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A Dragon By Any Other Name

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Chiarra

Chiarra

Super-Earth
Joined
Sep 13, 2012
Amelia Evans was in her office taking a look at a strange book bound in a very strange hide that none of the tests they had done could identify. She was a mythology expert and her main study was on Dragons. She studied their mating rituals, eating habits, many different appearances, ect. The ancient book they had found that she now held in her hands was very strange indeed even past the strange hide coverings. Tucking her long dark brown hair behind her ears to keep them out of the sight of her blue eyes, she turns the book over examining it. Upon opening it, the pages were yellow and very brittle, but the text was as black as ever, not a single mark was faded. The only problem was she couldn't read the text. It was written in an unidentifiable language that, again, no test could identify.

Leafing through the pages, quickly not finding a single word readable she closed it and set it down on her desk taking a break. She went to the company fridge, retrieved her lunch, then sat at her computer checking her stuff while she ate. After completing that she went back to the book and blinked at the pages. What moments ago were unreadable paragraphs and phrases were now crystal clear and in English. Flipping through the pages with speed to see if every page was like that. They were and she flipped back to the first page to read what it said.

"Dragons are dangerous creatures and I advise any who read this to not seek them out but unfortunately that will not stop them from seeking you once you continue reading..." She stared at those last few words. This book had to be a hoax of some sort since dragons didn't exist. She continued reading and soon got a major headache and she didn't know why. She soon had to close her eyes to try and fight past the pain and a few moments after she did it stopped. Opening her eyes, she found she was no longer in her office, she was no longer even in a building. She was out in a field with some mountains near by and looking up at them she saw a winged creature in the distance flying over them.

"Was that a dragon?" she asked herself. She must be going crazy, she must have fallen asleep and she was dreaming. Well, dream or not, she might as well explore the possibility and went in search to see if she could find that dragon or any other dragon for that matter.
 
Ender soared high above the lush rolling green hills of his birth. The massive beast soared on currents of magic making flight a pleasure not a chore. Below he saw only one speck beast and man having fled him. He banked right focusing on the figure below. What strange garb the dragon thought coming in for a water landing. Plowing through the pond he began to swim to the edge. Shaking the water of his back he approached the human who looked as confused as he.

"What be you're country" Asked the dragon licking his lips out of habit and not menace. The thing was human, and female but odd. She looked lost and afraid as she should be. The dragon stood still fearing he might injure the maiden. She was small even for a human but was not shaking. Dragon fear worked almost like magic on mortal creatures. He scented her sweet order layered over sour. Was she a woman or a flower, a human or a coal ember.

Ender tried several languages after English perhaps she was a mute. It would be just his luck to get a damaged human. She was alone and far from her kind. "Why be you here" he asked his voice booming as if coming from all around. He was not trying to frighten her but he was a dragon after all. He licked his lips again scenting the air no fear yet. No human had been this close in ages.
 
She stared at the creature. Yep, it was a dragon. What had happened to her, how did she get here? She was sure this was a dream. He licked his lips and she grew nervous, did he plan on eating her? He started speaking to her and then some more in other languages, some she didn't understand. "I'm from America," she said when he had stopped speaking.

The dragon was huge and he spoke again his voice booming. This time she froze at his loud voice. He licked his lips again and she shuddered slightly, it may be a dream but she still didn't have any desire to be eaten. "I...think I'm dreaming," she answered. "I'll wake up later and be gone," she said mainly to herself but it was also her attempt at answering his question since she didn't really know.
 
"America is that in the dark continent or the Orient" He asked confused. He had thought he knew all nations of note. Perhaps it was too small or young for him to know about. "I am no dream for can a dream have dreams" it asked trying so hard to be clever. It was only a human, and insane one at that. Still he did not want it to think any less of him then the very best.

"What are you doing American, and what can i call you that word stick in my throat" He moved a little to try and see if any other humans hid. No she was alone and unarmed. "Tell me what is this strange garb it smells of the ground" not like the wool or silk it smelt of dead things. He did not like this scent but he liked hers.
 
She raised an eyebrow, "America, the greatest country on earth?" Okay this was just getting bizarre. Then he said the most confusing thing. "I don't know if dreams can dream," she said confused. "But for one thing, you aren't supposed to exist. I should know, I'm an expert on dragons," she said in a matter of fact tone, crossing her arms over her chest.

