Watching Stars: A Quinter Fanfic

Watching Stars: Chapter 1

Dark. Dark as night. Qibli's eyes were tightly shut, and he was drifting in and out of sleep. Moonwatcher...His mind went. It felt as if he was trying to swim though honey. Sweat dripped down his brow. Danger, danger. Protect, attack..."What is wrong with you?" Qibli gasped awake, seeing Winter standing above him.

"Winter." Qibli said, relaxing. Winter twitched, as if he was uncomfortable. "You were whimpering in your sleep." He said gruffly.

"So you got up and actually woke me up? How sweet of you." Qibli said, putting his talon on his chest dramatically. Winter snorted, but in his eyes, Qibli saw concern. Hm, maybe Winter actually cares for me. Qibli got up and stretched, looking for Moonwatcher.

"Where's Moon?" He asked.

"Moonwatcher went with Kinkajou to get food." Replied Winter, gathering a few sticks, and placed them on the ground in front of Qibli. "Go on," He said, pointing at the sticks. Qibli snorted and lit them. I hope Moon's okay. He gathered a pile of dirt in front of him and put a rock in the middle of it, catching Winter watching him. When their gaze met, Winter looked away. What was that all about? He didn't really have enough information to figure it out. They sat in silence until Moonwatcher and Kinkajou came back, and his heart leapt when he saw her. "Moon!" He said, getting to his feet and brushing his wing with hers. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Winter twitch again. Winter likes her, too, as I know. He's probably just jealous.

"Hey, Qibli." Moon said, smiling at him. He grinned back, and Kinkajou went over to Winter, and bumped his hip. "Wake up, Moony face!" She grinned. Winter jumped, and glared at her. "Hey," He said gruffly. Qibli and Moonwatcher went over to them, and feasted on the fruits and meat they brought back.

"Let's get moving," Winter said, getting up. Qibli nodded. They were looking for Winter's brother, Hailstorm. They had no luck in the last few days. After Winter had a dream about Hailstorm in the palace, due to old magic, he was sure that he was there. They trudged and flew for the rest of the day, and they were almost there, but, surprisingly, Winter put in that they should rest. Qibli curled next to Moon, while Winter slept in a cool space next to a tree. Qibli drifted off into his dreams, and in a few hours, Winter woke him up. Qibli jumped up, ready to fight, but Winter said, "Calm down, sand snorter, everything's fine."

"Then why did you wake me up?"

"I just-I-can we go on a walk?"

Qibli was startled. Winter never sounded so desperate for something that included him in it. "Oh-alright." Qibli stretched and stood next to Winter, then they went walking under the stars. They shimmered and danced in the sky, like he did with Thorn and the Outclaws. Sighing, Qibli relaxed. He was so focused on that memory, that he leaned into Winter, only shocked back awake as his scales met the cold of Winter's scales.

"Oops, sorry!" He said quickly.

"It's alright." Winter said coolly, almost sounding friendly. Well that was weird. They walked for a few more minutes, when dawn started to arrive.

"We should go back." Qibli said.

"...Your right." said Winter. When they got back to camp, they ate, and Moon fussed over them for a bit, then they kept walking. It was Kinkajou's turn to tell everyone to rest. Qibli agreed gladly. His walk with Winter had made him sluggish, and he found himself leaning on things, even Winter again sometimes. He always said, "Sorry!" To him, but Winter never snapped at him. As he was drifting off to sleep, a thought crossed his mind. What if Winter has a crush on me? That made Qibli jolt awake, and he looked across the clearing at the handsome IceWing prince, who was sleeping peacefully. Qibli shook himself. Impossible. He has a crush on Moon. Not me. Does he? Qibli looked at the stars above him. They winked back, and they seemed to form a shape of Winter. Yes, I really think he does have a crush on me. It should have been obvious. He would have never wanted to go on a walk with Qibli, and he would have snapped at Qibli multiple times. Gosh. I love Moon though, but I don't want to hurt Winter's feelings or break our friendship...Qibli closed his eyes, and dreamed of him and Moon, together, but then Moon would turn into Winter, and Qibli would stay rooted to the ground next to him. He did not sleep well that night, and the next night, Winter woke him again.

"Yes...?" Qibli said sleepily.

"Can we go on a walk?"

"Again? Winter, I-"

"Please."

Qibli obeyed, and got up, stumbling a bit, but Winter supported him up, and they went walking under the stars again. Almost five minutes into the walk, Winter said something. "I need to tell you something." Qibli looked up, and met Winter's eyes. This time Winter did not look away.

"I'm listening." Winter's talons kneaded the luscious grass below them. "For the longest time ever, I thought I hated you and-" He swallowed. "And yet, we had a friendship that...could never be broken." Qibli listened, feeling like he was turning inside out. He's gonna say it. "I had a crush on Moon," Winter went on. "But really," He swallowed again, tearing the grass to pieces. "I have a crush on you."