Sabbath has always been carved from rage, unyielding in her temper and set in her callous ways. But she recognizes that, had Varick not used his spells on her, she would not have Crowns. She would not be speaking to him now. That day would have ended with her retreating back into the jungle to sleep alone in her den. While she will perhaps never forgive him for using her, she is weakened by her love for their baby. He is bright-eyed and eager to face the world. There is hardly a trace of her darkness in him.
The boy perks his ears when his father says his name and he grins when Varick gives his approval. Sabbath can’t fight the small laugh that builds in her throat. He will be trouble, she can tell, but he will be worth it. “Lay down and rest, Crowns. There will be time to explore the world when you get up, I promise,” she coos to him as she herds him back into the depths of her den. He fusses and whines, but he eventually surrenders and curls up in the bed of grasses and leaves she’d made him. Once she turns her back, one bright blue eye opens and remains trained on his father with an ear turned toward them.
Sabbath considers Varick for a while as he speaks. There is no trace of compassion or kindness to her face while she weighs his words carefully. If he bothered her enough, she could ask her mother to rip his scales from him so she could finally devour him. The thought crossed her mind during the worst of her labor pains. But Vulgaris had failed her as a father before and she knows just what brand of misery that brings.
“The only things I love in this world are my children, Varick. I let them make their own choices and I pick up the pieces when things fall apart,” she says as she steps closer, until her lips are nearly touching his. “He already thinks the world of you. Do not break his heart.”
She traces her fangs along his jaw, up to his ear.
“If you can do that, then you can bother me.”
The boy perks his ears when his father says his name and he grins when Varick gives his approval. Sabbath can’t fight the small laugh that builds in her throat. He will be trouble, she can tell, but he will be worth it. “Lay down and rest, Crowns. There will be time to explore the world when you get up, I promise,” she coos to him as she herds him back into the depths of her den. He fusses and whines, but he eventually surrenders and curls up in the bed of grasses and leaves she’d made him. Once she turns her back, one bright blue eye opens and remains trained on his father with an ear turned toward them.
Sabbath considers Varick for a while as he speaks. There is no trace of compassion or kindness to her face while she weighs his words carefully. If he bothered her enough, she could ask her mother to rip his scales from him so she could finally devour him. The thought crossed her mind during the worst of her labor pains. But Vulgaris had failed her as a father before and she knows just what brand of misery that brings.
“The only things I love in this world are my children, Varick. I let them make their own choices and I pick up the pieces when things fall apart,” she says as she steps closer, until her lips are nearly touching his. “He already thinks the world of you. Do not break his heart.”
She traces her fangs along his jaw, up to his ear.
“If you can do that, then you can bother me.”
may my enemies live long so they can see me prosper.
sabbath