Winterwatcher

The Winterwatcher Story, Part Two

After a few days...

He was flying back to Possibility with Foeslayer, the NightWing he had freed from the Diamond Caves. She was going to help him and his friends find the lost city of night. As he saw the buildings of Possibility appear, joy made shivers run down his spine. Moon is there. I will see her again. He did a happy flip in the sky. "May I ask why you are so excited?" Foeslayer asked curiously. "Uh--" Winter said. "Nothing." Foeslayer snorted skeptically.

A few minutes after that... 

Peril had burned him. She had horribly burned him, and pain was seemingly slicing his body to pieces. He gasped, trying to get air, but breathing was too much work. No, he thought, I'm going to die. I'm going to die and Moon will be with Qibli. I can't--

"Winter!" somebody cried. That somebody was Moon. He knew. But her voice was all wrong: it was panicked and scared. "I'm sorry! I was trying to get away and we crashed--" Peril started. Everything else other dragons said was muffled. Winter buried his hatred for the firescales dragon deep inside his mind. I have to think like a good dragon, he thought. I can't hate her. She was brainwashed by Scarlet. It's not her fault that she's a monster. 

"No, no, no," Moon said. Winter felt her crouch down beside him. She gently took his claws in hers. He forced himself to look up at her. "Moon," Winter croaked, "I'm sorry for everything I ever did...I..." he stopped talking. "Winter," Moon said softly. "I know that you were just trying to portray yourself as strong. I understand. I forgive you." 

Winter saw an emerald-green shape approaching. It was a SeaWing. More specifically, Turtle. The boring SeaWing prince who kept trying to stay in the background of everything. He lifted a rock out of the pouch around his neck and put it on Winter's scales.

The contact made Winter yelp in pain. "Turtle," Moon said, "A rock isn't going to--" Winter suddenly felt all the pain wash away as Turtle slid the rock across the IceWing's scales. Breathing became less of a challenging task, and he could see clearly again.

"Turtle! You're an animus!" Qibli exclaimed. "Wow," Winter said faintly, slowly getting to his feet. "Oh my goodness," Moon said. "Thank you, Turtle." "It's not that big of a deal..." Turtle mumbled. "Moon," Winter said happily. He wrapped his wings around the black dragon because he knew it would make her feel good, given the irritating heat of the desert town. She sighed a fluttery sigh and leaned her head onto his shoulder. "I love you," Winter whispered. "Me too," Moon said with a smile. "You are a very good dragon, Winter." Winter could do nothing but smile.