E’Frienian

E’Frienian are a species of dragons who are known for their colourful plumage.

Appearance
E’Frienians come in multiple sizes depending on the subspecies and age, the largest recorded E’Frienian stood at 13 feet tall, while the smallest stood at 4 feet tall.

This species of dragon have 4 long legs, from these legs feather tufts grow out from the back. Each paw has 3 claws and an opposable thumb facing inward. Their single tail similarly has two distinct trails of feathers starting at the back legs which running along either side of their body which meet at the tip.

Their wings are unusual in the fact that they have 4 of them, all of which are feathered like that of a bird but with a higher muscle density.

The scales found on E’Frienians are individually smooth but give their skin a bubbly texture overall, allowing them glimmer in the sunlight. Colours on this species usually vary though they often have more vibrant colours and patterns than other dragon species.

E’Frienians have long faces with decorative frills on either side of its head, these frills have special feathers growing from them which can change colour and move outward based on the creatures mood. Their eyes are a single colour with no iris, these colours are often paler than their plumage and scales.

Short feathered whiskers develop from their brow ridges, which grow longer the older they are, these whiskers pick up pheromone traces and if lost will not grow back. Most E’Frienian subspecies have 2 blunt, furred horns which branch out similarly to tree branches, which are shed every few years.

Within their jaws they have the three types of teeth, incisors, canines and molars, due to their omnivorous diet.

Behaviour
E’Frienians mate for life and as a result often travel in pairs, some E’Frienian couples have been noted to keep pets. These pets can range from birds to deer, all of which willingly follow the couple who actively feed and groomed them.

Similarly the subspecies with horns actively encourage the development of honeybee hives between their horn branches by brushing up their horns against existing hives, the fur on their horns secretes a pheromone to attract new queens.

The hives act as another boon when attracting and keeping a mate as it acts as a quick snack for them, however they only eat small sections of the honey rather than destroying the entire hive.

While friendly to most creatures E’Frienians are very timid around Astorians and will most likely flee if alarmed to a person’s presence. If cornered, the smaller subspecies will ruffle their feathers to make themselves look larger than they are, the rest of the subspecies will stress moult their tail feathers so they might use their long tail as a whip, or distract the attacker with the newly shed feathers as a makeshift smokescreen.

Some subspecies of E’Frienians have taken to living near fruit tree orchards and stealing fruit during the night.

Every few years most E’Frienians will shed their horns and scales, as well as moult their feathers, during this time they tend to be slightly more aggressive, during this period a couple will synchronise their shedding.

Before a heat cycle if a male encounters another male they will actively try to damage their rivals horns, either by breaking their beehive or break off their horns so that they would have a better chance during the cycle.

Habitats
E’Frienians often prefer sleeping in trees, either along their branches or inside hollow trunks. However they have also been seen napping on the forest floor. Until they find a mate, an E’Frienian will keep moving around, and during this time of exploration they will mark a few favourite spots for when they finally find a mate.

Diet
The favoured foods of E’Frienians are honey, fruit and berries, although they also have been seen to eat meat, plants and bone. In most cases E’Frienians are unlikely to actively kill other creatures and rather prefer to eat creature remains as a source of meat and bone.

Life Cycle
After leaving their parents most E’Frienians spend a period of time on their own to explore the land around them, once they reach adulthood they will periodically go into a heat cycle until they find a mate, during this time both males and females will rub their horns against trees in an attempt to leave a pheromone advertisement.

Next if the male finds a female scent trail they will remain around the area and call out, if the female is interested in their song they will seek them out. To figure out if the male is in fact their soul mate the female will initiate a dance using all 4 of their wings and face frills, if the male can figure out the dance pattern and reciprocate it they will be successful.

After coupling the pair will link tails and occasionally let out a low purring noise when in proximity to each other.

During this time they will try and find a nesting spot by creating a nest in the dirt under a suitable tree.

Rarely a couple will have their bond threatened by a single male who would try a duel with the current partnered male, this duel is a mix of dance and horn butting. If the partnered female is carrying eggs however they may outright attack the single male to scare them away.

E’Frienians can lay up to 7 eggs in a clutch, the eggs take around half a year to develop before being laid and during this time the female will actively look to eat more meat and bone. Their mate will actively bring back more meat to the nest, by either killing creatures themselves or bringing back remains.

After being laid chicks take 2 weeks to hatch, most chicks will survive however maybe 1 or 2 in a clutch will fail to hatch. Both of the pair will take turns in sitting and incubating the eggs as they develop.

After being born chicks are unable to see, have no scales or feathers. After 2 weeks their eyes will begin to open, scales are developed after their first shed around 4 weeks and their feathers will begin to develop by 6 weeks.

Chicks will remain with their parents for roughly 3 years before leaving their family, during this time they will socialise with their siblings and parents, all the while learn basic skills. Their horns will begin to develop by the end of their first year, whereas by the second month most chicks have learnt to fly relatively well.

Once the chicks leave their parents they may try for another clutch, however in most cases they wait at least a year before trying.

Cultural References
E’Frienians are mentioned in Bricca tomes as guardians of the forests and the ideal way to live in tune with nature.

Fruit tree farmers believe that if a shed horn from an E’Frienian is found in their fruit orchard they have been blessed by them.

Trivia
The face feathers from an E’Frienian are highly sought after by spires due to their residual effect of changing colour based on a caster’s mood. Most commonly they are incorporated into masks or shoulderpads.

E’Frienian horns are often carved into drinking horns and said to give liquids a sweet aftertaste.