Dragons are creatures with nearly unlimited life spans. They can survive for long periods of time, and no one has found a dragon that has died of old age. Adolescence 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. Once they hit adolescence, hatchlings change quickly, maturing to their full forms in only 2 years.

Dragons don’t communicate with each other verbally, but they will growl to scare off predators and frighten prey. Young dragons will emit an extremely high-pitched squeal when they are frightened. To communicate, they use telepathy with each other and to speak to other creatures.

Dorsal dragons are so named because they have large fins along their backs that can be raised and lowered at will. They use these fins to regulate body temperature; they raise them to cool off when they become overheated. The bright colors on the fins double as a means of attracting mates.

Redsight is a Red Dorsal dragon of the Featherwing Weyr and the mate of Scarrose, the daughter of the Weyr's leader. Redsight is a fierce warrior dragon, but he has a terrible temper to rival that of the Weyr leader, Nightburner. Redsight is especially defensive of his mate, Scarrose, who has recently stepped down from the position of heir to the leadership and is catching some grief for her choice. Some dragons still think Redsight should try to seize power, but if he hears these rumors, Redsight takes them as an affront to his honor and his family; he's quite loyal and very fiercly protective of all he loves.

These days, the adopted hatchlings of Redsight and Scarrose are keeping the two of them pretty busy, and they're laying low as far as cave politics go.