6 - Text
On Growth: Personal Reflections and Musings on Both Draconic and Human Development
By Temeraire, as dictated to Neil Perry
It is not so long ago, only three years, that I was very small, even smaller than a human, and still in the shell. I spent a while there and eventually became aware of myself and that there was a world around me. It was not long before it become very tedious to be cramped up inside while everyone else was having very interesting conversations outside, so I broke my way out. I was hungry to begin with and the effort made me hungrier. Of course I did not know it at the time, but the reason I was so hungry was because as I grew inside the egg into a dragonet, I consumed the contents of the egg. Once I was outside and Laurence named me, I was harnessed and fed, and as I kept eating, I kept growing.
I soon grew bigger than Laurence and too big to sleep anywhere but on the deck of the ship I was hatched on, but I was big enough to catch fish and for Laurence to ride me. When we reached Britain and I began my training in Loch Laggan covert I continued growing until I reached full maturity, strengthened by training with the other dragons in my formation. I am now big enough to carry a full crew, though I am not quite as big as Maximus since he is a different breed. Dragons develop quickly, you see, but we can live for hundreds of years.
I do not entirely understand how humans reproduce, but I plan to find some books on the subject soon. I learned a while ago that you do not hatch from eggs, which was surprising. Lily says that when her captain's new egg, which I suppose you would call a baby, is rather useless since it cannot talk or do anything yet. She also said it smelled peculiar. From observing my runners as they have grown up, it appears that humans take a rather long time to develop in both size and mental capacity. It seems unfortunate, considering humans only live for less than a century. It is very sad for the older dragons, who have lost their first captains, and more besides.
All living things grow and develop in complexity, I suppose that is what makes them alive. To grow they must consume other things--I mostly eat meat, as well as grain and some vegetables. Plants consume water and somehow use sunlight for their growth. And to grow a mind one requires education, stimulating conversation, and novel experiences. Life in the City may not be easy, but it does afford opportunities for growth, though I suppose I shall un-grow in some sense when I return home, since apparently we all return to how we were and forget.
[Voice]
Thank you, Neil, you were very helpful. Is there anyone in the City with experience in leatherworking, blacksmithing, harness-making or more modern means of manufacture? I would be interested in discussing something with you.
By Temeraire, as dictated to Neil Perry
It is not so long ago, only three years, that I was very small, even smaller than a human, and still in the shell. I spent a while there and eventually became aware of myself and that there was a world around me. It was not long before it become very tedious to be cramped up inside while everyone else was having very interesting conversations outside, so I broke my way out. I was hungry to begin with and the effort made me hungrier. Of course I did not know it at the time, but the reason I was so hungry was because as I grew inside the egg into a dragonet, I consumed the contents of the egg. Once I was outside and Laurence named me, I was harnessed and fed, and as I kept eating, I kept growing.
I soon grew bigger than Laurence and too big to sleep anywhere but on the deck of the ship I was hatched on, but I was big enough to catch fish and for Laurence to ride me. When we reached Britain and I began my training in Loch Laggan covert I continued growing until I reached full maturity, strengthened by training with the other dragons in my formation. I am now big enough to carry a full crew, though I am not quite as big as Maximus since he is a different breed. Dragons develop quickly, you see, but we can live for hundreds of years.
I do not entirely understand how humans reproduce, but I plan to find some books on the subject soon. I learned a while ago that you do not hatch from eggs, which was surprising. Lily says that when her captain's new egg, which I suppose you would call a baby, is rather useless since it cannot talk or do anything yet. She also said it smelled peculiar. From observing my runners as they have grown up, it appears that humans take a rather long time to develop in both size and mental capacity. It seems unfortunate, considering humans only live for less than a century. It is very sad for the older dragons, who have lost their first captains, and more besides.
All living things grow and develop in complexity, I suppose that is what makes them alive. To grow they must consume other things--I mostly eat meat, as well as grain and some vegetables. Plants consume water and somehow use sunlight for their growth. And to grow a mind one requires education, stimulating conversation, and novel experiences. Life in the City may not be easy, but it does afford opportunities for growth, though I suppose I shall un-grow in some sense when I return home, since apparently we all return to how we were and forget.
[Voice]
Thank you, Neil, you were very helpful. Is there anyone in the City with experience in leatherworking, blacksmithing, harness-making or more modern means of manufacture? I would be interested in discussing something with you.