| Re: Who has an explination for Ruth??
In the beginning the dragons were engineered to meet a specific threat and size was of huge importance in facing that threat. The dragons were able to last longer in flight if larger and burn more firestone etc.
However evolution has some cul de sacs where genetic mutations, that ultimately prove unhelpful to the survival of the species as a whole, crop up only to lead nowhere. Possibly Ruth is such a variation and only time will tell if the extra abilities he has are of lasting ie. evolutionary value to the dragons of Pern.
Alternatively, he could have been created as yet another answer to the question of what dragons will do when the skies of Pern are free of thread. Possibly future generations of dragons will develop in a more Ruth-like way. This could be more useful to Pern and easier to support than the traditional dragon. |