Dragon Whelp

Contrary to their name, a dragon whelp is not necessarily a younger form of a larger dragon. In fact, almost all dragon whelps encountered in the wild are fully grown adults. Among the tiniest of known dragons, a dragon whelp usually measures roughly a foot in length, and none larger than three feet long have ever been recorded. But while the size of the dragon whelp would seem to indicate a creature capable of little danger, dragon whelps serve as a true terror due to their intensely hot skin, and their tendency to gather in large groups and breed quickly, making them hard to get rid of.   Growing Population Unlike other types of dragons, dragon whelps are not limited in their ability to breed. A single whelp can lay eggs up to three times a year, in batches numbering upwards of a dozen at once. These eggs gestate quickly, hatching within months of being laid. However, this process requires exposure to strong heat, meaning a dragon whelp is limited in viable nesting locations. Unfortunately, the heat of a strong furnace or stove is enough for the eggs to hatch, even when separated from the fixture by a layer of floorboards. Naturally drawn to dark areas small enough to prevent other creatures from intruding, the area beneath the floors of large buildings and homes present an attractive nesting option for dragon whelps.   Hoarding Tendency Dragon whelps are attracted from birth to shiny objects of all sorts, particularly reflective metallic surfaces. Whelps gather such objects and use their heated breath to melt them down, fashioning an outer layer of protection for their nested eggs. When a young whelp finally hatches from its egg, it is expected to burn through this outer layer in order to join the world. Young whelps incapable of doing so are abandoned within these constructed prisons, ensuring any which survive have a molten core of sufficient temperature. Because of the fascination dragon whelps hold with eye-catching objects, they will often attack creatures much larger than themselves in an attempt to steal any particularly shiny jewelry the creature might be wearing. The eyes of a dragon whelp are specially built for such a purpose, bulbous orbs which allow them to catch even the smallest traces of light, preventing them from ever being entirely blinded. When a dragon whelp discovers something it finds pleasing, it brings the object back to its communal nest, laying it on an ever-growing pile of metal upon which the group of dragons sleep.   Internal Combustion The blood of a dragon whelp is made from a viscous substance resembling magma, which is pumped through a small cavity analogous to a heart, which uses the heat to enact the dragon’s other bodily functions. It is from this core that a dragon whelp also draws its scorching breath, spraying their molten blood across any creature larger than themselves which they perceive to be a threat. Unfortunately for the whelp, it seems unable to control the exact amount of magmatic fluid released, often risking the whelp’s body temperature dropping to dangerous levels. Despite this, a dragon whelp is never shy about attacking in this method, even when in a fight that it is already winning.