The Great Dragon's Treasure

Dirt trickled down the great dragon's maw. He coughed and spit out the offending substance. Soon he could find himself a much more suitable place to roost, but for now the small cave under a copse of oak and maple served him well. Except in this matter of dirt. With his final huff, a small squeak tickled his tympanic membranes. Much too big to be a mouse and much too small to be a wolf or large cat, he opened his golden eyes to see a small creature completely unknown to him.

The little creature stood upon two legs, dressed in a kind of woven plant covering. The dragon knew not of such things. The creature's fur, curiously only on its head, flew this way and that with twigs and leaves tangled in its strands. Its eyes looked upon the dragon with awe and wonder. Of course, the dragon thought. His own magnificence even while in this less-than-ideal cave outshone the little creature. The creature seemed to not be afraid of him as the other denizens of the forest. It approached him unabashedly with pure joy.

Taken by surprise, the dragon allowed the little being to run its fingers over his lustrous scales, touch the tips of his great claws, and even stare into his beautiful golden eyes. Each new thing the little one touched or viewed brought a bright smile and a laugh. The dragon, completely taken by the tiny monster, felt his heart warm to it. Soon he showed the little thing a puff of fire and his sharp teeth. Rather than being afraid, the little creature squeaked louder and smiled bigger. Happy with his show, the dragon contented himself to watching the small being entertain itself within his temporary home.

Soon the little creature tired and looked up at the dragon with a deep sadness in its eyes. The little thing began to cry, tears going down its dirt-stained cheeks. The dragon felt deeply unsettled by the poor creature's plight. He unfurled a great paw and tried to gently rock the creature, but that did not soothe it. He sang the deep old songs to it, but that too did not make the poor creature stop crying. Suddenly, the dragon thought of something.

He put the small crying creature on his shoulder and gently exited his cave. In the sunlight, his beautiful scales made a dazzling show temporarily calming the little one. With each step, trees shook in his presence. The wild creatures fled before him, and the little being still wept albeit much more quietly. The dragon followed trails left by the wild animals to a grove of persimmon trees, their fruit ripe for the picking. He carefully put the little creature back in his paw and lifted it to a persimmon. The small thing plucked the persimmon from the branch and bit into it. Its face screwed together as if the fruit was rotten but brightened up after a moment. It smiled at him again, and the dragon felt content. The little creature ate as many persimmons as it could and even offered some to the mighty dragon. Though he did not need to eat such things, he allowed the small one to feed him the sweet morsels.

The small creature yawned and tucked itself into the dragon's paw. He laid down in the persimmon grove watching it sleep. It looked so peaceful in its slumber he thought. Very much unlike himself, terrible and terrifying even asleep. He napped with the little one, confident his presence would deter anything that would hurt his new treasure.

After a time, the little creature awoke. It stretched and yawned, but soon after, it cried again. The great dragon awoke suddenly and offered it a persimmon. The small being rejected it with a dramatic frown. The creature began to squirm and hop in place. The dragon put down its paw, and the creature ran to a tree. The dragon soon realized it had to relieve itself. He nodded. All animals must relieve themselves at one point or another. He kept an eye out for anything that might try to hurt his little treasure, and thankfully nothing did.

The small one returned to him with a brighter disposition and picked more persimmons to eat as the dragon trekked through the dense forest. He listened to the little creature babble and squeal at the world around them. Each bird and deer brought smiles and giggles. Every malformed rock and twisted tree, laughter and song. He reveled in the little one's wonder and amusement.

After a few hours of wandering through the forest, sating the little one’s hunger and need for relief, they arrived at the edge of the forest. The dragon never ventured far from the forest’s heart and knew not of what transpired beyond. He saw great structures unlike any he had ever seen. Fields of wheat and barley swayed in the gentle wind. A great stone tower with spinning wings, not too dissimilar to his own, stood amongst a group of smaller wooden structures. He heard a great cry from the fields and saw a group of creatures approaching. Some rode atop great deer-like animals while others walked on their legs like his little creature. They looked like his treasure but much larger. The small being squealed happily at the group and babbled to the dragon. He gently placed it on the ground, and it ran to the group. One of the creatures jumped off a hornless deer and scooped up the little one. It looked at the great dragon in fear and awe, but the little one babbled with copious smiles.

The great dragon learned the creatures’ language and that they were called humans. The building with wings was called a mill. The collection of structures called Hildenburg. His little treasure was named Wilhelmina von Hildenburg, Princess of the Eight Kingdoms and heir to the Silver Throne. She was only two when she wandered away from her father’s surveying outing and found the dragon’s dirt cave under a copse of oak and maple. To this day, her house is known by the sign of a great emerald dragon holding a persimmon.