Horse Dragons have equine-shaped bodies and hooves instead of claws, which allow them to be fast runners. They specialize in running takeoffs, which are quicker than taking off from a stand-still. Horse dragons are able to stalk their prey from the ground then quickly execute an aerial attack for the kill.

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.

Kaeru's father is an Ice Dragon, but as she was abandoned as an egg, she knows nothing else of him. Nevertheless, every winter, she tries to pay homage to her lineage by running the frozen paths that lead from her current home up into the alpine slopes of her father's biome. Kaeru only ever ventures up into these mountains when the nights grow longer and the snow begins to fall, and she wonders if she'll ever happen to meet her father one day. In the meantime, she will enjoy as much of the ice and cold as she can, wondering if she's better off not having been raised amidst the chill of the mountains.