A Robust (Den or Mairr)

Graciles like to live in forested or mountainous areas, whereas Robusts like to live on the plains, near rivers and lakes. Graciles live more spread out, each individual or family group having their own territory, while Robusts group together into towns for protection.

Both species are omnivores, but Graciles see being a good hunter as an attractive trait and important to having a high social rank, and look down on gathered fruits, vegetables, nuts, and mushrooms as being the food of the lazy, young, and incompetent. Evolutionarily, this preference is a result of the difficulty of carrying food while flying - meat is a higher-quality food because it has more calories and protein per pound than other foods. Also, pregnant Graciles have difficulty hunting, so it's best for the species if the other dragons leave the gatherable foods for the pregnant dragons who need them more.

Robusts, on the other hand, often hunt the larger prey of the plains in packs rather than hunting smaller prey alone like the Graciles. Robusts also have some agriculture, managing orchards and small gardens. They have more of a communal food-sharing system, where the hunters return with meat and the non-hunters bring fruits and vegetables, and they trade in the town market and everyone eats around communal fires, unless the weather is bad. If a Robust is happy with the food he has and doesn't want to trade, or is sick and doesn't want to walk to the market, he may eat at home, but doing this all the time is regarded as anti-social and suspicious.

Den and Mairr first met when Den was sent on an errand to buy some equipment from Mairr's shop, which was near his troop's barracks. Den had only been a soldier for two weeks, and most of those two week had been spent being yelled at by officers intent on whipping him into shape. He really wanted to carry out this errand without displeasing anyone but was nervous because he didn't even know what the supplies he was supposed to be ordering were. He got twice as nervous when he saw how huge and intimidating-looking the shopkeeper was. But Mairr greeted Den cheerfully and helped him get the right supplies which would satisfy the officer who had assigned him the task. Den was really happy to be treated kindly after two weeks of barked orders, on top of homesickness because this was the first time he had lived away from his family. Also, once Den has relaxed enough to take a look around at Mairr's shop he was really impressed by some of the more artistic pieces. Mairr always liked to be complemented on his work, and in turn congratulated Den on becoming a soldier and looking smart in his uniform. Then Den had to go back to the barracks, but they parted smiling and pleased to have met each other.

Robust soldiers are by definition hunters. They regard hunting as good training for combat which has the convenient side effect of keeping the troop fed, and also occasionally impressing the other townspeople when they bring in one of the huge animals which requires a whole team of dragons to hunt, such as the rhinox Den's troop hauled into the town square two evenings after Den and Mairr met. Mairr needed a piece of rhinox skin for an object he wanted to make, so he took some fresh vegetables from the small garden behind his house, as well as some fruit he had received in trade for a tool he has made, and went to see Den in hopes of arranging a trade. Den, meanwhile, was not only still very impressed with Mairr from their previous meeting, he was also right on the edge of going into heat. So Den was very happy to help Mairr get his rhinox skin, then the two of them sat and shared their dinner and got to know each other better. Both enjoyed the other's company and were pleased to make a new friend. And that night, after Den stammeringly told his captain he needed to go on heat leave, Mairr took Den home with him and the two of them had a great time fucking like coneys for 3 days.

Afterwards Den and Mairr agreed that while they weren't in love or suited to be mates, they were quite happy being friends and fuckbuddies. So life in the Robust town went on, and they were more or less happy – but neither of them really felt fulfilled, and both had their own wishes and fantasies that they wondered sadly if they would ever come true.

(Suggestion – someone may add Mairr and Den's first sex scene as an option here.)