Qibli


 * "Stop, stop it. I see you going to the giving-up place in your head. Get yourself out of there right now. We do not know Hailstorm is dead any more than we did an hour ago. What we have to do is keep searching, because he's only definitely dead if we give up and sit here like moping camels. You are not allowed to mourn until you see a dead body, do you understand me?"
 * —Qibli to Winter about Hailstorm, Winter Turning

Qibli is a male SandWing dragonet and the main protagonist of Darkness of Dragons. Formerly an Outclaw, Qibli later attended Jade Mountain Academy as a member of the Jade Winglet.

He was last seen near Jerboa's hut and is currently in a relationship with Moonwatcher.

Appearance Edit
Qibli has pale, sand-yellow scales, with a few tiny dark brown speckles on his snout, and yellow wings. He has a small, rakish scar zigzagging across his snout and wears a small gold hoop earring in one ear with a warm orange-amber teardrop hanging from it. He is wiry, narrow-shouldered, and slightly larger than Kinkajou.

Personality Edit
Qibli often makes jokes and clever observations, and usually tries to get along with everyone, especially right at first. He is intelligent and sincere, usually open about his feelings. He is friendly and observant,and Winter once thought that if anyone could solve the mystery of Pyrite, it was probably Qibli. He is selfless, as he paired Moonwatcher and Winter together to search for Hailstorm instead of searching with Moonwatcher himself. He is also kind, often thinking about how he could make Pyrrhia a better place.

Qibli is observant, clever, and witty, often using intelligence rather than force to escape certain situations. He always has multiple plans in case something goes wrong, and his deduction skills are extremely advanced. His mind was described by Moonwatcher as racing and quick like a rushing river. He is very wary, and sometimes has trouble trusting dragons who have done bad deeds in the past. For example, in Darkness of Dragons, he shows a hint of distrust towards Smolder for once locking Thorn and Sunny up so Burn could kill them. Although funny and charming on the outside, Qibli is internally self-conscious and has a constant longing for approval and popularity, because of the way Sirocco, Rattlesnake, Cobra, and Vulture treated him. His way of connecting with others is joking. Threading this insecurity into his every action, he even desires approval from those he dislikes himself. If he could, he would use the animus magic he dreams of getting to cast a spell to make everyone like him. He is very loyal and kind to his friends, but he can easily become defensive when he or his friends are insulted on a personal level. According to Darkstalker, he desperately wants others to like him, which is most likely because of his painful dragonethood.

Cobra Edit
As his mother, Cobra didn't care about Qibli or his siblings. Qibli tried to act smarter and faster to get his mother to notice him. He desperately wanted his mother's love, but she never gave it to him or his siblings. His siblings realized this a lot sooner than Qibli and pushed him around a lot. They didn't care about Cobra. After being imprisoned by her own father, Vulture, in Darkness of Dragons, she helped Qibli in escaping her father's stronghold. After this, she started showing the first bits of affection towards Qibli. However, it turns out that Cobra was using Qibli in a plot to kill Queen Thorn. She warns Qibli that Vulture always gets what he wants, and is then locked in the dungeons.

Vulture Edit
Vulture had despised Qibli, especially among his siblings. When Qibli came back to Vulture's stronghold to look for Cobra, Vulture tried to persuade him to feed him all of Thorn's secrets. Although Qibli managed to escape, they encountered each other again, as Vulture was working under Darkstalker in order to become king of the SandWings. Darkstalker later used Vulture as an example to show Qibli how he could manipulate dragons' feelings toward him as an animus. Darkstalker then turns Vulture's personality to that of a newborn dragonet's, then to love Qibli more than anything in the world, and later, to feel remorse over everything he'd done. Qibli is horrified at how unnatural Vulture became, and this was partially the reason Qibli said no to Darkstalker's offer of animus magic.

