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Chapter Text

He was fleeing the Ice Kingdom.

Winter didn't even know how he got there. One moment, he was fighting the NightWings, and the next, he was in the great hall of the palace he grew up in.

He had flown away as fast as he could. He wasn't going to take any chances of being caught by guards or his parents.

Mother. Being caught by Mother. He corrected himself. Narwhal is dead. Father is dead. He might have been horrible to me, but I can still feel sad.

Winter didn't realize how far he had flown. He was nearing the border where the Sand and Ice Kingdoms met. It was one am and already too hot for his comfort and he knew that the flight over the desert was going to be miserable.

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Around noon, Winter stopped at an oasis to rest. He had been flying for 11 hours and the sun blaring down on him wasn't helping his exhaustion. The oasis only had one tree and there was a small amount of water, but it was still something.

He collapsed underneath the tree and tried to catch his breath. He was tired, sore, and extremely dehydrated.

After his breathing returned to a normal pace, Winter got up and walked over to the pond. He drank a lot from it, for it could be the last water that he encountered for a while. The water tasted a little funny, and there was some sand in it, but it was refreshing.

He lowered himself into the pond and relief washed over him. The water was so much colder than the surrounding desert, and it was amazing. The temperature reminded him of one of the lakes back at Jade Mountain.

I need to go back there. All of my friends are there, and they could be dealing with Darkstalker by themselves. 

He climbed out of the pond and dried himself off.

When he was about to take off, Winter spotted something in the nearby dunes. He flew over to it and gasped. There was an IceWing sticking out of the sand. She had obviously been dead for a while, but that wasn't what had caught Winter's eye. She was curled around something, treasure perhaps? No, it wasn't treasure, it wasn't shiny enough.

An egg? Oh moons, please don't let it be an egg.

He reached out to try and grab the thing, but the dead dragon was curled around it too tightly. Sighing, Winter lifted up one of the IceWing's talons and looked at the object.

It was an egg.

Chapter Text

It was an IceWing egg, in the desert.

Winter had heard stories when he was young about the IceWing in the egg melting if it was in a hot climate for too long, and judging by the dead mothers body, this egg had been here for at least two weeks.

Winter prayed that nothing had happened to the dragonet inside, that it was perfectly healthy and that those stories were just rumors.

He grabbed the egg and wrapped his wings around it, holding it close to his body and trying to cool it down.

Please be okay. Please, be okay. 

He clutched the egg to his chest and took off towards Jade Mountain, hoping that someone could help him with this.

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*2 days later*

He had taken a wrong back in the Sand Kingdom and was now approaching a somewhat familiar city. It took him a couple moments before he realized that this was Possibility, the town where Peril had-- he needed to stop thinking about that.

Still, the phantom pain of the burns Peril had caused hurt so much he almost dropped the egg. 

No. I can't drop this. I'm not going to let this dragonet die. I'm not going to be responsible for another IceWing dying. Too many lost their lives in the battle at Jade Mountain and in the war.

"I'm not going to let you die, little one," Winter whispered. "I'm going to keep you safe. You're okay now."

He kept flying until he reached the town square. He didn't know where to go from here but something in the back of his mind told him to go to a house with a huge garden in the back of it.

Oh, this is Mayfly's house. He realized as he stepped up to the door. He remembered going here when Chameleon attacked Kinkajou. I'm so glad she's okay now. I hope nothing bad happened to her, or any of them, when I was gone.

He knocked on the door of the medics house and moments later, a huge MudWing opened the door. "You again," she sneered. "What do you want this time?" 

"I- can you help me with this?" Winter asked as he gently lifted up the egg.

Mayfly's gaze traveled to the egg and then back to him. "This yours?"

Winter blushed as he stammered, "N-no."

"Heh. Wait, so, if this isn't yours, where did you get it from? If you stole it, you could get arrested."

"I did technically steal it, but it was for a good reason," he added at Mayfly's glare. "I found it in the desert, next to the mothers body, and it looked like she had been dead for at least a week or two and I figured that if no one had looked for her then it would be okay to-" he said quickly before the MudWing cut him off.

"Okay, okay I get it. You wont get arrested, calm down. What did you even want help with in the first place, though?"

"Just, check if the dragonet is okay. It was out in the desert for a while and I worried."

Mayfly nodded and grabbed the egg. She raised it up to the sun for a few moments and then lowered it closer to her face so she could examine it. "This thing's gonna hatch soon. Most likely in the next couple weeks," she said while still peering at the egg. She lifted it up to her ear and listened for a few moments before saying, "The dragonet seems healthy."

Winter released a breath he didn't know he was holding. The dragonet was okay. "Thank you so much. I was really worried."

Mayfly smiled. "No problem. And just so you know, I think you'll be a great father if you decide to raise them."

The statement shocked him. He hadn't even thought about raising them. He was too preoccupied with whether or not they were okay.

As he said his thanks and took off, he turned around and said, "Oh, by the way, Kinkajou, the RainWing, is okay. She woke up."

The brown dragon smiled. "Good to know." 

She walked inside of her hut and closed the door as Winter flew higher up into the air and made his way to Jade Mountain. He had some friends to see.

Chapter Text

*3 days after leaving Possibility*

It had taken him far too long, but eventually, near sundown, Jade Mountain was in his line of sight.

Winter tried to ignore how tired he was. Being tired could wait until he got back to school. It could wait an hour. 

He needed to get this egg somewhere safe. He needed to be able to rest knowing that it was safe. It was why he hadn't gotten any sleep since leaving the Ice Kingdom. He just didn't trust himself enough to keep it safe if he was asleep. It was a stupid fear, really, but still...

He shook his head and pushed through his fatigue, pumping his wings faster as to, hopefully, get to Jade Mountain in the shortest amount of time possible.

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It hadn't even been an hour before his exhaustion overtook him and he collapsed. Not on the ground, but in midair.

Winter began hurtling down towards the rocky floor below him at a lightning fast speed, and there wasn't much his tired body could do about it.

He wrapped himself around the egg, hoping that he would be able to absorb most of the impact.

He landed on one his right wing with a sickening SNAP and he knew that he had broken it. 

Everything on his right side began to hurt and he shrieked. It was almost painful enough to make him pass out. But he couldn't. Not until he got inside the school. Not until the egg was safe.

Winter checked his arms and was relieved when he saw that he was still holding the egg, that it was still safe. He didn't want anything to happen to it. Even though it hadn't hatched yet, he loved it with all of his heart, and this time, he wouldn't regret it.

He had loved his parents. Sure, they might have been abusive, and toxic, and yelled at him whenever he did something wrong, -Winter was sure all parents were like that- but he couldn't help loving them. They were his parents after all. And he had been sure, so, so sure that they loved him back, that there was the smallest sliver in their hearts that was meant for him.

But that wasn't true.

When Hailstorm had been captured, Tundra and Narwhal had refused to talk to him for months, except to yell at him for how stupid he was to let that happen, how, because of him, their most important child was dead. And that was how Winter had realized they didn't love him, how he knew that their small bit of love for him had shattered. He had hoped that when he brought Hailstorm back, they would have thanked him, that they would have been proud of him. But no, they had decided to have him killed. They had sacrificed him. Their own son.

He held the egg closer to his body and began to cry.

Now, because of his parents, he wasn't an IceWing anymore. He was no longer a prince. He no longer had a home to go back to.

He moved his head to try and see where he had crashed and a bolt of pain shot through him. He reached up and touched his head. It felt wet and when he brought his talon back down, he could see that it was covered in blue blood. He whimpered as he felt the sticky liquid drip down his face and into his eyes.

Winter's mind felt foggy and when he tried to stand up, his legs gave up on him. He knew he needed to keep in as much blood as possible, but his arms were too tired to do anything, and he was using the last of his energy to hold the egg.

He heard voices and tried to turn around but it was too painful. 

"Winter? Oh moons. Are you okay?" Qibli asked as he approached his friend, blowing out a puff of flame to examine him.

Winter whispered, "Stupid question, sand-snorter."

"Yeah. Yeah it was. We need to get you to the healing center, and fast. You're losing a lot of blood. Can you make it there?"

"My wing- ," Winter said as his voice cracked. "No. I can't."

"Okay, okay. It's gonna be fine. It's okay," Qibli said. Winter wasn't sure if he was talking to himself or not but either way, it didn't help.

"Hey, listen, I'm gonna get Clay really fast, okay? He's going to make you feel better." The SandWing said in a calm voice. "Moon can you come over here? Just help him, I don't know. I need to go get Clay."Qibli said as he spread his wings and took off.

Moon took his place by Winter and held one of his talons. He could see small tears running down her face and wanted to hug her. "Winter, it's going to be okay. Alright? Here, hand me the egg, I can take care of it."

He nodded, or at least tried to, and loosened his grip on the egg. Moon reached out and grabbed it. She held it so carefully and he knew it was going to be safe. Still, some part of him didn't trust her. But that was stupid, he was stupid for thinking that. He said a quiet thanks and then just laid there awkwardly, holding her talon.

A few minutes later, he heard wing beats. Clay landed softly next to him and Qibli followed shortly behind. "Winter, I'm just warning you, I'm going to pick you up so I can take you to the healing center, okay?"

"Yeah," he said. He was in too much pain to protest and didn't even react when the strong MudWing hoisted him into the air and took off for Jade Mountain.

Chapter Text

Clay gently set Winter down on a cot in the infirmary near some of the other IceWings who had been injured during the war. None of them looked thrilled to be at the school but they needed the medical help.

He tried to ignore the pain shooting throughout his body as the MudWing healer set his wing and stitched up the wound on his head. He needed to be strong right now. Needed to be strong to honor those lost to the NightWings’ talons. 

Clay put a numbing ointment all over his body and Winter thanked him before settling into a more comfortable position to try and get some sleep. Of course, his annoying clawmate immediately ruined that plan.

"So..." Qibli said, sitting down near his friends cot. "What exactly were you up to in the Ice Kingdom? I mean, you do have an egg now..."

Winter blushed but before he could stammer an explanation, he heard a loud "Ha!" from somewhere nearby. He spun his head to see who had laughed and winced once he realized who it was. 

It was Narwhal, his father. He had thought that Narwhal had died in the battle, but Clay must have gotten him into the hospital wing before too much blood could pour out of the gash in his neck. 

Narwhal laughed again and it brought Winter back into reality. "No one would ever do that with him. He's far too ugly, and I doubt anyone would want to be with a traitor."

Winter turned away, trying to block out what his father was saying, but the words stung like a hot knife to his heart. He felt a tear slide down his face and wiped it away quickly, but of course, Qibli saw.

The SandWing walked over to Clay and talked with him for a little bit before grabbing something off of a shelf and walking back to Winter. "C'mon," he whispered. "Lets go. I'm taking you to our sleeping cave, okay?"

Winter nodded and followed his clawmate out of the room, trying to get as far away from Narwhal as possible.

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When they reached their sleeping cave, Winter immediately ran towards his bed and plopped down onto it, facing away from Qibli. He began crying and wrapped his good wing around himself, trying to get at least a little bit of privacy.

After a few minutes, he finally whispered, "Qibli?"

"Yeah?" The SandWing replied quietly.

"I-thank you."

A long silence followed and Winter was wondering if his friend had left when he heard a quiet, "For what?"

"Just, thanks for getting me out of there. I don't like being near him."

"Yeah, I get that. Listen, we should probably get to bed soon, it's like, midnight. I got you a sleeping drought, if you want."

"Okay, thanks," Winter said as Qibli handed him the drought. He didn't even have time to relish the lavender-lemon taste after drinking it, for he was fast asleep.

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*Qibli*

Qibli waited for Winter’s breathing to slow before sneaking out of the cave in search of Moon.

He crept silently through the halls of Jade Mountain towards her cave. He found her sitting on her bed, curled protectively around the small egg that Winter had handed her. She looked a bit sad and a bit scared. Qibli laid down next to her, wrapping his wings around her in a comforting gesture. 

"You alright?" he asked her. 

She smiled softly but shook her head. "It's just...it feels like the future is moving too fast, and I can't make sense of any of it. Only a few days ago, we stopped a war from breaking out. Now this. I just don't know what I should do."

Qibli smiled down at his friend, trying to comfort her. "How's the egg?" He asked curiously.

"I think-I think there's something wrong with the dragonet," Moon said solemnly "I don't know if she's going to survive."

"Oh no. Should we tell Winter?"

Moon shook her head. "I'm not 100% sure if I'm right. It's best not to get his hopes down if there's a chance she could live."

Qibli nodded. "Yeah, you're right. Speaking of Sir Grumpy Sparkles, I need to go check on him. He's probably still asleep, but in case he's not, I don't want him to feel alone."

The NightWing next to him curled up tighter around the egg and said goodbye as Qibli walked out of her cave and into him and Winters shared cave.

The IceWing was still asleep, but he looked uncomfortable. Qibli grabbed a blanket that had fallen onto the floor and placed it on his cold companion. Winter visibly relaxed as soon as the blanket was placed on him and Qibli chuckled as Winter wrapped the fluffy pink blanket around himself.

Oh moons, he's gorgeous. Qibli thought as he climbed into his bead and settled into the camel fur pillows.

Chapter Text

When Winter woke up, the first thing he saw was Qibli staring at him. 

"What do you want Sand-snorter?" He mumbled, pulling his blanket closer to his face. I didn't have this when I fell asleep. He realized. Did Qibli put it on me?

"I was just checking up on you. You've been asleep for like, two days."

"Two days!" Winter yelled, sitting up abruptly. He clutched his head as pain shot through it and stood up slowly. "You should've woken me up. The egg is supposed to hatch sometime soon."

"I know. Lets go find Moon so we can get an update on it." Qibli suggested.

Winter nodded and followed the pale SandWing out of the cave. They began walking towards Moons cave in an awkward silence and only talked when they reached the cave.

Moon and Kinkajou were in the cave together. Kinkajou curled around the egg, and Moon reading a scroll out loud. Winter smiled to himself. Of course Moon was reading to the egg. She was probably hoping she could make the dragonet even more of a bookworm than she was.

"Moon, Kinkajou," he said, bowing his head as he walked into the room.

"Hi Winter," Moon said calmly. At the same time as Kinkajou yelled, "HI WINTER!"

Winter rolled his eyes and sat down near them. "How's the egg?" He asked quietly, peering down at the little silver shape that Kinkajou was curled around.

"It's doing good." Moon replied. "It's been moving a lot lately. Think it means that it's going to hatch soon?"

"I'm not sure," Winter said, pausing. "But the doctor that I visited in Possibility said that it might hatch sometime this week or next week."

Moon looked like she was going to say something else when she snapped her jaw shut and looked at the egg, which was wiggling in Kinkajou's arms. A small crack appeared on the top of it and the RainWing holding it announced, "I think it's hatching today."

"May I hold it?" Winter asked, and when Kinkajou nodded, he gently grabbed the small object from her.

Moon turned to him and smiled. "I can hear her. Her thoughts are quiet, but they're there."

Her. I'm going to have a daughter. He smiled to himself as he leaned down and gently kissed the egg. "I love you," he whispered. "I love you so much. I can't wait to meet you." He wrapped his wing around it protectively. Almost as if he were giving it a hug.

He felt the egg shudder in his talons and watched as another crack appeared near the top, this one larger than the other. Small chunks of the shell began falling away, and Winter didn't really think much of them, until he realized that the inside part of them -the part that faced towards the dragonet- were blue. Blood blue.

Oh no. Oh moons no.

"I think I'm probably overthinking this but is that blood?" He asked Moon shakily, showing her the eggshell. The NightWing studied the shell for a moment before looking up at him and nodding.

“No. No, no, no. How can that be blood? There shouldn’t be any blood, right? Or is it normal? Please tell me that it’s normal. Please.”

“I’m sorry, Winter. It’s not,” Moon said solemnly. “On the bright side, she’s not dead. I can still hear her mind. You should set it down though. Dragonets are supposed to hatch on a hard surface.”

