(You can listen to this story here.)
Tucked away in the mountains was the beautiful log cabin lodge of Hunting Dragons, Inc. Few people had heard of Hunting Dragons, Inc., as it didn’t have a website or social media presence. Nope. Hunting Dragons, Inc., run by Clay Stagbrew, was a curious business. They wanted business, but not too much. For the right price, guests could be taken out and almost guaranteed a successful hunt. The dining and the amenities were fine, but the major attraction was the quarry: dragons.
In the year 2025, dragons exist. And for the hunter who had tired of bears, bison, and were-squirrels, the danger and thrill of tracking a dragon, the actual mythical beast, was the perfect hunt. Why hunt boring elks that almost never breathe fire!
If you haven’t seen a dragon, it’s because they didn’t interact with humans. As a species, humans became too crowded, noisy, and downright bothersome. Dragons preferred the peace and solitude of the mountains. And the scenic mountain hunting lodge of Hunting Dragons, Inc., is where our story begins… with the arrival of a most unusual guest.
A black SUV crunched over the gravel drive as it pulled up to the lodge’s main entrance. Her assistant opened the SUV door, and Sophia Richblood daintily stepped out and fixed her short white hair and thick square glasses. She shared one thing with the guest hunters, wealth. And that is where the commonality ended. At 4 feet 11 inches and 90 pounds wet, Sophia shuffled her 82-year-old tiny frame into the lodge, just in time for a kerfuffle.
The lodge’s interior was sunlit through many large windows. Wood floors, walls, and ceilings added to the sense of rustic warmth. And of course it wouldn’t be a hunting lodge without hunting trophies. Most of these were the typical finds for this area: elk, bighorn sheep, and mountain seals. But above the stone fireplace hung the most unusual of hunting trophies, the head of a green dragon! It measured about four feet, with a wavy crest, blunt snout and a muscular jaw. “Please don’t touch out of reverence,” a small sign said, as this trophy was placed up quite high, too high to touch – or examine.
Sophia gasped when she saw it. Dragons! She shivered and pulled at her pink cardigan. At the guest relations desk, another guest, Dr. Weston, was not as inspired.
Dr. Weston huffed. “Do you know how much I pay for this experience?”
Behind the desk stood Clay Stagbrew, a solid and handsome figure with wavy yellow hair and firm nostrils. “Yes, Dr. Weston. We are quite aware and appreciate your patronage. But as stated in your guest agreement, there are rules. And the biggest is that our guests may not take their trophies with them. “
Dr. Weston counted, “Why should I hunt if I can’t display my trophy? What is the point of all this if I simply leave empty-handed?”
“I understand your concern, Dr. Weston. And enjoyment of YOUR dragon hunting experience is our top priority. And, in order to accommodate YOU, we must have certain rules you may not find in other, more conventional, lodges.”
Dr. Weston pouted at this. “What’s so bad about taking my trophy with me?”
Clay sighed; this wasn’t his first time explaining this. “Doing so would cause a panic. And not just a panic, but unwanted gawkers and poachers will flood this area. You would destroy the lovely hunting environment we have created for YOU.”
Dr. Weston, calmer now, whispered carefully . “But I won’t tell anyone. I won’t even show it to anyone.”
“May I ask, if you won’t tell anyone, and won’t show anyone your trophy? Then why take it? And again, these rules are to protect YOUR hunting experiences.” Clay paused for a moment to break the conversation’s pace and let his last comment sink in.
Dr. Weston gave in at least a little. “I see your point.”
Clay smiled warmly. “Thank you for understanding. And please don’t think you are leaving empty-handed, after all, not only do you have the memory of besting a dragon, how many can say that? But you also get its meat. How many of your friends will feast on dragon steak?”
Dr. Weston nodded as a greedy smile surfaced.
Clay finished. “I tell you what. As a way of saying thank you for your patronage and understanding, we will process and ship your next dragon meat free of charge. But please don’t tell the other guests. Our secret, yes, doctor?”
Dr. Weston’s lips curled upward. “That sounds reasonable. I’ll take it.” Grinning, he pinched his thumb and index finger together and ran them over his lips, as if zipping up their little secret, and walked off, content.
Sophia witnessed all this through her coke-bottle square glasses. Blinking, she shuffled up to the guest relations desk. Clay gave a big, welcoming smile. “Well hello. You must be Mrs. Richblood?”
