Aww... It’s a cute baby dragon. Its belly is bright red and it is most active in the evening.

And look! It has grown wings! 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.

The sun sets, surrendering the day to the sweet caress of night. Emerging from the cave comes a little hatchling, frozen forever on the cusp of adulthood. He passes another dragonet like himself, this one fleeing for the safety of the cave as the moon rises. Their noses touch as they catch the other's scent with a sad understanding that theirs is a friendship which can never grow, for one is of the night and the other the day. The hatchling puts such thoughts behind him and spreads his wings, leaping into the cool night air. This is his time, and he is determined to enjoy it.