A dragon egg takes at least two years and three months to hatch. While there are methods to delay this indefinitely, they are exceptions. The baby dragon, known as a wyrmling, breaks free of its shell with gusto before promptly falling asleep. Ashok the Orange, the only wyrmling of the first clutch laid by Kusumita the Sapphire and hatched by Indra the Garnet, promptly curled up into a 6-pound, shiny, sapphire and garnet ball. Most clutches of dragons are more than a single wyrmling; the largest single clutch hatched a total of seven wyrmlings.
Ashok is now known as the Orange. This was not always so. Type and color are the two most important things about a dragon. These two attributes indicate the dragon's personality, offensive and defensive capabilities, tactics, and often their desires. There are four types of dragons: Metallic, Chromatic, Gemstone, and Shadow. Except for Shadow, they all have 13 different colors. Wyrmlings are born with two colors based on their parents, which can be any combination of Metallic, Chromatic, or Gemstone. As they mature they can change to any of the 40 colors, and thus be any of the 4 types. Ashok's parents were both Gemstone dragons, while he eventually became Chromatic.
A lizard the size of a small housecat does not sound dangerous, but wyrmlings grow into the most powerful and intelligent beings known to the world. At the outset these colorful creatures appear small, sleepy, and ravenous. Within weeks, Ashok quadrupled in size until he was 25 pounds. For their first decade, these small beings range across their parents' domains. Their parents look after them and protect them from many dangers due to the magical nature of the mating ritual.
Wyrmlings seek fun and adventure. Their curiosity compels them often to interact with other intelligent beings. This can prove dangerous or even fatal for other beings; while small compared to their parents, they cause nightmares for normal people. These babies already boast strong scales capable of deflecting arrows and swords. They fly faster than a horse can gallop. Their magical breath wreaks havoc on villages. They often travel as a clutch, only separating when curiosity is irresistible. If some unfortunate soul should manage to kill a wyrmling or an entire clutch, then he or she best be prepared to face two enraged parents who will work together to destroy the entire family line.
