Gemshard Dragons are small, gregarious, expressive easterns, living in large clans high in the jungle canopy. Their bodies are covered in tiny, gem-like scales that shimmer in direct light, and each dragon has a unique pattern of markings on the forked spade of its tail. Though Gemshard Easterns cannot fly, they often leap from springy branches high into the sky on sunny days and perform acrobatic spins and twirls to entertain themselves. When the weather turns foul, they pile up together on sturdy tree limbs and interlock the forks of their tails with others to keep warm and dry.

Dragons are highly-intelligent reptilian creatures that—from a human perspective, at least—appear to live forever. Many different varieties of dragon exist, each with their own unique qualities, habitats, and behavior. Adolescence in dragons is usually marked by the growth of a hatchling’s wings, although not all breeds of dragons grow wings and some breeds have other traits that indicate the beginning of maturation. In Galsreim, dragons and humans coexist peacefully.

Red Wheelbarrow wishes to form a peaceful alliance with the space chickens, and is often among them, negotiating a way to seek a peaceful future shared by chickenkind and dragonkind in a space-empire among the stars. Many other dragons consider her mad, either because they know the fowls are dangerous, or believe they are ordinary birds. Her mate, William Carlos William, is on of the few who realize how much depends on Red Wheelbarrow, beside the white chickens.