Striped Dragons come in a dazzling array of colors complemented by an intricate pattern of stripes. These bright colors and patterns help attract their favorite food, insects. Because their prey is so tiny, striped dragons must spend a large portion of their day eating. The color of the offspring is usually determined by the dragon’s mate.

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.

Clyde Federerr-Claws is sure that he is his mother's favorite. His brothers may be strong and have started a rebellion in their mother's name, but Clyde has something they don't: class. He is the only member of his family besides his father who has good manners, excellent hygiene, and a winning smile. All these are things a mother treasures far beyond whatever his brothers could scratch up. In addition, she knows that he is not just an egg mix up because he is the same beautiful red color that she is. Now that she knows for certain she is capable of producing sophisticated offspring, she will never look upon her first two unruly sons with the fullness of love that she once had for them. She will only ever love Clyde with all her heart--or, at least Clyde is sure she must feel that way.