An apep (desert dragon) standing in its native desert, the Golden Sands

Apepi (the plural of apep) are the only species of dragon native to the Fourteen Deserts, living in the central Deserts. Most live in the Golden Sands. They have a strenuous past with the natives of this desert, but they were once worshipped in ancient times as avatars of the Great Dragon. This ended with the infamous death of a group of children playing in the desert, which the apepi were blamed for. After this, they were no longer worshipped and nearly hunted to extinction. They survived by learning how to build artificial cavern systems in less sandy areas, but are now ostracized from humanity, rarely venturing out. They breathe a corrosive gas that causes skin to melt. There are still martial arts practiced throughout the Deserts that mimic their fluid and reptilian style of fighting.