Captain Badass’ ship headed towards the unprotected Bonny’s Revenge.
Captain Badass clearly knew that Dragon Little was asleep and that Dragon Father, his hated foe, had disappeared and would not return for hours.
Just as his ship approached Bonny’s Revenge I descended in front of it, blocking its path.
Captain Badass stopped his ship.
“God damn dragon,” he yelled at me, taking a few steps forward, his wooden peg leg moving awkwardly. “Your master isn’t here! Go away!”
‘Master’ ist not a word I would ever want to hear again. It ist a word of slavery and I will never be a slave again.
I roared in unplanned anger. “Justin Shelley ist not my master, Captain Badass.”
“La dee da,” he said, which ist a word I have never heard before and I do not know what it means. “Then move!”
“But young Joy Shelley ist under my protection!”
I was flapping my wings, remaining in place in the air. But now I moved my head closer to his. My head ist bigger than his entire body.
“I am a dragon. I am stronger than your ship. I am stronger than any weapon. My wrath is endless. You will never attack Joy Shelley while her father is gone! Never!”
Captain Badass made a face and reached for the pistol in his belt behind his back.
I did not give him a chance.
My tail reached underneath me and struck his ship.
Captain Badass was thrown off the ship and into the ocean. “Yaaaargh!”
I waited for him to bob up and look up before I opened my mouth and breathed a wall of fire.
His entire ship began to burn and fell into the ocean and remained above the waves, burning.
“Goddamn dragon!” he yelled at me. “I can’t swim with one leg!”
I roared as loud as I could and flew away. “Remember!” I said loudly, knowing the wind will carry my voice to him. “Remember what I can do!”
And in a few seconds I had vanished from his sight and was back in my hiding place.
Captain Badass swam away, angry. I followed him with my gaze until Dragon Father reappeared a few hours later. By this time the danger had passed.
What I had told Captain Badass was a bluff.
Yes, Dragon Little was under my protection. Yes, I will protect her, even with my life. But it was not true that I was stronger than any of his weapons. Not true at all. I hoped that my bluff and show of force would be enough for him to never try and actually attack me.
That, hopefully, ist a story I will never tell.
—Told by The Red Dragon