She smiled, and her face became a bouquet of happy wrinkles. “Yes. Please call me Sophia.”
“Very well, Sophia. Welcome to Hunting Dragons, Inc. If I might say, you are not quite…”
“I don’t look the part, do I?” Sophia said with a grin. “I have never been much of a hunter. I don’t even eat meat. But my husband, dear Salvadore, rest his soul, loved to hunt! We were married 45 years, you know. It went by so quickly.”
Clay checked his computer. “I see. How can I help you today? I see you’ve made a reservation, but-”
Sophia leaned on the desk. “I want to hunt. Just this once. Oh, and to hunt a dragon. My! How magnificent! It is something my sweet Salvadore would have loved. So, this hunting trip isn’t for me. This may sound silly, but I am doing this for him. As well, a way of remembrance. And maybe, by doing this, I can keep part of him with me.” Sophia smiled, and her eyes watered.
Clay’s eyes lifted in a smile. “I think that is absolutely lovely, Sophia. Thank you for sharing that. Is there anything I can get you at the moment?”
“Just checked in. I’d like to rest after a long drive.”
“Of course. “
As she checked in, Sophia used an Invisicard! The most exclusive of credit cards! It is so exclusive you can’t see or feel it! When Clay saw, or didn’t see, the Invisicard, his breath caught. He was used to guests showing off their black cards, but, this guest, how much money did this old woman have?
Clay checked Sophia in while grinning like the Cheshire Cat.
Sophia’s hunt wasn’t until the next morning, so that gave her time for an afternoon nap and a nice dinner. She enjoyed listening to the other hunters regale their previous adventures while she supped on vegan stew, made just for her.
Early the next morning.Sophia was up and ready for the hunt. The Lodge offered group or individual hunting expeditions, all supervised by lodge staff for safety – of course.
Clay eagerly met Sophia at breakfast. “Sophia, your story of your departed husband, and the reason for this trip moved me. I would be honored to personally take you on today’s expedition.”
She looked at him, and her eyes smiled behind thick square glasses. “Sure, Clay, that would be lovely.” After breakfast, Clay escorted Sophia to his Jeep, helped her in, and they were off!
He flashed a charming smile and asked, “What music do you like? Classical? Jazz? “
Her little eyes lit up.”Oh, do you have thrash?”
“You mean metal?”
“Yes please. If you have it.”
Clay laughed. “Absolutely!”
Sophia nodded her head to the music and said, “Oh, that’s nice. Gets the old blood pumping. Do you mind if I ask you a question, Clay?”
“Please do.”
“Where is everybody else? I understand this is an individual guest expedition, but aren’t there other staff that go along?”
Clay sighed. “Sophia, that’s a brilliant question. We used to have more staff coming with us. And that would be ideal for safety and the overall experience. Unfortunately, the lodge just can’t afford it. Expenses are always going up, and we try…” He looked to her with a sympathetic smile. “We try to provide the best experience. Because our guests, like your husband, Salvadore, love hunting so darn much. You might say we are doing all this for him.” Clay paused for a moment to let his last comment sink in.
Sophia wiped a mist from her eyes. “That’s… that’s lovely.”
He wrenched the steering wheel dramatically. “If only we had more gosh-darn financing.”
The Jeep’s path stopped at a thicket of trees, and Clay helped Sophia out. She seemed so tiny and frail; he was concerned that firing a rifle might hurt her, but she insisted she could do it.
“Oh, I know about rifles. Salvadore took me to the range and taught me gun safety. We were married for 45 years, you know. It went by so quickly.” And with that, she quickly grabbed the hunting rifle, pointed the muzzle away, and fed the magazine with 300 Win-Mag cartridges in a flash. She clipped the safety back on and gave Clay a modest grin. “How did I do?”
Clay laughed and said, “You could teach me a thing or two. Let’s go dragon hunting!”
They didn’t have to walk far before they heard something; a loud and deep roar! Sophia’s eyes widened behind her thick square glasses. “Goodness! Is that what they sound like?”
Clay patted her shoulder. “It’s okay, Sophia. You’re with me. I’ll keep you safe.”
He pulled out a “Dragon Detector,” which he explained could pick up on traces of rare minerals only found in dragon scales. The detector flashed a few times with soft beeps, but started getting faster as he pointed it down a trail. “If only we could afford better equipment, we would be… well, anyway. Let’s keep going.”
