Wow... really? I am more inclined to think she came back home after the fact here, misbehaved, then got thrown out for whatever misdeed she was guilty of. She's got wings.



The parent said she must be independent. S/he did not say she's reeking up the place.



Also, dragon individuals have well been established for being predisposed to living for thousands of years. If inherent dragon lifespan isn't enough, the fact that they have extremely durable, hard to penetrate skins, harder and tougher than an alligator/crocodile even, substantially increases survival chances, so far as predators are concerned. I think the only thing they would have to worry about would be hunger, thirst, and the odd super bug. They would have more to fear from microbes than from large, visible predators, unless other creatures exist with jaws powerful enough to crush gems or steel.