Wings of Fire Dragon Culture - Mating and Bonding
Skywings: As Skywings are quite gifted in the vocal area, many like to woo their beloved with sonnets, poems and serenades, in addition to the expected aerial displays. Most Skywings don’t choose to mate for life, though, so rather than going through that whole complex ritual just to lay eggs (this is also partly thanks to the war), the tribe took to holding a monthly mating ceremony, absent of all that romantic fluff. Queen Ruby is working towards reintegrating the older Skywing customs in the hopes of cementing to her subjects that the war is truly over. Skywing couples tend to enjoy shared caves and often hunt together, however the task of raising dragonets lies primarily with the mother.
Mudwings: Displays of strength and power are the most common courting technique for Mudwings, as well as showing the ability to work well as a team. Mudwing couples looking to mate permanently may even take each other’s place within their troop for a short time, both to prove to their intended and their intended’s sibs that they are a capable mate. Mated couples are known to share mudbaths, helping lather mud on to each other and massaging scales etc (the scene in The Dragonet Prophecy where Peril helps Clay with his wounds by pouring mud on him would be considered very intimate by Mudwing standards). The siblings of dragons that do mate for life tend to combine to form one big troop as a show of support.
Sandwings: Despite the common belief among most dragons, Sandwings actually mate for life nine times out of ten, and courting can be anything from gifts of treasure, music or food to den building to scavenger hunts - and by that I mean a set of tasks chosen by the dragon being courted, not hunting down scavengers). Sandwing parents are generally pretty protective of their dragonets until around the age of three, at which point the dragonet can either choose to strike out on their own or stay with their parents, essentially paying rent through helping care for any other dragonets, hunting and other manual labour.
Seawings: Another tribe that mates for life, with colourful and intense courting rituals comprised of underwater displays, reef arrangements and jewellery making(typically a shared activity). Many mated couples try to lay as many eggs as passible, as Seawing eggs are among the least likely out of all the tribes to survive hatching; eggs go into shared hatcheries set up predominantly on reefs near heat vents, and neither parent typically has anything to do with the egg until it hatches. At which point one parent is present in order to visually imprint upon the dragonet. Things obviously work differently with the royal family, as the parents are usually away performing their duties. Therefore, each hatching is assigned an attendant, to be present during the birth and to act as a pseudo-parent for the dragonets.
Rainwings: This tribe doesn’t typically mate for life, but when they do they demonstrate undying respect and loyalty(as seen with Mangrove and Orchid). Rainwings also don’t put much effort into impressing potential mates, mostly food, flowers and lots of compliments. As seen in the books, Rainwings shared one big hatchery until very recently, and the whole tribe would care for dragonets as a whole; this is still mostly true - the tribe does share responsibility for all dragonets - but the hatchery is guarded far more carefully and Queen Glory has started construction of both a second hatchery for the Nightwing tribe and a royal hatchery(much smaller than both previously mentioned).
Nightwings: Nightwings place high value on the decision to mate for life, with intricate handcrafted jewellery and most dragons even bothering to wrap gifts if they want a good reception. There is a considerable amount of courting to be had before any mating, for life or otherwise, as a Nightwing wants to be sure of the competence of her mate before having eggs with him. Exchanging romantic letters and poems is not common among the older members of the tribe, although younger dragons may indulge in light wooing whilst caught in the flutters of new love.
Icewings: They have the most complicated courting rituals of all the tribes, as all Icewings mate for life and place VERY high expectations on mated couples to remain loyal and present a united front. Extravagant gifts, complex aerial displays and many handcrafted goods are to be expected of prospective mates, as well as participation in a strange game of cat and mouse, in which the Icewing hoping to woo another is expected to pursue her avidly, and to put up with intense animosity, as she will not make it easy for him; this courting method can take anywhere from a several weeks to years, and the responsibility is typically upon the male(or otherwise socially weaker of the two) to initiate this process, though the female(or more socially powerful) can elude to wanting the game to start. Icewing parents raise their own dragonets until their seventh birthday, at which point they cut off almost all contact unless it’s official or otherwise rank dictated. Adult Icewings act as mentors to all dragonets, regardless of rank or relation.
Silkwings: The basic template for a Silkwing courting ritual is for the would-be mate to construct as elaborate of a cocoon like nest as they can and decorate it with sweet flowers and line it with other soft things. Wing displays akin to that of a peacock are also common. Silkwings usually mated for life, choosing their potential mate before metamorphosis, however under Hivewing rule, more and more Silkwings have been opting for simply laying as many eggs as possible.
Hivewings: Whether more dragons prefer mating for life over for the purpose of laying eggs within the Hivewing tribe changes from hive to hive, but the majority prefer to simply breed rather than going through some complicated maze of flirting and gift giving. Those who do mate for life generally choose to exchange sweets and flowers if anything, and spend as much time together as possible.
Leafwings: Another divided statistic, as the two halves of the tribe share very different view; “Sapwings” like to mate for life, sharing gardening tips and designing elaborate plant arrangements for prospective partners, while “Poisonwings” prefer to just lay eggs and move on, as their focus is primarily on the resistance and defending their forests.
This is another of those ideas my brain couldn’t let go of, so I had no trouble deciding what should be next. I’m also planning to make a follow up for this regarding life mating ceremonies, because a good friend of my family just got married and I’m in the mood for luuuurve! I’ll also probably make a post regarding my ideas about how Mudwing troops go about combining following their sibs’ decision. Probably. Maybe. I dunno, depends on if people show interest in this.
