Dear Wyrmmaster,

Many members of our beloved Wyrm have repeatedly questioned why – I’m reporting the exact words they have roared at me uncountable times – I waste so much of my time spending it with those puny, pesky, mortal humans that live in the valley just next to our territory. Nobody has ever seen my regular attendance to their town with the faintest slight of approval, for a dragon’s presence is not worth of creatures so much weaker and whose lifespan is so much less short-sighted - at least this is the main thesis, although they also love to bring up a different range of past incidents that have happened between us and them, incidents I had yet to hear about after six honorable centuries of life.

I have decided to write this long, signed letter to establish once and for all why I do it, for I believe they are not only legitimate, but also can act as a valuable starting point for a reflection on us as a species, and our relationship with the rest of the world.

First of all, I would like to make an important clarification: never, ever, have I denied that we dragons are the superior species in the world, like some gossip around me loves to say. It’s discomforting that the poison of lies spreads fast even in the veins of the creatures that dominate over the rest. In fact, you may be shocked to hear that our undeniable superiority is one of the pillars of the motivations that lead me to give humans so much importance.

Therefore, what is then my real reason? To remind them of their condition of inferiority? They don’t certainly need that, any kind of creature can quickly realize that when put in front of a dragon. The real reason is humans, unlike all other creatures of the world besides us, have managed to use their inferiority at their advantage.

Their lifespan is so short, but at the same time their intellect is comparable to ours, at the point they are capable of realizing how little time they have in front of them, and how weak they are when compared to the rest of the world. A dragon does not need to fight on their own to live or produce a long-lasting heritage: we have them for granted. A human has to earn them, as fast as they can. A dragon will spend their life comfortably, with no bigger worry than making sure their lair is bigger than others’ and food being a pleasant necessity, and if there’s something interesting to do, there’s plenty of time for that. Humans constantly strive with ideas; as they finish reaching one goal, already their mind is focused to the next one, as they have no time to lose.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

This is what makes visiting human settlements so appealing to me. By the time a dragon has spent one resting time cycle, a human has left one or two descendants, and their little paws (which they call hands) have done much more than a dragon manages to do in two centuries. They have built bigger lairs for themselves, they have expanded their territories, they have produced art, stories, music. Whenever I come for them, the children of those I visited the last time present me something new that I never thought possible. And they show it to me with such enthusiasm! Inferior beings treat dragons magnificently, if you show them a certain degree of respect, of course without downgrading your status.

There is, however, another aspect to consider, one that we dragons need to understand, if we want to ensure our future. Humans, as I showed, develop very fast. In a handful of decades, their town has expanded from their valley to another one; their abilities have increased over time spectacularly. Humans’ main force is when they act as a group, while we dragons act as an individual. As a whole, they are much more powerful than the sum of the singles. Soon they may find the means to face us too. What shall we do the day they come in front of our territory, ready to charge us? This is the final reason for my visits to them: to observe them, to see if the day they will give themselves the ability to question our superior status will ever come. If that day ever comes, dragons will have to make that question to themselves too, and make a decision that will determine every fortune of us: fight them, live alongside them, surrender? It is not easy to answer, and it has to be answered quicker than any other action a dragon has done.

You may laugh at me right now; I will not try to stop you. But I beg you all to remember my words and not underestimate the way creatures can react to their condition as inferior beings.

Sincerely,

[big dragon paw mark]