'Thorn' is an adult female SandWing who was introduced in The Brightest Night. She is the mother of
Sunny and was formerly in a relationship with Stonemover, an Animus
magic|animus dragon. She was formerly the leader of the Outclaws until
she became queen of the SandWing tribe during the events of The
Brightest Night. She currently resides in the SandWing stronghold.

## Description

Thorn is small, wiry, and compact, looking as though she will stay that
way no matter how long she lives. She has pale sandy yellow scales that
are dappled with small brown sand like speckles along her spine and
wings. A golden chain of flying dragons, crafted from twisted wires,
encircles one of her upper forearms, and she wears a simple copper chain
with a moonstone pendant around her neck. The Eye of Onyx hangs on a
chain around her neck, with the onyx stone and the golden dragon wings
in the center of her chest, bumping against the moonstone. She has kind,
dark black eyes and warm, strong wings. She wears a toothy grin and
wears an enchanted earring identical to Qibli's. Her voice is calm and
clear.

## Personality

Thorn is perceptive, reassuring, no-nonsense, astute, calmly certain,
friendly, cheerful, levelheaded, empathetic, kind, alert, curious, calm,
dangerous, serious, fierce, intelligent, and thoughtful. She walks like
she has somewhere to be, with her eyes scanning her surroundings as if
she is looking for something. She radiates an intense, burning energy,
and Sunny caught herself wanting to follow Thorn wherever she went. She
leads her tribe with ferocious strength and wisdom. She is smart and
capable, and is willing to give anyone a voice; she does not act as
though she is more important than her subjects. She has a reputation of
someone that is impossible to corrupt, and Qibli thought of her as wise
and good.

She has laughter in her eyes, and influential dragons are often afraid
of her. She often reacts to difficult situations with anger; however,
she would feel guilt and regret from it. She is very direct and does not
care much for rules and traditions, but is polite. She is authoritative
and queenly, causing other dragons to obey her orders, but when speaking
to Snowfall, her voice was normal.

## History

left
Pre-Series
Over seven years before the events of The Dragonet Prophecy, Thorn
met a NightWing animus named Stonemover while he was planning a location
for the NightWing tunnels in the Kingdom of Sand. Thorn fell in love
with him, and after their initial meeting, Thorn continued to visit him,
and eventually, Stonemover fell for her and confessed that he was an
animus. No one but Armadillo and Six-Claws knew of Thorn and
Stonemover's relationship.

However, over time, Stonemover grew cold and distant (as he became more
and more afraid of losing himself), and although Thorn was with Sunny's
egg, she wanted to wait until he apologized to share the news. Shortly
before Thorn laid her egg, Stonemover mysteriously vanished without a
trace of his disappearance. While she was in the general area of the
tunnels, she was approached by Morrowseer, who told her that Stonemover
was never coming back and that it was her fault, triggering a reaction
from Thorn, who spent the next six years searching for him so she could
have vengeance.

In an attempt to keep her former relationship with Stonemover a secret,
Thorn buried her egg out in the desert and entrusted Dune to protect it.
He also helped Thorn come up with names for her unhatched dragonet, such
as Sunny and Beetle. However, Dune was a member of the Talons of Peace,
and once he discovered that Thorn's egg was due to hatch on the
brightest night, he stole it for the The Dragonet Prophecy. After Dune's disappearance and betrayal,
Thorn posted several Wanted posters around the Scorpion Den, featuring
Dune (for stealing her egg), Morrowseer (suspecting that he had done
something to Stonemover), Stonemover (as she missed him and wanted her
dragonet's father to return), and any dragonet hatched with unusual
features (as she was hoping to find her dragonet).

Thorn later formed the Outclaws to bring law and order to the Scorpion
Den. She also always hoped that becoming a vital authority figure in the
Scorpion Den might allow her a better chance to cross paths with Dune,
Morrowseer, Stonemover, or her missing dragonet.

