Come with us into the Wilds of the Refuge. Be thou careful, the denizens of this realm are varied as it is a place where all the Kinds find refuge from the ravages of Man.
We
begin our tour here at the valley entrance. tis a gateway to the Refuge and the
wonders that inhabit its forests and grasslands. The trail beckons and we move
on. . . .
There!
Look ahead on the branch of that low tree! One of the denizens of this place
has come to feed. Let us move closer and see what it is. How wonderful. . . .
An alert red-eyed dragonet feasts upon the luscious red fruits the tree
provides. QUICKLY! QUICKLY! Let us be away before we alarm him. . . .
And,
THERE! A young green dragonet with hatchling eyes stares at us as we approach.
Slowly, slowly, lest he flies away. Be thou careful . . . aw, he sees us. We
must back up and sneak off into the greenery once more.
Here
there be wolves! This one is friendly. She is companion to many of us as we
move through the Refuge and knows we have food. When asked, she calls herself
Kitara. Come, let us move on before she looks our way and follows us. She has
not eaten a visitor yet, but there is always a first time. . . . :)
Oh!
Oh! wonderful! A rare sight! We must move with utmost stealth. Of all the
inhabitants of this realm, this one, the ghost velvet dragon is the most rare.
It is said their numbers dwindle even as we speak; they drift into hidden places
and realms where we may not go and live our their lives. . . . Take a good
luck. Thou may never see another. . . .
Can
thou see it? Look! Look in that ancient tree, upon the downed trunk. Can thou
make it out? Tis one of us! A dragon. Tis his territory, this place . . . be
thou very careful. His name is Rayne, but do not disturb him. If he sees thee,
run! He can be testy when disturbed.
Awww
. . . how cute, two beanie dragons sunning on the rocks amidst their favorite
vegetable growths, Salsify. Tis wonderful to see them. We are fortunate to
have more and more of them. For a while, there were many, but there are only a
handful here now. Most of them have gone on to their promised places where they
can live in peace and harmony with the land.
We
play host to a lot of dragons from many different realities. May I introduce
thee to an imperial Golden Dragon from Xanadu. This is Lord Kinomon. (snicker)
I swear, he is having a laugh at thy expense. He comes and goes, but this is a
favorite place of his to come and relax and visit. O Hi O Gazamas,
Kinomon-San."
A
small maroon visitor laughs and enjoys the cool shade of the forests. Where it
comes from, we do not know. He cavorts with our young and is welcome amongst
them. Little orphan, find comfort amongst us. This place is safe for thee to
grow and love, find happiness and contentment. . . .
Little
Scorch, a favorite, runs and hides amongst the deep and leafy understory,
running along logs and fallen trees. We welcome his presence from the Planet
Ty. Tis good to have representatives from our off world relatives.
A
small Faery drake visits here now and then on its migrations. Wearing long
ribbons and bedecked with jewels, it shows its joy with an aerial display of
images and patterns that stop us in our paths and make us smile in surprise.
She has not give us her name but is friend to all and often rides upon our hands
of shoulders to wherever we may happen to go.
Oh-oh.
. . . Violet and her little friends are talking and laughing. One never knows
what our children may say or do in their games. ACK! That little scamp! She's
telling a joke about ME! HEY. . . !
A
new arrival not too long ago, Wyndell took up residence before we knew he was
there. A gentle soul of a dragon, he prefers to spend time amongst the flowers
of the island as long as they are purple in hue as is himself. Wyndell likes
this particular place the best because of the columns of purple flowered vines
that grow so abundant at the edge of the forest.
Once
in a while we get wonderful visitors who don't stay but a few days to rest, to
join in games and relax. Malathar is one such renowned visitor. The abundant
fruit that grows in the lower reaches of the valley are his favorite.
Heeheehee! Looks as if we caught him in the midst of choosing his midday meal.
Hayo, Mal!!
Look
carefully! Arlowyn is very unlike others of the Kinds being a sea dragon. He
drops in now and then to partake of the company of our gathers and spin a few
yarns of the sea for us. Arly never fails to bring a smile or a quick laugh.
His sense of humor can disarm the most ardent frowns. Here he waits amongst the
flowers in the edge of the bay for friends and, perhaps, a quick bit to eat.
We
are once again at the valley mouth. I hope thee enjoyed thy brief tour. Thou
at least got an idea of the different kinds of things that make this place their
home. As more arrive, I will endeavor to add them here for thee to see. Adieu.
. . .