Blue Crystal

Stinkbone

Stinkbone

Blood was splattered everywhere. All the crows were nursing their wounds while some laid still and yet others were breathing their last. Stinkbone heaved. He was furious that they had escaped and he was blind to the fact that they were the very ones he had trusted. Lord Fakan was right. Never trust anyone even if they are from your tribe.

‘Hornclaw and Coldwit will pay for their deeds,’ he vowed to himself. He would rather have his wings clipped than let anyone betray him. That brought him back to the days before he was the king of Cruatlan. Stinkbone had been nursing a wound from fighting with his nemesis, Bloodrip. It had been a vicious fight as Bloodrip was well-known for drawing blood from his opponents. That was a tough fight and Stinkbone had managed to draw blood from him only when he blinded him momentarily.

It was a cheat but the only way to kill Bloodrip, unfortunately for Stinkbone, fortunately for Bloodrip, the then king of Cruatlan called out the end of the fight. Stinkbone took over the role of being king while Bloodrip was never seen again, disabling Stinkbone’s triumph from banishing him.

He had very much wanted to gloat about his crowning but Bloodrip had disappeared the day he lost the fight. It was a dirty trick but Stinkbone didn’t want to lose, especially to Bloodrip.

It was great being King until the arrival of Lord Fakan. When the Dark Mage arrived in a puff of black smoke unannounced, Stinkbone wanted to flee. No one had ever intimidated him until Lord Fakan and he hated Fakan’s arrogant stance and tone. It was as if Fakan was the king of Crautlan instead of Stinkbone. None of the crows dared to step near Fakan whenever he was in the vicinity that Stinkbone was grateful for only one thing, Fakan only stepped into the kingdom only rarely. He didn’t like dealing with the selfish Dark Mage alone.

Cursing, he returned to his perch and allowed Charmfire to nurse his wounds. It was rare for him to allow her to touch him so, she often made herself useful. He would never return her affections but her heart was tied to him. She missed his younger self when all he wanted was to spend time with her. Once he became king, he changed dramatically and no longer paid her any attention.

Her heart had broke the night he ignored her and flirted shamelessly with the other female crows who fawned all over him. Bitterness took over but her heart kept beating wildly for him. It was difficult for her but she was the only one who was allowed to be near whenever he needed someone to heal his wounds. She was the only one in the kingdom with the healing touch.

Stinkbone refused to admit that despite his flirting, he was never satisfied. Mating with none other than Charmfire made his whole being cold. He had never forgotten about her but with his status as a king, she was out of bounds. In keeping up with the appearances, he had hurt her too many times from the times he had observed her secretly at the meetings.

Putting up a show of flirting at the casual meetings had been difficult when all his heart was screaming out for Charmfire. She was never seen alone with the other males because they feared her. She had this magical air about her and they feared that they would be poisoned one day. Chuckling at the thought he winced. ‘Hey!’

‘What hey? Stop moving! I’m trying to help you heal this deep cut here!’ Charmfire pecked his uninjured side.

‘Don’t do that!’ he fumed.

‘I won’t if you stop moving!’ she retorted. He obeyed and focused on a dark spot on the ground. Within minutes, she was done healing him. Putting away her tools, she started to move away when Stinkbone held her tail. ‘What?’ she asked irritatedly.

‘Stay.’ Her instinct to reject him died when he gave a look that she had not seen for months. Vulnerable was the word and she didn’t want to be heartless. Afterall, she did gave her heart to him even if he didn’t treasure it. The night was going to be long and she didn’t want to heal the rest of the crows since they would never ask her. Stinkbone wanted Charmfire. She was the only one who could warm him in ways that others had failed. Tonight, he did not want to care about what the others think. His needs came first and she gave in to his demands.