Chapter 14 - Problem Solving

Preview:

In the peripherals of Qiblis eye, he saw the flash of a crystal white Icewing.

When Qibli turned to fully looked over, he was correct. An Icewing who looked startlingly similar to Winter glided beside him smoothly. A contemptuous and snooty smile played at her snout.

Why do I feel like I'm being hunted? Qibli thought, immediately squaring his shoulders

"Icicle." Qibli acknowledged, showing off his quick memorization skills

"Correct!" she replied, "Glad you know an Icewing princess when you see one."

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"Three Moons, " Kinkajou whispered softly, breaking the uncomfortable silence that lingered between the remaining Jade Winglet. The silence was heavy with the weight of unsaid thoughts and feelings.

Qibli sighed. "Wow." he held his head in his talons, "What a mess."

"Moon," Kinkajou pleaded, abnormally quiet, "Can't you tell us how you knew? Maybe that would help calm everyone down."

Doubt hung in the air like stifling air, begging for a window of truth to alleviate it.

Turtle gasped, his Seawing marks glowing in surprise as his epiphany set in.

"You had a vision, didn't you?" he asked softy, non-accusingly

Qibli and Kinkajou jumped in surprise.

Of course, Qibli and Winter had their theories about Moon all along, but hearing someone else voice them aloud was a strange and confirming feeling.

"Yes," Moon admitted nervously

Instantly there was an outcry of betrayal from Kinkajou

"What?! What have you seen? Why didn't you tell ME?"

Maybe Winter was right in a way, Qibli thought in alarm, if she really did have a vision, why didn't she tell anyone?

Moon met his eyes guiltily, Qibli narrowed his eyes and interrogated her.

"How long have you known?"

Was there anything more we could've done? he asked himself privately mourning the losses and his own failures

"I just saw it only right before class - the visions just randomly happen - I swear! I would've done more if I could!" she insisted to him, "And none of you would've believed me anyway!

"You saved us..." Kinkajou breathed to herself as she processed the rest of Moon's sentence, woundedly "And I would have! Can't you trust me?" she protested

What about the others? We were saved but..., images of Carnelian invaded Qibli's mind as he thought, tuning the others out, Could I have done anything more?

"So is that it?" Turtle piped in, "Is that all you can do?"

Moon stared curiously at Turtle as Qibli blurted, "You can't read minds too, can you?"

".... yes." she said after a moment

The air was sucked from the room.

This explained a lot of their interactions, and for that, Qibli was relieved that the mystery of her uncanny awareness could be explained. But he felt indignant that Moon had been snooping around his mind, always having the high ground over him in every situation.

What would Winter think?

Did this change everything? Did Moon know about his plans to get Winter to like him all along? What did she think? Did she know about the thing's he'd done in Scorpion Den? Of Thorn saving him?

Or the constant thought he had of holding Winter's talons in his? 

Would she say anything?

"No!" Moon cried looking at him. "I would never! Those are yours! You're a good dragon, there's nothing wrong with those thoughts, they're completely natural!"

Snakes and tails, Qibli realized, she must have read Winter's mind the entire time too!

A small whisper in his head asked before Qibli could push it down,

What has she seen? What does he think of me?

Qibli flushed the thought from his head. It felt like the night sky had fallen on him.

"I can't think right now. I've gotta go."

Ignoring the calls of Moon from behind him, Qibli dashed from the hall.

He wanted to run back to the cave dorms to tell Winter EVERYTHING.

But he decided against it. It wasn't his place to, firstly. And secondly, Winter obviously needed space. The last thing he needed to hear was that his Nightwing superstitions had come to fruition.

Besides, Qibli needed to think, too.

Qibli flew out the nearest window and circled the school, urging himself to overcome his thoughts. He was bigger than them.

"You're fast." a voice drawled icily from beside him.

In the peripherals of Qiblis eye, he saw the flash of a white Icewing.

When Qibli turned to fully looked over, he was correct. An Icewing who looked startlingly similar to Winter glided beside him smoothly. A contemptuous and snooty smile played at her snout.

Why do I feel like I'm being hunted? Qibli thought, immediately squaring his shoulders

"Icicle." Qibli acknowledged, showing off his quick memorization skills

"Correct!" she jaunted, "Glad you know an Icewing princess when you see one."

Qibli smirked slightly, recognizing her signature royal Icewing entitlement, like the one Winter had demonstrated constantly to Qibli when they'd first met.

Except Winter was more charming and likeable than the self-righteousness Icicle displayed.

But Qibli had already befriended one royal descendant of 'her majesty, Queen Glacier', so what was another? He forced a disarming, friendly smile at her, leaning into his friendliness.

"How could I not? I don't know many other dragons prouder to be one Queen Glacier's nieces and nephews than you two."

