Vampire Dragon

Vampire Dragon
Medium: digital painting

Native to eastern Europe, vampire dragons are one of the most feared species of dragons, mostly for their unnerving habits. These dragons do not hunt for meat, but rather for the blood of their prey. They are indiscriminate killers, preying on both animals and humans alike. They have few weaknesses, and the only way they can be killed is a thrust through the heart. Because of their ability to rapidly regenerate from injuries, the killer of a vampire dragon must leave the weapon in the dragon's chest until its body begins to decay, otherwise the dragon may regenerate and "return to life." Their powerful sense of smell helps them to locate prey, but dragon hunters have found that it can also be used against them: vampire dragons find certain smells unpleasant, particularly garlic and cloves. They have extremely powerful night vision and are repelled by bright light.

Because they hunt at night, vampire dragons have no pigment in their skin or eyes. They also lack scales, but their skin is thick and leathery. Old vampires are often criss-crossed with scars. These dragons are the most dangerous; they have endured many battles. Vampire dragons have no forelegs and use their wings to crawl around like bats. Thus they are physically similar to wyverns, but are supremely intelligent. They use their long claws to fish prey out of crevices in the castles and mountains they live in. Vampires are a mid-sized to large species of dragon, although they are not very tall; they prefer to hold their bodies low to the ground.

Vampire dragons reproduce by biting eggs of other dragons. They use their long fangs to inject a virus into the embryo, which attacks and alters its DNA so that the baby dragon that hatches from the egg is a young vampire and no longer the species of its parent. These newly-hatched vampires are usually rejected by the parent dragons and grow up in isolation. Thus, vampire dragons are a very solitary species.