Aww... It’s a cute baby drake. It seems to like you, although it is very hyperactive and difficult to train.

And look! It has grown wings! It must be close to maturing.

Young drakes 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 marks the beginning of maturation. At this point they are often capable of hunting on their own.

This hatchling was forced out of its egg prematurely.

Sand talon was born when a powerful earth quake forced him out of his egg. He seemed like he would do okay but almost seven days passed and he had one hour left a decision had to be made risk and he might mature or freeze him. He will be forever a hatchling because of that earth quake. But another hatchling Leaf stripe also was forced out of her egg by a earth quake and is on her count down to death only with hours left. Sand talon hopes the best for her but it seems unlikely that she will mature to be a full grown adult.