A taste of the book...

Dragons
The largest sect of dragons settled in a large cave near the top of Mount Everest. The locals call the area par guss which loosely translates to fire wing. Many legends have cropped up over the years among the human population, but the dragons have remained safe for hundreds of years.

Dragons have an exceptionally long life span, but are not immortal. The gestation period of a dragon is six years meaning the population is slow to grow in any case. In the case of the Everest dragons, where there are twenty or so dragons at any given time, it is nearly impossible to reproduce due to the cold temperatures. In the past four hundred years seven infant dragons have been born to the Everest dragons. Only four survived the harsh climate. Mancy the queen dragon is currently pregnant with a much anticipated pup.

The Everest dragons are a very pale shade of blue. Scales cover their entire body from the large elongated mouth to the long tail. Most have larger scales along their back that form a protective shell. Sharp teeth fill mouths that breath fire when necessary, but usually only for protection. Each dragon has a scaly crown that surrounds the head from cheek to cheek. It has the dual purpose of showing rank and protecting the highly refined brain and skull beneath. The more important the dragon the more ornate this crown grows. No one is sure why. Dragons only stand about two feet taller than man and are capable of standing on two legs or four. They have a highly sensitive and well developed tail that comes to a point. Thousands of small bones and hundreds of muscles in the tip make it possible for a dragon to bend his tail in such a way as to use it much as a human uses a hand .

Baby dragons do not form a crown until they are a year old. Wings develop in the second year of life and flying is completely natural. Young dragons are kept close to home and fed by the adult members of the clan. Dragons are omnivorous. Adult dragons bring home seeds, nuts, berries, and small animals. Dragons in Everest often have to fly a ways to find food for the clan. The mother of the pups also relies on the other adults of the clan for food during the first two years of a pups life .

Mancy and Mongy, the king and queen of the Everest dragons, have ruled for about three hundred years, since Mongy challenged the authority of the last king. Most dragons can speak every language on the Earth. Dragons are well read creatures and keep well versed in the knowledge of the various races. Questions of intellect are very often asked of the dragons if they can be found. The trip is grueling.
They have adapted to hunt mostly at night, but despite this there are still stories in the local villages about huge birdlike animals. Most of the small villages around Everest do not leave their homes at night for fear of being consumed by the Par Guss. The dragons have no desire to harm the humans or even to be close to them and avoid contact whenever possible.

A small sect of red dragons settled in the Sarikol Mountain range in China. Red dragons look similar to the Everest dragons, with a few minor differences. A red dragon has a slightly larger head and a more elongated body. Red dragons have a much more plentiful food supply than the Everest Dragons so are better able to care for their young. Red dragons mate for life and do not take another mate. There is only one pair remaining of breeding age. It is hoped that a new pup will be eminent. This sect has only five dragons. One of the dragons is a pup only about two years old .

Red dragons hold a wealth of knowledge from the Eastern countries such as China and Japan. Much knowledge that has long been lost to the Easterners is locked away in the well developed minds of the Red dragons .
In the mountains of Asia the red dragons are revered and left to themselves. A dragon sighting is considered a blessing. These dragons hunt at night out of habit rather than necessity. So far the East Asian belief system has kept them safe and sound in their mountain home.

The last sect of dragons settled in the Great Rocky Mountains of the US. This sect is the smallest with only three remaining dragons. The Great Rocky mountain Dragons are green. They are stockier than either the Red or the Blue dragons. More elongated jaws and longer claws are well adapted to digging out small prey in holes and small rock outcroppings in the dessert. Tougher scales and longer claws and teeth than the other dragons also help the green dragons avoid the spines of local succulents so they can eat the softer sweeter flesh and flowers. Reflective scales help to bounce hot sun away and make daytime sleeping a little cooler.

The great rocky mountain clan consists of Agar and his two female dragons Moira and Aree. Both females are pregnant. Moira is due in two years and Aree is newly pregnant and will have her pup in five and a half years. This is very good for this clan as all of the clans feared that the green dragons would die out shortly.
In the Rockies in the US, the dragons have settled in a relatively remote area of the Rockies that is surrounded by mostly desert. Tales of old men are rarely given much weight in the US and most people do not believe there is anything out there. These dragons hunt at night as well to maintain as much secrecy as possible. People rarely venture to this deserted area of the desert. For a time these dragons were favoured with the loving embrace of the natives of the land, but gradually this tribe moved on and the dragons were soon forgotten. Now they are merely a Native tale retold in a small area of the Rockies .

The Green dragons remain safe largely because of a general attitude of disbelief and the remote location they inhabit. Many desert dweller accept the dragons as simply another mystifying desert phenomenon hardly real. The green dragons stay safe for just this reason.