The Dragon Riding Academy
Chapter 2
Caravaneers
I Am a driver in a caravan. I do NOT do this because I need a job or any such nonsense. I do this because it gives Me pleasure.
This is an ageless, timeless caravan. Just like dragons, just like Us. I Am driving a cart which You might call a convertible. It can change with My need, want, and/or mood from a horse drawn cart, to a gas engine car, to a flying car, to My cabin, to a faerie castle and probably more that I haven't experienced or wished for yet.
At this point, You may be a little confused because You just read about Me being at The Dragon Rider's Academy. If that is the case, it is because You are still thinking from the perspective of there being only One version of You, living only One life in only One reality and in only One dimension. I Am not asking You to change but You may need to cock Your head a bit to One side and just go with My story here.
If You can not get Your head around this enough to follow along, here is a possible solution: I have many names, pick One and think of this Me as that name and then pick another name and assign it to the Me that is at The Dragon Riding Academy. At some point, you may need to use this same coping skill when reading My story about space walking.
I usually have a rider and/or navigator. Let's call it Ego. There have been times (many times many times) when I tried to kick Ego out of My cart. There were times that I was successful but I was never quite able to kill Ego even though I have given it My very best effort.
Then, not long ago I real-eysed that Ego has an important role, the role of navigator. Ego only tried to drive My cart (My life?) when I fell asleep at the wheel and We were in danger of running off the edge of the earth. This was a very deep sleep, more than sleep even. Poor Ego spent a lot of time and effort trying to protect Us. In the course of these events Ego forgot it's purpose and took complete control because that is the only way it could see to keep Us alive. Today I can say it was probably right.
There were many times when I would start to kind of come to My senses. Perhaps a bump in the road or the wheels starting to slide into the ditch or some such. At these points I would re-take control and usually berate Ego in a drunken manner that went on and on until I passed out again. It was at these times (a bit in and out of consciousness) that I would try to (sometimes even succeed at) kick Ego out of the cart (My life) but I was never quite able to completely destroy Ego. Try as I might, Ego All-ways stood by Me (or ran alongside) and eventually climbed back into the cart.
So, I have had several talks with My navigator. I certainly can not blame it for being fear-full of Me as I awaken. Who would not fear the person who had tried so many times to destroy “them”? We continue to have little talks, I continue to try to maintain (sober and safe) control of Our cart and let Ego do it's job. I have even begun to identify other aspects of Self that are helping Us on Our trek.
Where was I? Yes, right here, where else could I be? Perhaps a better question would be: “when am I?” The answer being similar: right now, when else could I be? Wasn't there a book about that?
You may wonder where are We (the caravan) headed and what do We carry and those types of things. Or You may be so lost and confused by My rambling that You just assume We are All lost and stumbling around blindly.
Our cargo is quite an interesting subject. Have You guessed that it changes? Certainly it changes. We carry whatever the next settlement needs or wants. It does get a bit tricky when We are approaching a settlement of immortals since “they” real-eyes that “they” have no needs and can manifest anything “they” want. That is really another story or at least another chapter. My point bean that for these settlements We carry the stories. What greater purpose could anyOne carry than the stories?
On Our journey We often sit around the campfires and listen to the locals share “their” experiences and history in words and sometimes music and even pictures. We take these with Us to exchange with anyOne who cares to listen. It is really quite a calling. It is fun and exciting and educational All at the same time.
Right now We are headed to The Dragon Rider's Academy. (Had You All-ready guessed that?) What do You think it might possibly be that dragons would want from Us. Again (obviously) it's the stories. The stories and trinkets and baubles. Dragons love to tell stories (and it really matters little whether “they” be considered true or not) and (as everyOne knows) dragons love trinkets and baubles, the flashier the better.
I know that there are many stories of dragons stealing treasure to line “their” lairs but that is (mostly) rumor and fable. Those tales are told by people who simply can not come to believe in (or even think about) Our caravans. Why? Why would anyOne
There are worlds where We are accepted as just another every day part of every day life. Some of those worlds are not really that far from this reality. “They” are a nice day's dragon ride at the farthest. However, the people who tell hurtful stories about Us and dragons would not ever think of taking a dragon ride. Pity that.
