Enlightened Studies in Dragonology: The Five Important F's.

As an avid student of Dr. Earnest Drake, I have decided to continue his delightful studies with the help of Keensight.  Having been fortunate enough to make friends with two dragons, Farloft and Keensight, as well as increasing slowly my contact with several others, I hope that my findings will be helpful to other dragonologists and writers.  Today I wish to expound on the five F's of dragonology, originally postulated by Dr. Drake.



Foresight - It is very important for a student of dragonology to have proper equipment and a genuine good sense of instinct.  For example, in the kit of required equipment should be fire retardant clothing.  This will not help with the heat of the breath weapon, this is enough to cook you without the flame, but it does show proper respect for the dragon's abilities.  Balms and solvents for burns are a must in any good kit.  In addition, carrying a proper array of gifts to offer is a must for all dragonologist field equipment.

Fieldwork - Most of us are not going to be lucky enough to have a dragon come calling.  Theresa and I have been fortunate to have this access to a dragon but let us be honest, if you live in the city it is just not going to occur. A dragon sighting in a large city such as Seattle would cause a great deal of panic and a calling of the military.  No proper dragon is going to expose his kin to such a search of militant persecution and should he decide to reveal himself, he will be select in his location. No, you must venture out into the dark places, the rocky places and the deep sea to find a dragon in his own environment.  I am fortunate to have 80 rocky acres shielded from public view.  Keensight can fly in from the north with none the wiser. I am not sure how Farloft and friends visit Theresa without a panic.

Forwardness -  A dragon does not respect fear or threats.  He does respect a healthy dose of humor and bravery, however.  Keensight tells me that the only reason he did not eat Alador's father is that the man was quite hilarious in his forward approach.  Keensight stated that when he asked Henrick why he should not just eat him, the man went on to explain how to eat a Lerdenian would be quite deadly for him.  The bony nature of a Lerdenian was bound to stick in Keensight's throat and then he shared that Henrick went on to tell a multitude of digestive issues that could ensue if Keensight would have eaten him.

Frankness - Do not lie to a dragon.  They seem to pick up on lies quickly. Perhaps it is their own mastery of the skill but it does not do to get caught lying to one.  If you are going to lie to one, please refer to the first F, as you will need to pack a good deal of gear to get away if discovered. Also be frank with other dragonologists.  It does not do well for our profession if lies are continued to be propagated.  Keensight gets most upset when he reads some of the tales about dragons.  He wonders how the writer would ever put a self respecting dragon in such a position. He then often threatens to find said writer and eat him regardless of the digestive issues.

Fatalities - This should be avoided at all costs. Your field notes and such will be quite lost if you die in the dragon's presence.  In addition, one can hardly declare to be an expert in the field if you died in your studies.

I hope this helps others as they move forward in the studies of dragons.  Dragons exist for when so many tales abound in the histories of men, if they did not exist before, we have brought them forth from the imagination into the realities of history.