TWs: mentions of death, censored swearing
Moon[]
Moon opened her eyes. She expected to be preparing to leave Pantala and get back to Jade Mountain Academy as fast as she could. She expected to wake up in a silk hammock, under the bright Pantalan dawn, with Lynx, Qibli and probably Pineapple by her side. Instead, she found herself curled up beside… Winter.
She blinked. What? His scales were cold and shiny and smooth, reminding her of silk somehow - that was why she haven't noticed the change while she slept. She could hear him snore softly. But… What happened? She was just on Pantala, fell asleep, and woke up… on Pyrrhia.
And what was Winter doing in her bedroom? He was, like, not even her boyfriend. Qibli was. Qibli… She sighedat the memory of the funny SandWinf, and that somehow woke Winter up. He yawned - yawned! Like he didn't care about the world, like he was just enjoying this moment lazily.
Now she noticed he grew muscular. His scales thickened, and his shoulders got more broad. He was… like… older?
"Good morning sweetheart," he said, kissing her on her forehead. "We overslept again! Who will get Blizzard to the Jade Mountain?"
"Blizzard?" she choke.
And then approximately a two year old dragonet entered the room.
Kinkajou[]
Kinkajou was confused. It seemed like she just woke up from a long, suntime nap, and what happened before she fell asleep - was all behind a fog in her brain.
She woke up in a huge nest. Her talons were big. Her wings were so heavy she thought she will be not be able to fly again. And her colours… she was deep green with a swirls of bright yellow, definitely not her style. When she tried pink, it flashed in her eyes so badly she turned back to the duller colors.
The nest could fit another dragon easily. It was made of seaweed and palm leaves. She was in a cave, similar to her Jade Mountain one.
She focused on the past. She fell asleep in her cave in the Jade Mountain Academy, tired after defeating Darkstalker, still angry at Anemone for making her love Turtle. Yes, she liked him, he was cute and stuff… but not her type! Completely not her type!
She fell asleep, and… and… she tried to focus. Her head started to hurt and she felt like she was falling into an endless spiral of fog and brief memories, just like before she went into a coma. She saw some brief flashes of learning to read with Turtle and Moon, but the further she went, the more blurry and short the memories were. She screamed.
She glanced at her pale blue, big, heavy talons. It wasn't happening, she told herself. You are here… Where is "here", actually? Could someone please guide this lost dragon?
She blinked. On her front talon, there was a gold ring with a green and yellow crystal embedded in it. How she couldn't notice it before? She knew that kind of this rings. She shivered. It meant she was married.
I hope they aren't a jerk. Or Anemone. Or both.
"Kinkajou, Miss?" a small dragonet asked, entering the cave. At first she panicked it could be her child, but then she noticed it's black and grey. A NightWing-IceWing hybrid. "Are you alright?"
A piece of scroll in her talons, a long, complicated sentence. A dot finishing it, shock on everyone's faces. The biggest dragon she ever seen - the hybrid of the same tribes - shrinking into a dragonet.
She tried to get up on her talons, but they were to shaky and she collapsed on the nest.
"Should I call Mr. Turtle? Are you sick?" The hybrid asked, eyeing Kinkajou with her big deep blue eyes.
Kinkajou shook her head. "I'm fine," she said. If her husband was Turtle… it wouldn't be that bad. Expect that Anemone was her sister in law, and... She had to admit, she never really loved him. She started to sob. What the hell had happened?
Moon[]
Moon focused to breathe slowly to calm herself. She tried to hide her tears away.
Winter was on his way with Blizzard to Jade Mountain Academy. She told him she felt sick, and that was how she felt - like a world just got ruined.
She realised what's happening. Somehow, she was Winter's wife now. They had two children - Whirlwind, currently attending Jade Mountain Academy, and little Blizzard, who was on her way to go on a first day there. They lived in Possibility because it was closer to Jade Mountain. It was almost year five thousands twenty three after Scorching, meaning she lost eleven years of her life. Eleven. Years. She was fifteen now, with two small children and a husband, Winter.
She remembered crushing on him these years ago… but she wasn't sure she was feeling his, or her own feelings then (mind-reading powers are weird)
And after that… she fell for Qibli.
Where was he? She walked around her house in panic. She hasn't seen anything even hinting she knew the SandWing now, after all these years - she even searched through Winter's letters. Nothing. They were usually sent from Riptide or Jade Mountain, especially Turtle and Kinkajou - a married couple, apparently.
She decided to stop crying and go outside.
She realised it was a foolish idea the moment she stepped outside. Possibility was somehow far bigger, louder and crowded than she remembered.
She didn't remember how long she wondered through the city - for at least two hours though.
Until… somehow, by luck, she found him.
Qibli was standing in a shop, selling meat to a MudWing. He grew, but she recognised him - his huge grin she always liked, his freckles, his scar and his pale scales. He wore glasses now, making his eyes seem bigger. A copper SkyWing was standing beside him - Peril, she realised - eyeing the crowd suspiciously.
She approached the SandWing.
