What, Exactly, Is a Book Dragon?

You may have been told that dragons like to hoard things, and this is true. You may, like many others, believe they only obsess over gold and silver and treasure of the more monetary sort--and this is not a foolish belief, for it is a widespread misconception and one mustn't be judged for untruths they have heard repeatedly.

Allow me to correct this simple misunderstanding: there are all sorts of dragons, just like there are all sorts of people. Dragons who hoard gold, sure; dragons who hoard strands of moonlight or the scent of falling leaves, or the sound of a snowflake as it leaves its cloud to flutter through the sky. Dragons who hoard buttons or biscuits or even hot air balloons.

But here in the Realm live the coziest and happiest dragons of all: book dragons. These dragons would walk past piles of gold without batting an eye to reach even one book. Scrolls will do as well--plenty of ancient tales are still held only in that format! And there are even the occasional stone tablet or wood carving, even rarer. Some book dragons only hoard these relics.

Most book dragons, however, hoard stories in whichever format they may come. Books of romance and daring adventure, of mystery and intrigue; stories completely fabricated from the wanderings of the mind, or stories recorded from real events throughout the realm or beyond. They read stories to their little dragonlings, they write them as they come across them in their travels or as inspiration strikes them while they tend their gardens, they get lost in cookbooks and comics and all things in between. While all book dragons have their preferences, these dragons are all happiest with their nose in a book, a snack in their hand, and friends nearby to share with.

The Book Dragon Realm is a happy place. In the winter, the dragons are usually curled up with piles of books to read; in place of hibernating, they read the days away (and often the nights as well). By spring, they are ready to stretch their wings and visit friends. They clean up the crumbs of a long winter well spent, then bring their favorite books to trade and discuss in the town square or neighbors' gardens, taking notes of books to add to their ever growing To Be Read list (which, to some, is a hoard in and of itself). They carry colorful umbrellas in case of rain and read a little more among the flowers. One can never read too often in the Realm! In summer, they lounge about in forests or on beaches with books--but they also celebrate. Festivals and fireworks abound! And by fall they are winding down again: baking treats to tide them over through the snowy winters, knitting scarves while they listen to another dragon read a tale aloud, and sometimes even stirring up a potion from their favorite grimoires for fending off the winter gloom.

Here there are books and treats and joy--which, if one must hoard anything, these seem like quite lovely hoards indeed.