FIRE DRAKE, THE

The Fire Drakes receive their name from living in the hot climate of volcanoes all over Caelereth. Many have been seen flying around the Norong'Sorno volcano in southern Santharia, this may very well be where the largest concentration of Fire Drakes live.
Fire Drakes live to around 150 years of age, however only the strong survive this long because of their aggressive nature against each other. They have a long tail complete with small black spikes from the very tip to where the drake's tail connects to its torso.

Appearance.
Fire Drakes as you may have guessed are red, a crimson shade like the magma of volcanoes in Caelereth. The head of the Fire Drake is similar to that of other drakes, the males have two small horns just above each of their ears, this is the easiest feature to recognize telling the males and females apart. These horns are usually around 1 fore in length in a moon-like shape. They are a very light shade of crimson very similar to the scales of new born drakes. The ears of the Fire Drake are very small, located just under the males horns (you can find them where the horns should be if the drake is female) and are shaped in an oval form or a circle. The Fire Drakes have a medium lengthed snout with its nostrils rising slightly over the end of the snout. The scales of the Fire Drake are fairly hard and are difficult to penetrate, however most swords and axes can still harm the Fire Drake. The Fire Drake has strong wings and can move very swiftly, it uses its tail and claws to attack its prey but can also breathe fire, they are basically a smaller version of the great Fire Dragon.
Fire Drakes average between 7 and 9 peds long including its tail. From shoulder to the ground they are between 2-3 peds in height. Its wings extend out about 5 peds from its body making it a very strong flyer and one of the greatest Lesser Drakes at flying in all of Caelereth. The scales of the drake's wings are a very deep color of red but the skin part of the wing is a lighter shade of red.
The females are slightly smaller, ranging from 6 to 8 peds in length from head to tail. The females usually stand at about 1.5-2.5 peds from their shoulder to the ground. Its wings are roughly 4.5 peds and the scales are a brighter shade of crimson. The females have no horns on their head making that the easiest way to tell the males and females apart.
The claws of the Fire Drake are very sharp, usually around 2 palmspans in length although only have the dark black claw is showing. The other half is inside the drake's "hands".
The Fire Drake's eyes range from a dark shade of crimson around the black pupil to a light scarlet around the pupil. They are fairly similar to the eyes of the humans but are very sharp like that of the elves.

Special Abilities.
Aside from being a fantastic flyer they can breathe fire which is a unique ability at the least. The flames are fiercely hot like the lava of the volcanoes where the Fire Drake dwells. This particular drake’s talons are incredibly sharp and fast, the Fire Drake can tear through its prey in a matter of seconds using its deadly claws.

Territory.
Fire Drakes have no distinct territory other than inside the fiery depths of the Caelereth volcanoes. Some suspect that the Fire Drakes originated from Norong'Sorno because of the large concentration of drakes in that particular area. This is un-confirmed and it is doubted that it will ever be proven, all we can do is merely speculate.
They have been seen outside of the volcanoes as well but not too far from their home. In southern Santharia they have been seen even as far as the Lower Fores but always remaining in mountainous regions. They rarely expand their territory, but are however very protective over their homes and will attack anyone or anything that is relatively close to their home.
The Fire Drakes hollow out caves inside the volcanoes, this is where they sleep. This is also where they lay their eggs. Fire Drakes make a burrow at the deepest point of the cave and then the females lays her eggs there.

Habitat/Behaviour.
Fire Drakes are aggravated very easily. They have nasty tempers and kill quickly and brutally, hunting hunt during the night usually to avoid sight and sleep during the day making them nocturnal. They are very aggressive towards each other often causing fights. Fire Drakes travel alone in general, but if someone invades their habitat they will join together and fight for their home. Other than that they are very independent, even the young drakes (this will be explained in the Mating section).
Younger Fire Drakes are treated with great care by all of the older drakes, they act as though they are one large family until the drakes are roughly 5 years old. At this time the older drakes are very hard on the younger drakes, this may contribute to the fact that when the drakes are full grown they have a very bad temper.