"Good evening," Qibli greeted her, not even looking at her, but listening to Peril talking with an IceWing… no, it was a hybrid, SandWing and IceWing.
She could hear his thoughts, above the crowd and the meaning behind them earth shaking. I hope dad will go home with me today. Maybe he'll tell me bed stories about his time in school, and Breath of Evil! I like this story, maybe he'll even tell me it tonight. Aunt Peril's stories are always too…
No. She felt like a thunder hit her back, shattering her world in pieces. She tried to stop the dragonet's thoughts from reaching her brain, but she was too shocked.
When will I see Mom and sister? I hope they're alright in Ice Kingdom. Dad told me Mom's busy.
She dug in his mind and memories frantically. His mother was Lynx, apparently, and father… Qibli. They broke up when their children were two, and Peril helped how she could (which wasn't the greatest thing, but Qibli seemed to appreciate it) rise the dragonet.
She couldn't bear it anymore. She flew away without a word. She could here nothingness in Qibli's mind blocked by skyfire, dragonet thinking about his parents, and Peril's fiery thoughts;
What a weird dragon… and why she seems so familiar? AHH, maybe it's because all NightWings are so black.
Moon[]
Moon felt like fate was playing a cruel game of some kind with her, first leading her talons to Qibli and then making her crash into Winter, all in tears.
"Watch out, sweetie," he said after getting his balance back. "You don't have a good day, I see," he added, brushing her shoulder.
Maybe Winter is not as bad as I thought. Or he just grew out of that attitude. But still... He wasn't Qibli. And that Qibli also wasn't her Qibli, the one that she knew.
"I... I met Qibli," she said, brushing his wing accidentally, while she was pretending to not to follow him like she didn't knew the way back.
Winter coughed and spat on the ground. "Did that f... Did he touch you?" he asked, "Tell me, and if so, I'm going to melt his face off,"
Moon shook her head. "He didn't even recognise me," she said, trying to hide the sadness in her voice.
Winter started to mumble some scavenger swears. "He can't be trusted, you know. After he left you and then Lynx, I stopped answering every single one of his letters... I didn't even read them, you know? And then I..." he stopped. "You know. Met you again...?"
He's trying to switch my focus, she realised. But I don't know what to say. I don't know what the heck had happened.
She noticed their house and quietly dove, leaving Winter alone in the air. What should I do?
Kinkajou[]
Kinkajou waited in Tamarin's garden. Her apparently sister-in-law, Anemone, invited her there to meet her. Why Anemone, exactly? Kinkajou hated Anemone. That stupid, spoiled princess ruined her life. It was probably her fault that Kinkajou married Turtle and didn't even remember anything! It was just another spell on Kinkajou!
Anemone stepped into the cave. "Hello," the SeaWing said quietly.
"Hi!" Kinkajou turned to see the princess. She was much more grown, radiating energy and strength. Her eyes were full of something Kinkajou never saw in her - calm wisdom. The princess was more sparkly silver and pink than blue, and a simple gold crown shined on her temples. She had dark blue spiral tattoos below her eyes and on her front talons, a good choice of colors, as it make her look even more pink.
Anemone jumped and flew to be on Kinkajou's platform. "You know, you don't need to call me 'Your Majesty', but 'Anemone' would be fine," she said. "How's Tamarin?"
Moon[]
If something like luck ever existed, Moon had a lot of it eleven years ago. Now all she had left was bad luck. Literal moments before she landed, she passed out as a vision invaded her mind.
It wasn't the usual vision, with headache and stuff, but a vision which felt like something was stabbing her every single scale and leaving her to bleed to death.
The flashes came back to her again and again, a NightWing under two moons, his dad, and an amber earring. Her, Kinkajou and Anemone, the pink princess older, wielding a sword and then RainWing village and a NightWing-SandWing hybrid in flames. Her children bleeding to death on two peaks of Jade Mountain. Two eggs hatching, another animus princesses.
At that moment, she passed out into the darkness.
Kinkajou[]
Anemone... She got wiser. And more queen-ish. And Kinkajou remembered now that animus magic was gone now, so it couldn't be her fault.
She didn't know why exactly she told her everything. But she did, after a moment of silence. "I don't know. Anemone... I don't remember anything," she said as quickly as she could. "I... Woke up, and all I remember is that I was like, defeating Darkstalker, then some stuff in school, and then... Nothing. I don't even know how old I am," she laughed bitterly.
Anemone raised her eyebrows, examining the RainWing. "Why didn't you tell your husband about it? Why me?"
Kinkajou took a breath. She tried not to sound accusing the queen of something, but she wasn't good at hiding emotions, a cloud of red already covered her green wings. "Because I never really loved him," she said.
Moon[]
Moon opened her eyes in Clay's Jade Mountain Academy healing cave. But instead of Clay, the one tending her was Tamarin. Moon's wings ached like she flew from Pyrrhia to Pantala and backwards in a day.
There was also Anemone sitting in the corner, chatting with Kinkajou, and a NightWing-IceWing hybrid putting ice on her shoulders.
"Don't move, mom," Whirlwind said.
