Talking animal in The Oz Series
dragonettes
Also known as Young dragons, the dragonette, the creatures, those saucy dragonettes.
Young dragons, offspring of a two-thousand-year-old mother dragon, sixty-six years old, with barrel-sized scaled heads, strong front legs, tapering bodies, and shoe-string-thin tails; they are tied by the tail to rocks in their cave pockets and cannot crawl out, though they claim they would eat humans if they could reach them.
Appears in 2 chapters, first in chapter 82, last in chapter 83.
This encyclopedia covers chapters 1 to 100 of the story and shows the world as it stands at chapter 100, so it contains spoilers up to that point. To read it spoiler free, one chapter at a time, open the interactive codex.
What the story establishes
| Affiliation | Members of an ancient, high-pedigree dragon lineage descending from the Green Dragon of Atlantis; offspring of the two-thousand-year-old mother dragon. (as of ch. 82) |
| Age | Sixty-six years old (as of the day before yesterday, per the dragonette's account). (as of ch. 82) |
| Animal kind | Dragon (young dragon / dragonette, not yet full-grown) |
| Appearance | Heads as big as barrels covered in hard greenish scales; big yellow eyes like pie-plates; mouths like coal-scuttles; strong front legs just behind the head; bodies narrower than the heads, dwindling to tails as slim as a shoe-string. (as of ch. 82) |
| Being nature | Juvenile dragons — biological creatures not yet grown to full dragonhood, considered children among dragonkind and not yet permitted to call themselves true dragons. |
| Conflict | Want to eat Dorothy and her companions but are physically restrained by their tied tails, creating a standoff rather than an actual attack. (as of ch. 82) |
| Current goal | To be entertained by the strangers and perhaps eat them if they stray close enough, while waiting for mother dragon to return with dinner. (as of ch. 82) |
| Dialogue style | Formal, verbose, and mock-polite; corrects and scolds visitors for rudeness while boasting of family pedigree and beauty, speaking in a rasping, drawling voice. (as of ch. 82) |
| Is alive | yes (as of ch. 82) |
| Maturation stage | Juvenile / immature — not yet full-grown dragons, sixty-six years old out of an apparent lifespan requiring centuries of growth. |
| Motive | Hungry and eager to eat the travelers if they can reach them, but otherwise idly boastful about their family's ancient pedigree. (as of ch. 82) |
| Personality | Proud, boastful, and easily offended by perceived insults, yet honest to the point of refusing to lie even to gain an advantage over their prey. (as of ch. 82) |
| Quirks | Takes offense at being called ugly or impolite while simultaneously insulting the visitors; refuses to lie even when a lie would help it catch prey. (as of ch. 82) |
| Referential profile | neuter (as of ch. 82) |
| Skills | Sharp night vision and a menacing bite, though not yet capable of independent hunting or leaving their tied posts. (as of ch. 82) |
| Social status | Children of a powerful, high-pedigree dragon family descending from the Green Dragon of Atlantis, though currently low-status among dragonkind as immature 'dragonettes' rather than full dragons. (as of ch. 82) |
| Special capabilities | Keen night vision (eyes visible glowing in the dark cave) and powerful jaws capable of devouring large prey such as elephants or rhinoceri. |
| Status | Currently confined in their cave pockets with tails tied to the rocks by their mother, waiting for her to return from a hunting trip. (as of ch. 82) |
Relationships
- parent of ← mother dragon ch. 82The mother dragon is the parent of the dragonettes encountered in the cave; she has tied their tails to the rocks to keep them from wandering off and getting into mischief while she is away hunting.
- located in → the vast cave of the dragonettes ch. 82The dragonettes live in little rock pockets around the edge of the circular cavern, each with its tail tied to a rock at the back of its individual pocket.
- descended from → Green Dragon of Atlantis ch. 82The dragonettes claim an excellent pedigree extending back about twenty thousand years to the famous Green Dragon of Atlantis, who lived before humans were created.
- communicates with ← Dorothy (ended) ch. 82Dorothy converses with the dragonettes, asking about their nature, their mother, their age, and whether they intend to eat the travelers, and defends her own Kansas upbringing against the dragonette's boast of pedigree.
- communicates with ← Oz (ended) ch. 82The Wizard speaks with the dragonettes, identifying them as dragons, asking where their mother went, and diplomatically declining their invitation to wait for her, saying they are particular about associating with strangers.
- threatens → underground_traveling_party (ended) ch. 82The dragonettes tell the travelers they would love to eat them and would make a mouthful of them in a wink if they came near, though their tied tails prevent them from actually reaching the party.
- communicates with ← Zeb (ended) ch. 82Zeb asks the dragonette how old it is, staring fascinated at its yellow eyes as it answers.
- fears ← Dorothy (ended) ch. 82Dorothy gazes fearfully at the dragonette's great scaley head, yawning mouth, and big eyes upon learning it eats people, and draws back on hearing that they are hungry.
From the text
Their eyes are like pie-plates and their mouths like coal-scuttles. But their bodies don't seem very big.Chapter 82
See dragonettes chapter by chapter in the interactive codex →