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.

Mint colored dragons are the most peaceful of all dragons; they only eat plants unless they scavenge meat from an already dead animal. They also have no ways to attack others or defend themselves. They are much smaller than other forms of dragons since they only double in size when they mature. Mint dragons are unable to use magic and cannot fly since they lack wings. Their looks have given rise to the common insult of calling dragons "large lizards."

Julian is quite a shy dragon, preferring peace and quiet and solitude. He can often be found sitting motionless in the bushes that grow outside his lair, watching the creeping of shadows as the sun moves across the sky, listening to the movement of trees in the breeze and the music of songbirds. He loves flowers and his home is frequently surrounded by all manner of butterflies. While he rarely ventures far from home, he harbors a secret dream of someday traveling to see other parts of the world.

While Julian usually keeps his own company, he is always very generous to the few dragons he does see regularly, presenting his friends with flowers or poems he has composed whenever they visit. His friends return his kindness with little gifts and trinkets from their travels to far-off places. Even when he is alone, Julian is never lonely, for all he has to do is look at the many wonderful things his friends have given him and he is reminded of the love and generosity alive in the world.