Cinder Drake/Stories
{{dragonStories |quotes= |StoryName=The Curious Dragon |episode1Content= Once upon a time, a young dragon
arrived in a village in the mountains.
The people were filled with joy that
such a sacred creature had come,
and strove to make it welcome.
The young dragon enjoyed many a
feast, and played happily with the
village children. It seemed to be
enjoying itself greatly, which filled
the villagers with relief.
A month later, they heard a dragon's
cry coming from the other side of the
mountain. It was the young dragon's
mother, worried for her child; the
time had come to return home.
Surrounded by waving villagers who
were holding back tears, the dragon
flapped its wings...and didn't move
an inch. For it had eaten much,
and was now too fat to fly.
The villagers were horrified, for this
had never been their intention.
And if his mother found her child in
such a state, her anger might be
very great indeed...
They knew the dragon needed to fly
again, and fast. They had to make
him slimmer, no matter what.
But alas, belly fat is not easy to lose,
and as he dieted, his mother kept
calling for him. The sound caused
livestock to wane and children to cry,
but the little dragon kept having fun.
|episode2Content= With the mother dragon's cries
echoing in their ears, the villagers
tried all they could to make the
young dragon lose weight.
One day, a wandering sage came to
the village, and the weary villagers
immediately sought out his advice.
"Ho ho!" cried the sage. "I think I
know JUST the thing!"
"That little dragon can breathe fire.
You must construct a cloth bag and
put it on the dragon's back, but leave
an opening so he can breathe fire
into it."
"With fire inside, the bag will inflate
and take him up, up, up into the sky!
And once he's airborne, he can use
his wings to guide him anywhere he
likes."
Though the villagers knew not the
word, the sage had taught them to
make a hot-air balloon. They got to
work straightaway, and before long
the little balloon was complete.
When the young dragon blew into it,
the bag lifted him straight into the
sky. The villagers heaved mighty
sighs of relief knowing that the
mother dragon would be satisfied.
The young dragon loved his new toy.
It flew over here! It flew over there!
It was so much fun, the dragon forgot
all about going home and instead
soared off into the great unknown.
In the end, the villagers had to
endure the mother dragon's cries
for two more sleepless months.