In Wings of Fire, Clay is a muscular, large, firm, and bulky dragon with a slanted back, a thick, long neck, a large, broad head, and white teeth. He is the largest of the dragonets of destiny and has a rumbly, warm voice. He also has fire-resistant, mud-colored scales. Clay's scales are a warm brown in the shades of mahogany and tree bark, along with undertones of amber, and gold glinting between and beneath his scales. He has enormous feet, thick brown claws, and massive, strong brown wings. His right thigh is scarred from a dragonbite viper scratch, and he has a permanent limp.
Clay, wings of fire, is a male MudWing and the main character in The Dragonet Prophecy from the Wings of Fire series. He was a dragonet of destiny and played a role in ending the War of SandWing Succession. He was one of the five founders of Jade Mountain Academy. At the academy, he taught herbs and healing, assisted with battle training, and managed the prey center.
Clay is a thoughtful, heroic, solemn, goofy, easily confused, and curious, but also a thick-skulled dragon. He rarely complains, except about being hungry, and he has a great appreciation for food. Clay is dependable, and every thought of his is written on his face. He struggles with learning and is sometimes slow to realize things. In Wings of Fire, Tsunami described Clay as the heart of the dragonets of destiny and stated that they would not have been able to fulfill the prophecy without him.
In Wings of Fire, Tsunami is one of Clay's closest friends. He sees her as bold and tough, like a hero should be. In "The Lost Heir," she admits to having feelings for Clay, but she got over her crush when she realized Clay saw her, Glory, and Sunny as a sister. Tsunami was the second dragonet to hatch and the first egg Clay tried to help hatch.
Clay and Glory are very close friends. In The Dragonet Prophecy, there was a moment when Clay unknowingly upset Glory by making her feel replaced. However, Clay makes her feel better and tells Glory she is better than any Skywing like always. When Glory went missing, Clay was deeply worried and joined Deathbringer to rescue her from the NightWing island, which made Glory extremely pleased to see him there. Clay helps her relax and encourages Glory.
Similar all the other dragonets, Clay considers Starflight to be like a brother to him. He took a dragonbite viper bite planned for Starflight and protected him when the volcano of the NightWing Fortress erupted. Although Clay sometimes gets bored of Starflight's lectures, he deeply cares about him and would risk his own life to keep him safe. Starflight and Clay share a strong and positive relationship.
Just like all the other dragonets, Sunny is like a little sister to Clay, and he treats her as one. In Wings of Fire, Clay wanted to go save Sunny when she was trapped in a cage in the Sky Kingdom as soon as he learned where she was, after asking Peril for the information. When nobody will listen to her, Sunny turns to Clay to tell the others her ideas so they will listen. He seems to be the dragonet she confides in and trusts the most. Clay takes a poisonous viper bite to save Sunny's life and says he would do it over and over again if he could. He is one of the only dragons to take Sunny seriously, as shown when Clay paid attention to a weird crab Sunny found in the underground river.