'Winter' is a male IceWing dragonet prince and the main protagonist of Winter Turning. Formerly a student
at Jade Mountain Academy as a member of the Jade Winglet, he currently
resides in Sanctuary and is a member of the Talons of Peace, where he
studies human behavior alongside Daffodil. He was formerly a member of
the IceWings#Circle rankings|First Circle and had romantic feelings for
Moonwatcher.

## Description

Winter is shiny, silvery, and immaculate, with smooth, untouched,
glittering, pale blue scales the color of a frozen lake. His scales have
also been described to appear silver, icy blue, and snow-white, like
overlapping shards of ice that become darker along his spine and the
edges of his wings. He has dark or pale eyes that are as blue as arctic
oceans, silver-blue wings, and razor-sharp silver claws. He wears a
small wolfskin pouch tied to one of his ankles that contains a small
skyfire stone. He is smaller in size than Pyrite, but broader than
Qibli. He is handsome and dashing, with a soulfully tragic face and a
gruff voice. He has a moon-pale shape, pointed elbows, and flashing
silver scales. Moonwatcher describes him to be frighteningly beautiful,
with horns like deadly icicles and sharp spikes at the end of his
whip-thin tail.

## Personality

When Winter was a young dragonet, he was very cautious. According to
Hailstorm, he was very amusing and a lot more fun to tease than their
sister Icicle; Hailstorm wished that Winter could relax. When Hailstorm
was captured by the SkyWings, Winter blamed himself heavily and
considered his decision to escape as cowardly. He once described his
feelings as simultaneously furious, trapped, frustrated, grateful, safe,
alone, on fire, wanting the wrong things, hating himself, and confused.

He has been described as hostile, strong, loyal, cold, standoffish,
determined, courageous, dignified, fierce, curious, sarcastic, arrogant,
stubborn, tortured, heroic, irritable, sharp-minded, haughty, harsh, and
grumpy. Nearly everything he says sounds sarcastic, but he is sometimes
quite sincere, and he becomes open-minded and reasonable later in his
development; he would like to learn more about what other tribes can do,
despite not being a very good listener. He speaks with commanding
authority, and sometimes jokes in an awkward manner. He believes in the
system of monarchy and has a brooding, aristocratic way about him. When
he is upset, he often acts explosively angry, self-righteous, and harsh
before putting on an icy mask that hides all of his emotions. He hates
himself more than anyone else.

Moonwatcher once described Winter's mind as very confusing and twisted.
She mentioned that Winter is a better dragon than most; he is not the
kind of dragon to betray someone's trust, and can think of what is best
for Pyrrhia instead of for just one tribe. She thinks that he is
honorable and brave- one of the truest, best dragons in Pyrrhia- but
everything inside him is confusion and mirrors and pain. He is not the
type of dragon to kill someone, and likes to know where he fits into the
world. Even when many of Winter's actions and decisions throughout his
time in Jade Mountain Academy were strictly against IceWing laws,
Hailstorm described his brother as courageous and honorable, as he
behaved with bravery and intelligence on his quest to rescue the lost
IceWing warrior. He is serious, intelligent, and noble. Caribou noted that Winter was quite different from how they
expected of the royal family.

Even after seeing what the Pyrite enchantment did to Hailstorm, Winter
was certain he would still be himself underneath. He does not want
anyone to feel sorry for him. Upon discovering that Turtle had kept his
animus magic to himself during the War of SandWing Succession, he was
incredulous as to why he did not serve his queen with it instead.

## Biography

### The Jade Mountain Prophecy

left Moon Rising

Winter and his sister, Icicle, were sent by Queen Glacier to attend Jade
Mountain Academy, which is where he first met Moonwatcher during lunch
in the prey center. Initially, he threatened to hurt her if she injured
Bandit, his pet scavenger, but he quickly realized that she was only
trying to protect him by picking him up. Thereafter, Winter began
developing approving thoughts about Moon, fascinated by her interest in
scavengers and her quiet determination. Later on, Moon received a vision
of the history cave exploding and tried to warn everybody to stay away
from the classroom. Despite her best efforts, Carnelian and Bigtail were
killed and Tamarin was badly injured when the cave Plants#Dragonflame
cactus|exploded. Winter used his frostbreath to put out the fire and
attempt to heal Carnelian's scales, showing his caring and friendly
side. After the fire, Winter and the others became suspicious about how
she could have known that the cave was about to explode. He gave her
until midnight the next day, threatening to tell everyone that she had
set the fire if she could not prove who the real arsonist was. The next
day, however, he was forced to attack his sister, as she was on the
verge of killing Starflight on behalf of Scarlet, who had promised to
free their older brother Hailstorm if Icicle killed the dragonets of
destiny for her. Together, he, Moon, and Qibli did save Starflight's
life, but they were unable to stop Icicle before she leaped through one
of the library's windows and disappeared into the mountains. Shortly
after Icicle's escape, Winter left the academy with plans to go to
Glacier and his parents for help, releasing Bandit into a forest near
the Academy. However, he was eventually convinced to travel to the
Rainforest Kingdom to stop Icicle from murdering Queen Glory with Moon,
Qibli, and Kinkajou to find Icicle while Turtle returned to the Academy.

