The Dragonet Prophecy (Book)

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The Dragonet Prophecy is the debut of the New York Times bestselling Wings of Fire series, published on July 1st, 2012. It features the MudWing Dragonet of Destiny named Clay, as the main character and POV. It describes his and the other Dragonets of Destiny's lives for the past six years, and how they eventually escape the mountain they were housed and imprisoned under.

The title refers to the prophecy about the dragonets coming to end the war between six of the seven dragon tribes.

Summary
''The dragonets are coming. . . to save the day''

Clay has lived his whole life under the mountain. The MudWing dragonet knows that war is raging between the dragon tribes in the world outside — a war that he and four other dragonets are destined to end, according to the mysterious Prophecy they've been taught. The five "chosen" dragonets were stolen from their homes while they were still in their eggs — and hidden away for years — all to fulfill the Prophecy.

But not every dragonet wants a destiny. And when danger threatens one of their own, Clay and his friends may choose freedom over fate. . . leave the mountain. . . and set the dragon world on a course that no one could have predicted.

Dedication
For Jonah, my little bigwings.

Prologue
Hvitur, an IceWing, attempts to steal a large SkyWing egg from Queen Scarlet's Palace. However, he got captured by Scarlet's ally, one of the three contenders for the SandWing throne, Burn. She realizes that he is a member of the Talons of Peace and then destroys the egg, supposedly ruining The Dragonet Prophecy. She then kills Hvitur by shredding his wings and stabbing him through his skull with her venomous tail, and then throwing his corpse off the cliff and flying away, informing her soldiers about wanting to kill something else.

Sometime later, Kestrel, a fellow Talon of Peace member, recovers the eggshell and brings it back to a cave underneath an unknown mountain in Claws of the Clouds Mountains. She informs Webs, another Talon of Peace member, of the egg's destruction and Hvitur's death. Webs informs her that Asha, the member who delivered a MudWing egg, died, caught in a battle between the two other contenders for the throne, Blaze and Blister. Kestrel gets frustrated and says they should just break all the eggs they had retrieved and run away before the rest of the Talons of Peace come for the Dragonets of Destiny. Webs disagrees with her, and decides to steal a RainWing egg to replace the broken SkyWing egg. Kestrel is unhappy about this and doesn't understand why Webs was so much of an idiot to not get another SkyWing egg.

Part One:Under The Mountain
The timeline speeds up to six years later, with Clay, the MudWing dragonet, reflecting on the position and importance he thought he could never have. However, he does this during a training battle with infamously grumpy Kestrel. The SkyWing taunts him and then pins him down. Before she can do any more harm to him, the SeaWing Dragonet of Destiny, Tsunami, bites Kestrel's tail, yanking out a scale. After the SkyWing leaves the cave, Tsunami proceeds to shove Clay into the freezing river and then reflects on their desire to leave the cave to make their own life. Then Tsunami proposes and discusses the idea of leaving early with Clay. Proceeding to study with Sunny, an odd looking SandWing, Clay meets with Starflight, a nerdy NightWing, and Glory, a beautiful, intelligent, and grumpy RainWing substitute for the dead SkyWing, along with Tsunami, in the study cave. The group begins to play out the death of Queen Oasis at the hands of a scavenger, the split decision of Burn, Blister, and Blaze, and finally, the allegiances. Kestrel interrupts this, rudely insulting them and calling Tsunami out as the ringleader.

That night, they learn of the upcoming arrival of Morrowseer. Clay and Tsunami, the only two able to stay in the underground river for extended periods of time due to their tribes' natural abilities, overhear this information underwater. Meanwhile, Glory and Starflight run to their spying places in time to hear them mentioning Morrowseer telling the prophecy. Morrowseer arrives the following day, and as he inspects, he angrily calls out Glory, deeming her unworthy. He then suddenly attacks Tsunami, and Clay and Sunny attack him, prompting him to accept them. Both Glory and Starflight stay idle during the fight. However, Morrowseer calls out Starflight to have a private audience. The two leave and the guardians turn on Tsunami. After Starflight returns, Clay speaks to him, noting his reluctance. Clay then sees Tsunami being chained, and she tells him to spy on the guardians after they adjourn to their cave. He overhears their plot to kill Glory to appease Morrowseer. The group frantically decides to send Clay down the freezing underground river to save her, after much thought. Acting on advice from Starflight, he manages to get into a cavern full of glowworms, which he, for a moment, mistook for stars. He heard roaring past the calm pool as he stepped out of the water, finding a stream. When Clay tries to follow the stream, he comes into contact with a white substance that started to poison his scales. He falls unconscious but is later roused by Tsunami, who cleanses him of the poison. Then, the duo cascade over a waterfall. Having it revealed Tsunami dislocated her wing, he saves her from falling to her death and encounters mud, after which, Clay relocates Tsunami's wing. The pair then encounters a scavenger with treasure, who is in turn killed by Queen Scarlet. The queen of the SkyWings then asks them their purpose and calls Tsunami a spy. Having weeded them out, she asks them to return with her. Then, with a nod from Clay, Tsunami impales Scarlet's tail to the ground to escape, and they flee towards the peaks. Afterwards, they follow the smoke signal to free the others. However, the signal attracts Scarlet too, and the entire group (minus Dune, who is killed by Queen Scarlet, and Webs, who escapes) was taken hostage.

