BUTTERFLY DRAGON, THE

The Butterfly Dragon is about the size of a cat; it has bright, vibrant colors, and is very delicate-looking. But that does not mean that it is harmless. A Butterfly Dragon holds powerful life magic which it can use for healing purposes. But if it feels threatened, it can kill living creatures in a heartbeat. However, its disposition is naturally trusting unless it was put through some sort of trauma.

Butterfly dragon: (subclass-spectral) Butterfly dragons received their name from their paper-thin, colorful wings. Each dragon’s wings are like a fingerprint, and no two patterns are alike. The colors of the wings tend to metallic hues, and on rare occasions, even fade into transparency. The wings are wispy, almost appearing more like torn membrane than butterfly wings. These dragons are very small, between six and eighteen inches long (not including the long, whip-like tail), with wingspans of no more than three feet. Their bodies are covered with soft, velvety skin, most often in dark colors, especially black. Their eyes are multi-faceted and shine with iridescent colors. Many believe that butterfly dragons can see in the dark, as they appear to have no trouble navigating when there is no light. Others believe that butterfly dragons steer themselves in the same way bats do. But no one knows for a certainty why butterfly dragons are so accurate and fast in the dark. Their heads are long with a narrow snout, and their bodies are lean and sinuous. They have weak forearms that remain folded close to their body most of the time, and stronger hind legs that they use to land on branches or stand with.

Butterfly dragons are the most passive of all dragon species. They rarely ever attack, and flee from any intrusion or threat. Their small size and nocturnal habits make them hard to see, and to complicate matters even more for the would-be hunter, these dragons tend to dwell in very remote, hard to reach places. They are intelligent enough to avoid detection if they wish to remain hidden, and it is believed that these dragons will only appear to individuals who they have watched for a long time and deemed harmless. These dragons are one of the most highly prized creatures in the Isles, and the prices that they sell for are astronomical. On the rarest of occasions, stories have been handed down of people who have befriended a butterfly dragon, though captive dragons never live for long, often dying within the year.

Butterfly dragons feed on pollen, nectars, and the fragrances found naturally in the forest habitat in which they live. They have live births, but little else is known about their breeding or birthing rituals. Because of their unique wing markings, individual dragons have been observed over the course of seventy years, though what their exact lifespan is remains a mystery. One famous megi researcher, who committed her life to the study of these dragons, believed that they lived for over 150 years.

Butterfly dragons are not aggressive, but they are not defenseless either. If struck and killed, a butterfly dragon will explode in a blinding, searing spray of magical energy. No one knows the nature of this phenomenon, since no bodies can be obtained of dead dragons (they explode), and since live dragons tend to die quickly in captivity. The explosions are deadly to anyone caught within range of the magical bursts. Nothing remains of a dragon that has died.