-----

### The Dragonet Prophecy

left The Brightest Night

Thorn was introduced when Fierceteeth, Preyhunter, and
Strongwings (followed by Sunny) arrived at the Scorpion Den with
information on the whereabouts of the dragonets of destiny. Thorn
ignored their attempt to bargain with her and instead asked if they had
information on Morrowseer or Stonemover. When Preyhunter claimed that
Morrowseer was dead, Thorn reacted angrily, and after Preyhunter lashed
out at her, she pinned him down and stabbed him through the heart with
her tail barb, although afterward seemed to regret killing him. She then
inquired about Morrowseer again to the two NightWings.

Sunny stepped forward and confirmed that Morrowseer was indeed dead.
After asking about Stonemover's whereabouts, Fierceteeth and Strongwings
were dismissed to be locked up. Thorn took Sunny into a back room, where
they were followed protectively by Qibli. Thorn told Sunny that she was
her mother and planned a welcome party for her arrival. Sunny asks why
she killed Preyhunter and she answered that sometimes you have to show
your claws if you want to lead dragons. However, she soon had to leave
to deal with reports of a dragonbite viper found near an orphanage.
Sunny was then kidnapped by Addax and several other SandWings who had
been thrown out from the SandWing army and taken to the SandWing
stronghold as a gift for Burn in exchange for a place in the army. The
nonexistent dragonbite viper was merely a distraction devised by Addax
and his cohorts so that they could take Sunny without Thorn's
interference.

Thorn led the Outclaws in an assault on the stronghold and managed to
get inside with the help of Peril. She had Smolder bring her to see the
stuffed NightWing in Burn's collection, which, to her relief, was not
Stonemover. Afterward, Smolder brought them to the library filled with
intercepted notes and letters, claiming that one of them was for Thorn.
Proving that Smolder was not lying, they found the slate after a short
search, which contained a message to Thorn from Stonemover about why he
had left her. When another SandWing came by to tell them that Burn was
coming back, Smolder locked Thorn and Sunny inside to await Burn's
return; he was not taking any chances to be killed for letting prisoners
escape. Luckily, Sunny was able to burn through the doors without
setting fire to the surrounding papers, and they fled, reuniting with
the rest of the Outclaws and promptly retreating to the Scorpion Den.

Later, Thorn was one of the SandWings present when Burn, Blister, Blaze,
and all the dragon tribes met at Burn's stronghold. After a dragonbite
viper killed Burn, she helped hold down Clay when the same snake bit him
and also helped dig up the skeleton of Queen Oasis, at Flower's
instruction. Sunny discovered the precious treasure, the Eye of Onyx, in
the jaws of Queen Oasis's skeleton and was faced with a choice between
Blister and Blaze. She gave it to Thorn instead, the eye killing Blister
when she snatched it out of her talons. Thorn whispered to Sunny that it
was all very strange and hoped that Sunny would be around to help her
with her new responsibilities.

Approximately one month later, Thorn made her way with the dragonets to
Jade Mountain to visit Stonemover. Sunny described their meeting as
"awkward."

-----

### The Jade Mountain Prophecy

left Moon Rising
Qibli
briefly mentioned Thorn a few times, consulting to himself, "What would
Thorn think?" and, "What would Thorn do?". He was extremely loyal to her
when Onyx questioned Thorn's right to the throne, defending her place.
When asked whether he would leave or stay at the Jade Mountain
Academy|academy, he said that Thorn sent him there to learn and that she
would want him to stay.

left Winter Turning

Qibli formally introduced himself as Thorn's adviser when the Jade
Winglet was in the Rainforest Kingdom|rainforest at Glory's Pavilion.
After being attacked by a scavenger weapon, Qibli wondered if they could
make it for Thorn's palace.