left Winter Turning

In the prologue, which was set about two years before the events of Moon
Rising. Winter and his older brother, Hailstorm, were traveling through
the Sky Kingdom in search of a rumored nearby scavenger den. However,
they were ambushed by fourteen SkyWing soldiers, and although they
intended to take them both to Scarlet, Hailstorm promised that he would
go with them in peace if they released Winter. Ruby, the leader of the
group, accepted, and Winter reluctantly agreed to fly back to the Ice
Kingdom and to tell Glacier about what had happened.

Winter then appeared in the first chapter of Winter Turning, present
while Moonwatcher explained her mind-reading and foresight powers and
delivered The Jade Mountain Prophecy. Winter became bitter and angry
when she confessed, convincing himself that she had always been a
deceitful dragon and had only acted friendly for her own gain. However,
when Qibli suggested going to the Rainforest Kingdom to find Icicle, he
accepted their help, admitting that it would be helpful to have Moon's
mind-reading and Qibli's intelligence on his side. Once they were in the
rainforest, Winter and the others were led by Bromeliad and Obsidian to
the new NightWing village, where Moon greeted Secretkeeper|her mother
and Winter was attacked and pinned down by Deathbringer, who had
mistaken him for his sister.

Glory, irritated, dragged Deathbringer away, and apologized to Winter.
After searching for Icicle further away from the village, they
discovered an unusual mound of dirt with a dead, half-frozen NightWing
inside; Glory, realizing that Icicle was willing to kill, she sent
Winter and his friends back to the RainWing wingery because it was
already very well-fortified and safe. After the guards lost interest in
them, Kinkajou distracted the dragonets with a game of hide-and-seek
while Winter made a hole in the hatchery's wall, from which they snuck
out to find Icicle before a vengeful NightWing did. With her
mind-reading, Moon sensed Icicle's presence in the nearby NightWing
island. When she staggered from one of its tunnels, she looked ragged
and tired with bloodshot eyes, still-bloody wounds, and vicious burn
scars across the undersides of her wings. Icicle explained that she had
kept herself awake with pain by lying beside the lava to avoid Scarlet's
Dreamvisitors|dreamvisits. Glory, led by Kinkajou's trail, shot Icicle
with a tranquilizer dart; Winter crouched beside her and whispered that
if Scarlet could provide proof that Hailstorm was still alive, then he
would kill Glory himself. While Moon was listening to Icicle and
Scarlet's conversation, she assured Winter that she was not worried
about his "promise," as she trusted him; she also picked up a mountain
range from the dream, which she drew on a scroll fetched by Kinkajou.
They traveled to a valley located near an advanced scavenger village in
search of the Talons of Peace, hoping that one of their SkyWings could
identify the mountain range.

While Winter and Qibli were resting by a river, they were nearly
attacked by Squid, a young SeaWing who was practicing his "stealth
approach." His companion, another SeaWing named Riptide, apologized and
brought forth two SkyWings, and one of them, a fidgety dragon named
Pyrite, recognized the drawing. When Winter made contact with her
scales, he realized that she had a strange aura, similar to the
NightWing tunnels|tunnels, and concluded that she was secretly an animus
dragon. Later that night, when everyone else was sleeping, Winter
discussed his suspicions with Moon, but she disagreed; she had not seen
any trace of magic in Pyrite's thoughts.

When they arrived at Scarlet's hiding place, they found her former
shelter destroyed and abandoned, as if Scarlet had ruined her shelter in
anger and then left. While they sleep that night, Winter was
dreamvisited by Scarlet herself, who smugly told him about how she knew
that Glory still lived and that Hailstorm was going to be dead by
morning. Winter ripped his Skyfire pouch off and mentally shouted for
Moon to wake him up. Moon heard him and rescued him from the dream.
Since Scarlet was able to dreamvisit Winter, she must have seen him
during the day when they were searching for her, proving that she was
very near. Moon, Qibli, and Winter started searching for her while
Kinkajou and Pyrite stayed behind. They located Scarlet, learning that
Pyrite had something to do with Hailstorm. Before they go back to
interrogate Pyrite, they see that Chameleon|Scarlet's companion is a
NightWing. When they returned, they saw Kinkajou was injured by
Scarlet's companion, who flew away blinded after Winter and Moon
attacked him. Winter cornered Pyrite, who claimed that she knew nothing
of Hailstorm. Winter ripped off her necklace, revealing that Hailstorm
had been under the mask all along.

