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Dragons were rare and majestic beasts that roamed the Earth. They were intelligent creatures and observed the humans and their destructive tendencies from a safe distance. All of the dragons, few that remained alive because of their highly sought-after body parts and their status as the ultimate trophy, had agreed to never involve themselves in the affairs of the humans since doing so would only bring destruction upon their kind.
Humans, for their part, knew of dragons, but they were
regarded mainly as creatures of legend. Very few individuals were able to see
dragons and live to tell the tale. However, that did not stop a few malicious
individuals from seeking them for personal gain.
Despite the tense relationship between the two species, one particular
individual, a young boy that had just been brought into the world, was
blissfully unaware of everything surrounding him, and he would remain that way,
until his mother abandoned him the Forbidden Woods. Like any other living
creature, the babe soon grew hungry and impatient at the lack of attention he
was receiving. Little did he know that his ruckus would soon attract the
attention of all the fierce beasts living the wood. The creatures, sensing an easy
meal, slowly encroached on the unaware babe. One creature moved quicker than the rest and
made quick work of the child, or at least he would have, if the mightiest creature
living in the wood did not come to the babe’s aid.
The dragon, Dinral, quickly flew in after having observed
the human mother abandon the child. Posturing over the child, she made for one
intimidating sight that none of the other creatures had the courage to
challenge. Dinral was unsure why she had saved the child, but once she glanced
into his eyes, she knew he would be hers to care for.
And so, Dinral raised the child, and the child grew to
possess all the wisdom and power that the dragons were renowned for. Although had
a small family, they were both incredibly happy – the mother dragon with her
human son and the human son with his dragon mother. They both lived happily
together as the guardians of the Forbidden Wood, until the mother dragon failed
to return from a hunt at the border of the wood near the neighboring kingdom of
Draxis, a kingdom whose king was lauded as the dragon slayer.
To be continued…
Dragon by ractapopulous.
Author’s note: This story is loosely based on the reading Saints: The Wolf-Mother of Saint Ailbe by
Abbie Farwell Brown. I wanted to experiment with using cliffhangers, and I knew
it wouldn’t be a good story to me unless I included my favorite mythical creature.
In the story, I replaced the wolf mother that raises Ailbe with a dragon mother
that raises a potentially fierce warrior.
Bibliography: This story is part of the Saints and
Animals Unit. Story source: The Book of Saints and Friendly Beasts by Abbie
Farwell Brown (1900).
Hi Bianca!
ReplyDeleteI haven't read the original story, so I'm not sure how it compares to your retelling, but I really like the introduction you've set up here. It feels like the beginning to a great fantasy novel series. I think it's interesting that you chose to start a recurring story instead of telling just one short story. It's an approach to this class that I honestly had not even thought of. I'm interested to see if you're able to continue it through future storytelling assignments, or if this story is always left with "to be continued...".
Hello, Bianca!
ReplyDeleteYou have done a great job of setting up your story and making readers want to know what happens next! I also like that you decided to change the animal, from a wolf to a dragon, which is in keeping with your love of mythical creatures! I am excited to see what happens next in your story and to see what else you will write this semester!
Hey, Bianca!
ReplyDeleteI loved the fantasy theme that you used when writing your story. I don't read a lot of fantasy stuff, and it took me back to elementary school when I used to read all of it! I'm not quite sure why the dragon decided to save the boy and raise him, so I guess my question is why? And also, what did they do together? What is the process of raising a human boy as a dragon mother? Maybe you can add some more detail in these areas.