Dragons in this world are naturally magical creatures but before they became endangered they never had a reason to take forms capable of seducing/mating with mortals (the same mortals that have hunted them to near existence).
I don't buy that for a second, I don't want to delve into it too deeply though in case my PTSD flares up, needless to say I'm already having flashbacks to arguments I've have with people who think Darwins theory of evolution means we will all become Merpeople when the Ice Caps melt.
I feel all magical skill & shapeshifting is a skill they earn from years of learning.
Yeah, I can buy this theory (though I tend to prefer the natural ability angle... it's far more fun), and you don't think the first skill Vix will teach her newborn is this vital survival skill??? I tend to think yes.
Not to mention my personal theory of how a massive creature can find enough food to support it's bulk is that it is only "big" when it's trying to intimidate/impress nondragons. Most of the time it would be in whatever Humanish sized form it prefers.
In fact Human children are essentially animals
Dude!!!... Humans are the dumbest creatures on earth, have you never met one??
Most animals are born knowing advanced things like how to build a nest, how to spin a web, how to recognize the shadow of a hawk... Release a "born in captivity" animal into the wild and there is a significant chance they could survive and prosper, release an average Human into the wild and the chances are in favour of them starving to death within a week... and that's assuming you gave them a month's worth of rations when you released them... Hell I know people who would probably starve to death if their favourite restaurants closed!!
Please Don't compare other animals to them!
Once "matured" in their juvinile/awkward teen phase they would probably be expected to leave their mother's Lair & find their own lair & territories.
Matured is a grey term, in most cases I believe most creatures tend to be considered matured around 1/5th through their lifespan, that's why I said centuries in my earlier post (considering this species has a lifespan of millennia), meaning there is a big gap between being physically matured and being intellectually/emotionally mature. therein lies the fun, that young inquisitive mind needs experiences, and who better to provide them than Pops.
Their humanoid shapeshifting was done in response to their endangered nature.
Dude stop it... don't make me PTSD on you... I'm not interested in another Darwinist argument
The baby was made while its mom was in Humaniod form and its Dad is
always in Humanoid form (my preferred theory of Dad is he is the offspring off two gods... so who wants to guess what that would make his child by a Dragon)... Personally I feel strongly that this means at very least this Youngling will have a natural affinity for the Humanoid state (whether shapechanging is a natural ability or a spell)
And it's a basic patch job at best. If you look at Vix she has perfected it just enough to show off the assets that the mammalian mortals would be attracted too & built in a way that allows them to mate. This is again something they will probably have to master alone or with some early guidance at least.
I think Vix is a snob, that she doesn't want to sully herself by becoming fully human.
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She wants to make sure her Human plaything doesn't forget she is a Dragon.
JMTC