Cosmic dragons are distinguished from other dragons by their truly enormous size (as well as their lack of wings). While a young cosmic dragon is small enough to walk among humans, and an adult is about the size of a mountain but still able to sit on a planet's surface without causing harm, an elder cosmic dragon approaches the mass of a large rocky planet. The gravitational pull of a cosmic dragon can disrupt the orbit of celestial bodies in its vicinity, and is enough for the dragon to maintain an atmosphere and sometimes a suitable habitat for other living creatures. The dragon's body and important internal structures only resist its own gravity and maintain their shape via its own passive magical effects.
Cosmic dragons primarily rely on the energy of the stars to keep their massive bodies functioning, collecting power from light and radioactive particles. In a way, it resembles photosynthesis. They are extremely energy efficient, very rarely moving, never needing to breathe. The heart of an elder cosmic dragon may take as long as a thousand years to beat once.
Dragons of this size most often orbit stars, collecting and maintaining their energy stores for many millions of years before eventually leaving their home system to find a mate. Dragons outside the orbit and influence of their stars will typically enter a state of hibernation to conserve energy as they float through space. Despite the time scales on which they operate, in comparison to other bodies of their size, they move quite fast, and can traverse the distance between relatively nearby star systems in only a few thousand years. Relying on stored energy to stay alive, and slowing their bodies' systems even further, dragons make journeys of such length multiple times during their lives.
For cosmic dragon shifters, such as Indigo (pictured in animal form above and in half form below), there are strict laws around when and where they may shift to their true size, so as not to harm the natural motions of nearby inhabited planets and create unnecessary work for the deities who govern their paths. Shifter half forms never drift more than a handful of feet from the size of their human form, so despite being an adult cosmic dragon who may be mistaken for a mountain in animal form, Indigo's half form stands at a polite seven and a half feet, allowing her and others like her to interact with and live among their fellow shifters.
Long ago, before the widespread use of teleportation spells to travel between planets, comsic dragons functioned as generational spaceships, allowing families to live with atmosphere, plants, large bodies of water, and all the other comforts of home that are difficult to achieve within an artificially created ship. The great-great-great grandchildren of the original passengers would eventually arrive in other star systems, without being deprived of any of their needs along the way. Because the dragon will go the majority of the trip without ever moving, this is considered perfectly safe, though it is still not advised to build your home in one of its joints.
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