Asiatic Lung Dragon-Draco pelliciata
Class: Stoker
Size: To 120 feet in length, wingspan nonexistent
Appearance: A serpentine build, with the cylindrical body itself nearly the length of the neck and tail combined. Four short, thin legs support the body, the front limbs ending in claws dexterous enough to act like hands and the rear limbs with larger, blunter digits and a prominent dewclaw. The tail is strong and flexible, tapering evenly and mildly along its length and tipped by a lengthy plume of downy, fur-like feathers that cover the last few feet and extend for several feet beyond the end of the tail proper. The neck is similarly elongate, nearly equal width along its length however, and supports a roughly triangular, tapering head that sports a larger rear cranial portion and a notably narrower snout. The jaws close evenly, hiding razor sharp needle-like teeth, and the very tip of the snout around the nostrils is slightly expanded. A pair of filamentous feelers or "whiskers" sprout from either side of the end of the upper lip, covered in a thin layer of down along their length and extremely sensitive. The larger, almond-shaped eyes are set angled forward on the broader rear portion of the skull, and behind them from the very back of the head rise a pair of short, straight and ever so slightly ridged horns that taper to very sharp tips. Perhaps the most noticeable trait of this dragon is the overall covering of feathers so fine they appear as fur, most prominent and larger in the crown that rings the back of the skull and the mane that runs from the top of the head all the way to the plume at the tail tip, and tufts of longer down are also present on the joints of the limbs. Color is typically some shade of red or orange, with the thicker plumes often brighter or deeper in color, though rare versions of nearly white with teal or blue plumes are also known. Eyes are, oddly enough, brown in color or silvery in the light forms, framing vertical ovoid pupils.
Fire: The dragons possess a powerful flame composed of chemicals similar to butane, producing hot plumes of fire that can burn for extended periods of time and be spewed great distances. Shot limit of 20.
Flight: Despite their lack of wings Lung dragons are able to locally warp gravitational fields, giving them lift and allowing them to travel in serpentine patterns through the air.
The Asiatic Lung Dragon is one of the most enigmatic species, unique in appearance and power. Despite their Stoker designation they are very even-tempered creatures, often solitary but observant and extremely intelligent, and not unknown to aid people in times of great distress. Due to this many oriental peoples view this species in high regard, carving likenesses and paintings in everyday decoration.
Lung Dragons are powerful, their unique flight capacity allowing them to travel even in the harshest weather and defend themselves without lifting a claw. Gravitational fields also allow them to manipulate their fire, with several depictions showing their ability to produce trailing streams of flame that will dance around them and travel in curves and loops in any direction desired. The sheer volume of flame this species can produce also amplifies this ability; with a single breath Lung Dragons can fill huge spaces with flames that seem to defy natural laws, and they are well respected and feared for this. A threat does not have to be directly in line of sight for this dragon to reach its mark with fire, for it can be bent around corners at the dragon's will.
As solitary creatures, this species lives in high mountain retreats as natural habitat or, rarely, abandoned village complexes, but they can form powerful relationships with nearby towns or individual families, able to be called upon in times of war, famine or injury (and in some places the serpentine guardians of the high peaks are revered for this willingness to lend a paw), and for the rare few that bond with a single rider they will defend their companion with their lives, literally, much like their Alagaesian relatives.
A/N-Can't have a Book of Dragons without including the famous Lung Dragons (which will, at some point, feature in the story series). Let me know what you think in a review!
Also a quick reply to several guest reviews, I assume they're from the same person: yes, several of the dragons mentioned will be seen in future entries, the next being the Scauldron. However, concerning the notes on Draco and Drago, while I am a fan of the Dragonheart movies that species really doesn't have a place in the Two Worlds Collide series, and so will likely not be featured.
As always, make sure to check out the other books in the main Two Worlds Collide series; currently the following are uploaded in full: Two Worlds Collide, Expanding Horizons, Reaches of Reality, and Time's Revelation. The fifth book, Inheritance Past, will begin being uploaded tomorrow, so be on the lookout for that prologue. And as always, let me know your thoughts, opinions etc. in the reviews!