The intelligence of dragons

How smart are dragons really? The question had pondered scholars for many years and it would elude them for many more, for humans are not great at seeing intelligence in other species.

To appreciate the intelligence of a dragon one must first acknowledge the wise gaze of the king cobra or the varied language of crows but our hubris that these are merely animals that are beneath us without feeling, is why most of us will never know the true extent of a dragon's mind.

Echoing throughout the forest for her mother, an infant cried and cried but her mother didn’t return and in the forest such cries quickly turn to dinner bells for opportunistic predators. None came however.

Orange eyes flecked with burning yellow watched the abandoned baby. These eyes belonged to a creature so massive not even bears came near despite the easy meal available, for the creature was a dragon. The king of beasts and this individual was the king of the forest. Their dark coat of emerald scales was highly contrasted by the ivory coloured spikes that protected the dragon’s back from rivals. The beast also possessed almost transparent pale talons and a crown of Horns, equal in majesty to a stag.

Extending its serpentine neck, the dragon peered closer at the child, tilting its head. This encouraged louder cries of fear and confusion from the young girl, that assaulted the dragon's ears but still it continued to examine as if a new angle would make it more clear what had appeared in its forest.

Finally making a decision the monarch of the forest, with as much care as a mother, curled their talons around the child and took off. Rearing up onto their hind legs and launching into the air, the baby clutched to their chest. For those worried, a dragon's underbelly is softer than the rest of its body being covered in smaller circular scales that allow for looser skin.

The dragon landed at a creek that ran into a river in a nearby town. The baby was placed carefully beneath a tree, upon a bed of leaves. The dragon then snaked away into a rocky crevasse. The water that poured into the creek washed away the dirt that got trapped between the dragon's scales and, like all reptiles, provided hydration and helped with shedding. The perfect spot to lie and wait for such a creature.

Eventually the baby’s cries caught the attention of a hunter, looking for deer that may be drinking from the creek. Alone, he was armed with only a hunting bow and knife. The bow only slightly smaller and lighter than a war bow but dangerous enough. His brow furrowed in confusion then his eyes widened and he rushed over. All thoughts on why a baby would be abandoned or why it would be here left his mind as the human need to protect their own overcame him.

He never got close enough to even begin to reach out to the infant. No scream was heard besides that of the child’s and chattering of hungry crows as the dragon's head slid back into its hide, dragging the huntsman’s carcass. Time passed and autumn leaves fell as the ever growing desperate screams of the little girl drew more people in: fishermen, gatherers, exploring children and finally a search party.

The sight of pitchforks paused the eager maw of the dragon and it crawled further back into the dark damp cave.

The child, now exhausted, was picked up by a farmer and with the rest of the search party continued to look for their missing friends and family. Once the forest fell silent and the humans were gone, the monarch of the forest, stomach full, slithered out of the cave and took off to the safety of the mountains.

Dragons are intelligent. How intelligent? Perhaps we’ll never know but just because they don't think like us or talk like us…Doesn't mean they are not smarter than us.