The dragonets traveled to Possibility to get a doctor for Kinkajou.
Winter, Qibli, and Hailstorm had to wait outside. They attracted
attention when Hailstorm shouted a greeting to a SkyWing called Eagle that he had known when he was under the mask of Pyrite. Eagle
was angered by this because he did not know Hailstorm as an IceWing and
considered him as a stranger. A SandWing named Meerkat solved the
problem, then proceeded to take them to a MudWing doctor named Mayfly.
As Kinkajou was being treated, Qibli and Winter tested out the necklace.
He told Qibli to take it off him after two minutes. He went into the
mind of Pyrite, but Qibli helped him get it off, as instructed. Winter
cleared out his thoughts, thinking that he hated being Pyrite, and he
realized how horrible it must have been for Hailstorm to shake off the
thoughts after being stuck for two years.

Winter decided to take Hailstorm back to the Ice Kingdom and never
return. The others said they would wait one week at Possibility for him
to come back, but after that, they would leave to save Jade Mountain.
Hailstorm started to remember parts of his old self after seeing the
Great Ice Cliff, an animus-touched defensive wall that shot deadly
icicle spears at any dragon that was not an IceWing. They entered the
Ice Kingdom, where Winter's parents were waiting for him. They took
Hailstorm away to ask him about his side of the story and Winter was
placed at the top of the First Circle for rescuing Hailstorm, who was
dropped to the bottom of the Seventh Circle for getting captured by the
SkyWings in the first place. Hailstorm was torn between taking the
Diamond Trial and reaching first place again or sparing his brother's
life and a lowly life after his seventh hatching day. He loved his
brother, but Hailstorm felt like he had sacrificed enough for Winter, so
he chose the Diamond Trial.

Hailstorm and Winter entered the Diamond Trial, and their objective was
to find the frozen dragon in the cave and kill it. They were given
animus-enchanted diamond-tipped spears as weapons. As they entered the
cave, the brothers saw many frozen dragons in the cave, which at the
time did not know what they were, but later figured that they were the
ones who had lost the Trial. But there was one gigantic frozen dragon
that they recognized as the frozen dragon they have to kill. Hailstorm
unfroze her by tapping the ice covering it with his spear. The dragon
introduced herself as Foeslayer, mother of Darkstalker, and the dragon
who, according to the IceWing histories, had stolen Arctic over 2,000
years earlier. After the brothers fought her together and tried to talk
each other into not sacrificing themselves for the other, she
interrupted and told them that it hurt more to be awake and hungry than
it was to die. Winter went and told Hailstorm to kill her, letting
himself lose. Hailstorm reluctantly did so, but Winter did not freeze
like they thought he would.

Hailstorm revealed that to win the Diamond Trial, he had to kill Winter,
his own brother. Their parents secretly told Hailstorm that after he
killed Foeslayer, he had to kill Winter with the spear and freeze him.
Their parents did not tell Winter because they wanted Hailstorm to win,
but Hailstorm did not want to kill Winter because he cared about him. So
Winter told Hailstorm to let him escape without killing him, and when
Hailstorm walked out of the cave alone, the IceWings would presume
Winter dead. He also decided to betray his tribe by unfreezing Foeslayer
and freeing her from her imprisonment, because he sympathized with her
and Arctic's love, comparing it to his feelings for Moon. Winter
decided, in the end, to stay loyal to Moon and his friends and flew back
to Possibility with Foeslayer.

left Escaping Peril

He was seen briefly while returning to Possibility with Foeslayer. He
encountered Peril at the edge of town and attacked, believing she was
still working for Scarlet. Peril tried not to hurt him, but they
collided and Winter fell to the ground, badly burned and at the brink of
death. He told Peril to tell Moon something before he lost
consciousness, most likely trying to tell Moon he loved her. Winter was
sure that he would die, but then Turtle came and used his animus-touched
rock to heal Winter's burns.

At the end of the book, they decided that nobody would use Darkstalker's
scroll which was stolen from Chameleon, and they could not return it to
Darkstalker. However, in the morning, they discovered that Moon fled
with the scroll, and Winter was very worried about her setting him free
by herself secretly. They found her crying about what happened to
Darkstalker did to his father and she decided not to set Darkstalker
free.

After they got the scroll back from Moon, Qibli and Winter started to
fight over which queen should get to keep it. Peril worried that they
were fighting over the power of Darkstalker's scroll, and proceeded to
burn it to ashes with her firescales so that no one could abuse the
scroll's power and Darkstalker would never be freed. But because it was
destroyed, Darkstalker's animus power returned to him instead and he
used his magic to break out of the mountain from which he was buried
under, which was one of the peaks near Jade Mountain.

left Talons of Power
Winter was first shown flying above Darkstalker with Peril. As they
begin talking to the massive dragon, he began to accuse Darkstalker of
all the things he'd done to the IceWing tribe. Then, Darkstalker "did
something" to him, causing him to stop the accusations. He began to say
nice things to and about Darkstalker, making Winter's friends worried.
Moon told Darkstalker not to enchant her friends using his animus
powers, while Winter and Darkstalker reply at the same time that
Darkstalker was not, although he most likely was enchanting Winter to
like him.

