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.

Red dragons are similar to typical story book dragons. They shoot flames, can fly, etc. However, they aren't evil creatures as depicted in myths and won't go around raiding castles, killing knights, or kidnapping princesses. They live in a variety of habitats, from forests to coastlines to abandoned castles, usually in warm climates, and eat whatever living creatures they can find.

Alfred has a worldly-wise air, as one who's seen quite a lot of change in his days. He's a brave fighter, but is not too proud to retreat when necessary. However, his main passion is education, and he is always encouraging the hatchlings to study as hard as they possibly can, in any subject that interests them. He is not a teacher himself, except in leadership and military strategy, but he will frequently be found listening to the lectures of Sarasvati, Hypatia, Arete, or one of the other scholarly dragons. He is particularly fond of bannock bread, liking it slightly burnt - when asked why, he laughes ruefully and says it "keeps him humble".