Aww... It’s a cute baby dragon. It has large frills on its head.

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.

Malachite Shard was once the pet of a very mean person kept on a chain and prodded with a stick to make him display his frills.  When he started growing up, the person spelled him so he would stay small forever.  However, Malachite Shard was not the stupid beast the person thought he was.  Nightly for weeks, Malachite Shard chewed the chain that held him, covering it with the filthy straw of his pen during the day.  When he finally chewed through the chain he leapt into the air in a clumsy first flight.  Desperation gave him strength enough to reach the hills, where he clumsily landed, accidently ending up at the side of the guardian dragon Caliche.  The guardian, although surprised, snapped the chain and collar off the frill hatchling and introduced him to the many dragons in the area.