A Dragon's Tale: 1. In the beginning...

Here is the truth about Dragons. The truth that is known only to a few and denied by the many.

In Genesis it was written (before these verses were expunged at the hand of vainer men):

"And on the eighth day, when the Lord arose from his resting and looked out over his creation to see if it remained as good as he remembered it, he saw that things had changed a little while his back had been turned.

"And the Lord said unto himself: "Hmmm. Something tells me that this Man thing is going to be Trouble!"

"And so the Lord spake and didst bring forth Magick onto the earth, to tend and care for the finest of his creations and to guard it from harm, especially that which Man might do himself."

And so it was that all manner of magical creatures came into being, each charged with the duty of watching over the Finest of God's work, as Man had been charged in his turn with watching over the rest of His creation. But it was night when the first Elves awoke. As they opened their eyes, the first thing they saw were the stars and the moon. "Ooo!" said the Elves (for Elves always were a little empty-headed). And then they looked around them but could not find Man (for he was abed with Woman) but only saw the stars in the sky. "See the pretty lights, so beautiful in the sky!", they said. "We will guard these instead of Man, for they are so precious and must remain unsullied for all time, while he is obviously already being well-cared for by Woman."

And the Dwarfs, in their turn were seduced by the Serpent, who at that time still walked in Paradise, and he led them from their path, instilling in them instead a love of more earthy, glittery things -- gold especially. And so quickly the Dwarfs did forget their sacred duty, and took to delving in the ground in search of (worthless) treasures, instead of guarding the true treasures of the earth, as they had been directed.

And so it was that one by one, all of the magical species were led or fell from their true paths and into paths of mischief, or fruitlessness. And their powers waned. And Man came to know little or nothing of them and eventually to deny their existence altogether.

Only the Dragon stayed true to his charge. For he awoke at dawn, just as the sun was sending its rays of fire over the land. And the first dragon arose, and surveyed the lands and the creatures amongst whom he had been created, in the fresh light of a new day. And he gloried in the wonder of the sight, as the shafting rays of his first day struck each new thing before his eyes: the seas and the rivers and the mountains and the prairies and the forests and the plants and the creatures in and upon them all. And the Dragon immediately loved all that he saw. And he felt that great love strike him, like a fire in his belly.

And then, the Dragon beheld Man (and Woman too, of course).

And the love that he had previously known seemed as nought to that which swelled mightily within him now at the sight of his charge. And the burn of that love arose within him as a mighty bursting fire. It erupted from his mouth and his nostrils, filling the dragon with ecstasy as he felt the great warmth of its passing, adding his own glory to shining glory of the risen sun.

And when the smoke cleared...

The Dragon beheld the damage and destruction that he had wrought upon the face of the earth. And he wept grievously to see the beauty that had previously stood there and which he had loved so, turned to lifeless soot and ashes and smoke. And he became frightened and confused. And he thought to himself: "I must learn to control the gift with which I have been blessed. I shall ask my charge how I can do this in order that I may fulfill my duties to him."

And so the Dragon set off to find the Man, to ask him this thing.
Unknown "Dragon" Petulant - 16 years, 5 months, 7 days ago

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, 5 months, 7 days ago