Another phenomena of caravan life is the weather. I'm not going to say the weather is All-ways nice. It is more that We live in tune and harmony with Gaia and nature and therefore the weather is never bad. This too is hard for most humans from Your reality to grasp. I do have it on good authority that this is changing and soon some from Your reality will be learning and experiencing how to live in tune and harmony with Gaia and nature.
Oh that will be a happy day for the elementals. A very happy day indeed. That too is another story or chapter.
Please do not let Me forget to talk a bit about the connections between the Fae and dragons. You may think this is fairly obvious (only because it is) but I theel it is still worth some mention. I Am doing some research too and finding some more topics that I hope to surprise You with.
Try to imagine (if You will) what it is like to be doing what You enjoy, All the time and every day. Imagine feeling comfortable in any weather that You encounter. Imagine that if You feel hungry (it is different from hunger but We will stick with that word because You can relate to it) You just reach behind You into the cart and grab something absolutely delicious and pop it into Your mouth. There is more to tell You about My life, but for now I will leave it at that because that is plenty for You to try to digest.
We travel from town to village to city............... Oh, now that is an interesting topic: a caravan entering a major city. Before We enter a city We have to make some changes. We have to put on clothes and it is a good idea to put on rather plain clothes. What fun is that? In large population centers, what is fun for a caravaneer may not be safe for a caravaneer.
We usually change Our carts into small cars. These are easier to maneuver, find parking space for and attract less attention. We need to create money (currency) in order to fit in. Since We do not accept money for Our services or products, this can get a little tricky. One method of dealing with this is mind control. Think Star Wars: “These are not the droids You are looking for.” The thing is that We really do not like to control other people's minds. I Am sure You can see Our point here and even agree with Us. After All, would You want Us to manipulate Your mind? We prefer creating money or at least the illusion of money. This is probably hair splitting here but believe Me that We would rather show You real money as opposed to making You “think” We are showing You money.
It is an interesting life We live.
Back to Our journey to The Dragon Rider's Academy. This is All-ways an exciting time for Us, as You may well imagine. You are probably thinking that We are excited to see dragons, that We are hoping to ride a dragon (or 12), that We will be happy (thrilled) just to watch the dragons fly, that We are excited to meet dragon riders and potential dragon riders, that We anticipate what it will be like to watch and learn more about how the academy functions.
It is that and sooooo much more.
Let's start with: We have visited The Dragon Riding Academy dozens, maybe hundreds of times. Each visit brings something new and exciting. BUT, the most exciting thing is that We don't know where it is. That's right, none of Us (not even the oldest and wisest which are not necessarily the same person) has any idea where the academy actually is or how to get there. That is a bit baffling but absolutely true.
You have got to be wondering how this is possible and even more important how can We possibly get there?????
It is much, much simpler than it appears.
We decide it is time for a visit and begin. We go to the next town or village (or maybe even city) along the road. Perhaps We change course and direction, perhaps not. We just follow Our gut instinct. Maybe it is intuition, maybe it is some inner compass or maybe ????
As far as We know We have never taken the same route twice. I know this is raising more questions than it answers. Dragons do have a way of doing this.
Once We have decided it is time to visit the academy and begin to follow Our instincts We find OurSelves either taking a seemingly direct course somewhere or wandering around aimlessly. What We are doing during this time is waiting for a signal or inspiration from the dragons. I would think that idea might have All-ready occurred to You. We travel or sit and wait. It totally depends on what “feels” right. No, We don't All agree One-hundred percent. Or maybe I should say We don't All-ways think We totally agree. It just works out and it works out every time. I will say that none of Us has ever died in the time between deciding to visit the dragons and the time We arrive at the academy.
Okay, there have been a few close calls but those to are another story.
The first time We spot or even feel a dragon near, or catch the feeling of a dragon's thoughts is usually a time when We want to shout and cheer yet find OurSelves silent. That My friend is just how dragons make You feel. You are exuberant AND silent when first encountering a dragon or “their” thoughts, even if it is the hundredth or millionth time it has happened.