Winter nodded and set the egg down gently, holding it steady with his tail.

A crack appeared along the left side and, after a few more kicks, a small talon popped out. The dragonet kept struggling, and kicking, until finally, the egg split apart. Half of the shell stayed on top of the dragonet, so Winter carefully picked up the shell and placed it to the side.

His daughter was gorgeous. Her eyes were the color of sea glass, and had small flecks of gold in them. She might have been covered in blood, but she was perfect.

Or at least, he thought so. Until he noticed her front legs, or, where her front legs should've been. All that was there were two stumps with no talons and bloody muscles sticking out of them.

He snatched the tiny dragonet up in a blanket and cradled her as he ran towards the infirmary, his friends following shortly behind him.

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It took him longer than he would've liked to reach the clinic, but when he did, Clay immediately sprang into motion. Winter didn't question how the MudWing knew that the egg had hatched or how he knew there had been a complication with the dragonet, all he was wondering at the moment was if his daughter was going to survive or not.

Clay carefully grabbed the small dragonet from Winter's talons and opened her blanket up on a table to examine her wounds. He looked at her for about a minute before whispering something to Qibli -who had been standing next to him- and rushing her into a side room that Winter hadn't noticed before.

Qibli walked over to Winter and murmured, "He said he needed to do some 'emergency stuff to her' and that he 'wouldn't be able to if your anxious ass was in here.' He didn't actually say that, I'm just interpreting stuff for you."

"What does he have to do?" Winter asked, panicking. "Why can't I be here when does it? Is she gonna be okay? What's he going to do to her?"

Qibli rolled his eyes and pushed him out of the infirmary. "See, this is what he means. You're gonna be worrying about stuff the entire time and he's not gonna be able to do his job. Clay's got this, okay? Just, sit down and try to relax."

"He has the right to be anxious," Moon said softly, sitting down next to the pale SandWing, Kinkajou sitting next to her. "After all, he's a father now and his daughter's hurt."

Winter groaned. "Don't remind me. I'm already stressed as it is."

He was anxious about a million things at once. His father, his wing, his daughter, what school would be like with a daughter, his sexuality, what had happened to his daughter while she was in the egg, if he would be allowed to stay at the school, what to do if he couldn't stay at the school, where to go if he had to leave, what to feed a dragonet. 

He stood up and began pacing before sitting down and standing back up again. Eventually he just gave up and sat down against the rough wall of the hallway. He clutched his head in his talons and tried to breathe, but it was impossible. Instead, he decided to focus on one of the torches opposite him. The twisting flames hypnotic.

"Can we talk?" Moon asked him quietly, shaking his shoulder and snapping him out of his daze. He nodded slowly and followed her silently through the twisting tunnels of Jade Mountain until they reached one of the underground lakes.

This one was completely empty, except for them and the glow worms. It was peaceful, the silence with the sounds of the lake and dripping water from stalactites. Winter would've stayed here forever, if he could. He sat down, staring at the eerily beautiful ceiling of the cave. It was covered in glow worms, mostly turquoise, but some blues and greens were woven in.

"Are you okay?" Moon asked quietly. "You looked really upset back there."

"Truthfully," Winter said in the same hushed tone, "not really. I'm just... worried, I guess."

"About anything in particular?"

"Kinda a lot of stuff. I don't know. I'm just worried that I'm gonna mess up."

"You're going to do great, don't worry."

He spun to face the NightWing. "How do you know that, Moon‽ How do you know that I'm not gonna fuck something up‽ How do you know that I can do this‽ I don't know if I could make this any more clear but I have never raised a child before!!! I don't know what parents are supposed to be like, but I know that I'm nowhere close to that! I don't want to fuck up my daughters life like my parents did mine, but if I don't even know how I'm supposed to act, then it's going to happen and my kid's gonna hate me!" He took a deep, shaky breath and continued. "I don't want my daughter to hate me, Moon. I really don't. But I don't know how to do this and I'm scared. I am so fucking scared. I can't do this." He couldn't help the tears from spilling out of his eyes and he hated himself for it. He hated himself.

Moon hesitantly wrapped her wings around him in a hug and he froze. He had never been hugged this lovingly before, never really even been hugged. It felt nice. He leaned into the small NightWing and wrapped his good wing around her, wanting to return the affection.

"I really do think you're gonna do amazing, Winter," Moon began quietly. "I saw how you reacted the second you saw she was hurt, and how gently you held her. You've got this, okay?"

"I-I-" He tried, pulling away from her and sitting back down near the lake. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you, I- what if I accidentally yell at her? What if I get angry and lash out? What if I hurt her?"

We glanced down at his forearms and chest, where several scars from his parents lay, as well as some... other scars. He remembered the day he had gotten most of them, mainly because it was one of the worst days of his life.

He remembered telling his parents about what had happened to Hailstorm, and the woosh of his fathers tail as it was brought down against his scales. He remembered rushing to his room, bleeding and bruised, with a large talonprint on his face. He remembered finding a knife and- he forced the memories away, trying to focus on Moon.

The dark green dragoness twined her tail around his and smiled gently. "You won't, I know you won't." She stood up and began walking to the entrance of the cave, tugging him along with her. "C'mon, lets get head back."

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When they reached the group, Qibli excitedly ran up to Winter and in a loud whisper asked, "What did you talk about?"

Winter rolled his eyes and looked away from the obnoxious SandWing. He walked over to Moon, who was taking a seat next to Kinkajou and talking with her quietly. When he sat next to her, Moon twined her tail around his and continued her conversation with the multicolored RainWing.

Qibli looked at Winter, and then his tail a few times before whispering, "Ohhh," and sitting down. 

The group chatted for a while in the hallway -Winter mostly kept quiet and only talked when someone asked him something- until Tsunami found them and yelled at them to go to bed. 

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*Midnight*

Winter was still awake. He knew he should try to get some sleep but there was too much anxiety clouding his mind for it to be possible. So he just lay there with his thoughts. 

He had assumed Qibli had gone to bed but when he heard his clawmate whisper his name he knew it was too good to be true. 

"Winter," the SandWing repeated. "I think you have so much anxiety it's contagious because now I'm too stressed to sleep." Winter promptly threw a pillow at his head as hard as he could.

"Heyy!," Qibli groaned. "I'm being serious. No need to throw shit at me. Actually wait. I needed a pillow. Thanks!"

Winter knew that his clawmate had more than enough pillows, but he didn't bother to say anything.

"For real though. You need to stop worrying so much. Clay's got this. She's gonna be fine. Oh, by the way, what are you thinking of naming her? I mean, you weren't planning on calling her 'her' forever, were you?"

"I haven't really thought about it much. I guess trying to come up with names probably could help me get the smallest bit calmer."

Qibli jumped onto Winter's bed and whispered, "Can I help? Can I help?"

Winter groaned and sat up. "If you must."

They spent the rest of the night figuring out names and talking their worries away.

"What about Snowstorm?" Qibli suggested. "It could be a tie with Hailstorm. That could be nice."

"Meh."

"Okay then, how abouuuuut.... Igloo? That way you could always have a mini Igloo-face. Oh wait, never mind, don't name her that. You're the only Igloo-face allowed in the world."

Winter laughed and tried to cover it with a snort, but was unsuccessful. Instead, it sounded like he was having about 20 hiccups at once. Qibli looked at him with an odd expression before bursting into laughter. He collapsed onto Winter, wheezing as he tried to imitate the sound.

Winter pushed him off before growling, "Can we continue on with this moonsblasted conversation already?"

Qibli nodded and wiped his eyes. Mid-wipe he paused and looked at his friend. "I've got it."

"Got what?"

"I know what we should name your daughter. We should call her Flurry."

Winter paused for a moment to consider the name. It was beautiful and he had always loved watching the flurries of snow fall outside his window in the Ice Kingdom. "I-I actually love that."

"You do?" Qibli asked. Winter nodded and Qibli wrapped his wings around him in a ferocious hug. "Yay!"

Winter froze before slowly hugging his friend back. "Thank you, Qibli." I love you. Wait no. Where did that come from? Fuck.

Chapter Text

He awoke early that morning, his body not letting him sleep past the sunrise.

Winter slunk out of his bed and leaned forward, stretching his back. He dug his claws into the ground, his arms and legs straight. He tipped his head upwards, stretching his neck to work the kinks out of it. Pain ricocheted through him as he did but he ignored it.

He stepped out of his cave and walked through the empty halls of Jade Mountain to the prey center. A pile of fish sitting in a small pool caught his eye and he headed over to it, snatching a fish out of the water.

He walked over to the ledge that he usually sat at and clambered onto it, sitting on his haunches and staring down at the fish in his talons. As he contemplated actually eating it, he heard a quiet, “Couldn’t sleep either?” and snapped his head up. He met Moon’s emerald eyes and smiled sadly at her.

“Not really,” he whispered. “I’m just stressed.” He sighed and stood up slowly, having decided that he had lost his appetite. He tried to spread his wings and winced as he did. He looked down at his right wing and groaned. “How did I forget about that?”

Moon flew over to Winter and landed on the ledge next to him. She examined his wing for a moment before looking up at him and whispering, “I can get you a pain-”

“I don’t need it,” Winter interrupted. Moon flinched and he realized that he had yelled it. He lowered his tone and looked down at his talons as he said, “Sorry. I-I didn’t mean to yell.”

Why am I always so horrible to her? Everything I say or do to her is wrong, he thought numbly. I hate myself.

He looked back at the NightWing next to him and whispered, “I-I’m so sorry. I-fucking hell I’m messing everything up.”

Winter sat back down and wrapped his good wing around his body. He felt tears pressing against his eyes and froze. He wouldn’t cry. Not in front of Moon. Not in front of anyone. Never again.

And yet, the treacherous drops fell from his eyes. Winter hid his face underneath his wing and sobbed into himself. He hated crying-especially in front of others- knew that it made him weak. He hated himself for it. Hated everything about himself.

He hated that everything he said was snappish and rude. He hated that he couldn’t show the love that everyone else showed him back. He hated his scars. Hated his eyes for letting him cry. He hated feeling weak. Hated knowing that he deserved to die.

Moon tentatively hugged him, her touch gentle but strong. “I know this is so confusing,” she whispered, “and that you’re super anxious right now, but you need to try to be strong for her. You need to be strong for your daughter.”

"I'm trying," he mumbled into her shoulder. "I really am. I-I-I need to be. I've always needed to be, and I never am..." Trailing off with a sigh, he slowly pulled out of her grasp and wiped his eyes.

"But you are strong, Winter," Moon said, placing a talon on his arm. "You've been through so much, but look how far you've come. I've seen you demonstrate such strength and bravery so many times."

Winter shook his head dismissively. "Name one time I've been strong. I can't do this, Moon. I can't be a father. Flurry deserves better."

"I can name plenty of times," Moon replied firmly. "Let's start with the fire in the history cave. You rushed in without hesitation and put it out after making sure everyone was safe. And what about when you fought Icicle to protect Starflight? That took real courage."

Winter looked down, staying silent, so she continued. "You never gave up searching for Hailstorm. And dealing with being banished from your kingdom? I can't imagine how hard that was, but you survived. You made it through the war against my tribe with honor. And now you've taken Flurry in, even though you're scared and unsure. That's true strength too, Winter. Doing something that terrifies you for the sake of someone who needs you - that's real bravery.”

He met her intense gaze again, seeing the fierceness and care reflected there. "You really believe that?" he asked quietly.

Moon nodded firmly. "I know things feel hopeless right now, and being a parent is incredibly daunting. But you have an amazing heart, Winter. You care so much about others, even when you pretend not to. And that heart is what will get you through this. I believe in you, even if you don't believe in yourself yet."

She squeezed his talons supportively. "It's okay to be unsure and afraid. This is all new for you. But you won't have to do it alone. We're all here to help you and Flurry. One step at a time, one day at a time, you'll figure it out. She just needs your love, and you have so much love to give."

Winter took a deep, shaky breath, holding back tears. He pulled Moon into another embrace. "Thank you," he whispered. "I don't know what I'd do without you." They held each other tightly for a long moment, drawing strength from one another.

“Of course,” she murmured back. “And by the way, Flurry is a really cute name for her.”

“I know. Qibli came up with it.” Winter whispered, pulling back and squaring his shoulders with fresh resolve. "Okay. Let's go meet my daughter."

_________________________________

When they reached the healing center, Winter followed Moon into the healing center, his nerves jangling with each step. He wasn't sure he was ready for this, to meet the dragonet he was now responsible for raising. But Moon was right - it was time.

As they entered the cave, the earthy scent of healing herbs washed over him. Cots lined the walls, some holding sleeping patients, others empty. At the back of the cave, Clay sat next to a smaller cot, gazing down at its tiny occupant.

He looked up as Moon and Winter approached, giving them a warm smile. "Hey guys. Come meet Flurry."

Winter took a deep breath and came to Clay's side. Nestled in the cot was a tiny dragonet, her scales a soft white. Bandages were wrapped around her torso and he winced at the sight. But she looked peaceful, her breath slow and even in sleep.

"She's so small," Winter said softly.

Clay nodded. "Yeah, she's pretty little, even for a newborn. She'll need extra care and feeding to get her strength up." He explained Flurry's injuries would take time to fully heal and how Winter would need to specially prepare her food - cutting it into tiny pieces, mashing it up to make it easy to swallow. Her bandages would need changing daily as well.

As Clay talked, Winter couldn't take his eyes off Flurry. His heart constricted, overwhelmed with emotion. She looked so fragile, so innocent. The urge to protect her welled up powerfully inside him.

"I know it's a lot," Clay said gently, noticing the anxiety in Winter's eyes. "But we'll all help. You won't have to do this alone."

"Thank you," Winter said. He hesitantly reached out a talon and stroked Flurry's head. She nuzzled into his touch, still fast asleep.

Moon wrapped a wing around Winter. "See? She knows you're her dad now. She feels safe with you already."

Winter had to blink back tears. Just yesterday this tiny dragonet was a stranger. Now she was his daughter. He was terrified of the responsibility, but also filled with love for her already.

He carefully picked Flurry up, holding her curled against his chest. She whimpered slightly but didn't wake.

"I promise I'll take care of you," he whispered to her. "I'll do whatever it takes to help you grow up happy and healthy. You're my family now."

Saying the words out loud cemented his resolve. He would face each challenge as it came, learn and adapt. With his friends' support, he would figure out this parenting thing one step at a time.

Winter cradled Flurry close as they left the healing center, Moon on his side. He felt scared but also more hopeful than he had in a long time. With this tiny, precious dragonet to care for, he had found a new sense of purpose. She needed him, and he would not let her down.

Chapter Text

When Winter and Moon reached his cave, Moon turned to look at him.

“I’m gonna go back to me and Kinkajou’s cave, are you gonna be okay?”

“I’m fine,” Winter snapped before composing himself. “We’re going to be fine.”

The NightWing cocked her head slightly as she looked up at him. “Alright, just…let us know if you need anything.”

Winter nodded before saying goodbye to her and walking into him and Qibli’s room.

The SandWing was mercifully still sleeping on his pile of blankets and pillows, snoring quietly. He rolled his eyes at the sight of his clawmate as he walked over to his sleeping ledge. 

The fluffy pink blanket was still on it, along with two pillows. Winter gently set Flurry down on the rock ledge, being mindful of her injuries. The tiny dragonet whimpered as she settled down onto the rock.

“Shhh,” he whispered, trying to calm her. “I know, I know. I’m gonna try to make you a little bed, okay?”

“Everything okay?” Qibli’s voice asked from behind him. Winter turned and looked at the SandWing.

“I think so. Flurry’s just uncomfortable. I was just about to set up a little place for her to sleep though.”

Qibli smiled, standing up and stretching. “You brought the little nugget with you? Lemme see her.”

He walked over to Winter's sleeping ledge and peered down at Flurry’s body. “Aww,” he cooed. “She’s so teeny tiny!” He looked up at Winter, grinning. “She’s perfect.”

