"Night and Ice Do Not Mix" *Winterwatcher*

Chapter 6

~after hunting~

Winter and Turtle were gliding down to the entrance. The prey center was as busy today as yesterday, if not more so.

I wonder if they have a walrus in there. Maybe a polar bear. Those are good.

"Winter!" Kinkajou shouted.

Winter paused in the act of sweeping majestically past them. "Yes?" He said frostily to Kinkajou.

"Don't you want to sit with us?" Kinkajou asked. "I mean, since we're in the same winglet now, and everything." An ice blue shimmered across her scales and then vanished again.

Winter looked down his nose at the RainWing. "Absolutely not," he said, and stalked away toward Icicle, who was perched on a ledge slightly above the rest of the dragons.

He observed and found that watching his winglet was very amusing. Then something Qibli said caught his attention.

"Winter's sister?" Qibli said. "Then you and I are in the same tent friend. Is she stuck-up as her brother? Has she mentioned being in line for the IceWing throne yet?"

He is not stuck-up! And it is true that she is in line for the throne. I wish I had a different winglet. But then I would miss Moon. Another part of his mind said. Why is she so confusing? Why is life so confusing? Why so I have to like her? A NightWing at that! It would have been better if I liked an IceWing, not Moon. But I can't. She's so intriguing, mysterious, and smart.  Mother would hate me. She'd think that I'm not worthy to be her son, and most of all an IceWing.

~~ A while later ~~

Most students had fled, but Icicle and Winter stood in one of the tunnel entrances, glaring at the Shywing with identical glares. Winter noticed that Moon was still there, along with Carnelian who looked curious, a SeaWing and SandWing, and Starflight.

"Who's there?" Starflight called, voice shaking. Is he scared?

"It's not Queen Scarlet," Moon told Starflight, touching his shoulder.

"It's not?" Starflight said, relaxing.

"Peril!" Clay shouted as he hurried into the cave, moving fast despite his limp. "You came!"

Tsunami followed Clay, looking at Peril.

Peril instinctively shrank away from Clay. Clay didn't seem to notice her pulling away; he took one to Perils talons and pressed it between his. A sizzling sound and a burning smell rose from his scales where they touched, but when he let go, the burn healed over almost instantly.

"When we didn't hear from you, we assumed you weren't coming," Tsunami said.

"I thought I could find her," Peril said, tearing her gaze away from Clay. "But she's nowhere. I don't know where else to look. I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Clay said wholeheartedly. "We're glad you're here."

"We don't have a group for you," Tsunami said, folding her wings back. "We didn't know that you were coming, so there's a SkyWing in each winglet already."

"I don't have to stay," Peril mumbled. She edged back a step, toward outside.

"But I want you to," Clay said. "If Scarlet's looking for you too, we'll all be safer together. Don't worry about the winglets, we'll figure it out." He shot Tsunami a frown, and Tsunami rolled her eyes in return.

"I'll go ask Sunny where we should put you," she said, and swept away.

"She can't stay here!" Winter suddenly barked, stepping forward. He jabbed a claw at Peril. "That dragon killed more than twenty IceWing prisoners. She was Queen Scarlet's favorite weapon. It's one thing to force us to work with deceitful NightWings and lowborn SandWings, but a straight-up murderer? No one is going to stand in for this."