A MudWing dragon born from a red egg, Clay is the protagonist in The Dragonet Prophecy. He is the biggest among the dragonets of destiny, and because he was so “violent” at hatching, his guardians expect him to be a vicious fighter. He’s quite the opposite. During battle practice, all Clay can think about is when it will be over. When forced to fight, he tries to talk to his opponent and find another way to resolve their issues. Clay worries he won’t be able to prevent the war without turning to violence due to the story of his birth where he attempted to eat the other dragonets, along with the external pressure to be as vicious as he looks. His encounters with these challenges in the real world shape his character and lead him to find peace and self-confidence.

Meeting Peril forces Clay to confront his insecurities and develop his beliefs about violence in the dragon world. When it comes to fighting and killing other dragons, Peril is Clay’s opposite. Peril wonders aloud if she and Clay “were both born to kill other dragons” (138), while Clay grapples with the idea that killing might be in his nature, as Queen Scarlet suggests.