Dragons are magical, mythical, awesome and inspiring creatures. Do NOT ever (however) make the mistake of worshiping “them”. If You ever wonder what it is like to experience a dragon's wrath I personally know of no faster way to learn than to even begin to worship “them”. The rest of that story is also for another time.
The instant of first sight or first thought it feels like waiting for further contact is insufferable. Waiting feels like a weight upon Your heart that will break You into a thousand pieces in a nanosecond. It feels like Your heart will burst and an ocean of tears will cascade down Your face and flood the area where You stand, drowning the entire world before You can take another breath. This really does not even come close to fully describing how it feels.
I hope You begin to fathom the incredible feeling of making the slightest contact with a dragon. It is One of those things in life that simply must be experienced to comprehend. A dragon is beyond comprehension without experience. A group of dragons defies the boundaries of thinking or even imagining.
This moment is upon Us now. Each and every member of the caravan has felt the touch of a dragon's thought. We stop as One. We breath as One. No signal was given except the touch of a dragon's thought upon Our minds. In silence and dread yet ecstatic anticipation We wait for more. More of whatever this dragon will offer Us. To say that You could hear a pin drop is an understatement of such magnitude there truly is no comparison. The horses are silent as well. The birds and bees do not even breath. No wing, no foot, no heart nor lung can bear the waiting nor make the slightest motion.
Eternity has passed into night before the dragon appears and greets Us with joy and laughter. You would think that a mighty storm has been unleashed as everyOne and everything for miles around breaths Once again. Dragons can do that. Yes, “They” can.
That was incredible, worth waiting a lifetime for and We are unbelievably glad it is over.
“Welcome.”
“Thank You”
“Follow Me.”
And so began another journey to The Dragon Rider's Academy. You may be thinking that it had All-ready begun. Perhaps it had but that was nothing compared to being in the presence of a dragon and following in it's wake. It seemed as if life had just begun, like a star had just been born. For in truth, that is the way it is.
You might wonder how We could forget such a path. Would You expect that We were blindfolded or muzzled in some way? If You flew in the tail of a comet, would You remember the directions and be able to repeat the journey? Of course not. That is the closest I can come to telling You what it is like.
Our wheels never touched the ground from that moment until We arrived at the academy. Our feet were more like wings and Our arms touched the stars, or so it seemed. We thought that perhaps Our faces would burn from Our proximity to the sun. Yet, even the sun would pale in comparison to the beauty of a single dragon. We went like this until We arrived in the academy. We were never at the gates or standing outside the walls. We met the dragon, We journeyed and We were inside and that is All there is to tell.
Except for the banquet that awaited Us. I have never figured out if it is the dragons who display such a wealth of food and beverage or if it is the people who choose to serve. At the banquet, I assure You, no One has any such thoughts. It is pointless. We just enjoy the hospitality until We are through.
As difficult as it is to tell a story on such a full (or should I say bloated?) stomach, it is expected and comes with much more ease than One would imagine. For who would ever think of disappointing a dragon? I will not even dare You to try for someOne would probably be fool enough to take that dare.
Hence, the stories began. If One could measure time here, One would or could say the telling went on until the dawn. As it is, We have no way of telling how long it went on. Once in the midst of so many dragons and “their' devoted servants One could go on until long after “they” had died and never even notice taking a single breath.
Apparently those who live at the academy grow accustomed to the time no-time and the glory and beauty of the dragons. At some point another meal is served. There is singing and dancing and merriment of All sorts until another story is called for. One story leads to another as any fisherman worth his tale can confirm.
To hear a dragon laugh would be worth a thousand lifetimes in hell if that were the price. Fortunately, a dragon's laughter comes free and easy. If I were only able to visit the academy Once in a lifetime it would be worth any price required. Can anyOne ask: “Why the life of a caravaneer?” We get to visit not just Once, but every time the dragons call for a story. Truly, that is how We know it is time to begin the journey to The Dragon Rider's Academy. We get the call.
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