#keeb!clay

yayyyy! you get some fun facts about the dragonets of destiny's group dynamics:

clay feels responsible as the dragonets' bigwings after the dragonet prophecy. he thinks it's his duty to protect the others and keep them all safe. he and tsunami butt heads over this, because she also feels responsible and wants to be their leader - this is largely because kestrel saw the most promise in her and told her privately that she was the best fit for leadership. tsunami's plans are often much more proactive (and dangerous) than clay's. they have to learn how to share responsibility and trust glory, starflight, & sunny to look after themselves.

glory and starflight like to be pretentious about things together. they both enjoy reading, under the mountain they liked to read together (partly as a subconscious escapism tactic). prior to leaving the mountain, literary analysis was one of the few things starflight ever got vocally assertive over - he and glory got in lots of arguments about books & plays but never seriously held it against the other.

Sunny blinked awake to the now-familiar sound of crashing waves. She drew her wings closer to herself, trying to draw some warmth out of the cool stone room as consciousness came back to her. It was the middle of the night, but not everyone was asleep - she recognized Clay’s bulky form laid by the window, staring out at the midnight sea. 

He turned suddenly when she stood up. 

“It’s me,” Sunny whispered. She walked towards him and sat down at his side, tucking her legs under her. Clay greeted her with a relieved nod and laid his wing over her back. The weight was comforting.

“Why are you up?” She asked softly. Glory and Starflight were still asleep; it’d be best not to wake them.

“I had a nightmare.” Clay’s voice was small in the darkness. 

Sunny nestled closer to his flank. For a moment they laid there in the quiet. Thunder rumbled outside; Sunny could just make out the uneasy ocean surface, dark waves lashing a darker beach. They weren’t underground anymore, but this felt just as isolating.

“I’m worried about Tsunami.” Clay looked down from the window to his talons, where he was rubbing circles into one palm. “I… I’m worried about all of us, actually. I know we’re doing the right thing, but it feels so wrong to be split up, and we don’t know anybody here… what if she’s in trouble and we don’t know it? I’m our bigwings. I’m supposed to be looking out for her.” Sunny frowned at him, then reached out to lay her claws over his. Clay let out a shaky breath. “Tsunami’s strong,” Sunny said, “And smart. If anything goes wrong, she’ll fly right back here and tell us. She promised.” Tsunami had seen very little of her sibs since they got to the SeaWings’ Kingdom, but she’d sworn to at least keep them updated before she disappeared into the underwater world.

Clay didn’t say anything. Sunny smiled a bit and added, “Plus, I don’t think Queen Coral will let anything happen to her after that grand welcoming party.” 

Her pompous intonation earned a chuckle from Clay. Seeing him relax lifted Sunny’s spirits and her half-smile graduated to a full grin. 

“Remember what that hen at the cathedral said? She believed in us. We’re going the right way. It’ll work out… and I’m sure Tsunami will be back soon with some news. Maybe she’s already on her way and she’ll be here by morning.” Clay laid his head down on the polished floor. “You’re probably right,” he sighed. “I hope we see her soon.”

“Me too.” Sunny rested her head against his neck. Thunder sounded again, but it was farther away now, much of its power swallowed up by the dark ocean.

-

d8 - 6 - shooting star (owl city)

good question! clay isn't majorly different, but i think the biggest changes with him concern the end of the dragonet prophecy & his relationship to peril.

his arc is simple - it's about seeing the goodness in the world and deciding to actively fight for it, while also recognizing his kindness as a blessing rather than a flaw. this culminates at the end of the dragonet prophecy when the dragonets shelter in a mudwing cathedral after fleeing the sky kingdom.

while there, they see that there's parts of the world worth saving: friendly dragons helping each other just because they want to. not everybody is a bloodthirsty queen or soldier, and not everybody wants to hurt them. the head of the cathedral (arch-deacon analog) also recognizes them from the prophecy, but instead of making a big deal out of it she just quietly encourages them.

the dragons at the cathedral also recognize the d.o.d. as clay's sibs and address him as their bigwings! this is a replacement for clay meeting his biological sibs - i wanted to stress the dragonets' bond at the end of book1 rather than his sibs, who i don't find super interesting in canon. this way, the dragonet prophecy ends with the d.o.d. finding a real reason to save pyrrhia & clay recognizing himself as a good, capable dragon and the bigwings of his sibs.

as for peril - her and clay have a sibling dynamic! cleril is fine, but i dislike how tui handles romance & i think a sibling bond is more beneficial to peril's arc. clay is demiromantic and has no romantic interests during the story.