Private du Skillet
Rank: Private, Grand Rislandian Army Appears in: The Neverending War
Du Skillet was a wiry, skinny, malnourished young man. Burn marks across his face were "permanent scars acting as a reminder of his valor and his mistakes". He was "prone to jumping scared and shaking".
Role in The Neverending War
Du Skillet had saved the unnamed narrator's life in the trenches on the way to Greenhorne. When the narrator left the medical tent, du Skillet pounced on him from behind as a greeting and was immediately contrite. The narrator decided that he owed him patience. The two marched together on the left side of the third line toward Loveridge.
At dusk, du Skillet heard something in the bushes, jumped, and threw the column into disorder, earning a furious dressing-down from Lieutenant Avery. He had heard correctly: were-rats attacked moments later. During the fight, du Skillet stood frozen "like a deer trapped in headlights". Afterward he went white, stumbled, and had to be held up by two soldiers. Avery assigned him to carry the narrator's pack while the narrator ran back as a messenger.