"My name is Amelia," she said. "What's yours?" she asked. Then he asked her what garb she was wearing. It was just her usual work clothes, "This is my uniform for work. I'm a mythological beast expert and we preform tests on new items found and various other experiments. "I don't know why it would smell of the ground though," she commented.
 
"I think there for I am" He would have to find out about this America a country without dragon supervision could be trouble. She spoke the language of Albion but strangle. "My name is Ender And you are very polite to a figment of you're imagination. She still looked strange she was showing far to much skin for a free woman, and far to little for a slave.

"What is myth he asked" things were or things were not, ling or fiction could not exist when anything could and did happen. Hi head was begging to hurt the human felt wrong. "What is that book in you're hand are you a scholar" Asked the dragon having decided she was either sane or not. He had things to do, the world could no very well go on without him.
 
She shrugged and then decided even if this was a dream or not it would give her some time to study him and make observations. It would be fun anyways even if it wasn't real. "Well Ender, I guess right now it doesn't matter if you are real or not and I'm sorry if I have offended you," she said.

"Myths are stories, legends, folklore, about things that aren't real," she explained. "Have you never heard of such things before?" Then he asked about the book and she looked at it. "Something like that though I graduated from college a long time ago," she said. She may have been 30 and already a professional at her job but she was a prodigy and was in college around the age of 15. "This happens to be a book on your kind though it's strange, at first I couldn't read it but then it seemed to translate itself to English..." she started trailing off mainly talking to herself now. "I wonder if it had anything to do with why I'm here?"
 
"This is a chronicle a magic text bound in the skin of my kind, a gift to humanity" Many such gifts had been turned on there owners in times past.
"Whats a story" the dragon asked maybe a new human invention they were always making new things. Or stealing from dragons, writing, fire even speech was a gift. "Well human you look lost would you like help finding you're own kind" asked the sage beast.

He had many more questions, whats a college and where was America. "If you wish you may hop on my neck" offered the dragon having no desire to walk for a day to the nearest human settlement. She was odd so bright and so dim like a rather clever young hatchling. She had the brains she simply lacked the knowledge to go along with it. "Tell me of America, its breath and scope its people and customs"
 
She listened to him as he explained what the book was, then he asked what a story was. She looked at him dumbfounded and said, "Well, a story is something like..." she thought and struggled to find the words to explain it. "It's an accounting of a tale that never happened to tell children. For instance, my favorite as a kid was Cinderella..." She went on telling him the story in detail and watching him for any signs of reaction. Then he asked her if she wanted to find her own kind. "Actually, if you don't mind, could I stay with you for a bit to..." she rubbed the back of her neck to try and find the right words without making it sound awkward. "To see how dragons live their lives?"

Then she climbed up onto his neck and went to explain about life in America. She told him everything she could possibly think of and that took a lot of time to explain.
 
"Well dragons are solitary, only coming together to mate or debate issues of great importance" Dragons were big and powerful a fight could always break out, with dragons that did damage. "But if it never happened why would you write it down" it asked perplexed by the very idea of telling a, a untruth. It almost shook its head but recalled the tiny frail human on its neck. A shame if she fell and died after all that trouble.

"Dragons mate in season, well males do i think females made it up to avoid males" he confessed wishing he did not have to go so long. To bad humans were not a little bigger and open minded. "Why do you study dragons, to kill us better" it asked humans always wanted better dragon killing weapons. It was almost like a game, new human tactics new dragon counter tactics. A shameful spiral with only one end.
 
She listened to him and then when he asked her why write false things down she said, "It's a form of entertainment. We have plenty of historical facts that did happen and all kinds of other scholarly things, but we have many different other things in writing. Poems, songs, books filled with stories that people just can't get enough of. Really it's an escape from reality," she said the last part remembering all the problems that her society had.

She chuckled when he mentioned that he though that females made it up so they could avoid the males. Then he asked why she studied dragons. "No, like I said before dragons don't exist in my world. We just study them so..." she thought for a minute to try and explain it the best she could. "Well, many people are fascinated with mythology and the beasts that adorn them. My job is to try and get a better understanding of them so people can understand more about them and put them in their stories as accurately as possible. And also, we do try and find if they had ever existed in my world. So far we have found nothing despite the conspiracy theories that pop up once in a while." Then she blushed and added, "And I would never want to harm one of you, in fact dragons are my favorite mythological beasts."
 
