Aww... It’s a cute baby dragon. It occasionally shoots small puffs of smoke from its nose, like it’s trying to breathe fire.

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.

Homeless and lonely, the exquisite treasures in the horde of the most wealthy of dragons couldn't strike a slither of joy into Flame's heart. Neglected by her parents, she was left to survive on her own in the wilderness. A home and a family are the only things that Flame wants; the crack of the thunder and the roar of the wind on stormy nights would be reduced to a mere annoyance with a family. She spends her days digging for diamonds, hunting and setting the inventions of a rejected vine dragon wyrmling on fire. She is stronger than the vine dragon so it will not challenge her to a fight. Nevertheless, Flame sees her life as a burden. The only thing the world ever gave her was soil to cry liquid-fire tears on; the only thing she ever gave it was another mouth to be fed.