The Lost Heir

“Was he yawning? Did I attack him for nothing? That can’t be right. I saw danger and reacted appropriately. Didn’t I?

‘Maybe if you’d just stopped to think for a second —’ Starflight said.

‘Or forever? Like you? Think think think, worry worry, never do anything?’ Tsunami cried.”

Tsunami is fiercely protective of her friends/adoptive family; as a fighter and a leader, this often results in acting first and asking questions later. In addition, Tsunami is still processing the trauma of her mercy kill, making her both more protective and more high-strung. Learning to think more before she acts is a key part of her character growth in The Lost Heir. This moment also reflects a classic internal conflict: instinct versus reflection. Sutherland uses repetition (“Think think think, worry worry”) to dramatize Tsunami’s frustration with inaction, while Starflight’s caution represents the foil to her impulsiveness. The rhetorical question at the start marks a rare moment of self-doubt for Tsunami, foreshadowing the arc of learning discernment.

“Starflight had been acting so weird since the NightWings gave him back. Suddenly it seemed like he wanted to argue with Tsunami about everything.”

Starflight has always had a nervous disposition, but his secret interactions with Morrowseer have worsened it. Since the dragonets don’t know what happened, they are confused and resist this change. Although they don’t realize it yet, Starflight’s behavior foreshadows his mission later—becoming the dragonets’ leader and supporting Blister. Because this pressure goes against his beliefs and loyalties, Starflight will constantly quietly struggle with this dissonance.