'Cliff' is a male SkyWing dragonet prince who was introduced in Escaping Peril. He currently resides
in the SkyWing palace with his mother, Queen Ruby and is well-known
throughout the Sky Kingdom for his singing and songwriting.

## Description

Cliff has dark red scales and a long neck. He is small and has tiny
talons, as well as giant, golden-orange eyes that are almost the color
of a goldfish.

## Personality

When Scarlet suggested that Cliff was ordinary, he puffed out his chest
and denied it; he later stated that Scarlet was mean for saying so, and
seemed baffled when Peril said that being ordinary seemed great to her.
He sang softly to himself while under the care of Peril, and asked her
if she wanted to hear a Songs|song that he had made up just then. He
also later sang himself to sleep. He is indignant, unafraid, clever,
proud, hopeful, cheeky, theatrical, and skilled at rhyming. According to
Cliff, everyone says that he is special, and he believes that he is
going to be the best singer in Pyrrhia one day, as well as friends with
every dragon. Despite being threatened by Scarlet, Cliff tried his best
to sit up and look brave. He later complained about there being nothing
to play with during his imprisonment, but was eager to see the lethal
battle between Scarlet and Ruby.

He also cleverly lied to Scarlet about his ability to fly in order to
escape his imprisonment and return to Ruby. Despite Scarlet's power and
threatening demeanor, he was defiant and outraged when she suggested
that he would forget about his mother.

## Biography

### The Jade Mountain Prophecy

left Escaping Peril

While Peril was under Chameleon's animus magic|spell, Scarlet requested
to see Cliff, Ruby's son. She used him as a bargaining chip against
Ruby. When they captured him, they put him on a stone pillar because he
claimed he could not fly very well. However, Scarlet was unaware that
SkyWings could fly at a very young age, because she "avoids dragonets
like the plague," and after he sang a song about his mother, Ruby, he
managed to fly off the pillar and get to where his mother was being held
while Peril was not watching. Later, Peril promised to protect him if
anything happened to Ruby during the challenge against Scarlet, in which
he shouted, "I want! to SEE! MOMMY KILL GRANDMA!" clearly expressing
his childish and enthusiastic personality. Peril laughed and called him
a "bloodthirsty little barbarian." Afterward, Ruby was very thankful to
Peril for protecting Cliff, wondering what would have happened if he had
firescales, and therefore forgave Peril for killing many dragons in
Scarlet's Sky Kingdom#Gladiator Arena|arena, allowing her back in the
Sky Kingdom.

-----

### Legends

left
Dragonslayer
When Leaf went back to
the kitchen in the SkyWing palace after the dragonets of destiny escape,
he encountered Cliff playing underneath a table. Cliff attempted to play
with Leaf and started singing when Leaf asked him for a key to open the
kitchen grate. When Ruby heard the singing and came over to investigate,
Cliff excitedly pointed to Leaf and apparently asked her for the key.
Ruby sighed, retrieved the key from the wall, and gave it to her son,
who then happily placed it in Leaf's hands before following his mother
out of the kitchen, leaving Leaf bewildered.

-----

### Field Guides

left
A Guide to the Dragon World
Cliff's
SkyWing Anthem was featured in the SkyWing chapter of the guide. He was
later mentioned in Tailwind's literature#Named scrolls|This is Why We
Don't Marry Psychopaths, when they wrote that Cliff spent hours with
Queen Ruby and speculated that his father was Jasper.

## Relationships

### Peril

Upon first being under Scarlet's control, Cliff was ordered to stand
close to Peril. Because of Cliff's small size and young age, Peril
thought that she never would have dared put him in that sort of danger
if she still had her firescales. She wanted to hug him and tell him not
to be scared, but could not due to her firescales facade. When she spoke
to him, she hoped her voice sounded kind, and he sang a song for her
before falling asleep. Even while being enchanted with loyalty to
Scarlet, Peril had second thoughts about following her potential orders
to burn Cliff. She then felt a wild, brief impulse to give Cliff back to
Ruby safely. Peril later referred to him as "little friend" and
apologized for him not being allowed to hug Ruby. She later defended
Cliff against Scarlet and took care to make sure he was not injured
against her burning scales. She watched over him during the battle
between Scarlet and Ruby, and comforted him when Ruby's physical form
returned to Tourmaline's. He giggled at one of Peril's jokes.

### Ruby

When Ruby saw her son for the first time, there were suddenly sparks in
her otherwise boring personality - so much so that Scarlet was perplexed
as to why Ruby was so excited about an ordinary dragonet. She would do
anything to keep Cliff safe, and allowed herself to be locked up to do
so. Cliff often imitates his mother's stance and reassures her through
physical affection. She thinks of her son as clever is gentle towards
him, and loves him. He believes that his mother is the greatest queen in
Pyrrhia and wrote several songs that mention that.

### Scarlet

Scarlet smiled grimly at her grandson upon first meeting him, and she
killed three SkyWing guards in front of the little dragonet not long
afterwards. She went on to call him ordinary and insult his mother while
he was in earshot. Cliff later confessed that he thought Scarlet's
behavior towards him was mean, and when Cliff attempted to run to his
mother after she returned to the Sky Kingdom, Scarlet threatened Ruby
with Cliff's death. She later explicitly stated how he would burn to
death if Ruby disobeyed Scarlet's orders, all while Cliff was present.
He later glared at Scarlet before she taunted Ruby with all of the ways
that she would control him. He was eager to see Ruby kill Scarlet during
their royal challenge.

## Quotes

WHAT? Mommy says I'm special. Everyone say it. I be number one
most beautiful singer in Pyrrhia one day! Friends with every dragon in
the whole world! Mommy thinks I can do anything and great things and
all things!
to Peril Escaping Peril (book)|Escaping
Peril
189–190

-----

Yup. I gotta practice my 'no, no, leave me alone' face, or else
everyone want to be with me ALLLLLLS the time.
to Peril Escaping Peril
190

-----

Mommy. Mommy, I have to tell you something. Mommy! Grandma is
kind of mean.
to Ruby, about Scarlet
Escaping Peril
194

-----

I'm not a moonbeam! Today I'm a super-secret stealth agent
flier hero of the world.
to Ruby
Escaping Peril
219

-----

I WON'T get upset! I want! to SEE! MOMMY KILL GRANDMA!

to Peril Escaping Peril

226

-----

Where's Mommy? You said you not a bad guy. You said that!
Where did you put her? I want Mommy back!
to Peril

Escaping Peril
239

-----

Yormorbleflorp!
to Leaf, about the key

Dragonslayer
291

## Trivia

  - Though Qibli is roughly based off Tui's son, Elliot, she stated that
    Cliff is the one who resembled him more.
  - Tui stated that Cliff is her favorite minor character.
  - Cliff is based on Tui's second son, who was three years old at the
    time.