DRAGONS

DRAGONS, by Anna Remennik, Art by Karolína Wellartová

 

taxonomy: The smaller land-bound drakes
have vestigial wings and are not true-breed
dragons. And the serpents of seas and lakes
are amphibious, unrelated, indeed
not dragons at all. But the vast true wyrms,
six-limbed and armored ventrally in scales,
are classified as dragons. For these terms,

see dragons, anatomy: Mature males
display a dorsal crest; females are marked
by lighter coloration. Dragon wings
are highly articulated, with dark
fine fur across the topside. Scales like links
of chain-mail cover the belly and neck,
with horn-like plates on shoulders, back, and joints.
Teeth are sharp, numerous, tapered to points,
like a carnivore’s (for discussion, check

dragons, diet: Contrary to belief,
dragons are omnivores. They hunt live prey:
deer, sheep, cattle (they seem to prefer beef);

trawl fish. Their diet will also include
fallen fruit, tubers, honey when young. They
feed biweekly. In addition to food,
they’re known to draw nourishment from their hoard;

 

for more information, you are referred

to dragons, treasure and: Dragons will brood
on their gold, seeming to draw some measure
of sustenance from minerals in gems
and precious metals. They guard their treasure
fiercely, favor scepters and diadems.
They sleep curled ’round piles of coin; bury eggs
in their most dear possessions, with the sex
of the hatchling determined by the hue
of the jewels (or so it has been surmised).
Their hoards are legend, and as a result
hunters of fortune seek them out to steal

 

their riches (or try) and attempt to kill
the dragon, for their scales are also prized,
being hard as diamond. Though a lucky few
have done this, before proceeding, consult

Dragons, slaying: Generally not advised.

 

 

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Anna is a chemical engineer working in Silicon Valley, and enjoys writing poems about automatic titrators, technical supply chain processes, and occasionally even more fantastical things. She can be found online at https://annaremennik.wordpress.com/

 

Karolína Wellartová is a Czech artist, painter creating images predominantly with the wildlife themes, nature studies and the literary characters. She’s mostly inspired by the curious shapes and a materials from the nature, but the main source still comes from literature.

From a young age she tried to express herself and her observations on paper.  Painting and drawing were always the most important thing for her and visiting the local art school helped her understand the new techniques and the science of the colour mediums. She’s the award winning artist for “Best Book Cover in 2015” in Czechia. 

Her work has been published in American magazines such as Spirituality Health Magazine, International Wolf, Metaphorosis, Orion, and Heroic Fantasy Quarterly.  Check out more of her work at her website.