Winter smiled softly, looking down at his daughter. “Yeah, she is pretty amazing, huh?” He sighed and reached out to gently touch her head. 

He absentmindedly stroked her back for a few minutes, smiling as he looked down at her.

“Are you okay?” Qibli asked after a little while, his tone laced with concern. Winter looked up from Flurry and met the SandWing’s gaze. “You’re crying.”

The IceWing quickly wiped his eyes and turned away. “I’m fine,” he whispered shakily. “Just a bit overwhelmed is all.” Fuck. I didn’t even realize I was crying.

He stood up and walked across the room, shaking slightly. He felt the SandWing’s warmth as Qibli followed him and sat down next to him. “You have every right to be,” Qibli whispered. “You’re a new dad and you have no idea what you’re doing.”

Winter glared at his clawmate. “Very helpful. Thank you Qibli,” he grumbled 

“I know,” Qibli said calmly. “I’m just trying to voice what you might be thinking right now.” He paused and examined Winter closer. “I know how stressed you are right now, and I know how scared you are. This is a huge moment that you weren’t prepared for so early on in life.” He twined his tail with Winters comfortingly and Winter blushed slightly, looking down at the ground instead of at his friend. “I hope that you know that I’m going to be with you throughout this entire thing, okay?” Qibli continued. “Me and Moon and Kinkajou and Turtle and even Peril.”

Winter nodded, still slightly flustered for some reason. “I know,” he whispered. “Thank you.”

“Of course. Anything for our Winty.”

“Call me that again and I’ll freeze your face off.”

Qibli chuckled before pulling away from him and Winter found himself missing his warmth.

“Qibli wha-” he started as he turned towards the SandWing, who was hovering over his bed, peering down at Flurry.

“Look,” Qibli practically squealed, “The little nugget is awake!”

Winter stood up and walked back to his sleeping ledge, smiling as he saw Flurry’s bright teal eyes blinking at the new face in front of her. He sat down, carefully lifting her up and nestling her close to his chest. She snuggled closer to him and he chuckled.

“Hi little one,” he whispered down to her. “Did you sleep well?”

Flurry sneezed loudly, the force of it shaking her entire body. Qibli and Winter shared a look before laughing.

“Whoa little nugget,” Qibli said, laughing. His nose scrunched adorably and Winter felt his heart flutter in his chest at the sight. “Are you okay?”

Smiling, Winter leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss on Flurry’s head. The dragonet chirped happily and squirmed in his arms. She squeaked again and Winter chuckled.

“Do you think she wants to move around?” He asked Qibli, who nodded excitedly.

“Here, bring her over to my sleeping area,” the SandWing offered. “It’ll be nice and soft for her.”

Winter agreed and brought Flurry over to the mess of pillows and blankets that Qibli called a bed. He carefully placed her down on it and she squeaked before attempting to push herself forward on her two back legs.

He sat down next to the nest and watched as Flurry slowly inched closer to him, Qibli sitting a comfortable distance away.

After a few moments of pleasant silence, Winter spoke. “Do you think she’s ever going to be able to walk?”

Qibli paused for a moment before nodding. “Yeah, definitely. All she needs is some encouragement, help and time, and she’s got someone who’s going to give her all the help she needs.”

Winter felt a blush creeping up his face and he turned away, looking back at his daughter.

“Stars,” he murmured. “It’s just so weird. I mean, I’m a dad. I-I wasn’t prepared for this to happen so quickly. I wasn’t prepared to have a daughter at five years old.” He ran a talon along his face and winced as it pulled at the stitches on his forehead. “How the fuck am I going to do this?”

“I honestly have no idea,” Qibli replied. “But I know you’re gonna do great.” He slid until he was laying on his stomach, his face turned towards Flurry. When the little dragonet noticed him, she scooched closer, squeaking excitedly.

“Hey,” Winter protested in mock offense. “Don’t go to him! I’m your dad! Get over here!” He was next to Qibli in an instant, already laying down to meet his daughter’s level. Flurry chirped again and doubled her efforts to get closer to them. 

After a few minutes of kicking and pushing herself forward, Flurry was face to face with Qibli. Winter watched as Qibli leaned in and booped Flurry’s nose with his own. The dragonet squealed and pressed her nose against the SandWing’s again. 

Qibli laughed. “Go get your dad, Flurry! Go get Winter!” Flurry cocked her head and squeaked curiously. Qibli gestured to Winter and Flurry squealed.

She turned to look at him and began pushing herself in his direction. Winter beamed. “That’s it! You’ve got this Flurry!”

“Daaaaeee,” she called, voice wobbly but strong. “Daaaa! Wiiiieeee!”

She chirped happily and after a few moments she was face to face with him. Winter leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on her nose. The dragonet squealed and giggled, so he did it again, smiling wildly.

“Wow,” Qibli said, looking at the two of them. “It’s so weird to see you being happy. It’s like, kinda scary.” Winter smacked him with his tail and the SandWing barked a laugh. “No need to get defensive, princess. It’s really sweet. I mean, who could’ve guessed that this little snowball would melt that wall around your heart?”

Winter rolled his eyes. “Never call me ‘princess’ ever again. I’m not even a prince anymore…” he trailed off, heart aching slightly. “It’s okay though. I wouldn’t want to raise Flurry like that. Like she’s better than everyone else. Like she needs to treat everyone that’s remotely different like a piece of shit…” Winter paused and glanced at Qibli, who was looking at him thoughtfully. He prayed that the SandWing would understand what he was actually saying.

I’m so sorry I was a fucking ass. I shouldn’t have treated you like that, you or anyone else.

Luckily, the SandWing seemed to have gotten the message. Qibli nodded and whispered, “It’s fine, Winty. Don’t worry.” He paused before grinning and saying, “And no. Your new nickname is princess.”

Winter was about to retort when Flurry screamed, “DAAAAAA! WIIIIIIEEEE!!! PBLEBELEBA!” and smacked him in the face with her tail.

Winter looked down at her and laughed before realizing that there were tears in Flurry’s eyes. “What’s wrong, sweetheart? Are you okay?” 

The tiny dragonet whimpered and tried to roll onto her back, but couldn’t. Winter’s heart sank as she began to wail. “Hey, no no no no. It’s okay. I’ve got you,” he cooed, gently lifting her up and cradling her in his arms. Flurry’s sobs quieted and she snuggled into his chest.

Winter looked up at Qibli, who was watching the two of them quietly. “I think she was in pain,” the SandWing whispered, still staring down at Flurry. “That’s why she was trying to roll over.” He looked up and met his gaze. “You should probably keep a close eye on her when she’s crawling around, princess.”

Winter smacked Qibli again.

Chapter Text

Qibli rolled away from the IceWing next to him, giggling. “Sorry-I’m sorry!” He paused for a moment to catch his breath before looking back at Winter and whispering, “I’m sorry, princess.”

He quickly stood up and backed away from his clawmate before he could hit him again.

Winter rolled his eyes and stood up slowly, still cradling Flurry against his chest. The dragonet was staring up at her father with wide eyes, and when Winter looked down at her she giggled.

The IceWing carried his daughter back to his sleeping ledge, humming quietly to himself. Qibli watched as Winter carefully set up a small nest of pillows and blankets on the corner of his bed before placing Flurry into it.

She cooed happily as she nestled herself into the blankets, and Winter smiled his rare, beautiful smile. Qibli’s heart swelled. It wasn’t every day he got to see his best friend like that.

“So,” he whispered, walking over to the IceWing. “She looks cozy. Need me to do anything for her? Or for you.”

“Could you maybe get her some water? And maybe a fish? I bet she’s hungry… actually, get two fish. I’m a little hungry too.”

Qibli nodded and left the cave with a smile. Winter was so considerate, so kind. He hated how little others could see that. 

He decided that he’d bring the two IceWings some fruit too. After all, Winter absolutely needed to try coconuts. Qibli rushed to the prey center, perhaps a bit too excited. He accidentally ran straight (read: gay) into Moon. 

“Sorry, sorry,” he said, taking a step back “I’m just excited. I’m grabbing some food for Flurry.”

Turtle and Kinkajou were both with her, and they exchanged confused glances. 

“Oh yeah, that’s Winter’s daughter’s name,” he explained. “Flurry.”

Kinkajou smiled, serene and mischievous at the same time (if that was even possible). “His little Flurrito,” she said. Qibli couldn’t help but giggle. 

“Yeah. She’s sleeping right now, but Winter wanted me to get her something to eat and drink.”

“She’s actually not sleeping,” (🤓👆🏻) (NERRRRDDDD) Moon whispered. “I can hear her thoughts, but only vaguely. She's thinking about Winter. She really loves him.”

Who wouldn’t? Qibli thought to himself quietly. Out loud, however, he said, “Awww, that’s so sweet. I can’t wait to tell Winter about that. Speaking of Prince Grouchy Face, I saw him smile today, several times.” Qibli beamed. “Like, genuine smiles. It was adorable.”  (fa-) (hey! no slurs) (aw man :( )

“Awww, I wish I could’ve seen that,” Kinkajou and Moon said at the same time. 

Kinkajou’s face lit up, her eyes twinkling as she asked, “Do you think he would be chill if we came over? I wanna see him and Flurry.”

“He’s always chill,” Qibli joked, grinning. “But I don’t think so. He’s just super stressed right now, and the little nugget needs to rest.”

“Aww, dammit,” the colorful RainWing groaned.

Moon nudged her with her wing gently. “It’s fine, Kinkajou. Todays just a really busy day for them.” She looked back at Qibli. “Would tomorrow after school work for you guys? I could bring Winter the work he’s missing.”

“I’d be careful doing that,” Turtle warned. “He might actually slice your face off.”

Qibli laughed, but nodded. “Yeah, Moon. It’s a good idea but he’s just super tired and anxious at the moment. And… knowing him he’ll take it out on you.”

Moon’s face fell but she agreed. “Then… could I give you the work to give him?” She suggested. “I don’t want him to have to come back to so much work.”

The SandWing nodded, and after a few moments, he had agreed to bring Moon, Kinkajou and Turtle over the next day after school.

“Well,” he said, suddenly antsy to get back to his clawmate. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ve gotta bring Winter the food and stuff.”

He smiled as he walked away and towards the pile of fish in the middle of the prey center. He grabbed two, one smaller one for Flurry, and a slightly larger one for Winter. He ended up grabbing one for himself too.

After grabbing the fish, he walked over to the fruit section and picked out a coconut and a handful of blueberries. He examined the food he had gathered for a moment before leaving the prey center.

When he got back to him and Winter’s cave, he found the IceWing lying on his sleeping ledge, his tail curled protectively around the little nest he had made for Flurry. The dragonet was staring up at her father as he hummed quietly to her.

Winter looked up and startled slightly before smirking haughtily. “It’s about time. Where the hell were you?” 

“Oh, you’re welcome for getting your newly hatched daughter food like you requested! I’m sorry I didn’t know I had a time limit, Princesa,” Qibli jested, sneering in a mock impression of his friend.

Winter glowered at him before carefully stepping off of his bed and grabbing a small wooden bowl from beside it. Qibli followed him and handed him the smaller fish he had grabbed. The IceWing cut the fish open and began plucking the bones out of it. When that was done, he placed the fish in a bowl and peeled its skin off before carefully mashing it up until it was a paste.

“DAAEAWEAAA!!!” Flurry screamed from her nest of blankets. Qibli jumped. He had momentarily forgotten she was there. “EEIIIAAAA!”

Winter chuckled. “I know, I know. Calm down. I’ve got your food right here.” He carried the bowl of fish over to the minuscule dragonet and began spooning the paste to her with one of his claws.

Qibli smiled as he watched the two of them. Winter was a natural at parenting and it was absolutely adorable to watch. It almost made him jealous.

The SandWing winced as memories of his own childhood resurfaced. The way he was constantly seeking acceptance and love from Cobra, and how even though he loved her so much, she barely gave him any thought. 

Stupid Sirocco and Rattlesnake, he thought bitterly. They were the only ones she ever loved. I was just a waste of space. A mistake she needed to erase. (felt this one queen -Keeper) 

“Well she finished that fast,” Winter said after a few minutes, snapping Qibli back into reality. The IceWing stared at him for a moment, squinting his bright blue eyes. “You okay, sand snorter?”

Qibli nodded almost mechanically, his mind numbing over. He shook his head and smiled. “Yeah,” he lied, “I’m fine.”

Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck. 

Winter rolled his eyes but didn’t pry further and Qibli mentally thanked him. He also (wants Winter to shd) mentally thanked Turtle for giving him the skyfire. He did not want Moon hearing him think about that.

He looked at Flurry who was staring up at her father happily and his heart broke. Winter deserved to be loved like that. He deserved to feel like he was worth more than a sack of coins. He deserved the world.

The IceWing sitting next to him carefully picked up his daughter and cradled her to his chest, placing tiny little kisses on her nose and forehead. The dragonet giggled and smiled a little toothless smile and Qibli could practically see Winter's heart melting.

“You’re so cute,” Qibli whispered, staring at his clawmate.

Winter froze (hah froze) and turned to look at him. “What?”

Chapter Text

“You’re so cute,” Qibli whispered from next to him.

Winter’s heart skipped a beat. He turned to look at his clawmate. “What?”

The SandWing’s face turned bright red. “Flurry, I mean. She’s adorable.”

Nice save, cactus licker, Winter thought, his mind spinning. He looked down at the tiny dragonet in his arms. She stared back at him, her teal eyes examining his face. “Yeah,” he said, somewhat disappointed. “Yeah, she’s beautiful.”

He knew he shouldn’t be upset, but there was also some tiny, stupid part of his brain that wished Qibli had called him cute. Stupid stupid sand snorter. He obviously likes Moon more than me. I should like her more than him but… maybe I don’t.

He leaned down and kissed the bridge of Flurry’s nose again and Flurry laughed. It was one of the most beautiful sounds he had ever heard, and it helped drive out the emotional turmoil in his brain. Qibli wasn’t who he should be thinking about, at least not now.

Winter set the tiny IceWing back on her bed and she snuggled into the blankets, wiggling around before finding a comfortable position and settling down in it. She yawned and blinked her eyes sleepily at him.

“Go to sleep, sweetheart. You’re safe here, mon amour,” he whispered to her, resting his head on the ledge underneath one of his talons. (Y’all know how a dog will like, put its chin on a chair or someone’s lap? Idk that’s the best I can explain how it looks) The dragonet yawned again before closing her eyes and falling asleep, her quiet snores the only sound in the room for a few awkward seconds.

Qibli cleared his throat and Winter turned to look at him. “Did you want the fish or…” Qibli asked, gesturing to the fish in his talons. Winter noticed he was also carrying some fruits and he nodded.

“Yes, thank you.” He took the fish from the SandWing and began to eat it in silence, Qibli only eating his own after cooking it.

Winter scowled at his clawmate. “Ugh,” he said, “how the hell do you eat that thing charred?”

“First of all, it’s not charred, it’s just cooked. I just don’t understand how you eat fish raw. It looks so… slimy. I’d much rather wait a little longer to eat my food than get salmonella poisoning, thank you very much.” Qibli shuddered and took another bite out of his food. 

“Well I can’t exactly cook anything,” he grumbled before examining the fruits his clawmate had grabbed. “What are those?” He asked. “I mean, obviously those are blueberries, but the fuck is the hairy fruit thing?”

“That’s a coconut, Igloo-face. And it’s delicious.” Qibli explained through mouthfuls of fish.

Winter frowned at him, taking a bite of his fish and swallowing it before saying, “Chew with your mouth closed, or at the very least cover it up if you absolutely must speak.” 

Qibli smirked. “Sorry I bothered you so much, princess. I’ll shut my fat mouth up so that you don’t get nauseous from looking at me.” He ate a little bit more of his food and declared, in a horrible impression of Winter, “I hereby declare that any stupid sand snorter who wants to speak while eating must cover up his mouth so as to not offend his majesty.”

