Drake
"No it's not a dragon, no dragon that I know would swoop a person off the streets and fly off to a remote area to eat them. Dragons are too proud to do something like that."Commonly mistaken for smaller Winged Dragons drakes do not have the magical abilities of dragons or their intelligence. Like the dragons, however, they are still dangerous with their ability to fly and carry off creatures that about their same weight or even heavier. These creatures are often flying around or nesting the world of Miyla the dragon homeworld preferring to hunt in the wild regions. Recently these pest have started nesting in the slum districts of Nyiltokti and been causing problems and several deaths to the people that live there.
Basic Information
Anatomy
Drakes have two wings, two arms, two legs, and one tail and look a lot like a scaled wing dragon in its childhood or adolescent stage which makes these beasts more dangerous since they appear to be only young dragons.
Genetics and Reproduction
Female drakes will lay 10 eggs every 50 to 100 years which is then fertilized by a male usually the female will allow a mate with the best coloring or markings to fertilize an egg but drakes do not mate for life and are quick to have hatchlings with any other drake that looks better.
Like the dragons, the main coloring of the drake is determined by the color of the father, and the markings and secondary colors come from the mother.
Growth Rate & Stages
After an egg is fertilized it can take up to a year before the egg hatches where the hatchling will start to develop outside of the egg a childhood for these creatures can last 20 years but the older that the drake becomes the more hunting that the nest seems to allow it to do. As they grow drakes will shed their scales meaning that they can grow larger even after their devolvement period is over. Once the wings start coming in when the drake is 15 years old it is allowed to hunt on its own and is taught how to fly.
Ecology and Habitats
Drakes are common through Miyla and they prefer to nest in places that have a good hunting ground they prefer to nest high so mountains and canyons are the places where most of these creatures can be found. They build nests out of rocks and tree branches that they find either laying around or forcefully remove from the rocky faces of mountains or trees. They hunt most living things in their habitats including the races that call Miyla their home.
Recently hunting must have gotten harder for them in the canyons near Nyiltokti as many drakes have moved into the abandoned buildings of the slums in that city. The drakes have been building nests in factories and the Train Graveyard in Schlullk De where they use metal and other materials lying around in the slums to contract them. Since the larger prey that they normally hunt like Jiebo Meelacha are much more protected by the people that use them for transportation drakes have turned to another source of prey. They have been hunting the Humans that live in the slums and even the other races that call that area home. This has become a problem enough that people have been calling on Bridt Schtricksüker and Pfussäwinn Witts to do something about the problem.
Dietary Needs and Habits
Drakes are carnivorous and will hunt in packs to get the most food out of a trip. They hunt wild Jiebo Meelacha which are fast running flightless birds among other larger mammals throughout the world. Although not the drakes first choice for hunting they will even hunt the races all expect fully grown dragons. Since the races are intelligent and are not fans of being swooped up flown to a nest and been ripped apart as a meal for several hungry drakes they tend to fight back. If there are no other sources of food drakes will target unarmed or non-threatening looking races to take back to the nest for dinner.
If a kill is sizable drakes will bury the leftovers under preferably organic matter in their nest to persevere the food. After all, if there is food at home they will need to hunt as often.
Biological Cycle
Like most reptiles, drakes shed their scales as their bodies grow and become too big for the skin that they have. They usually shed at their nests.
Additional Information
Uses, Products & Exploitation
Drake scales and bones can be used to create weapons and armor as they tend to be fireproof which is handy when living in a world where there are dragons. Their claws, teeth, and blood also have alchemical value and can be used in the creation of potions that prevent burning up if someone cast a fire spell your way, boosting stamina and endurance, to creating various poisons that weaken the body to fire.
Average Intelligence
Not as wise as the dragons or any of the other races they do know however that prey that does not fight back is preferred to prey that does and will go after almost anything else before trying to hunt a human for example.
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Unlike the dragons, drakes do not have any senses that are developed to direct magic but they do have a great sense of eyesight and hearing which helps locate prey while flying overhead.
Genetic Ancestor(s)
Genetic Descendants
Lifespan
200 years
