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People were frightened,
Children were crying.
Above the village
A dragon was flying.
The mayor had offered
A reward untold.
If the dragon was killed
By men brave and bold.
A posse of men
Was sent out to find
The creature who posed
Such a threat to mankind.
The men marched through town
Amid cries and cheers.
They had to endure
Their wives' anxious tears.
They marched on all day,
And most of the night
To find the creature
That caused so much fright.
The dragon led them
To a mountain so high,
Its snow-covered peak
Almost touched the sky.
As the men neared the top
Of the mountain so high,
The dragon appeared,
Above in the sky.
It swooped from their sight,
But they heard it land.
Ahead to the right,
Its great wings fanned.
The head of the group,
A big, strong man,
Silenced the others
With a wave of his hand.
The team crept up,
And found it gone.
Its tracks led to a cave.
They followed them on.
Inside the cave
There was no light
The men lit torches
And prepared to fight.
The leader led them,
Testing the ground,
Cautious in case
A trap was found.
A turn of a corner
Gave them light,
A glowing moss
Lit up the night.
They doused their torches
And followed a sound.
The noise vibrated
Through the ground.
The curious thrumming
Slowly increased.
Superstitious men
Spoke of the deceased.
The temperature rose
As they kept walking.
The loud humming
Kept them from talking.
The thrumming noise
Changed abruptly to squeaking.
The surprise they felt still
Kept them from speaking.
The leader felt
They were almost there.
The suspense and fear
Stood up their hair.
The leader peered
Into the room.
He sighted scales
Ahead in the gloom
He signaled his men
To follow him in.
They walked carefully,
So as not to raise a din.
The leader had neared
The dragon's tail,
When he was stopped
By a curious wail.
He froze in his tracks
As the thrumming came back,
His spear was raised,
Prepared for attack.
He crept to the tail
And peered quickly over.
What he saw was
A nest made of clover.
The wail sounded again,
from inside the nest.
The cry was causing
The dragon unrest.
From inside the nest
Crawled a small scaly creature,
Its small furled wings
A prominent feature.
The dragonet squealed,
And looked at the man,
Who stared back at it,
A spear in his hand.
The mother dragon growled,
And knocked away his spear.
Only then did the hatchling
Face him without fear.
Five more baby dragons
Then crawled from the clover.
One slowly crept up.
And looked him all over.
The dragonet then
Appeared satisfied,
While the men at the door
Were quite mystified.
They watched as their leader
Sat down on the floor,
And stroked a small dragon
Who crooned for more.
One by one the men
Laid down their spears,
And made friends with the dragons,
Forgetting their fears.
The mother dragon
Watched the affair,
And laid aside fears
Of being shot from the air.
The men spent the night
With their draconian friends
Before going home
To make their amends.
They promised to visit
The dragonling clan,
Whom they would protect
From the fears of man.
The villagers would be
Made to understand
That dragons posed
No threat to man.
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