The Dragonet Prophecy

Because the dragons are highly adapted to their various climates, they can visibly classify one another based on appearance. Knowing where a dragon is from based on how he or she looks quickly leads to stereotyping and prejudice in Pyrrhia. The cruel behavior dragons show one another based on prejudice demonstrates the ways prejudice and stereotypes can hurt, and how those who are subject to mistreatment might overcome it.

War-like dragons like Queen Scarlet, Kestrel, and Morrowseer have problems with dragons who can’t fly or fight; they believe a dragon who can’t fight is no good to anyone. Queen Scarlet is known for killing dragons who can’t fly. She kills Dune at the beginning of the novel, and later, Peril tells Clay how Osprey’s life was only spared after his injury because he gave all his treasure to the queen. At the same time, Clay encounters many dragons that others would consider somehow wrong that he connects with easily. The minders call Sunny “defective” when they think the dragonets aren’t listening (31), and everyone underestimates her because of her size. She proves to be a fierce fighter and a loving friend to Clay and the other dragonets. According to Clay, “her small size made it easy for her to dodge and slip under his defenses” (20). In the test fight with Morrowseer, Sunny helps to overwhelm the much larger dragon by attacking his tail in “the vulnerable spot near the end” (38).

Instead of going out of the way to prove other dragons wrong about them, characters focus on being true to themselves. Even when he worries and doubts that he’ll be good enough to fulfill the prophecy, Clay never thinks about purposely being like other dragons. In this world, doing so leads to failure. Whenever Clay tries to be aggressive, he fails. In Queen Scarlet’s arena, he’s forced to fight Fjord for his life. His instincts and training keep him alive, but he still can’t bring himself to kill another dragon and prepares to die. He lives because Glory saves him with one of her many secret weapons.

Glory endures verbal abuse from the minders and every other adult dragon she meets in silence. Glory uses color to show her mood, or to mask it, depending on the situation. When the dragonets meet Morrowseer, for instance, “trails of violet and gold [chase] each other through [Glory’s] scales. Only the shades of flame around her feathery ears [hint] that she [is] upset” (36). The methodical moving of color up and down her scales indicates that Glory uses meditation to cope with the stress of face-to-face prejudice.

When Queen Scarlet captures the dragonets and puts Glory on display, staying true to oneself in the face of prejudice is communicated as the ideal response. No one expects the RainWing to shoot poison from her mouth, or blend in so well she disappears, so Glory behaves lazily, which allows her to act as a spy on behalf of her friends in the SkyWing kingdom and stay alive in the otherwise cruel world. Even though the brushes with prejudice hurt Glory and she feels out of place, being herself and only herself is what adds to the beauty of the world and keeps her friends alive.

Inherent differences are what make the dragonets special. Each of their eggs has a unique quality that will ultimately help them step into their destiny. Clay isn’t a regular MudWing—being born in a red egg makes him impervious to fire, which helps him defeat many of his fire-breathing enemies as he and the dragonets travel, trying to avoid danger, capture, and death. Each of the dragonets’ unique qualities make them seem strange to other dragons, but those same traits help them get ahead, too. The message is clear: Embracing the true self and using unique qualities to achieve success is better than trying to fit in with others who are uncaring, cruel, and violent.