Home is Where the Heart Is

Moonlight

Winter ate what he could as the platter was piled high with seal, fish, wolf, and other assorted meats. It was fresher than what he was used to and after several bites he pulled back, running his tongue along his muzzle to clean it. His body demanded that he eat more, to gorge as much as he could but he knew better. At best he'd throw up later and at worst he'd get sick as his body just wasn't used to eating so much so fast. So Winter took his time eating his fill and emptied half the platter before he was full, it was bliss really to feel full again, not to mention simply not sitting in the dark. 

He had no way of bringing the rest with him, but he had eaten what he could. He took the moon orb and set it over his shoulder and turned to look down the way Tundra had left. As he walked deeper through the tunnel of ice he noticed that it had begun to widen and soon he found he was able to stretch his wings out above him. The walk was at a constant uphill slope even with the branching paths he stayed on the one that led up and out of this cramped hole. His legs felt tired but he didn't slow down, his breath was a little ragged with the lack of well everything he had. However Winter felt an undeniable amount of elation and even happiness, the sheer thought of seeing the sky pushed him on as he encountered a door at the end of the path. 

He had no idea what time of day it was as he reached for the handle. He could almost feel the fresh air under his wings already, although something in his mind ticked at a thought. 'There could be dragons on the other side of this door, ready to drag me off to whatever fate I've actually been sentenced to.' 

That was remarkably fine with him, he missed the cold open air of the Ice Kingdom, he missed the sun, the sky, the moons, and the stars. He was desperate enough to probably be happy to look at the desert sun and its damned scorching eye. So he pushed the door open, ready to face whatever fate lay on the other side of it. What he saw instead was an empty courtyard in the Ice Palace, there were no dragons or guards, no nobles and their attendants, it was silent.

Winter's eyes drifted up to see the sky, it was bathed in twilight and the three moons hung prominently in the sky. There above him was even the great Aurora itself, the green curtain of light dancing in the skies above him. He felt something inside shift, something small that he couldn't pin down and he smiled. The evening sky reminded him briefly of Moon, her dark scales and star patterned wings, her green eyes and silver teardrops, it didn't hurt as much as it used to. He thought briefly about trying to see his friends after he was past the Great Ice Cliff and wondered if they still went to Jade Mountain Academy, but he saw no point. If they had actually wanted him to stay then they would have had him stay behind after sending away the IceWings and Nightwings. 

He took a deep breath and felt the fresh air fill his lungs, it's cold crisp taste far better than the claustrophobic, damp, and dull air in the dungeon. If anyone were to look down upon the IceWing that stepped through the door, they'd barely recognize him as the former prince. The dragon coiled slightly and leapt into the air, his wings unsteady and his balance off for a few moments before he stabilized and began to climb. Even his body felt different now, as he tried to readjust to his center of balance. The palace was dark as there was still a curfew and with the fading sun he needed to start heading south. So he wheeled around a few moments longer and began to fly steadily south when a form rose from below, to his surprise he immediately recognized the dragon as his brother Hailstorm. 

Hailstorm waved and pointed towards a field of snow outside the palace. Winter felt himself hesitate briefly before drifting down to the ground. He landed softly, the powered snow puffing around him while Hailstorm landed several paces ahead of him with his back turned, his landing barely disturbing the snow. The air was remarkably still outside the palace, the fresh snow muffling all sound but even still he could hear the slight crunching of another dragon approaching. Winter turned his head and saw Lynx approaching him.