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.

Purple dragons are one of the few all-female breeds of dragons. Their bright colors make them easy to spot during dragon mating season. They are primarily herbivores, but eat meat during mating season when it is brought to them by a mate. Mating seasons occur once every 200 years and can last up to 2 years.

Murasakiko, Purple Child, is one of the many female dragons in the Gathering. She, along with Aino, are considered the most beautiful dragons in the whole Gathering, so they're quite popular with the young males. Murasakiko and Aino are very good friends and often hang out with each other near the cave entrance. Mura sometimes helps Chibiko with the eggs and hatchlings, for she, like most females, loves the little ones.