Icicle sniffed, "True. But I can assure you that I've got a lot more to be proud for than my brother."

Qibli frowned, redirecting his gaze back towards the rushing ground beneath them. He didn't like her already.

"Anyway," she continued when Qibli didn't respond, "This is highly unusual for me, but I have a favor to ask you. Are you going to help me or not?"

Qibli titled his wings, catching the breeze as sun glinted in his onyx eyes. He squinted. 

"Well, it depends on what it is," he adjudged, "But honestly, I get the feeling it's probably something I shouldn't do." before sheepishly adding, "or illegal."

Icicle smiled thinly at him, as though he were a dragonet who was testing her patience. Qibli's eyes caught the way she curled her claws inward as she flew, clearly aggravated by his hesitance.

Wow, okay, so watch the claws..., he noted, already strategizing the best course of combat against her if she decided to strike, is she expecting trouble?

No wait, - he interjected, she's Winter's sister. I won't fight her. Okay, nice thoughts. Not fighting Winter's sister kind of thoughts. I'm sure she's fine. A little arrogant? Definitely. With some complex against Winter? Yeah. With razor sharp claws? Sure, but she's fine. Nothing I can't handle, He instructed himself half-heartedly, dragging his gaze back to her face where she stared at him with a mischievous smile.

She had noticed his evaluation of her claws and was glancing down at them with pride, commenting,

"You're clever. Heard that about you."

Qibli raised a brow at her, humoring her, "Really? From who? Guess I didn't realize I was already so renowned for my quick genius." he grinned

"My brother told me." she answered, smirking, earning a faint blush from Qibli

Winter thinks I'm intelligent?

"Speaking of," she cut in, "my favor involves you solving a little mystery of mine regarding him."

"Maybe." Qibli replied suspiciously, instinctively tipping his wings back to appear stronger and more serious. "You can try asking."

"My brother...," she began, "he's not really with that Rainwing filth, is he?" she sighed, not waiting for an answer before continuing, "Which means that surprisingly - this is the one gross outlier to his usual predictability, and I'm back to square one."

"Sounds like you're coming to all these conclusions by yourself." Qibli replied as he guided them down to land on the peak of a mountain to talk.

Once she landed, she turned to face him with ominous sky-blue eyes.

Qibli held his ground. He'd already caught on to what her request would be, after days of watching Winter and her, talk and argue (mainly the latter), and he sighed, feeling exasperated. When would she give this up?

"And well," she offered, tapping a claw lightly against her chin, "I just had a feeling you might know more about him than me."

Ouch. Qibli flinched sympathetically, vaguely reminded of his own siblings that he'd left in Scorpion Den, that's gotta hurt.

"Maybe I do," Qibli responded tiredly, thinking of Winter again "but I don't think it's what you'd expect. What are you going to do about it?"

Icicle sniffed, "Obviously I'd put a stop to it. It strictly goes against everything the Icewing's have fought for. Haven't you heard about what happened to our Icewing animus? Prince Arctic?"

The name rang a quiet bell. Perhaps he'd heard it from the whispers in Scorpion Den or in his occasional trips to Possibility. Stories told of a traitor prince and a benevolent Nightwing giving birth to the dragon taken straight from Pyhrria's worst legends and nightmares.

But surely, the story was highly fabricated. How could such evil possibly come from such a powerful love?

And more importantly, how could she even compare Winter to him?

"Sure," Qibli obliged smoothly, "But a clever dragon like you must realize that Winter ISN'T Arctic."

Icicle's reaction was immediate as she turned her chin upwards in a defiant motion.

"Yes, but if Arctic taught us anything, it's that nothing helpful comes from inter-tribe relationships."

Qibli shrugged, "I wouldn't read that much into it. When you're as wicked as Arctic, I don't think marrying out of your tribe in the main issue."

Icicle remained silent, scowling. Her blue eyes stared intently at a particularly large boulder ahead.

Qibli felt the weight of his words rustle and process in her mind and remained silent so she could mull them over. 

He began to feel the soreness from his non-stop day flying creep into his muscles, and he allowed himself to slouch as he waited. 

He still shot frequent side-eyes cautionary glances towards her, though.

The sun cast an orange glow signaling sunset, and Qibli knew they needed to be back at the soon for dinner.

As he stood and stretched his wings, Icicle had yet to speak, and he was beginning to suspect that she wouldn't - that she would remain firm in her discontent.

Finally, a moment later as he peered at Jade Mountain against the glint of the sun, she muttered,

"It's you, isn't it?"

Qibli quirked an amused brow. That was not the big reaction he'd been expecting. The vision he'd imagined involved a lot more... yelling. Or a revelation of some sort.

"This is me, yes." he answered jokingly

"No." she snapped glaring up at him, shrouded in his shadow. "YOU'RE the one Winter's seeing."

It wasn't a question so much as a statement.