try to fly, not go off to war."

Winter stiffened a little bit, but then tried to return her laugh. "Well, in the Ice Kingdom there wasn't that much difference," he said, doing his best to be aloof. "It's how I was taught, at least. Flight training was just another part of military training."

"Oh," Moon said, the mirth suddenly gone from her face. "I…I'm sorry, Winter."

He shrugged his wings. "No need to be. It was typical of all dragons, especially during wartime. And I doubt it was exclusive to Icewings."

"Still," Moon said with a shake of her head. "I mean, I mostly had to teach myself in the Rainforest, but even then, my mom gave me lessons a few times she was there. She was very patient with me, and it took me a long time to get the hang of it. I can't imagine doing it like a military drill."

Her words gave Winter a moment of pause. It was true that most Icewings like himself learned in a more strict, orderly way as part of training. But it was also true that many dragonets got supplemental lessons from their parents to make sure the lessons stuck. He remembered seeing Lynx's parents out in the courtyard one evening, encouraging her as she made her takeoffs and landings.

Winter's parents had never done that. They'd expected him to learn on his own, and flight was nothing praiseworthy in their eyes. Neither Tundra nor Narwhal had even been present for his first flight, nor did either care when he elatedly told them about the thrill of commanding the air under his wings. Of his family, only Hailstorm listened and congratulated him. His parents had just rolled their eyes and walked away, their apathy as strong a sting as any angry tirade they could give him.

Back in the present, Winter shook his head. He could dwell on the past, but that was in the past. Instead, he looked back at his son who still watched him with excited, eager eyes.

"So, three parts," he said again, "I'll try to take it slowly so you can get a good watch. Here's the run." Winter began to bound forward, but more slowly than he would in an actual takeoff. More an imitation of running. "Then the leap, followed by the first wingbeat." As soon as he said that, he pushed off the ground with his hind legs. The moment he reached the apex of the jump, he flapped his wings downward.

It enough to catch a little air, but not enough to actually keep him air bound. He only traveled the length of about one stride before landing and turning back to Coldshock.

"Get all that?"

His son tilted his head, then gave a small nod.

"Okay, so repeat the parts," Winter challenged him.

The dragonet closed his eyes as if in deep concentration, "Run and…uh…j—jump!" Coldshock got out. He opened his eyes, looking proud of himself.

"And the last thing?"

Coldshock blinked. "Ummmm…." He looked over his shoulder to his mother. Moonwatcher raised a wing up and brought it down in an imitation of a wingbeat. "Flap!" Coldshock exclaimed triumphantly, grinning widely. He looked back at Winter. "I flap!"

Winter chuckled. "Close enough." He said, and Coldshock's smile widened. "I'm going to do it for real, now. Watch me again closely, and take note of how I move."

With that, Winter repeated his actions from before, but this time at full speed. He took a few steps forward, leapt into the air, beat his wings down, and took off soaring. He climbed high, looped a few circles above Coldshock and Moon, then landed effortlessly right back where he'd taken off from.

"So," he said, stepping towards his son. "Ready to try?"

Coldshock gave what could only be described as a squeak of affirmation. He jumped off the rock he had been perched on and wriggled his wings as if in an imitation of stretching—what he'd no doubt seen his parents do before a flight.

"Be careful. Take it slow." Moon called out from her spot. She pointed to Winter's left. "I think there's a thicker patch of grass right there. Have him practice over it so he doesn't hurt himself."

Winter nodded to the Nightwing and quickly oriented Coldshock so that he was facing that way. The little dragonet was practically squirming with eagerness. He had been ever since Moon had caught him outside a day ago, jumping from a stump and flapping his wings in a vain attempt to take to the sky. She had stopped him, afraid he'd hurt himself, and after a discussion with Winter they'd decided to start teaching him in a more controlled environment. He was still a little young—which worried Moonwatcher—but Winter was confident that he could get the hang of it. And besides, the sooner they started the sooner he'd learn.

"Ready?" he asked his son. Coldshock nodded rapidly, practically bouncing where he stood. "Okay. Remember what I told you. Now go!"