“I do not sound like that,” Winter sneered. “Besides, princes would be addressed as ‘his royal highness’ not ‘his majesty’. Honestly, if you want to offend me Qibli, you’re going to have to try harder.”

Qibli rolled his eyes, his snout scrunching. Winter’s heart skipped a beat. As much as he hated to admit it, the SandWing was quite… cute when he was upset. 

Qibli mumbled something under his breath, Winter only catching the word ‘home’. He was about to ask Qibli to repeat himself when a small whimper caught his attention.

Winter turned around to look at Flurry, who had wiggled onto her bandages in her sleep. His heart ached and he got closer to her before ever so slowly repositioning her body. She seemed to relax after a few moments and the tightness in his chest disappeared.

He sighed and clambered up onto his bed next to his daughter, pulling some papers out from underneath the small sleeping pad that the school had provided. It didn’t offer much comfort but it was slightly better than the bare rock. 

Qibli stood up and sat next to Winter’s bed. He took a few more bites of his food, finishing the fish up rather quickly. “Need anything else, princess?” He asked, smiling softly. “Classes start kind of soon, so tell me now before I have to go.”

“No, it’s fine. Bring back any work I have to do, please. I can manage everything else by myself.” I think. He sighed. “Just… come over at lunch, maybe.”

Qibli grinned. “What, you gonna miss me~?” Winter groaned and the SandWing laughed. “I knew you loved me deep down, Igloo-face.”

Winter felt heat bloom across his snout and he turned away from his friend. “Love is…” he whispered, “Love is a strong word, Qibli. If anything I -how do I phrase this- I… appreciate your company.”

“Yeah you love me. See ya Winty,” Qibli called over his shoulder as he left the cave. 

————

Winter spent the next two weeks on a similar schedule. He would wake up before Qibli and quickly leave the cave to grab breakfast for the three of them, prepare Flurry’s meal and feed it to her, give the SandWing his food when he woke up, wait for classes to start and wait until lunch arrived.

He groaned and flopped onto his bed –well, as much as he could, considering that, other than the mat on it it was basically just a rock– wincing as pain shot through his wing. He was so incredibly bored. He had been playing with Flurry and finishing assignments all day. He wished that the lunch period had been longer and, as much as it pained him to admit, he missed Qibli.

“Daaaaaaa?” Flurry called, her head rising slowly from her little nest. Winter peered at her and smiled, lifting his own head up to kiss her cheek gently.

“Sorry, love, I’m just tired.” He pulled himself up and shook his body, clearing his dreary thoughts and hopping off his bed. “Do you want to get your bandages changed and then head over to the lake? Yeah? Okay let’s go.”

He carefully grabbed his daughter from her nest, wrapping her up in her favorite blanket as he did so. He cradled her against his chest and she cooed up at him softly.

He carried her to the infirmary, rocking her slightly to get her to calm down. This -other than the boredom- was the worst part of his day. 

He hated having to look at Flurry’s injuries, her face as she cried from the pain, her tiny body squirming as she wailed. It hurt him to look at her. He hated knowing that he couldn’t do anything to help her except lull her back to sleep and give her numbing medicines. 

He also hated the fact that he was in the same room as his father. A dragon who should’ve loved him, should’ve been even half as kind to him as he was to Flurry. A dragon who hurt him and didn’t care that he did.

Winter looked back down at his daughter, trying to clear his mind as Clay wrapped her torso in bandages once again. 

“How much longer?” he asked the MudWing. He didn’t need to elaborate any further, thankfully.

“Give it at least a month,” Clay explained softly. “It might be longer, it might be shorter, I can’t perfectly tell at this point.”

Winter huffed, a small cloud of frostbreath escaping from his nose. “Is she,” he trailed off, tears pricking at the corners of his eyes. “Is she ever going to be able to-”

“Winter, look at me. I know you’re worried about her but listen, she’s going to be okay, you can trust me on that. From what I can tell, something happened to her when her legs were developing, maybe the egg was dropped or something. Being in the heat of the desert for however long she was there couldn’t have helped, but there’s one thing I know for certain,” Clay looked down at Winter and whispered, “This wasn’t your fault. In fact, you saved her, okay?”

Winter nodded, looking down at his talons and praying he wouldn’t start crying again. “Okay. Yeah. Th-thank you.” 

When Clay was done, Winter leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss on Flurry’s forehead before wrapping her in her blanket and holding her against his chest. He thanked the MudWing once more before making his journey down to the lakes. 

When he got to the cave with the glow worms, Winter let out a sigh of relief, that is until he realized Tamarin was there. “Hey,” he called out. “It’s Winter.”

“I know,” Tamarin said softly. “I knew from the second you walked in. You aren’t the most subtle, you know?”

“I-” Winter didn’t know what to say to that, so he sat down beside the lake instead. 

“I've learned to recognize everyone here by their footsteps and how they sound when they walk. I used to be better with smells but now all I smell is smoke…” the blind RainWing trailed off sadly, tracing the bandages on her forearms. “Are you okay, Winter?”

He winced. “More or less. I-when I came back here there was an accident and I crashed and… well I won’t be flying for a while. I also hit my head but at least it’s not as bad as it could’ve been. I’m just glad Flurry’s not hurt.” He peered down at the tiny dragonet in his arms and smiled, kissing her nose. “Well apparently she’ll be fine.”

He looked back at Tamarin, who was cocking her head to the side. “Who’s Flurry?” She asked.

“Oh uh, I’m surprised you haven’t heard by now. When I was coming back from the Ice Kingdom I found an egg in the desert and decided to raise the dragonet as my own,” he explained. Tamarin gasped and a small rainbow of colors peeked out behind her bandages. “Would you… uhh… like to meet her?”

Tamarin nodded and Winter walked over to her quietly, sitting down and unwrapping the blanket from her. “Daplaplapffttttr,” she exclaimed. “Asdmvwdddbbboop.” (relatable -keeper)

“Well she sounds like a talonful already,” the RainWing whispered, reaching out tentatively.

“May I?” Winter asked, lightly tapping her talon.

“Oh, yes, thank you.” The IceWing carefully guided Tamarin’s talon to Flurry’s face, and when they made contact, the RainWing gasped. “She’s so little,” Tamarin said, tracing Flurry’s face gently. “How old is she?”

“About three weeks. Moons, it feels crazy to think that it’s already been that long.”

“Time does seem to pass rather quickly nowadays, doesn’t it?” Tamarin asked, still carefully touching the contours of Flurry’s face. “Has she said any words yet? About a month is when most dragonets start speaking.”

Winter shook his head and only then realized that the RainWing sitting in front of him couldn’t see it before responding “No. Nothing yet. Although, I doubt it will be much longer. She’s definitely not quiet though.”

To this, the only response he got from his daughter was an indignant “plebleba” and a small snort from Tamarin.

“Y’know…” she whispered, “from what I’ve heard from others and from you before, adopting a dragonet to raise as your own doesn’t exactly seem like a Winter thing to do.” She sighed and pulled her talon away from Flurry. “Then again, dragons change. I’m sure you’re doing an amazing job raising her so far, and that you’ll do even better in the future. Just… don’t forget to let others help you. I’m sure Qibli and Moon and the rest of your winglet would be more than happy to support you. Don’t let Flurry grow up to be stuck up and rude to everyone she sees. Let her just be herself, and have her grow into someone kind and funny.”

The IceWing paused for a moment, considering her words. “I- yeah I’ll try. I think there’s this… part of me that’s just so worried that somehow she’ll end up like me and I know it sounds stupid but I-” He trailed off, heart aching slightly. “I’m just worried she’s going to be outcast just because of her… disability.” Tamarin tilted her head questioningly and he explained how she had hatched without legs and that Clay assumed it was from the heat of the desert and her egg being dropped at some point. “She’s just so little and she’s already gone through so much. I just feel like I can’t help her enough. I’m already trying to be a good father but I’ve-well-I’ve never had parents that treated me well and…” He trailed off awkwardly. “I just really don’t want to end up treating her like they treated me, y’know?”

Tamarin nodded quietly, gently touching the bandages on her arms. “Winter,” she began softly, her voice warm, “you’re already doing something your parents never did for you. You’re here. You care. You’re worried about her because you love her. That alone makes you a better father than you give yourself credit for. She’s lucky, you know. To have someone like you. It’s not about being perfect—it’s about showing up. Being there. And I can tell that’s what you’re doing.”

The IceWing looked down at his daughter, her pale blue scales sparkling faintly in the soft light. Her tiny wings fluttered, and she let out an indignant squeak when his talons shifted slightly.

“But what about when she starts to notice she’s different?” Winter murmured, his voice barely above a whisper. “When other dragonets look at her and—”

“She will notice,” Tamarin interrupted gently. “Just like I did when I realized I couldn’t see like everyone else. But that doesn’t mean she’ll be any less amazing. If anything, those differences will make her stronger. And if you keep loving her the way you do now, she’ll know that she’s not alone. That she has you—and the rest of us.”

He glanced away, her words striking a chord he wasn’t ready to confront. “I’ll try,” he muttered, the faintest crack in his icy exterior showing.

“Remember, Winter,” she said softly, “you’re not alone in this. And neither is she.”

Winter shifted uncomfortably, gratitude mixing awkwardly with his natural tendency to avoid emotional vulnerability. “I—thanks, Tamarin,” he muttered, clutching Flurry a little closer. He stood, flapping his wings and pulling them back to his sides in a futile attempt to regain his composure. “I should, um, get her back. She probably needs to eat or... something.”

Tamarin tilted her head knowingly, a faint smile on her face. “Of course. Take care, Winter.”

With a stiff nod, Winter wrapped his daughter back in her blanket, turned and started walking away, his talons clicking against the smooth stone floor. He felt Flurry nestle against his chest, chirping contentedly. Each little sound was like a tiny melody, but nothing helped calm the storm of emotions in his mind.

By the time he reached his cave, the tension had coiled so tightly in him that he nearly jumped when he saw sandy scales on his bed.

“Qibli,” he asked, his voice wavering slightly. “What are you doing?”

The SandWing grinned lazily, his wings draped dramatically over the edges of Winter’s bed. “Well, hello to you too, Igloo-face” He lifted his head up and yawned, his barbed tail flicking. “How is my favorite princess doing? And how’s his daughter? Can’t forget her, now can we?”

Winter sighed heavily, setting Flurry down on her soft pile of blankets and trying to pull Qibli off of his ledge. “I’m not in the mood for your sarcasm right now. Get the fuck off of my bed.”

Qibli rolled his eyes but obliged, hopping off of the rock and sitting next to the IceWing. He tilted his head as he observed Winter carefully. “What’s wrong?” he asked, his tone softening just slightly. 

Winter stiffened, looking away from Qibli as he adjusted Flurry’s nest. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Winter,” Qibli said quietly, nudging him gently. “I’m not Moon, but I don’t need mind-reading powers to tell when something’s bothering you. So, what’s up?”

The IceWing bristled. He’d had enough emotions for the day and was not going to complain to another dragon about his stupid anxiety. “Nothing’s wrong with me.”

“I didn’t say there was. I just want to know what’s bothering you. You seem upset and I want to help.”

“Je le jure devant toutes les lunes,” Winter mumbled, anger rising in his chest. He turned to glare at the SandWing. “Will you just shut up? You’re pissing me off, although that isn’t unusual. Honestly I’m beginning to think that’s the one good thing you can do. I’m sure Cobra would agree with me.” 

Qibli winced. “I’m just trying to help you, Winty. I know better than anyone that keeping your emotions to yourself doesn’t help. Most of the time it makes you do things that you’ll regret.” His eyes shot somewhere but Winter didn’t get a chance to guess before his clawmate kept talking. “You know that too. Just… let me help you.”

“Daaaaa???” Flurry asked quietly. “Hfuefufe?” 

“Listen, Qibli, I’m fine. Stop asking me stupid questions before I slice off your tail and stab you in the neck with it,” Winter growled, his tone rising as he faced his friend. “Honestly, how have you never learned to shut up? You just talk all day and I’m so fucking tired of it. I’m anxious enough about everything right now and it doesn’t help that you’re always reminding me of my failures in life and my family-”

“Winter what? How am I…”

Tears pricked at the corners of his eyes as Winter yelled. “I don’t know, okay Qibli‽ I’m just so fucking scared that I’m going to mess everything up and-and that everyone’s going to hate me more than they already do! I’m scared that I’m going to treat her like my father treated me and Flurry will be scared of me and she’ll hate me too! I’m scared that I’m going to hurt someone again or that I’ll yell at Flurry and scare her! I-I can’t do shit for her right now and I just feel so useless! I-” The IceWing clutched the top of his head and screamed, sobbing into himself. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest and tears running down his face. He felt as if he wasn’t breathing properly, trying to draw in breaths and failing.

“Winter, look at me,” Qibli whispered, gently holding Winter’s body. “I promise you you’re doing amazing, okay? And you’re going to continue doing that in the future, believe me.”

“I just…I’m so scared. I’m scared and tired and all I want is for Flurry to have a better life than I ever did. I want to be a better father than mine ever was,” he whispered, shaking slightly. “I want her to be herself and be happy and never have to worry about anything. I just don’t want her to end up like…like me. I’ve hurt so many people and I’m mean and I’ve lost basically everyone I care about.”

Qibli held him tighter at that, his warm scales surprisingly comforting. He gently traced soothing circles over Winter’s back. The IceWing practically melted into him, burying himself into the warmth of his friend’s body. “You haven’t lost me. I’m right here, whether you like it or not, Winty.”

Winter sniffled and hugged Qibli harder, tears still streaming down his face. The SandWing holding him chuckled but didn’t say anything else, and for that, Winter was glad.

For now, the only thing that mattered was that he was with two of the most important people in his life.

And he was happy.

Chapter Text

Winter pulled away from Qibli and wiped his eyes awkwardly. “S-sorry,” he whispered shakily. “I didn’t mean to-”

“It’s okay, princess. Don’t worry about it,” the SandWing reassured him. He twined his tail around Winter’s and whispered, “You needed that, didn’t you?”

No. I didn’t. I’m fine, really. I’m fine… Winter thought sadly. He shook his head and pulled away from Qibli, trying to distract himself from… everything. “I-thank you,” he mumbled. “I’m sorry for-erh-all of that.”

Qibli rolled his eyes and stood up. “Stop apologizing, you did nothing wrong. Now if you’ll excuse me, I fear I’m needed…elsewhere. I’ll be back to check on you later, Igloo-face.” 

“Oh…okay. Bye,” Winter whispered, his heart sinking, although he didn’t understand why. 

What if he’s going to tell someone? What if he gets one of the teachers to talk to me? He found himself worrying. He glanced down at his arms and his stomach dropped. “I’m just trying to help you, Winty. I know better than anyone that keeping your emotions to yourself doesn’t help. Most of the time it makes you do things that you’ll regret.” Qibli had looked down near Winter when he said that. Down directly at his wrists where an abundance of thin scars lay. Knife thin scars.

Winter’s heart began pounding in his chest and he dug his claws into his palms to try and ground himself with the pain but it was too late. He could feel another panic attack on its way, threatening to tear him apart. A thundercloud over a sunny day. 

Winter stumbled backwards onto his bed, his breaths getting more ragged by the second. He clutched his head, pain tearing through his now bleeding talons. “No,” he whispered as he curled into a shaking ball. “No. No. Not again, please. Moons no. I-”

Tears streamed down his face once again and Winter sobbed into himself. Memories resurfacing faster than he could keep track of. 

“Useless. You’re a waste of a dragonet.”

“Leave, Winter. Fly away. Right now.”

“What is wrong with you?”

“Fuck up.”

“Now because of you, our most important heir is missing.” 

“I’m sorry I didn’t mean to lose him! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”

“It should’ve been you.”

A knife sliding up and down his forearms, making thin –but deep–cuts in his scales. Blood pouring onto the floor around his body. Tears falling into the cuts making them sting even more.

