- "No. They're gone. It's only me. Just Dusky. I can be really quiet, really. You won't even notice me. Please? I don't want to be alone in the dark anymore. I'm afraid I'll get lost and no one will ever find me."
- — Dusky to Luna about himself, The Flames of Hope
Dusky is a male SilkWing dragonet who was introduced in The Flames of Hope. He currently resides in the LeafSilk Kingdom with his mother and was formerly under the control of the othermind.
Description[]
Dusky has lavender scales with speckles of dark blue and turquoise.[1] He has a star-shaped white scar on his forehead over his left eye, and another scar near his wingbud on his right shoulder.[2] He is tiny,[3] but still larger than Freedom,[4] and he has a sweet face that reminds Wren of baby Sky.[5] He also has a trusting expression that Luna said reminded her of Blue. He has large, dark eyes,[6] and is smaller even than most two-year-old dragonets,[7] appearing fragile and breakable.[8]
Personality[]
Dusky has a trusting expression, and often speaks quietly[9] and softly.[1] He seemed to be unsettled and scared by the whispers in the dark that surrounded the SilkWing refugee camp.[2][9] He is agreeable,[10] matter-of-fact,[11] quiet, wary,[9] and has a small voice;[9] while he does not say much, he is twitchy and jerks awake several times during sleep.[12] He seemed to have no problem with any of the Pyrrhian newcomers,[13] and his eyes became sad at the prospect of Luna leaving him alone.[13] He was fierce when he saw what had truly happened during the Scorching, and stated that he wanted every human to burn after what they had done.[14] He was also firm towards Freedom when she demanded that he give her his memories,[15] and was confident as a young dragonet.[16]
Biography[]
The Lost Continent Prophecy[]
| The Flames of Hope |
|---|
|
Dusky was one of the many SilkWings who went into hiding in the underground caverns. He stayed close to Luna when she arrived and told her that there were whispers in the dark saying, "You're mine now, little dragon." Later, Dusky was seen with Luna trying to sleep, though he startled awake several times. A dragon named Whitespeck came to check on Dusky and revealed to Luna that Dusky's mother was missing and that his father was killed in a construction accident when he was only one. Luna was shocked that Dusky was alone, but Whitespeck informed her that since Dusky was the only one in his household, he was forced to work on Lady Bloodworm's construction projects. Dusky was later taken by Vole into the abyss, forcing Luna to go after him. In the abyss, Dusky and Luna encountered the skeletons of Cottonmouth and Lizard who showed them through the mindspace of events happening in real time and the origins of the Scorching. Dusky watched the events of the Scorching with Luna, and was then sent into the mindspace, along with Luna. He refused to give his memories when Freedom asked for them, until Luna made a deal with Freedom which involved him giving her his memories. Dusky offered to give his memories before Luna. The memory shown in the book was of Dusky and his father, arguing first over who was 'dada' and then about what they would have for dinner. Freedom reacted negatively to Dusky's memories, saying that it must be weird to have a parent that cares about their child. In the epilogue, Dusky was reunited with his mother, who cried when she got to see her son. They went to live in the LeafSilk Kingdom, where he has sleepovers with Bumblebee. |
Relationships[]
Bumblebee[]
Dusky loved Bumblebee's ferocity, and Bumblebee was easier at bedtimes when they had sleepovers.[17]
Cricket[]
Cricket offered one of her talons to Dusky when he was scared, and he touched his nose to it. Cricket told him that it was all right to be scared, and that he could always talk to her or Luna whenever he felt that way.[18]
Father[]
Dusky beamed with delight around his father, and Dusky's father explained things to him kindly, wrapping his silk around one of Dusky's talons. After Dusky shouted "BABABAS" in response to Dusky's father mentioning dinner, he dug out a banana, to which his father began laughing. He then leaned down to nudge his dragonet with his snout, telling Dusky that he loved him.[16] After reliving the memory, Dusky began to cry, and he agreed with Luna when she said that his father was wonderful.[19]
Freedom[]
Dusky was at first firmly against giving Freedom his memories,[15] and Freedom was impatient towards him, despite him being wide-eyed as he asked her how the mindspace worked.[20] Even after she called him a bozo,[21] Dusky asked Freedom if there was any way to let her free of the mindspace, to which she lashed her tail and narrowed her eyes at him.[22] Dusky stated that he thought Freedom was funny and fun to play with, and although she was very loud and sometimes scary, she was very brave and interesting, and he did not want her to go away.[23]
Luna[]
