Listen, And The Stars Shall Speak

A Wolf In Sheep's Clothing

Drought started Dawn's lessons the very next day , and true to his word, he told her everything she'd need to know in order to rule the Sting.

And there were lots of little secrets that she hadn't known before.

"The Sting started out as a simple Drug Cartel," Drought explained, walking her through the halls of the headquarters as he explained the history of the gang. "It grew quickly and expanded under the rule of my great grandfather. By the time my grandfather took over, we controlled every drug trade in Pyrrhia."

Dawn listened intently  to his every word. Drought beamed at that, assuming he was paying attention to him, not his words.

He was wrong. 

"My grandfather expanded our trade to all sorts of items beyond drugs," He continued. "In his reign, we took over and controlled the entire black market. His name was Drought, too. My father named me after him."

"I see." Dawn nodded. "...My father named me after the time I hatched."

She regretted saying those words as soon as they had left her mouth, but she couldn't help it. She did enjoy hearing her parents tell her about how she hatched three days late, bursting out of her egg just as dawn struck the horizon.

Drought, she realized, hadn't noticed her slip up. He had kept talking about how 'totally amazing' Drought Sr. was.

"Drought was Fennec, Coal, and my father's father." He explained.

"What about their mother?" Dawn asked curiously.

"No one really talks about Ferla." Drought admitted. "I'm not sure why. Anyways, Drought died epically, by killing the last member of the Claw before dying beside his enemies,  and then my dad took over."

Yes, yes, Dawn had heard this story before. But she let Drought talk, let him watch her and entwine their tails as they walked, even though she found him strange and creepy.

She found herself oddly grateful that she wasn't a full grown dragon. Considering her role in the Sting, she imagined that would make Drought even more disturbing then he already was.

"We have a couple spies across the Kingdom," Drought said, and Dawn tuned back in, listening closely. "It's IMPOSSIBLE to slip a spy anywhere close to Queen Thorn though. That dragon hand selects her bodyguards, and they never change. Saguaro is a valuable asset, though, and she gets information when we need it. I've been trying to get someone to seduce Qibli, seeing as he's practically Thorn's adopted son, but he never takes the bait."

"He never will." Dawn confirmed, remembering all she knew about Qibli. "Qibli has only ever had eyes for two dragons, and he didn't manage to capture either of their hearts."

Drought eyed her strangely.

"How do you know about Qibli?" He questioned.

"He works with Coal, and would sometimes come over for a visit. I'm not suppose to know anything about him, but I learned how to eavesdrop at a very young age." Drought grinned at her slyly.

"Clever little dragon." He teased, his talons brushing her cheek. Dawn fought back a shudder as he released her and kept talking, spilling secret after secret.

Just a few more days, she reminded herself. Then you'll have enough information. Then it'll all be over.