Part Two: In The Sky Kingdom
The layout of the prisoners has them chained to rock spires in a circle over the arena. On his second day, an unusual female dragonet drops a charred piece of prey in front of him. Sickened, he throws up over the edge, which to his surprise, the copper dragon laughs at. She asks him if he is going to eat, commenting she didn't want him to die before she had a chance to kill him. She tells him that, because they're allies, she has not fought a MudWing before, but the NightWing would be "blazing". She then informs him that her name is Peril, the Queen's champion, and points out Tsunami and Starflight. Clay is on the opposite side of Starflight, with Tsunami in between them along the circle. He then realizes that Sunny and Glory were not held in the arena. Clay tells her that if she asks Starflight for information about any history, he wouldn't stop talking. She took the joke seriously and flew off to ask Starflight.

The following day, Peril goes into the arena, and she faces off against a SandWing named Horizon. Scarlet then reveals Glory, who is chained to a tree and. She changes color every minute and is treated gently. Clay is forced to watch, as just a simple touch from Peril menacingly burns Horizon. He worries about eventually having to face Peril, now knowing she had fire in her claws. At the end, Horizon throws himself into Peril for a quick death.

That night, Peril returns. She tells him the story of having too much fire, that she killed her brother, and her mother abandoned her. Clay is terrified to learn that Starflight is next in line to fight, and he tells Peril to make it sound as if she has the idea to put Clay in. After much resentment, Peril agrees. In the morning, guards escort him, Tsunami, and Starflight to Scarlet's throne room, and she asks which one of them could fight against an IceWing. Clay denounces Tsunami and Starflight, so she puts him in. He is pitted against an IceWing named Fjord. The fight officially begins, and Clay attempts to convince him he does not have to fight. Deciding to ignore him, Fjord attacks.

Using SkyWing tactics, Clay surprises Fjord. However, he is soon pinned. In an attempt to get into the arena, Tsunami throws herself off of the ledge of her rock spire, nearly choking and pulling all of the other prisoners off. As everyone was distracted, an unknown substance melts Fjord's face. Clay is taken away, re-chained, and once again confronted by Peril.

Peril decides to tell Clay where Sunny is if she could hide behind him during Kestrel's trial. He later agrees, and then realizes that Kestrel could be Peril's mother. He fears what Kestrel will do when she realizes her daughter isn't dead. The following day, Scarlet, and two dragons, Osprey and Prince Vermilion, host Kestrel's trial. Scarlet is biased for Vermilion's side, the prosecution. He simply explains that Scarlet gave an order, Kestrel disobeyed, and fled the Sky Kingdom. However, Osprey tells the true story. In reality, Kestrel was a loyal soldier and was ordered to join the breeding program, yielding an egg with two dragonets inside. One (Peril) had taken all the fire from the other, Peril's unnamed brother. As per SkyWing custom, Kestrel was ordered to kill both and leave the breeding program for the remainder of her life. Kestrel had tried to escape with the two dragonets, only to be caught by Queen Scarlet at the Diamond Spray River. Scarlet explains that Kestrel had a chance to live if she killed one of her dragonets. She has chosen the male dragonet to kill, and did with her own claws, but Queen Scarlet changed her mind. Kestrel tried to escape with Peril, but was burned by touch and was forced to flee without her. That is why Kestrel is known to have burn scars on her palms.

Peril launches herself into the arena, defending Kestrel with the Champion's Shield, a tradition that allows her to stand for the prisoner by fighting a combatant in the arena. Scarlet figured out that Osprey's words had educated Peril of the Champion's Shield. Scarlet, angered, kills Osprey and dismisses her. That night, Burn arrives to collect Sunny and celebrate Scarlet's hatching day. Clay, in a futile attempt to communicate with Peril, uses a wire she burned through to start playing a song, The Dragonet's Song. Soon, all the prisoners in the arena begin to sing and play. Scarlet, angered, takes him, Tsunami, and Starflight into Peril's room. Scarlet places rocks that burn in the entrance to assure they won't escape. Then, Starflight notices Peril and uses her to escape the room. On the way out, they notice Sunny over the main hall. However, Peril betrays them. Clay accidentally touches Peril, thus figuring out he is immune to fire. The SkyWing queen takes them back, and Starflight explains Clay's immunity.

