Aww... It’s a cute baby dragon. Its scales give off a beautiful golden gleam.

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.

Cleansed was an old dragon once.

He was old, tired, and ready to give up on life, as though there was still so much to be done he could no longer hunt, living off what other dragons left. A pitiful existence for a dragon, he thought. Until one day...

Out scavenging in a forest, he saw a mysteriously glowing lake, one which seemed to stare into his soul. As he watched it, transfixed, a beautiful silver Shimmerscale rose out of it, and spoke to him:

'Tell me your heart's desire, O elder dragon, and if you are worthy it shall be true.'

Cleansed thought long and hard about his true desire, for time seemed to stop when the Shimmerscale arose, before finally speaking:

'I only wish for my trials to be over. And if that means death, so be it.'

The Shimmerscale smiled, a pleasing sight. 'You speak true, and ask not for riches or power. May everlasting youth be yours.' she said, before diving back into the lake, dousing Cleansed in a torrent of water...from which he emerged a hatchling again.