Thistle's thoughts

“There weren’t always dragons in the valley.” Thistle looked calmly at her

daughter, Crystal.

“But the valley is crowded with dragons!” Exclaimed Crystal. “Where did they

come from?”

“They all arrived here over decades ago. Some came from Mesopotamia after the

rains stopped. Dragons cannot live in arid lands. Others came from the mountain

range known as the Alps. Dragons need seclusion and peace. When humans would

create wars, dragons would flee from the chaos. Some areas of the world would

have climate changes and humans would increase their population in the valleys

and mountains that dragons called home. Therefore, many dragons settled here.”

Thistle explained.

Crystal looked at her mother with wide amber eyes. She tilted her scaled head,

“This explains why there are so many varieties here. But why no one leaves is

perplexing to me. Why did everyone stay and not go back to their native lands?”

“Oh, my baby girl. It is not safe in many places. The humans treat dragons like

something to fear. They hunt us down as trophies, now. There was a time when we

were revered and treated like the beautiful creatures we were created for.”

Other youngsters had joined the couple to hear what the mother had to say. Thistle

was their teacher. Her stories taught them about history, morals, and ethics of their

great nation.

“My grandma says we are Norse dragons. My family comes from the bluffs of

Scotland.” Scotty said with his chest puffed out with pride.

Thistle smiled at the boy. “Yes, just as my family comes from Mesopotamia. Our

families' strengths lie in the caves we all lived in. There are other families whose

strength comes from the waters of oceans and rivers. Then there are families whose

strength comes from the air and the flames from their throats. In this valley, we

live together and recognize the strengths of others as compliments to our

community.”

Amber opened her mouth. Only a wisp of smoke rose from her gapping mouth.

She coughed, “Mama says that one day I will be a defender to this valley. I must

grow into my furnace. Someday...” Frustrated she thumped her long tail.

Scotty poked her ribs, “We all got to grow into our talents. I can swim, but not as

good as my brother, Evan. He can almost swim the whole river under water like

my dad does.” Crystal looked at the small crowd of her friends and smiled.

“No one flies as high as my big sister! She can flip and throw her flames as she

turns!” Crystal stated. Thistle watched the group of youngsters with trepidation.

“Bragging is not a strength in our tribe. We try to live humbly and quietly to not

attract attention to our homelands.”

“Oh, you are going to alert us to the dangers from the humans again.” Moaned

Troy while shrugging his unwinged shoulders. Thistle looked at him with

understanding.

“Ah, Troy, every one of you must understand the difficulties with those tribes.

There was a time that some of our kinds were eliminated by the fear humans

provoked. Their spears, swords grew into weapons of fire. The destruction of their

lands by them affected every creature’s existence. Therefore, the great dinosaurs,

that shared our lands no longer exist. The humans have tried to overcome many of

the travesties of the past. Still, there are more humans than us to contend with. So,

for safety and increasing our population is important to stay out of the paths of the

humans with evil tendencies.”

Scotty shook his head so hard at this that his small horns rubbed against Amber.

She mewed instead of roaring, Scotty chuckled. Amber stood up and towering over

Scotty pulled back her fist to swipe at him.

Thistle grabbed her arm, “Enough!” She bellowed, “Arguing your opinion is

allowed, but to bring a physical fight into a discussion is how the humans are

losing their battles in conformity. The strife of their tribes is why our ancestors

came to this valley in the rain forest. The forest, caves, and water channels are the

valuable resources we need for survival. To fight, amongst ourselves, over petty

ideals bring us to the misunderstandings of our ancestors. Just like the humans, we

had many dragons that were rogue and destroyed villages searching for treasures of

the humans.” Thistle’s eyes glimmered with unshed tears. “We sent the rogues out

of the valley. Never speaking of their names. They represent a characteristic that

we want to eliminate from our species." Thistle sniffled and Crystal put her paw on

her mother’s shoulder.

“Then why do we train to use our strengths in battles?” Troy quietly asked.

“There is always the hope that one day the humans will allow us to live beside

them once again. But we simply train to defend ourselves. We are not bullies. The

humans need to understand that this land is our last resort. We must overcome the

stories they have falsely told. They call them myths. I call them trash.”

“I agree with Thistle.” A large booming voice spoke from behind the group.

Thistle smiled at her husband, Artemis. “The teacher speaks of our culture growing

despite the fairy tales of our failures in diplomacy. We are a single species with

varied strengths. Teaching each of you to use your strengths for a quiet and

peaceful environment. Will, one day, change the world’s opinions of us. We must

portray the epitome of our ancestors that brought us respect from the humans. Not

the fear that led us from our ancestral homes. It is dinner time. All of you need to

return home and remember of what Thistle has spoken of today.” His stern gaze

fell on Scotty.

"Yes, sir. I know of my strengths and weaknesses.” Turning he looked at Amber.

She stared at their small bully with disdain. “Accept my apology, Amber. I must

learn to control my attitude.” She bowed her head in acceptance.

“We will all help you learn.” She told her friend. “But I am hungry. Walk me

home?”

“My pleasure. Thank you, Thistle for our lessons today.”

Artemis placed an arm around his wife as his small family watched the youngsters

head for their homes. The bluff where the cave inhabited looked out over their

treasured valley. Artemis sighed, “To return one day to live in our ancestral lands

is a mere dream, sweetheart.” Thistle gazed at her general husband.

“Dreams can become reality, my Lord, if we teach tolerance and acceptance of

each other and other cultures.