Fourth Wheel ||Qinter||

Chapter 9 - Turning Back

A/N:
My lazy ass has not been letting me get any inspiration or get any work done for the last month.
Sorry for the late chapter! (Thank you so much for 2k reads though! O_o)
PLS I AM BEGGING U JOIN MY DISCORD SERVER BCUZ WE CANT VIBE IF THERES NO ONE TO VIBE WITH (link in bio, anyone who joins before the tenth of October gets the OG role. By the way i dont have an editor (I am my own editor lmao) so if you are interested in editing for me feel free to dm me on discord!)
Also, since they're turning back, Winter Turning, get it...?
Ok I'll leave now
Actually wait no I have a chapter to write
Enjoy!
-Victory

Winter stood still, not daring to speak. But... the Darkstalker is a myth! No, it can't be... the voice in my head...
Moon voiced his thoughts to Jerboa II. "The Darkstalker is just a feared myth, we can't find him if he doesn't exist."
Jerboa just snorted. "If you really think that, just ask him." She waved her tail in Winter's direction.
Moon, Turtle, Qibli and Tamarin all turned their heads to stare at him. Jerboa squinted at him and asked, "What? Have you not told them yet?"
"Winter? Do you have anything you'd like to share with us?" Qibli asked, sounding a little hurt.
Winter hesitated before beginning to speak. "Well, I guess I have been hearing this voice in my head-"
"A VOICE IN YOUR HEAD?" Qibli exploded. Winter flinched. "THREE MOONS, WINTER, YOU'VE BEEN HEARING A VOICE IN YOUR HEAD AND YOU NEVER EVEN BOTHERED TO TELL US?"
"Listen, I- I can explain..." Winter trailed off as Qibli stormed out of the hut, into the thunder, sleet and roaring winds of the storm outside. Winter could do nothing but look on despondently as Qibli left.

Qibli thought the battering of the heavy rain on his snout was rather unpleasant. After he had stormed out of Jerboa's hut, his anger had subsided and he was left with a cold, empty feeling that felt like it was slowly drowning him. He looked around. Feeling lame, walked over to a nearby rock and sat down on it. Why didn't he tell us? Qibli thought glumly. And to think I had a crush on him... I can't like him anymore, can I? After thinking this, he didn't feel any different. I can't go around just crushing on every dragon I meet. I had a crush on Moon a while ago, and now I know that she obviously just sees me as a friend. And now I have a crush on Winter, but... if he really liked me back, wouldn't he at least tell me about the voice in his head?
Qibli unwillingly let a tear drip onto the already soaked sand beneath him. The teardrop gave way to a trickle, then a river. He sensed someone coming out of Jerboa's hut. Moon, I assume. Moon's coming to comfort me. Qibli knew that Moon was just trying to be nice, but he didn't want to talk to anyone. Not Jerboa, not Moon, not Turtle, not Tamarin and most of all, not Winter.
He turned his head away from the sound of Moon's talonsteps, even though he knew that the rain would hide his tears.

Moon sat down next to him, and after a while, spoke. "Qibli?"
Qibli stayed silent.
Moon continued, "Qibli, I get that you're angry, and I get that you feel betrayed. But you can't give up on him, can you? You know how Winter is - all secretive and prickly and irritable - but now that he's told us, maybe you should forgive him."
Qibli finally looked at Moon. "It's not that simple. You know how I f- feel about Winter, and a l- little bit ago, I- I thought th- that maybe he felt the s- same way about me, but he didn't t- tell me about the v- voices-"
"Qibli."
"W- what?"
"Listen, he didn't tell any of us. You shouldn't go around holding grudges against dragons you have to work with. The fate of all Pyrrhian dragons lie in our talons. You can't give up now. And if you think Winter doesn't like you back, I'm sure he will eventually."
"Really?"
"Would I lie to you?"
"...No?"
"Of course not. Now let's go back inside."

Turtle stared down at his talons. What Winter had just told him proved the truth of Jerboa's words, but he had been hoping that Jerboa had been lying. Maybe I'm just a coward, unable to face the truth. He thought gloomily.
"Winter?" Turtle asked.
"What?"
"Do you know where this... immortal animus is?"
"Under the mountain."
"What?"
"Under Jade Mountain."
"So... all of Jade Mountain's students are in danger from an ancient, evil mythical animus NightWing?"
"Yeah. He's also my distant relative."
"WHAT?"
"Prince Arctic was IceWing royalty, which means I must be related to him in some way. That's why Darkstalker mindlinked me and not anyone else."
"I suppose that makes sense."
"It does."
They sat in uncomfortable silence for a while, before Turtle got up to tell Moon, Qibli and not Tamarin, since she was fast asleep beside them.

"Thanks for the help, Jerboa." Qibli said. They had spent the night in Jerboa's hut, and overnight the raging storm had subsided into a gloomy drizzle. The morning was cold and damp, and clouds gave the usually sunny beach a melancholy grey tint.
"Anytime," Jerboa replied. "Now off you go to save all of Pyrrhia. I wouldn't want to keep you here when so many dragons' lives are at stake."
"Alright then," Tamarin said. "Let's go."
Winter was the first to take off. Qibli followed suit, then Moon, then Tamarin, and last but not least, Turtle.
"Good luck!" Jerboa called after them as they flapped off.
Soon Jerboa's beachside hut had become no more than a tiny speck in the distance.

Under Jade Mountain, a huge dragon stirred. He was three times as large as a fully grown dragon, and he sensed that a distant relative of his was slowly coming closer. Coming back to Jade Mountain, I see, he thought. Finally turning back, coming right back where I want you.
He willed his mindlink to search for Winter, and soon, he located the IceWing's fragile mind.
Good job, Winter.

Good job.