With an excited squawk, the small hybrid rushed forward, covering ground in large bounds. He picked up speed in and instant, his youthful frame nearly becoming a blur as he ran. Then once he got fast enough, he leapt up with all his might into the air, flapping his wings with as much power as his little body could muster.

…And he instantly plummeted back to the ground, crashing and rolling into the dirt with a cry of alarm and no fanfare.

"Coldshock!" Moon shouted, shooting to her feet and rushing over as Luna cawed and scrambled out of her way. She reached their son's side and knelt beside him as he pulled himself up on all four shaky claws. It looked like there were tears in his eyes. "Are you okay? Did you hurt yourself?"

The hybrid shook his head as Winter approached. Moon was checking out every inch of his scales for injury, but he looked all right to Winter. Coldshock wiped away the tear and straightened himself a little as he noticed Winter standing there.

"Good first attempt," Winter told his son, "Ready to try again?"

"Winter!" Moon exclaimed, "He almost landed on his head! It's obvious he's too young. He could hurt himself!"

He could sympathize with Moon being overprotective, but one tumble did not mean that lessons were out of the question. "I made plenty of hard falls when I was young," he said simply, "And I'm sure you did, too. It's all part of learning."

"But…but…" Moon faltered a little at that. She wrapped her tail around Coldshock's protectively.

"You can't fly unless you're willing to fall," he told her. Then he looked at his son. "So, do you want to try again?"

Coldshock hesitated, then nodded. "Y—yes," he said, a little less enthusiastically than before. "I wanna learn to fly!"

Winter smiled a true, large smile. "Good, then try it again."

Moonwatcher looked at him warily but released Coldshock. He bounded several feet away from them, then began to make his second attempt. Rushing forward, he did his best to mimic Winter. He built up speed, then jumped, then beat his wings.

And like before, he hit the ground hard.

"Want to watch me do it again?" Winter asked as he helped his son back up. Coldshock nodded, and Winter walked him through the steps again as he demonstrated a second takeoff. The hybrid watched intently, and once Winter landed he once again attempted to follow his father's instructions.

He ran, he leapt, and he beat his wings. Then he fell.

He pulled himself up and did it again. He fell.

With a hiss of frustration he made another attempt. Coldshock fell once more.

"That's enough, Winter," Moonwatcher finally put a claw down as Coldshock pulled himself up again, this time with patches of dirt and grass stuck to his scales, "I don't think he's getting it."

"It takes time," Winter defended himself, "That's how Icewings teach it. He'll learn eventually through trial and error."

"Not before he breaks something, at this rate," Moon snorted, "I don't want him to deal with a broken wing like I have to."

"He's not going to break anything, Moon," Winter resisted the urge to roll his eyes, "I've taken falls much harder than that with no problems at all."

"Still…" Moon looked very unconvinced. She noticed Coldshock readying for a another attempt and wrapped her tail around him, pulling him back towards her. "I don't want him…I mean…here, can I try teaching for a moment? If you insist he learn, at least let me try…"

Winter arched an eye ridge. His gaze went to her wings, and he wondered what exactly she planned to do when she couldn't even fly herself. But he nodded and stepped to the side, walking over to when Moon had been resting earlier and sat him down next to Luna as the raven squawked at him annoyingly. He swatted at her with his tail and the bird hopped away before ruffling her feathers in displeasure.

"Here, Coldshock," he heard Moon say. Her tail still wrapped gently around their son, she lifted him up and sat him on her back where he rested not too unlike how the dragonet liked to ride Winter during flight. "Climb up on me. Higher."

Coldshock hesitated, then began to move forward, slowly making his way up her neck towards her head.

"There you go. That's good. You can grip my horns, if you want."

With an inquisitive squeak, Coldshock obeyed, gingerly climbing atop of Moonwatcher's head, claws holding onto her horns. Then Moon raised her head higher, raising him up far from the ground, and the small dragonet gave a cry of alarm. Even from where he rested, Winter could see him gripping her tightly (which was a little odd, considering he had no problems flying hundreds of feet in the air).

