Canon tribes

MudWing

Description: MudWings have thick, armor-like scales, sometimes with hints of amber or gold in their underscales, which are usually the most obvious in the sunlight. They have been shown to be dark green in the first book's graphic novel, but this has yet to be shown as canon in any other media. Their nostrils are located on the top of the snout on a large, flat head so that they can lay submerged in mud for long periods of time. Their eyes have been described as brown, golden-amber, pale amber, or brown with yellow rings around the pupils. They have strong, sturdy, stable, muscular bodies, and closely resemble alligators, crocodiles, and other prehistoric reptiles.

SkyWing

SkyWings are one of the seven [|dragon] tribes of [|Pyrrhia], characterized by their scales which come in many varying shades of red, gold, orange or sometimes pink, and their exceedingly powerful wings. SkyWings also have the largest wings out of the 7 dragon tribes. They are noted to be great fliers, often very grumpy and bad-tempered, and the fastest dragons in the sky. They are also one of the four dragon tribes that can breathe fire, and they have the hottest fire, as shown multiple times throughout the series. They blow their fire in huge clouds and can raise the temperature of their fire temporarily if they're angry. There is one dragon, named [|Peril], that has too much fire in her scales and burns everything she touches, a condition called "[and Special Dragons|firescales.]” It is known that if a dragon has any condition the SkyWings think is a hazard like a animus or firescales, they immediately kill them, though Peril was kept alive because of Queen Scarlet. SkyWings live in the part of Pyrrhia that resembles a wing (since Pyrrhia is shaped like a dragon), which symbolizes their flight skills. They were previously under the rule of [Scarlet|Queen Scarlet] for the first arc and a small portion of the second, but the tribe is now under the rule of her daughter, [Ruby|Queen Ruby] ([Tourmaline (No Tabs)|Tourmaline] in her original form), originally due to the disappearance of Queen Scarlet. Scarlet became outraged and began to develop a hate towards Queen Ruby. She eventually invaded the SkyWing kingdom and later, the ex-queen was killed in a royal duel by Tourmaline.

The SkyWings were originally allied with [Burn|Burn] and the [|MudWings] in the [of The SandWing Succession|War of the SandWing Succession], but it is unknown (and rather unlikely) if Ruby continued the alliance with Burn after she took the throne.

Description
SkyWings usually have red, pink, orange, or golden scales with yellow, amber, and sometimes copper underscales, and orange or yellow eyes. Their scales have sometimes been described as having a color similar to a hibiscus flower. However, SkyWings with the firescales condition have bright light blue eyes and unnaturally bright, shiny copper scales (an example of this is [|Peril]). Their scales are described to be "jewel-hard." They have enormous wings, larger than any other tribe, and long graceful necks, making them excellent fliers and fighters. Those wings, like MudWings, SandWings and IceWings, are attached by a bone on their shoulder, allowing their wings to extend futher out. In addition, they can breathe fire, like other fire-breathing tribes at any given time. They have also been shown to have a strong respiratory system, probably an adaptation from their high altitude home in the mountains, like their large wings. Their snouts are thin and long, with a nose-spike, and an extra horn on their jaw. Their horns are long, thin, and curved, similar to [|RainWing] horns in shape. They're very thin, slender, and are built to fly.

Most SkyWings seen are typically portrayed as short-tempered, militaristic, grumpy, and like fighting, but this might have been because Queen Scarlet didn't tend her tribe in a caring fashion, leading them to be this way. [|Clay] once thought that [|Kestrel] was exiled from the Sky Kingdom for her grumpiness, though he later changed his mind after meeting the rest of the tribe, realizing that she seemed to "fit right in" with the other SkyWings. This may have been because, as Clay noticed, "the soldiers looked underfed and like they needed rest", most likely because they were not treated as well as they could be by Queen Scarlet.

The SkyWings shown in [Peril|Escaping Peril] seemed considerably happier and less grouchy, as well as having more focus on nonviolent things (i.e. orchestra) in comparison to their appearance in previous books. The fact that the SkyWings were able to transform their lives under Queen Ruby's rule may imply that they are adaptive, creative, and clever.

In [(Legends)|Darkstalker (Legends)], SkyWings were said by [Fathom|Prince Fathom] to be the "friendly tribe", either meaning that their stereotype had changed from [Darkstalker|Darkstalker]'s time to the [Dragonets of Destiny|Dragonets of Destiny]'s time, or that he was just being sarcastic, which is much more probable. Even in Darkstalker's era of reign, SkyWings were cautious about differences, including animus dragons and any dragonets born with unusual conditions, such as firescales. These dragons were thrown off of mountains because the tribe "[did] not tolerate dangerous differences." SkyWings still do this in modern times, as shown with Peril and her deceased brother; however, this may change under the rule of Queen Ruby.

Abilities
SkyWings are well-known for their superior, refined skills in combat. They can fly faster than any other tribe, thanks to their large wings and keels, and are also capable of breathing large amounts of fire at extreme temperatures (if they hold it long enough). According to [Tsunami|Tsunami] in [Lost Heir|The Lost Heir], a SkyWing beating their wings at full might sounds like a "hurricane whistling around your ears." They are also said to be strong, but in some cases, very small. This leads them to deceive the enemy using their size. They also may have a small build so they can navigate through tiny cracks between cliffs and rocks in their mountain habitat.

In [Dark Secret|The Dark Secret], [|Flame], a SkyWing [|dragonet] and a [False Dragonets|false dragonet] of the prophecy, was the only dragonet that wasn't breathing heavily after a long flight from the [Kingdom|Night Kingdom] to an outpost in the [Kingdom|Sky Kingdom]. This may indicate that SkyWings have more cardiovascular endurance and better muscle toning than the other dragon tribes, but it may also be because his larger wings allowed him to go further with more ease than the dragonets from the other tribes.

In rare cases, a SkyWing dragonet can be born with too much fire, with [|Peril] being one of them. This condition is referred to as firescales. They possess so much fire that everything they touch burns or catches fire, which makes them invulnerable to most attacks but also curses them by making them unable to have physical contact with any other living being without it dying. These dragons are often shunned and alone. According to [Scarlet|Queen Scarlet] and [Hawk|Prince Hawk], the mother will usually drop the dragonet(s) off a cliff to kill them, as per SkyWing law. They are the only tribe that can hatch dragonets with firescales.

[|Peril] has blue eyes, copper-colored scales, and gold wing veins, unlike other SkyWings, so this may be a trait for these special dragons.

At least once, a dragonet with too much fire had a [Brother|twin with too little fire]. These twins are presumably killed in the same way that their siblings are, probably because they would be too weak to survive. Many think that firescales dragons are the result of one dragonet twin sucking all the fire out of the other, hence the twin with too little fire. This theory has not been proven, but it is likely true.