Later in Possibility, Qibli commented on Mayfly's garden and wanted to
tell Thorn about the glass structure there.

left Escaping Peril

While arguing over Darkstalker's scroll with Winter, Qibli said that
Thorn should be given the Literature|scroll.

left Talons of Power
She was mentioned in the epilogue when three oases were bombed.
Dragons growled about why their queen was not protecting them.

left
Darkness of Dragons
She was
mentioned by Vulture when he spoke to Qibli, attempting to get his
grandson on his side. He claimed that Thorn only cared about herself and
was not helping to investigate the attacks, which Qibli objects to.

Qibli later gave her an Animus enchantments|earring, explaining the
situation with Darkstalker once she put it on. After hearing about the
IceWing plague from Typhoon, the group figured out Darkstalker's
enchantment on the IceWings, and Thorn had Qibli create earrings for all
of the IceWings, then the SandWings. Qibli then had her arrest his
mother, Cobra, for attempted murder. When Vulture and Onyx tried to
seize power, she captured Onyx and prepared to fight an arena battle
against her, which was interrupted by a sandstorm created by Qibli.
After the sandstorm, she ventured into the dungeons to look for Onyx and Smolder. After finding them, Six-Claws and Ostrich found
their way in, and Thorn ordered them to get a doctor for the injured
Onyx. Before Qibli and Winter left for the Lost city of night|Night
Kingdom, the three used the Obsidian Mirror to check on Queen Glacier
and Darkstalker.

-----

### The Lost Continent Prophecy

left The Poison Jungle

Thorn was mentioned by Snowfall while telling Jerboa
III|Jerboa to not tell Thorn about the fleeing Pantalan dragons heading
to the Ice Kingdom, with Jerboa replying that she has never spoken with
Thorn before.

left
The Dangerous Gift
Snowfall thought
of Thorn wanting alliances, mentioning how it was annoying. Thorn was
the first queen to meet Snowfall politely. When Snowfall had a vision,
Thorn told the nosy dragons to leave Snowfall be and went flying with
her to help her feel better and give her advice, saying that it was hard
to get peace and quiet as a queen.

Later, at the Queen summit, she reluctantly chose Qibli to be the
SandWing representative on the journey to Pantala.

-----

### Legends

left
Dragonslayer
Thorn, though not
mentioned by name, led the battle against the SandWings at the
stronghold, and Rose later mentions to Wren that she saw a SandWing
destroying items in the SandWing stronghold#Weirdling Tower|Weirdling
Tower and rescuing "the cute golden dragon."

-----

### Winglets

left
Prisoners
While being held in prison
in the Kingdom of Sand and communicating with Saguaro through letters,
Fierceteeth deduces that Saguaro was not as accepting of Thorn being
queen of the SandWings like most SandWings and was conspiring to replace
Thorn with someone else. While writing down the backstory about her
relationship with Strongwings, Fierceteeth claims that she enjoys
wasting the lamp oil provided by Thorn. Near the end, Fierceteeth
threatens to expose Saguaro's treachery to Thorn if she did not agree to
free herself and Strongwings.

-----

### Field Guides

left
A Guide to the Dragon World
Thorn
was depicted in a portrait with Smolder and Rose at the beginning of the
SandWing chapter of the guide. She was later mentioned in Sunny's letter
to Starflight about Burn's Weirdling Tower, explaining that Thorn had
the tower destroyed.

## Relationships

### Armadillo

Not much is known about Thorn and Armadillo's relationship except that
Armadillo is one of Thorn's most trusted dragons. Along with Six-Claws,
they are one of the few dragons to know about Stonemover.

### Burn

Thorn and Burn did not have a good relationship, as shown when Thorn did
not hesitate to attack the stronghold to save Sunny. Many dragons who
lived in the Scorpion Den were there to avoid military service in Burn's
army, so while Thorn was the leader of the city, she seemed to have
worked to keep the princess away. She also mentioned that she always
wanted to invade the stronghold.

