Ice & Warmth

Jade Winglet

Winter walked into the history cave and saw that all his friends were already there. But what surprised him the most was that he saw Sapphire sitting in the middle of the cave. Winter felt stiff again, but then ignored everyone in the room except Sapphire. When she smiled at him, he smiled back. She motioned for him to sit next to her. Winter crossed the cave toward her and sat down. 

"Sorry about earlier," Sapphire whispered. 

"It's fine," Winter whispered back. "It happens." 

"Wow, you really have changed," Sapphire commented. Winter tried to not look hurt, "Sunny told me to watch out because I'll never know when you'll snap." 

"Wait, you tested me?" Winter squinted. Sapphire nodded her head. "You are dangerous, Sapphire," Winter joked. But Sapphire took it to literally. She looked down at her talons in despair. "I was joking." 

"Oh," Sapphire slightly smiled. But then a familiar feeling came off her like a magic potion. Winter lingered closer to her to know what it felt like, then it hit him, it was magic. Winter looked at her with a shock expression. He looked at Qibli but he couldn't help but notice Moon's shocked face. 

"You're an Animus," Winter whispered in Sapphire's ear. 

"What!" Sapphire said a little to loudly. "What?" Sapphire said quietly. "I'm not." 

"Don't lie," Winter warned. "I have a friend who can tell me if your lying." He motioned toward Moon. 

"What are you going to do to me?" Sapphire asked worriedly. 

"Nothing, why would you think that?" Winter asked. Sapphire looked away and didn't look at Winter in the eyes. 

"The way you reacted when Moon told you her gifts," Sapphire whispered. Winter was hurt, he was hurt that people still judged him because of what he did when he was a jerk. Maybe this is what Peril feels like all the time, Winter thought. Winter was also hurt that Sapphire didn't trust him that much. 

"I won't ever react that way again," Winter promised. Sapphire faced Winter with eyes full of hope. Winter looked into her eyes, he noticed how her eyes were so strange but beautiful at the same time. He also notice how this action made his heart skip a beat. They were gazing into each other's eyes for so long they didn't hear Clay ask Sapphire a question. 

"Ahem," Clay coughed. Winter and Sapphire broke their gaze reluctantly. "Winter, Sapphire, I know that meeting new dragons is an amazing experience. But, can you please focus?" Clay asked. Winter and Sapphire both blushed and looked away. "Sapphire, can you tell us about yourself?" 

Sapphire got up, "I'm a SkyWing-SandWing hybrid. I like to read and draw. I don't like to do math. But I love to learn about Scavengers." Winter looked up at her in awe. 

"Did you just fell from heaven?" Winter murmured out loud. Sapphire blushed at his comment. 

"No, but thank you for the compliment," Sapphire grinned. Winter looked flustered and embarrassed at the same time. Winter glanced at Qibli and Winter saw that Qibli was grinning at him and Sapphire. In that moment, Winter knew that his SandWing friend wasn't going to let this slide. Winter faced Sapphire as she sat down again, 

"Well, anyone want to go hunting? I'm starving," Clay said hungrily. Peril giggled silently. When everyone looked at her, she made a face that said that she always silent giggle. Clay walked over to Peril and she walked over to him and twined her tail with his. They walked out of the cave and flew away with Turtle and Kinkajou right behind them. Then after Turtle and Kinkajou, the new MudWing went. The last dragons there were Sapphire, Winter, Qibli, and Moon. They stood there awkwardly until Qibli walked up to Sapphire. 

"Hi, I'm Qibli, Winter's most adored friend in the whole world," Qibli said dramatically. 

"I do not adore you," Winter snapped. Qibli shrugged. But all Sapphire did was laugh. Moon watched Sapphire with a curious glare. Qibli noticed first but when Qibli's attention went to Moon, it usually meant that it was Winter's turn to back off. Sapphire was laughing until she was pushed to the other side of the cave with an invisible force. Winter ran over to her and Moon was pushed to the other side of the cave with the same invisible force. Qibli ran to Moon. 

"Are you okay?" Winter asked Sapphire. She shook her head from side to side. Sapphire glared at Moon with a terrified glance. Winter looked at what Sapphire was looking at. 

"I gotta get out of here," Sapphire said. With that she got up and flew up with the others. 

"What happened?" Winter asked. "Why was Sapphire looking at Moon with a terrified look?" 

"I-I don't know," Moon stammered. She got up and dusted off her scales. Qibli helped her get up. "But what I do know is that there is another Prophecy, 

Up in the Sky 

In the Mountains

There is a powerful force

A force full of fire and destruction 

Beware of the claws

Beware of the talons of fire

Beware a traitor among you

Beware of long lost foe 

Search through what you know

Search among you

Search the mountains

Search and you find

Mercy or Justice 

That is something the creature of it's kind should choose. " Moon scattered. 

"ANOTHER PROPHECY!" Winter bellowed. "Again! I thought we were done with prophecies and death!" 

"I agree with the chilly prince here," Qibli agreed. "How do we know that we are the ones that will stop this thing we're supposed to find." Moon rolled her eyes and showed Qibli her vision. "Yup. It defiantly is us." Moon walked over to Winter and pressed her palm against his head. He saw his Winglet flying to the mountains and he saw dead bodies of SkyWings everywhere. He saw fire and burning. 

"Do you think it's Peril?" Winter asked. 

"Maybe?" Qibli shrugged. "She was the talons of fire last time." 

"No, Peril is good now, all the way," Moon paced the cave. "There's got to be a reason why there is fire other than Peril." Winter shook his head and started to fly. 

"Where are you going?" Qibli asked. 

"To go get food, I'm hungry and I'm not going to solve any prophecies on an empty stomach," Winter argued. He followed the group around the mountains and tried to get a cow. He caught one and flew back to the Prey Centre. When he came back he sat next to Qibli, Moon, Turtle, Kinkajou, the new MudWing, known as Bear, and Peril. Winter sat down and saw that Sapphire was coming toward them. 

"Hey, can I sit next you guys?" Sapphire asked."It's pretty lonely on the other side of the Centre." 

"Yeah, sure," Winter smiled. Sapphire sat next to Winter but kept a clear distance away from Moon. "Are you okay? You left in a rush in the history cave," Winter asked as he ate the thigh of the cow. 

"Yeah, I just had a head ache," Sapphire lied. She ate her bull in silence. 

"Hey, if you wouldn't mind, I would like to talk to the whole winglet in my sleeping cave," Moon told her friends. 

"I don't mind," Bear stated. 

"Uh...sorry...I-" She was cut off by a sad face from Winter. "You know what, I guess I'm free." 

"Great, because we need to talk," Moon told them. 

"Oh no," Peril groaned. "Not another prophecy." 

"Peril, shush!" Moon shushed. Peril was quiet. "You can't tell anyone and also it involves you. Like a lot." Peril went stiff and she nodded her head. Winter was suspicious of Peril but he knew that Peril was innocent. But why was there so much fire in Moon's vision? Why was Sapphire so scared of Moon?