Fyulong

Fyulong (sometimes alternatively spelled as Fyurung), also known universally as 'Heaven's messengers', are a breed of dragon that Mikage's reincarnation belongs to, being described as in another league to the Hawkzile dragons that are saddled and ridden. They have ancient knowledge surpassing humans and are capable of telepathic communication.

When Teito and Frau are introduced to their first adult Fyulong, she was able to determine Frau was Zehel and understand the Chief of Heaven's actions. Being the mother of Burupya, she wanted him back and blamed Zehel for taking him, but understood how precious life was to them, even showing Teito Mikage's past life memories. Upon ascertaining that the child was happy, she left him with Teito.

Etymology
'Long' can mean 'dragon' in Chinese.

Anatomy
Fyulong dragons appear rather similar to the Hawkzile dragons. The only differences are that they are much larger, estimated at 30 to 40 feet long from head to tail, and having a wing-span roughly twice the size of their bodies. Their bodies are long and streamlined, with a long neck and tail, adapted for flying with little resistance. Their back, two limbs appear like the back legs of a hare, but their front legs are long, and their feet shaped very much like the talons of a bird.

They have long, thin snouts, mouths filled with sharp teeth, long and hare-like ears, and two horns on the top of their head. The colour of Fyulong dragons' fur may vary,  and they have larger tufts around their jaw (similar to the mane of a lion) and at the end of their tail. Their wings are feathered.

Young
Fyulong infants do not overly-resemble the adults, having the same furry and feathered appearance, but a different build. Unlike the full-grown Fyulongs, the infants are tiny, being the size of a small house cat, with short, stocky limbs. Fat appears to be distributed mainly at the stomach, giving them a rather chubby appearance rather than the streamlined shape of the adults, and their heads are disproportionally large, being almost the same size as the body.

Their fur is short, and their feathered wings small in comparison to the body length. They do not have the claw-like talons of the adult Fyulong, rather the paws of a cat.

Temperament
Fyulong dragons are elusive and very rare, seldom venturing near humans or human activity. Due to this, not much is known of the nature of the Fyulong dragon.

While initially docile, they appeared aggressive when they felt threatened. Fyulong dragons appear to be social creatures, travelling in packs, and raising large litters. The young Fyulong dragons emit a distinctive "Burupya" noise, and the adult dragons are able to distinguish between individual infants using their calls.

Despite their tendency to avoid humans, a Fyulong pup that spends a lot of time around humans can form attachments with humans, as shown by Burupya, Mikage's reincarnation.

Breeding
It is known that the natural habitat of the Fyulong is somewhere far north, and that the Fyulong migrate to the warmer climate of the south to birth their litters, then move back North to raise their brood. It remains unknown whether these infants are a result of live birth, or eggs, but a single Fyulong was seen to have a litter of around four. How many litters a female is able to have in a lifetime remains unknown.

Fyulong dragons appeared to not care for their children, with Frau saying that when a baby dragon falls from its nest, it is no longer looked after. However, this may not be the case, as when the female Fyulong recognised Burupya as the child which Frau took from her, she attacked the ship, and demanded her child be returned.

Ecology
It is known that the natural habitat of the Fyulong is somewhere far north.

Abilities and Attributes
They appear to have an extreme awareness of their surroundings, good navigation skills, as well as good agility and flexibility, as they were observed travelling beneath the cloud line where the air is thick with fog and mountains jut out from below. They have also been shown to have a loud call, and a particularly loud roar at close proximity has been observed to crack glass.

Intelligence: When shown briefly, they were shown to be very intelligent creatures, with a human-like understanding of emotions, and were capable of understanding human speech.

Telepathy: Fyulong dragons are universally known as 'Heaven's messengers' due to their ability to communicate with humans using telepathy.

Diet: As demonstrated by Burupya, Fyulong dragons can eat objects that humans are incapable of digesting, such as bombs.

Fyulong seen in the series

 * Burupya
 * Burupya's Mother
 * Kururu
 * Burupya's siblings
 * A few unnamed adult Fyulong dragons