"How much' he asked knowing she could not see him wink. He had a wicked sense of humor that went largely unused. The country changed from farm land, to desert, to mountain, to ocean. A small rocky island lay in the middle of a large sheltered bay. The dragon circled before landing on a small rocky outcropping. Folding his wings he had to squat to let her down.

The are was not some cave but a large room hew by Draven hands a thousand years ago. "My castle" the dragon moved forward lighting lanterns along the way. Many things were too small for a human much less a full grown dragon. Sitting down he laid eyes upon the human again. "What do you wish to know about dragons" He asked.

Books lined the walls many so old the language was no longer spoken. "My library" Most dragons sought wealth this one sought knowledge above all other things. He wondered if she would ask a few personal questions. Or if they would all be about dragons in general. He was getting thirsty, as a good host he should offer her a drink.
 
She almost missed his question, she was so amazed be they beauty of the land below. Then she blushed again and said, "Dragons just fascinate me more really. Way more than dwarves and goblins, but Elves do come right after your kind," she said. "Are there elves, dwarves and goblins and elves here?" she asked curious. When they landed at his 'castle' as he introduced it she was amazed. She walked over to the shelves and examined his books. Some were so old she was afraid they would crumble at the slightest touch so she refrained from doing so. She did however set the book she was holding on a shelf since she was tired of holding it and she longed to pick up some of the books that didn't look to old but didn't since they weren't her things. She turned back to him as he spoke. "Well, first of all, is it true that..." she blushed again but asked. "When mating with another dragon you fly high into the sky, lock onto each others claws, and then mate during the fall and break away at the last second before you hit the ground?" That was one of the common things most people associated with the dragons and one thing she wanted to settle.
 
He blushed she was forward as all humans were want to be "Yes but only at the start, and the end" It was more a flourish then a method of reproduction. The Lunar Hawk a white and black bird of prey was similar. He thought for a moment about the other races. "There are always Gobi, Goblins, Hobgoblins, troll and ogers" The other races that was harder to answer.

"Not here not in any human lands" The races confronted by man fled to there ancient homes. Even before the great war there numbers were never so great. He moved to 0ne shelf newer then the rest as where the books that lined the shelves. Everything from modern erotica to newer copies of ancient books.

"I am sorry to say the newest is a decade old i do not like to spend too much time in humans lands. Humans did not kill dragons they simply never stopped talking, poking probing. It was well intentioned as elves and dragons were in the same boat. "Humans will one day rule this world, that day magic will die"
 
She listened to him as he explained all of this. "Well then, we had at least something right," she chuckled. "Great war?" she asked. "That sounds familiar..." she trailed off trying to remember but couldn't think of it. She shrugged, she'd think of it later. Then he continued speaking about his books. "You have a vast collection of knowledge and er...entertainment," she said indicated the newer shelf with the erotica books. She blushed as she looked at them. Then he mentioned that magic would die when humans ruled the world. "That sounds a lot like my world only we never had magic to begin with," she admitted softly.
 
He laughed he had to find someway to entertain himself on a high mountain top. "Its not all, explicit" Pulling out a book of lymarics some crude, some funny, and some secret slights against the king. He began to read a few before becoming bored. "What did you want to do if you ever found a dragon, besides dissection" he joked. Humans were always taking things apart why he would never fathom. He wondered why she liked dragons most humans simply cowered in fear. "Did you think anything about dragons that turned out not to be true" He was getting tired of her clothing but all females hated criticism when it came to cloths.
 
She blushed again as he laughed and told her about that part of his collection. Then he asked what she wanted to do if she had ever found a dragon besides dissecting it. She chuckled nervously and said, "We wouldn't have dissected it." Nope, the scientists would have just captured it, kept it in a controlled environment and watch what it did first before conducting experiments. She didn't want that to happen thinking it best to study them in their natural environment, but they would never be able to do that since dragons didn't even exist in her world. She didn't tell him what they would've done though, not wanting to make him angry, instead she went to answer his other question. "Well, I'm not sure yet. Can you breath fire or not?" Sometimes legends had dragons that could breath fire, others couldn't, and still yet some dragons had other elemental breathing abilities like lightning.
 
