Chapter Text
Vulture? Summoning Sage? Oh moons above was he about to be water boarded for some sort of crime to the King of the Scorpion Den. How peachy.
"Sage. Walk straight." Cobra hissed in his ear, he almost made a face at her, almost. But he personally liked having a face to begin with so he refrained from doing.
'Old Cobra would've found it funny...' he grumbled, internally, of course. "You don't know why he's summoning me? Is he gonna feed me to a caravan of camels?? Force feed me dragon bite vipers??"
"Sage, it involves both of us. I think I would tell you so you don't say something stupid and get your eyeballs carved out." Cobra sneered at him, purposely looking down on him. Months had gone by since Qibli's hatching, and in that time, Saga had managed to toughen himself up. So instead of just pitying himself when she did that and moping like a loser. He got pissed, not really an actual improvement. Because in order to guarantee his dragonets safety. He had to keep his loud snout shut.
No matter how badly she treated him. But standing up for himself wasn't what he hated himself for. He hated himself because he just kept forgiving her. He could seethe over what she said or did but as soon as she said exactly what he wanted to hear. He was right back in her claws.
And he literally knew it. Huge, burning red flags stood high in front of him, and all he did was fly into it.
Like a moth to a flame.
What a fuckass saying.
Even now, as he thought it, he shifted closer to the warmth of her sandy scales as they neared the gaping entryway to Vultures favourite room.
The one he was always sitting around rotting in.
"Ah Sage, Sage, Sage. What a blessing for you to join us!" Vulture crooned as soon as Sage took set foot inside. 'Oh moons above please let my death be clean and quick.' Sage prayed with a surge of dread.
Whatever came out of this crusty old toads mouth would not be for the faint of heart. So not for Sage.
"You've done a very splendid job in producing two healthy, male heirs for me. Congratulate yourself!" Vulture clapped his talons together. The rings wrapped around his old bony claws clinking together.
Sage felt sick to his stomach, be he managed a nod. Even if it was quite stiff.
"Now, I must apologize for my daughtet!" The old, musty fart continued, "Heard she tore you up pretty bad, in an attempt to murder her own dragonets. I must see to that she's punished."
Sage felt as though his stomach had done a whole 360°, carefully, he glanced her way. Cobra's jaw was set tight. Despite being very good a t reading dragons, he could almost never read her... at least the new her.
"That'll be it," Vulture concluded, shocking Sage, and even Cobra. "But I would like to have a little meeting some time soon with my little grandsons, how do you feel, Sage?"
'Never praying to the moons again...' Sage noted, given what he'd just been told, they suck at answering prayers. "That would be alright." He managed to choke out, he hated to allow them anywhere near their grandfather. But it was that or certain death...
"Both of you are now dismissed." With a wave of his talon, Sage and Contra both spun on their heels and slipped out.
Both were dead silent as they headed back through the odd looking halls. Sage had questions, but he wasn't brave enough to ask until they'd returned to their new home.
"What punishment?" Sage whispered, sounding scared, how could he still be scared for her? Or care for her at all!?
"He said that to make it seem as tho hes on your side. He hasn't ever harmed a scale on me in my entire miserable life here on this moon forsaken planet."
'Oh...' was the only thought that passed through Sage's brain. He felt sort of dumb now.
Minutes passed, Sage knew his babies were still asleep, he'd already taken a moment to check. So that left him with... her... and the feeling of aching want.
He took a full three minutes tomentally preparing himself before he slipped beneath her wing. She didn't so much as twitch. "Cobra?"
He could tell she wasn't actually doing anything. Shed been studying the same empty vile for ten minutes now. "Hmm?"
"What happened... to us, I mean."
Sage hated to admit he was shocked when he noticed her wince, a flash of guilt washing across her face before it disappeared completely.
"I..." she began, trailing off, she fixed him with a glare. As if the entire thing was his fault. Maybe part of it was, he could. Understand that. But she'd beaten him till he was broken.
"I'm sorry... for whatever I did." He murmured, not exactly sure what he'd done. Perhaps all that begging? Had he pushed her buttons until she finally imploded?
Cobra didn't answer further with words, she instead dipped her snout to press it against his. A little kiss, when had they last shared one? A year? Two? It left Sage confused, aching, and so in love it heart. How had one little action pulled all these feeling back up to the surface after he'd tried so hard to drown them?
This wasn't good, was he falling for a trick? Was this her way of an apology?
...
Why did he want this... her... so bad? How was he so... love blind?
How could he still trust her, after everything? What was he supposed to trust? His Braun, his heart, or her??