The following day, Tsunami is taken into the arena, and Clay and Starflight are taken to the queen's balcony. Tsunami faces off against an insane SeaWing, Gill, and pins him down, explaining that she won without killing him. Queen Scarlet mocks her, and Tsunami snaps Gill's neck. Starflight is next to fight against Tsunami, but the two refuse to fight. Then, they are forced to face scavengers. Two of the four were killed, and then are told to face IceWings. At that moment, Morrowseer arrives with NightWing soldiers, killing the IceWings, and then saves only Starflight. Scarlet, enraged, finally places Clay against Peril. Caught off guard by Clay's immunity, she is pinned. Scarlet remarks,"Use your venom! That was thrilling, and I didn't even get to see it last time!" Then, Glory rears up, breaks free of the tree, and spits venom at Burn, who shoves Scarlet in front of her. The venom hits Scarlet's face, and then the entire arena flees in terror.

In the pandemonium, the four dragons manage to escape into the main hall. There, they use Peril to melt through the bars on Sunny's cage. An argument insures about saving Kestrel, with Clay, Peril, and Sunny voting yes. They proceed to rescue her, and Kestrel informs them of where their eggs were taken from. Then, after Kestrel flies off, the four dragonets of destiny decide to swim towards the Mud Kingdom, where Clay expects to find his family.

Part Three: An Egg The Color Of Dragon Blood
The dragonets use their camouflage skills to glide down the river. As they come to a waterfall, they overlook a battlefield, and then disappear into the kingdom. Clay and Glory go on, with Sunny and Tsunami staying behind. They encounter a troop of MudWings battle training, and Clay learns his mother is Cattail. Then, they find her, and she indifferently tells them that she does not care; she sold him to the Talons of Peace for a few cows. Crushed, he leaves, and they encounter his siblings, who explain who he is and why he attacked the eggs at hatching (Apparently, he was not actually attacking them. It was the Mudwing instinct of helping your siblings out of their shells). At peace with himself, he leaves, and then the dragonets are met by Starflight, who explains that Queen Coral will be excited to meet Tsunami by the Kingdom of the Sea.

Epilogue
That night, Morrowseer, Blister, and Kestrel meet on a small rocky island on Bay of a Thousand Scales in Kingdom of the Sea. There, Morrowseer tells Blister of his plan to use Starflight as an agent to convince the other dragonets that they should choose her to be the new SandWing queen. Kestrel asks what they are talking about, as she cannot hear them over the howling wind. They do not reply, and Blister then questions Kestrel's attendance. Kestrel responds that Morrowseer said the dragonets were in danger. He then implies that was a plot to get her to come to the island, and then states that she has failed him. Kestrel attempts to argue, saying that she works for the Talons of Peace, and not Morrowseer. However, she is soon killed by Blister and pushed over the cliff side. After discarding Kestrel, Morrowseer informs Blister to eliminate Webs. The book ends when Blister commands Morrowseer to find the dragonets, and bring them to her.

Trivia

 * The Dragonet Prophecy, Moon Rising, and The Lost Continent covers are the only ones where the title is displayed above the main dragonet. They are all the first books in their arc.
 * Tui T. Sutherland stated on Facebook that book one contained about 70,600 words, more words than any other book in the series.
 * From The Dark Secret, it has been about a month since the first chapter of The Dragonet Prophecy.
 * Clay was the first dragonet of all of the covers who wasn't drawn in his natural habitat, the second being Moonwatcher and third Qibli.
 * The spine of the book is lighter on The Dragonet Prophecy's cover, whereas the other books have a darker spine, except Talons of Power, which has both.
 * The Dragonet Prophecy and The Hidden Kingdom have the same number of chapters and have more than the other books at 35 chapters.
 * Both the prologue and the epilogue depict a dragon in the Talons of Peace being stabbed to death by one of the SandWing sisters with her tail, then their body falling off a cliff.
 * The song that Clay plays for all the dragonets and Tsunami earlier sings is a chant created by those who believe in the Dragonets of Destiny. The chant goes, "Oh the Dragonets are coming! They're coming to save the day! They're coming to fight- for they know what's right, the dragonets, hooray!"
 * The Dragonet Prophecy is the third longest book with 304 pages.
 * The Dragonet Prophecy is the book with the longest section name, with its third part, An Egg The Color Of Dragon Blood, containing 7 words.