"It's okay," Moon assured him, "You're fine, Coldshock. Now…listen to me closely. I want to tell you what my mother told me when I was learning to fly. We are dragons, masters of the air. We are one with it, flowing through it as it flows over us. The sky is our domain more so than any other, even the ground we walk on. Do you understand?"

Coldshock nodded. Then realizing that his mother couldn't see him on account of him being atop her head, he mumbled a less than confident "Uh-huh?"

"Good," Moon said, "Now, open your wings. That's right. Open them wide. Now, close your eyes. Take a deep breath. Feel the air enter your lungs…feel it flow back out. Feel the breeze beneath your wings. Feel it's call, it's power. Lift your wings up slowly and bring them down. Feel the air moving beneath them, being pushed out of its way at your will. Experience how it shifts, how it feels beneath your body. Can you feel it, Coldshock?"

He opened his eyes, having closed them before at his mother's request. "I do."

"Then keep your wings outstretched. Continue to feel the wing beneath them. And when you feel comfortable…jump!"

Coldshock nodded again, and Winter saw him shift uncomfortably atop her. Wings still outstretched, his tiny tail flicked back and forth as though trying to learn how to steer like a rudder. The dragonet took a deep breath, and a few moments later he followed Moon's instructions and leapt from her head.

Winter watched in anticipation as Coldshock…well, he didn't quite fly, per se. But nor did he tumble from the sky like he had been when Winter had tried to teach him. Instead, it was more of a gentle glide as his wings caught the air and carried him forward. It was controlled and far more eloquent than anything before, and while Coldshock did stumble and fall down on his landing, it was nowhere as hard as it had been before.

"Excellent!" Moon called out, her face beaming with pride and excitement as she rushed forward. She helped Coldshock up and brought him into a big hug. "Oh, you did so good! That was much better than my first try. You'll be flying in no time if you're starting out like that!"

Winter couldn't help but feel that she was saying it more so for their son's benefit than her own—she had been the one who had wanted to stop the lesson just a few minutes ago, after all—but he could also see the genuine pride on her face as she kissed the top of the hybrid's head. Coldshock was grinning widely in response, and his eyes turned upwards as if already picturing himself in the sky.

But for Winter, he was looking at Moon. She's a great mother, he thought to himself with a smile. He'd always known she would be. And despite the situation that had brought about their parenthood, he couldn't help but to be glad that she was the one he had a dragonet with.

Raising to his feet, he went over to congratulate Coldshock on his not-quite-first flight. He'd still have a long way to go before he'd been taking off and soaring through the sky on his own, but Winter knew that he'd learn. He'd learn because Winter and Moon would be teaching him. Together.

"Oh, Moonwatcher, good to see you again. Here for a checkup, I imagine? Punctuality is always important, especially when it concerns your body."

Oryx was just finishing up with another patient—a rather large Seawing who appeared to have hurt a claw—when she walked in, Coldshock in tow and Luna perched on her shoulder. She was sure that the three of them probably made quite the spectacle, but Oryx didn't seem to mind even a little bit. In fact, the only thing that she heard in his mind was something along the lines of: oh, a dragonet. Looks healthy enough. Always good to see a healthy dragonet—too many show up here because they're sick.

Moon took a seat a few steps away from the door as Coldshock looked around the Sandwing doctor's office. He took a step away from her and she corralled him back with a sweep of her tail; she did not want him getting into any trouble. Especially since there could be any number of medicines lying around that a young dragonet could accidentally swallow.

"You'll want to stay off your paw and use it as little as possible for the next few days," she heard Oryx tell his other patient as he walked the Seawing to the door. "You're fortunate it was a pretty minor burn, but those can still cause problems if left untreated. Come back to see me immediately if it starts hurting any more than it already does."

The Seawing just grunted and walked out the door.

Oryx gave a small huff, then turned to look at Moon. "Well, what can I do for you today?" he asked, "Just a check on your wing?"

"I'd appreciate it," she nodded, standing back up and approaching him, holding it out as much as she could, "You did say to come back in a week last week."

