The amphibious Aranoas inhabit shallow brackish estuaries, rivers and lagoons. Being adept swimmers, they possess tough, vibrant scales that serve to protect the dragon from superficial physical harm, and double as a means to attract mates. Their large, cavernous maws are adapted to swallowing fish whole, and they have powerful limbs to propel them through the water. When mating, males and females will typically vie for the interest of the individual with the brightest scales and the largest dorsal fin. Due to this attraction, they are also prone to collecting shiny and colorful objects that they come across. With a diet primarily comprised of large freshwater or pelagic fish, they often hunt in groups to encircle schools of fish, making for an easier meal. While not very social, Aranoas will often inhabit areas in close proximity to each other should they require assistance in hunting, or to band together to ward off other species who pose a threat to their territory.

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.

Fisherfast hasn't always lived in abundance just because her Weyr controls most of the continent's resources. Her Clan, the Aranoa, are often at the whims of disasters that make survival hard. In fact, Fisherfast herself is named for the season of disease and famine when she was laid; she's still scrawny for her size. Knowing hunger made her sharper, even as it thinned her happiness.

When she met her mate, he brought more joy to her shriveled, hungry heart than she knew was possible. He was a Sapo, of a Clan she didn't know, and she wasn't sure where he went when he wasn't with her. But when she laid an egg that seemed unlike any Aranoa she'd ever seen, she knew where her precious eggs would have to go to be safe. The Weyr of Flame is cruel to dragons perceived as strange, and being one of their own is no protection.

She yearns for her hatchlings, sent to live with her mate in secret, and though she misses them terribly, she must be content to know they are happy, and well-fed, there.