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.

When water dragons mature, they lose their legs and the ability to survive on land, entering the water permanently. They are adept swimmers and eat whatever fish are in the lake they live in. They tend to inhabit the same lake for their entire lives, although a few live in the ocean and swim all over the world.

Selky's Wish has always felt out of place in her clutch - while her siblings took to the skies with relative ease, she remained confined to the water. The fact that she was the last to mature of the four hatchlings also helped convince her that, as a creature of the water, she was inferior. But in her darkest hour, when death was at the doorstep, the kindness of the many strangers who came to visit her taught Selky's Wish her own unique value. She now lives contentedly below her family and grounds them, especially Potential Arete, in the midst of changing moods and seasons.