Glory's Economy

Chapter 4: Deathbringer Considers a Breakup

Deathbringer was in a mood. Not only had Clay been pulled out of the mud before him, but Clay had been transported to the medical hut while Deathbringer had been left lying there in a muddy heap. The NightWing king felt very abandoned, and because he had brain cells, he felt there was something sus afoot.

Could it be that Glory didn't like him anymore?

It was certainly plausible. They had been together for ten years; any relationship of that length had decent opportunity to become strained. And when he once thought that Glory's personality would improve the closer they got, the opposite had happened: ruling two tribes had only made Glory's mean streak uglier.

Getting married didn't fix it. Having children didn't help it. Having Glory hate his tribe wasn't so great either. Deathbringer would have just broken up with her long ago, but a deep part of him still found her very attractive ;(

"Man......" He sighed and began scraping dry mud off his scales. Or maybe Glory would like him more if he looked like Clay, Deathbringer thought bitterly. How funny. One old friend shows up and Glory seems attracted immediately. Or was he just unused to Glory giving others attention at this point?

He growled and stalked through the smoky forest. Some dragons had tried to put out the fire but the general population was too incompetent, so it seemed like everyone was just waiting for it to burn itself out. Unfortunately, a rainforest is great tinder, which meant it would burn itself out in probably a few years.

Deathbringer headed toward the NightWing village, as he felt that perhaps he would feel more welcomed there. When he arrived he saw that it was pretty ravaged by fire. SUDDENLY:

"Hey, Dad."

"Baobab? What are you doing here?" he asked his daughter in surprise, then remembered what Glory had told him. "Oh, right."

"I was checking on Plothole," she admitted, fumbling with mud uneasily.

Deathbringer smiled gently. "That's nice." Unlike Glory, he didn't mind Baobab having a NightWing boyfriend. "Is he alright?"

Baobab looked down. "A little burned. Kind of pretty burned, actually."

"I'm sorry."

"He'll probably recover and get some hot scars," she answered optimistically. "So... yeah."

Deathbringer was startled by this attitude, and made a face like this:

Baobab took it as confirmation. She folded her dark brown wings in close to her sides. "Anyway... what are YOU doing here, Dad?"

"Just wandering and checking in on the second-rate tribe," he said, more bitterly than he had meant.

Baobab's eyes widened. "Don't listen to what Mom says. Everyone knows she's a freak."

Deathbringer snapped his claws. "Baobab, I know she's a freak, but she's still your mom. I don't want to hear that kind of talk anymore from you or your siblings."

"Okay," she agreed. "You won't hear it." :^)

Deathbringer grinned, then sat down on a convenient fallen log that was covered in soft moss. "Baobab... if, HYPOTHETICALLY, Glory and I were to get divorced... would you stay with her or me?"

The hybrid wrinkled her nose, sitting in a clump of ferns nearby. "I'm eight years old, Dad. I'm an adult and have custody over myself."

"Oh, right." Deathbringer teared up. "Oh, how the years fly by."

"Haha..."

"So... do you think she likes Clay?" he asked. Baobab was the only one of his children with a current stable relationship, so he felt perhaps she might understand the situation best.

"Uh, the MudWing?" Baobab actually looked surprised. "I don't think so. Glory likes RainWings best, and I think if anything she'd rather be single or with a RainWing."

"I suppose you're right," Deathbringer admitted. "Thank you for the support."

"No problem."

Baobab went back to the NightWing hospital to check on Plothole, and Deathbringer was left alone in the dark rainforest floor. It was cold and smoky, and it made him feel sniffly and lonely ;(

All of a SUDDEN, he heard FOOTSTEPS BEHIND HIM. then BLAM he got KNOCKED OUT!

He crumpled to the floor like a tissue.