how do dragons fly? (Spoilers all books to end DH)

[redchild]

I'd seriously disagree with you about "as close to natural as possible". Dragons are too big to fly naturally. Full stop. I know of no animal in history that size that could fly. There is no indication of the air preasure being different to earth. The gravity is the same. You get the idea.

I think he means as close to realism as possible. And fire-breathing dragons is seen in every other fantasy book out there that contains dragons, that its almost a cliche. I liked that Hobb gave her dragons different abilities.

Also, dragons are pretty much immortal [not counting starvation, disease, injury, etc. Just age.]. I know of no animal that is immortal. But i know in the realm that skill users could age a lot slower. Through the use of MAGIC.

Not to mention the dragons ability to absorb memories. The ansestral memory. menatl communication. You get the idea.

Actually many one celled organisms (and possibly some species of jellyfish) are immortal. They never die because of old age, but live on through asexual reproduction; basically they just revert back to a young version of themselves, but now with a copy of themselves. Quite an interesting concept, really. Dragons can remember their past lives, and acquire the memories of others, in a way similar to that of the genetic memory of asexual creatures, but dragons are sexual creatures. They are like copies of the combined memories of their parents, but at the same time, of their own individual identity.

Perhaps a combination of wing-size, hollow bones, and strong pectoral muscles allow them to physically be able to fly. Dragons seem to be a lot like dinosaurs: they seem to maintain homeostasis, but at the same time crave warmth like a cold-blooded reptile. I doubt dragons can generate "heat sacs" to help them rise off the ground. The Kelsingra dragons relished the heat from the Elderling platforms that accelerated their healing and regeneration. If they could generate their own heat source beyond that generated for homeostasis, then the Kelsingra dragons should have had the strength to grow to full size on their own.

We also know that flight is not instinctive for dragons. They need to take the first leap, just like birds do.

I also remember that their blood is unlike any other creature in the RotE. Maybe some magical property in their blood, in combination with their physical wings, allows flight.