Winter Edit
Qibli and Winter have a bit of a rivalry, as Qibli often annoys him, however, he still wants to be Winter's friend, as he makes jokes sometimes in order to annoy Winter as well. Their rivalry could also be about the fact that they both have strong feelings for Moonwatcher, but this is unlikely since even before they were introduced to Moon, Qibli still annoyed him in a deliberate, yet friendly way. Winter has stated that Qibli's constant, clever observations annoy him several times a day. Qibli thinks to himself that Winter is a friend, but doesn't know if the feelings are reciprocated. Qibli sometimes thinks of himself worse compared to Winter because Winter is the heroic, tortured, handsome dragon, while Qibli ends up looking awkward when he tries to be more like Winter. He thinks Moon deserves Winter more than himself, but in the end, Moon chooses Qibli over Winter. Despite this, Winter now considers Qibli his best friend. After Winter saved Qibli's life, he was grateful in his thanks, entirely too sincerely for Winter. Winter is annoyed by Qibli's constant clever observations, but Winter knows Qibli well enough to know when he is deliberately trying to annoy someone and Qibli looked to Winter like he was waiting for him to decide whether or not to reveal important information. He also purposefully paired Moonwatcher and Winter together during the search for Hailstorm in hopes that searching with her would keep Winter going. Qibli was about to cry when Winter was dying of his burns.

Moonwatcher Edit
Moonwatcher is Qibli's crush, and, by the end of Darkness of Dragons, his girlfriend. In Moon Rising, Qibli and Moonwatcher are put into the same winglet; he quickly becomes one of her best friends. She noticed that Qibli was very intelligent and observant. He is a bit wary of her at first but thinks she's pretty and constantly wonders what he should do to make Moon like him a little better. Because of his instinct to protect, he frequently defends her. He turns out to also be a bit insecure about her "gift" to read minds, worrying that she'll think he's a cruel dragon or that he'll reveal secrets that he shouldn't. In the end, he puts aside how uncomfortable he feels and helps her figure out who set off the bomb with the use of her powers. It is stated in Winter Turning that Qibli wants to be more than friends with Moon. In Talons of Power, Qibli is shown to care and worry for Moon, asking Turtle about how she was. Also, he wonders if he behaves around Moon the same way Peril behaves around Clay, one of the first major hints that he likes his NightWing friend. In Darkness of Dragons, he is shown to not just like her but is in love with her, and always thinks about her, worrying about her safety and wishing to follow her to the rainforest. Yet, Qibli wonders if Winter or himself is worthy of her, and doubts himself, wondering if he's more like the "goofy friend" than a romantic partner. He concludes Moon deserves someone like Winter instead, but lastly, Moon chooses Qibli. When Moonwatcher was in danger, he leaped aside to protect her with his own wings and he looks at Moonwatcher like he loves her. When Qibli spoke about how free he thought Possibility was, Moonwatcher looked at him like he made sense, and when Moonwatcher said that she was unsure if anyone would want to come with her to fulfill the Jade Mountain Prophecy, Qibli waved at wing at himself as though it were obvious. When Winter told Moonwatcher he should have nothing to do with her, Qibli sounded genuinely angry.

Kinkajou Edit
It was shown in Moon Rising that Qibli tried to get Kinkajou to like him, as he does with almost every other dragon. They end up being strong friends, and when Kinkajou falls into her coma, he worries about her the way a loyal friend would. It is sometimes shown that he enjoys her bubbly happiness, and also observes that she is all heart.

Turtle Edit
Qibli doesn't really interact with Turtle in Moon Rising, but in Talons of Power, Qibli asks if Turtle can stay hidden just a bit longer to spy on Darkstalker. It is shown that Qibli trusts Turtle, as he asks him to enchant him to become an animus. Turtle declines, but Qibli understands, showing his trust and friendship. He can get jealous of Turtle at times, as he was given animus powers and Qibli wasn't.

Thorn Edit
Qibli sees Thorn as his leader and mother, having served her and the Outclaws ever since he was 3 years old. This is probably the reason why he had acted so hostile towards Sunny in The Brightest Night, as not only seeing her as a possible threat to Thorn, but also a threat to the love he gets from Thorn. He is extremely loyal to her, protecting her during battles and always refusing to leave her side, because Thorn saved Qibli from his abusive mother Cobra when he was a little dragonet, earning his eternal loyalty. From this point on, his life plan was to prove his loyalty to Queen Thorn and be the best Outclaw possible. This life plan is altered when Thorn sends him to Jade Mountain. They are very close and Thorn puts him as one of her priorities, exemplified by her letting him join a meeting she was in the middle of rather than asking him to leave.

Ostrich Edit
He seems to be friends with Ostrich, and worries about her overall well-being. Ostrich appears to be very close to Qibli and often greets him enthusiastically. It is possible that they were closer before going to Jade Mountain Academy because Qibli remembers telling her that he would protect her while they were at school. Ostrich seems to look up to Qibli quite a bit, and she seems to value his advice. He also made a special promise to Ostrich's parents, Six-Claws and Kindle, promising them that he would take care of her which is similar to how Pike promised Queen Coral that he would look after Anemone.

