Levitas

Levitas is a Winchester who served as a courier dragon in the British Aerial Corps and as the companion of Captain Jeremy Rankin.

Physical Characteristics
Like all Winchesters, Levitas was small and built for speed. Captain Laurence noted: 'he was only about the size of a couple of draft horses, and his shoulder barely topped (his own) head'

Biography
As a courier, Levitas would have flown around all of Britain, and potentially further though, as of 1805, he and his captain were assigned to Loch Laggan, where Levitas met Temeraire and Captain William Laurence. It was during this first meeting that Laurence noticed uncleaned streaks of dry blood upon Levitas' hide, as well as the poorly maintained nature of his harness, hinting at the abuse and neglect the Winchester suffered at the hands of Captain Rankin. In response, Laurence got Hollin, one of the harness men, to clean and see to Levitas' harness, and the two formed a strong connection.

During his training at Loch Laggan, Laurence noticed with disapproval that: 'the little dragon watched anxiously for a handler who did not come, and if he or his harness had been given more than a cursory wipe, it was because (he) had encouraged the cadets to see to him, and asked Hollin to continue attending the harness.'

Several weeks into Temeraire's training at Loch Laggan, Levitas carried Laurence and Captain Rankin to Edinburgh, where he was told to wait quietly until Rankin's return. Over the next few weeks, Levitas would regularly go down to the lake next to Loch Laggan Castle and swim with Temeraire, Lily and Maximus, often carrying Hollin and Captain Laurence's cadets down. On the return of one of these such trips, Levitas was chastised by Rankin and Hollin instructed to cease all contact with him. In response to the incident, Rankin made a formal complaint to Celeritas, the training master of Loch Laggan, who instructed Laurence and Temeraire to stay away from Levitas at all times. Some time later, when Lily's formation was stationed at Dover, Levitas and Captain Rankin were able to fly past enemy lines to gather key intelligence on the massive dragon carrier platforms Napoleon Bonaparte was building for his attempted invasion of England. Both Levitas and Rankin were injured in the engagement that followed their collection of this intelligence, though Rankin's injuries were minor, whereas Levitas' were fatal. While Rankin chose to spend his time in the officers club with Admiral Lenton, it was Hollin that tended to him while he died. Enraged, Laurence dragged Rankin to Levitas' side to comfort him and, while Rankin's words and feelings were completely insincere, they made Levitas' last moments more bearable.

The intelligence that Levitas was able to bring back proved to be instrumental in securing British victory during the Battle of Dover, and his burial was seen to be Hollin and Captain Laurence.

Personality
Despite the abuse he received from his captain, Levitas was devoted to Rankin throughout his entire life, 'behaving with such servility and gratitude for the least cold attention'. Though Levitas did show some initiative, such as asking Laurence to clean his harness in the first place, it is clear that he was so used to the neglect and abusive treatment he received that he never questioned it.

Behind the Scenes
'Levitas' is latin for levity.