A World Upside Down - WoF Jade Winglet AU

Dead Reckoning - Qibli

It was one of the worst memories he ever had to live with.

The two bracelets Qibli had purchased that day were soon to be his most prized possessions. Rose quartz bead and dyed camel fur bracelets. He'd eyeballed them for a handful of months before the transaction, saving up hidden caches of miscellaneous gems, trinkets, and offering to do the odd job here and there. Once he had his goods in his talons, joy and fulfillment flooded his body.

Not unlike a prime example of shabby. Some may call this junk. Me, I call them treasures.

Smiling, and finally having a little bit of self confidence, Qibli turned to leave out of the marketplace.

That self confidence didn't last long as he observed his siblings eyeing him from nearby rooftops. It didn't take long for them to get from Point A to Point B, in the marketplace with him.

Fucking A. What a family of sand snorters we are.

The looks on their faces didn't seem to welcome Qibli. Nor did they welcome his new personal trinkets.

Using his memorized layout of the square, the SandWing rolled under a stall for cover then booked it down an alleyway. He could hear the steps and wingbeats of his siblings as they pursued their poor little target.

Some time passed, and the memory finished itself with the gruesome and painful ending that Qibli despises enduring.

In the present day, things weren't so different.  He experienced darkness for some time. Not knowing how long it's been, Qibli consciously realized that he existed as he apparently woke.

On some sort of cot, he tried to look around to figure out where he was. A small room, some medical supplies were over there, the markings of a familiar infirmary...

I'm back at the stronghold? Qibli sighed with relief and rested his head back on his pillow. Thank the moons.

How long have I been out? If only I had a dime every time I've been unconscious.

Dime to eat dis di-

Qibli sat up groggily, rubbing his eyes and trying to call out for someone. Not the smallest of sounds came out, and the feeling of a patchy throat made him shudder.

Find some water, news on what happened, and maybe a life while I'm at it.

Before leaving, he realized he was no longer clad in his satchels.

Even my possessions can't be around me. Everything's in this chest except my skyfire. Why is it over here?

Reluctantly, Qibli stuffed everything where they needed to be and set out to see what his next moves would be.

Ah. How great this place is.

So pristine with cool, crisp, clean air and every other adjective that begins with C.

Okay, maybe that was an exaggeration.

Like me.

The room was void of any dragons, and about half of the smaller rooms like the one he was in were filled. In the distance, voices and a rhythmic thumping were audible. It was probably for the best not to investigate.

How do I look? Let's check out my room real quick.

Qibli's personal quarters weren't too much of a distance away from the medical center. Encountering nobody on the way, he effortlessly slipped into his residence.

A nice feeling of home. Something Qibli rarely felt in the Scorpion Den or at JMA. Here, with the fresh and comfortable rugs and sheets, the quartz sculpture of Queen Thorn on an end table, and scrolls gifted to him by various dragons, he could easily get a handful of other factors and it would be a perfect paradise.