Feisty and energetic, Whiptail Dragons pride themselves on their speed and agility. It is not unusual to see several whiptails racing each other. Though fragile, they can easily evade attacks with their superior speed, and often use their long tails as a weapon, giving rise to their name.

Dragons are highly-intelligent reptilian creatures that—from a human perspective, at least—appear to live forever. Many different varieties of dragon exist, each with their own unique qualities, habitats, and behavior. Adolescence in dragons 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. In Galsreim, dragons and humans coexist peacefully.

Rizze, a whiptail dragon who loves to race others, has never before won a race. She would love to win, if only for the recognition, but she has several things working against her. Rizze's ankle and hip joints pop in and out when she is running, creating the feeling that she has just broken a bone and has to stop running. It doesn't look like something is wrong with her legs, but the local white dragon says that Rizze's bones are slowly being chipped away and worn down by this. The only way Rizze can run without pain now is a strange hop-dash meant to keep strain off her feet. Of course, this run has caused her to receive much teasing by the other whiptails.