Teleios

The teleios dragon is sleek and as unnoticeable as a vanguard could want them. They are always a deep color; whether that means they appear to be a dark red or a dark blue or just simply black, they are always hard to spot when they're crouching in the shadows. Occasionally, these dragons will come in white, but this is such a rare event that there only appears to ever be one or two existing at the same time. The most common color for these dragons is a dark emerald green, which is fairly convenient at times. Their eyes are always a much brighter color, but the teleios dragon has three different eyelids; one can be used to make the eyes appear "darker" while still allowing them to see without having to close their eyes.

The teleios has an elongated head and very large eyes that often appear to be unblinking – in fact, it has been said that they close their eyes only when they sleep ( this is the purpose of another eyelid ). They have small horns and big, cow-like ears that can be moved around essentially the same way a cat can move theirs. The horns of these dragons are often just simply white or gray or even yellow bone that has been exposed to the world; in reality, the horns have very little purpose to the dragon, but is assumed to have been relevant in one of the ancestors of the teleios a long time ago.

These dragons are known for being incredibly long and slender. They are bigger in length than they are in height; height-wise, they only grow to about 5.5 feet at the shoulder ( on average – the largest on record was labeled at 6.8 ft, the smallest labeled as 4.9 ft ). They have very long necks, usually about 2ft long, but can grow up to 3ft. These dragons are not known for their long legs, however; while they can walk on the ground, they are much more comfortable in the sky due to their short legs. On the ground, the dragons are often forced to drag their bellies along, but only if they're walking comfortably – they can force themselves to walk higher, yet this often brings discomfort if it is forced upon them for an extended period of time. Their legs, in terms of appearance, are similar to that of smaller reptile such as an alligator; but they do possess a forearm, upper arm and elbow. In terms of length, they are generally 10ft long at a minimum and 30ft long at a maximum. When they sleep, these dragons often sleep by curling their body on top of the rest of their body; there is no reason for this except comfort.

Every teleios dragon has exactly three pairs of legs. This enables them to drag their bodies across the ground at a much faster pace than they would be able to with two legs. In addition, they have been called the "big foot" dragon, but their feet are not large to the point of awkwardness. They are very adept at stepping lightly and their toes are very spread out from the foot; really, they have long "fingers," so to say. These make them adept at grabbing things; although this does not always hold purpose to the vanguards, it can actually be quite useful for the dragons themselves in the wild.

It is said, in lore, that a teleios dragon could fly across the entire world twice before they had to stop; this has never been tested for fear of wearing out a poor dragon, but they do have incredible stamina which is good for traveling over long distances, and one of the reasons that the vanguards like them so much. Their favorite flight patterns in the air tends to be curving and quick; vanguards may often find themselves sitting upside down on their dragons' shoulders. However, the dragons also are capable of moving in the air like any regular dragon, but because they are generally playful, this is not their preferred movement method. They are quite fast dragons, as well, but especially in the wild, they prefer to take their time. The dragons also have two pairs of wings (on average – there have been recordings of a teleios dragon so long that he had three wings, but that may simply be rumor). One is a true pair of wings, connected with the shoulder bone near the base of the dragon's neck. The other is a smaller pair of wings, attached to the back leg of the dragon and going down the tail but stopping about midway through the length of the tail. The front legs and middle legs of the dragon also have membrane from the elbow to the body, but they are not fully developed wings.

The teleios dragon, in addition, has many small slants across their body that help them with breathing when they are flying at fast speeds. These look sort of like gills, but they are so small that they are not visible to humanoids' eyes, even when standing up close. They can be felt, however. Since teleios dragons have such sleek bodies covered in VERY small scales that can't even be felt, the oxygen-gills (as some call them) are very noticeable when one runs their hand down the full length of this dragon. They feel like small bumps, to say the least.

The teleios dragon has this nasty habit of setting itself on fire; they actually have the strongest firepower out of all the dragons, which may be part of the reason that they do this. This does not harm the dragon, but it can harm the rider if there is one on the dragon's back. The teleios dragon has a third eyelid to protect its eyes from smoke and flames when it does something like this ( note: the third eyelid is simply protective; it is used also when flying at high speeds ).

Teleios dragons in the wild are not aggressive in the least and tend to defend their homes by stacking rocks around an entrance to a cave. Since the dragons are so skinny – and other dragons are not – they are able to easily slide within and keep other dragons out. The teleios dragon has also been known to melt the softer rocks and craft them to protect their homes since such rocks are not as easily removed. Due to their long claws, and incredible stamina, these dragons are able to find very soft rocks that are also very big and even heavy. The large claws also make it easier for – if the dragon desires – curling around large rocks and not falling off at the first gust of wind. These wild dragon habits only sometimes appear in the vanguards' dragons. When nest-building, though, wild habits are easier to spot. For example, the dragons will attempt to find the tightest spot to lay their eggs, preferably not near any other dragons.