Dorsal Dragons are so named because they have large fins along their backs that can be raised and lowered at will. They use these fins to regulate body temperature; they raise them to cool off when they become overheated. The bright colors on the fins double as a means of attracting mates.

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.

Jungmaedchen is terribly, terribly self-conscious about her looks. Her parents both sport a lovely purple hue on their dorsal fins while she herself looks as if her mother might have had an affair with a Red or a Royal Crimson. Both her father and mother have assured her that she just resembles her grandfathers but never having known them means that Jungmaedchen can't be sure. She is terribly afraid that her mother holds a dark secret or that maybe she's adopted and that everyone but her knows and points their claws and laughs behind her back.

Jungmaedchen wishes she had her friend Tander's self-assurance and she could stop obsessing over the fact that she looks a freak.