MudWings

MudWings are strong, loyal, bulky dragons that inhabit the Mud Kingdom, the Diamond Spray Delta and the marshes. They are currently ruled by Queen Moorhen, and were allied with Burn and the SkyWings in the Great War; fighting against Blister and Blaze. They live and work in loyal units with them and their siblings. They were forced into the alliance by Burn, who said she would destroy them if they did not help her win. Clay is the dragonet of destiny for the MudWings.

Click here for a list of MudWings.

Description

MudWings have thick, brown, armor-like scales, occasionally with amber or gold undertones. Their nostrils are located on the top of the snout on a large, flat, head so that they can lay submerged in mud for long periods of time. Their eyes are brown or amber as well, sometimes with yellow rings around the pupils. They have strong, sturdy, muscular bodies built for power and strength. They closely resemble alligators or crocodiles.

Abilities

If warm enough, MudWings will be able to breathe fire. They are most comfortable in muddy or swampy areas, and can blend into these places quite well. The mud has a regenerative effect on them, allowing them to heal more quickly. In addition, they can hold their breath for up to an hour.

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MudWing Colors

MudWings that hatch from blood-red eggs, which hatch every few years or so, are immune to most of the effects of heat and fire. They can withstand massive amounts of heat with little or no ill effects. In The Dragonet Prophecy, Clay demonstrates this when he fights Peril, who can incinerate a dragon by just touching it. If they do get burned, they heal themselves within a day or a few hours in the mud.

Social Structure

MudWings lay their eggs in well-protected mud nests. These nests consists of warm mud surrounded by walls of hot rocks, in a way similar to real-world Crocodilians. The mother rarely checks on the eggs, and the first to hatch out is always the largest, and is known as the bigwings. The bigwings tries to break open the eggs, helping the others out of their eggs as well, and eventually become the leader of a group of siblings.

Siblings grow up together, learning to hunt and survive, and form very close bonds. These groups are often called "sibs". During wars, the army of MudWings is made up of troops that are formed by these sibling groups, which allows them to fight very effectively as one unit. If enough siblings are lost in battle, the other members of the troop will look for other dragons (unsibs) to form a new group with.

Pairings are not formal, with a breeding night once a month. Parents do not raise their children. Males have no part in caring for their offspring, and neither do the mothers. Often nobody would even know who the father was. MudWings aren't shown to care much about their dragonets, which is shown when Clay finds out that his mother, Cattail, sold him for a couple of cows.

Less wealthy MudWings usually live on the outskirts of MudWing territory, near the Diamond Spray Delta, (known as the place where the lowest born MudWings dwell), while the rest live closer to the center of the kingdom.

Since Queen Moorhen is her sibling's bigwings, her younger sisters don't dare challenge her. If one of them dies, either the troop will have a missing sib or loose they'll lose their bigwings. If a troup lost a sib they can join another troop and become an Unisib.