Chapter Text
Thorn-two months until the end of the SandWing Succession war.
Qibli was always one of Thorn's quieter kids outclaws. He never truly spoke to his fellow outclaws, or to other dragons his age. Therefore, he was often left out on group projects in his small school in the scorpion den.
The few times he spoke was when he was asked a simple yes-or-no question, but even a verbal answer was rare and was replaced with a nod or shake of the head. This was surprising to Thorn because he was growing up in a generally loud household; one would expect him to be a bit louder himself. Of course, everyone already knew that Cobra was loud with her words, but no one knew what those words were or who they were directed to.
That wonder of Thorn's was cut off when Qibli entered her camel-skin tent, brandishing a heavily bleeding claw mark across his snout.
"Oh, Qibli," She muttered. Then, in a much more stern and motherly voice, "Who did this to you? Where are they?"
Thorn thought she already knew who it was, but said nothing.
“I-It w-was Cobra…”
Thorn growled in response and deserted (POP-No pun intended hehe) the tent, out into the bustling streets of the Scorpion Den. Qibli drew in a breath and followed after her, his snout still dripping red blood.
“That lizard-brained camel-dung pain in the tail excuse of a SandWing!” Thorn stormed through the run-down town, her lashing tail sending sand out to her sides.
Dragons protested as she barreled through the streets. “Hey, you got sand in my eyes, sand-for-brains!” “Watch it! Some dragons wanna’ keep their tails!”
She ignored them completely. Her main focus was getting to that Cactus-faced dragon’s hut.
Qibli was trying to keep up beside her, and she was hearing the most she had ever heard out of him.
“W-wait, Thorn! Please d-don’t, she- I-” Thorn cut him off
“Qibli, that dragon, Cobra” Thorn said Cobra’s name with a tint of disgust. “is just a self-absorbed cactus-brained lizard. She is not the loving mother you want her to be. All she cares about is money.”
Thorn tore a strip of fabric from her cloak and carefully bandaged his bleeding snout.
“I will take care of this, Qibli. I will make sure that she will never hurt you again, you got that?” She rested a talon on his shoulder.
Qibli sniffled and nodded. A single up-down. Thorn continued to the hut, a tad calmer on the outside, but still raging like a sandstorm on the inside for Cobra hurting her kid outclaw.
Inside, Cobra was greedily rummaging through a talon-sized leather sack, the quiet clatter of gold coins filled the quiet hut. The curtain in the doorway was flung open by a furious Thorn.
“YOU CAMEL-SPITTING EXCUSE OF A SANDWING!” Thorn roared at the startled sand dragon. Cobra’s eyes flicked around the hut until they found Qibli.
“Qibli, you had better stay out of this,” Cobra growled through clenched teeth. "Or you will have to spend extra days with Vulture."
Qibli-same time
Qibli gulped and nodded before Thorn began to speak.
“Cobra, you will be spending no more time with Qibli.”
Cobra looked struck. “Wait, what do you mean?” She rested the sack of coins down on the wooden table, eyes wide.
“No, you-you can’t take him!” She lunged at Thorn, and he recognized the glint of poison on her claw tips.
He mustered up all of his confidence and pushed down his fear. Thorn could die if she was so much as even grazed by those claws. He growled and rammed into Cobra’s side, knocking her off of her beeline for Thorn.
She was shoved into a vase, and the blown glass shattered. Qibli remembered the day that vase had been stolen and brought to Cobra. It was a day or so before one of Vulture’s visits when Rattlesnake (Mother’s obvious favorite) had the clever idea to steal something for their mother to try and coax her into having her stay back.
Of course, It had worked, for Cobra was so absorbed with riches and fancy decorations; Rattlesnake got to stay at the hut while the Sirocco and Qibli had to go and suffer from tired wings and snake bites.
End of the fight
Cobra screamed at Qibli as Thorn led him out of the hut.
“THIS WHOLE CONTINENT WOULD BE BETTER OFF WITHOUT YOU, YOU WRETCHED, COWARDLY WEAKLING OF A DRAGONET!”
Thorn looked down at Qibli. "Don’t worry, all of that ,” She gestured toward the hut. “Is blown away in the winds behind us. You got that, Qibli?”
The dragonet was rubbing the fabric of his torn-up mauve-brown cloak between two black claws.
“Mhm,” He nodded, then wrapped his wings around Thorn in thanks. “L-lets keep it behind us.”