In the Realm of Dragons

by George Ivanoff

  You dash off after the dragon. You see a flash of red disappear behind a tree and give chase. It’s not long before you’re gaining speed. After all, it is just a baby.

  It looks back at you over its shoulder as it runs, squawking alarmingly. Flames burst from its mouth, setting fire to a tree.

  It runs on. You continue after it.

  More flames. This time a mass of scrub goes alight.

  Perhaps you should let it go?

  But now the dragon starts flapping its wings. It leaps into the air, gains height … and then turns to fly towards you, flames snorting from its nostrils. It may be a baby, but it’s a rather scary one!

  You turn and run towards camp as the surrounding trees ignite. Now you’re the one being chased.

  You make it back to camp … but so does the dragon.

  Flames pour from its mouth as it flies low over the camp, setting fire to buildings and people alike.

  ‘I warned you!’ screams Myfanwy, as she runs past, her pith helmet ablaze.

  What have you done?

  How can you stop this?

  Sadly, you never get to answer these questions, as the dragon swoops out of the sky straight at you … jaws open wide, flames hurtling your way.

  You grab the fire blanket as Ravi throws the bucket of water over the bush. The fire mostly goes out, but the bush is still smouldering, so you use the blanket to smother it.

  ‘Where’s the dragon?’ yells Myfanwy, finally getting the sand out of her eyes.

  You point into the trees and she takes off, shouting, ‘Mine, mine, mine!’ and ‘I’m going to be famous!’

  You never hear anything more about the crazy cryptozoologist, but …

  A couple of months later you come across a report on the internet about dragon sightings in the area around the school camp. According to eyewitnesses, a red fire-breathing dragon has been seen flying over the forest.

  You decide to venture into the rocky pass, which you figure will give you more protection from the battling dragons.

  As you step between the craggy rock walls, the little dragon scampers up your arm onto your shoulder. It starts purring in your ear, like a cat. You can’t help but smile. In fact, you start happily humming to yourself as you walk along the pass.

  The further you go, the more the little dragon becomes excited.

  The word home echoes through your mind.

  The dragon is practically jumping up and down on your shoulder. When suddenly …

  PFFFFFFFFFFFFFFT.

  It farts.

  A small sulphurous cloud shoots from its rear end, accompanied by a few sparks, which propels the dragon forward. You’re not impressed as it has singed your jacket.

  Oopsy!

  Aren’t dragons supposed to breathe fire rather than fart it out?

  You look at the little dragon hovering in the air in front of you as it flaps its tiny wings. It’s quite comical, really.

  And then …

  ACHOO!

  It sneezes.

  A slimy green gob of nasal mucus lands at your feet. This creature is dangerous from both ends.

  The little dragon smiles at you, takes off towards a boulder leaning up against the rock wall, and disappears. You follow and discover a hidden cave entrance. You enter.

  Wall-to-wall mini dragons! They vary in size from your small travelling companion up to the size of a large chicken. They are all looking at you. It’s rather unnerving and you can’t help but shudder. But then they start purring and your fear melts away.

  Your dragon emerges from the crowd and flies towards you, along with another bigger dragon. This new dragon is purple and fat, with a tiny tuft of hair springing in a curl from its head.

  I am Frou-Frou, leader of the Thought Dragon Clan.

  You hear the words, deep and resonant in your mind, and wonder how they got there.

  Our dragon clan is telepathic.

  Oh! Now you get it. You try thinking at the dragon, explaining how you got here and what happened to you.

  Our worlds are linked, explains Frou-Frou. There is another portal that can take you home. It is in the centre of the lake, between the territories of the Fire Dragon Clan and the Ice Dragon Clan. Getting to it will not be easy.

  I help! I help! The little dragon is flying in circles around your head.

  Little Doo-Doo wants to help. He has offered to be your guide, says Frou-Frou.

