Name: Twilight Dragon (Draco crepusculum)
Element: Lava
Size: 6-8 feet tall (1.8288-2.4384 meters), 9-10 feet long (2.7432-3.048 meters), 175-200 pounds (79.3787-90.7185 kilograms)
Diet: Any animal, really
Habitat: Anywhere except for watery areas, or cold regions
Description:
The Twilight Dragon is named for its scale color, which is as black as night. Also, on rare occasions, they are born with a mutation that makes their scales have small white patches in them, resembling stars.
The giveaway to its element lies in its talons, eyes, and mouth. These parts are a blood red, showing that it is actually a lava elemental and not an electric. For its eyes and talons, that's simply the color they are, but for the mouth, it is a different matter entirely. Unlike most other dragons, the Twilight Dragon stores lava in its stomach. Technically, it's not actual lava, but rather stones that the dragon has eaten. We think this is to help produce and/or strengthen the lava that it "drools", but no one knows for certain.
Twilight Dragons are not picky eaters. As long as it's alive or moves, then it's seen as prey. But they don't use their lava as much as you might think, rely more on their scale color to camouflage them against the dark sky as they swoop down on unsuspecting prey. Then they carry it off somewhere to eat it in peace, typically their nest. And yes, they are nocturnal.
When these dragons decide to mate, it's usually in the heat of summer. They males will get into brutal fights over females, and try to mate with as many as possible. Some males can even be killed during the fights.The females usually have several mates in a season, which means they lay up to fifteen eggs in a clutch.
As soon as they can, the females leave the breeding grounds and return to their nest. Once the area clears, the males return to their solitary lives as well.
The females are left to raise the eggs alone. Once the eggs hatch, the first trial of the hatchlings' lives will be to find food. The mother will have prepared a meal for them, but the young have to fight amongst themselves to get a bite.The mother does nothing to help the ones who lose. These will ultimately die.
Next, a month or two later, the chicks will have to learn to fly by being pushed out of the nest. Twilight dragons tend to nest high above the ground. Those who don't learn the right way to unfurl their wings to get airborne will fall to the ground, to their deaths. Once again, the mother does nothing.
On rough average, if she laid fifteen eggs, then there'd be about eight chicks left.
By not helping them she weeded out the weaker ones, and helped further her species' survival, however barbaric the methods may be.
The ones who learned to fly will travel with their mother on hunts, and any juvenile males will leave their mother when they're about ten months old. The females stay with her until the mating season comes.
Twilight dragons are aggressive, even to others of their species. So, it is best to avoid these dragons at all costs. No reports of humans ever being eaten exist, but it wouldn't be that far a stretch.
If you are confronted with a Twilight Dragon, relax and leave as fast as you can. I don't think you'll want to stick around.
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Guide to Dragons
General FictionMany have studied dragons, and many share an interest in these supposed mythical creatures. But, maybe dragons are real? If they are, how do we know what's true about them and what isn't? How big do they get? What kinds of dragons are there? Are...
