But by now, Man had fallen from grace and been ejected from Paradise as a result of his Folly. And he (and Woman too, let us not forget) was corrupted first by the Serpent and, as the days passed, the many whisperings of those magical creatures perverted by the Serpent to vain or worthless ways.
And wherever the Dragon approached, the Man (and by now his children too) did not see the Dragon for what he was: their last remaining guardian on earth come to seek advice about his guardianship. Instead, they saw only a hideous monster, breathing fire and smoke from his nostrils, come to devour them and to trample their crops (for now that Paradise was no longer theirs, they had to work for a living, poor dears.) And instead of welcoming the Dragon and helping him with his confusion and pain, blinded by the toil of their labours, they threw sharp sticks and stones at him to drive him away.
And after the Dragon had burned several villages (and their inhabitants) to ashes (without meaning to, of course but after all what can one expect of a frightened and confused young dragon who has sharp sticks and stones thrown at him?), he looked around for someone else who might help. But every living creature that he approached ran for cover and hid under rocks, or cowered in trees, or took refuge in the deep waters for fear of him.
All except the other magical creatures. But they were no help either. "Look!" said the Elves. "See the pretty stars! Your fire cannot hurt the pretty stars, so why should we care?" "Look!" said the Dwarfs. "See the pretty gold and diamonds and rubies and other fine treasures of the earth! Your fire cannot hurt them, so why should we care?"
And so, in his anger and his confusion, the Dragon looked up into the sky, where the Sun was once again shining its bright light upon the earth. But the Sun mocked the Dragon, saying "Look, Dragon! See my fire, warm upon the surface of the earth, giving life where yours can only give death!"
And the Dragon grew angry now, and so he rampaged across the land, burning more villages to the ground in his frustration and torment.
And so it was that the Dragon knew that he must find a place where his fire, born of the love he felt for the world and its wonders and for Man (and Woman too, naturally) could never again harm those things which he loved and which it was his Holy charge to protect.
And so he sought out and came to that place, deep in the caves of the earth; a place where no other living thing came, (nay, not even dem deep, darkedy livn spiderz wot is way kewl). In that place, there was nothing that might succumb to the fearsome power the Dragon (for remember he was still young) was not able to control.
It was a dark place, where the sun could not mock him each day with its life-giving fire. It was a cold place, where the Dragon could fully feel and savour each day the fire as it burned in his belly, that he might consider it and come to know it better, the better to learn its ways and the ways to control it, this fire that was his gift and yet, it seemed, his curse. And which was the Dragon's only succour as he lay, in the cold and the dark, over countless long years, pondering how he might best come to fulfill the difficult task laid upon him by his creator.
And this is the first of the forgotten truths about Dragons: why they live alone and in caves.
Unknown "Dragon" Petulant
- 16 years, 11 months, 17 days ago