“What the fuck did you do to yourself? I swear the SkyWings should have taken you. Alors nous serions au moins débarrassés d'un problème! Putain, arrête de pleurer et retourne à l'entraînement.”

“Dada?” A quiet voice from his right asked, somewhat snapping him out of the snowstorm of emotions swirling inside him. “Kerplufler?” Winter turned to look at Flurry, who was staring at him anxiously. “Dada?” She asked again.

“Wh-what?” he asked, hardly believing what he was hearing. He cocked his head in disbelief, tears still sliding down his cheeks. Faces flashing through his vision. “Did you just- Flurry, what?”

Flurry stood up and shuffled over to him. “Dada okay?”

“I’m okay Flurry. Don’t-don’t worry about me, okay love?” He whispered to her, gently nuzzling her with his snout. “Sorry sweetheart.” He could feel the panic attack receding away, leaving him shaking and crying, his palms bleeding but otherwise okay.

Flurry seemed content with this and smiled sweetly. She curled up next to him and whispered “Dada” once more before leaning her head against his side and closing her eyes.

He watched her for a moment, his heart swelling in his chest, so much he thought it might burst. “I love you, Flurry. D-don’t ever forget that, okay? I promise I’ll take care of you. I’ll never leave you, promise. You’re my world, Flurry. Je t'aime.” Winter snuggled into her, wrapping his body around hers protectively. He wanted to give the tiny dragonet everything he didn’t have. And that started with love.

Winter looked back down at his wrists and winced, the scars had healed with time but somehow they still felt fresh.

He shook his head and pushed those thoughts away, focusing solely on his daughter. I can’t believe that just happened, he thought to himself, admiring the way the colored light from the lanterns in the room shone on her scales and highlighted her little face. She said her first words to me. I… wow. I knew Tamarin said dragonets start speaking around this time but that was barely an hour ago. 

The IceWing smiled down at Flurry, leaning in and placing a soft kiss on her forehead. She shuffled for a moment and opened her eyes sleepily, her teal gaze meeting his dark blue one. “Dada,” she whispered, nuzzling further into his side. Her tiny wings fluttered on her back as she got comfortable again, rolling over so she could sleep on her side.

He laughed quietly as one of the appendages hit his nose before falling back to a resting position on Flurry’s back. “I love you, Flurry. Sleep well mon monde.” She yawned one final time before closing her eyes and falling asleep against him.

————

*a few hours later*

Winter looked up from the scroll he had been reading for Web’s class as Qibli, Moon, Kinkajou and Turtle stepped into his room. 

“I’m just saying,” the SandWing was groaning, “I have no fucking idea what he wants us to do. I mean, it makes no sense.”

“Qibli, don’t curse in front of Flurry,” said Moon, smiling at Winter as she sat down. “I don’t want her first words to be profanity.”

Qibli barked a laugh, beaming. “I’d be proud of her honestly.” He flopped onto his bed, tossing the scrolls he had brought in beside him. “Winter, what would you do if ‘fuck’ was your daughter’s first word?”

Winter rolled his eyes. “I’d probably die laughing and then throw a pillow at you because it’d be your fault.”

“I’d also like to throw pillows at him,” Kinkajou jumped in. Her scales were all light pinks, greens, purples and blues, shifting like an aurora on her wings and frills. There was a mix of yellow on her as well, somehow adding to the overall look.

Winter smiled at his winglet. “Actually,” he said, beaming. “She said her first word already.” 

Kinkajou’s scales shifted to the brightest combination of yellows and pinks Winter had ever seen as she squealed. “WHAAAT???!!! WHATDIDSHESAYWHATDIDSHESAY????!!!!”

He laughed quietly to himself. “Calm down Kinkajou, it wasn’t that crazy.”

“Okay yeah but like- it’s important! That’s going to be a huge part of her growing up and-and you need to tell me or I will force you to.” The RainWing said, practically shaking with excitement.

Flurry squealed loudly, drawing everyone's attention to her. Winter laughed as she tried to stand up and tripped over her tail, falling into his talons. He lifted her up and cradled her against his chest. The tiny dragonet snuggled into him and said, “Wimbternfllf.”

“She said ‘dada’,” Winter whispered, beaming proudly at his daughter. “She knew who I was. I- she called me her dada.”

“Awww,” Moon, Turtle and Kinkajou said at the same time.

“That’s the cutest thing I think I’ve ever heard,” said Turtle. “You must be so proud of her.”

Winter chuckled. “You have no idea.”

He looked over at Qibli and furrowed his brow. The SandWing was staring at his talons, unblinking and silent. He seemed to notice that he was being watched and looked up at everyone. “S-sorry yeah. That’s adorable, Winty.” He walked over to Flurry and looked at her sweetly. “Qibli. Qibli. Qibli. C’mon say Qibli.”

Moon sighed and shook her head disappointedly, “You can’t rush it, Qibli. One day she’ll be talking more than even you can keep up with.”

He huffed and sat down, curling his tail around his front legs, the barb tucked in. “I just think it’d be funny if she said it. Actually wait, I think Kinkajou’s name would be the funniest to hear her say.”

At that, Flurry squirmed in Winter’s arms and squeaked indignantly at him until he set her back down. “Dadaaaaaa,” she almost groaned. “Lembtejiwaskldbl. Herblebtrf.” 

“You wanna walk around, love? Here. Let’s head over to Qibli’s bed, okay?” He gently picked the tiny IceWing up and she squealed, thrashing and looking at Qibli. “What?” Winter asked her. “You want to play with Qibli?”

“Qibllee! Dada, dada Qibleeee. Playyyy Qibble! Asshaadnsba!”

Winter looked at his clawmate, who had the widest grin on his face Winter had seen yet. “Can I- can I hold the little nugget? Please, Winter?”

The IceWing rolled his eyes but nodded. “Be careful,” he said, setting Flurry safely on her bed so she could scooch over to Qibli herself.

The tiny dragonet giggled as she pushed herself towards the SandWing, her wings flapping excitedly. She got to the edge of her bed and Qibli gently picked her up, booping her on her nose gently.

Flurry blinked up at him, her teal eyes wide. “Play?”

Qibli nodded. “Play,” he agreed, setting her down and closing his eyes. 

————

For the next hour, Winter watched Qibli and Kinkajou play with Flurry, him, Turtle and Moon occasionally joining in. Flurry’s happiness was contagious and he felt lighter than he had in a while, but by the time the rest of his winglet had left, he felt drained.

“You tired, princess?” Qibli asked, stretching and flapping his wings before bringing them back to his sides. “We should probably get to bed, huh?”

Winter groaned. “Yeah no shit, I’m exhausted. I’m just not tired enough to sleep.” He sat down and rubbed his temples, trying to clear his head. “Ugh it’s been one hell of a day.”

The SandWing laughed, “Yeah I feel you.” He sat down next to Winter and nudged him lightly. “You okay?” he said quietly, his tone lighter. Winter winced and looked down, noting how the crescents on his talons were bleeding again. “I-er-saw your palms. Those are pretty deep cuts, Winty. Do you need anything? I’m here for you, okay?”

He shook his head. “I’m fine. I just-I just got a bit panicky earlier. After you left, I mean.”

“Are you sure?” His clawmate frowned. He leaned in and whispered, “Listen, if you ever –and I mean ever– need someone to talk to, or just need to vent, I’ll be there for you, okay? I know how much you love Flurry, and I know you don’t want to prioritize anything or anyone else over her but you’ve been acting off and I just… I’m worried about you.”

Winter scoffed. “Oh please, calm down. I’ve had worse. I’m okay, really. Besides, it’s none of your business how I feel. Just… stop worrying about me unless something happens, alright?” You act like you know everything. You think you know how much I love her, but can you tell how much I love you?

Chapter Text

Winter groaned as he stared at the pile of work in front of him. He had spent the past four hours finishing all of his missing assignments while Qibli took care of Flurry for him. His talons were covered in ink and his eyes burned from staring at scrolls for so long.

“You okay, princess?” Qibli asked, walking over to him and poking him lightly.

“Nnngghh,” he grumbled. “Stop calling me that.”

The SandWing laughed. “I’ll take that as a ‘no’ then. Want me to move these off of your bed?”

“Fucking yes. Get them away from me please I’m going to cry if I have to look at any more fucking papers”

Qibli nodded and swept all the papers off Winter’s bed. Winter glared at him, and he only grinned back. “What? You never told me how to get the papers away from you. Also, look.”

He gestured to the foot of Winter’s bed, where all the scrolls sat in a neat pile. “Cool trick, huh?”

“I don’t have time for tricks,” Winter snapped. “I have stuff I need to do.”

“Aw. So you don’t even have time for me?” Qibli frowned, looking utterly heartbroken. 

“I’m sorry,” Winter said, calming down. “I’m just really stressed right now.”

“I get that,” Qibli said. “You know what would help you relax?” 

Before Winter could answer, Qibli was gone. 

He returned a few moments later, holding Flurry. 

Winter smiled at her, and she squeaked back at him. His heart melted. For both her and the infuriatingly witty SandWing holding her. 

“Play?” Flurry asked happily as soon as Qibli set her down. She yawned, a cute little noise that Winter couldn’t help but smile more at. She started climbing on Qibli, using her back legs to propel herself. She slid down his tail before yawning again. 

“You sleepy?” The SandWing asked, lifting up Winter’s daughter again. “Why don’t you go lay with your dada, okay?”

Flurry chirped quietly, nuzzling further into Qibli and cooing contently. “Qibi,” she murmured against his chest. “No play.” 

Winter laughed softly. He looked at his daughter and whispered, “Would you like to take a nap, love?” He pat the bed next to him, somewhat surprised that there wasn’t a inky talon mark left behind. “Or do you want to stay with Qibli?”

“Qibi, dada. Qibi wrrm,” Flurry mumbled. She pressed herself further into the SandWing and cooed.

Winter looked up at his clawmate, who’s jaw dropped as he stared at the little dragonet that he was carrying. 

“What do I do?” Qibli asked somewhat breathlessly. His eyes met Winter’s and for a moment the IceWing lost himself in them.

It’s like staring into the sky, he realized. Like staring at everything and nothing all at once. It’s… beautiful. He’s beautiful. Stars, what am I thinking? I can’t think that about a boy– about him. It’s so…wrong.

But why does it feel so right?

_________________

*Qibli*

His eyes are beautiful. Like a frost-laced lake, or an oasis.

It took Qibli at least five seconds to realize he was staring. He broke the eye contact, flushing. Flurry squeaked softly as he shuffled, one of his talons lightly scraping against the floor as he repositioned his grip on her.

“Just… hold her. I mean– it’s not like you haven’t before. And she probably likes your scales,” Winter said. A small blush crept across his face and the SandWing smirked.

“Agreeing with your daughter, are we?” He asked, raising a brow. (🤨) 

Winter huffed, a small cloud of frost hanging in the air between them. “No. I’m just saying she probably likes the warmth.” He rolled his eyes haughtily.

“Suuure,” Qibli grinned. “Are you sure you don’t like the warmth?~”

His clawmate flushed at that, his entire face a pretty shade of blue. He looked away and mumbled, “Yes I’m sure. It’s just… uncomfortable. You know I don’t like heat, Qibli.”

Qibli’s mind flashed through the past month or so with his friend and he winced as he remembered what had happened when the IceWing was coming back to Sanctuary. 

It had been one of the scariest moments in his life– flying over in hopes to see his best friend again and watching as he wailed in agony as his scales burnt. He remembered Moon sobbing, and trying to ask Peril if there was anything he could do to help. He remembered crying as he thought about what it would mean if he lost Winter. What it would mean if he lost the boy that he tried so hard to defend, and be friends with. The boy who seemed so stoic yet so broken.

Winter snorted again, fidgeting with his sleeping mat. “Although, that’s probably relatively weird to hear me say, considering the fact that I sleep with a blanket every night, huh? And it’s a pink one too. Moons, I think you broke me or something.” He shook his head as if trying to clear it of the memories and scorn Qibli at the same time. 

The extra horns on the IceWing’s head jingled quietly and Qibli smiled. 

“You sound twinkly,” he said. “It’s honestly kinda pretty.” He noted how Winter’s face flushed again and giggled. “Calm down princess, I’m still wayyyy hotter than you.” 

The IceWing rolled his eyes. “Yeah, well” he reached out and plucked Flurry out of Qibli’s grip, “I’m still cooler than you are.” He smiled as the little dragonet giggled and snuggled into him.

Qibli guffawed. “Sorry, you’re what?” He stared at Winter incredulously and the IceWing only grinned in response. “Oh my moons, I’ve broken him,” he whispered to himself.

Winter rolled his eyes, blushing slightly as he whispered something to himself. He yawned, his eyes welling up with tears as he did.

“You okay?” Qibli asked. “Wanna go to sleep? I can watch Flurry if you need me to.”

His clawmate shook his head. “N-No it’s fine. I’m fine. I’m just… I need to get back to work. I still have that essay due for Sunny and…” Winter yawned again. “I just need to finish that up and then maybe I can rest for a bit...” His eyelids began to droop and he leaned over a small bit before his head shot up again.

Qibli smiled sweetly at Winter, gently lifting Flurry out of his arms and cradling her. He watched as the IceWing’s head slowly lowered onto his talons, his breathing slowing down.

“Sleep well, Winty,” the SandWing whispered, blushing ever so slightly.

“No. No. No. I don’t wanna go to bed,” Winter mumbled sleepily. “I need to finish my work. Mother will be upset if I don’t. I don’t wanna be yelled at again.” He pouted sadly and Qibli’s heart sunk.

He knew that feeling all too well. He held his friend’s daughter in one arm as he gently placed the soft pink blanket on Winter again. “No one’s gonna yell at you, princess. Not today. I promise. You’re-you’re safe with me.”

His clawmate smiled softly, pulling the blanket around himself and curling up. “Bonne nuit… Je t'aime, Qibli.” And with that, he fell asleep.

The SandWing smiled. He had no clue what Winter had said, but it sounded nice. He stood up and leaned over his friend. “Sleep well, beautiful,” he murmured, placing a gentle kiss on his forehead.

He turned around, walking back to his sleeping spot. He brought Flurry with him, settling her down right in the middle. He curled up around her, covering the two of them in a blanket.

He knew her and Winter weren’t blood related, but something about the way Flurry snuggled into the softness of the fabric seemed so entirely like him.

“Good night, little nugget. Sleep well.”

Chapter Text

Flurry giggled, wiggling around and pushing against Winter with a surprising amount of strength for such a tiny dragonet. “Dada,” she laughed, kicking against him. “Daaaaa!”

Winter smiled down at her. “Yes, mon amour? What is it?” 

He had spent the past hour or so snuggled up with Flurry on his bed, and he was happy to get the rest. The past few days, he had been spending hours getting caught up on the work he had missed, and he was finally done with everything he needed to do. 

His daughter squealed and pushed his stomach –just as she had been doing for the past 10 minutes– and yelled, “Qibiiii!! Playyyy!”

“Qibli’s in class right now. He can’t play, I’m sorry, love.” Flurry pouted and he chuckled. “I know, beautiful. Okay, how about this: we get your bandages changed and then I take you outside? Would you like to go outside?”

The tiny IceWing tilted her head questioningly, as if somehow what he said would make more sense that way. “Play outsiie?”

He nodded. “Yeah, we can play outside. We just need to go see Clay very quick first.”

Flurry ended up agreeing with him. He didn’t know why he bothered asking her, considering he needed to take her to the infirmary anyways. Also considering the fact that she was just barely over a month old and couldn’t control him.

He knew that the MudWing healer would be examining his wing and head today as well as Flurry’s injuries, which he wasn’t exactly excited about.

Winter lifted his daughter up and cradled her against his chest as he walked to the healing center. When he got inside, he sat down in the ‘waiting area’ and watched as the MudWing healer finished wrapping up a NightWing’s leg.

“Hiya, Winter,” he said, setting his materials down on a table. “Take a seat over there” –he pointed to a empty cot– “I’ll be with you in just a moment.”

