Winterwatcher! - Light in the Dark

❄️ Chapter 5 ❄️

A/N: I would like to give a big thankyou to LonelyTooLong for voting on this story. I can't believe that I only began writing this yesterday and you guys are already loving it!

"If you haven't met many NightWings then how come you hate them?"....

"Is that why you hate me? Just because I'm a NightWing?"

... "we don't have to be enemies."

"Well guess what? I don't hate you..."

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Winter woke with a start. Did he seriously just have a nightmare about Moon? What is wrong with me?

How was it still dark outside? It was like this night was going to go on forever and ever. Winter lied his head back down on the pillow. Through the pitch black he could slightly see the sleeping pale, yellow shape of Qibli.

Winter forced his eyes shut and eventually drifted off to sleep.

"Winter!" Qibli's urgent voice made Winter stir. He violently shook Winter's shoulder until the IceWing fully woke up. "I thought IceWing Princes were never late."

"What's the time?" Winter moaned. The sunlight shone straight into his eyes and blinded him.

"Five past 8:00," Qibli said trying hard not to laugh, "We're five minutes late." Winter launched off the bed and headed for the door. "Straight to the seventh circle for you Prince Winter," Qibli mocked in what seemed like a sore attempt at Queen Glacier's voice.

"Finally!" Tsunami yelled as Qibli and Winter rushed into the classroom.

"Sorry we're late," Winter said.

"Someone decided to sleep in," Qibli laughed. Winter glared at him as he headed towards his usual seat. Moon caught his eye when he walked past. Her expression told him nothing which made Winter feel awful. He walked as fast as possible so he wouldn't be tempted to look at her.

"Okayyyy we're going to be doing some trust exercises today," Tsunami announced. "It was one of Sunny's ideas to 'get to know your winglet'. Lucky for you guys, you get to do it with me. Now, everyone over here in a circle."

Winter stood by and watched as the rest of his winglet formed a circle in the middle of the room around Tsunami.

"Come on Winter!" Kinkajou said.

"Is this really necessary?" Winter asked. Tsunami rolled her eyes and said nothing.

"It'll be fun," Moon said optimistically.

Winter reluctantly joined the circle beside Qibli and Turtle. "Does this mean we're friends?" Qibli asked teasingly.

"Ha! This means nothing," Winter said. Qibli pulled a sad face.

Winter turned back to Tsunami but caught Moon watching him from the other side of the circle. Her head was tilted slightly. What is she doing?

Immediately, Moon snapped out of her day dream and whispered something to Kinkajou.

"Carnelian," Tsunami said suddenly, breaking her silence, "Can you tell us about your relationship with Queen Glacier." Everyone turned to Carnelian. She seemed to shrink back a little bit and a really un-Carnelian expression crossed her face.

Confusion flooded through Winter. Queen Glacier? What is Tsunami talking about?

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Carnelian exclaimed making it clear to everyone that her story was thicker than just 'a soldier in Queen Ruby's army'.

"Carnelian, you're going to know these dragons for a long time. You will basically be living with Moon and Kinkajou. This exercise is all about sharing and having a better understanding of each other," Tsunami reasoned, "Those were Starflight's words not mine by the way. But if you don't feel comfortable sharing then that's okay too, I guess."

"I'm not sharing anything," Carnelian snapped. Winter could tell that she was trying not to let her real feelings show. He was a little disappointed though when she wouldn't share. He felt like he needed to know what Carnelian had to do with Queen Glacier.

Winter glanced over at Moon. She had that look about her that said that she knew something. She was staring at Carnelian in an odd way. What is she hiding?

"Kinkajou," Tsunami said, looking the little, pink dragon in the eye. "I think you know by now that I will be asking you a personal question. Will you be okay to answer it?"

"Of course!" Kinkajou bounded up and down.

"Can you tell us about your history with NightWings?" Tsunami asked sincerely. Kinkajou stopped jumping around and every ounce of excitement disappeared from her body. Her scales turned a dark shade of turquoise.

"I was one of the RainWings that the NightWings experimented on," Kinkajou began so softly that Winter had to strain his ears to hear her. "I was chained up in their volcano home for weeks. They tortured us and made us spit venom so they could test it."

Moon pulled Kinkajou into a tight hug. Winter was shocked. That tiny, always happy RainWing had been through such a traumatic experience. It was awful.

Then he realised something. The NightWings had captured her, tortured her and kept her hostage for weeks and Kinkajou didn't hate them for it. She knew that they were only doing it to find a way off the volcano to survive. Look at them Winter. Kinkajou doesn't hate Moon. I only believed that all NightWings had to be hated because of stupid stories. Am I such a horrible dragon that I hate others because of something they didn't even do. Moon had nothing to do with Hailstorm's.....

It doesn't matter.

She's not like them.

Winter scanned the group for Carnelian, to see if she was back to her normal self but realised with a sudden shock that she was nowhere to be found.

Qibli noticed this too and asked Turtle if he had seen her. (She was standing beside him in the circle.)

"She left the room a few minutes ago," Turtle started as the gong sounded to end the class. "She was mumbling something about Winter and IceWings before she disappeared."

"Did I do something?" Winter asked.

"No, you didn't," Moon interrupted, "I think I know where Carnelian's gone. And you're not going to like it at all Winter."