SKYBLUE’S NEW LIFE — The little guardians

The neighbors lived fairly close to one another and gathered to eat the same herbs and discuss their riches. On Sundays, after religious services, they changed their meeting place but not the conversation.

The forest was so vast that it took several days to fly across it. Yet hardly any dragon ventured beyond familiar territory out of simple curiosity. They went only in search of new riches.

Skyblue could not understand it. There were mountains they had never seen, flowers they did not know, fruits with different flavors. Why always eat the same things and talk about the same things?

Living far away spared her those gatherings. No one had to feel obliged to invite her, and she had no need to invent excuses. For once, the whole village seemed to agree.

The entire community gathered for important occasions: when young dragons moved into their own homes, when some shared space needed repairs, and when it was time to elect the governing council. Those chosen were usually the most distinguished dragons, who, by a curious coincidence, were also the richest. Since they disliked change, the officials stayed in their posts for a very long time.

The arrival of an unfamiliar creature called for an emergency meeting, with delegates from every village. They had to protect themselves from the intruder, since anyone who was not a dragon must surely be looking for something to steal.

The only outsiders they willingly tolerated were the small magical creatures who helped tend the land.

Fairies wove the flowers, embroidered the grass, and helped trees and mountains grow. Gnomes tended the earth and knew how to find hidden treasures. Undines cared for the springs, watched over the rivers’ courses, and made sure the magical waterfalls kept flowing upward.

Salamanders tended and stoked the fires. The sylphs, male and female, kept the air clean, guided the wind so that seeds could travel far, and carried messages from one village to another.

Skyblue would stop to talk with them and ask how they did their work. The small creatures were surprised that a dragon wanted to know anything beyond when a task would be finished.