COBRA
Families are overrated. I knew that the moment the love of my life abandoned me.
It had been a beautiful day. I'd crafted another poison, bought a few new knives, and, most importantly, I was going to show Joshua our egg.
We'd already had two little dragonets, one a female named Rattlesnake with a high level of energy and the other a male named Sirocco with a lot of space between his ears.
Joshua was a great father. He'd been so kind to the two of them (even when Sirocco was a bit empty-headed, which was most of the time). Rattlesnake's temper and manic violence was cooled when Joshua was around, and he seemed to be the only dragon who could get anything across to Sirocco.
I'd had a third egg, and today was the perfect day to present our soon-to-be dragonet to him.
"Joshua?" I called, peeking into the house. He wasn't there.
"Mama?" a voice responded. I did a double-take, then noticed a little SandWing sitting at my desk. I leaped forward.
"Oh, no no no no no," I yelped as Rattlesnake poked a bottle of poison with a razor-sharp kukri. I snatched both things out of her talons and placed them high up on a shelf, where she couldn't reach them. Barely one and a half years old and already obsessed with deadly weapons. Her grandfather would be delighted.
"But whyyyyy," Rattlesnake whined.
I poked her snout. "Because they're dangerous and I would be very upset if you broke either or them," I told her in a condescending tone. "By the way," I added, "have you seen your father anywhere?"
She shook her head.
"Okay, then. Now, run along. Go play with your brother."
Rattlesnake skulked away, grumbling several, "Hrmphs."
I stepped outside through the back door, scanning the neighborhood. Joshua wasn't one to wander too far throughout the Scorpion Den; he was a bit paranoid, and didn't want anyone trying to use him to get to me. I was most everyone's top competition when it came to assassins.
"Joshua?" I tried again. Suddenly, I was pulled into a side alley by strong talons.
I whirled around, hissing, hoping for the best but expecting the worst. Seeing Joshua was a pleasant surprise.
"Where've you been?" I asked, clutching the egg behind my back. It was going to be a surprise.
"I've been thinking," he said slowly.
I laughed. "That's a first."
He paused. "I was wondering…" he went on. "Why do we even have dragonets?" he said in a rush. "I mean, it could be just you and me! Leave them with your grandfather! We can run away, live on an oasis together!"
I stared at him, shocked. "What?"
"We don't need them!" he cried, smiling. "Dragonets are wastes! Imagine how happy we could be without them!"
I tried to push back the tears that threatened to spill. I held out our dragonet's egg in front of me. "I guess you don't want this one, then."
Joshua's eyes widened. "Y-you didn't t-tell me there was another…" his voice trailed off under my withering gaze.
"It was supposed to be a surprise," I growled.
Joshua took a step back. "I - I - you - I mean - they - he-" he stuttered. He shook his head, frowning.
"I'm so sorry, Cobra," he whispered. "I… I just can't be a father."
"CAN'T BE A FATHER?" I burst out, outraged. "You're a WONDERFUL father! Your dragonets LOVE you!" I frowned, my wings drooping sadly. "Our dragonets," I added softly, a tear dripping down my snout and splashing onto the sandy dirt.
Joshua held out a talon hesitantly before pulling it away, uncertain. He backed away before lifting off and soaring away on those sandy yellow wings I'd become so familiar with.
In that moment, I learned that this world is out for you. You can't trust anybody and you must look out for yourself and yourself only.
I felt a small twinge of guilt at the thought of my dragonets growing up like that, but the real world was cruel and unforgiving.
They would learn to be strong, or die trying.
A/N
MY, OH, MY.
SORRY IT HAS LITERALLY BEEN A MONTH SINCE I'VE PUBLISHED FOR THIS STORY!
I KINDA GOT WRITER'S BLOCK FOR THIS, SO TELL ME WHAT TO DO! ANY SUGGESTIONS ON WHO I SHOULD DO FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE GREATLY APPRECIATED!