When Water Dragons mature, they lose the ability to survive on land, entering the water permanently. They are adept swimmers and eat whatever fish are in the lake they live in. They tend to inhabit the same lake for their entire lives, although a few live in the ocean and swim all over the world.

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.

After the failed rebellion of the Districts against the tyranny of the Capitol, the President of Circenses decreed an annual tournament to be held in which sixteen tributes, two from each district, would be locked in an arena, only one of them allowed to leave it alive. These are the Starving Games.

When Seaweed was picked as the male tribute for District Four, he knew everything would depend on what the arena looked like. He wasn't sure what to expect, a dry sandy area, a range of mountains, a forest, who knew what it would look like. If he could get himself to water, the others would not be able to reach them unless they entered his element, in which case they would not stand a chance against him. He would set his hopes on that.