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.

Hinewai found Leitha as an egg deep within a river and soon decided to adopt her. As Leitha grew, however, Hinewai soon realized that this was not the kindred spirit that she had hoped for. Leitha constantly chafes at the restrictions that rivers and lakes put on her. She wants to dive deeper and swim farther. She thinks of the ocean with longing, but also longs to fly. Leitha thinks of the air as a completely unbounded place, somewhere that she can be free. Despite the fact that she is larger than Hinewai, she feels that she is stunted from lack of swimming. She doesn't think that her scales are blue enough, that her fins are wide enough, or that her muscles are strong enough. Leitha is always longing for something more.