  Doo-Doo leads you back out of the cave and along the rocky pass until you reach a junction where the pass splits in two.

  Fire Dragon Territory? asks Doo-Doo. Or Ice Dragon Territory?

  Which shall it be?

  To enter the Fire Dragon Territory, go here.

  To enter the Ice Dragon Territory, go here.

  You decide to go through the Fire Dragon Territory. Doo-Doo leads you down the left-hand pass.

  Finally the pass opens up into a dry desert landscape. It’s barren and sandy, with a few scattered rock formations and the odd scrubby bush. You can see a massive lake, and in the distance a towering city of rock formations. The craggy metropolis shimmers with flames, red dragons circling above it and flying to and from its spires over the orange sands.

  It’s not too far to the lake. You could dash from one rock formation to the next, hoping that none of the fire dragons spot you. Or you could take some branches from the nearest bush to disguise yourself.

  To run from rock to rock, go here.

  To pretend that you’re a bush, go here.

  You decide to go through the Ice Dragon Territory. Doo-Doo leads you down the right-hand pass.

  Finally the pass opens up into a white frozen landscape. Everything is covered in snow and ice. You can see a massive lake, and further off a towering city of ice formations. The glacial metropolis glitters with reflected light, blue and white dragons circling above it and flying to and from its spires over the stark snow.

  It’s not too far to the lake. You could simply walk there, hoping that none of the ice dragons spot you. There’s a lone, fallen tree at the entrance to this land. Perhaps you could use one of the branches as a makeshift sled. If you had a sled, you might be able to get to the lake more quickly.

  To walk across the snowy landscape, go here.

  To make a sled from a tree branch, go here.

  You sigh and unlock the door.

  ‘A wise decision,’ says the cryptozoologist, as she storms in and scoops up the egg. She places it into the cat cage she’s carrying and stalks off, singing to herself, ‘Soon I will, I will be famous.’

  ‘You know,’ says Ravi, ‘I doubt it was a real dragon egg.’

  He’s probably right. And yet, you can’t let go of the possibility.

  You suggest taking another visit to the cave where you found the eggs. Who knows, maybe there are more?

  ‘Sure,’ says Ravi. ‘Why not? Even if the eggs are fake, it still might be fun.’

  And so you lead the way back to the cave.

  Go here.

  There’s no way you’re letting that weird cryptozoologist get her hands on your egg. Ravi slides the window open as you grab the egg. And then the two of you are off, sprinting across the campground.

  As you run, you hear the sound of your door being smashed open, and seconds later Myfanwy’s angry voice shouting, ‘Drop that egg!’

  ‘No way!’ Ravi calls over his shoulder.

  Just then you slip on a banana peel someone has inconveniently left in the middle of the croquet lawn. You try to regain your balance but fail, twisting as you go. The egg slips from your fingers, soars over Ravi’s head and lands at Myfanwy’s feet.

  ‘It’s mine!’ she crows triumphantly, crouching to pick it up. But …

  CRACK!

  The egg fractures and falls apart, a red gooey substance oozing out into the ground.

  ‘Noooooooooooooooooo!’ The cryptozoologist is on her knees, wailing to the sky.

  You jump to your feet. You motion for Ravi to follow you, and head off.

&
nbsp; ‘Where are we going?’ he asks

  You shrug your shoulders. You just want to get away from that crazy cryptozoologist. But then you have an idea …

  You suggest taking another visit to the cave where you found the eggs. Who knows, there may be more?

  ‘Sure,’ says Ravi. ‘Why not?’

  And so you lead the way back to the cave.

  Go here.

  As you head up the rocky mountain path, the little dragon scampers along your arm onto your shoulder. It’s hard going, but you eventually reach a level area part way up. You quickly duck behind nearby rocks as you spot creatures up ahead.

