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.

Gold dragons are the ones most often killed by humans, who consider their scales to be extremely valuable. These golden scales grant them a high level of protection, similar to armor, and they use this to their advantage in battle.

Orna is a regal and commanding golden dragon. Though he is gentle and reasonable with others of his kind, he has a deep-rooted hatred of humans for their greed and vanity. An independent soul, he despises those who wish to try and control him, though he makes an exception for his lifelong mate, Natalya. Though the couple is hopelessly devoted to one another, they have never been able to produce eggs.