A Talk About Dragons

On a recent visit to Renolia, I decided to ask Catherine what dragons were like before they went extinct.  (more after the jump)


Catherine replied "That's depends on who you ask."

"I'm asking you."

"All I can tell you for sure is that they looked fierce.  The general population feared them, so any wizard brave enough to attack one and win was heralded as a hero.  Eventually, they were hunted to extinction."

I thought for a moment before responding.  "So you don't know if they were actually a threat to humans or not?"

"No.  Most of the stories I've read depict dragons as malevolent creatures, but there are a few older ones that talk about dragons helping people.  My personal theory is that they were benevolent, or at least neutral towards humans."

"Then how did they get such bad publicity?"

She sighed.  "Human nature.  We're scared of things we can't control.  Dragons were powerful creatures that were quite resistant to magic.  Add in flight and fire breathing..."

"I see what you mean.  I wouldn't want something like that living in the caves near my hometown."

Catherine tilted her head to the side.  "How did you know dragons lived in caves?"

Didn't mean to let that slip out.  "I, uh, read about them in the royal archives."

"Oh.  Are you sure?  A couple times, a dragon has hatched from an egg that was missed back when everyone was trying to kill them all.  Of course, those dragons didn't last long...  Look into my eyes and tell me the truth.  Have you seen a dragon?"

I made eye contact.  "No, I have not seen a dragon."

"Okay, I believe you.  They are extinct, after all."

I feel kind of bad about misleading her, but the way she talks it's probably best if no one knows that the egg exists.