It had been a while since Clay had been out ‘in the field,’ and hoped Sophia didn’t notice his thumb moving with each “Dragon Detector” beep. Clay told Sophia to keep low and silent as they approached a small clearing. And there it was – a dragon!
It was about fifteen feet tall, or just larger than an elephant, and its gray scales shimmered in the sunlight. It sat on two back haunches with a long tail that had to be at least thirty feet long and ended with barbs. Velvety wings stretched out between deadly sharp wing spikes!
Clawed hands moved back and forth at the ends of long, muscular arms. But the most frightening part of this dragon was its head. Sharp horns pointed backwards, and dark unforgiving eyes surveyed the clearing. Then the horned snout shot – fire! A fire-breathing dragon!
“Isn’t she a beauty?” Asked Clay.
“Something. She is something,” Sophia whispered back, then took off the bolt-action rifle’s safety and loaded a cartridge into the chamber.
“But. But. I know you said you haven’t hunted before. If you don’t want to shoot her, we can look for a while and then go back to the lodge.” Clay liked to give guests the option, and was surprised how often even seasoned hunters couldn’t bring themselves to fire upon such a majestic beast.
“No. I think it’s time to – “ Another Roar! But this one came from above the trees. Clay fell to the ground, but Sophia didn’t budge. She aimed the rifle at the current dragon.
Clay tried not to shake. “What the hell was that?”
Without taking her eyes off the sights, Sophia said, “Probably another one. We are lucky, yes?” A smile crept across her wrinkled face.
“Umm. You bet? But we don’t have the staff for two dr-“
“Ahhhhhh!” came two panicked voices from somewhere in the clearing. A tall skinny man carrying a remote controller ran from the woods out into the clearing. As he ran, the dragon began jerking and bobbing randomly. A second man, short and squat and not nearly as fast, ran behind.
They yelled, “It’s a real one! It’s a freakin’ real dragon!” When the short second man made it to the middle of the clearing, the sky darkened – and with a ‘whoosh’ – large red talons picked him up and carried him off, screaming.
Sophia’s eyes sparkled. “Ooh! I like that one better. Let’s hunt that red one!”
The tall man named Elliot raced to them. “It took Pete! It took Pete! We have to leave. Now!” Clay hurried Sophia along. His mind was frazzled. “We can’t hunt that one; it’s… it’s…”
Sophia finished for him. “Too expensive to hunt?” She ran alongside the two much larger men without being winded in the least. They reached the Jeep, and Clay bent down, panting. “Yes! Too expensive! If only we had funding, we could hunt that one!”
Stone faced serious, Sophia asked, “How much? How much to hunt that red dragon?”
Before Clay could answer, Elliot interjected, “Lady? That THING just took my friend. It’s HUGE! It mmmffff- “ Clay had cupped his hand over Elliot’s mouth. He appraised Sophia and told her an insane dollar amount.
Elliot’s eyes boggled, but Sophia didn’t flinch. “Make me your business partner and I’ll double that.”
Clay didn’t hesitate. “Deal.”
Before Elliot could reason with these maniacs, they were all back in the Jeep, following the Red Dragon. It stayed in the air, just in front of them, with staff member Pete held firmly in its talon. To get an idea of scale, imaging a large hawk carrying a grape.
The jeep sped up, but the red dragon was getting away.
The Jeep rumbled onward to keep up, but the Red Dragon was fast, and the terrain was getting worse. Finally, as they closed in, the Red Dragon looked back at them and rolled to the right, flying over dense forest.
Clay stopped the jeep and jumped out. “We’ll go on foot from here.” Elliot was apoplectic. “The hell we are! I’m not going in there, or anywhere near that thing!”
“I thought you wanted to save your friend?” asked Sophia, as calmly as if she were at a book club discussion.
“Lady…” said Elliot.
“Please call me Sophia.”
“Lay-dee… that THING is a monster. Pete is probably dead by now.”
Clay rummaged in the back of the Jeep. “We have more rifles and cartridges you can take with you.”
“NO!” Elliot backed away from the jeep and stomped his foot. “Screw you! I’m going back to the lodge. This is insane. And consider this my resig-“The sky darkened again and a large red talon swept up Elliot. Distant screaming faded into silence.
Clay froze in fear. But not from the red dragon. That monster was gone.
Clay froze at what was happening right in front of him!
