Oh, my dears. It’s been a long week. And it is Friday night. The sky is dark, the moon is traveling past the stars, and much of the world is readying for bed. Curl up and listen to the tales I weave, until your eyes grow heavy and you slip into slumber, ready for the Dream Maker.
Deep in the Kyrenia Mountain Range on the island of Cyprus, dragons still flourish. The Kyrenia Range is a narrow range along the northern part of Cyprus. While lower in elevation than the Troodos Range (where the infamous Mount Olympus is located), the Kyrenia Range is more attractive to dragons. Nobody knows precisely why.
You can identify a dragon’s lineage by the make up of their scales and wings. The dragons from Cyprus are known for their copper scales and wings. Copper was mined from Cyprus during the times of the ancient Romans, and the dragons went into hiding. You can’t blame them, really.
Piri Reis is a small dragon, named after the Ottoman cartographer and geographer whose world map is the oldest known Turkish atlas showing the New World and one of the oldest maps of America still in existence. Piri Reis is a bit of a legend within the Cypriotic dragon community for his cartography, as well. Being smaller than most of his brethren, Piri Reis has traveled extensively and to places larger dragons can’t explore, like caves and ravines. He always flies with parchment and colored pencils so that he can draw and update maps. He’s most known for his maps of the best air streams and feeding areas for dragons.
His size has also helped him stay safe. Dragons are still hunted, you know, being misunderstood even now. Some people believe that dragons must be eradicated fully, and poachers attempt to procure valuable dragon tears, scales, and blood by killing the creatures. Dragons, like so many creatures on this great earth, like to mind their own business and do so unless attacked.
Should you come across tiny Piri Reis, scribbling with a colored pencil between his beak, take a moment and be still. Let him finish his cartography project. Then let him fly away. And feel blessed. Few of us ever see a wild dragon. And while dragons often lose a scale or a talon, they never leave their maps.
Sleep tight, my pets. Dream deep.
