Aww... It’s a cute baby dragon. Right after hatching it excitedly hurried into the water.

And look! It has gotten larger and gained vibrant red markings! 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.

Ironfist is a true survivor. Much like another dragon, Yiniott the Pink Dragon, he had to endure pain and experiments for most of his life, even as an egg. He literally had minutes left to live, and it was a miracle. However, nothing comes without consequence. Ironfist, having grown incorrectly due to simply horrific care, was unable to grow to an adult properly. He is eternally stuck as a maturing hatchling, and nothing can change that. He has to live with what he is given by life.