Chapter 84: Generation Unto Generation

''The draconic mating period is primarily instinctual, although that is not to say that dragons are completely ruled by their instincts during this time. The mating period is triggered approximately two weeks before the Autumnal Equinox by hormonal changes; dragon populations living in the tropics often have idiosyncratic mating periods as a result of the region's reduced/eliminated seasonal cues. During the mating period, all sexually mature adults in a flock of sufficient size go into a mating frenzy for a period of six to nine days. A variety of secondary factors play into the mating trigger, including nutrition levels, access to a suitable nesting site, and the size of the flock. Below a certain threshold of any of these factors, the mating instinct effectively does not trigger for the affected dragons, beyond perhaps some pair-bonding and reduced levels of mating that will result in undersized clutches, if any eggs at all. ''

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

Foreshadowing
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Epigraph Tie-In

 * The epigraph talks about the dragon-mating period. The chapter shows the dragons beginning their mating rituals.

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