[ WP ] The Deep Woods are a fearsome place , filled with screams and lights and terrible magic . But in the depths of the forest lives an ancient dragon who constructs all the sounds and sights to keep people away , because he just wants to be left alone .

A blood-curdling howl filtered in through the mist, seeming to come from every direction at once. Any other man would have fled immediately lest he be ripped to shred by the fearsome beasts of the forest. But that only urged Gervis onward, though maybe his hand did clutch a bit tighter around the handle of his ax. 
 
 After a dozen requests and pleas for courtship, the Princess of Marberry had finally promised Gervis her hand in marriage… *if* he could enter the North Woods and slay the most ferocious beast in its depths. Gervis wasn ’ t one hundred percent sure what exactly that was, because very few had ever actually seen the monsters and lived to tell the tale. But around the tavern fires, men would often tell tales of huge hulking shadows looming out of the forest, waiting to snatch up any man who was foolish to be out past sundown near the treeline. And everyone in the village had lain awake at night listening to the screams and wails of travelers who didn ’ t know of the dangers of the woods. Some men said that the wolves could grow larger than wagons, or that they turned back into the men during the day to choose which one they'd eat next. As he descended deeper and deeper into the dark forest, he was sure that whatever creature was making that sound would surely be large and scary enough to satisfy her demand. 
 
 The trees parted into a wide clearing at the edge of the mountains. From here, it wasn ’ t so scary. The evening mist gave it almost a gentle glow, and the setting sun cast brilliant shades of purple and orange against the clouds. At the other end of the field, a cave loomed, large enough to fit Gervis ’ s entire house in its entrance. After a day of tracking without even a sign of any animal prints or even trails through the dense underbrush, he decided that this was as good a place as any to make camp. At least stone walls on three sides would offer some protection from the monsters. 
 
 After collecting firewood and some loose brush for a bed, Gervis sat by a crackling fire and enjoyed a meal of apples, some old bread, and a hard hunk of salty cheese. At the far end of the valley, he could just barely see the twinkling lights of the city, and Lord Marberry ’ s castle perched on an outcropping over the bay. He wondered briefly if the Princess sat in her tower gazing out over the woods, wondering how his quest was going. 
 
 A ferocious howl, louder than the roar of a storming wind, came from inside the cave right behind Gervis. He leapt to his feet with his ax in one hand and a burning log in the other. He couldn ’ t sleep with it in *in the cave* with him, so he plunged deeper into the inky blackness under the mountain. 
 
 Two gleaming golden eyes loomed out of the darkness, reflecting the sparks from his meager torch. Each eye was the size of a wagon wheel. Gervis skidded to a halt, slipping on the slick stones underfoot and falling onto his back. 
 
 “ What are you doing in my woods? ” a voice roared. The echo bounced around the cave, shouting “ woods ” over and over again. The eyes came closer, and Gervis could see that it was like a lizard ’ s head, except nearly the size of a fishing boat. *A dragon*, he realized. He'd always loved the stories of dragons, but the court's scribe assured everyone that they'd died out a thousand years ago. 
 
 “ I ’ ve come to slay a beast, ” Gervis announced proudly. “ For Princess Marberry ’ s hand in marriage! ” For a moment he considered whether he should try slaying the dragon. But the ax in his hand was barely good for chopping wood, much less cutting through the legendarily stout scales of a dragon. He ’ d only planned on hunting wolves. And even if he could kill the dragon, how could he ever manage to carry it back? 
 
 “ There are no beasts here, ” the Dragon growled. “ Go away. ” His head receded back into the darkness, and Gervis heard a slithering sound of skin against rock. 
 
 “ Wait! ” He scrambled to his feet and chased after the dragon. “ I heard them! ” With his makeshift torch, Gervis pointed out the mouth of the cave to the forest. “ I ’ ve been hearing the howling of wolves all day! All my *life* actually! ” 
 
 The dragon snorted, releasing a puff of smoke that drifted upwards and out of sight. Gervis wondered for a moment just how large this cave really was. “ That was me, you fool, ” it answered. “ There haven ’ t been wolves in these woods for centuries. ” 
 
 Gervis ’ s face fell. He couldn ’ t go back to Princess Marberry with that. “ What am I supposed to do? ” he asked the dragon. “ The Princess demanded the head of a ferocious wolf, or there would be no marriage! ” 
 
 The dragon was silent. His big golden eyes studied Gervis, flicking for a moment to the ax in his hand. “ And that ’ s what you brought to kill them? Where is your sword and armor? ” 
 
 “ I have none, errr…. Dragon, ” Gervis answered. He wasn ’ t quite sure how to address the giant beast. “ That is why I am not a suitable match for the Princess yet. ” 
 
 The dragon was silent once again. Then he thrust his head at a nearby boulder. “ Roll that rock over here for me, would you? ” 
 
 Gervis didn ’ t quite understand why, but he did as he was told. The dragon reared up and unleashed a massive gout of flame like a cascading fire waterfall. The whole cave was lit bright as day, and Gervis could finally see the whole body of the dragon, covered in gleaming gold scales. The fire wrapped the boulder, which became so white-hot that Gervis couldn ’ t even tell if it was still there against the bright flames. 
 
 Then it was over. The fires were extinguished in an instant. Gervis ’ s eyes took a moment to adjust to the sudden darkness, but when he looked back at the boulder it was gone. Instead, there was a severed wolf ’ s head laying on the floor of the cave. Each wiry hair and curved fang was so lifelike. There was even blood dripping from the stump of the neck and slobber on the thick rubbery tongue. 
 
 “ There, ” the dragon boomed. “ You have your head. Now return to your palace and claim your princess. ” 
 
 “ Errr… thank you, ” Gervis said, still unable to take his eyes off of the wolf ’ s head. How had this come from a *rock*? 
 
 “ She is trying to get you killed, by the way, ” the dragon said. “ That ’ s why she sent you to do a dangerous and impossible task. She wo n't expect you to ever return. ” With that last thought, the golden eyes disappeared and it slithered back into the cave. 
 
 Gervis stared at the head. He could leave now and take it back to the palace, and forget that the dragon was ever out here. No one would ever know. On the other hand…. the dragon's warning did make sense. He was just a commoner, after all. And she had rejected his proposals so many other times. Why would the slaying of a great wolf make a difference to her anyway? 
 
 “ Wait! ” he called out, chasing after the dragon. “ Wait up! ” 

