Bonsai Dragon

Bonsai Dragons (Parvidraco arborens) are miniature dragons in the family Eudraconidae native to northern Rathnir. Their species name, Parvidraco arborens reflects their appearance, meaning "Little Dragon Tree". They are incredibly small, with most being the size and weight of a bottle of water.

Appearance
Bonsai Dragons are quadrupedal reptiles that measure from 10-30 cm long and weighing around 0.5 kg. They possess two bat-like wings on their back, and a pair of horns on their head that curl slightly back. On their paws are retractable claws, much like a feline. Bonsai Dragons that live in cold climates develop a layer of downy feathers on top of their scales for added insulation.

Their tails are long and flexible, as well as prehensile. They use their tails and claws for climbing trees to escape predators and to stalk prey.

They can come in many color variations, but usually one primary color such as green or purple or blue. It is incredibly rare to see a Bonsai dragon with more than one scale or feather color, like green and black. Their bellies tend to be lighter and their horns darker than their scale color, and they sport unique spotted patterns along their body, slightly darker in color than the rest of their scales or feathers.

Their eyes tend to be Brown, Blue, Green or Yellow, as well as very small and beady.

Diet
They mainly hunt and eat small insects, as well as fruits, but they are not against scavenging larger prey that other creatures have killed. Bonsai Dragons are pursuit predators, and use their wings to chase down their prey, often outspeeding them.

Depending on the individual, Bonsai Dragons can hunt in groups or alone; as some Bonsais prefer working alone.

Abilities
Bonsai dragons are capable of flight and elemental breath from birth, the elemental breath varies depending on their bloodline, as well as their climate. There is no external way to tell what element a dragon can breathe until they breathe it. But, fire is the most common of the elemental breaths.

Bonsai dragons can also learn to manipulate the magical energy of the world, with many different classes of magic. Mind-affecting, Elemental, Illusion, and Weather-affecting magics are a handful of the many classes that Bonsai dragons often specialize in.

Culture
Bonsai dragons are highly intelligent creatures, many would argue sapient. These dragons live in large communities and are able to use magical abilities that are said to rival their larger cousins. They tend to use this intelligence and magic to hide from most, if not all creatures of the realm.

The bonsai dragons stay far away from humanoid civilizations, due to very old stories passed down from generation to generation. The tales tell of dragon ancestors peacefully living with their hoards of precious items, when out of nowhere, humans would seek them out and slay them for wealth and fame. Many Bonsai dragons fear this fate, and thus, stay hidden.

Religon
The Bonsai dragons believe that when their bodies die, their spirits join the night sky as stars. This is called the Dream Realm. It is said that the more joy you felt and the more joy you spread in life, the more power you have as an ancestral spirit to protect and care for your descendants. The only threat that opposes the ancestors is being forgotten, as if everyone that lives forgets a soul, they fade and they cease to be.

As for what their afterlife is like, no one knows for sure, nor do they want to know, as they believe that prying into this well-kept secret will anger their ancestors, and thus their soul will be sent to a dark world with no stars to light their night, and where they will experience an eternal nightmare. Stories tell of wrathful spirits pulling living souls into their realm in an attempt to bring their misery unto others, thus bringing forth nightmares in the living world. Tales also say the more misery you feel and spread, the more powerful you are as a dark spirit, but also, the harsher your punishment in the Land of Nightmares.

Similarly, good dreams are brought by the ancestors in the stars, as well as prophecies brought forth in dreams. Although, these prophecies are rare and hard to prove. Thus, most prophecies are heeded, but taken with a grain of salt.

As for gods, that does not exist in the beliefs of The Bonsai Dragons. The closest that can come to a god is an incredibly powerful ancestral spirit.