CHAPTER SEVEN: QIBLI

"Go to the school," ordered his grandfather. "Do not get sidetracked on your way there. Only rest when night has fallen. Spy on Burn's niece." He glanced at Onyx and added, "Not Onyx. The other one. Who's at the school."

Qibli had no choice but to follow Vulture's orders. The bracelet wouldn't let him do otherwise.

He turned around to fly away, but before he could, his mother ordered, "Stop. A few more things."

Qibli twisted his head around slightly to look at her as she spoke.

"Enchant the bracelet so that you can only take orders from your family and Onyx. We can't have you taking orders from someone else, now can we?"

Qibli touched a claw to the band around his wrist and said miserably, "Enchant this bracelet so that I can only take orders from my family members and Onyx the SandWing."

His mother nodded, satisfied. "Now," she went on, "protect that bracelet with life-or-death urgency. Do not ever take it off, and never allow anybody else to take it off. Stop anyone who tries at all costs. Do not ever mention the spells on the bracelet or Onyx to anyone, and do not tell anyone about what the bracelet can do or that it is magical. Don't go into details about us - your family. Just a normal, run-of-the-mill family. Mother, grandfather, sister, and a brother. And, most importantly, do not let anybody know you are an animus. You are only allowed to use your magic in dire situations, if you need to heal yourself or get out of a bad situation.

"Last but not least, enchant these things for me." Cobra held out Rattlesnake's earring, along with the jewelry he'd enchanted for the other members of his family. "Enchant them with these words: Enchant these jewelry items to allow the wearers to step into the dreams of any dragon they wish by closing their eyes and picturing that dragon with the intent to visit their dreams."

Qibli did as his mother told.

"Do the same to your earring."

Qibli enchanted the amber loop hanging from his ear. He sighed as he finished up the spell. His life had gone from bad to great to HORRIBLE in a matter of minutes: Mean family, hard life; animus! magic! hooray! no more being abused or treated badly or horrible family; bound to said horrible family, never able to use magic ever again unless they say so.

His talons twitched slightly, and he realized he'd been clenching them so hard his claws had left marks on his palms. Qibli tried to calm down, but his thoughts were fixated on loathing and self-pity.

"Now, you can go," his mother said, satisfied.

Qibli's wings lifted up against his will, taking him away towards the Claws of Clouds mountains. He no longer tried to fight the motions; it was useless, anyways.

After a few hours of flight, the sun finally dipped down and disappeared behind the western horizon. Qibli's aching wings lowered him down onto a grassy plain, within sight of Jade Mountain, but he wasn't about to make himself fly any farther. He wasn't even sure the bracelet would let him.

His eyelids drifted shut, and he immediately fell asleep.

Jade Mountain Academy. Qibli glanced around as he landed at the entrance cave.

A golden dragon glanced up as she heard the tip-tap of his talons of the stone floor. Her face lit up like the sun.

"Hello!" she exclaimed. "Welcome! To Jade Mountain! Academy! I'm Sunny! Who are you?"

Qibli tried to smile, but the only thing he felt was pain and tiredness in his sore wings. "I'm Qibli," he responded.

Sunny flipped through a series of scrolls on the table in front of her, but frowned as she saw the last one. "There isn't a Qibli on my list," she mused, making panic and relief battle each other inside Qibli. If he wasn't on the list, he might have to go home… but would the magic let him? What if he was stuck at Jade Mountain until he saw the SandWing niece of Burn? How would he get in?

I can use my magic, he realized. He could enchant one of the spots in the school to become his!

But, worried a part of his mind. What about the dragon who was in that spot? Wouldn't they be suspicious that they suddenly aren't on the Jade Mountain Academy list? A troubling thought occured to him: What if the bracelet doesn't let me?

Words appeared in his mind, and Qibli realized he was going to try the spell. He plucked up a pebble from the ground and made the enchantment in his head while Sunny looked through the welcome scrolls again.

Enchant this stone to make SandWing's spot in this school - but not that of Lady Burn's niece - to become mine, with all the aspects of them changing to aspects of me, down to the smallest detail. And enchant to to make anyone involved forget that said SandWing was ever in Jade Mountain, and think that I've been in this spot the entire time.

Sunny paused on a scroll, doing a double-take. "Ah," she blurted. "Here! Quartz Winglet!" The hybrid held up a scroll with Qibli's name marked on it in bolded lettering. "Huh," she murmured. "Thought the Quartz's SandWing was undetermined. Hmmmm…"

Whoops, Qibli thought. There wasn't a SandWing in that spot yet.

Sunny blinked quickly and turned her attention back to Qibli. "Second hall," she declared, pointing to Qibli's right. "Sixth cave on the left. One of your clawmates should already be there. A clawmate is a dragon you'll be sharing a cave with."

Qibli went on, dodging the few dragonets lingering outside caves. He whipped his tail in as a SeaWing shoved a SkyWing towards him, both dragonets growling.

Qibli ducked his head and hurried to the sixth cave, turning left and into his sleeping space. A HiveWing looked up from a scroll and smiled at him. "Hi," he greeted, smiling. "I'm Aphid."

Qibli grinned back.

Aphid sat atop a ledge, tucked into the corner of the room, piled with yellow-and-orange blankets, a pillow laying on the ground by the HiveWing's golden-orange tail.

Two other sleeping areas were in the cave, along with numerous scroll racks. Qibli edged his way over to a box-like bed with a few camel-skin blankets and white pillows. He absent-mindedly reached a claw up to touch the bracelet around his wrist, which was a mistake.

"What's that?" asked Aphid.

Qibli flinched. "A - er - bracelet. From my sister." He technically didn't lie. Rattlesnake was the one who'd put it on him.

Aphid leaned forwards to study the metal band more closely. He walked over and reached out a claw tentatively. "It's really cool," he observed. "I like the diamond patterns."

At Aphid's words, Qibli noticed the shaped of rhombuses etched into the surface. He hadn't studied the bracelet much, as he wanted nothing to do with it.

Aphid's outstretched talon touched the metal band, and Qibli winced backwards before whacking away Aphid with a claw. Qibli recoiled and covered his face with his talons.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" he cried. Stupid bracelet. Stupid, stupid, STUPID! ARGH!

Aphid regarded Qibli with confusion and uncertainty. He scooted away slowly, then bolted from the cave.

Qibli curled up in a ball, repressing tears. His one chance at a friend, and of course the STUPID magic MESSED IT UP.

Qibli stood up. He wiped away a few teardrops that had managed to escape and stormed out of the cave. He didn't try to find Aphid. Instead, he jumped out the entrance cave and soared away, flapping his wings. He flew and flew, eventually turning back to land at the bottom of Jade Mountain, where he ran head-on into a cold white dragon.

A/N

WELCOME, Socki506! I KNOW I SAID THE COVER WOULD BE DONE BY NOW! SO SORRY!

THE COMPETITION IS STILL OPEN; IT WILL BE FOR, LIKE, EVER. SO PLEASE SUBMIT DRAGONS!

PEOPLE HAVE BEEN ASKING ABOUT WINTER AND PERIL AND KINKAJOU AND TURTLE, SO HERE I GO:

PERIL: ALIVE, MAY APPEAR IN THE STORY

KINKAJOU: ALIVE, AT JADE MOUNTAIN, WILL APPEAR IN THE STORY

TURTLE: ALIVE, AT JADE MOUNTAIN, WILL APPEAR IN THE STORY

WINTER: I CAN'T SAY! SO SORRY!