"Not fire, only the brutish reds breath fire" Normally not on to impress others he prepared himself to put on a show. Slowly he moved to the balcony as he inhaled. Exhaling a shower of white powder erupted from his mouth. Where the powder touched ice crystals formed in only seconds. "I am a serene, a serene" The product of a union between two dragon races to form a sterile crossbreed. Perplexed he began to hum, which quickly became singing.

"Do all humans were s much clothing" Humans perplexed him seeking strong mates to breed, then covering there bodies in paint and cloth. If one watched a human dress and preen, it would look like magic. Humans all that trouble, a race of peacock and peahens. Dragons were not more hones just more direct. Besides dragons were not designed to be painted or clothed. "I have books that showing humans wearing less" Maybe the missionaries and there modesty came from America.

He took a moment to really appreciate the human. Humans like dragons clustered with there own kind. Humans unlike dragons formed smaller, and smaller groups, foolish. For a human she was attractive, young more then one quarter but less then two. Humans were too hard to read being in miniature. He was another puzzle he could challenge or court her, but without words she would be hopelessly lost. "Do you have a mate" To dragons it was an expected question like do you drink wine or beer.
 
She listened to him, smiling when he answered her question. She followed him over to the balcony and watched in amazement as he breathed out a white powder that turned to ice crystals. Then he told her what he was and she nodded. Then he started humming which soon became singing and she listened to his voice. "You have a beautiful voice," she said softly.

Then he went on to ask her about clothing. She nodded, "If they want to be seen as respectable and not whores." Then he mentioned he had a book of showing humans wearing less clothing. She blushed and said, "Because they were probably doing something indecent when they were." Did he really not understand how wearing clothes worked?

She felt the dragons eyes on her as he was really looking at her now. She felt exposed and she didn't like it. She grew nervous and rubbed her arms making them cross over her chest. Then she blushed a deep scarlet when he asked her if she had a mate. Her eyes widened and she said in a defensive tone, "I haven't had the time to find one thank you. Besides it's none of your business really."
 
The dragon laughed human modesty was something to be pitied gYou do yourself to much credit childh The dragon chided offended she would make such a leap then reject him. Off course a pixie would do the same for a human so he could not fault he g What is a whoreh He asked tiling his head o he side. Humans had so many useless words, abstinence, monogamy, marriage.

" What is indecent, wearing close to me is foolishh Commented the dragon humans had little to hide. The ice did not melt, and would not until the magic that created it faded. The human was a scholar the only thing worse then one scholar was low, humans are far to shyh Elves there was a race that aced all formal until you got them drunk, which was not hard as the were notorious lightweights.

"Now that the Q and A is over what would you like you doh Asked the dragon careful to disguise his emotions. The world was vast much of it yet to be explored by human or dragon. "Have you eaten human" A bad joke as it could be taken more then one way. He himself could eat using magic was hungry word.
 
"Well, a whore is someone who..." she blushed again. "Sleeps around with multiple men," she finished. "And Indecent would be..." she struggled to find the right words. "Something a whore does." Then he was asking her a question and at first she balked thinking he was asking her if she had eaten human. "No," she said immediately. "Why would I eat..." then she realized he was calling her human and blushed embarrassed and said, "No I haven't eaten."
 
"I see so America is like Albion human males can do as the wish" He nodded up and down. A consummate vegetarian it had been years since he ate any meat. He found some yogurt, oats and fruit to eat. The crystal bowls were designed with intricate snowflakes. "You seem to know these whores well" Maybe they were a religious group sex was a better reason for faith then many he knew. He licked up the yogurt and fruit it tasted sweet and creamy.
 
"Yes, unfortunately. Women didn't even become equals until later in American history," she said. She watched as he got some yogurt, oats and fruits and began eating them. "Do you eat meat?" she asked curious. "I thought all dragons ate meat." Then she blushed again at his next statement. "No, I just know of them well. I don't see how anyone can sell their body for sex. There's better ways to get money."
 
The dragon smiled not everything was about money gOh and I assume they just give money to the stupid and lazy in youfre worldh He laughed imagining what her world must be like. As for meat it was for health and religious reasons meat decayed in the stomach more slowly. gDo all humans suck eggs, I stopped eating meat because it made humans squeamishh Seeing something his size polish off a cow would make an anyone turn white.
 
She sighed at his assumption and said, "Actually yes they do and it infuriates me." She listened as he spoke again, quite offended this time. "It was just a question," she stated crossing her arms over her chest. "Fine, but why do you care if it bothered a human?"
 
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