Aww... It’s a cute baby dragon. It’s kind of shaky on its feet and enjoys playing in puddles.

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.

Sideward is a large hatchling. His guardians believe that he's a late developer, since he was expected to develop "more" a few years ago but has remained the same hatchling shape. When he wants to wish someone well, he doesn't just nuzzle the other person or give a courteous nod. He wobbles over and gives them a wet, tight hug, like six dozen amorous leopard slugs latching on their skin at once. If his hug recipients were dry beforehand, they're covered in slime and froth by the time Sideward lets go. He doesn't seem to notice that after this show of affection, his targets are goopier than he is, and they have to nudge him back to the lake before he dries.