002 | video

[dracobin]

[Live from the Fire Sector, it's a large black dragon with a very nice necklace! He is seated in his three-story suite, the intervening floors of which have mostly been removed thanks to the expertise and efficiency of Javert's construction team. What parts of it are visible onscreen give the suite a far more spacious appearance than it did previously, which serves to make Temeraire look a little smaller and (hopefully) a little less intimidating.]

It has come to my attention that my appearance has caused some of you distress in the past few days. I should not like to alarm anyone further, so I suppose I had better introduce myself now and clear away any more misconceptions before they have had a chance to start.

I suppose I cannot blame you for your reactions, since I am given to understand many of you are unfamiliar with dragons, save from various legends, most of which sound farfetched at best and highly offensive at worst. But I do not breathe fire, and I am not feral, and I would certainly never do anything as rude as try to kidnap and eat any of you, regardless of whether or not you are a young lady; I cannot imagine it would make much difference in taste, besides. Of course I would not object to having a great pile of gold to sleep on, but as I do not have one at present I am certainly not going to steal yours, unless you are such a booby as to leave it lying around for anyone to take.

[He huffs slightly, then settles back on his haunches, somewhat mollified.] So there we have it: you know that I am here, and that I am not going to accidentally squash you, or eat you, and with that out of the way, I have have noticed a few things which I suppose everyone should be aware of.

Firstly, there seem to be a great number of you from the twenty-first century at least, which I thought was very exciting at first; but now I realize I must have missed a great many things over the course of the last two hundred years, particularly in the realm of the sciences, and I should like to catch up on whatever I have missed. If you are not averse to discussing any of it with me, I should very much like to listen to all you have to say.

Secondly, whatever miasma has afflicted the other sectors is present here in the Fire sector as well; it has grown cold these past few days, and our suites are poorly lit besides. I am certain the damage must have spread elsewhere, and I would like to propose a small expedition of perhaps two or three others, to the outer reaches of the shell. I am curious to see if the disease has also affected what local wildlife remains, and if there is some aspect of its process that we may have overlooked. It will be no great inconvenience to take you on my back; I expect we will be able to get around faster and more comfortably than most, if we fly directly. Of course anyone may come, if they like, but I think it would help very much if you are a scientist, and not afraid of heights.

Pray inform me if you have any questions. [He pauses, then switches off the feed.]

Comments

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[dracobin]

Two days--three at most, I think--I intend to leave tomorrow afternoon, and we should certainly be back by the afternoon of the 27th by the latest.

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[cravats]

Then I should be very happy to accompany you, if you do not mind the possibility of me being airsick.

--and forgive me, I quite forgot to answer your question. I am Professor Randolph Lyall.

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[dracobin]

I do not mind at all, as long as you try not to be airsick on me.

That is quite all right; it is very nice to meet you, Professor Lyall. What are you a professor of, if I might ask?

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[cravats]

I shall do my utmost to avoid it.

Ovinology- I study sheep.

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[dracobin]

Sheep? They are--very tasty, of course, but I did not think they required much studying.

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[cravats]

That does seem to be the common opinion, but I find myself quite fascinated by their breeding and the diseases they suffer. I am trying to improve them, you see.

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[dracobin]

Well, I suppose there is a great deal to improve, with sheep. You could make them bigger, for a start: then they would make for better eating.

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[cravats]

Yes, precisely. I have engaged in selective breeding with the pack's flock, breeding for size in half and for finer wool quality in the other half. It's going quite well.

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[dracobin]

[Breeding, at least, he understands quite well, but--]

Pack? Do you mean a pack of feral dragons?

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[cravats]

Er, no. I suspect that would decimate the flock rather quickly. [He chuckles.] I mean a pack of werewolves. They are men who can change into wolves at night, if they wish, and must do so on the full moon.

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[dracobin]

I have never heard of anything like that; they must not exist in my world, or they are very well hidden if they do. What is it like, I wonder, being a wolf?

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[cravats]

There's nothing like it. Of course, I am a wolf nearly all the time and not only when I'm on our feet rather than two. I hardly remember my human days. Our senses are keener than a human's, and our instincts are very strong. I'm not sure how either of those would compare to a dragon, though it would be an interesting study.

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[dracobin]

I am told our sense of smell is much stronger than a human's, at least, and I have uncommon good eyesight, even for a dragon, but you are right, I should like to compare the two sometime.

But you were a human once, then? I had assumed one was born a werewolf from the start. How is it that you became one?

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[cravats]

I would be most heartily in favour of such an experiment. I am sure the results would be interesting, in whatever way they go. [Yes, he must learn more about the dragon. As non-intrusively as possible, of course.]

To become a werewolf, one must undergo metamorphosis, which involves an Alpha werewolf biting you. [A lot.] If the metamorphosis is successful, it will result in your return to life as a werewolf. Unfortunately, metamorphoses are often unsuccessful, and thus they are only undergone by the willing. It is not done to attempt to convert the unwilling, at least in Britain.

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[dracobin]

So it is a sort of condition transmissible by--saliva, or blood? [He tilts his head slightly.] If I may ask--why did you choose to become one, if the risk was so very great?

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[cravats]

Saliva, I think, though the exact process has never been determined. It's quite difficult to study. [He ponders.] I wanted to live forever, and be stronger and faster than I was. I felt that the risks were worth the benefits, and on the whole I feel they have been.

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[dracobin]

To live forever! I did not know that was a part of it: so then not only are you a wolf, you are one which cannot be killed? I have never heard of anything like it. [Pause.] Although I suppose, as a professor, it must mean you have as much time to research as you like.

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[cravats]

There are ways to kill us- you will pardon me if I do not mention them- but we will not die of old age or illness. I have been alive for some three hundred years now- which does mean I have a great deal of time to research.

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[dracobin]

[His ruff flares in surprise.] Three hundred years! And what year was it, before you arrived here? You must have seen and heard a great many things!

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[cravats]

It was 1873. May I inquire what year it was for you?

[He chuckles.] I suppose I have seen a great deal of history as it passed.

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[dracobin]

Oh, it was 1807, for me--so you must have lived through a great many wars: the revolution in America, and Napoleon, and the Amis' émeute, as well? Have you traveled very much?

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[cravats]

Oh, yes, I fought in the revolution and against Napoleon. I was with the army, of course- the werewolf packs are used quite heavily in military service.

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[dracobin]

That makes a great deal of sense, when you are all immortal. Are there werewolf packs in every country, then, or are there other--sorts of people? [Is that the right phrase for it?] --in other lands?

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[cravats]

There are three sorts of supernaturals- werewolves, vampires, and ghosts. Vampires drink blood and cannot stand the touch of sunlight, while ghosts are incorporeal remnants left after death. England is the only civilized country to have acknowledged supernaturals as legal citizens, unfortunately- in most other lands, they are considered dangerous at best and devil-worshippers at worst. Thus we do have some military advantage.

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[dracobin]

I have heard of ghosts, of course, and learned of vampires here; it is only on the turtle that I have ever met the latter, and I think it would be very interesting to meet the former. But I am very glad to hear that you have rights in your England; I only wish it were the case for dragons, in mine.