The Letters You Send Me

Chapter 23: Feelings

Moon pulled out of Winter's mind and panted hugging herself. Winter sighed and went to Moon, hugging her. "That was the last any of us saw of him, until now," Winter explained, seeing Moon nod. "S-So Snowslide isn't a real dragon? He's just an enchantment?" Winter shook his head. "Not really, Snowslide is Australis's younger brother. She was an Animus who enchanted her brother. Snowslide is a dragon, but..."

Peril looked confused "uh... Context? The heck happened?" Winter sighed "to put it plainly, think of you in Scarlet's arena, without your Firescales and over six centuries old." "O-Oh... Ok."

"Everything clear?" Winter asked the girls, stroking Moon's head for comfort. They nodded meekly "Meeting Adjourned." Just then, the room disappeared and they were back at the dead end. 

Winter looked down at Moon who was still hugging him, and he made a soft purring noise "it's alright Moon. I won't let anything happen to you. I promise." Moon nodded "but you're also on his kill list." Winter sighed "that's the least of my concerns Moon." Moon blushed but shook her head.

"Is that why you were so cold with us all the time?" She asked, looking at him sincerely. 

Winter nodded "yes. I thought if I never got close to anyone if I never felt anything... I wouldn't feel the guilt of being responsible for Gelid's death." Winter hiccupped, tears forming and then gently falling down his snout "but I failed. And I felt so much pain and-and guilt. I couldn't do anything right. I ended up hurting everyone around me. Hoping that the pain would leave or-or-or just go away for a bit but I'd see his face and-and I'd just feel worse." Winter sniffed, wiping some tears. 

"Worst of all, I hurt you Moon." He couldn't look her in the eyes. "I see so much of Gelid in you. You both are so pure, hard-working, and innocent." Moon looked at Peril who returned Moon's concerned gaze. "I've never felt so helpless and weak in all my life! I thought that if I did something right my mistake would be resolved. So when I had the choice between fighting Darkstalker with you or with my tribe I chose them! Because I thought I would be able to make up for Gelid's death! But nothing happened! The hole in my chest is still growing, and I can do nothing! It hurts so much!" He sobbed, lying on the ground and covering his head with his claws.

Moon had never seen Winter cry so much before. She felt awful.

"But nothing worked! I still have the hole in my chest and these feelings for you!!"

Moon gasped and froze. His words rang in her head like an echo, without a means to escape. She looked at Peril who was silently laughing at Winter's sudden confession, but she looked at Moon and snickered. 

Peril sighed and knelt, de-activating her Firescales and patting Winter's shoulder "hey... It's alright. What's past is past. All we can do now is move forward." She gently grabbed Winter's cheeks, smushed them between her claws, and smiled "now wipe that frown off your snout! I don't like seeing people cry." Winter nodded and wiped his tears, standing up on his own. "S-Sorry... Come on. Let's go to meet up with the others."

Winter walked away, leaving Moon and Peril together. Peril snickered and nudged Moon's side "not my idea of a confession but hey. He likes you back." Moon was still in shock. Did he not realize what he said? She looked at Peril, "I kno-"

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She heard the laughing. Although it now sounded familiar. She was holding Winter's head, she could feel his ragged breath on her arm as she cradled him. She closed her eyes and turned away, her wings falling over Winter.

Is something coming? She wondered.

Just then, she felt warm. She looked up and saw Peril with the most angered expression on her face. Just then, she fell limp and her body lay on the ground, curling around her stomach as if she was protecting something else. 

Moon reached for Peril. Just then, a bright light was on her face. Moon looked down at Winter, her eyes wide.

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"Gah!" Moon suddenly woke up from her vision. She turned to Peril who was patiently sitting down, waiting for Moon's recovery. "You alright?" She asked, looking at Moon. The Nightwing nodded "yes... Yes... Just got more of the vision.." Peril nodded, making circles in the stone with her claw. "Alright, but if anything happens please let us know."

Moon nodded and sighed, following Peril as she ran to catch up with Winter. When Moon reached Winter's side she smiled and took a deep breath. "Winter, did you mean what you said earlier?" He looked at her confused "uh, what do you mean? Are you talking about my memories? Or why I was so mean to you all?" Moon shook her head, "the other thing."

Winter turned his head "what other thing?" Moon looked into his mind "the heck is she talking about? I know what I said earlier was all true, what is she thinking now?"  He really doesn't remember? Was he too in a daze to know?

"Never mind, let's just go meet with the others." "No now I'm curious. What did I say?" Moon looked at Peril who snapped her head away, like she saw something interesting on the wall. Moon looked back at with a nervous expression. 

Winter and took a deep breath and looked back at Moon, scared. "O-Oh no... I said something weird didn't I? Listen. I was in the middle of a rant after re-living some past trauma. All that stuff was messing with my brain! It was like pieces of my subconscious mind. So uh, if I said something weird maybe I don't wanna know."

"Winter. You told me you loved me."

The silence loomed over them. You could hear a mouse scamper around. 

"Ah..... O-Kay. Okay. Okayokayokayokay..." He muttered, as Peril slowly pushed him closer to Moon.

"L-Look, maybe it was a piece of your subconscious mind but..." "No," he started "it's not a piece of anything. That's... The whole Winter." He sighed "I've felt this way since the beginning." Moon blinked a few times in confusion, then smiled warmly. "These feelings were intense at the start, and they've only gotten more intense an-and I know it's in the way-" "In the way?" Moon asked, and Winter nodded "well, it's bad if you don't want it."

Looking up at him with a smile, Moon slowly put her claws on his shoulder.

"Okay. Can we kiss?"

"Uh. Please."

As their snouts touched, Moon could hear Peril do a small celebration, but for the first time, she didn't care what anyone else thought.