#gronckle

im a lot happier with this one than the nadder. i did a diff method this time (colour first, shadows applied w layer options as opposed to greyscale first, colour after) and i think it turned out really well! i also think the less general scale detail is better and focus on the broad strokes.

also also tomorrow i will be doing the classifications im using for this! iw as gonna do it today but was busy (which is why this wa sposted so late). this gronckle was pretty rushed so im happy it turned out so well! but basically dweller class=boulder class with a few tweaks.

tbh i dont have much to say about the main crew of dragons since i dont want to change their looks much. when we get past into the side species then ill be more creative. also im so tired typing this rn

gronckles possess small wings, designed to hover and make sudden, jerky movements instead of the languid, smooth flight of most species. they developed this to be able to hold in place as they eat rocks out of a cliff face without the risk that comes with grounding themselves.

they are very social dragons, often living in large packs on rocky or even volcanic territory. they are known to form family units in these larger packs—one pack can have as many as 300 gronckles, provided the territory is large enough.

they are very territorial to outside threats, like humans and larger dragons, but seem to have no problem with smaller species like terrible terrors.

they are very fatty animals; most of this is burned quickly in the process of turning their mineral-rich diet into lava, a lengthy ritual that happens in the cauldron of their third pseudo-stomach/flame bladder. because of this, they require a hefty amount of food and general upkeep. a hungry gronckle is unable to use its iconic lava.

speaking of, gronckles will make outlines in lava to mark their territory, refreshing this outline every few days. its been observed that different gronckle packs will use different lava to mark these bounds. some theories its simply based on the minerals available to them, but others argue its similar to a family crest or emblem as no two gronckle packs (within close vicinity) have used the same combination.

their external ears are largely useless, and they appear to be in the process of losing them. they do still twist and emote like any other animals though.

its likely the bumps on their hides are to aid in their camoflauge from larger predators. baby gronckles have much sharper ridges that soften as they age, likely as they are much likely to get preyed upon while they are small.