by King of Crows » Tue Oct 27, 2015 4:05 pm
History
XXXFalconer's Dragons are a domesticated form of Finch-Drakes, which originate from Scandinavia. Around two-thousand years ago they were first being caught in the wild and trained to assist in hunting. It was learned that they work well with directions and are able to withhold from eating whatever they catch. They were popular choices for hunting rabbits and even flushing larger game. Popularity continued to increase.
XXXEventually, a pigeon fancier developed interest in the dragons after losing one of their prized racing pigeons to a falcon. They selected a gentle-natured hatchling from a breeder and brought the dragon up around their pigeons. Once it became clear that the dragon did not have a prey-drive for pigeons, the pigeon fancier started letting the dragon fly with their pigeons during practice runs. The dragon was able to deter aerial predators with her minor flame-breathing abilities, and readily protected the pigeons. The fancier was delighted and spread the word that the dragons were versatile. Many pigeon keepers started keeping a dragon or two along with their flock and, of course, even started racing the dragons, and experimenting with breeding. From the pigeon fanciers came many new strains of Falconer's Dragons, producing many different colors. As time went on, the breeding of FDs for aesthetic purposes garnered attention from the general public.
Now, today, FDs come in an endless variety of colors and many are bred and trained for different purposes.
Description
XXXFDs vary in length from 8 to 12 inches in body, with a tail usually about 1 1/2 times the length of the body. They weigh anywhere from 400 to 600 grams, with females generally being larger. Like most dragons, they have 3 sets of paired limbs and a series of specialized heart-like organs used to move enough blood to circulate through all six limbs. The wings and hind-legs are the most developed limbs, while their forelegs are small and not particularly useful. The wingspan varies from 2.3 to 2.7 feet from tip to tip. The hindlegs are very muscular, and the proportionately large feet are built to grasp and hold onto prey. They also are used, along with the thumbs on the wings, to climb and cling to trees, cliffs, etc. Flight is the preferred form of locomotion, but FDs can and do walk on their hindlegs as needed.
XXXThe body is serpentine but not lean, as they have a wide frame to make room for their considerably large lungs and air sacs. While broad, the skeleton is light-weight, as they have hollow bones to allow for flight. Due to their wide-frame and large feet they tend to move in a very deliberate waddle while walking, and are much faster while in flight. Rather than using their very small forelimbs, if balance is lost while walking FDs are known to use the knuckle of their wing to catch themselves and maintain balance as needed.
XXXFalconer's drakes are covered in very small, fine scales and are usually described as very silky to the touch. They also, peculiarly, have what appears to be fur growing along the cheeks, spine, at the elbows and hips, and a larger plume acts as a counter-weight on the end of the tail. Also on the tail are the caudal fins; a set of 5 cartilage spines connected by a durable but flexible skin membrane on either side of the base of the tail. These fins are used similarly to a bird tail in flight, allowing for swift directional changes and halting in mid-air. The fins are also used for balance while walking or resting. The frame of the fins is cartilage, but a knuckle-like joint at the base of each spine allows for complete control of the fins.
XXXAll Falconer's Dragons have a set of three horns; one small nose horn, and two larger horns branching out from the brow of the skull. The function of the horns in wild Finch Drakes seems to be dealing damage to rival drakes while performing dangerous mid-air head-on collisions during territorial disputes. In Falconer's Dragons the highly territorial drive has been mostly diminished, and breeders have produced many horn varieties for the sake of appearance. The horns are strong but hollow, though having horns that are too large may inhibit a dragon's ability to fly, and dragons born with long horns are often castrated to avoid breeding.
XXXFDs also have long, fleshy whiskers, and long, narrow ears that have a limited range of motion. Both of these appendages are much smaller in wild Finch Drakes, as they serve little purpose.
Last edited by
King of Crows on Thu Jul 28, 2016 2:18 am, edited 5 times in total.