Later, Winter was seen outside of Jade Mountain with Moon, Peril, and
Qibli. When Turtle confronted the dragonets, saying he did not trust
Darkstalker, Winter said that Turtle needed to just spend more time with
Darkstalker, still obviously enchanted. Beside him, Qibli jokingly
stated that he would agree, and would trust Darkstalker if it was not
Winter who was saying nice things about the 2,000-year-old NightWing.
Winter left soon after.

Later, Turtle went to Winter and Qibli's cave to ask to sleep there.
Qibli gave permission, but Winter said he would not want anymore snoring
in his cave. Qibli asked what Darkstalker did, and Turtle tells them
both what he did. Qibli said that he wondered why he was doing that, and
Winter said he was just trying to make friends and be kind. They had a
little argument, part of it being about Winter being enchanted. Winter
said Darkstalker saving Stonemover is proof that he is a good dragon
with a good heart. Qibli asked how he would know, and Winter snootily
left. It is assumed that he told Darkstalker about that conversation, as
Qibli guessed.

Later, Darkstalker reveals that there is still a timeline where Winter
and Moon are together, so it is evident that Winter still loves Moon.

left
Darkness of Dragons
Winter was seen
watching Moon leaving with Darkstalker. When approached, he claimed that
he was only watching the sunset and Qibli said he was doing the same.
Winter awkwardly stated that Darkstalker will take care of Moon and
Qibli responded that Moon can take care of herself, noting that Winter
is not acting like himself and must be under some sort of spell. Using a
duplicate of his enchanted earring, Qibli attempted to free him from
Darkstalker's enchantment, but Winter refused to put it on, claiming
that he does not trust it and that it would "clash horribly with his
scales."

When Qibli found out that Ostrich had been kidnapped by
Onyx, Winter offered to help Qibli, saying that he was returning the
favor of Qibli helping Winter find Hailstorm. He was shown to be
impatient and ready to go as Qibli stalled. Qibli then attempted to
bargain with Winter, saying that he would let him come as long as Winter
wears the earring, which Winter declined. He then saw a copy of the
earring on Clay's ear, and became even more suspicious and wary of
Qibli, asking what he is up to. Qibli explained what the earring is for,
to which Winter replied he is not under a spell and does not want to be.
He then pushed Qibli to get going, and Qibli further stalled by
explaining Vulture's tattoos to Winter, who mocks them. Winter and Qibli
then headed to the dragonets of destiny to say goodbye.

On the way to the Scorpion Den, Qibli received a message from Turtle,
saying Kinkajou is awake and fine, which made Qibli flip with delight.
Winter then asked what Qibli was flapping all over the sky for, and
Qibli replied, "Nothing," worried that Winter was enchanted to be a
messenger for Darkstalker.

They soon reached the Scorpion Den, which Winter believes is unsanitary
and unkempt. Qibli told Winter about the fortifications around Vulture's
place. Winter replied that nothing could compare to the defenses around
Glacier's palace. After Qibli explained that Vulture prefers to kill
dragons before they so much as see his treasure, Winter appeared
skeptical and asked how they planned on getting in.

Winter and Qibli arrived at Qibli's old home when he was younger. Winter
seemed unimpressed and believed that Qibli lived in a better home. Soon
after Qibli called for Cobra|his mother, his siblings Sirocco and
Rattlesnake showed up. Rattlesnake commented that she liked fighting
"shiny things", referring to Winter. Qibli's siblings then led them to
Vulture's headquarters.

When they reached Vulture's headquarters, Qibli told Winter to let him
do the talking. Winter replied, "That is how conversations with you
usually work." They continued until Winter sees two scavengers running
around in a maze, and inhaled sharply, which alerted Vulture. Winter
demanded to know what Vulture is going to do to them and defended the
scavengers when Vulture said that he was going to eat the loser and that
they were no smarter than mice. Qibli then hushed Winter, and Vulture
began ranting about how it was, "perfectly normal to feel like your pet
must think the way you do." Winter then offered to buy the scavengers,
which Vulture replied to with a query as to how he would do that, with
Winter being assumed dead by his family. This shocked both Winter and
Qibli because they had not said anything about Winter being a royal or
him being assumed dead.

