Hello! Very bad at formatting but I shall try anyways <3

“This egg seems strangely hungry”

Despite the markings on Kelpie eggs resembling eyes, until the Kelpie dragon hatches it had no way to interact with the outside world. The thick coral like plating on it's shell blocking all noise and touch. However, if it's tamer should touch the ear like appendages on its head, they seem to wiggle in glee.

Since the Kelpie dragon hatch first saw the outside world, it became wary. Hiding within the dirt and muck of anything it could wiggle into. Soon, a whole ecosystem of moss and algae started to grow on it's tail and coral like scales. Causing it to appear furred or have minor bioluminescence. It's two horns have yet to fully develop, and are warm to the touch.

As soon as the Kelpie dragon hatchling started to hunt on it's own, it became obsessed with the thrill of the hunt. It's long strands of bubble like kelp lure in it's curious prey, and it's false sleeping eyes leaving their prey impulsive. Because of their sudden rash hunting nature, they lose many catches. Causing them to become a bit scrawny but no less eager to hunt. Their hooves have started to split into many feather like claws, causing them to stumble occasionally over them.

Seeing the long bioluminescent whiskers of a adult Kelpie dragon has become a omen of death for many. While it has become much more mellow and picky in its adult state when it comes to hunting. It's become a master at it, it's success rate unbeatable. It's moss, algae, and kelp covered scales along side it's coral like fins and gills are often mistaken for a reef of their own. Leading to many myths about underwater moving cities made of moss and coral.

Story

Expedition Log

The myths were true, I knew they were. The stories of the underwater cities that disappeared without a trace by dawn. I saw it myself, and now, I see it again.

The cause of this phenomenon is still unknown, however many points of exaggeration can be cut down. Firstly, there was no true underwater cities, instead it was majestically bustling coral reefs with a usual amount of bioluminescent moss and algae. While small fish seemed to be attracted in droves to these moving reefs, strangely enough their larger predators steer clear.

Today is the day I see what happens, I finally find myself before this coral reef, to see it's mysteries before my very eyes. As the moon hung high I could see it, how the reef seemed to shudder and shake. Perhaps it was some sort of tremour in the ground? It seemed to be moving in my direction, dark green rock like structure almost looks like sharp teeth.

Wait, is that a dragon? Was it sleeping in the kelp?

No, wait, it is the kelp, and the coral, the moss, the algae too. Everything moved with it.

So this is the secret of the seas! A undiscovered dragon species, they must believe me now! That all those myths were true, a species of some sort of sleep walking reef dragons. Now I ca-

The rest of the expedition Log is lost, the only recovered page half illegible and soaked. It's author no where to be found.

And that's the Kelpie dragon! Also loosely based on Qilin/Kirin, they were fun to create and draw! 

Kelpie dragons are meant to be a sort of apex predator that mainly lives out at sea but could come on land. Kelpies being water spirits that usually take on the appearance of a horse. I thought that using coral instead of usual scales helped fit into that aspect. Originally I had thought out a special ability for them, but didn't put it into any of their writing. That ability being this

Special Ability - Roaming Reef

The Kelpie Dragon disappears, leaving behind a barren area. However, they may be lured back with food, making the area around them flourish with life.

This ability would give the chance for a egg to become two hatches. A twin scenario, only able to work if there is space. And as a cost any Kelpie dragons would be but on a breeding cooldown as well as a special ability one.

While it may seem out of place, it originally had to do with two characters I originally was going to write about in the story section. Two Kelpie dragons, a female named Nela, and a male named Peony. 

The story would go about how despite Kelpies being solitary dragons, somehow the two were hatched very close to each other. Learning to hunt together, they grew without knowing the struggle of being alone. When it was time for them to leave their own egg behind, they mourned so long for the struggle their lone hatchling would have to face, that their plant life spread to the ground around their egg, blooming into a miniature reef of life.

When eventually they did leave, the life they left behind soon became two. And when they hatched, they always had each other. As Nela and Peony had each other, the siblings did too. Even as they found their own partners and had their own eggs, the cycle only grew as the Kelpies would mourn the lonesomeness, and their mourning created a new life.

That was the idea, till I realized that it may be a bit difficult to reasonable fit. So I did a expedition Log where, spoilers, the writer got munched at the end.

And that's the Kelpie dragon!

Please if you have any criticism or ideas lemme know <3 

Signing off~