Aww... It’s a cute baby dragon. It has a large, shield-like object at the end of its tail that it uses for protection.

And look! It has grown wings! It must be close to maturing.

Young dragons are relatively defenseless. They are born with relatively soft scales, which are shed and replaced with harder ones as the hatchling matures. Once a hatchling’s wings grow in, it typically marks the beginning of maturation. At this point they are often capable of hunting on their own and are usually left alone by their mother.

Dainaen, or Dai', has insecurity issues. She knows that the purpose of her breed is to protect others, but how can she do that when she is frozen in eternal childhood Her self-esteem is made even more precarious by the presence of Nathura and Haratar, the adult Guardians, who both take their role very seriously and accomplish it beautifully. Dainaen knows she will never compare to them and this knowledge causes her a good deal of anguish. She tries to make up for it by protecting the other hatchlings, but even this is no easy task: the adults already keep an eye on the young, and all the hatchlings resent Dai's attempts and think of them as condescending. She can understand how they feel, but that alone does not make it any better for her. Only her sister Fawria sympathises with her and tries to help.