After escaping Vulture's compound with Cobra, Ostrich and Qibli, they
flew to the SandWing stronghold, where Winter and the others waited
outside while Qibli went to speak to Thorn. Later, when Winter found out
about the IceWing plague, he attempted to fly to Darkstalker for help,
before Thorn pinned him down and stabbed Qibli's earring into his ear.
He and Qibli then decide to fly back to Jade Mountain Academy. They
encounter Anemone during their journey, who tells them about what
Darkstalker did to her. She later leads Qibli and Winter to the Lost
city of night. There, Winter reunites with Moon, though the moment does
not last long as he initiates an argument with her concerning her
continued trust of Darkstalker given his recent actions.

After Darkstalker's declaration of war on the IceWings, Winter flies
back to Jade Mountain with his winglet. He has a brief reunion with
Snowfall, Narwhal, and Hailstorm before NightWings attack Snowfall and
kill Narwhal. Winter and Hailstorm grieve over their father's death
before proceeding to fight the NightWings. When Anemone casts her
empathy spell, Winter is later sent back to the Ice Kingdom, along with
the rest of the IceWings.

In the epilogue, Kinkajou found Winter trying to catch scavengers for a
scavenger sanctuary in Sanctuary, the town the Talons of Peace was
building. Winter asked Kinkajou if she came alone, indirectly asking if
she was with Moon. The epilogue revealed that Winter had the option of
staying at Jade Mountain Academy. He was also later mentioned during
Qibli and Moon's conversation, when Qibli asked Moon why she chose him
over Winter. She stated that Winter would be fine on his own and do
great things with his life, but that Qibli was the dragon she wanted to
be with.

-----

### The Lost Continent Prophecy

left
The Dangerous Gift
Winter works at
Sanctuary, and first appeared not very long after Snowfall came along
with the three Pantalan tribes. He was suspected to be the IceWing
supposedly stalking Snowfall, but turned out not to be. He then reunited
with Lynx and Moon.

Winter reappeared multiple times later on in the story, observing
scavengers and participating in Snowfall's meetings. At one point, he
asked for Snowfall to keep an eye on his newest pet, Pumpkin, who is
actually Daffodil.

He appeared again trying to search for Daffodil, who ran away. He was
shocked to find out that she can partially speak
Languages#Dragon|Dragon, along with Wren.

By the ending of the book, Winter was accepted back into the Ice Kingdom
with his title as prince by Snowfall.

left
The Flames of Hope
Moonwatcher
briefly mentioned Winter while the stealth team were conversing with
each other.

Winter later appeared in Lynx's memory when she offered them to Freedom.
In her memory, Winter was shown playing alongside Snowfall, Lynx, and
Hailstorm.

-----

### Field Guides

left
A Guide to the Dragon World
Winter
was mentioned by Mink in her Jade Mountain Academy application. He was also mentioned later in the IceWing chapter by Caribou in
their scroll, literature#Named scrolls|In the
Village-of-the-Plentiful-Seals.

## Relationships

### Bandit

Although Bandit was a disappointing pet, Winter still cared for him, and
felt a flash of pity when Bandit was afraid. He constructed Bandit's
cage himself, which took him days. He also let Bandit run away, showing
that he did not want his scavenger to freeze to death.

### Daffodil

Winter saw Daffodil as a research subject and a pet. He learned about
scavengers from her and thought Daffodil was very brave and cute. After
meeting Wren, Winter promised that he would not keep Daffodil as a pet
and even offered to get her a hat. Currently, he is protecting Daffodil
in Sanctuary.

### Darkstalker

Before Darkstalker enchanted Winter, he was deeply suspicious of him.
After Darkstalker put the spell on him, Winter practically worshipped
him. He trusted him completely, looking at his magic as a first resort
shown when he rushed to tell Darkstalker about the IceWing plague. But
when Qibli broke the spell, Winter swore revenge, promising that
Darkstalker's death will be bloody and long-winded.

### Hailstorm

Hailstorm is Winter's older brother. He viewed Winter as amusing and fun
to tease, but after Hailstorm was captured by the SkyWings, Winter
blamed himself heavily, and there was an old familiar guilt surrounding
his brother. Winter thought that even if he returned to the Ice Kingdom
and was placed at the bottom of the Seventh circle for deserting Jade
Mountain Academy, it would have been worthwhile if Hailstorm could have
returned home. Hailstorm's disappearance also hurt Winter very much each
time he thought it happened. Winter was able to push aside the Circle
rankings and the opinions of Glacier, Narwhal, and Tundra in favor of
doing whatever was necessary to rescue his brother.

Hailstorm thinks Winter is courageous and honorable, and when Hailstorm
was attacked by Foeslayer during the Diamond Trial, Winter rushed to
save his brother's life without a second thought, showing that he cared
more about Hailstorm's life than the rankings. Before Hailstorm's
capture, he and Winter would often go hunting together, and it was one
of the things Winter missed most while his brother was imprisoned. When
Hailstorm saw Winter for the first time since the Diamond Trial during
the Battle of Jade Mountain, his expression was petrified, trapped,
anguished, and a tiny bit relieved.

