Drake

Air drake, land drake, sea drake

Anywhere from 80 to 100 years for those that live past the first few, with air drakes living the shortest lives.

• redesign slightly to be less cluttered -- do they need all those legs and wings? or just 4 legs 2 wings?

Drakes are the Dragon's only natural predator. Every feature of their physiology is specifically designed to take dragons down. They have flexible, serpentine bodies designed for fast weaving along the ground or through the air. Evenly distributed on these long bodies are three pairs of legs, and above the first and third are pairs are reptilian wings. On average, when standing on all sixes, they are seven to eight feet tall at the top of their head, and four times as long. Their toes are wide and capped with short, curved claws for gripping. Most drakes also have short horns that jut back from their skull. The colors of their scales vary widely.

A drake's scales are somewhat softer than a dragon's, making them easier to puncture, but they are also much thicker, so it is difficult to deal any meaningful damage without first shearing them off. Unlike a dragon's, a drake's scales are equally tough all over their body. The teeth are long and needle-like with fine serrations, designed to puncture a dragon's thick hide and open the wound on withdraw. Their senses aren't particularly outstanding, but they make up for it with devious hunting tactics.

All drakes are persistence hunters. They select a target, isolate it, and first strike at vital areas like the wings and belly. A drake's bite injects deadly venom that weakens the victim in seconds and causes severe nausea and paralysis after about twenty minutes. Since most dragons will continue to fight even after being bitten, the drake will flee and stalk their prey in secret. Once the dragon is sufficiently weakened, they are picked off.

Drakes are separated into three subspecies, named according to their native habitat. They all have slightly different physiologies and hunting strategies that make the most of their surroundings and the type of prey therein.

Land Drakes

Of the three subspecies, land drakes have the smallest wings. They can perform quick bursts of flight with very dexterous turning, but this is mostly for positioning during the hunt. On land, their wings act as rudders, making their turns incredibly smooth. If they get the chance, they will attempt to constrict the limbs of their prey, breaking the bones for an easy kill.

Air Drakes

Air drakes have shorter, thicker bodies, wider in the middle with a flatter snout. Their wings are massive, designed for quick takeoffs and extended glides. Thick, curved claws on all six legs make gripping branches a breeze. During flight, they fold up their legs for added maneuverability, but because their legs are so short, they are clumsy on land.

Sea Drakes

Sea drakes are amphibious, but they need to regularly moisten their scales to keep them healthy. Their toes are webbed, and their wings are thick to make their "flight" better suited to the water. They are capable of extreme bursts of speed, able to launch themselves out of the water to catch younger dragons flying over the surface. If they are far from the coast, they will hold their prey underwater and attempt to drown them.

A drake's hide is resistant to magic, stopping all but the strongest attacks in their tracks and severely dampening the rest. Conscious use of magic is very rare, typically the result of interspecies breeding, but drakes are known to use energy-charged Crystals stolen from the nests of their prey.

Drakes have stronger, more advanced cultures than Dragons. They live in small towns located in otherwise desolate areas, like mountaintops. They even have a rudimentary economy of their own, bartering artisan crafts and stolen treasure. It is taboo, however, to share spoils of the hunt unless everyone involved helped kill the dragon originally; though drakes typically hunt alone, they will sometimes call for help in taking down larger, stronger prey.

Family ties are rarely acknowledged, or even known. Drakelets are abandoned as soon as they hatch, already prepared to take down smaller creatures before graduating to young dragons. Because of this, female drakes lay large clutches of eggs, as most drakelets will not survive to adulthood.

Drakes are reasonably social, often having a few close friends they visit regularly, but such bonds are seen more as pragmatic tools than to feed some instinct. Even total strangers will respond to calls for help if it means they get something out of it. Not to say friends don't enjoy each other's company. It is also not unheard of for drakes to make friends with others outside their subspecies, or even different species entirely. Even Humans are tolerated.

It's very hard to offend a drake unless one's intentions are truly harmful. Some might even find insults funny. They react well to trade offers and will give up even prized possessions if they can be convinced that what they're getting in return is equally valuable.

Land Drakes

The hunting grounds of a land drake settlement tend to fall near cave entrances, where they may easily direct prey and trap them in dead ends for an easy kill.

Air Drakes

Air drake settlements tend to fall near cliffsides at high elevation, so that the residents have an easy take-off point without the need for a long running start.

Sea Drakes

Young or sickly sea drakes can often be seen stalking the beach for dead prey animals that have washed up on the shore. Over time the settlement will naturally shift towards the endpoint of currents that pass through water dragon camps.

Chosen One is unknown.