Mammal Dragons?
Do they have hair on their heads? What about their bodies? They have arms and wings? They give live birth? What manner of dragons are these?
Yes, my dragons in the NewEarth Series are not really dragons like the mythological creatures of Old Earth. Yet they fly, have tails, large wings, and caste an impressive shadow. Imagine being one of the newly arrived pioneers on NewEarth. The drones had just off-loaded your containers, you were surrounded by vegetation, insects, sounds and smells completely unfamiliar. You had not even managed your first sleep in this new world when a large winged creature flew in and landed at the edge of the collection of humans and containers.
Can you hear the screams, shouts, the scramble to find weapons? With hearts racing, minds dulled by the long trip filled with imagined fears, the humans attacked and the “dragon” retreated, shielded from harm and convinced that the humans were primitive and incapable of communication.
You on the other hand were running an adrenaline high, laughing with relief, and mentally debating if you should make weapons first or build a shelter? “Did you see that thing? It looked like a dragon, that wingspan was huge, 4 meters, I think!” Someone else managed a gruff brag. “We’ll be ready if it comes back. No dragon is going to make off with my goods.” Another voice reminded them, “Nobody told us about dragons being here. What else did they forget to mention?”
The humans selected to pioneer NewEarth were robust, healthy, and anxious to escape the poverty of living on a contaminated planet with limited resources. They were dedicated “greenies” wanting to live and do as little damage as possible to the environment. They knew they were likely to encounter predators, somehow they had imagined they would be on four or six legs, not flying.
It was too late to turn back, so those brave pioneers went about the business of making themselves at home, completely unaware that the dragons determined to observe them from a distance because they did not want to spook the newcomers to the planet. 200 short cycles later, a young immature territory dragon encountered a grieving human with the ability to communicate. They decided to travel together for a time. They shared many experiences, found much common ground, and eventually became trusted companions. Find out about their journey and friends in the NewEarth Series, and read to a happy place.