The camels had good reason to cower back at the sight of the Deserts king – he had chased and tormented them, without true viciousness of course, for well over two decades. The humpbacks told tales to their children of the Great Winged Beast to make them behave, only to have that same fable come back to life. They would come back when he was gone – or right now if he so wished it, but for now he didn’t even trouble them with a glance and merely held back a rascal’s smile. A subtle shiver of power radiates beneath his touch from the girl as he tugs her to his black side, a dragon’s wing cradling her, glassy and smooth with talons that held the promise of protection.
“Volcan,” he says with a smile and the grin is genuine amongst the sadness of the situation’s reality. “I like that name,” he adds, curving his neck to bump her silvery-black face with his endless black, “my name is Vanquish.” Once she has stopped shivering he unfolds his wing to gesture to the great expanse of his kingdom – conjuring up miniature horses made of sand to play and romp in front of her, “and this is the Deserts,” where you’ve been left, “this is your home now,” and you will be great.
.
vanquish
black king of the deserts