Winter nodded and walked over to the cot, setting Flurry down on it and climbing up after her. She snuggled into him and he stroked the spines on her back gently, trying to calm her.

Clay walked over to them and smiled. He was carrying a basket full of bandages and gauze, as well as a few other medical supplies. “How are you feeling Winter?”

“I’m fine. Just a little tired. I finished catching up on all of my work so that’s nice.”

“Good, good,” Clay muttered, tilting his head. “May I see Flurry for a moment? I’m just going to remove these old bandages and see how her burns are looking.”

Winter moved his talons and gently picked his daughter up, placing her on her back. He watched as the healer removed the bandages and placed them into a wastebin. 

Clay nodded and looked up at Winter. “Her burns look even better than I expected. I’d say that this next week is going to be the last time she needs to have her bandages. I’ll still give you some afterwards, in case she’s in a lot of pain moving around or if they get irritated.” He began wrapping Flurry up in fresh bandages again and asked, “Speaking of moving, how’s that going?”

“She still can’t stand or walk on her own, or at least without some sort of support on her chest, but she’s been scooching around a whole bunch,” Winter explained. “She’s also been very interested in kicking me lately when I hold her so that’s wonderful.”

“Ha!” The MudWing barked, “I bet it is. It’s good that she’s able to use her legs that well though. With enough practice and time I think she’ll be able to walk on her own entirely.”

Flurry giggled as Clay set her down, and scooched closer to Winter. She nuzzled her head against his chest and whispered, “Dada, when play?”

Winter lifted a talon up and stroked the spines on Flurry’s back, laughing quietly to himself. “Aren’t you impatient? We can play as soon as Clay is done checking on my wing, okay? I promise.” 

Clay smiled. “It’s absolutely adorable to see her talking. I’m sure you’re very proud. I also have a sneaking suspicion that your clawmate is going to use this as an opportunity to teach her some… unsavory words.”

The IceWing grinned. “Well, he’s already taught her how to say his name, kinda… She can’t really pronounce it properly but I’m sure it’s only a matter of time.”

The healer nodded. “I’m sure.” He walked around the cot so he could get a better look at Winter’s head. “You’ll be happy to know that the cut healed beautifully. The stitches can be removed if you’d like, but I think it’d be best to keep them on for a few more days. I can remove them next time you come in to get Flurry’s bandages taken off.”

“Sounds good,” he said. 

Clay nodded again. “Now if you don’t mind I need to get a look at your wing.” He walked around the cot again and ever so carefully stretched his wing out, Winter hissing in pain as he did so, 

He began removing the wrap around Winter’s wing and winced as he inspected the injury. “It looks a lot better than it did before, but it’s going to be a while before you can fly. Even then, you might not be able to fly properly for a long time.”

He looked down at his wing and bile rose in his throat. A large orange, green and purple bruise covered a majority of the appendage, and they got worse the closer they were to the multiple broken bones. Winter noticed that the scales on a few areas had been completely skinned off, and that there were actually a few small holes going completely through the membrane. 

He gagged and looked away, fearing that he was going to puke if he looked at it anymore. Tears pricked in his eyes and he looked down at Flurry, trying to distract himself from how monstrous he looked.

The tiny dragonet snuggled closer to him and he smiled at her sadly.

“I know,” Clay said quietly. “It’s not easy to look at something like that, especially when you know that it’s on your own body and not someone else’s.”

Winter felt his throat closing as he looked at him. “How-how long do you think it’ll be before I can actually fly again?” He didn’t know why he asked it. He knew the answer wasn’t going to be good.

The MudWing sighed, examining the injury once more before looking back at Winter and regretfully saying, “Half a year at the very least. It’s an awfully bad injury. I’m so sorry.”

The tears spilled out of his eyes and he quickly wiped them away, fighting the panic out of his mind. “Fuck,” he whispered quietly. “S-sorry, I didn’t mean to curse. Uhm can you just… wrap it up? I don’t think I can look at it anymore.”

“Of course. I’ll give you some pain meds to take back to your cave if you’d like.”

Winter nodded quietly, forcing himself to look only at his daughter and away from his wing.

_________________

He left the healing center as fast as he possibly could, keeping his head down as he rushed through the hallways. Flurry had stayed pressed against him, as if she knew something was wrong.

He carried her into his cave and paused once he entered. “Sorry sweetheart, I completely forgot that you wanted to play outside. Would you still like to?”

“No play,” she said, nudging his chest gently. “Dada sad.”

His heart ached and he began crying once more. “I’m so sorry. You don’t have to worry about me. We can play in a little bit okay? I’m just not quite in the mood right now.”

Flurry didn’t argue, or kick, she just stayed quiet, and for that he was grateful.

Chapter Text

Qibli sighed as he scribbled down notes for Webs’ class. He would have actually enjoyed learning history if the SeaWing wasn’t so dull… or if it didn’t take him half an hour to explain the directions for their lesson.

He ripped a small piece of paper off of the corner of his scroll and began fidgeting with it, not being able to sit still for more than a moment. 

I wish Winter was here, he found himself thinking. While the snooty IceWing wasn’t always fun to be around, he somehow managed to make everything a little bit more bearable. Needless to say, it had been a very boring month and a half in his classes without the company of his clawmate.

Qibli looked back down at his paper, trying to clear his head. He hadn’t been thinking clearly for the past few weeks and wasn’t exactly sure why, but his grades were still pretty good so he didn’t really care.

Moon nudged him and he turned and smiled softly at her. “What’s up?” He whispered. He quickly took in the slightly panicked look on her face and his smile dropped. “Is everything okay?”

“I-I just… I think something’s really bothering Winter and- just be careful with him when you head back to your cave,” the NightWing explained. “Flurry just seems really worried about him, and from what images I can see in her head, he’s not exactly in the best mood.”

Qibli frowned. “What do you th—”

“Ahem,” Webs coughed from next to him. “If you want to talk during class, you are very much welcome to tell all of us,” he gestured to the class, “what you are saying. Either that or you and Ms. Moonwatcher will be separated. Am I understood?”

A blush crept up Qibli’s neck and onto his face, but he kept eye contact with his teacher. “Yes sir. I’m sorry.” 

“Good,” the old SeaWing said, turning and walking back to the front of the classroom to continue on his stupid rant.

Qibli glanced over at Moon and winked, causing the red flush on her cheeks to darken. He smiled.

She’d be so lucky to be with Winter. They deserve each other.

It was no secret that Winter liked her. It had been obvious from about the second day at the school that he didn’t loathe her like he had claimed he did. There was a way that the IceWing looked at her that showed just how deeply he cared about Moon.

A twinge of sadness creeped into Qibli’s mind. He had had feelings for Moonwatcher for almost as long as he had known her, but it was as if something in him had shifted. He no longer craved the attention of her. No longer wished to be held in her wings, entrapped in a night sky.

He wanted Winter. He wanted to curl up next to him and kiss his beautiful face and tell him just how much he…

That’s very straight of me to be thinking about… yeah I definitely like guys.

By the time that the class ended, Qibli had managed to scribble down notes on about ¾ of the scroll, and had added several little drawings all over it. He had subconsciously drawn Winter on the paper, but he didn’t really care. It was a shitty drawing anyways, and he highly doubted the SeaWing teacher would recognize his clawmate.

During the class, he had noticed Kinkajou staring at Moon when the NightWing wasn’t looking. It was honestly kind of cute how much love was in the little pink and yellow dragons eyes. 

I bet she likes her. They’d make a really cute couple, he thought to himself as he walked to Sunny’s class.

The hybrid taught intertribal relations and history which was actually pretty entertaining. Well, anything was better than rotting away in Webs’ class.

His brain seemed to slow down, circling around one single thought:

If Kinkajou and Moon got together, does that mean me and Winter could?

_________________

Winter had decided to not take Flurry outside, at least not for today. Instead, he had been sitting down with her in Qibli’s sleeping quarters, gently holding her up as she practiced walking and trying to distract himself from Clays diagnosis. 

For such a tiny dragonet, she was extremely strong, and had managed to ‘walk’ a few laps around. She didn’t seem to be in any pain when he held her chest either, so that was good.

When it was time for Flurry to eat again, Winter set her down on Qibli’s bed and walked over to a corner to grab everything he needed. 

He had already grabbed food for the two of them earlier in the day, freezing the fish and keeping them as far from the lamps as possible. He didn’t want Qibli to have to go through the trouble of getting the food for them. He had also grabbed a fish for him.

He smiled softly at the thought of his clawmate, his heart aching in a way that both felt familiar and new.

It didn’t matter anyways. Qibli liked Moon, not him. Not that he wanted the SandWing to like him. No. That would be obscene. 

Well, maybe he did…

“Augh,” he groaned. He looked down at his daughter. “Don’t fall in love anytime soon, okay sweetheart?” 

Flurry cocked her head. “Wha dada?” She asked. ‘Looove?”

He walked over and sat down, picking her up gently. He placed a kiss on her nose, making her giggle.“Nothing mon amour. I just don’t want you to… to get hurt.”

It wasn’t a real injury, Winter knew. But the way his heart, his whole body hurt when he thought of his stupid, adorable clawmate made him believe otherwise.

“Dada okay?”

“I’m fine, don’t worry. I just… had a long day.”

Flurry frowned and leaned into him, he was confused as to what she was doing or about to. Instead of just staring at him, the tiny IceWing leaned closer and placed a tiny kiss on Winter’s nose.

His mind stopped racing and for one, beautiful moment, all of his anxiety and fear and pain was replaced with his daughter.

A smile broke across his face and he laughed softly. “Flurry, where did you learn to do that? Is it because of me?”

She squealed. “Dada! Eeeeeaaahh!” She wiggled in his talons and looked at the entrance to the cave. Squeaking again, she yelled, “Qibiiii! Dada Qibiii here! Play!”

Winter turned to look, and sure enough the SandWing walked through the door and into their room.

Qibli smiled at the two IceWings. “Hi you two! And how is my favorite little nugget?” He asked, picking Flurry out of Winter’s grasp and placing a small kiss on her nose. She giggled and let out a string of unintelligible words.

Qibli turned to look at Winter and grinned. “Hiya Winter! How’s your day been so far? Do you need me to head to the prey center really quick to pick up your lunches?”

“I’ve already got the food, don’t worry. I didn’t want you to have to go through the trouble of getting it again,” Winter explained.

“Awww,” his clawmate cooed. “You’re being so nice to me princess. What did I do to deserve this behavior?”

He groaned. “You’ve been slightly less annoying recently, that’s all.” He didn’t want to admit that he had mostly gotten the fish so he could spend more time with Qibli. No. That would be weird. “And my day’s been… fine I guess. I mean I haven’t really done anything except play with Flurry and go visit Clay.”

The light yellow dragon in front of him frowned at that. He sat down and placed Flurry back on the pile of blankets where she had been before. She giggled and began pushing herself around, perfectly content to be doing everything by herself.

“What happened?” Qibli asked gently, his eyes fixed on Winter’s in a way that felt almost intimidating. “Did-did Clay say something about Flurry’s condition or…”

Winter sighed, wiping his face tiredly. “No, thank the moons. He actually said she’s looking a lot better and she can permanently get rid of the bandages by next week unless she needs them. And the stitches in my head are going to be removed that same day.”

“Oh, well that’s exciting! You don’t… uhh look excited about it though. Did he say something else?”

“Nope,” he lied. “I’m just tired. That’s all.”

The SandWing frowned again, looking Winter up and down before settling his eyes on his wing. “Was it something about your wing? I know you said he was going to examine it today.”

Winter’s voice shook as he whispered, “No.” Tears pricked in his eyes for the second time that day and he furiously tried to blink them away. “Everything’s fine. D-Don’t worry about it, okay?”

Qibli silently reached out up towards his face, and Winter flinched away, fear gripping his chest like a vice. Qibli paused for a moment before he slowly moved his talon away. A moment later, a flash of recognition sparked in his eyes and he gasped softly but said nothing more.

“I’m gonna make Flurry’s food now. I got you a fish too, so you don’t need to head out unless you want to,” Winter explained as he watched his clawmate turn to leave.

Qibli spun around and grinned. “See? I knew you loved me.”

“Shut up before I force you to.”

“Freakyyy~”

“NO!”

_________________

Winter’s mind spun. He tried to force himself to breathe but he couldn’t, memories resurfacing once again. He felt a wetness near his talons and looked down, fear gripping his heart as he stared back at his reflection in the pool of blood that was slowly rising.

He looked around and his heart dropped as he saw Flurry’s body slowly rising with the blood. She was dead. Qibli was too, his chest ripped open and mouth pouring red.

“It’s your fault, Winter,” Narwhal whispered from next to him. “All of this death, just because you can’t do anything right. I mean, look at yourself. Can’t even feel pain properly.”

Winter looked back at his reflection, and noticed how in it he was younger. A talonprint was beginning to bruise across his face, and several lashes had just begun to scab over. His forearms were sliced open, pouring blood that was mixing with Qibli’s in a sickening purple color.

Moon was dead too, and Kinkajou. Turtle’s neck was sliced open, and Peril boiled the blood around her.

The blood was rising fast, too fast. It was up to his neck now, suffocating him. He felt trapped.

It’s all my fault.

“All because you love him,” his father explained, gesturing to Qibli and sneering. “All because you’re a fucking faggot, you’ve killed everyone in this room. Including that deformed child that you’re so insistent on raising. Why can’t you do anything right for once?”

At last, the blood rose above his head, threatening to drown him. Winter tried to swim upward, but his body was weighing him down.

“Why would you do it, Winter? Why did you kill me? I thought you loved me.” Qibli’s corpse said, his eyes gouged out and scar freshly opened. His voice was distorted and his frame gaunt. “I thought you loved me.”

_________________

Qibli woke to the sound of his clawmate moving around. He was normally a pretty deep sleeper and didn’t typically wake up to things like that. He looked over at Winter, trying to reassure himself that he had just changed the way he was laying, and his heart plummeted.

The IceWing was trembling, his eyes moving wildly behind the lids. Silvery tears spilled across his cheeks and he was whimpering.

He’s having a nightmare, Qibli realized. Shit. What should I do?

He unwrapped the blankets from around himself and stood up, yawning. He walked over to his clawmates bed and shook him gently.

“Winty, are you okay?” He asked softly, trying to wake the IceWing up. Winter stayed quiet, so he tried again, louder this time. “Winter, wake up. C’mon you’re scaring me.”

Still nothing. Winter trembled harder, more tears streaming down his face. His voice broke as he whispered, “I’m so sorry.”

Qibli’s heart broke. He shook him again, panic beginning to claw at his chest. “Winter, come on. Get up. Please, I hate seeing you like this.”

“Qibi?” A quiet voice asked from next to him. He glanced over and saw Flurry sitting there, staring at the two dragons in front of her anxiously. She began scooting over to them and nudged Winter. “Dada? Dada? No sleep.” She looked like she was about to cry. Looking up at him, she asked, “Dada okay?”

“I don’t know sweetheart. I think he’s having a very bad dream.”

Flurry looked back at her father and nudged him again. “Qibi help dada.”

“I’m trying, Flurry. I’m trying.” 

Qibli shook Winter one last time, hoping against hope he could wake him up. When that didn’t work, he sighed. 

Do it, a voice in his head pleaded. This could be the one time you ever get to.

In a desperate bid, he leaned in and kissed Winter, right on the lips. 

Winter’s eyelids fluttered softly before opening, and when his perfect eyes met Qibli’s he swore he felt something shift inside him. 

“Well that worked,” Qibli mumbled, pulling away.

Winter flinched, looking away sharply. “Qibli? You’re-you’re alive?”

“I am, princess. I’m not going anywhere.”

The IceWing suddenly reached out and wrapped his arms around Qibli. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you up. I-I had a really bad dream and- Qibli you were dead and Flurry was dead and—” he sobbed into him. “I’m so sorry.”

