Mottled Firecrest

The **Mottled Firecrest** is a small Stoker Class dragon that lives in hot springs and volcanic regions.

## Official Description

Like twilight clouds ignited by the rays of a new morning, Mottled Firecrests are cold and intimidating at first glance, but as time passes their passion shines through and warms the chilliest of hearts.

## Physical Appearance

### Egg

The egg of a Mottled Firecrest is about the size of a Great Horned Owl's egg (2.2 inches long and 1.9 inches wide). It is oval-shaped, and has a glossy red finish to it. There appears to be a swirling fire-like pattern with shades of red, orange, and yellow. The egg is described to be "too hot to touch."

### Hatchling to Adult

The Mottled Firecrest almost always has warm, fiery tones for its scales. Its head is feathered, and there are fin-like spines running along its back, leading down to its tail. Underneath its body and on it's shoulders are hard plates to protect the softer skin underneath. It also has small talons on its wings.

## Abilities

### Firepower

The Mottled Firecrest is able to breath small streams of orange flames at an higher-than-average temperature. When one of these dragons gets riled up, the heat of its fire will skyrocket until it calms down.

In addition to its fire breath, it is almost able to form orbs of fire in its claws, then launch them at opponents. This is more for self-defense, as once it launches the orb of fire, it will make an escape while the threat is distracted.

### Speed and Agility

Naturally, as a small dragon, the Mottled Firecrest is more agile and speedy, which makes escaping or outflying predators much easier.

### Intelligence

The Mottled Firecrest has incredible intelligence, despite what many people think. They are able to talk complex commands, and can understand why and when someone is upset or angry.

When trying to escape a predator, the Firecrest knows how to use the environment to its advantage, and will often take shortcuts or fly into small spaces that larger dragons cannot get into.

## Weaknesses

Due to its small size, it's very easy for one attack from a larger dragon to kill a Mottled Firecrest. Even being sent flying into a tree can easily snap a Firecrest's spine and kill it. Because of this, Firecrest often run away from conflict than facing it head on.

## Personality and Behavior

Mottled Firecrests are notoriously known for having a bad temper. Even the slightest inconvenience can set them off and ruin their mood for days. Adults have been noted to have better control over their temper, while hatchlings and adolescents are most irritable.

Baby Mottled Firecrests are rather helpless, but will still hiss loudly and try to bite if they feel threatened. They tend to imprint on their caretaker, whether that is their parent or an individual of another species. Hatchlings may be slightly fussy with their first few meals, but quickly learn to accept anything they're given so long as it's warm and smells like meat.

Adults love to live in warm places, so they can mostly be found by volcanoes or hot springs. In most cases, a female Firecrest will have more vibrantly colored scales than a male. Mottled Firecrests are incredibly protective of their loved ones. The friends and family of a Firecrest are fiercely guarded, even at the cost of its own life.

## Training

Training a Mottled Firecrest varies case by case. Some will be more trusting than others. The best method is to feed one over time, multiple times a day, and show that you mean no harm and want to be its friend.

If you raise one from a hatchling, it is sure to be loyal to you until it dies, since it imprints on its caretaker. Gaining a Firecrest's trust takes some time, but it will pay off in the end.

## Image Sources

1. Fire Dancer by AlviaAlcedo on DeviantArt