Glory's Economy

Chapter 2: The Deadly Barbecue

Glory smiled. Inside the room were her four dragonets, all NightWing/RainWing hybrids.

"My and Deathbringer's children," she announced, curling her lip like she had smelled something nasty in there.

Clay looked at them as they got introduced. They were all from the same clutch so they were eight years old. The daughters were Mongoose, Baobab, and Eighth Wonder by Lemon Demon. The son was named Banana.

"They're very uh...... cute." (They weren't.)

"Mom, who is this fat guy?" asked Mongoose. She was reading Twilight. Like mother, like daughter, Glory thought in approval.

"This is my old friend, Clay."

"Oh, I remember Clay from when your phase when you wouldn't shut up about Jade Mountain," answered Baobab with a shake of her head.

Clay was astounded that Glory's kids talked to her with that tone, but she seemed pleased. The truth of it was Glory was glad that her children were just as bitchy as her and she had been too "busy" (lazy) to raise them properly.

"I've never seen a real MudWing before," said Banana. At least he looked polite. "Can I tag along after you like I'm your shadow for a few days?"

"Aww, a stalkeruwubaby. Of course you can," said Clay out of peer pressure. He couldn't deny a prince, right? Just like that Banana stuck to Clay like a mushy banana chunk. Clay shuddered and resisted the urge to pluck the black dragon off.

Mongoose sat up. Like her mother, she was very l o n g. LOOOOOOOOOONGGGGGGGG :^). "Mother, can you like... get out already? I was talking to Baobab about something gossipy."

Baobab gave Glory a glare, like the queen was intruding on something important and private.

Glory rolled her eyes. "Oh, you want to play that game? You really want to give me some ATTITUDE? Well, GUESS WHAT. I know EXACTLY what Baobab's problem is. In fact, I know ALL of your secrets. And I just want to say that I'm VERY ashamed of all of you."

Mongoose and Baobab recoiled in fear.

"Wow, Glory," said Clay. "That was HARSH."

"They deserve it. Baobab is in a relationship with a NIGHTWING. A PROLE," Glory raved. "Just because you're half NightWing doesn't mean you get to BE a NightWing. It's all for political PURPOSES, Baobaby.

Just to finish it off, Banana has no friends despite being a gifted student; Eighth Wonder is in a weird phase where she doesn't want to talk to anybody so it's been months since she said a word; and Mongoose already got caught trying to assassinate me last week." Glory sighed. "It's a rough life with these four."

"Not my fault I take after Dad. Maybe next time you'll finally end up dead," Mongoose answered shamelessly. "Speaking of whom, where is he?"

"Still lying around like a lazy ass at my hut."

"Oh."

Glory looked expectantly at Clay. "Let's go check out my tax returns now. I only paid 750 dollars this time and I want to make sure it's still secret info."

"Um, I think I'd rather hang out with your kids," said Clay, terrified by the idea of boring adult garbage. Glory looked disapproving and upset.

"Fine..." She looked down at her feet, evidently feeling a bit unpopular in this crowd. "But come back to the royal hut for dinner, please." She swept away in a whirl of dark green scales.

Clay sat down on the floor once she was gone. "So uh... seems like you guys have a bunch of issues."

"We're rich kids with a Mary Sue for a mom and an assassin for a dad," said Mongoose with a shrug. "That would explain it. Of course there's also the fact that Glory treats us like we're supposed to be RainWings only, and it leaves us with trauma due to our NightWing side being unable to be properly expressed."

"I think it's worst for Eighth Wonder," said Banana from Clay's side. "She has NightWing future sight, but has to pretend she has a mental disorder so nobody would know."

Eighth Wonder nodded soberly, one of her violet eyes hidden behind a lock of dark hair. I mean spikes. Or her ruff or something idfk.

Suddenly there was a smell of smoke. Clay looked outside to see that the rainforest was completely on fire.

"Somebody call the ambulance!"

"You mean the one dinky medicine hut?" asked Banana, tagging along after Clay as the MudWing ran to evacuate towards the wet forest floor.

"Wait, there's only ONE for the entire tribe?"

"Well, yeah. Most of our injuries are like scabs and eating too much or something."

The rest of the tribe was mostly on the forest floor except for the idiots who were still sleeping or thinking that somebody was having a barbecue.

"What's happening?!" asked Turtle.

"THE NIGHTWINGS ARE ATTACKING!!!" screamed Secretkeeper, Moonwatcher's mom who lived in the rainforest.

Moonwatcher .

Queen Glory seized Secretkeeper by the neck. "So it was you who did this, huh?" (language warning)

(gore warning btw)

Beads of blood emerged from Secretkeeper's throat. She wheezed, trying to get free, but Glory had very strong hands.

"Please," she groaned.

Deathbringer landed with a thump beside Glory. "Sweetie cake, WHAT are you DOING?" he yelled, looking scandalized.

"Killing off a threat," Glory hissed between her venomous fangs. "Why should you get to do all the killing for me? I'm a strong female character, I'll show you."

"Glory," Deathbringer said hopelessly. Another of those cold, ambiguous glints went into his secretive dark eyes. "Please get away before you do something you'll regret."

"That's one of your subjects, Glory!" protested Clay, landing on the platform as well. Secretkeeper was beginning to shake as her face turned a strangled blue (suffocation warning).

"My SUBJECTS don't barbecue my land," she snarled. With the other hand she reached out and gave Deathbringer a slap across the face. "I know you like me abusing you Deathbringer, but now is not the time. Maybe later when it's evening and we're in our royal hut, but can you please just act normal for now?"

"YOU hit me just now!" Deathbringer yelled, his face contorting into furious wrinkles. Evidently he had had enough because he lunged forward, knocking Glory over. Secretkeeper went along with them, dragged by her neck because Glory's hand refused to fucking let go. All three dragons crashed through several rainforest layers before splattering into a pile of mud.

"Eough........." Deathbringer rubbed his head from pain, then looked around. "Oh, no. OH, NO."

"What?" Clay asked, flying after them and landing softly in the mud as well. It felt nice and sandy, cool against his brown scales.

The flames were getting higher and spreading through the Amazon.

Secretkeeper's breath rattled in her lungs, her face completely blue. In a few moments she went very still. Glory's hand finally let go and Moonwatcher's mom sank into the mud, disappearing with a glorp.

"QUICKSAND," Deathbringer exclaimed, spreading his wings and flapping like mad. "We gotta get out of here!"

"Not so fast," said the quicksand.

"Let go of me. You trap NIGHTWING PRISONERS, not ME," Glory ranted, clawing furiously at the quicksand. Clay realized two things then.

1) Glory imprisoned her NightWing criminals in quicksand

2) Clay was still sitting in the quicksand

He would have tried getting away, and perhaps he would have managed it. But Clay was winded after thinking about two things at once, which was something he had avoided doing his entire life. With a few pants of exertion, he felt consciousness leave him. The last thing he knew was his cheek sinking comfortably into the soft mud.