### Icicle

Icicle is Winter's sister and the niece of Glacier. She was always
around him and other IceWings during their time in Jade Mountain
Academy. When Winter found his sister trying to kill Starflight, he
tried to stop her along with Qibli and Moon. He refused to help her kill
the other dragonets of destiny after finding out that Scarlet would
return Hailstorm in exchange for their deaths. She called Winter weak
and worthless multiple times throughout Moon Rising, possibly because
she blames Winter for what happened to Hailstorm in the first place.

Despite this, Winter cares deeply for his sister, even asking for Icicle
to have a private cave at Jade Mountain Academy. In Winter Turning, even
though she constantly berated him, and was on her way to kill the
dragonets of destiny, he constantly tried to give his sister the benefit
of the doubt and thought of her as his perfect sister. He believed she
was just trying to save their brother, and that this was the only way
she thought she could do it. He truly believed that if he could find
her, he could stop her, and that they could find another way to get
Hailstorm back.

When he discovered that she killed an innocent NightWing he initially
did not want to believe it until he saw the body. However, after the
NightWing body was discovered, he realized there was no going back for
Icicle. When he finally found her on the NightWing island, he was
shocked to see her forcefully keeping herself awake by scratching
herself and burning her wings in the lava to avoid talking to Scarlet.
Despite Winter's attempts to reach out to her, she continued to shy away
and insult him. After she is hit by a sleep dart, Winter tells her to
let Scarlet come, then lies that he will kill Glory for her in order to
appease her and buy them some time. Winter continued to watch after his
sister's unconscious form and refused to leave her side. However, when
Moon discovered a clue as to Scarlet's whereabouts in Icicle's dream,
Winter decided to leave and track Scarlet down. He is still shown to be
worried about his sister, later asking Glacier about Icicle's fate.

### Kinkajou

Kinkajou is one of Winter's friends. He would never abandon her, even to
save Hailstorm, and after realizing that Narwhal and Tundra had intended
for him to die during the Diamond Trial, he thought that Kinkajou would
never do something like that to him. After realizing that Kinkajou
survived being imprisoned by the NightWings on the NightWing island, he
felt respect for her. When he realized that Kinkajou had healed from her
injuries, his eyes lit up and she hugged him. He would never want her to
die, as he was very relieved to see her fully recovered, and misses her
dearly after moving to Sanctuary.

### Lynx

Lynx is one of Winter's childhood friends. She and Winter trained
together before the Diamond Trial in familiar combat patterns. She
seemed happy for Winter when he placed first in the Circle rankings, and
congratulated Winter on his adventures. They were always too friendly
with each other according to Snowfall. Lynx was happy to see Winter
again when she and Snowfall arrived in Sanctuary and he was happy to see
her too. He gave Lynx a tour of the new settlement and spend their time
together and both watched over Snowfall when she was having a vision.

### Moonwatcher

Moonwatcher is one of Winter's closest friends, and Winter was in love
with her. Moonwatcher once stated that she would never be Winter's
enemy, no matter what he said, and when she thought Winter might be
dying, she grabbed his front talons in hers and began crying so hard
that she could not speak. She wanted Winter to come with her to solve
the Jade Mountain Prophecy, and her face crumbled into disappointment
when he refused. Since Winter began wearing skyfire, it is a lot easier
for Moonwatcher to talk to him. Winter sometimes jokes with Moonwatcher,
but he feels a twisting feeling in his chest when he thinks about her,
and hearing her say his name was described to be like a spell that runs
warmth through his bones. Winter had never met anyone who seemed to be
as interested in scavengers as he was until he met Moonwatcher, and he
hopes he will never hurt her. She is determined to support Winter
whether he wants her help or not, and Winter has had quiet thoughts
about how Moonwatcher is different from the other NightWings, and
perhaps different than most dragons in Pyrrhia. His expression while
looking at her once was soulful and full of tortured longing. He quite
likes her, and misses her dearly after moving to Sanctuary.

Winter once thought that where Narwhal and Tundra saw Winter as nothing
more than a gray lump of ice, Moonwatcher saw dazzling mountain peaks,
and she regards him as one of the best dragons in Pyrrhia. Moonwatcher
finds Winter's mind to be very confusing, but Moonwatcher regards Winter
as someone who can think bigger than the things that affect him
personally. She trusts Winter, and thinks that he is honorable and
brave, and Winter felt a rush of gratitude for her understanding of how
important rescuing Hailstorm was to him. Winter often cannot tell when
Moonwatcher is joking, but he looks at her in a loving way, and felt
hollowed out when he pictured her and Qibli together. He was afraid of
what he might say to her alone in the dark. Winter's heart told him to
rescue Moonwatcher when their group was attacked by Shapeshifter, and
while he initially felt guilty about being Moonwatcher's friend under
the judgement of Hailstorm, he felt a second wave of guilt after
realizing how much Moonwatcher had done to help him. After Narwhal and
Tundra intended for Winter to die during the Diamond Trial, he thought
that Moonwatcher would never have done something like that to him, and
he becomes his best self around her.

