Night Furies

                At a point in time, Night Furies were a great enigma of the North Atlantic. Nothing was known about them; neither their size, nor their diet; not even what they looked like. During that period they were legendary: for their stealth, for their speed, and most of all for their ferocious attack.

Night Furies are the elite of their species, even if they are ‘small’ for a dragon (usually no more than five meters from snout to fin). Large wings, sleek bodies, and snake-like skin make for near-silent flight, and their aerodynamic physique allows them to fly at speeds which nearly rival supersonic jets. As in, they can fly nearly the speed of sound.  They range in colour from navy blue to black, and in the dead of night appear to be little more than shadow.  Two extra sets of two fins are located on its tail, and all four are instrumental to the Night Fury. If they become damaged or are otherwise rendered inoperable, the dragon is unable to fly for any distance.

Original image here.

                A Night Fury has a very distinctive head. It is very broad, and triangular in shape. Unique to this particular breed of dragon are the tentacle-like appendages (brynches) at the base of its skull. There are two main ones, four secondaries, and two significantly less sensitive tertiaries. All eight are covered in scales on their posterior surfaces, and satellite-like organs on their anterior sides. These ‘satellites’ are called seisilla (pl. seisillum) and collect sensory information via minute vibrations in the air. They serve the same purpose ears do in other animals. (as they are not in fact possessed of external ears) The main brynches are quite dextrous, and are often indicative of the dragon’s mood. Night Furies also have retractable teeth, a most unusual feature to be sure, and a wide, forked tongue.

                As if speed, stealth, and looks were not enough, they are also capable of coughing out fireballs which are so fast and so hot they vaporise everything from wood to metal on contact, creating a purple-blue cloud of particulate residue, a sonic boom, and a mild shockwave.

                In addition to all of that, Night Furies are highly intelligent creatures. They have been known to mimic the behavior of other creatures, especially that of humans. They are able to express a wide range of emotions through body language and an extensive vocabulary of chirps, growls, grunts, and roars, as well as purring and crooning. They appear to mate for life, and both the parents will raise their young together, until such time as the draclets are able to care for themselves. (some family groups remain a unit for upwards of 25 years.)

                There is no certainty about the lifespan of a Night Fury, although experts speculate they may live to be up to five hundred years old. A female Night Fury will only lay once clutch of 3-4 perfectly round, glossy black eggs in her lifetime, and these take about three months to hatch. This type of dragon likes to have its roost high up on rocky, costal cliffs, providing it with an ample supply of its favourite food: fish, of any and all kinds. (Except for eel, nobody likes eel.) If fish is not available, however, a Night Fury will happily snap up an unfortunate sheep or pig, should the opportunity present itself.

                Some young dragons may not be able to find a suitable home in cliffs. If this is the case, they will usually opt to nest somewhere further inland. Their tails are somewhat prehensile, enabling them to hang, bat-like, from a tree branch. In especially cold times, many different dragons (especially, but not solely Night Furies) will send a steady jet of fire over a spot of earth, warming it up nicely for a quick nap. Sites that have been used thusly can be identified long after the dragon has moved on, as any sand in the top layers of the soil will have melted into little blobs of glass.

                In summary, Night Furies are a highly intelligent, fast, and rather scary sort of dragon. It’s very fortunate that they are nothing worse than ambivalent towards humankind, and not overly populous, either. (There are currently thought to be 143 Night Furies living throughout the North Atlantic.) They are beautiful to look at, and a sight rarer than a blue moon. Should you ever come across one, consider yourself a very, very fortunate person.