Clay shook as Sophia, the tiny old lady in a pink cardigan, giggled. Something was wrong. Sophia’s eyes. Something was wrong with her eyes. The pupils were gone, then all color except a golden glow. When she smiled, she no longer had human teeth; it was like her mouth was too small for the sprouting fangs. There was too much growing inside, and Sophia’s mouth and skin stretched. Clay got a sickening image of a human popcorn kernel. He turned away as hot air blasted past him.
“It’s okay. You can look now, Clayton,” said a voice. When Clay turned back, he almost fainted. This was too much.
In front of him stood a dragon, not an animatronic puppet used to fool gullible hunters, this thing was at least thirty feet tall and three times as long, its scales and wings were beautiful glistening gold, as if every scale had just been carefully hand polished. Clayton tried to speak, but instead fell backwards on the ground, sat, and said, “Whoah.”
“Whoah Indeed. I’m sure you aren’t surprised though, being a fierce dragon hunter and all.” She meant it as a joke, but Clayton’s bones trembled. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to eat you. I don’t care much for humans, anyway.”
Clay’s face flushed. “You’re a vegetarian. “
The golden dragon nodded. “In human form, yes.”
“You don’t hunt.”
Again, the enormous dragon nodded. “In human form, yes.”
“What about?” Clay looked nervously to the sky.
The golden dragon smiled. “Oh, yes. Your colleagues will be back in a moment, unharmed.” As if on cue, a large swooped down so quickly it was like she appeared from midair. From her talons, she gently dropped Pete and Elliot back on the ground. They were still screaming, but this time in joyful whoops.
Elliot and Pete barked. “That was amazing, Kate! Do it again! Please!!!” Kate the dragon looked at the two men, then at Sophia, who smiled and nodded. Kate said, “Okay, Pete, okay, Elliot, one more time, if it will keep you two busy while the grown-ups talk.” And no sooner had she lowered herself than the two men climbed eagerly into her talons for another ride around the forest.
Clay finally got the nerve to ask, “What are you?”
The dragon signed. “A dragon. And sometimes a human. What I told you was true. Salvadore and I were married 45 years. He never knew about this side of me. Not an easy secret to keep. I meant to tell him early on, but just couldn’t. I adored that man too much, and as time went on, I grew afraid.”
Clay raised an eyebrow. “Afraid of Salvadore?”
“Afraid of losing Salvadore. Forty-five years is a long time for humans, but a blink of the eye to us dragons. What if his feelings for me changed? I didn’t want to spoil our short time together.”
Confused, Clay said, “I still don’t understand. What does that have to do with -“ Clay gestured his hands around, not really sure what to think of anything.
also, andThe dragon smiled. “Everything. I think our marriage was so happy because we were both so independent. It kept us out of each other’s hair,” she said with a laugh. “Salvadore really was an avid hunter, and he went on many, many hunting trips. I let him have his time and I…went on my own hunting trips. Something I didn’t think he would understand, and also, maybe a bit selfish. I needed to hunt by myself, my way.”
Clay sat and listened.
“Long story short, when Salvadore passed, I realized what a missed opportunity we had. Then I heard about ‘Hunting Dragons, Inc.’ Of course, I had to check it out. To see if it was… legitimate. “
Clay squirmed. “Yeah, about that -“
She gave a reassuring smile. “The idea of Hunting Dragons is close to right, very close. But still not there. And that’s where, as your new business partner, I come in.” She sat down and explained.
One Year Later
The renovated hunting lodge was sunlit through many large windows. Wood floors, walls, and ceilings added to the sense of rustic warmth. And of course it wouldn’t be a hunting lodge without trophies. The lobby was adorned with trophies of gargoyles, hydras, and giant spiders, just to name a few.
“Hunting With Dragons, Inc.” was a curious business indeed. Clay had joined forces with Sophia, as well as other golden dragons Dorothy, Rose, and Blanch, to make a brand new experience for the avid hunter with the financial means – the chance to hunt monsters alongside a living, breathing dragon.
Sophia, back in human form and in her favorite pink cardigan, buzzed about the lobby. She wanted everything to be perfect, as very special guests were arriving. This was the inaugural debut of the Salvadore Richblood Memorial Youth Hunters Camp, a scholarship-based summer program for teenagers of limited means to learn about hunting, respect for nature, and to go on small expeditions with dragon mentors. And of course lots of dragonfire smores. Yum!
Soon, shuttle vans crunched over the gravel drive up to the lodge’s main entrance, and let loose a cacophony of excited young voices. Sophia smiled; she wasn’t just good; she was golden.