Qibli felt his heart break, he let his friend cry for a moment before breaking away. “You wanna sleep next to me for the rest of the night princess? I can help fight off any nightmares that come your way, promise.”

Winter nodded, which was unexpected, but he didn’t say anything more. The IceWing slid off of his bed and grabbed his blanket, placing it in Qibli’s sleeping area before walking back and gently lifting Flurry and her nest up. He wobbled and shook his head, placing the blankets and his daughter back down. 

“I feel really dizzy,” he whispered. “Could you grab her? I think I might fall if I try.”

Qibli nodded and carefully helped Winter into his bed before picking Flurry up. She snuggled into Winter when he set her down, and he smiled softly, watching as Winter placed a kiss on his daughter's head.

Qibli settled down next to the two IceWings, placing Winter’s pink blanket over his body. “That better?” He asked, nudging his clawmate.

Winter nodded shakily before turning to look at the SandWing. “Qibli I’m so sorry, really. I-I haven’t- the nightmares haven’t been that bad for a while. I didn’t mean to wake you up.”

“Wait, hold up. How long have you been having nightmares for?”

Winter winced. “Since I was three. Ever since I lost Hailstorm they’ve been creeping into my dreams, except for if I take a sedative or something.”

Qibli’s brow furrowed and he reached out slowly, wiping a tear off of Winter’s face before pulling away once more. “That-that’s not normal.”

“I know. I’m so sorry. I–moons I probably look stupid right now.” He wiped tears off of his face, still trembling like a leaf. “I mean I’m sitting here crying and-and I’m snuggled up with you and–” he hiccuped and whimpered softly “–this isn’t very princely behavior.”

“Well, you aren’t exactly a prince anymore…” Qibli started and then trailed off when Winter grimaced. “I-I didn’t mean it like that. I only meant that –well technically you still have the blood of a royal– I mean– Winter you–” he sighed. “You might not technically be considered a prince anymore–no. But that also means that you aren’t going to be held to such high standards anymore. Probably for the first time in your life, you’re going to be able to be yourself, express yourself the way you want which means…” Qibli reached out cradled Winter’s face in one of his talons. The IceWings cool scales felt surprisingly comforting against his own warm ones, and he watched as he closed his eyes. “Which means you’re going to be able to feel emotions for yourself and not have to suppress them as much.”

To his surprise, Winter leaned into his touch, his cheeks flushed. He made a content hum and opened his eyes again. “That-that sounds nice,” he whispered after a long moment. 

“Yeah. It does.”

Winter pulled away from his touch and looked down at his daughter, who had fallen asleep once more. “Good night, Flurry. Je t'aime.” He leaned down and kissed the top of her head, the dragonet’s snout scrunching in response.

Qibli smiled softly at them. “You wanna tell me more about the dream?” he asked, noting how Winter was still trembling. “It might make you feel better.”

Winter froze. “I-I don’t know,” he said, shaking his head. “I-Qibli it–”

“Hey, I promised I wouldn’t judge you, right?”

“Right. It’s just that you were in it and I don’t know if I can tell you about it because then it’s going to become real and I really don’t want that.” 

“Winter…you already told me what happened to me,” Qibli said warily. 

“I did? Shit, I’m so sorry,” Winter said, panic creeping into his voice. 

“Wait, why are you sorry? I’d rather know and be able to help you than have you deal with this on your own.”

“It’s an old superstition…telling someone about your dreams when they’re in them makes that dream come true…” He paused, his breathing speeding up. “Oh no. Oh no oh no. Qibi I-I’m so sorry. I-” He was hyperventilating now, shaking more than ever. “And Flurry too and oh no.”

Qibli reached out, holding Winter’s trembling talons in his own. “Hey, hey. It’s going to be okay. It’s just a superstition. It’s not time for my glorious death yet, snowbird. Okay?”

“Qibli!” Winter practically wailed. He was sobbing so hard it looked like he couldn’t even draw in a breath. “I don’t want to lose you! Please no please no.” He ripped his talons out of Qibli’s grasp and clutched the top of his head. “Please, I can’t lose you. Tu représentes le monde entier pour moi! Tu es tout pour moi!”

Qibli glanced around, panicking almost as much as Winfer. He didn’t know what to do in a situation like this, with someone relying on him so deeply. His eyes met Flurry’s teal ones, and he saw the empathy only a child could hold in them. She must’ve woken up again and he didn’t notice

“Dada ok?” she asked softly.

“I don’t know, Flurry. I really don’t know.”

Flurry went silent, contemplative. Qibli turned his attention back to Winter, who was still violently crying. “You’ll be okay, love. You will be. I’ll be here, no matter what. Always.”

Winter sniffled, but before he could regain his composure entirely, Moon walked in with concern in her eyes. 

“What happened?”

Chapter Text

Winter practically jumped at the sound of the new voice. Moon, he recognized before he turned and saw her. He looked back at Qibli and flushed deeply, realizing just how close the two of them were.

Get away, his brain screamed. Get away before you hurt him! 

Winter pushed himself away from Qibli, panic still taking over his mind. His gaze turned towards his daughter and he noticed her staring at him anxiously.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Qibli exclaimed, reaching out after him. Winter flinched away and backed up further, trembling. “Winter— it’s okay. I’m not going to hurt you. Moon isn’t going to hurt you. It’s okay.”

Moon turned to look at Qibli again. “Qibli, what happened? I-I heard Flurry’s thoughts and she’s really scared.”

She’s scared of me, Winter realized. I already fucked up. She’s scared of me. “I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry.” He scrambled further away, avoiding eye contact with everyone. “Fuck. Flurry I—”

Qibli gently scooped Flurry into his arms, cradling her. “Winter, it’s okay,” he repeated. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

Liar. She’s scared of me. I already scared my own daughter. I thought I wasn’t— I don’t want to become him.

“She isn’t scared of you,” Moon added, almost as if she had read his mind. He checked his Skyfire pouch just in case. It was, in fact, still there. “And no, I didn’t get that from your thoughts. I could just tell where your mind immediately went. She’s worried about you, Winter. You’re the most important thing in the world to her.”

His jaw trembled. “B-but you said t-that she was scared.”

“She’s scared for you, not of you.”

Qibli set Flurry back down in the nest of blankets. Instead of snuggling into them, however, the tiny IceWing sat up, silently watching the three dragons in front of her.

The SandWing started fidgeting anxiously with his talons, eyes darting from Flurry, to Winter, to Moon, and back to Flurry.

“Qibli, what happened?” Moon asked him again.

He only shook his head, gaze fixed on Winter now. “He-he had a nightmare,” Qibli began to explain. “I woke up because I heard him thrashing around. I-I woke him up and he was panicking and then I asked if he’d want to sleep in my bed to see if it would help. I ask-asked him to tell me what he dreamed about, even though he told me a little about the dream right after he woke up and-and he panicked more. Something about an old superstition.”

Winter’s heart continued to pound in his chest as his friends talked, and he tried to draw in breaths to calm down, but found himself struggling to. Qibli’s going to die, and it’s my fault. He dug his claws into his palms, pressing hard enough to bleed. Breathe, he tried to tell himself. Focus on the pain. Breathe. This is my fault. I deserve to feel pain. He’s going to die. Flurry’s going to die. EVERYONE is going to die and it’s MY FUCKING FAULT.

His chest seemed to collapse, breathing suddenly becoming entirely impossible. His arms were covered in slashes, blood pouring out onto the floor of the cave. Flurry was crying, trying her hardest to get away from him. He couldn’t tell what was real or not. What was holding him, forcing him to stay still? What mental demons were torturing him now?

“Winter,” the demon whispered, it’s voice surprisingly soothing, distorted as it was. “Winter, it’s okay. Breathe.” Warm talons held him in place, wrapped around him in a way that made the tension in his body dissipate.

He tried to fight, tried to get away, but eventually just collapsed into the feeling, letting himself be held. It’s been a long time since anyone’s ever held me so… lovingly. Tears poured down Winter’s face and onto the demon’s shoulder. It just held him tighter.

He still couldn’t breathe.

Another demon joined the first one in holding him, whispering soothing words into his ears that he could not fully understand. 

His body shook violently between the two figures. One of them peeled off of him, something like frantic whispering filling the air.

It was too loud. Too quiet. Everything hurt. The stone underneath his talons hurt. He was bleeding.

Winter felt his mouth being forced open, and tried to close it once more, but found himself too drained to do so, even though the demon's grip on his maw was gentle. A liquid poured down his throat. It tasted of lavender and lemons,  pleasant and welcoming flavor.

The warm demon was still holding him. It was shaking too, drops pouring onto the IceWing’s shoulder.

“I’m sorry,” Winter croaked.

And then the world went dark.

_________________

Winter blinked drearily as he woke up, a headache blossoming to life the moment he opened his eyes. He groaned and burrowed himself further in —what he assumed was— his pink blanket. His bed seemed softer than it normally was, and he quickly came to the realization that he wasn’t in his own bed, but Qiblis.

What happened? I- the last thing I remember was… oh no.

He tried to lift his head up, but found it extremely difficult to even move, his entire body feeling as if it weighed thousands of pounds. He groaned again, tears pricking behind his eyelids.

“Winter!” An entirely too cheerful voice yelled from somewhere near him. He cringed away from the sound, still overwhelmed. “Moons, I was worried sick about you.” A warm pair of talons helped him up and encircled his body. Qibli. Instead of pulling away like his mind was screaming at him to do, Winter melted into the SandWing’s arms, letting himself be held. He also couldn’t move by himself at the moment so that was why he stayed. Yes definitely.

Stars, what’s gotten into me lately? Why do I feel like this around him?

Qibli let go of him and smiled sweetly, his nose scrunched up in a way that somehow highlighted the freckles on his face. “How are you feeling? Flurry keeps asking if you’re okay.”

Winter opened his mouth to speak, but his throat seemed to be dryer than the desert in which his clawmate lived. “Dehydrated,” he managed to croak out, his voice scratchy and quiet.

“Shit, I’m sorry. I should’ve thought of that. Hold up.” Qibli peeled himself away from Winter, who found himself surprised that he didn’t tip over the moment the SandWing let go. “I’m gonna go get you some water. I’ll bring it in a bowl or something.” He started making his way over to the door before pausing and adding, “Oh, and there’s no need to worry about Flurry. She’s chilling with Moon and Kinkajou for a little bit. I needed my beauty sleep too, princess.” And with that he slipped out of the cave.

Winter just sat there, too unsure in his own body at the moment. He was barely keeping himself upright and wouldn’t be able to deal with Qibli’s nagging if he fell over and the SandWing found him like that.

I didn’t even realize that Flurry wasn’t here, he realized, guilt clawing it’s way through his chest. She’s my fucking daughter and I wasn’t even worried about her. What’s wrong with me? Tears pricked in his eyes again and he fought the feeling down. I told myself I wasn’t going to cry again. Why do I keep doing this?

What’s wrong with me?

***

Qibli returned a few minutes later, carrying a bowl full of water, as well as another bowl full of meat and some fruits. He set the food down on the floor next to his bed and carried the water over to Winter. “Here you go,” he said, handing him the bowl and sitting down next to him. “Sorry I didn’t think of that sooner. I forget that other tribes can’t go as long without water.”

Winter just nodded, drinking the water down greedily. When he was done, he placed the bowl down and sighed, his headache fading slightly. He looked back up at his clawmate and flushed softly. “I-erh- thank you, Qibli. I’m sorry.”

Qibli smiled sadly. “You don’t need to apologize for anything, don’t worry.”

“How-how long was I out for this time?” Winter asked. “I take it you sedated me at some point. I recognized the taste.”

The light yellow dragon in front of him winced. “Three days.” He began fidgeting with his talons anxiously, shame etched into his face. “I didn’t want to sedate you, really. Moon’s the one who did it, but I promise I didn’t want to. I was just–well I was– Winter you really scared me. I-you were crying and shaking and you started clawing at your arms and palms and there was a so much blood and I–”

“What?” 

He looked down at his arms for the first time and felt his heart constrict. Bandages had been wrapped around both of his arms, as well as around his palms, and wrapped pretty high too.

Fuck. He looked up at his friend and saw tears welling in his eyes. “Qibli I’m so sorry. I-I haven’t done anything like that in–in a really long time. I’m so–you shouldn’t have had to deal with that. Oh my moons I’m so sorry.”

“There was so much blood,” Qibli repeated, his voice cracking. “I-I thought you were going to–” He broke off and looked away, wiping his eyes quickly. “I thought I was going to lose you for a moment. I don’t know why. I haven’t seen that much blood in a while.” He looked back up at Winter and smiled shakily. “But it’s okay. You’re going to be okay.”

Winter felt his heart sink. It wasn’t okay. Qibli didn’t deserve to be put through that. He started down at his arms sullenly, his gaze dark. Qibli really didn’t deserve that, especially after everything he had already done and gone through for him.

The SandWing wiped his eyes again, tears still trickling down his face. He looked up at Winter and whispered, “Please, please tell me if you feel like doing that to yourself again. I promise I’ll try to help. I won’t yell at you, or judge you. Promise. I just- I just need you to feel comfortable talking to me about that, even if it hurts.” He sniffled and, in a voice so quiet he almost couldn’t hear it, said, “Please. I can’t lose anyone else.”

Winter nodded at his clawmate, trying to force back his own tears. “I’ll try my best. You know I’m not the greatest at communication. You’re not going to lose me anytime soon though.” He considered hugging Qibli but the sharp sting of the cuts on his arms made him rethink it. Instead, he twined his tail around his friends, squeezing reassuringly whilst also trying to avoid stabbing himself on his barb. “I’m sorry I scared you,” he murmured. “I didn’t even realize I did that to myself. Honestly– I didn’t realize that you were hugging me before Moon gave me the sedative. I thought the two of you were some sort of mental demons trying to torture me, although… thinking about it now, it wasn’t exactly torture.”

“Good to know,” Qibli hiccuped, wiping his eyes again. “I wouldn’t dream of hurting you, princess. Even if you did deserve it.” He trailed off and added, “I don’t want to hurt you. You’ve been hurt too many times.”

His heart clenched, and a new wave of anxieties washed over him. “W-what do you mean?” he asked, forcing the painful memories down, down, down. “I’m fine.”

Am I? Or am I lying to both him and myself?

Qibli frowned. “The other day, when I came back from classes and was talking to you about Clay, I reached out and you flinched super hard and looked terrified. I mean– I could only assume that– you didn’t seem fine to me.” He sighed and reached down, holding Winter’s talon gently and being careful as to not touch the wounds on him. “And this whole thing doesn’t exactly scream ‘I’m okay’ to me. I just… have a few questions, is all.”

Winter nodded, although fear began spreading through his mind like a weed. Don’t tell him anything, part of his brain screamed. He doesn’t need to know anything about me. Why is he so worried? I’ve been nothing but mean to him. Why does he care about me so much? Mother and father will get in trouble if I tell him. I’ll get in trouble too.

But he needs to know, another, calmer part added. Maybe it will feel better when I tell him. Maybe it will feel less like the weight of the world is being held in my heart. Maybe it won’t hurt so bad anymore.

“Ask away,” he mumbled, begging his voice to not shake. Qibli blinked up at him slowly, as if processing what he had said. “I mean it,” he added. “If you want to know something, just ask me. I’ll try to answer everything. You deserve to…you deserve to know why I did that, and anything else too.”

Qibli paused before whispering, “Why… why did you get so scared when I did that? You flinch away every time anyone moves their talons close to your face, or reaches out to you. Every. Time.”

Winter winced and shrunk away. “Oh.” He looked down at his talons, one of them still being held by sandy scales, and took a deep breath. “When I was three, I-I lost Hailstorm and my parents weren’t exactly happy about it. They-they took their anger out on me, a lot, and it never really got better. But I,” he shuddered as the memory washed over him, “I remember coming back home and them yelling at me and– Qibli I had bruises all over my body for weeks.” He winced, remembering the pain of the blows his parents had dealt, and the stinging of fresh cuts. “I was just so scared that I was going to be hurt like that again, and the fear never left.” 

