Legends of Penterra

Dragonlings

Physical Description:

Dragonlings look like small, “teacup sized” Dragons, reptilian and birdlike at the same time. They have the general shape of a Dragon, though their wings have feathers, the front “legs” forming the primary wings while the rear legs form rudimentary wings to assist with gliding as well as aerial maneuvers. Their tail is exceedingly long, and appears to have a large bony blade at the end that the Dragonlings have been observed to use for fighting. They grow no more than four feet in length at their largest, and while specimens to study are rare; it’s believed that their bones are hollow similar to birds, making them very light and assisting in their flying.

Their scale coloration ranges from greens, greys, blues, blacks, and browns and appears to be able to change color similar to some of the more common lizards. This aids them in both their hunting as well as defense, which is one of the reasons they are so hard to capture (as they are very difficult to find). Their feathers also tend to change color depending on the seasons – changing to lighter colors in the winter/snowy regions while in the springs and summers they can be bright reds or greens to match the foliage.

Biology:

While Dragonlings appear to be very similar to lizards, they also have some traits in common with birds – such as feathers. Another interesting characteristic is that while most reptiles tend to hibernate during the winter, Dragonlings have been spotted (if rarely) during all seasons; and those captured are said to be “warm to the touch” even during the cold months. It is unknown how they reproduce, but it is believed that they hatch from eggs at birth.

Hunting:

Because of the dragonlings ability to both fly, and blend into their surrounding areas, it’s believed that they hunt by hiding in dense trees or on rocky outcroppings and then “swoop down” on small prey such as rabbits and other rodents. According to legend, after pouncing the Dragonling will “sting” their quarry with their tail injecting a toxin that can paralyze even a stout man. However, further research has lead me to believe that they actually use their large rear claws to incapacitate their prey, and if that doesn’t work they use their bite or tail spike.

Poison or Fire?

While poison is fairly common, and in certain markets one can certainly buy “dragonling venom”, I’ve yet to discover if this truly comes from a dragonling. Based on the skeletal remains in the great library, it doesn’t appear that the tail has any means of injection, though it certainly does have several ridges. On the other hand, there is always the possibility that the large front teeth could act as fangs like on the deadly pit vipers; but as the skull is partially damaged I’ve thus far been unable to determine if this is infact the case.

On the other hand, while they look like Dragons, there is no evidence nor legend of them ever breathing fire like their larger cousins.