It all depends on the quality of animal you buy. The majority of pastels brown out. Although, I have seen exceptional pastels that get brighter with age. Fires aren't too expensive at this point and they usually become brighter with age, but again it depends on the animal. They also have a super form, the black eyed leucistic. You can get a good idea of what the hatchling will look like as an adult by seeing it's parents. It's all about good genes. If I were you i'd look at as many pictures on here, kingsnake.com, faunaclassifieds.com, cites like those, look at the adults and see what you like. Have fun hunting!