Feral
Dragon Breed Data
| Breed Name: | Feral |
| National Loyalty: | None |
| Physical Characteristics: | Various |
| Special Abilities: | |
| Known Members: | Definition varies, see below |
Species Notes
"Feral" is not so much a dragon breed but a state of being that transcends all breeds. The term refers to a dragon who roams free, and refuses a handler. Aviators live in fear that a dragon egg they are assigned to will go feral (as often happened with Longwings when they were presented with male handlers). However, some dragons are simply born into the wild and know no other state of being, as was the case with the group of mountain dragons Temeraire's crew encountered on the trip from China to Turkey.
That group presented an interesting look at how dragons behave without humans around to influence them. It is worthwhile to note that dragons do have their own natural language called Durzagh which is only spoken in "in the Pamirs, and the Karakoram" (BPW, 54). They also organize themselves into tribes with leaders and other positions of importance.
They have their own tradition of storytelling, which involves a complicated pantomime.
In Britain, there are feral dragons in the Pennines] mountains. These dragons were convinced by Temeraire to serve as messengers during Napoleon's invasion of Britain in 1807 in exchange for food.
Arkady's Ferals
A small group of twenty ferals, led by a dragon named Arkady, was known to have lived near the Pamirs for some time prior to 1806. Around this time, the Celestial dragon Temeraire travelled through the mountain range, and they decided to follow him to Istanbul to see the Sultan. Upon arrival, they instead stole animals from the fields and returned to their lair, before later being recruited by Tharkay, who had travelled with them earlier, to aid in Prussia. The campaign was abandoned, and they fled with Temeraire and many Prussians to Britain, where they joined the Aerial Corps, although they were more likely to ignore orders and follow their own instincts or Iskierka, a young dragon reknowned for capturing enemy ships and obtaining capital.
Arkady's Ferals are known to include:
