| Dopey the Reluctant Dragon |
Right from the beginning Dopey was a different sort of dragon. In
fact his egg was different from those of his brothers and sisters.
His egg was smaller and softer and was the last to hatch of the
clutch of five laid by his mother. It was as if he was even reluctant to
be born. His mother had been ready to take his egg from the nest
when he finally poked through the shell. Right from the moment he
hatched it was plain to see that he was different. His mother and
siblings were bright red and orange and had eyes that looked like
fire. Dopey was white and black and had eyes the color of the
summer sky. His mother had sniffed him carefully to be absolutely
sure that he was one of her own.
Almost as soon as they could talk his brothers and sisters began
to tease Dopey about his color and the way he acted, which was
reluctant. Besides being the last to hatch, the last to walk, the last
to speak, and the last to breathe fire, he was also the last to learn
to fly. It wasn’t that he couldn’t do these things as quickly as the
others, he was just well, reluctant. The other young dragons would
tease him and tell him he was dumb (which was not true) so often
that he began to believe it.
Dopey wasn’t really his name. That was what his brothers and
sisters called him. “Dopey the reluctant dragon” they would say and
after a while even his mother began to call him that. His real name
was something very long and unpronounceable, unless you were a
dragon.
Dopey and his family lived in a big cave high up on the side of a
mountain that sometimes belched fire and smoke just like a
gigantic dragon. Dopey didn’t like the cave. It was hot, dark and
smelled almost as bad as his brother did the time he ate the little
black animal with the white stripes running down its back. The
rocks of the cave were very uncomfortable and made it hard to
sleep. Sometimes the mountain roared, rumbled and shook which
frightened Dopey terribly.
fact his egg was different from those of his brothers and sisters.
His egg was smaller and softer and was the last to hatch of the
clutch of five laid by his mother. It was as if he was even reluctant to
be born. His mother had been ready to take his egg from the nest
when he finally poked through the shell. Right from the moment he
hatched it was plain to see that he was different. His mother and
siblings were bright red and orange and had eyes that looked like
fire. Dopey was white and black and had eyes the color of the
summer sky. His mother had sniffed him carefully to be absolutely
sure that he was one of her own.
Almost as soon as they could talk his brothers and sisters began
to tease Dopey about his color and the way he acted, which was
reluctant. Besides being the last to hatch, the last to walk, the last
to speak, and the last to breathe fire, he was also the last to learn
to fly. It wasn’t that he couldn’t do these things as quickly as the
others, he was just well, reluctant. The other young dragons would
tease him and tell him he was dumb (which was not true) so often
that he began to believe it.
Dopey wasn’t really his name. That was what his brothers and
sisters called him. “Dopey the reluctant dragon” they would say and
after a while even his mother began to call him that. His real name
was something very long and unpronounceable, unless you were a
dragon.
Dopey and his family lived in a big cave high up on the side of a
mountain that sometimes belched fire and smoke just like a
gigantic dragon. Dopey didn’t like the cave. It was hot, dark and
smelled almost as bad as his brother did the time he ate the little
black animal with the white stripes running down its back. The
rocks of the cave were very uncomfortable and made it hard to
sleep. Sometimes the mountain roared, rumbled and shook which
frightened Dopey terribly.
Not long after the young dragons learned to fly, their mother began to take
them down off of the mountain to the forests and lush green meadows
below. She was teaching them to hunt. Dopey loved getting out of the hot
smelly cave, and the flight down off the mountain was fun and easy. All you
had to do was leap into the air at the mouth of the cave, flap your wings a
few times and glide all the way down. Dopey especially liked the flowers,
plants and trees. If they had hunted well their mother would take them to
the river on the way home for a refreshing swim. All these things Dopey
enjoyed as much or even more than his siblings. The thing about hunting
that he didn’t like at all and was most reluctant to do was kill his food. He
swore that after he was on his own he would never hurt anything that didn’t
try to hurt him first. When he said that all the others laughed and laughed
which hurt Dopey’s feelings and made him angry.
“Instead of Dopey the Reluctant Dragon, you are going to be Dopey the
Hungry Dragon.” his mother had gently scolded. This made his brothers
and sisters laugh even more.