Smolder Edit
When Smolder held Sunny and Thorn as prisoners for ex-Princess Burn in The Brightest Night, Qibli seemed to instantly distrust him. However, he seemed to begin to trust him more when he grew close to Thorn, even though he still had a hint of distrust. After a sandstorm caused by Qibli using Anemone's enchanted weather bracelets struck in Darkness of Dragons, he was concerned for Smolder when he wasn't present and sheltering like the other dragons.

Six-Claws Edit
Qibli trusts Six-Claws, being a fellow Outclaw and friend. In the Brightest Night, Six-Claws trusted Qibli with the NightWings, saying 'Follow Qibli. And no funny business'.

Sunny Edit
When Qibli first met Sunny in The Brightest Night he was hostile towards her, as not only seeing her as a possible threat to Thorn and himself, but also a threat to Thorn’s love for him. But as of right now it is safe to say they get along together.

Quotes Edit

 * "No one is getting sliced up or frozen and snapped apart, [...] What is wrong with you? Did you even try just asking nicely? [...] Hey. I'm the idiot clawmate, although most dragons call me Qibli. My intimidating acquaintance here is Winter. What's your name?"
 * ― to Moonwatcher and Winter (Moon Rising, page 44)


 * "Winter, you need to seriously cool down! Get it? Because he's an IceWing? I know, I'm hilarious."
 * ― to Winter (Moon Rising, page 45)


 * "Indeed, [...] The scavenger with the silly name is Winter's pet. Nobody told me we could bring pets here, but I guess the nephew of the IceWing queen gets some special privileges. And if you didn't know he was Queen Glacier's nephew, don't worry, he'd have told you sometime in the next five minutes."
 * ― to Moon, about Winter (Moon Rising, page 46-47)


 * "Or maybe it hates you and it's trying to starve itself to death."
 * ― to Winter, about Bandit (Moon Rising, page 49)


 * "I don't mind, [...] I mean, I don't mind the scavenger. His owner is the one I might be allergic to."
 * ― about Bandit and Winter (Moon Rising, page 52)


 * "I'm Qibli, [...] I was one of Thorn's Outclaws before she became queen. My plan is to learn everything as fast as possible and then get back to help her run the Kingdom of Sand."
 * ― introducing himself to the Jade Winglet (Moon Rising, page 83)


 * "See, I'm your destiny."
 * ― to Winter, about their shared winglet (Moon Rising, page 85)


 * "History! How can we possibly sit in a dark cave listening to Webs drone on about the ancient past? This ishistory, happening right now. We're in the middle of it, or we should be."
 * ― to Winter (Darkness of Dragons, page 17)


 * "It's one of the first spells I thought of. If I'd gotten Darkstalker's scroll—if I had all that power—first I'd protect my soul, next, I'd cast spells to protect everyone I love, and then... I'd do a spell to make everyone like me. Even Winter, even Peril, ... even my family. Would that be wrong? I wouldn't abuse it the way Darkstalker has. I wouldn't be tricking anyone into doing the things I want them to do. I just want other dragons to like me—and some of them won't, no matter how hard I try."
 * ― thinking (Darkness of Dragons, page 51)


 * "I'm not leaving you alone with no stranger. All prophecy-like or not."
 * ― to Thorn, about Sunny (The Brightest Night, page 71)


 * "Ha! Moons, no. She saved me from my mother. Besides, the way I understand it, there's only ever been one egg for Thorn, and that's you—if you are who you say you are."
 * ― about Thorn (The Brightest Night, page 78)


 * "Terribly undignified. We would never allow such higgeldy-piggeldy shenanigans in the Ice Kingdom."
 * ― imitating Winter (Winter Turning)


 * "Oh, awesome logic! You're royalty, so you've always had power, so you should get any new power that comes along?"
 * ― to Winter, when they fight over Darkstalker's scroll (Escaping Peril, page 283)


 * "Moon, sometimes you're so busy listening to what dragons are thinking, you miss the things they're actually doing. Which can tell you a lot more about what they're really like."
 * ― to Moonwatcher


 * "Make bananas. Absolutely terrifying. Run for your life."
 * ― to Winter about Mightyclaws' power (Talons of Power, page 90)


