Chapter 106: Rally

''Wild dragon hatchlings would typically spend their first two to five years being heavily dependent on their parents and extended family for food and care, despite being able to fly on their own after a period of only a few months. This childhood stage would typically involve the education of the young dragon in language and culture, with a strong focus on practical hunter-gatherer skills. This education would continue into pre-adolescence, during which time the young dragon would venture further and further from their home nest, gaining more and more independence from their parents. Upon reaching adolescence, most dragons would leave their home nest, searching for potential mates. Some would stay together as a small flock for mutual support while others would travel alone. Both strategies had their advantages and disadvantages: going as a group would lessen their chances of acceptance at a nesting site, but would increase their chances of finding sufficient food, and as such it was common among young dragons with close or extended relatives; traveling singularly lessened their dependence on others and increased their chances of finding a place, but also increased their risk of starvation.''

''Finding a nest willing to accept new members was usually a matter of luck; such nests would broadcast a call in ultra-low-frequency infra-sound that triggers an instinctual homing response in dragons, useful for helping both newcomers and established residents find their way home even under adverse conditions. These nest calls would also have the unfortunate side effect of possibly causing feelings of fear in humans in its radius, and are thus rarely used anymore.''

—An Introduction To Dragon Biology, 17th Edition, Oxford University Press, 1793

Foreshadowing
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Epigraph Tie-In

 * The epigraph discusses grown dragon hatchlings leaving their parents' nest to find another in search of mates. The chapter shows Toothless and his sister catching up on what they each did after they left their birth nest.

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