The Idea(ls) of a Monster

Lizard-rule hand guide for hunter. Rule number fifteen.

Contact with humans:

If you see an human standing up and making grunting noises. Only approach in organized groups to scare away.

If alone. Hold your arms up to seem big. Avoid eye contact. Shine torch in human's eyes to confuse.

Do not climb up tree. Human good at tree.

Call human control as soon as you can.

Lizard taught from guide ever since tiny. Taught to respect authority.

But, humans are not as bad as they seem. Maybe a little weak. Now that lizard no longer part of tribe, maybe have to go out into wild on own. Wild human lands not too bad.

On Drakes

Dragons are frightfully intelligent predators. They spit fire, turn nations against each-other, and control the inner workings of this world. Their forked tongues wheel off words of one language to one folk and each to all others. All masterfully crafted lies, of course.

Drakes are young dragons. They can be molded, trained, groomed for service towards a powerful family. A dragon is a powerful symbol to possess.

Do not tame a drake without a wizard. To do so is to invoke one of the oldest heresies in the book. Beware, lest the drake tame you in return.

Wizard College of Britain

Most humans weak. Not the brawlers. That is one of first human words Lizard learned. Learned to make fights quick without drawing too much anger. Learned to earn. Learned to live.

Human buildings big. Bigger than stoves and sleeping places and tables. Bigger than the people. Lizard very much like to meet a building-maker. Most humans avoid Lizard.

Lizard beginning to break chains of servitude. No longer sleep in fighting pit cells. Big fight tomorrow, not in ring. That is what Brawler-master says.

Most humans living for someone other than themselves. Building for someone other than themselves.

Lizard once saw building two scales tall. Three scales tall. Heard of building twelve scales tall. Pointy things, like spears. Pointy, tall, big doors.

Who, Lizard wonders.

On Draconic Architecture

Dragons are slavers. They desire nothing less than complete and total mastery of this world, and thus, all its aspects.

Dragons hoard gold, but they also hoard art. They hoard architects, song-writers, painters. These things mean little to their cruel masters, little more than toys do to a dawdling child.

As of yet, no dragon's den was ever built artfully. Human buildings, torched down and stolen through the eons, perhaps. But no natural dwelling amounted to much more than dirt and twigs and leaves. Always one and one fours part bigger than the dragon itself in diameter. None in the service of a living dragon would survive if they tried to change that.

If there is something grand about dragons, it is not their works. They are hateful, petty things.

Wizard College of Britain

I learned to count the moons. Not many things stayed the same between here and my home land, this was one of them.

The brawler-master showed me, one night. When the seas were low, that little yellow orb always came out into view through the north cell bars. He would tell me that only happens on special days. I never got to see through the cell bars anywhere else.

Forty moons ago. Now I am free. Free to speak with humans.

Sometimes, I am told I am many moons older than that. Maybe two hundred. Maybe four hundred.

I wonder when they will run out of moons to count with.

I also have a name now. Now I am free, and it is my own name.

When they are not afraid, some of the humans will sit there at the beach at night. Let things approach them. Let me approach them.

I remember a red-haired human who taught me to court the stars and the planets. They all have names too.