Qibli’s eyes widened in shock, and he gasped softly. Tears filled his eyes again and his jaw trembled.

Winter’s voice shook as he whispered, “And I was just so upset at myself and I thought ‘maybe I deserve to feel like this, maybe I deserve to be hurt.’” He unsuccessfully blinked back tears as every feeling from then crashed down on him again. “That night… I found a knife that I had hidden in my room for some reason and–and I-”

“I think I can guess what happened next,” Qibli said softly, voice cracking. “You answered my next question. You don’t need to explain any more if you don’t want to, princess.”

“It hurt so much,” Winter cried, tears streaming down his face. “And when Mother found me the next day she yelled at me and humiliated me in front of so many important dragons. She told them that I gave Hailstorm away to the SkyWings, and that I was hurting myself for attention and that she wished that I was the one to go. That I was the one who was taken.” He tried to wipe some of the tears off of his face, but was shaking so hard he barely could. “And after we saved Hailstorm, I brought him home and the first thing Father said was ‘I see my two sons have returned to me. One I thought could never come back– and the other I hoped never would.’” Winter sobbed into himself. “They didn’t want me, never did. They told Hailstorm to kill me– set up an elaborate plan to make it seem like they weren’t just trying to kill off one of their children. Qibli I’m not supposed to be alive.”

Qibli squeezed his talon comfortingly —although Winter tried to ignore the way pain shot from where pressure was being put on the cuts— and brushed his thumb over Winter’s. His movements stilled for a moment, gaze locked somewhere far away.

“Is- Winter is that why you keep panicking about Flurry? Are you worried that you’re going to-to hurt her?” The SandWing asked quietly. “I know you’ve told me that you didn’t want to be like your parents but… oh my moons it makes sense now.” He looked up and made shaky eye contact with Winter. “Is that the mindset you’ve had this entire time? Are you scared you’re going to hurt her the way you were hurt?”

Winter’s heart dropped. It hurt to think, but it hurt so much more to hear it out loud, to hear the very thing that had been scaring him ever since he had looked into his daughter’s eyes. He looked down and nodded before a sob tore from his throat. Qibli’s arms encircled him again and he buried himself into the crook of his neck.

“It’s okay, it’s okay. It’s going to be okay,” Qibli murmured, repeating the words like a mantra. He held the IceWing close and stroked the back of his head and down his neck gently. Winter just sobbed harder, feeling as helpless as he did the day Hailstorm was taken from him.

He felt tears fall onto him and realized that Qibli was crying again. “No. Oh. Oh no no no,” he cried. His friends' grip around him tightened as he pulled away. “I'm sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t you dare apologize, snowflake. None of that was your fault. You don’t have to blame yourself. If anything I’m sorry that you feel like that.” Qibli moved his talon from the back of Winter’s head to his face. He wiped his tears away, smiling sweetly. “Don’t cry. You’re perfect.”

Winter’s face crumpled again and another sob escaped him. He leaned into Qibli’s talon, and let his face be held. The SandWing continued cup his face in his talon, pausing every now and then to wipe more salty drops away.

“Don’t cry,” Qibli repeated, shushing Winter’s mindless babbling quietly. “Don’t cry, beautiful. Everything’s okay. You're safe with me. You’re going to be okay. Flurry’s going to be okay. I’m okay. You’re safe here. Please don’t cry.”

He called me beautiful. Why did he do that? I’m not even half as pretty as him, or, for that matter, Moon. And I’m certainly not perfect. Not like him.

Winter’s head spun as he turned his head so he could look at Qibli, memories and emotions swirling around in a hurricane of mental anguish that made it hard to think. His headache returned and a wave of dizziness washed over him. He leaned a bit closer to his clawmate, praying that he would catch him should he fall. 

Qibli continued to cup his face, a soft smile on his face, even as tears spilled down both of their faces.

Winter absentmindedly stared at the sand yellow dragon, admiring the way his deep black eyes reflected the lights from the colored lanterns in the room. Something about him was so… ethereal, as if he was otherworldly.

Qibli chuckled softly and smiled after a few minutes, rubbing Winter’s cheek gently and finally snapping him out of his daze. “Everything okay, princess?” His voice was quiet, although tears no longer streamed down his face, talon dropping to hold Winter’s again. “You’re awfully close. If you need another hug just tell me.”

He flushed and pushed himself a little bit further away. “Sorry. I got super dizzy.” He had stopped crying too, although he still didn’t feel confident that he wouldn’t break into sobs again.

The SandWing raised his brow skeptically. “Uh-huh. Sure, whatever you wanna tell yourself. You’re just too scared to admit that you wanted to cuddle with me because I’m gorgeous.”

“You are,” Winter breathed, not thinking. He froze the moment the words escaped and blushed, staring fixedly at his talons. His clawmate was still holding one of them.

He heard Qibli suck in a breath and felt his face heat up more, sure he was entirely bright blue at this point. 

“Wh-what?” the SandWing asked breathlessly, his grip tightening slightly.

He dropped Qibli’s talon and stood up, his jaw trembling as he avoided eye contact. “Nothing. Never mind. Forget I– forget I said anything.” He walked over to his rock ledge and climbed onto it. It was painful compared to the softness of Qibli’s blankets, and he almost regretted walking away. Almost.

“Winter, wait don’t just leave me like that,” Qibli said from behind him, his voice cracking. “You can’t just say that and then– C’mon you were doing so good at communicating. What happened?”

He laid down and turned his face away from his clawmates. “Nothing happened, Qibli.” His voice was shaky and he winced, wishing the bandages weren’t on his palms so he could dig into them. “Just– forget I told you anything, okay? Things were fine when you didn’t know anything. Let’s just… go back to that.”

“No. No. Things weren’t fine. You weren’t fine. They were just okay. You needed to tell me all of that, I could tell you did. You looked so much… lighter for just a little.”

Winter spun around, anger and sadness burning in his chest. “I DIDN’T NEED TO TELL YOU SHIT!!! I SHOULDN’T HAVE TOLD YOU ANYTHING AT ALL!!! YOU’RE JUST GOING TO RUN YOUR BIG ASS MOUTH AND GET ME IN TROUBLE AND THEN EVERYTHING WILL START OVER AGAIN!!!” Tears spilled down his face as he yelled, and he silently cursed himself. “Everything would start again, Qibli. So just… don’t tell anyone, okay?”

“Okay,” Qibli whispered, his gaze fixed on the floor. Winter could see his shoulders trembling and his heart shattered.

I scared him, he realized. I scared my best friend. He probably hates me now. It’s all my fault.

Everything is my fault. Now not only is my kid scared of me, but one of the only people I actually trust.

“Wait, Qibli, no,” Winter said, sliding off his bed. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to–I shouldn’t have yelled, I’m so sorry.” He sat by his friend for a moment, unsure as to what he should do.

“It’s okay,” Qibli whispered, clearing his throat. Suddenly, the SandWing reached out and hugged him, pulling him close. “You don’t need to apologize. You’re upset, you’re guaranteed going to yell. It’s okay, I promise.”

Winter hugged him back, ignoring the way his arms stung with the pressure. “I’m sorry I keep apologizing. Sorry. I–” He groaned and buried his head in Qibli’s neck again. Qibli just laughed and held him closer.

He hugged the SandWing tighter, upset at himself for acting so strange. It wasn’t unusual for his emotions to change so quickly, it happened so fast he was starting to feel dizzier than ever. 

“You need to tell me when you need breaks, alright?” Qibli said after a few minutes, pulling out of the hug a little.

The IceWing cocked his head. “What do you mean?” He asked, wiping the last of his tears off of his face.

“I think… I think you freaked out and yelled because you were overwhelmed and you’re figuring out a lot of emotions. If you just want to sit for a little bit and not talk while you do that just tell me. Or, you can tell me that if you think you’re going to yell again,” Qibli explained. “That might be an easier way for you to tell me how you’re feeling, and might help me realize that you need a breather and not more physical contact.” He paused and added, “It might help you cool down and not snap.”

Winter hummed thoughtfully before nodding, his gaze fixed on his talons again. “Okay, yeah. I’ll try. It’s better than nothing at least.” He paused and looked up. “Thank-thank you for being here for me. I know I haven’t been the best to you, but the fact that you still try to make me feel better –and that you’re usually successful– means so much to me. Really.”

Qibli grinned, reaching down to grab one of his talons again. “No problem, princess! I’m glad that you finally realized just how ✨awesome✨ I am.” He stuck his tongue out childishly and smiled. 

“Mmmh, you’re pretty okay,” Winter admitted. “I don’t know if I’d say ‘awesome’ though. And don’t think I didn’t notice that little ‘cool’ joke you slipped in there.”

The SandWing giggled and his heart skipped a beat. “You caught me! But there’s no need to be so mean, Winty. I’m the best! You can’t even deny it.”

He chuckled softly. “Yeah, alright alright, don’t act so smug about it. I guess you are pretty awesome.”

“See? I knew you loved me,” Qibli laughed, nudging him. 

He looked away and flushed, still smiling but too scared to say anything more, instead choosing to let himself sit in the moment.

Chapter Text

Flurry giggled as she waddled around on her large bed of blankets and pillows, the soft furs and silks a soothing texture that eased her nerves. She turned as one of the other dragons in the room began talking, and stumbled a little bit closer to her.

“Well you certainly are active today, aren’t you, Flurry?” Moon asked. She was pretty, her dark green scales a stark contrast to Dada’s icy blue ones.

Where is Dada? Flurry wondered, looking up at the NightWing in front of her and cocking her head. Moon frowned sadly, glancing at the entrance of the cave before turning back to face Flurry.

“You worried about Winter?” She asked, reaching out and picking up the tiny dragonet. Flurry wiggled in her grasp before settling into her touch. “Yeah, I’m worried too. He wasn’t doing so well the other night, that’s why you’re staying with me and Kinkajou.”

“Dada hurt?” Flurry asked, looking up at the dark green dragoness. “He sleep?”

Moon hummed softly and placed a small kiss on her nose. “He’s sleeping now, yeah. He needs to rest and heal, but I know he’ll be okay. Winter’s strong.”

Flurry considered this for a moment, an ache she didn’t understand settling in her chest. “Qibi help Dada, righ? He make Dada better?”

“He’s—” Moon’s voice wobbled and she closed her mouth and nodded. “He’s trying his best sweetheart.”

“You okay, Moon?” The other dragon asked as she hopped off of her bed and walked over to the NightWing. She was also pretty, her scales an always changing rainbow of colors. At the moment, her pink scales were shifting into a sad blue, mixed in with some bright green here and there.

Moon nodded and sniffled. “I’m fine Kinkajou, thank you. Just…”

“Scared?” Kinkajou questioned. “I know. I am too. I didn’t think he’d do that to himself.”

Flurry cocked her head as she looked at both of the dragons. “Dada hurting… his self? Why? He okay soon?” The pain in her chest grew, and this time she knew why. The memory of sitting there, watching her father sob and dig his claws into his arms, raking up and down and side to side again and again and again beginning to replay in her head.

His talons, talons that had always seemed so innocent, had always held her so gently, had hurt him so badly. “Dada very sads,” she whispered. Tears welled in her eyes and Flurry began to bawl.

Moon gasped softly and cradled her tighter, whispering soothing words and attempting to calm the small dragonet down. “Hey, no no no. It’s okay, your dad’s going to be okay. He’s just having a hard time right now. He’ll be okay. Winter’s so strong, believe me.”

She continued to cry, memories and anxieties swirling around in her mind like snowflakes.

_________________

*a few days earlier*

Flurry watched her father as he sat on his bed, his tail lashing like a whip. He had been staring at the wall for almost 20 minutes, fidgeting with his talons as his jaw trembled slightly. It was then that she noticed the scars on his palms, or what was slowly becoming scars. They were too fresh, the little crescent shaped cuts that seemed to line up with his claws perfectly.

Dada had been upset since the moment the healer, Clay, looked at his wing. They had talked about how long something would take, and Flurry guessed Clay’s answer to her dad’s question hadn’t been good, because he had cursed and started crying softly.

She didn’t like to see him crying. It hurt her in a way she couldn’t fully comprehend yet every time he did. Qibli usually was able to help him calm down, but he wasn’t always able to. There were multiple times when Flurry heard Dada crying himself to sleep, always long after the SandWing had fallen asleep. Sometimes, he would startle awake in the middle of the night, and sob silently until he either nodded off again or had to get up for the day.

He always managed to take care of her though, even through his own pain and problems. She just hoped that this time he would still be able to.

_________________

Flurry sobbed into Moon, the NightWing’s attempts to calm her down falling on deaf ears. She felt as if she was going to die. Moon began rocking her slowly, whispering something she couldn’t understand.

“Dada!” She screamed, writhing in Moon’s grip. It didn’t feel right. She wanted more than anything to feel her dad’s cool scales against her own as he held her, or Qibli’s for that matter. “I want Dada! Qibi! Dadaaaa!”

“Okay, it’s okay. Calm down, baby. Your dad’s going to be alright. Just calm down.” She shushed the small dragonet, trying desperately to get her to stop crying. Moon’s eyes began filling with tears, and she looked up at Kinkajou sadly. The RainWing looked back with a sad smile that seemed so loving. “Can-can you hold her, please? Her thoughts, I—”

Kinkajou reached out and plucked Flurry from her friend’s arms. “I got you, little one,” she murmured. “We’re worried about him too. It’s gonna be okay.” She pulled the tiny IceWing closer to her and placed a small kiss on her head.

Flurry didn’t stop crying. She didn’t want this girl holding her, she wanted her father. She wailed again and attempted to turn towards the door. Dada gonna be here soon. Qibi will too. It be okay soon.

But her father didn’t come through the entrance. She waited and waited, tears streaming down her face as she sobbed.

After a little, her tears began to slow, and her cries stopped, but she still kept her eyes locked on the door. Kinkajou and Moon lay next to her on Moon’s soft, mossy bed. They talked softly with each other, every now and then checking in on her.

Flurry began to fall asleep there, curled up between her father’s friends. Her last thoughts before she fell under the soft blanket that was sleep still revolving around Winter.

***

Flurry woke up to the sound of new voices outside the cave. 

“It’ll be okay,” someone —no, Qibli— said. “I’m sure she’s going to be so excited to see you.”

“I mean yeah but… Qibli I was gone for three days. She was probably so worried about what happened and— did-did she see what I did? Did…”

Dada!

Flurry squealed and attempted to stand up, the nubs of what should’ve been her front legs not helping her move much. She flapped her wings happily and squeaked.

All of the worry that had been building in her chest seemed to evaporate. Her dad was here, that was his voice talking. He was okay.

Moon and Kinkajou’s heads shot up, and they shared a look before the NightWing called out, “Winter? Qibli?”

Flurry heard a soft gasp and Qibli whispering, “It’ll be fine. Let’s go say hi, okay?”

The SandWing walked into the room and smiled down at her sweetly before lifting her up carefully and cradling her. A few moments later, Winter followed after him, the spikes on his tail and head jingling in a way that calmed her down.

Winter’s eyes immediately turned to her and he sucked in a sharp breath. His jaw began to tremble slightly as he approached her. She squealed as he got closer, squirming around in Qibli’s grasp.

“Dada back!” She yelled, trying to get as close as she could to her father.

Qibli looked down at her for a moment before looking back up at Winter. “You good to hold her?” Winter nodded quietly. “Okay. Just let me know if your arms start hurting again and I’ll take her back.” 

Winter reached out and she momentarily noticed the bandages on his arms and talons, but the thought process was cut short the moment she was in his grasp again. Everything and everyone around them seemed to vanish, and all she could focus on was her father.

“Hi, mon amour,” Winter whispered, leaning down and placing a kiss on her head. “I’m so sorry.” His voice shook as he said it and he kissed her again.

Flurry squeaked and leaned into him. “Dada okay! You okay now!” She giggled and rested her head against his cool chest. “Love you Dada.”