when dragonlords/ladies unlock their dragon features, it corresponds with their hatchlings appearance. when balinor was five and had his naming ceremony, he hatched a small golden dragon, kilgharrah, and had golden wings protrude from his back. when ganieda was five and had her naming ceremony, she hatched a small black and grey dragon, lykos, and identical wings sprouted from her back. merlin is, of course, the outlier to this rule. when he hatched aithusa, his wings were pure white. when he found another dragon egg and hatched a blue and yellow dragon, his wings took on the same colors. when he found another and hatched a green and brown dragon, his wings took on the same colors. while dragonlords/ladies hatch one dragon in their life and grow with the dragon (giving them a sort of sibling bond), merlin hatching multiple dragons into adulthood (giving them a sort of parent/child bond) was abnormal and emphasized his title as emrys. after hatching enough dragons, merlin's wings are constantly shifting between hues and shades of every color under the sun.