Drake

Native to all parts of Teth, Drakes are a very unusual family of lizard-like creatures that have a pair of bat-like wings in addition to four legs and a tail. Drakes are thoroughly unique in a number of fashions; they are generally reptilian in nature; they are covered in scales, have forked-tongues and reproduce by laying eggs, but they have warm blood and, including the wings, have six limbs rather than four. Although there are many species of Drake, all fit this broad pattern and there are no other Drake-like animals to fill the gap between Drakes and genuine reptiles.

In Amethgare there are six common breeds of Drake; the Shen Grai, or Common Grey Drake; the Dorai Khen, or Forest Drake; the Gethen Brae, or Yellow Desert Drake; the Gethen Lare, or Red Desert Drake; the Tora Bae, or Little Drake; and the Neth Be’Yan, or Great Northern Drake.

In contrast with their yellow cousins, the Gethan Lare or Red Desert Drake is a clumsy flyer at best and is larger than most Drakes – second only in size to the Great Northern Drake. Gethan Lare are keener predators than most Drakes, rarely scavenging and capable of bringing down relatively large prey. Although capable of flight, the Gethan Lare normally only takes to the air to reach ambush position in trees or on other vantage points and never uses its wings in pursuit of quarry. Gethan Lare range in colour from a deep orangey brown to a rich sunset red; typically they show their brightest colours only during the mating season when bright red females call out from low branches or ridges to attract mates. The average length of a Gethan Lare is around one metre from nose to tail. Litte Drakes, or Tora Bae as they are more properly known, are common in many coastal areas of Amethgare. These tiny drakes are very nimble flyers and are well adapted to catching both insects and tiny fish. Unlike most Drakes, who are generally considered a nuisance or even a sign of ill omen, Tora Bae are considered by many sailors to be lucky and perhaps even sacred, messengers of Bethtarr sent to guide sailors back to shore. Superstition aside, it is certainly true that Tora Bae like to land on ships close to shore and that this behaviour is often a welcome sign of nearby land when weather is bad. Little Drakes are generally pale blue or pale green in colour with a whitish underbelly, they average around 20cm in length. The Neth Be’Yan, or Great Northern Drake, is found all along the North coast of Amethgare, and has been sighted as far South as Ylaris. Neth Be’Yan are very large drakes, flightless and quite dangerous predators. Great Northern Drakes have a very strong mating bond, they normally mate and pair for life and generally hunt as a pair – unless one of the pair is guarding eggs. As with most drakes, Neth Be’Yan are happy to scavenge food, but they are also capable of bringing down reasonably large prey with their large, strong jaws. Neth Be’Yan grow as long as two metres from nose to tail and tend to have stripped or patterned colouration featuring greys, browns, black and white.