Shelsaire

Description: The Shelsaire are an intelligent dragon-like race. They are primarily quadripedal, though they are capable of standing upright on their hind legs, and even walking this way for short distances for the purposes of carrying things, etc. They are, however, about as awkward moving on two legs as humans are on all fours. When on all fours, they are roughly 5 feet at the shoulder. When standing fully upright, they can be 10 feet tall or more.
Like all the other native creatures on De'Ru, Shelsaire are hexapods, their third set of limbs being wings, above and behind their forelegs/arms. The wings are large and feathered, though the rest of their body is not, and tipped with two claws at the wrist of the wing. They are fully capable of flight, being equipped with large, powerful flight muscles in chest and shoulders.
They have a long, sinuous neck supporting a long, slender, pointed head, two small horse-like ears located behind the eye ridge. A thick mane of bushy hair runs from the forehead down the neck, narrowing along the back, and in some cases continuing all the way down the long, muscular, dexterous tail.
Both hands and feets port five digits, the feet somewhat hike hands, capable of grasping almost as well as any normal hand.
They do not have scales, rather, they have a soft, silky, often shiny-looking hide, which comes in a variety of colors, generally earth tones, and sometimes faintly patterned.

Skills and Abilities: As stated previously, the Shelsaire are capable of full-fledged flight, and do so as their primary means of locomotion. Most of them take great joy in it, often forsaking all else for the sheer joy of hours on the wing.
While they do prefer flight, they can move quite quickly on the ground, easily outrunning a horse when moving on all fours.
They are excellent climbers, but are more disposed toward forests and trees than cliff-faces and rocks. They can swim, but prefer to avoid it, as feathers take a long time to dry.
Like the De'Rukai, they possess excellent night-vision, and their hearing and sense of smell are finely-honed.

Ecology: The Shelsaire originate primarily from the continent of Shelnech where they evolved independently from the other two races on De'Ru. They are reptomammals, giving birth to live young, usually 1-3 at a time, which are kept in a den where they are fed by both parents until they are roughly 4 years old, and capable of joining their parents outside. The young remain with their parents until around their 15th year, when they either leave to start their own flock or join another, or stay with their parents' flock.
Their preferred habitat is one of thick, lush, green forests and fields, and they tend to prefer nature to cities, though there is the possibility of finding at least one Shelsaire in any given city-state, as they do have a tendency toward wanderlust.
The average lifespan of a Shelsaire is approximately 150 years, and they are sexually mature at 15.

Society: The Shelsaire hold a disdain toward large civilizations and buildings, preferring a natural habitat.
They live in large family and friend groups referred to as flocks. Young generally leave the flock of their parents, seeking to strike out and find a mate on their own, and end up joining another flock. This prevents genetic stagnation. Males are more likely to leave than females, and often will gather up a group of other youngsters to start their own flock.
Historically, the Shelsaire did not wear clothing, or adornments of any sort, but since venturing out from Shelnech and encountering other races, the De'Rukai in specific, they have taken to wearing miniscule amounts of clothing and jewelry, generally De'Rukai in design. They have also adopted the tendency to carry pouches or satchels in which they carry their few personal effects and currency for their travels.

Religion: The Shelsaire have no established religion, rather, they respect and pay homage to all the gods of De'Ru, viewing them as one would a beloved and respected elder.

Special Notes: Unlike the De'Rukai, the Shelsaire acknowledge, revere, and in some cases even employ magic, though as a general rule it is restricted to something akin to shamans in their society, and tends to be earth/nature-based.