Aww... It’s a cute baby dragon. It has a large, shield-like object at the end of its tail that it uses for protection.

And look! It has grown wings! It must be close to maturing.

Young dragons are relatively defenseless. They are born with relatively soft scales, which are shed and replaced with harder ones as the hatchling matures. Once a hatchling’s wings grow in, it typically marks the beginning of maturation. At this point they are often capable of hunting on their own and are usually left alone by their mother.

When you glance over the eggs and other hatchlings in the cave, this one scampers up, his tailshield clattering behind him, seeming much too big for a creature his size.  He stands valiantly in front of you, growling in a squeaky voice, flaring his wings and puffing himself up to appear bigger, his tailshield swept up between you and the eggs.  He seems a bit -too- eager to guard, or is he actually looking for you to pick a fight  It is kind of cute, though, as you are larger than him, and he can just barely flutter over the ground.  He scrambles after you, wherever you go, but stops at the entrance of the cave, flexing his wings and letting out squeaky roars, believing he has chased you off.