The Paper Draco

The Paper Draco was exactly what its name implies. A Draco made of paper.
When young the scales, like many young things, seemed to have trouble deciding on what shape they want to be. However as it aged and the early scale made way for the mature it took the form of a teardrop. Each teardrop scale was a sheet of paper.
It was tough. It was a pure mottled cream. It was impossible to tear or burn.
Of course this made the scales highly valuable to Scribes and Scholars. In fact, another name for the Draco was The Scholar's Lust.
Another reason Scribes chased these Draco is that they belched ink instead of flame. True, it boiled and burned one's skin. True it was almost impossible to remove. Yet if one could successfully acquire and contain it before it mixed with dirt, stone or leaf it was the finest of fine inks. Many a scribe was permanently inked from their lifetime of almost catching the beasts.
Freshly hatched Paper Draco were called Inklings. The shell of a Paper Draco egg was made of a curious form of pure ivory. This appeared to fold over itself with a thousand feathery bands, like a quill and like a quill these shells held the potential of ink. For ink was the inner "white" of a Paper Draco egg. The Inklings fed on ink inside the egg and attacked the quilled inner-surface to be allowed to exit. It usually took one season for a Draco egg to hatch.
Unfortunately for this specimen, scribes never had enough of writing and so were always on the hunt for a new abundance of supplies. It was said a scribe couldn't be counted a true member of the High Scribe's Council until he was darkly scarred by the Paper Draco.

Spread

The knowledge of the Paper Draco has diminished with time. Now it is only those scribes who dally in the ancient texts that know of them and have touched their papery scale.

Variations & Mutation

Some Scholars breathe rumour of a Paper Draco seen near the edges of the Frozen Waste.

In Literature

Paper of Wing

Ink of Breath

Draco screams of air and death.

~ Scribe Green, Written the same hour he died.~

From ancient texts, such as The Journey of Journeyman Grandior the Great, we can make a few assumptions as to the appearance of these creatures. They had paper scales, four legs, broad wings and a long tail tipped with lead, though Scholars were at a loss to know what to do with it. There are entire vats of lead in storage to this day.