 * "Such as the fact that he killed his father; the fact that his seer girlfriend thought he was so dangerous he had to be hidden under a mountain for all eternity; he can enchant dragons to do anything he tells them to, or turn them into other dragons entirely if he wants; the fact that he just tried to kill the entire IceWing tribe with magic; and the fact that he's so charming and sincere that smart dragons tend to like him even when they're not enchanted to; Also, I'm not sure there's anyone who can stop him. I'm not sure there's anyone he cares about enough that he'd listen to them—or anyone who's willing to try."
 * ― to Hope when she asked him what his concerns were regarding Darkstalker (Darkness of Dragons, page 279)


 * "Geegaws. How can you call me weird and then use ancient old worm words like that?"
 * ― to Winter (Darkness of Dragons, page 61)


 * "What is with you and faces? [...] You should try threatening someone's elbows or ankles once in a while, just for a change of pace."
 * ― to Winter (Winter Turning)


 * "Stop, stop it. I see you going to the giving-up place in your head. Get yourself out of there right now. We do not know he is dead any more than we did an hour ago. What we have to do is keep searching, because he's only definitely dead if we give up and sit here like moping camels. You are not allowed to mourn until you see a dead body, do you understand me?"
 * ― Qibli to Winter about Hailstorm (Winter Turning, 165)

Trivia Edit

 * Qibli is roughly based on one of Tui T. Sutherland's sons, though Sutherland mentioned that the dragon who represents her son the most is Cliff.
 * On the cover of Darkness of Dragons, the scar across Qibli's snout is on the side of his lower jaw rather than across the top of his snout.
 * When asked about the love triangle in arc two involving Qibli, Winter, and Moonwatcher, Tui stated in a recent interview that she wanted to try to challenge herself by writing a love triangle where "you really like all of them and any of the three can be together," which made Tui feel conflicted when it came time to decide the final pairing. In this case, Tui wanted Moonwatcher to pick the nice guy who cares about her and does all the right things.
 * This means that Qibli is bisexual or pansexual, as well as Winter.
 * Qibli is described as a compelling storyteller.
 * According to Winter, Qibli has an annoying "let's be sensible about this" voice when he is trying to reason with someone.
 * Qibli met practically the entire SandWing tribe after they went to the SandWing stronghold to pay tribute and to see if they could support Thorn as queen.
 * Qibli is a wide-open desert kind of dragon and makes a lot of noise in enclosed spaces.
 * The first thing Qibli stole in the Scorpion Den was a runty, spotted persimmon that had fallen under a food cart.
 * Tui noted she knows who Qibli's father is, but she refused to say it.

Gallery Edit
Reference by Platypus the SeaWing

Qibli on the cover of Darkness of Dragons, by Joy Ang

Qibli on the full cover of Darkness of Dragons, by Joy Ang

Qibl from Scholastic HomeBase

Qibli from the loading screen of Qibli's Quest, a game on Scholastic HomeBase Add a photo to this gallery

References Edit

 * 1) ↑ Moon Rising, page 278
 * 2) ↑ Moon Rising, page 80
 * 3) ↑ Winter Turning, page 73
 * 4) ↑ 4.0 4.1 Moon Rising, page 44
 * 5) ↑ Escaping Peril, page 107
 * 6) ↑ The Brightest Night, page 71
 * 7) ↑ 7.0 7.1 Winter Turning, page 194
 * 8) ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Winter Turning, page 24
 * 9) ↑ Winter Turning, page 40
 * 10) ↑ Winter Turning, page 129
 * 11) ↑ Winter Turning, page 136
 * 12) ↑ Winter Turning, page 152
 * 13) ↑ Winter Turning, page 157
 * 14) ↑ Winter Turning, page 160
 * 15) ↑ 15.0 15.1 Winter Turning, page 166
 * 16) ↑ 16.0 16.1 Winter Turning, page 62
 * 17) ↑ Winter Turning, page 143
 * 18) ↑ Winter Turning, page 148
 * 19) ↑ Winter Turning, page 134
 * 20) ↑ Winter Turning, page 149
 * 21) ↑ Winter Turning, page 207
 * 22) ↑ Winter Turning, page 229
 * 23) ↑ Winter Turning, page 230
 * 24) ↑ Winter Turning, page 154
 * 25) ↑ Winter Turning, page 19
 * 26) ↑ Winter Turning, page 200
 * 27) ↑ Darkness of Dragons, page ?, position 296