However, Winter acted harshly and explosively angry and caused
Moonwatcher to flare up during their argument about Darkstalker; Qibli
wondered how he could yell at Moonwatcher the way he did, if he truly
loved her, and Kinkajou admitted that he had been mean towards her when
he yelled at her or did not believe in her. When Qibli called Winter out
on being mean to Moonwatcher and not apologizing, he looked heartbroken.
When Moonwatcher chose Qibli over Winter, he was heartbroken and
wondered how long it would take for his heart to heal.

### Narwhal

Narwhal is Winter's father. Winter speculated that Narwhal views him as
nothing more than a lump of gray ice, and after Hailstorm's death
report, Winter's father refused to speak to him for a month. Narwhal's
mantra of "Be strong. Be vigilant. Strike first." did not sit right with Winter after the events of Winter Turning. Winter
suspected that Narwhal would have wanted Winter to complete a necessary
task in any way possible, even if it was immoral. He is sharp and
demanding towards Winter. When Winter and Hailstorm returned to the Ice
Kingdom, Narwhal told Winter that he had hoped Winter would never
return. Winter suspected that Narwhal placing Winter in first place was
merely a way of maintaining his own status, and Winter thought he heard
a tiny note of impatience in his father's voice when he spoke to him.
After realizing that Narwhal had intended for him to die during the
Diamond Trial, he felt hurt in a deep place where he had thought his
family could not hurt him anymore. After Narwhal was killed by a
NightWing solider during the Battle of Jade Mountain, he along with
Hailstorm mourned his death.

### Peril

Winter was hostile towards Peril, and asked harshly if Peril was safe to
be around. He refused to show her basic dragon etiquette by staying in
flight while shouting at her, and he attacked her as soon as she implied
that she might harm his friends. He was accusing towards her and called
her a mass murderer, and a monster after she accidentally burned him.
Despite all of this, Peril still thought she would feel sad if anything
bad happened to him. Later Winter showed that he cared about what
happened to Peril as he had sent a couple of letters to Peril.

### Qibli

Qibli is one of Winter's closest friends. Winter was disgruntled to find
he agreed with Qibli on something, and he often pretends like he hates
Qibli, but Qibli likes the fact that Winter would try to save anyone,
and thinks Winter is honorable. Winter saved his life from a flaming
scavenger spear, and Qibli was sincere and genuine in his thanks. Qibli
is also sometimes affectionately exasperated with him, and he once joked
that he was nearly sure he would rather have Winter around than Pyrite.
When Winter was in the Ice Kingdom, imagining what Qibli would say in
response to Tundra made him laugh for the first time since he had
returned home. After realizing that Narwhal and Tundra had intended for
Winter to die during the Diamond Trial, he thought that Qibli would not
do something like that to him. Winter is often irritated by Qibli's
observant tendencies, and hates having to admit when the other is right.
He knows Qibli well enough to see when he is deliberately trying to
annoy someone, having been in the same position many times. Qibli trusts
Winter, as he looked to him to decide whether or not to reveal valuable
information about Scarlet.

Qibli often tries to act in benefit of Winter when his friend is in
need. When Winter initially failed to find Hailstorm, he felt despair
and hopelessness, but Qibli fiercely told Winter that he was not allowed
to stop searching until Hailstorm was found. He also made sure to pair
Moonwatcher and Winter together during their search in hopes that Winter
find solace in her, even though Qibli was also in love with Moonwatcher.
After Winter told Moonwatcher and Qibli that he should have nothing to
do with them or the prophecy, Qibli sounded genuinely angry. Winter felt
hollowed out when he pictured Moonwatcher and Qibli together. Despite
this, Qibli has helped Winter become less serious, and had an
irrepressible grin on his face when speaking to Winter in Sanctuary.
Qibli considers him a best friend and is affectionate and genuinely
delighted towards him. Winter misses him after moving to Sanctuary, and
is teasing towards his friend.

### Snowfall

When they were dragonets, Winter would often argue with Snowfall or run
away from her, but when Snowfall felt the Gift of Vision making her
faint again, Winter helped her without argument or question or
bewilderment. During Snowfall's reign as Queen of the IceWings, Winter
used the proper practices for her but stopped at Snowfall's request. A
small part of her wants him to be happy.

