Template:Infobox CharacterPeril is a SkyWing and was Queen Scarlet's arena champion. She has eerie, electric-blue eyes like lapis lazuli , coppery-orange scales, and gold veins in her wings. She was born with too much fire; having absorbed all of her twin brother's while still in the egg. She burns anything she comes in contact with, but Clay -who has fire-resistant scales- is primarily unaffected. She can burn through most known forms of fireproof material. Her mother is Kestrel. It has been confirmed that she will be the main protagonist of Book 8 of the Wings of Fire series.
Peril, colored by stuffed, lineart by Joy Ang
Biography
Pre-Series
Peril was born to her mother, Kestrel, and has an unknown father. The egg she hatched from held twins, but while Peril was still in the egg, she absorbed her twin brother's fire. This left him with too little fire and her with a surplus amount. Because of this, Kestrel was banned from the breeding program to prevent her from producing any more similar offspring.
After Kestrel tried to escape with her dragonets, Queen Scarlet told Kestrel to sacrifice one of the dragonets, and she and her remaining offspring would then be spared. Kestrel did so choosing the dragon with too little fire to sacrifice in Queen Scarlet's name, but Queen Scarlet then decided to kill the remaining dragonet and put Kestrel on trial, for no specific reason. Based on what we know, she commanded that purely because she was Queen. Kestrel then attempted to flee with her daughter, but her talons and palms were burned as a result of Peril's scorching scales. Kestrel had no choice but to flee, leaving Peril behind, as the SkyWing guards were approaching.
The Dragonet Prophecy
The dragonets had noted that their SkyWing minder had odd burn scars on her talons, but had never asked her where they came from.
Clay and Peril
After Peril was taken back to the queen's palace, and raised into a young and dangerous dragon, Queen Scarlet told Peril lies about her past to cover up for Kestrel's flight. She told Peril that she herself burned her twin dragonet to death while they were still unhatched, and that her mother had tried to kill her, but Scarlet had saved her and punished her mother severely.
The queen also deceived Peril into thinking she had to eat certain black rocks (thought be coals) everyday to survive. Scarlet thus assured that she'd have to stay in the palace and not break free from Scarlet's control if she found out the truth about Kestrel. When Peril stopped eating the rocks as a young dragonet, Scarlet poisoned her food, which made her sick. She then began eating them again, and so the SkyWing queen removed the poison.
Peril could burn through any substance -- making her invulnerable yet cursed (as she couldn't touch any other dragon without burning them). Due to her invulnerability and ability to easily burn opponents to death, she was raised by Queen Scarlet to become her arena champion. Peril killed dragons without second thoughts, becoming "a monster".
Later, when Clay was taken prisoner, Peril befriended him and began to develop strong feelings for him because he was the only dragon who really understood her feelings. When Clay told her that when he hatched, he was supposedly so vicious towards the other eggs that the guardians had to trap him in the river until they hatched (although this was just his bigwings instincts), Peril suggested that maybe they were both born to kill.
Inside the arena, Peril attended to Clay's scratches and wounds by pouring mud on his back and later helped him rescue his friends. Later on, Queen Scarlet banned Peril from watching Kestrel's trial. Peril mentioned that she hadn't been banned from doing so before, and so she decided to hide behind Clay and watch the trial in secret. She then learned the truth about her mother, and angrily called upon the Champion's Shield so she could try to protect her mother from execution.
Peril by Lightningstrike
She attempted to help Clay and his friends escape, only to betray them to Scarlet so that she wouldn't have to lose Clay, who she had grown strongly attached to and slightly possessive of.
When she was pitted against Clay in Scarlet's Arena for the Champion's Shield face-off, Peril wasn't used to dragons fighting back, and Clay attempted to convince Peril to be friends and Peril trying to get him to abandon the other dragonets for her. Due to his strength, Clay had pinned her down (but obviously would never kill her) when the supposedly sleeping Glory spat venom at Princess Burn. But Burn used Queen Scarlet as a shield, making the venom hit Scarlet instead. At this moment Peril relented and helped Clay and his friends escape.
After Clay and his friends escaped, it was briefly thought that Peril could be a dragonet of the prophecy (replacing Glory, the "last minute replacement" for the prophecy), but this was discussed by the dragons and decided false. During the escape, Peril made peace with her mother Kestrel, although she did not leave with her, claiming that they'd meet up one day to learn more about each other.
The Brightest Night
When Ruby claimed the SkyWing throne, she exiled Peril from the Sky Kingdom, not wanting anything to do with her. Peril left, and searched for Scarlet, the only mother she ever had.
Sunny found Peril sneaking around Burn's Stronghold with intentions of freeing Queen Scarlet from Burn's clutches. At that time, Thorn and the Outclaws were attacking the stronghold, vastly outnumbered. Peril asks about her mother, Kestrel, and Sunny sadly tells her about Kestrel's fate. Peril is overtaken by sorrow, upset that she would not get to know her mother.
Thus, Sunny begs Peril to stop the fight between the Outclaws and Burn's soldiers. Peril does so, but only so Sunny would let her free Scarlet. Later, Sunny and Peril follow Smolder and Thorn into the tower housing Burn's collection, and Scarlet. Scarlet orders Peril to free her, and Peril claims that she will do so, only when Sunny is far from her reach. Scarlet becomes angered, and Peril refuses to free her. Then the group leaves without Scarlet.
