Prickle, despite being stupidly young for a gang leader, excelled in his new position. Rattlesnake thought it was because Prickle had always been a leader at heart. Fennec thought it was because Prickle enjoyed being able to tell other dragons what to do, and have them actually do it. The little bit of power being heir had given him had gone straight to his head, and now that he was a leader, things were no better.

Prickle had made a lot of changes to the gang in a short time, and while Fennec didn't agree with all of them, he had to admit that his brother was doing his job well. He understood the gang and its workings in a way Fennec didn't. Or maybe it was just that Prickle had been told more than Fennec had. Both things were equally possible.

Amongst Prickle's new commands were the murder of all the gang's prisoners, something that Coal, of all dragons, had fought against. Fennec had been surprised to see his brother react so violently to the idea. Coal never spoke up about anything. But Prickle didn't care, so the prisoners died anyways. His second order of business, one that had shocked most of the gang, was to kick Cobra out. Prickle insisted that she had never been fully dedicated to the Sting's cause, and he wasn't going to put up with her crap the way Drought had. Cobra had glared at him, but left with a surprising amount of dignity. Sirocco, to Fennec's surprise, had left with her, saying that he didn't want to be in a gang where years of dedication and loyalty could be tossed away in a second. Rattlesnake had stayed, but she seemed sadder nowadays. Sometimes Fennec wondered whether she had even had a choice in leaving, or if Prickle had forced her to remain by his side.

Coal had made absolutely no changes upon being labeled the heir, but then again, no one really saw much of him. Prickle sent him on more jobs to make up for the experience he had already lost by being the gang's personal punching bag. He still was that, only now he was the highest ranking punching bag in all of Pyrrhia.

Fennec hadn't been expecting anything to change in his own life now that Prickle was in charge. He was just another gang member, and not even an important one. He continued to keep his head down, to say as little as possible, but he watched as everyone around him adjusted to Prickle's rule, some of them hesitant switch over so quickly after Drought had been there for so long.

But then one day Prickle demoted one of the dragons in the Sting, specifically their father's adviser. The poor dragon had sworn up a storm at losing his position, but at least Prickle hadn't ordered him to be killed or worse. The next day, Prickle had asked for Fennec to come see him.

The strangest thing about Drought being gone, Fennec had decided, was waking into his father's old office, and seeing Prickle sitting in their father's chair. It didn't look right. It didn't feel right, either, and Fennec had to double take every time he saw it, never quite believing it.

Then again, he didn't quite believe what Prickle said next, either.

"I'm promoting you," Prickle said, leaning back in the chair like he had owned it since the beginning of time. "I want you to be my right hand dragon, my second. You've been in the gang as long as I have and I know you're smarter than you act, so I can't think of anyone better for the job." Fennec stared at him.

And then he stared some more.

And he kept staring until Prickle started checking himself for bugs and stuff between his teeth.

And even then Fennec still wasn't sure he had heard things right.

Prickle's right hand dragon? That was practically his equal. He'd know just as much as his brother did, he'd have a higher ranking than any other dragon in the gang besides Prickle. He would never be seen as just another dragon again, he would be-

He would be second.

Not third. 

No one had ever offered him that before.

"Are you alive?" Prickle asked finally.

"I'll do it," Fennec said firmly. "I don't know what sort of duties a second has, but I'll do it." Prickle grinned.

"Wonderful. I think you'll be quite useful to me." He thought for a moment. "There is one thing I'll need you to do though."

"What's that?" Prickle rolled his eyes.

"You gotta be able to win a fight, weakling. My second had to be strong." Fennec smiled, and he couldn't remember the last time he'd done it.

"That won't be a problem."

*****

Prickle was right. Fennec was a good second, if only because it was the only thing he'd ever been offered, the only time he was second, actually second in something! He took pride in his work, and that unknowingly left him with a ridiculous amount of respect and loyalty towards Prickle that he hadn't had before. He was at his brother's side, along with Rattlesnake, for most of his day, and he didn't even mind.

"You seem happier," Rattlesnake said to him.

"What do you mean?" Fennec asked, and Rattlesnake smiled at him.

"You were always so serious and sullen, and then there were the years where you didn't even talk. But now, I don't know... Ever since Prickle promoted you, it's like there's some sort of happiness around you. You don't see happy dragons around here often. It's a nice change." Fennec shrugged.

"You're always happy," He said, and her pleased expression dropped.

"Yeah," She replied, the words forced. "Always happy." She sighed, and for once Fennec was glad his brother wasn't around. "What are you doing tonight?"

"Nothing, why?" Rattlesnake shrugged.

"We could hang out," She suggested. "Get some food or something. It's been kind of lonely here since Sirocco left, and I know Prickle will never believe it, but sometimes I do get tired of seeing him all the time. It'd be nice to see someone else for awhile." She was looking at him funny, and Fennec frowned. He knew better.

"I shouldn't," He said. "You know how Prickle is. He wouldn't like it if we hung out together, especially without him."

"Oh." Rattlesnake looked towards the ground. "...You don't have many friends, do you?"

"I don't have any friends."

"Aren't we friends?" Fennec paused. He didn't know about that. Rattlesnake was just... Rattlesnake. She had been around for as long as he could remember, and she had been with Prickle for about as long. He didn't see her as a friend or as family or as something else. She was just... there.

"I guess," He said, because he didn't want to hurt her feelings more than he likely already had.

"Surely you've had more than one friend in your life," She insisted. An image of Henna flashed in Fennec's mind, and he shut it out quickly. He tried to avoid thinking of her as much as he could.

"Not really." 

"Not even anyone who was....more than a friend?" 

"You mean like you and Prickle?" Rattlesnake made a face.

"Better than us, I'd hope." She said.

"No." Fennec shrugged. "I've hardly met anyone outside the gang, and besides, I'm not really interested in that kind of stuff."

"Too bad," Rattlesnake smiled. "Dragons would be lucky to have you." And there it was again. Henna's bloody talons. Ozark glaring at him. Fennec looked to the floor.

"No they wouldn't." He whispered.