Kestrel
- "Get down here and fight like a SkyWing!"
- — Kestrel to Clay in The Dragonet Prophecy
Template:Infobox Character
Kestrel was a big female SkyWing with jewel-hard[1], rust-colored scales[2], orange-yellow eyes, and burn scars on her palms from an attempt to save her only daughter, Peril, from Queen Scarlet.
As one of the Guardians of the dragonets, she taught and "cared" for the Dragonets of Destiny while they were held in the hidden cave, having been a member of the Talons of Peace before being killed by Blister and Morrowseer in the epilogue of The Dragonet Prophecy. She seemed to have been the harshest of the guardians, although she was quick to come help when told the dragonets were in danger by Blister and Morrowseer, proving that she somewhat cared about the Her mate was Chameleon (in the form of the SkyWing, Soar), though according to Chameleon she didn't know who he was and thought he was just the dragon assigned to her, and she was the mother of Peril and her dead brother. She appears to have the firescales gene, which is recessive.
Biography
Pre-Series
Years before the series began, Kestrel was one of Queen Scarlet's most loyal soldiers. Under Queen Scarlet's orders, she entered the SkyWing breeding program, and produced one egg containing twins, a rare and unwanted occurrence. One of the dragonets, the female, hatched with twice the amount of fire she should have had, which was Peril, while her brother had almost none, resulting in weakness and guaranteed death.
Since such dragonets were always killed, Kestrel attempted to save them, but was caught at the Diamond Spray River. Scarlet told her that if Kestrel sacrificed one, she would not be held responsible for her disobedience. In addition, Scarlet said she'd let the other dragonet live and go free. Kestrel killed the male with her own claws, an act that haunted her for the rest of her life.
Scarlet changed the promise quickly. She didn't keep her end of the bargain, forcing Kestrel to flee for her life. Kestrel attempted to save her daughter, but burned her palms on the dragonet's scales. She was forced to leave her surviving dragonet behind, and could not return to her, as she knew she would be killed horribly by Scarlet.
Kestrel was the dragon who found Hvitur's dead body and the broken SkyWing egg at the base of a mountain after he had been murdered by Burn.
She acted as a guardian and fighting instructor for the five dragonets of destiny, a task she loathed, because it reminded her of her lost dragonets. She was one of the reasons the dragonets were so desperate to escape, although Sunny wasn't bothered by her temper.
Later captured and imprisoned again by Queen Scarlet, she was set free when the dragonets escaped with the aid of Peril. She later parted ways with them and her daughter, but Peril believed she'd have time to talk to her mother after making sure that Queen Scarlet was dead.
In the epilogue, Blister and Morrowseer betrayed her. Morrowseer had said that neither the dragonets, Blister, or himself needed the SkyWing; Blister then slashed Kestrel's throat and stabbed her in the heart with her poisonous tail barb. Morrowseer then proceeded to fling her off the cliff and into the ocean.
A SeaWing guard, possibly Urchin, found Kestrel's body upon a boulder at the base of a cliff near the Summer Palace of the Sea. She was murdered violently before the arrival of the dragonets of destiny at the Summer Palace, having her throat slashed and stabbed in the heart by a SandWing's tail - later found to be Blister's in the epilogue of The Dragonet Prophecy. At first, only Tsunami and Coral's court knew about the murder, although the other dragonets eventually found out. Sunny was very upset over Kestrel's death, even though Tsunami assured her that Kestrel, with her foul temper, did not deserve Sunny's grief.
Kestrel appears in Starflight's flashback. She barges into the study room and steals Starflight's and Sunny's scroll, yelling at Webs for "filling their heads with questions and ideas."
Sunny tells Peril of Kestrel's death. Peril seemed devastated, even though she shows distaste towards her mother.
Personality
Because she had lost both of her dragonets and got exiled from the Sky Kingdom, Kestrel was usually bad-tempered, grumpy, and hot-headed, though only a little above normal SkyWings. She was assumed to be just cruel and mean naturally, but it was later revealed that this was because she was bitter about being lied to and subsequently losing her children. She often bullied and abused Glory, as Glory wasn't a SkyWing, and a SkyWing dragonet was required in the Dragonet Prophecy. She was supposed to be the one to kill Glory on Morrowseer's orders, saying that she would snap Glory's neck while she was sleeping, but luckily for Glory she failed. Due to the fact that she had already lost a dragonet, Kestrel most likely felt remorse for attempting to kill Glory.
Trivia
- Tui T. Sutherland may do a Winglet about her.
- Kestrel is the third dragon to appear in the series, as well as the first SkyWing.
- A Kestrel is a small falcon that hovers with rapidly beating wings while searching for prey on the ground.
Quotes
"Of all the horrible ideas. RainWings are wretched creatures. Nothing like SkyWings."
"WHICH LEFT WAS THAT, USELESS? Are all MudWings this stupid? OR ARE YOU JUST DEAF?"
"WHAT is going on here?"
"This doesn't look like studying."
"You mean play-acting. You are too old for games."
"Well, there's no surprises with you. Webs stole your egg from the SeaWing queen's own hatchery."
"I am the way life has made me. Take it or leave it."
Gallery
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A typical SkyWing (colored), by Joy Ang
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A typical SkyWing (lineart), by Joy Ang
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A typical SkyWing from the German publication, by Max Meinzold
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Reference by Platypus the SeaWing
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Kestrel
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Kestrel is betrayed by Blister and Morrowseer (Morrowseer not pictured)
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by Electrical-Onyx
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by Hawkyfootwarrior
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Kestrel by WhiteEmberShard
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Kestrel is in the middle
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Kestrel looking at SandWings
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Kestrel is top left
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Simplified Kestrel
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Kestrel Discussing the Murdering of Glory in The Dragonet Prophecy
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by Lightningstrike from RapidClan
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Made by me on a website, lineart by Joy Ang
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Kestrel looks worried
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angry
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By Sahel
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By Snowflake
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By Alaska
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Kestrel Angry
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peril
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Motherly Love by Freezerburn
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Kestrel drawn by xTheDragonRebornx
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Kestrel by RiftSeaWing
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Kestrel falling into the ocean after being murdered by Blister (never to be finished)
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messy Kestrel by RiftSeaWing
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SkyWing Sigil by Platypus the SeaWing
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a real Kestrel
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kestrel leaving peril behind by DROBOT80 deviantart