Chapter Text
Winter found his little break from Jade mountain calming. Therapeutic, really.
His mind was swimming with thoughts, though not like Quibli's. Moon had told him about Quibli's mind. When he had asked her about his mind, Moon just looked away, ears red in embarrassment.
That's probably because I think too much weird thoughts around her. He thought bitterly. He shook himself, spikes shuffling and clinking when they came in contact.
Yes, he had the skyfire, but before Moon had revealed her secret, his mind was a lot less private.
He had been aware of his thoughts then, constantly chiding himself for thinking that Moon's teardrop scales were pretty, or that her green eyes looked nice.
He told himself then, Mother and father wouldn't like it if I brought home a nightwing.
Then he told himself that he should think more along the lines of: Nightwings killed Hailstorm! I detest them! I hate them with every fibre of my body!
Everytime he saw Moon, he told himself that, not because he meant it, but because he was trying to convince himself.
Now he knew Moon could hear all of that. Now he knew Moon heard all of that.
It left a sick feeling inside.
So there he sat, on a rooftop of a scavenger's house.
The scavenger wasn't home, so he decided they wouldn't mind.
His brooding shifted to something similar to thinking.
Scavengers.
"Humans." He said out loud to no one at all. The word felt foreign on his tongue.
Ever since the Super Stealth Mission- -no, more like ever since Queen Snowfall met Wren, dragons had become a lot more passive toward scavengers humans. He had been happy, really, but he'd sometimes wish that… that it never happened. He wished he still had a pet scavenger.
Bandit had not been the best pet, the poor human would stay in the corner for hours, only ever moving for water. But he had prided himself for being caring when most dragons would've ate him.
Now he knew the human was smart enough to feel depressed. It made him feel cruel and evil, for putting something smart in a cage, treating it like a pet puma or fox.
How he wished he still had the blissful cover of not knowing.
He mentally kicked himself. How could he wish that? It made him feel more horrible.
He was pulled away from his thoughts when a small but well-placed stick pricked his tail, too forceful to be an accident.
"Get off that house." a quite but forceful (and slightly annoyed) voice with an accent ordered.