Cattail

Lore & Background

Cattail is a MudWing dragonet who first appears in the MudWing nursery, where she is seen alongside other young dragons like Sora, Umber, and Reed. She is part of the generation raised during the War of SandWing Succession, a conflict that deeply shaped the lives of all MudWings. Like many of her peers, she was later conscripted into Burn's army, fighting for the SandWing princess who allied with the MudWing queen, Moorhen.

Cattail's name, like many MudWings, is derived from a swamp plant—a tall, reedy cattail that thrives in murky waters, reflecting her tribe's connection to the marshes and wetlands. She does not have any major plot significance, but her presence helps flesh out the world of Pyrrhia, showing the everyday dragons caught up in the war. She is a reminder that not every dragon is a hero or a villain—some are simply trying to survive, their claws gripping a spear instead of a sibling's talon.

In the later books, Cattail is mentioned as having survived the war, though her exact fate is not detailed. She represents the countless unnamed dragons who fought and lived through the conflict, their stories left untold but their existence acknowledged in the background—a quiet testament to endurance.

In Their Own Story

The mud squelched under Cattail's claws as she marched alongside her squadron. The air was thick with smoke and the distant roar of battle. She had been a nursery dragonet not so long ago, dreaming of mudslides and frog hunts. Now she carried a spear, its shaft worn smooth from other claws before hers, her scales caked with grime that smelled of ash and sweat. 'Keep moving,' growled the sergeant, his voice a low rumble like thunder over the bog. Cattail nodded, her eyes fixed ahead on the gray horizon. She didn't know why they fought for Burn, only that she had to survive—one more step, one more day. Somewhere, her clutchmates were out there, maybe alive, maybe not. She pushed the thought away and kept walking, the weight of the spear a familiar ache in her shoulder.

Reader's Guide

**Name:** Cattail **Tribe:** MudWing **Role in the story:** Minor background character, appears in the MudWing nursery and later as a soldier in Burn's army. **Key relationships:** Part of the same generation as Sora, Umber, Reed, and other nursery dragonets; no known sibling bond, suggesting she may have been a lone dragonet or part of a clutch that didn't survive together. **Notable moments:** Seen in the nursery in *The Dragonet Prophecy*; mentioned as a soldier in later books. **Personality traits:** Resilient, dutiful, unremarkable but steadfast. Cattail is a typical MudWing, shaped by the war but not defined by it. She is a background figure who embodies the quiet endurance of her tribe—a dragon who learned to march before she learned to fly.

Did You Know?

• Cattail is named after a real wetland plant, common in marshes and swamps, fitting the MudWing naming tradition.
• She is one of the few MudWing dragonets from the nursery who is not part of the main cast, making her a true background character.
• Cattail's role in Burn's army shows how the war affected even the youngest dragons, forcing them into military service.
• Unlike some MudWings, Cattail does not have a known sibling bond, suggesting she may not have been part of a close-knit clutch.