MISC. Magic Creature Beastiary

Wings Of Fire 1.

Dragons are the current dominant species of Pyrrhia and Pantala. Scavengers once ruled Pyrrhia (their history in Pantala is currently unknown - except for Blue and Cricket calling them "reading monkeys"), but dragons overthrew them in an event known as The Scorching. Dragons are fairly intelligent, as they are capable of speech (particularly Dragon), tool-making, and many other abilities that are common in advanced societies. Very few members of the dragon population are known as animus dragons, who possess a powerful magic that is capable of causing practically anything - with the exception of raising the dead back to life - to happen. These powers can be performed by speech or thought, and it has been confirmed that animus magic is not specific to any one tribe; additionally, animus dragons can be artifically created (see: Talons of Power), but animus power is naturally genetic. Although some dragons have died of old age, sickness, and/or injury throughout the series, dragons can live for more than one hundred years before they die peacefully in their sleep, according to Starflight. In addition to Tui T. Sutherlandstating that the average dragon lifespan is roughly 150 years,[1] Tapir managed to live for 110 years before his death. Dragon to scavenger age conversions: four to seven-year-olds are teenagers, seven to eight-year-olds are young adults, and anyone above nine years of age is considered an adult.[2

Biology and Anatomy

Pyrrhian dragons fall into one of seven known tribes: RainWings, SandWings, SeaWings, NightWings, SkyWings, MudWings, or IceWings. Hybrids between tribes are possible, but hybrid dragons are uncommon due to tribe rivalry. Pantala supports three known species: SilkWings, LeafWings, and HiveWings. All tribe members are roughly the same size with the exception of MudWings, who are generally larger (and typically stronger) than dragons from other tribes. Dragons have been confirmed to age as they grow, with the oldest dragons typically being the largest in size. Dragons grow rapidly for the first eight to ten years of their life, then continue to grow slowly until they die. [3]

All Pyrrhian tribes and Pantalan LeafWing bodies consist of six limbs, two of which are wings and four of which are arms and legs. Wings are attached to a dragon's shoulders, and have slightly transparent wing membrane stretched between five small bone digits, each of which have one small claw on the tip. A larger claw is attached to the front of the third digit. HiveWings and SilkWings of Pantala, however, have eight limbs, four of which are wings and four of which are arms and legs. SilkWing wings are softly curved and resemble those of a butterfly, while HiveWing wings are thinner and resemble those of a dragonfly. According to Tsunami, dragon bones are nearly as hard as diamonds and quite difficult to break. The average dragon height is around 18 ft. 

All dragons have large claws at the base of each foot (five on the forelegs and four on the hindlegs) and all can fly, regardless of tribe. Each tribe has different abilities according to their environment, so although not all tribes can breathe fire, each has at least one ability. IceWings have deadly frostbreath, serrated claws, whip-thin tails, and a resistance to cold temperatures; SeaWings have gills, powerful tails, are strong swimmers, and are capable of bioluminescence; RainWings have color-changing scales and deadly venom; SilkWings can shoot silk from wrist glands; HiveWings have abilities that differ from dragon to dragon; LeafWings are sometimes able to have control over plants and can absorb sunlight for nutritional purposes. 

Most species are carnivorous, with omnivorous exceptions such as the RainWings. Most dragons have large, sharp teeth suited to their diet. RainWings, though, are mainly herbivores, subsisting mainly on fruit. Most dragons can survive for up to a month without food.

Dragons reproduce by making eggs, which usually hatch into young dragons called dragonets after a year of carrying and a year of incubation.

Specialization

Each tribe has specialized structures and abilities that differentiate them from the other tribes. Most typical is some sort of exhalation, most commonly fire. SkyWings, NightWings, and SandWings can breathe fire at any given time, whereas MudWings can only breathe fire when they are warm enough. IceWings exhale a freezing breath, while RainWings can spit corrosive acid that only affects biological matter. SeaWings are the only tribe on Pyrrhia that cannot exhale anything that may be used as a weapon, and none of the tribes on Pantala can. The most commonly modified structures in dragons are either the wings, the claws, or the tail.

Pyrrhia

IceWings