Moon tried not to show her shock. Whirlwind was beautiful. Her snout was diamond shaped, and her scales pale with grey markings. She had blue scales under her wings, and was tall and thin. She looked a lot like Winter, but paler.
She tried to ask them how she got there, but her throat was sore and the ice made it even worther. No sound came out of her mouth.
"Usually Freckles helps Miss Tamarin, but... he came home. His parents are arguing a lot," Whirlwind explained, while pushing the ice on Moon's shoulders. The ache gave away, leaving her wings numb. "And Dad is really worried about you. Blizzard snores in his room. Thanks moons I don't have a cave with him,"
Freckles... Qibli's son. She kinda didn't want to feel bad for him, but did anyway.
"What did your vision said?" Anemone asked.
Tamarin frowned at her. "Don't interrupt us, dear," she said softly, a hint of pinkish red appearing on her scales.
Moon tried to speak again, but coughed. Whirlwind rushed to the corner filled with herbs, and got two of them. With precision and calmness, she mixed them and handed them other to her mother. "Chew them," she ordered.
Few moments after the bitter juice touched her tongue, she fell into a comfortable sleep.
Kinkajou[]
Kinkajou couldn't help but be happy. She talked with Anemone all day, and they didn't stop even when Moon crashed into Jade Mountain, mumbling again and again about the child of the ocean and forest meeting the child of night.
Anemone explained her these 11 years; she made a rebellion against her mother, forcing her to abdicate and taking the throne. Now, Coral was just a teacher and a writer, not very popular.
In the Rainforest, a strange NightWing challenged Glory for the NightWing throne. Her name was Nightflight. Glory just handed her the tribe, telling her if she will rule well throughout a month she'll get the throne, so she did.
Meanwhile, queen Moorhen died of old age and her daughter, Swamp, became the ruler. Ironically, she married Clay, the dragonet of destiny, and Nightflight turned out to be Starflight's half sister, so all dragonets of destiny became royal in the end.
Also, she and Turtle apparently became Directors of Jade Mountain Academy after Tsunami retired, and the only Dragonet of Destiny left in the school was Sunny, who taught art.
The school grew throughout the years and now had almost hundred students from all tribes attending.
"Don't worry about your memory," Anemone told her at the end. "I'll help you," and then had to do some of her queenly duties, such as checking on Jade Mountain or waiting for Moon to wake up so she could ask her about the prophecy.
Anemone changed to good. I wonder what didn't change. And what got worse over these years?
Moon[]
The moment she opened her eyes, she whispered: "We've got to get to the rainforest,"
She was in a Jade Mountain Academy cave, probably for guests, curled up by winter's side.
"Why, sweet?" Winter asked, immediately opening his eyes.
"I... Think I know what's my vision about," she said.
"Is it dangerous?" he asked.
She shook her head. "Not yet," in reality, she wasn't sure. It could get like that, but not yet. She had to stop thinking about Freckles, Qibli, and Peril. Now she had to save her children. Even if she didn't remember them.
"Do you have a prophecy?" he said, leaning closer.
She shook her head. She knew how he used to hate prophecies, but it was anyway true that the words didn't came out of her mouth. Like... it didn't need to necessarily come true. Like... she could stop it. But if she wouldn't, the world would be horrifying. "I think there are too many possibilities. But first... we need to meet Peacemaker,"
Anemone[]
Anemone thought being queen would be more... she didn't know how to describe it. It was cool. It was fun. It was so damn tiring. But she thought she would feel more special. But she didn't. She accepted the fact that her powers are gone by now, and being queen didn't make her prettier. Didn't make her problems easier to solve, rather the exact opposite.
But she liked it. Except the part when she broke up with Tamarin. She still liked the beautiful RainWing, though. But she felt like she was stoping the RainWing from moving on. And life was all about moving.
She loved to fly or swim. Now, she had to fly with Winter and Moonwatcher, who acted cringely around each other, as though... they just met. Maybe they also had a relationship crisis.
But the upper side was she was going to rainforest with Kinkajou. She always thought the RainWings were the prettiest tribe in the world, and Kinkajou was perfect - full of energy instead of lazy, intelligent and interesting. Sadly, she noticed the silly RainWing after her brother married her. So, she had no hope.
Until... the memory was so happy she almost did a flip in the air. Until Kinkajou told her this morning that she needs help, and that she never really loved Turtle.
It turned out Anemone wasted her time on regretting the spell she casted on Kinkajou. Kinkajou trusted her with her secret. And she was so fr*ckin' happy about it.
They all dove to get to the edge of the rainforest, where they wanted to meet the two NightWings.
"Your Majesty?" Peacemaker said when she landed.
"Yes?" Something in his tone still reminded her of Darkstalker and her silly childhood trust and that made her so scared.
"What brings you here, Your Majesty?" the NightWing beside him asked, her voice harsh, like she smelled too much smoke. Anemone eyed her. She was not her type - muscled and just... Black. Entirely black. But she had a friendly smile.
"Everyone, meet Brightside," Peacemaker nodded at her. "My girlfriend,"