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.

Black dragons are warriors. They are strong and capable in battles of force, but also ample magic users, capable of devastating opponents with their spells. Their bright eyes give them excellent night vision, which is why they generally hunt during the night.

Along with her mate, Orpheus the Dark, Tiala the Reclusive is awake only at night. Because of this, the two of them are a mystery and the other dragons in the Ruda Clan have been fascinated in who these two dragons really are, and many fanciful stories have been made up about them. Some say Tiala is a protector, standing vigil over the clan as it sleeps. Others say she stalks in the darkness, seeking out prey and trespassers. Still another story is that she uses her excellent night vision to spy on the other clans. There seems to be a new rumor about Tiala every week. Despite this, no dragon has ever attempted to find out the truth by merely staying awake at night. It's much more fun to believe in these whimsical tales than know what is most likely a boring reality.