### Dune

Dune was once loyal to Thorn and had her trust. He helped suggest names
for her dragonet (who was eventually named Sunny). He severed their
relationship upon finding out her egg would hatch on the brightest
night, as he betrayed her and stole her egg to give it to the Talons of
Peace. Thorn hated Dune since then with a burning passion and offered a
reward for his capture. She was disappointed to learn that he had died
before she had gotten the chance to kill him.

### Morrowseer

Though Thorn had only met the NightWing once, she heavily disliked him.
Morrowseer had approached her near the enchanted tunnel, telling her
that Stonemover, missing at the time, was never returning because of
her. This caused Thorn to spend the next six years searching for
Stonemover and was disappointed to hear that Morrowseer had died before
she had gotten the chance to kill him. She had also put up bounties for
Morrowseer, along with other dragons in the Scorpion Den.

### Qibli

Qibli looks at Thorn as though she has the eyes he trusts the most.
Thorn brought Qibli as her SandWing advisor during a meeting with her
fellow queens, and although she looked worried when Qibli suggested
traveling to Pantala, she agreed that he was the best choice. Qibli
thinks of himself as Thorn's second-in-command. Thorn unofficially
adopted him as a young dragonet, and assured him that while he was under
her care, he would be wanted and cared for. She is friendly towards him,
and after she complimented his cleverness, she won his eternal undying
loyalty. Thorn trusts him and he is filled with rage whenever she is
spoken negatively of. He refused to betray her, even by pretending to,
despite being threatened by Vulture and his Talons of Power, and she has taught him things that have
made him stronger. He wants to protect Thorn at all costs, and her face
lights up when she sees him, although she can also be stern in certain
circumstances. She is his leader and his friend, and she changed his
life. Thorn believes in him very strongly, encouraging him to use his
own resources instead of tampering with dangerous magic. He believes
that Thorn is wise and good.

### Six-Claws

Six-Claws is one of the few dragons Thorn could trust. Six-Claws is also
incredibly loyal to her, and their relationship is mutual. He became her
top general after she became queen, and often fought alongside her in
battles. Along with Dune, Qibli, and Armadillo, Six-Claws is one of the
dragons Thorn trust the most, even with secrets like her relationship
with Stonemover.

### Smolder

When they first met, Thorn did not particularly trust Smolder, giving
him a suspicious look after he offered to get Thorn's letter from the
stronghold's library. After Smolder had trapped Thorn and Sunny in the
library, Thorn became hostile to him, even threatening to kill him.

After The Brightest Night however, Thorn and Smolder developed a very
teasing relationship, but Smolder is clearly affectionate towards her.
His body reacts subconsciously by leaning closer to her, and Qibli
wondered when it was that they had fallen for one another. She hides her
worry for him under exasperation, and she likes him very much; she cried
out in joy when she found him unharmed after a sandstorm, and he smiled
weakly at her despite being terrified. They worry for one another, but
are cautious with public affection, as if they do not want to become too
emotional in front of witnesses.

### Stonemover

Stonemover was Thorn's first partner and fell in love upon meeting him.
He gifted her a moonstone necklace she wears. Their relationship was
secret and trusting, and he eventually told her he was an animus. When
Thorn said to him that she was with egg, she describes Stonemover as
cold and different, most probably because of the loss of his soul. She
was upset to hear about his disappearance and was relieved to see that
Burn's stuffed NightWing was not him. Thorn became outraged upon
learning that Stonemover had not been captured, but rather stuck at Jade
Mountain the whole time. She was annoyed that Stonemover had not tried
harder to let Thorn know that he was alive. They later had an awkward
reunion after the end of the war and were quick to realize how little
the two have in common anymore.

### Sunny

Thorn is very caring towards Sunny and planned a welcome party for her
daughter's arrival, starting a whole organization, the Outclaws, just to
find her. She also named her "Beetle" when she was still in her egg and
searched the entire Scorpion Den to find her daughter. Her love for
Sunny also led to an assault on Burn's stronghold to rescue her. She
told Sunny that she was not ashamed of Sunny nor her origins and thought
she was perfect the way she was. Sunny eventually chose her to be the
queen of the SandWings, much to her surprise, and ended the Great War.