"I did, I did," he said as he immediately began to get to work, then paused when he saw Luna on her shoulder. "Umm…would you like to put your bird somewhere?"

"Oh! Yes, sorry," Moon said, immediately feeling embarrassed. She reached up and removed the raven, who squawked in protest, and lowered her down to the ground. "Coldshock, look after her, would you?"

The hybrid nodded and Moon turned back to Oryx, still feeling stupid. She had originally wanted to leave the raven at home, but Winter was at the scavenger sanctuary and Luna absolutely hated going in the cage that Swallow had precured for them through Gale. Moon felt so bad for the raven, and since she was so well behaved (Swallow still couldn't believe she was wild) she had thought that there would be no problem binging her along. Which there hadn't been, up until right now.

But Oryx didn't seem to think anything of it. Just like Skywings, she heard him think, and she realized that he might have had to deal with dragons bringing birds into his office before.

He began to gingerly undo the wrap around her wing, then carefully stretched it out. She felt his claws slowly squeezing her wing in different places, no doubt feeling her muscles and the progress of the wound. "Let me know if you experience any sharp pain," he told her, and she didn't until he applied pressure right over where (she assumed) the wound was. She informed him, and he gave a small hum of acknowledgement.

"It still appears to be healing well," he said, beginning to wrap her wing back up with a fresh wrap, "Looks like I'd expect. It isn't causing you any discomfort?"

"No, aside from some itchiness and when I bump it on accident."

"So same as last time? Good." He tapped his tail lightly as he finished. "Unless there's anything else, that should be all. Come again next week and I'll give it another look, and of course let me know if you experience any additional pain or something changes."

"That is all for me…" Moon said, then looked down at where Coldshock sat with Luna perched on his head. "You wouldn't happen to be able to help heal the broken wing of a bird, could you?"

"Hmmmm?" the Sandwing hummed in question, then saw her looking at Luna. "Oh! Is she…? I'm sorry. I'd like to say I can help, but I'm not qualified to treat birds. They're very, very different than dragons. I do believe there are Skywings up in the Sky Capital that have experience, though, if you were interested in that."

"That's what I figured, but thank you." She wasn't too disappointed. It was a long shot, after all.

"Is that all?"

"Well, actually, if you don't mind…" Moon looked down again at her son, "Would you mind taking a look at my son? He's not sick or anything, I just…for a checkup, you know?"

"Of course, that's no problem," Oryx smiled, "I actually wish more parents would get their dragonets checked out. It can be very helpful, you know. One is never too young to be concerned with their health." He tapped a small table next to his desk before moving a few scrolls off of it. "Just set him here."

Moon did as he said, first transferring Luna back to her shoulder, then picking up Coldshock and setting him down so that the doctor could have a look at him.

"What's his name?" Oryx asked.

"Coldshock."

"Coldshock," he repeated, looking him over, "Odd scales pattering here," he said, taking note of the stripe of silver scales that her son wore. He put a claw on Coldshocks. "Cold scales, too. Is he a hybrid?"

"He is," Moon said. She was pretty sure the secret was out now about him, after telling the dragonesses at the reading club. So long as she decided to call Sanctuary home, it probably wasn't worth hiding it anymore, despite how much she disliked telling others about her past faithlessness. "He's mine and Winter's."

"Winter's? Huh?" Oryx said as he looked Coldshock over, "Funny, never pictured him having a son."

Somehow, Moon couldn't bring herself to agree with that statement. Sure, Winter had always come off as a bit aggressive and aloof due to his Icewing heritage, but she had always been able to look past that. She had always thought that he would be well suited to raising a family someday. And seeing him with Coldshock had only ever confirmed those thoughts.

"Well, he's a good father," she told him. And if she was honest with herself, seeing Winter and all that he'd accomplished with the town, she was proud that he was Coldshock's father, despite the circumstances.

"I don't doubt that," Oryx said, but she could tell it was just idle talk. His focus was on Coldshock, having him open his mouth and inspecting him there, and getting a good look under his wings and arms. It took him several minutes to finish the checkup, humming all the while.

