Firelizard
Firelizards are a native species of Pern, present before its colonization. Being very much like dragons, they share many of the same abilities.
Contents
Characteristics
Colors
- Like their big cousins, firelizards come in Gold, Bronze, Brown, Blue, and Green.
Anatomy
- Firelizards are about the size of a large bird. They have three sets of eyelids, the innermost being a transparent membrane that allows the lizard to see where it is going while its eyes remain protected from harsh environments, such as space. Depending on how awake they are, all three can be open.
Impression
- Unlike dragons, men and women can Impress any color of firelizard, and they do not need to be a certain age to do so. Also, a person can Impress multiple fire lizards.
Mating
- Both green and gold firelizards are fertile and rise to mate. The mating, however, does not as strongly affect their partnered humans as a dragon-human bond does. Participants may choose to indulge in their firelizards' flights or not. Green firelizard clutches rarely survive because the greens hide their clutches in random locations that they cannot remember later, or they leave their clutch in an unsafe area. Gold firelizards clutches do hatch and can produce a gold egg.
Communication
Firelizards cannot communicate in words but do have limited success telepathically communicating pictures and thoughts. They are, however, strongly affected by emotions and events around them, to the point of hysteria. In Triad, firelizard speech is ~~showcased in these~~.
Socialization
Firelizards are very sociable creatures, who travel in fairs (a "fair" is as group of firelizards) and love to sing. There seems to be a group consciousness, on a basic level, that allows all firelizards to experience large events. For example, the new firelizards of the Ninth Pass knew about the volcano eruption at Landing, even though they were not alive for it. There has also been speculation that firelizards are immortal, or so long lived as to appear so, as they don't appear to age and no one has ever seen one die of old age or disease.
The Fire Lizard Song
The little queen all golden
Flew hissing at the sea
Against each wave
Her clutch to save
She ventured bravely.
As she attacked the sea in rage
A holderman came nigh
Along the sand
Fishnet in hand
And saw the queen midsky.
He stared at her in wonder
For often he'd been told
That such as she
Could never be
Who hovered there, bright gold
He saw her plight and quickly
He looked up the cliff he faced
And saw a cave
Above the wave
In which her eggs he placed.
The little queen all golden
Upon his shoulder stood
Her eyes all blue
Glowed of her true
Undying gratitude