### Tundra

Tundra is Winter's mother. After Winter dropped into the Fifth Circle
due to a failed polar bear hunt, Tundra made him memorize long sagas for
months about dragons who had attempted the Diamond Trial, including
about a hundred verses speculating how gruesomely they may have died.
Tundra made it clear that no dragonet of hers would reach their seventh
hatching day any lower than the Second Circle, even if it meant risking
their life for the Diamond Trial. Winter speculated that his mother sees
him as nothing more than a lump of gray ice. For a month after
Hailstorm's death report, Tundra did not speak to Winter. He felt
elation and pride when Tundra thanked Winter for rescuing Hailstorm, but
she then added that it was the least that Winter could do. After
realizing that Tundra had intended for him to die during the Diamond
Trial, he felt hurt in a deep place where he had thought his family
could not hurt him anymore. Winter suspected that Tundra would have
wanted Winter to complete a necessary task in any way possible, even if
it was immoral. She is sharp and demanding towards Winter, and after her
husband, Narwhal died, she did not want to see him anymore as of
Darkness of Dragons.

### Turtle

Winter is one of Turtle's friends. Despite Turtle heavily fearing his
animus magic being discovered, he was willing to save Winter and expose
his abilities. Upon discovering this, however, Winter exploded on Turtle
and shouted that he should have served his tribe with his magic, causing
Turtle to shy away from him.

## Quotes

I only mentioned it because it seems entirely obvious to me
that the niece and nephew of the IceWing queen should each be given a
private cave, so I wanted you to know we wouldn't have to be clawmates
for very long, as there has clearly been some kind of mistake.
to Qibli about him being the nephew of Glacier
Moon Rising
47

-----

Starflight and Moon didn't kill Hailstorm! Queen Scarlet did!
She's the one who took him prisoner! He would have died in her arena
sooner or later. How can you work with her? How can you work for her?
How can you do anything she says?
to Icicle
Moon Rising
275

-----

Was that supposed to be me? Terribly unimpressive, if so. I
haven't once said 'higgledy-piggledy' in my entire life. We would never
allow such linguistic imprecision in the Ice Kingdom.
to
Qibli, about Qibli's impression of him
Winter Turning
160

-----

Stop liking her. Remember what Father said: They're all liars.
Be strong, be vigilant, strike first. Trust nobody. Not even interesting
NightWings with silver teardrop scales.
thinking about
Moonwatcher Moon Rising
92

-----

This is not about your place in the rankings. It's not about
what Mother and Father and the queen think of you. It's about saving
Hailstorm.
thoughts Winter Turning (book)|Winter
Turning
178

-----

I'm an IceWing. That means I belong in the Ice Kingdom with my
own tribe. I should never have gone to Jade Mountain. This prophecy, if
it's even real, has nothing to do with me, and I should have nothing to
do with you.
to Moonwatcher and Qibli
Winter Turning
230

-----

Because happiness isn't where I am … it's who I'm with.

thinking to himself, after the Diamond Trial
Winter Turning
284

-----

Don't you trivialize this! Don't act like what he did is
normal or acceptable. He was trying to make me adore him. Against my
will! Changing my thoughts and my feelings like I'm just a character in
the story he's writing about himself. Like nobody else is real except
him. If that's something you would seriously do, SandWing, then we can
never, never be friends.
to Qibli
Darkness of Dragons

255

-----

As weird as it is, they're my new family now … my new tribe.

to himself thinking about Kinkajou and his friends

Darkness of Dragons
369

-----

Snowfall, you're my queen and the IceWings will always be my
tribe, whether I'm banished or not. But Jade Mountain and
Sanctuary...they've made me feel like I'm part of a bigger tribe. Like
I'm worth something more than a place on a wall.
to Snowfall

The Dangerous Gift
256

## Trivia

  - When he was two years old, Winter's ranking was lower than anyone in
    his family's had ever been.
  - Winter hates rain and being in the Rainforest Kingdom|rainforest.
  - Winter considers black and white the only colors for a dignified
    bird.
  - When he was younger, Winter would often daydream about swooping in
    upon the NightWings at the head of an IceWing battalion.
  - Before every meal, Tundra made Winter practice his guarding stance
    until her approval.
  - When he was one year old, Winter performed a ranking test in which
    he was to survive in a blizzard alone.
  - Winter has an excellent memory for faces and thinks he has met
    everyone in his tribe at least once.
  - Winter always dreamed that if he was an animus dragon, he would give
    the gift of observation: a Human settlements|scavenger den in the
    Ice Kingdom constructed so the scavengers could live without
    freezing.
  - Winter had a history tutor when he was younger.
  - When asked about the love triangle involving Qibli, Winter, and
    Moonwatcher, Tui stated in an interview that she wanted to try to
    challenge herself by writing a love triangle where "you really like
    all of them, and any of the three can be together," which made Tui
    feel conflicted when it came time to decide the final pairing. In
    this case, Tui wanted Moonwatcher to pick the nice guy who cares
    about her and does all the right things.