Sun & Snow (A Qinter Fanfic)

~* Chapter 5 *~

A/N Has anyone seen the plot for this story? I seem to have lost it...

Ah, wait, here it is. Enjoy! :b

One and a half years later

Sun and Snow are playing in the river outside our hut. Sun has dogged determination, but Snow's better in combat, so it's hard to tell who's winning the battle being fought.

I'm in the kitchen, washing the breakfast dishes. Winter comes in and rolls his eyes theatrically.

"What's wrong, love?" I ask.

"QIBLI," Winter says, quite over-dramatically. "I MISS OUR FRIENDS."

I snort. "You really have changed a lot from when we were dragonets," I remark, kissing him gently.

Winter looks a bit offended. "I was always a very kind and accepting dragonet!"

"I seem to remember you threatening to kill me on our first day," a voice from the hall says.

"Hi, Moon," I say with a grin.

"That was ONLY because I THOUGHT you were gonna EAT my SCAVENGER," Winter objects.

"Anyway, that was then," Moon says. "It's ancient history."

"Ancient history, huh?" Brilliance says, raising her eyebrow.

"Hi, Brilliance," I say, grinning.

"ANCIENT HISTORY," she and Winter say in unison.

"LET IT GO," Moon proclaims.

"Hi Uncle Winter and Uncle Qibli!" a little voice chirps. I look down at my front talons to see my godson, Sunburst.

"Hey kiddo!" I say. He's Moon and Brilliance's kid, hatched only a little bit after Sun and Snow.

"Are Sun-Bun and Snowy here?" he asks. I smile at the cute nicknames.

"Yup! Let me just call them in. Sun! Snow!" I yell out the window. Snow pricks her ears, see me, and jabs Sun.

"Dad's calling," I hear her say. "Come on!"

"It'd better be important," Sun grumbles.

"Sunburst's here!" I add.

Sun visibly brightens and starts flying at top speed back to the house. I laugh. "Ready to go visit the rainforest?" I ask.

"Am I ever," Moon says. "Let's go!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Moon knocks on the door of Kinkajou and Turtle's hut. Kinkajou opens it saying, "Lentil, I SWEAR TO THE MOONS-" then notices us. "MOON! QIBLI! WINTER! BRILLIANCE!"

"Hey, Kink," I say. "How're you doing?"

"Great!" she chirps. "Hold on, I'll get Turtle and Reef!" she disappears back into the hut and returns moments later with Turtle and their dragonet, Reef.

Reef is older than Sun, Snow and Sunburst, but they're all best friends. Kinda like us. When they're all two, we're planning on sending them to Jade Mountain Academy together.

A ball of teal and flashing rainbow scales bursts out the door and bowls into Sun, Snow and Sunburst. "REEF!" they all chorus, hugging the dragonet in question. Reef grins.

"Hi Sunboi! Hello Sun-bun and Snowy! Hi Uncle Qibli and Uncle Winter and Aunt Moon and Aunt Brilliance!"

This dragonet clearly got Kinkajou's enthusiasm for life and friendship. Kinkajou and Turtle come out, and we greet them and proceed to our picnic spot.

We eat the food we brought, and then we curl up in the sun together and watch the dragonets play.

It's very relaxing with the not-too-warm sun and Winter's cool scales pressed up against mine, and I fall asleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thump.

The sound of talons hitting the ground wakes me up. I blink groggily up at Winter who smiles at me in a worried way.

I rub my eyes and get up to see who it is.

Queen Glory?

"Hey, everyone," she says solemnly. "I'm sorry I have to interrupt your lovely picnic, but I have some bad news..." she takes a deep breath. "A bunch of hybrid-hating dragons have started killing off hybrids. At first the Queens barely noticed, it would just be a dragon here or there, and it would be very tidy, but only hybrids were dying. And the hybrid-haters are spreading fast, and there's more of them every day. Seeing as all of you are hybrid parents, I thought best to warn you now."

Kinkajou covers her mouth and gasps, tears pricking at the corners of her eyes. "Are they really everywhere?"

Glory nods. "I offer protection in my palace, if any of you want to accept it."

Kinkajou wipes her tears. "We'd love that. Right, Turtle?"

"Yeah," Turtle agrees. "I'll get Reef."

Glory turns to rest of us. I glance at Winter and give my head a tiny shake. He nods.

"Sorry, Your Majesty," I say. "But we need to get home and check on some of our neighbors and gather our things."

Glory dips her head. "I understand. Moon?"

"Sure," Moon says quickly. Brilliance nods.

"Get your dragonets," Glory instructs me and Winter. "And go as fast as you can. Trust no one!"

I nod fearfully, then call out to our daughters. "Sun! Snow! It's time to go!"

"Okay!" Sun calls back. They hurry over.

"Let's go home, girls," Winter says.

"But I thought we were staying with Auntie Kinkajou!" Sun says with disappointment. Snow bites her lip.

"It's the hybrid-haters, isn't it," she says quietly.

"I- yes," I say, startled. "We have a lot to talk about..."