Aww... It’s a cute baby dragon. It keeps trying to catch fish in a nearby pond.

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.

Tela of the Black-Cap is a member of a group of Blacktip dragons. Even for a hatching, he is rather weak. He cannot run as fast or fight as hard as other hatchlings of his species. When Tela of the Black-Cap was but a few days old, he was forced to compete against another hatching to prove his strength. A gentle dragon by nature, Tela of the Black-Cap was certainly not enthusiastic about the prospect. He lost the fight, and was about to be banished from the group of Blacktip dragons when Mugo of the Black-Cap suggested another option.

Tela of the Black-Cap was brought to the White dragons, who cast a spell on him that prevented ageing. Ever since that day, Tela of the Black-Cap has become the draconic equivalent of a cabin boy. Tela of the Black-Cap seems to always be on hand to aid the adult Blacktip dragons in even the most unpleasant of tasks. He has to be, for the threat of banishment still hangs over his head.