Rubble Dragons

RUBBLE DRAGONS

SCIENTIFIC NAME- Dracos Saxes

DIET-HERBIVORE

HABITAT-Deep caves, underground

APPEARANCE

These massive rock covered dragons can grow to be about 6 feet tall, and about 12 feet long. One of the only completely flightless dragons, they have a similar build to that of a rhino. They have a large nasal horn that can reach 3 feet long, and a second horn right behind it that can reach about two 2 feet.

They do have wings, but not usable ones. At least not anymore. Small 1 long wings sprout out of their backs, most people assume they are evolving away from flight due to their lifestyle.

The entire body is covered head to toe in rocky plates, protecting the sensitive skin from attacks. This isn’t just any stone however, they create their own using the rocks that they feed on. Of course this also means that the type of armor they produce will change depending on the diet. If fed steel, they create dragonsteel armor on their backs, one of the strongest materials.

The colors of course also depend on the diet, and what the product after being processed in the body is. Common colors are browns and grays. Dragonsteel is a dark silver. The eye color can be red, orange, and brown.

The females do not have large horns, their horns are more thick, still just as strong as the males. Hatchlings of these dragons start out completely bare, the white and sensitive scales exposed until they are able to grow out their armor.

BEHAVIOR

They live in a similar habitat to cavern dragons, and often will chase and kill them if they get close to the herd. They feast on the small amount of plant life that lives in these large caves, but most of the diet is any rock or ore that can be found. Because of the lack of food, they rival males and herds will fight fiercely over food. These fights can lead to serious injuries.

The dragons shed all the armor on their bodies every few months, leaving them extremely vulnerable. This is the main reason they move in herds, so the ones that still have armor can protect the ones that don’t.

They act just like other herds do, they travel in groups of up to 10 and during breeding season the males of the herd will fight for the right to breed with the females. These fights however don’t end in possible death like the other ones. While fighting, males will try to dislodge the rocky plates covering the skin with their horns. They won’t actually attack the skin, but just being exposed like that is enough to get the other male to back off.

Once finding a good nesting spot, the hatchling dragons are very small and weak. They won’t leave the nest for about a month, because it takes time for the system in their bodies that create armor to fully develop. Most rubble dragons don’t make it past this stage, because hungry carven dragons will not hesitate to off with one. It’s hard, because they must travel for food, but leaving the nest means the hatchlings get eaten.

When they are finally old enough, around two years old, depending on the size of the herd, either stay with the herd or get sent on their own. The most dominant male makes the decision, and this often ends with the males getting forced out and the females allowed in.

COMPETITION

They used to live alongside plant dragons, not in caves. But like the plant dragons, humans forced them into hiding. But in a different way. During the dragons wars, the need for weapons and armors was insanely high, and they couldn't get enough powerful rescuers quick enough. After learning about the rubble dragon’s ability to create, they jumped on the opportunity.

They would go for the weak ones, forced out of the herd, or take a hatchling if given the chance. They’d bring it back, tie it up, and throw them in small stalls they couldn’t move in. They then would basically force feed them rocks of their choice, then once the armor grew, they would use tools to pry the armor off painfully instead of waiting for them to shed. Because of their size, they would also be used to pull heavy things around for them. Many died due to lack of nourishment, because they failed to realize stones were not the only thing they needed to survive.

Nowadays, they only compete with each other for food and sometimes a pack of hungry cavern dragons.

KNOWN RUBBLE DRAGONS

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