First Flight (Remastered)

Lieutenant Riley McTiernan, astride her Copper Spitfire, Brutus. Despite their names, these small, agile flyers did not breathe fire, but rather spat a strong acid capable of burning through wing membranes and blinding enemy dragons.

Natural pack hunters, these dragons proved a perfect fit for patrol missions during the Battle of Britain, eventually turning the tide and repelling enemy bombers from the skies over the Kingdom. Bonding just one human pilot with the pack leader gained the allegiance and attack capability of the entire pack, which would converge on the Alpha's target and bring the enemy dragon down in a swarm of slashing, spitting and biting.

The use of natural pack hunters proved instrumental in the Allied victory, as it enabled maximum attack coordination and dragon numbers while minimizing the need for trained human riders, which were at a premium at this phase of the war. This came with a significant downside, however, as pack leaders were (as a consequence of having to constantly fend off challenges to their status from ambitious pack members) generally spiteful, quick to react to perceived  slights, suspicious and resistant to authority from their superiors. This limited their utility in the war to a largely defensive role, well-suited to patrolling and defending their territory, but generally unable to maintain the discipline and coordination needed to execute offensive strikes. The necessary decision to only bond riders with pack alphas also tended to reinforce the natural dragon tendency to view their human riders as treasures and symbols of status, and pilots had to be careful not to inadvertently instigate bloody power struggles (by showing favor or attention to the wrong dragon) nor to not grow overly attached to any one dragon, as weak or wounded dragons tended to be rather ruthlessly dispatched in the maintenance of pack hierarchy. It was thus a testament to Brutus's strength, size and cunning, as well as Lieutenant McTiernan's flying and diplomatic skills, that she remained his rider for a majority of the war.

*I've attached the original, and a Process Video. God, I used to suck...