"Well, I'm by no means an expert on hybrid dragonets, let along half-Icewings, but he seems healthy to me." Oryx said when done, "I can't really say much else except to bring him if he gets sick or something happens."

"Perfect," Moon said, "I thought as much, but I just thought I'd check, y'know…"

"Completely fine," Oryx told her, "Don't worry about it at all."

Her business concluded, she left a few minutes later, more or less happy about how things had gone. Her wing was healing nicely and her son seemed healthy. And despite his past, Oryx continued to be a true professional, and even a friendly dragon. She found herself liking him, actually.

It's funny how dragons can change.

A few more minutes passed, and she was back home, walking through the door with Luna and Coldshock in tow. She was surprised to see that Winter was there, having a snack in the kitchen. It was well past noon already—so he likely wasn't here for just a quick lunch—and she had though that he was spending the day in Sanctuary.

"I have a meeting with Riptide and Dragonfly to go over town planning," he told her after they exchanged greetings and she inquired about his presence, "It's in a couple hours, but Swallow told me that he'd handle the scavengers for the afternoon so I could get a little bit of rest in before I have to go to that."

"Oh, that's nice of him," Moon said, "He's been taking on a lot more of the scavenger stuff, hasn't he?"

"Some, yes," Winter said, "He's still got to work on his report writing, though. And organization. And fundraising. Not to mention—"

"He's learning, Winter," Moon cut him off before he could get into any sort of rant, "Just like you are with the town. Not everything comes to a dragon all at once."

The Icewing grunted, then shrugged his wings. "I guess you're right…"

She noticed his eyes flick to Luna on her shoulder, then at the birdcage that they'd hung in the other room. Moon couldn't read his mind due to the Skyfire that he wore, but she knew what he wanted. She sighed and began to move towards it to put Luna safely inside, but of course the raven decided to leap off her shoulder and hop away before she could. She found it amusing how the bird seemed to know what she was doing and avoided the cage, but Winter did not find it as funny.

For some reason, the Icewing just wasn't as much a fan of the bird as she was.

But any displeasure Winter had vanished as his son approached him and gave a hug to his leg. "Love you, dada," Coldshock said, and Winter couldn't help but smile. "Love you too, Coldshock," Winter said, wrapping the end of his tail around his son's much smaller one and giving a squeeze.

"Flying lesson?" Coldshock then asked, and Moon had to resist bursting out in laughter as Winter rolled his eyes. Dragonets would always be dragonets.

"Maybe later," he told their son. "I'm going to be busy in a little bit, okay?"

"Okay." The dragonet pouted, but didn't push. After a moment he wandered back to his room, probably for a nap.

Winter gave Coldshock a pat on the head before he left, then looked up to Moon. "Oh, by the way, I flew by the construction area on my way back," he told her, "The houses should be done pretty soon."

Moon tensed a little, although she wasn't sure why. Maybe it was because of the injury she'd sustained, but something told her that wasn't the case. "That's…good," she said cautiously, "A lot of dragons can have homes, then."

A lot of dragons including me, she added in her mind. She knew that Winter had intended for her to move into one once they were finished. But somehow…somehow that didn't sound very appealing to her at the moment. Thinking of Coldshock not living here, with his father, just didn't feel right to her.

Thinking of her not living right here didn't quite feel right either.

"We can go visit one, if you want to," Winter offered, "Have a look around them. I mean…I just thought…"

He trailed off and glanced away. Somehow, Moon got the feeling that he didn't feel right about it either.

"That's—" Moon started to say but was interrupted by a knock at the door. She'd been so caught up with the sudden mix of emotions that she hadn't even noticed the minds approaching outside. But it was a welcome change from the current topic, especially because of those mixed emotions.

But as she got up and went to the door, she began to get a read of the minds of the dragons that were standing outside. There were two of them. One energetic and excited, eager for the door to open and be greeted. The other was more hesitant and nervous, uncertain about what the door opening would bring.

Moon recognized them both, and she gave a small smile as she opened the door and spoke before the pink and yellow Rainwing outside could even utter a word.

"Hi Kinkajou. Hello Turtle. What brings you to Sanctuary?"