Hidden/Haunted Tales

A sprinkle of rain on my arms not my head.

The snarling pack of clouds dark grey,

The 13 year old fanfic girlies have been using slang from the early-1900s British queer carnies and sailors this whole time???? And no one said???

And the moon were a pea,

Would that change the distance

Between you and me?

The world that I live in

Is not that of outside;

Though much time I spend there,

Through dreams I do glide.

Those who live loudly are others to me,

The dragon warning siren hasn't been sounded in months now, which is the longest it's ever been silent. If you head down to the port, you can find several salty old sea elves who'll gladly tell you all about the 'old days' for the price of a bottle of halfling whisky, and about how the dragons used to swarm the harbor nearly every afternoon, eager to snatch the fishermen's catch from them. Back then, they had nothing but simple fireproofing enchantments to keep the ships and warehouses intact, and had to scramble to get the fish into barrels before it was time to run for cover. There were no lightning cannons or air pressure shields to defend themselves, which feels unimaginable nowadays.

It must be noted, though, that the reason why today's children have never known the fear of dragons that used to be in the hearts of all isn't just because our capabilities to fight them back has improved, it's also because there are fewer dragons about. The great ocean wyrms, their legless bodies making them adept at both flying and swimming and who can be seen leaping from the waves like dolphins before taking off into the air, each wingbeat whipping the waves around them into foam, have been shifting their migration routes further and further north for decades and are now only rarely seen in our skies. The ice dragons, too, with the stiff hollow bristles that cover their bodies to insulate them from the harsh winters, no longer venture so far south. Only the forest dragons, their bodies long and lean and their faces whiskered like a cat's or wolf's, still dare to raid us from time to time, and their numbers are dwindling fast. Once the new, more accurate tracking spells were developed, the dragons simply had no chance against the mechanised efficiency of the extermination troops, and it won't be long now before they're wiped out altogether.