  Peering out from your hiding place, you see some strange bird-like things. They are humanoid but covered in colourful feathers. They have beaks and claws, but no wings. These avian creatures look part human, part bird. There are three of them and they have a captured dragon held down with ropes. Bigger than your little companion, but smaller than the fire and ice dragons, this one’s body is about the size of an emu, albeit with massive wings. It’s making distressed squeaking sounds as the bird-people torment it – squawking at it, pulling on the ropes, even hitting it with whips.

  Your mini dragon makes tiny grumbling sounds in your ear. Horrible birds!

  With their attention focused on the dragon, you could easily slip by the bird-people and follow the mountain path. But can you leave this poor dragon at their mercy?

  To help the captured dragon, go here.

  To continue on your own journey, go here.

  You decide to disguise yourself as a bush.

  You stick some leaves and twigs into your hair. You break off a couple of medium-sized branches and hold one up in each hand. You feel just a bit silly.

  With Doo-Doo following, you head out across the barren landscape. You’ve not gone far when a crimson bird lands on your head, its claws digging into your scalp. You shoo it away. As it takes flight, ripping out a claw-full of your hair, it leaves a parting gift – a stinky, runny glob of poo, which oozes down your face.

  You wipe it off with some leaves and continue. But more birds descend. The flock of little green sparrow-like creatures begins to construct nests in your branches.

  It’s not long before they attract some unwanted attention. A fire dragon comes soaring out of the sky towards you.

  The birds scatter and you squat down, hugging the branches close to your body, trying desperately to look like a piece of vegetation. Doo-Doo flaps out of the way as the fire dragon swoops down and picks you up in its claws.

  Up, up, up you go, into the sky and towards the fire dragon city. You feel nauseous as you look down at the landscape streaking past. Then you feel the heat as you approach the city.

  The red dragon flies you towards a nest at the top of the highest rocky tower. Below, three baby dragons open their mouths hungrily. They may be babies, but they’re still big enough to devour you in one bite. And they have lots of pointy teeth. They are terrifying!

  You scream as the fire dragon releases you. The baby dragons roar and exhale bursts of flame. Within seconds you are barbecued baby-dragon food.

  You make a dash for the first rock formation, with Doo-Doo following. Your feet sink into the orange sand as you run, kicking up a dusty cloud behind you. You make it. Peering around, you see fire dragons soaring through the distant sky. They haven’t noticed you. Perhaps they are too far away.

  You continue to race from rock to rock. As you get closer to the lake, you see that the surface of the water is flickering.

  Fire, says Doo-Doo.

  He’s right! The water is on fire.

  Across the flaming lake you see a ball of whirling light. That must be the portal to your world. But how are you going to cross the water to reach it?

  You run to the next rock. This is the last one. From here on, you will be out in the open. You lean your back against the rock and take a little rest.

  Ow!

  You jump forward. Something just pinched you. You look closely at the rock to see a tiny crab-like creature angrily waving its claw at you. It disappears back into its hole. You shake your head and peer out from your hiding place.

  There is a scattering of bones between where you are and the lake, stark white against the orange sand. Dragon bones. It’s like some sort of dragon graveyard. Near the water’s edge is a large upturned dragon skull. Perhaps you could cross the water in that? Then you spot a raft. It’s further along the shore. It’s an odd sight. Why would there be a raft in a land of dragons? To get to it, you would be out in the open much longer than if you used the skull. But the raft is probably built to withstand the flaming water.

  Which will you choose?

  To use the skull, go here.

  To use the raft, go here.

  You examine the fallen branches and choose the widest one. Plonking it down on the snow, you’re pretty sure it would make a reasonable sled. But then you realise that the ground is flat. How will you get it to move?

  Doo-Doo flutters in front of you. I move.

  You’re not sure how the little dragon will be able to make the sled go, but you’re willing to trust him. You sit down on the front of the branch, while Doo-Doo perches on the back.

  You look over your shoulder at him. His eyes are closed and his face is a mask of concentration. You wonder what he’s doing, when flames burst from his rear end, propelling the branch-sled forward. You’re not sure if you should be disgusted or impressed by his rocket fart.

