Aww... It’s a cute baby dragon. Its eyes glow brightly at night, and it enjoys attacking insects and small animals.

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.

The young hatchling stood admiring the awe-inspiring sight. Her feet were rooted in silent defiance, her head held high in a regal arch. Brilliant eyes burned in wild rebellion. She contemplated what was beyond this. Oblivion, infinity, death, emptiness. A misty veil cloaked the jagged cliffs and barren mountains before her. All she felt was a looseness at the tip of her claws, the absence of anything. A strange urge gripped the bold hatchling. Her frail wings shivered as she tensed, letting the need fill her before she took that final step. She bunched all at once, powerful limbs bracing as she jumped. So it was she leapt into freedom, to dance untamed from now into eternity.