## Quotes

NightWings. […] Well, well, well. We haven't had any of you
visit our fine city in about seven years.
to Fierceteeth,
Preyhunter, and Strongwings The Brightest Night (book)|The
Brightest Night
62

-----

He didn't find you. […] He stole you. He knew where I'd
hidden you for your own safety, and he betrayed me.
to Sunny,
about Dune The Brightest Night
73

-----

It's not my favorite part of the role, but if you want to lead
dragons, you have to show them your claws sometimes, beetle.

to Sunny The Brightest Night

76

-----

Perhaps not, but it'll accomplish three things. […] First,
it'll relieve the tension out there — all those dragons wondering
what'll happen with a prophecy dragonet in our midst. Second, it'll let
everyone know you're my daughter, so they'll treat you with respect and
not just curiosity. And third, it'll make it very clear that you're
under Outclaw protection, which you're going to need in this city.

to Sunny, about throwing her a welcome party
The Brightest Night
76-77

-----

Act smart, stay alive, stick together — but don't be an idiot.
Those are our basic rules.
to Sunny, about the Outclaws The Brightest Night
158

-----

Listen to me. […] I don't tell everyone about my past because
I like my privacy, and there isn't much of that when you lead a band of
outlaws. But I'm not ashamed of you or of where you came from. If other
dragons have a problem with it, that's their problem. It's not against
the law to be with a dragon from another tribe. It just … hardly ever
happens, that's all. Usually each tribe keeps to itself. Which makes you
rare but not illegal or taboo or horrifying or anything like that. Don't
ever let any dragon make you feel like you shouldn't exist. You
understand?
to Sunny, about her origins
The Brightest Night
152

-----

Ordinary dragons do important things all the time. […] Or
perhaps I just want him to steal me some coconuts. You don't need to
worry about it, because you won't be seeing him again.
to
Cobra, about Qibli
Darkness of Dragons
11

-----

You will be safe with me. […] And wanted. And cared for.

to Qibli
Darkness of Dragons
12

-----

I am the queen, you camel-chewing, snore-a-minute son of a
toad.
to Smolder
Darkness of Dragons
134

-----

I think I am a good queen. […] And I guess if I'm ever not,
it should be comforting that there's a way for me to find out. It would
be nice if I could bargain with it, though. Like, hey, Eye of Onyx,
instead of blowing me up, could you just send me a note that's like,
Time to stop being queen, crazyclaws, and then I could happily retire?
If I had an animus of my own, I'd probably get them working on that.

to Qibli
Darkness of Dragons
176

-----

We'll come back and try again. […] Now that we know who you
are and what happened — we'll bring someone you can talk to. We'll get
you back to the sunlight. I promise.
to Prickle

Darkness of Dragons
186

-----

You just shut them down whenever you need to. […] You are a
queen. But remember that of course they're curious and worried about
their friends, so that's why they want to know more.
to
Snowfall
The Dangerous Gift
190

-----

I think what we're all saying […] is that it would be tough
to justify sending our soldiers into such a dangerous situation, when it
sounds like they could have their minds taken over exactly like your
dragons have. Isn't that right?
to Hazel
The
Dangerous Gift
206

-----

Fourth moons and fireballs." [...] Me? Are you sure?

to Sunny The Brightest Night (book)| The Brightest Night

295

## Trivia

  - Thorn takes Medicine|swordleaf root whenever she gets a headache.
  - Thorn dislikes visiting the SandWing stronghold#Dungeons|dungeons
    within the SandWing stronghold.
  - One of the names that Thorn considered for Sunny was Beetle, and
    what she called her inside her head before finding her.
  - Thorn has a "potential enemies" list.