Upon first seeing Luna, Dusky bolted straight to Luna's talons and looked up at her with hopeful,[2] awestruck eyes.[1] She was sympathetic towards him upon seeing his scars and realizing that he had worked as a construction apprentice,[2] and he eventually edged so close to her that he was nearly sitting on her talon.[24] When Dusky realized that Luna was planning to leave the SilkWing refugee camp, he suddenly jumped forward and wrapped his claws around her leg, pressing his face into her scales and pleading with Luna to let him stay with her. She felt a stab of sad, familiar sympathy towards him, and touched his head lightly whilst asking if anyone would be looking for him if he were to come with her.[3] Luna then curved one wing around him, assuring that he could of course stay with her and giving him flamesilk to light his path.[9] Although Dusky is twitchy and startled her several times during the night by jerking himself awake, she could not bring herself to send him away,[12] and he later clung to her tightly,[25] begging Luna to take him with her; Luna agreed after telling him to be careful, after which he snuggled into her neck.[13] After encountering Vole, Luna tugged Dusky into her arms, partly to comfort him and partly to comfort herself;[26] when it was time for them to briefly part, Dusky whispered "No, no, no" and was trembling violently; he also looked sad when she left, but did not argue with her. Luna then thought about how she would like to make a tapestry for Dusky.[27]
When Dusky was captured by Mole and Raven, she pleaded with the humans not to hurt him, and it made her sick with nerves when the humans brought him close to the abyss village.[28] She was firm towards the humans when she told them that they could not have him, and was relieved when they released him, her talons outstretched to catch him.[29] When he shouted for help, she was quick to oblige,[30] and she is gentle towards him.[31] She felt closer to him after experiencing his memories.[32]
Whitespeck[]
Whitespeck checked on Dusky as he was sleeping beside Luna, and spoke softly when he mentioned the state of Dusky's family.[33] He would have liked to adopt Dusky, if the HiveWings had allowed him to do so, and made sure that Dusky got something to eat while they were living in the SilkWing refugee camp.[25]
Quotes[]
- "No. They're gone. It's only me. Just Dusky. I can be really quiet, really. You won't even notice me. Please? I don't want to be alone in the dark anymore. I'm afraid I'll get lost and no one will ever find me."
- ― to Luna (The Flames of Hope, page 121)
- "Bloodworm Hive's rules were very strict. One member of each household must be employed on Lady Bloodworm's pet projects — even if that household consists of only one small orphan. The day after his father died, they came and dragged him off to work on the same construction site. He has to split his time between there and school."
- ― Whitespeck to Luna, about Dusky's life (The Flames of Hope, page 129-130)
- "Do you want one? Maybe you'll like them better if you get a real hug?"
- ― to Freedom, after she said that she disliked hugs (The Flames of Hope, page 279)
- "And you're funny. And fun to play with, and very loud, and scary sometimes, and bossy all the time, and brave and really interesting, and I don't want you to go away either."
- ― to Freedom, before her death (The Flames of Hope, page 305)
- "She's already dead. What we're doing is setting her free from the plant."
- ― to Luna, about Freedom (The Flames of Hope, page 307)
Trivia[]
- Dusky is absolutely terrified of humans,[25] and has bad dreams about them.[18]
- His name was originally going to be used as Blue's name.[event 1]
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 The Flames of Hope, page 116
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 The Flames of Hope, page 117
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 The Flames of Hope, page 120
- ↑ The Flames of Hope, page 279
- ↑ The Flames of Hope, page 133
- ↑ The Flames of Hope, page 122
- ↑ The Flames of Hope, page 167
- ↑ The Flames of Hope, page 230
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 The Flames of Hope, page 121
- ↑ The Flames of Hope, page 326
- ↑ The Flames of Hope, page 307
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 The Flames of Hope, page 123
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 The Flames of Hope, page 131
- ↑ The Flames of Hope, page 189
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 The Flames of Hope, page 200
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 The Flames of Hope, page 238
- ↑ The Flames of Hope, epilogue
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 The Flames of Hope, page 138
- ↑ The Flames of Hope, page 239
- ↑ The Flames of Hope, page 206
- ↑ The Flames of Hope, page 207
- ↑ The Flames of Hope, page 212
- ↑ The Flames of Hope, page 305
- ↑ The Flames of Hope, page 118
- ↑ 25.0 25.1 25.2 The Flames of Hope, page 130
- ↑ The Flames of Hope, page 137
- ↑ The Flames of Hope, page 141
- ↑ The Flames of Hope, page 151
- ↑ The Flames of Hope, page 153
- ↑ The Flames of Hope, page 166
- ↑ The Flames of Hope, page 176
- ↑ The Flames of Hope, page 277
- ↑ The Flames of Hope, page 129
| SilkWings | |
|---|---|
| Queens |
Present: Monarch |
| Other Dragons |
Admiral • Argus • Atala • Blue • Burnet • Clorinde • Cinnabar • Clubtail • Danaid • Dusky • Festoon • Fritillary • Glider • Grayling • Heliconian • Io • Lappet • Luna • Morpho • Pierid • Silverspot • Swordtail • Tau • Temora • Tussock • Whitespeck (TLC) • Whitespeck (TFoH) • Xenica |
| Kingdom |
Bloodworm Hive • Cicada Hive • Hornet Hive • Jewel Hive • LeafSilk Kingdom • Mantis Hive • Tsetse Hive • Vinegaroon Hive • Wasp Hive • Yellowjacket Hive |
| Kingdom (Historical) |
|
| Society |
Book of Clearsight • Chrysalis • SilkWing Assembly • Tree Wars |