Just a little Glorybringer for ya

Quickstrike

They were back in the rainforest. The entire fly back Deathbringer had known she was going to ask. Glory wasn't an idiot, she could tell when something was wrong, especially with him. Naturally she wanted to know who the Nightwing was. And she'd press until she got the answer. But Deathbringer didn't want to talk about her. He'd kept Quickstrike's death a secret his entire life, fearing the pain that would come from retelling the story. But now he knew that he'd have to tell Glory. She was his wife, the love of his life, the mother to his dragonets, his Queen, his- his everything. Now that she wanted to know, he couldn't keep the truth from her forever. 

But he could delay it.

As soon as they landed in the rainforest and the other guards had left, Glory turned to him. But just as she was about to ask, Deathbringer took off. he couldn't help it. He didn't want to leave her by herself but he couldn't answer that question. He couldn't explain how badly he'd failed. He ran off into the forest, unaware that Glory was following him. When he'd gone ran enough, Deathbringer stopped, panting. The emotions that had built up since the meeting got to be too much. He needed to blow off some steam. So, using all of his strength, he punched the nearest tree, letting out a cry of rage. He let his anger, frustration, and grief out on the poor tree, punching it repeatedly until his talons began to bleed. Finally, he sighed and leaned against the tree, pressing his head to the bark. 

"Feel better?" Glory asked. Slowly, Deathbringer opened his eyes and looked at her. He nodded slightly, and closed his eyes, his head still resting on the tree. He didn't even notice her approaching until she wrapped her arms around his waist. "You don't have to tell me," Glory offered. "I was just curious." Deathbringer shook his head. 

"No." he insisted. "You should know. I just.....I'm afraid to tell it." 

 "Then let's start with something easy." Glory suggested. "Look at me." Reluctantly, Deathbringer opened his eyes and glanced at her, at her beautiful green eyes. He felt himself relax as he stared. The hold she had on him was working its magic. 

Glory let go of him and sat down on the ground, motioning for him to sit next to her. He did, and she took his talon in hers as he stared into her eyes still. 

"What was her name?" she asked gently. Deathbringer broke away from the stare and looked at the ground. With a sigh, he answered. 

"Quickstrike. Her name was Quickstrike." he replied.

"Who was she?" Glory asked. A small smirk made its way on to Deathbringer's face. 

"She was an assassin. The only and the best assassin the Nightwing tribe had. She was my trainer. From the moment I hatched, I was to be her successor. She trained me day and night, never giving me a day off. I didn't go to lessons like the other dragonets. Instead, I trained. But she wasn't just my trainer." Deathbringer explained. The smirk faded from his face as he paused. Glory studied him. It was as if a mask had been lifted from his face as he spoke again. "She was my mother."

Glory's grip on his talon grew tighter. He squeezed her talon back, his eyes distant. 

"What happened?" Glory asked, her voice soft.

"I was a master assassin by the time I was four. But it wasn't enough. She still pushed me harder, insisting that my skills could grow. She never treated my like a son. I called her mother once; she slapped me so hard I saw stars." Deathbringer began. He shook himself, shaking off the memory. "She was sent to the continent for a new strategy - targeted assassinations. I went with her. She trained me there too. Our first target was none other than Commander Tempest, first in command of the Seawing army. We were searching the islands for Blister's base when there was a storm one night. A hurricane." He paused again and shut his eyes, holding back tears. Glory began to dread what she'd hear. "It was my fault. She told me that we had to land, but I spotted a Sandwing flying towards another island and made her stop. We followed the Sandwing instead." he paused again, forcing the words past the lump in his throat. "There was a flash of lightning. It hit her. She screamed and fell out of the sky. I tried to catch her, but it was raining and dark and I was too small and she was too heavy. We landed on the island and I tried to wake her up, but she wouldn't. So I hid her under some trees. Made it look like we were never there. I stayed with her for two days and she never moved. She barely breathed. But I knew that I still had to take care of the mission. The mission comes first. That's what she always told me. I knew that if it had been me that had been hit, she would've already done the mission. So, I did it. I killed Tempest and destroyed their alliance. It never even crossed my mind to move her. And then they found her and she was killed. I could've saved her. Every bone in my body wanted to rush in and kill them all, just to save her, but I knew that I couldn't. Everything would've been for nothing if I had. So I stayed put. I followed orders." he stopped again. Glory was silently crying now. It was impossible not to. 

"I vowed something that day." Deathbringer continued. "I promised myself that it wouldn't happen again. That my mission no longer came first. That if I ever found someone else to care about, that I'd do anything to save them, even endanger my own tribe. I didn't even kill anyone for my next three missions. I couldn't do it." Glory looked at him.

 He would do anything to save the dragons he cared about. Memories flashed in Glory's mind. He'd helped her escape the Nightwing island, risking her exposing the Nightwings secrets. Endangering his tribe. He'd taken the blame for that, and risked getting killed. Endangering his own life. He'd protected her every day since she had rescued him from the island. I'm the very next dragon he ever cared about, Glory realized. I'm probably one of only a few that he cares about. 

"Deathbringer," she whispered, hugging him. "I'm so sorry."