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.

Seasonal dragons take on the characteristics of the season during which they are born. Thus, eggs that are laid in spring match the pink flowers and green buds of spring, and those that are laid in the summer grow to depict the bright green of the forest trees and the yellow of the sun. Eggs laid in autumn display the bright colors of leaves falling from trees, and those that are laid during winter take on the appearance of the icy snow.

Winter is the season Aoileann was born in. Nothing can please her more than a fierce snowstorm, blazing hail raining down on all the creatures that did not seek shelter in time. Only during Winter will she come out of her home, a cave deep down in a snow-topped mountain. Being a meat eater, she has to hunt: she buries herself in the snow, waits for an unsuspecting prey to wander over her, then seizes it. She brings back the kill to her deep cave, and stashes it away under a thick layer of snow and ice to keep it frozen during the summer. As soon as frost disappears, Aoileann will retreat back to her cold underground home, living of her frozen prey and waiting for her beloved winter to return.