While Smolder takes Sunny and Thorn to the stronghold's library, Peril frees Scarlet and they fly towards the Sky Kingdom, but Scarlet leaves her and disappears into Pyrrhia.
During the choosing of the SandWing queen, Clay is bitten by a dragonbite viper, and is close to death. Denying this, Peril swoops down to him and attempts to burn out the venom. Although Clay has fireproof scales, Peril's claws puts him into much pain. He thrashes, trying to stop Peril, but several dragons hold him down. Peril finishes, leaving a nasty scar to stay, but saving his life.
Moon Rising
Peril comes to Jade Mountain Academy at Clay's request. Many students are afraid when she arrive, and Starflight thought that she was Queen Scarlet, as he hears screams about a SkyWing.They give her a room by herself because they already have a SkyWing in each winglet. Tsunami is not happy about Peril coming to the school but Clay reasons that every dragon deserves a second chance. Winter is appalled that the dragonets allow her to attend, since she killed many IceWing prisoners. At the epilogue, Scarlet enters Peril's dream using a dreamvisitor. Peril's dream is filled with several Scarlets chasing her through the SkyWing Palace, and burnt dragon bodies popping out to attack her.
Abilities and Personality
Peril's talons and scales are of such an extreme temperature that they can burn through anything, even fireproof metal. However, she cannot burn Clay, as he was hatched from an egg the color of dragons' blood. She tends to be moody and is awkward at first, probably due to never speaking much to anyone else.
Despite this, she is not a cold-blooded killer, just someone who has nothing else to live for. She believes it's what she was born to do, and that she can't do anything else. When she is offered the chance to go with the other dragonets, she replies that she shouldn't be able to go until she has figured out how to make her own destiny. She is shown to be sympathetic and caring at times, particularly to Clay.
She shows to care for others and feels sympathy, as she saved Sunny's mother and Clay, hinting that she is not the psychotic killer that she appeared to be. In her appearance in The Brightest Night, she is noticeably more gloomy.
Relations
Queen Scarlet
Queen Scarlet is shown to act like a mother to Peril, and made her the SkyWing Arena Champion. Despite this, she causes Peril to believe things that are not true, such as about the fact that she must eat black rocks to survive having too much fire. When Peril finds out the truth about her mother, she feels betrayed by Queen Scarlet and turns against her, shown when she destroys the painting of Queen Scarlet on the wall in her room. However, Peril frees her, seeing her as the only motherly figure left.
Clay
Peril is hopelessly in love with Clay. Clay is the only prisoner Peril feels she can speak to, and even brings Clay mud to heal his wounds. Clay is the only known dragon that can come in contact with Peril without becoming burned. Later in The Dragonet Prophecy, Peril is shown to have a crush on Clay, going so far as to betraying him, Tsunami, and Starflight to Queen Scarlet just for the sake of keeping Clay. Later, Scarlet put Clay and Peril in the arena against each other in an effort to execute Kestrel, because Peril can't hurt Clay with her fire. She even saves Clay's life from a dragonbite viper towards the end of The Brightest Night. So far, it would appear that Clay may return the feelings, because he is very affectionate towards her. Clay also sees her other side, the sympathetic, lonely dragon who just wants a family. In book 6, Moonwatcher had a vision with an orange-brown dragonet in it along with adult versions of Clay and Starflight. This dragonet is very likely the child of Peril and Clay.
Starflight
Peril is unable to speak to Starflight in his cell, because he is too nervous. Later, Starflight comes up with the idea of Peril moving the black rocks to help them escape. Peril doesn't seem to mind the idea of being lectured by Starflight.
Tsunami
Tsunami refuses to have any communication with Peril in her cell. Tsunami doesn't trust Peril, mainly because of her relationship with Clay. She thinks Peril is psychotic, and trusts the SkyWing even less when she betrays them. As Tsunami has quoted when Clay suggested Peril could come along with the dragonets, "Over my charred, dead body." However, she was grateful towards Peril for saving Clay.
Kestrel
Peril is shocked to find the truth about her mother. At Kestrel's trial, Peril asks Queen Scarlet for the Champion's Shield, meaning if she wins the battle, her mother will be released. Despite this, Peril deeply dislikes her mother. When Kestrel asks to speak to Peril, Peril says, "You killed my brother. You left me here. And it's your fault my friend is dead. I might not want you dead, but I don't want to know you." However, Peril is devastated upon learning of her death.
Quotes
"You killed my brother. You left me here. And it's your fault my friend is dead. I might not want you dead, but I don't want to know you."
"I'm your friend! You don't need them!"
"I'm not, well... It's not fair! The others can have any dragon! I only want you!"
"No one wants me. No one can even touch me. You saw that. I was born with too much fire. Usually when dragons like me hatch, the SkyWings drop them off at the highest mountain peak. That's what my mother was going to do, but Queen Scarlet saved me and killed her to punish her."
"I had this whole plan. Where I saved you after her (Kestrel) and you liked me most of all."
"I guess I didn't need you. I turned out all right without you." (To Kestrel)
Trivia
- According to Kestrel, Peril hatched a year before the dragonets of destiny, who were all six years old, therefore she is a year older. Dragons are considered adults at age seven - Peril could now be regarded as an adult SkyWing instead of a dragonet.
- Peril is said to have a unique scale and eye color that no other known SkyWing has. This may be a trait of "fire-born" SkyWings, or just special to her.
- Peril has been confirmed be the protagonist of Book 8.
- Icicle confirmed that IceWing frostbreath does not affect her.
Gallery
