Ah, another Dragon. Those of you who said early on that you looked forward to the Dragons in our story should be getting your wish about now. There are nine all together in the narrative. See if you can list the ones so far. If you are feeling feisty, imagine what the Dragons to come may be like – what purpose they may serve in the tale. Still, the title of this song is “Dragons True,” in contrast to others like Seagrace and the blue dragonfly of earlier songs.
Still, the “humans” and the canine in the story line are worth knowing, and each has more than one story to tell. In this segment we discover more about each, and their relationships deepen and intertwine. Below, after winding their way through cave and cavern, the four current characters stand together in an uneasy circle.
“Prithee, come to us now – feel our welcome.”
Do I sense sinister intention here?
Curiosity and place leave no choice
I round the corner. Argose stays behind . . .
My bowels loosen as I turn to face
a lizard, nay, a Dragon of such a size
it could eat two men and a dog dessert
I gasp and swallow my voice – Argose hears
and he rushes in barking, snarling, and
lunging at the Dragon, then backing off
The Dragon unhinges its jaws, forked tongue
slithers out, a white proboscis slashing
from its gaping mouth, throat exposed pink-white
Improbable thick legs strange-bent angles
as at elbows, each bend sprouting six claws
peculiar-pointed spears from each wide foot
Now it turns to reveal its armored tail
long again as his massive gray body
he turns again slashing the appendage
aimed at Argose who leaps to a corner
continuing to bark and yip in fear
The girl rotates her black-and-rust-hued cloak
swings it over her right shoulder and strides
with confidence borne of the familiar
grounded in trust to the Dragon’s left side
and slowly strokes his back as if a child
He relaxes his militant posture
turns away from the girl and faces me
massive tail goes loose and limp on the floor
Argose gone quiet emits trembling whines
“This Dragon proud has been bestowed
an echoing name from ancient ways
I present for your acquaintance EndMaker
and by that name consecrated sacred
a brother - fourth of nine and first of three
I request your presence and your mercy”
A sonorous “hmmmm” seems assent to this
as EndMaker shifts from foot to foot
taking two pounding steps toward my small space
Argose timidly joins me and we bow
in recognition of this ancient beast
for say this body’s multiple red scars
welted up from his iron-clad gray hide
healed now but surely gained in many wars
This audience with EndMaker stops here
with stomping to farthest corner of the chamber
The girl now regards the giant fondly
turns to us like a schooled inferno guide
“Things have not always been so for this one
Hills and forests he roamed – river shores walked
But on mammals he preyed from farms, in woodlands
killing when hungered with nothing wasted
solitary living without others
of alter tribes and without his own kind
Five hundred years he lived so – never took
a human life although in the scare times
he filled his belly with a dog or two”
She looked at Argose who whimpered faintly
“How these past things can you possibly know?”
“He has told me thus and so true it be”
All his brethren this way lived and hunted”
“But how know you this for you are too young?”
“I do but look youthful. In truth I’m old
unto five hundred years we are as one
The end of our lineages both we are”
Background
From whose imagination did “Dungeons and Dragons “come? Who first said, “Beyond here there be Dragons”? What are a fair maiden and her knight without their Dragon? And on and on. Some say that the prevalence of dragons in our myths and archetypal mind come from our primitive selves: small, furry, scurrying mammals – tasty tidbits for large lizards. Admit it. Dragons are fascinating. No matter that they are the stuff of nightmares, we want them to exist. We want them to live. Consider the Dragons in your lifetime. Which ones are your favorites. Were they helpful or dangerous, or both? If you see a movie trailer that features a Dragon, are you likely to watch the full movie?
Lest we forget, three other characters hold the stage with EndMaker: The strange girl in the rusty-black cloak, the MC, and as always, Argose. But let’s be honest. A Dragon holds the center when it appears. Each of the three mammalian players has a vibrant relationship with EndMaker. The girl obviously has an ancient link. The MC is ever on the “journey of Dragons,” curious and courageous. And then there’s Argose; fear is on his mind, and loyalty is in his heart.
Exploration 1: Let’s say you read last week’s post that segues into this one. As the MC rounds the corner and “comes to face . . . a Dragon . . .” do you find yourself reacting something like, “Ho Hum. Another Dragon. How booorring”? Or are you excited, or at least interested, in seeing what this Dragon is going to do and say? Be honest. Where do you stand on all these appearances of Dragons throughout the story? (More to come, by the way.)
Exploration 2: Although the focus is primarily on EndMaker in this segment, what new can we learn about the girl in this segment? What more about her nature and kind is revealed?
Exploration 3: Will EndMaker eat Argose?
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