The part about going hunting that all the young dragons didn’t like was the
flight home. Down the mountain was easy and fun, flying back up the
mountain with a belly full of food and tired from hunting and swimming was
the hardest thing the young dragons had ever done. The first few times
they had to land many times to rest before they made it back to the cave.
It was rough on them but good exercise for their flying muscles. Each time
they made the trip back up the mountain the little dragons got a little bit
stronger and had to make fewer rest stops on the way. Finally after
several months they were able to fly all the way home without stopping at
all. Proud of themselves but exhausted, they had quickly fallen fast asleep.
The next day before taking off to go hunt, their mother told them "
Yesterday you proved to me you could fly home the hard way. Today I
want to teach you the easy way. " But Mother" one of Dopey’s sisters had
asked " Why didn't you teach us the easy way first. " To everyone's
surprise it was Dopey who answered. "So we wouldn't be lazy dragons."
" Yes that is right; if I had taught you the easy way first then you wouldn't
have wanted to learn the hard way home. Flying home the hard way made
you stronger. "
" But Mother, what do you mean about the easy way home?"
" Coming back up the mountain can be almost as easy as flying down,
once you learn a few tricks. There are places where the wind strikes the
mountain and it gets pushed up. There are dark places on the ground that
get warmed by the sun and cause the air to rise. If you circle over these
places carefully, you can climb higher and higher without even flapping a
wing. The eagles hawks and even the buzzards know how to fly the easy
way. If they can do it with their little bird brains, I know my little dragons
can do the same. So all the way down and back up the mountain I want
you to watch the birds."
them down off of the mountain to the forests and lush green meadows
below. She was teaching them to hunt. Dopey loved getting out of the hot
smelly cave, and the flight down off the mountain was fun and easy. All you
had to do was leap into the air at the mouth of the cave, flap your wings a
few times and glide all the way down. Dopey especially liked the flowers,
plants and trees. If they had hunted well their mother would take them to
the river on the way home for a refreshing swim. All these things Dopey
enjoyed as much or even more than his siblings. The thing about hunting
that he didn’t like at all and was most reluctant to do was kill his food. He
swore that after he was on his own he would never hurt anything that didn’t
try to hurt him first. When he said that all the others laughed and laughed
which hurt Dopey’s feelings and made him angry.
“Instead of Dopey the Reluctant Dragon, you are going to be Dopey the
Hungry Dragon.” his mother had gently scolded. This made his brothers
and sisters laugh even more.
The part about going hunting that all the young dragons didn’t like was the
flight home. Down the mountain was easy and fun, flying back up the
mountain with a belly full of food and tired from hunting and swimming was
the hardest thing the young dragons had ever done. The first few times
they had to land many times to rest before they made it back to the cave.
It was rough on them but good exercise for their flying muscles. Each time
they made the trip back up the mountain the little dragons got a little bit
stronger and had to make fewer rest stops on the way. Finally after
several months they were able to fly all the way home without stopping at
all. Proud of themselves but exhausted, they had quickly fallen fast asleep.
The next day before taking off to go hunt, their mother told them "
Yesterday you proved to me you could fly home the hard way. Today I
want to teach you the easy way. " But Mother" one of Dopey’s sisters had
asked " Why didn't you teach us the easy way first. " To everyone's
surprise it was Dopey who answered. "So we wouldn't be lazy dragons."
" Yes that is right; if I had taught you the easy way first then you wouldn't
have wanted to learn the hard way home. Flying home the hard way made
you stronger. "
" But Mother, what do you mean about the easy way home?"
" Coming back up the mountain can be almost as easy as flying down,
once you learn a few tricks. There are places where the wind strikes the
mountain and it gets pushed up. There are dark places on the ground that
get warmed by the sun and cause the air to rise. If you circle over these
places carefully, you can climb higher and higher without even flapping a
wing. The eagles hawks and even the buzzards know how to fly the easy
way. If they can do it with their little bird brains, I know my little dragons
can do the same. So all the way down and back up the mountain I want
you to watch the birds."
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