When Water Dragons mature, they lose the ability to survive on land, entering the water permanently. They are adept swimmers and eat whatever fish are in the lake they live in. They tend to inhabit the same lake for their entire lives, although a few live in the ocean and swim all over the world.

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.

Selky's Wish has always felt out of place in her clutch—while her siblings took to the skies with relative ease, she remained confined to the water. The fact that she was the last to mature of the four hatchlings also helped convince her that, as a creature of the water, she was inferior. But in her darkest hour, when death was at the doorstep, the kindness of the many strangers who came to visit her taught Selky's Wish her own unique value. She now lives contentedly below her family and grounds them, especially Potential Arete, in the midst of changing moods and seasons.