  You blast across the snowy landscape towards the lake, discovering that you can steer the makeshift sled by leaning right or left. It’s a pretty quick ride. You dodge past some dragon bones lying in the snow and shoot out onto the frozen surface of the lake.

  Up ahead you can see the portal, a dazzling ball of whirling light. Your way home. You smile.

  Suddenly, between you and the portal, ice shards splinter from the frozen lake and soar into the air, forming the shape of a giant dragon. This is no ice dragon … it’s a dragon actually made of ice!

  If you want to stop the sled, go here.

  If you want to try to dodge around the giant creature, go here.

  You lean to the left. The sled veers around the giant dragon and hurtles towards the portal.

  Suddenly, the ice beneath you trembles and, up ahead, a wall of ice emerges from the frozen lake. You scream.

  Doo-Doo jumps into your lap and points his rear end towards the wall. A quick burst of flaming fart melts a hole in the wall and you slide through.

  Doo-Doo jumps to the back of the sled again, ready to propel it forward, but the giant dragon spits a stream of icy water, which freezes the little dragon’s bottom.

  Another wall emerges before you as your sled slides to a stop. But that isn’t all. The lake trembles and three more walls rise around you. Now you’re trapped.

  And yet there’s more. A hole appears in the frozen surface of the lake, and freezing cold water glugs into the ice box. With his rear end encased in an iceblock, Doo-Doo is too heavy to fly out. You fling yourself at the ice walls and desperately try to scramble up, but they are too slippery.

  You think it couldn’t possibly get any worse … when fish with very sharp teeth swim through the hole. In seconds they reduce Doo-Doo to a skeleton.

  Then they head for you.

  You don’t even have time to scream.

  You yell for Doo-Doo to stop.

  The little dragon ceases farting fire, and the makeshift sled slides to a stop before the giant ice dragon.

  ‘I am the Guardian of the Lake.’ The booming voice resonates through the air around you. ‘No one but a dragon may pass through the lake. And you are not a dragon.’

  Your heart sinks. How will you get past this creature?

  I am dragon, thinks Doo-Doo, and he with me.

  The Guardian lowers his head, squinting first at Doo-Doo then at you.

  ‘Oh,’ it says. ‘Very well. Go on, then.’ The Guardian shatters into tiny shards that scatter across the lake, di
sappearing into its frozen surface.

  You smile at Doo-Doo. He smiles back, before his expression contorts again into one of concentration. Flames roar from his bottom and you rocket forward towards the ball of whirling light – the portal back to your own world. The closer you get, the brighter it flares.

  You call for Doo-Doo to stop again and the sled skids to a halt right in front of the dazzling portal. You thank Doo-Doo, then jump into the brilliant sphere of light and fall into its shimmering depths.

  Go here.

  You lead Ravi into the cave and along the tunnel to where you fell. Myfanwy has left behind a lantern and the rope, which is still secured to a big rock – so you and your friend climb down into the pit to look for more eggs.

  You dig around in the sand by the light of the lantern, searching every nook and cranny without luck – no more eggs!

  You’re about to climb back out, when you hear footsteps and a grumbling voice. It’s the cryptozoologist. You’d rather not have to meet her again. But do you have time to get out of the pit and move on before she gets here? Then you remember the crevice. Perhaps you could squeeze in there and hide.

  To hide in the crevice, go here.

  To climb out of the pit, go here.

  You sneak past the bird creatures and their captured dragon, and continue up the mountain path.

  You are panting for breath and dripping with sweat by the time you reach the plateau at the top. You’re sure the journey would have been a bit easier if you didn’t have to carry the little dragon the entire way.

  But, oh my, what an incredible view! You can see the whole valley from here! The two dragons are still battling it out and you can spot the frozen cave where you had entered into this strange world.