I did the best I could! And what did you do? You never even came back and told me you were alive!
— To Salamander as Coot found out he was alive after two years.
This is Kindred-Heart's character. Only they are entitled to use this character in any way, shape, or form; including changing anything about the character.
Appearance
Coot has the appearance of a typical MudWing; with hard, armoured scales that are auburn to seal-brown in colour. His scales also have orange accents, as do his wing membranes. His eyes are a vibrant, lemony-gold colour, a feature that most notice soon after meeting him. The scales that plate his underbelly are a sandy-tan colour, and the rest of the scales that cover his sides and legs are a brassy colour.
Personality
Coot is the strong, silent type, his experiences hardening him into an armoured shell. He prefers to do everything himself, never wanting to burden anyone, and being an overall gentleman.
Around others, he can be hard to read; only those who know him really well are able to decipher his strange behaviours and emotions when they come up. His brothers were the ones that understood what even the slightest eye twitch meant, and interacted with him accordingly.
In his alone time, Coot enjoys seeing colourful, natural scenery, from gardens to sunsets; as they remind him of the diversity of dragonkind. Despite his occasional harshness towards others, Coot treasures and values every relationship he knows. He may not know the right way to treat everyone, but he never wants his actions to cause others to leave his life.
History
Coot hatched like any normal MudWing; surrounded by his siblings. There was only five of them, while other groups of sibs seem to have 6-8. This led to them forming a theory that perhaps one or two eggs were stolen. Their group was comprised of surprisingly only brothers and, as they grew up and trained together, resulted in a mindset that females were weaker.
Coot was hatched the bigwings of his brothers, but because of their theory, Coot often wondered if he wasn't a true bigwings, which would explain his failures and lack of strong leadership skills. He and their youngest brother, Blackbird, both had fire-resistant scales.
Frog and Salamander were the two most opinionated and brutish, often picking on females they met on the training fields. Frog actually challenged Coot a couple of times but claimed it was all fun and games. Coot would often join in on their crude games, while Foxtail and Blackbird would opt out and go chill in some mud.
The brothers would all get a rude awakening when they were forced into their first serious battle at 5 years old. There were tensions between the SkyWings and MudWings for land close to the mountains, and two groups of troops were sent out in offence. One being Coot and his brothers, and the other being a group of 5 older sisters and one brother. The older females were more seasoned and didn't take disrespect well.
Frog and Salamander, since they were giving an excessive amount of grief to the girls, were put on the frontlines to prove that they were "stronger than the females." They continued acting arrogant and immature, even when Coot sternly encouraged them to smarten up a bit.
As the eleven of them approached the mountainside battlefield, the air felt strange, and the female bigwing from the other troop, Ibis, became nervous and stern-faced. She told everyone to hold their ground and fight hard. The atmosphere was mildly foggy, and, as they flew even closer, everyone noticed the mountainside was peppered with red.
Ibis snarled immediately as the red dots flew into a formation almost a dozen times bigger than theirs. It was a trap, the two bigwings had realized, and they both fought to protect their sibs. The SkyWings were much older and experienced killers than all of them, and the MudWings' formation quickly fell, despite Coot's best efforts.
It was the worst nightmare one could ever have. One by agonizing one, Coot helplessly watched his brothers be overtaken and picked off like flies. Ibis also cried out as she lost her brother and two youngest sisters in the carnage. Their only option to flee, Coot, Ibis, and her two remaining sisters dashed for home with their hearts heavier than the mountains behind them.
Home was now a terrible way to describe the Delta; which was basically empty without the seven dragonets to fill it. Coot went through intense therapy that did nothing to cure his mind that had brainwashed itself to believe that every living moment was still that horrible day.
Ibis and her sisters, Dragonfly and Piper, tried to avoid uncomfortable interactions with Coot during this difficult time, which lasted about a year. Eventually, -knowing that he needed an escape from the memories- Ibis confronted him and suggested that he leave the Delta to go the Jade Mountain Academy. He thought about it for a long time before becoming bold enough to go.
Coot felt unsurprisingly a bit overwhelmed his first time there, seeing so many strange and diverse dragonets. Settling into a routine made Coot lash out on multiple occasions, but, over the course of months, turned out to be the best form of therapy for him.