Character Interview Number Fifteen – Daisy the Dragon

Welcome to Daisy The Dragon

Name(s): “My birth name is Deathclaw, but these days I go by the name Daisy.  Actually, this is the first time I’ve admitted to anyone who didn’t know me before I changed my name what my birth name was.  Please don’t judge me based on my birth name.”

Age: “I’m a pretty young dragon, and only just turned 150 last birthday.”

Describe your appearance in 10 words or less. “I am a large, red dragon.”

Would you kill for those you love? “I try not to kill anything if I can avoid it, but if someone I loved was in danger and the only choice available to me was to kill or watch them be killed, then I would kill for them.  I’d feel very guilty about it afterwards though, despite the fact I’d have saved someone I loved.  At one point I actually came close to killing someone for Luke (the little orphan boy I took in).  Luckily though our little witchlet friend, Paige, found an alternative solution.  If you want to know what happened though, then you’ll have to read ‘A Magical Storm’ (the third book in ‘The Magical Chapters Trilogy’).  Though you should probably read the trilogy in order, which means reading ‘Witchlet’ and ‘The Pineapple Loving Dragon’ first.”

Would you die for those you love? “Absolutely! If my death would save someone I loved then I’d willingly give my life for them.  I’d die for Luke in a heartbeat!”

Do you have any relationships you prize above others? Why? “My friendship with Luke means more to me than any other friendship.  Despite my meeting Paige first, Luke and I have grown very close, and he’s very special to me.  We’re both grateful to one another for being there for each other when nobody else was there, and Luke was the first person to trust me who had no way of defending themselves if I’d been like other dragons.”

Do you have a family? Tell us about them. “Oh, you don’t want to hear about my family.  My family are your typical vicious, man-eating, blood-thirsty dragons.  They’re the reason humans don’t generally trust dragons; if you’ve got any sense then you’ll stay as far away from my family as possible.”

Can you remember something from your childhood which influences your behaviour? How do you think it influences you? “I’ll tell you about how I became Daisy; I’m sure you’ll easily figure out how it influences the kind of dragon I am today.  I was only 20 at the time, and still living with my family.  Since I’d hatched I’d known I wasn’t like my siblings; they loved to kill animals and people, but I always felt sad and only killed as much as was absolutely essential to keep my parents off my back, and always only animals; sheep mostly.  Whenever I killed and ate an animal I felt sick though, and the rest of the time I’d sneak off in to the woods and find fruit and things to eat; I always preferred doing that.  Anyway, this one time my brother, Daggertooth, had followed me without me knowing and he caught me eating fruit.  Of course, he flew right home and told on me, but I didn’t know until I got home and found my parents waiting for me.  They’d caught a little human child and my Father told me to kill the child and proove my brother wrong.  But when I looked in to the little girl’s face I saw the fear in her tear-filled eyes, and I knew I couldn’t do it.  When I refused my Father was furious and banished me from the weyr immediately.  So, I left; snatching up the little girl as I took off, wanting to save her from my Father.  Of course, she was terrified, and when I gently set her down just outside the town she just curled in to a ball and shook with fear.  I flew far enough away so I could see her but she couldn’t see me and watched until she got up the courage to get to her feet and run in to the town, where her family welcomed her back with tears of relief.  Then I went to find a cave in a part of the mountains where I knew I’d be far from my family, and I’ve lived there ever since, eating fruit and plants and things; mostly from the woods nearby, but sometimes I travel a bit further to find some of the more exotic fruits.  Anyway, as the little girl ran in to the town she’d been met by someone who’d called her, Daisy, and seemed very pleased to see her.  I thought it was a pretty name, and decided to use it for myself from then on as another way to distance myself from my family, and to remind myself why I’m a vegetarian.”

Please give us an interesting and unusual fact about yourself. “The most interesting and unusual fact about me is that I’m the only vegetarian dragon in our world.  One day I’d love to find another dragon like me, and hope that if I do it will be a male, but every other dragon I’ve met has been carnivorous.”

Please give us a little information about the world in which you live. “My world is a simple one.  Most of it is taken up with woods and mountains, but there are two small towns – one just a short flight away from my mountain, and one several hours flight from it, at the other side of some more trees.  There are also a few small cottages a little way outside of the town; it’s in one of these that Paige lives.  If you fly far enough beyond the woods on the other side of the second town then you’ll come to the coast, which is where I find the more exotic fruits I like to eat; like pineapples, for example.  You would probably consider it to be a primitive world, since our world has none of those gadgets your world is full of.”

Do you travel in the course of your adventures? If so where? “Mostly I spend my time in the woods or the mountains, and sometimes I fly to the coast – making sure to fly over the trees so the people from the town don’t get scared.  But one time I made the mistake of flying over the town when I was too busy enjoying Luke’s enthusiasm for flying to think of the possible consequences of doing so.  You can read about that in ‘The Pineapple Loving Dragon’ though, so I won’t tell you what happened with that.  It was in the woods between her home and the mountains where I live that I met Paige, and at the base of the mountains where I live that I met Luke.”

Name and describe a food from your world. “The foods in my world are just like the foods in yours.  Of course, we don’t have the option for ordering take-away or buying microwave meals like you have, but we have the same basic ingredients: fruit, vegetables, herbs, and – for those who want them – animals that can be killed for meat, like rabbits, sheep and goats.  The goats also provide our milk, which is sometimes then made in to cheese.  As I’ve mentioned before though, I’m a vegetarian, so I don’t eat any meat, and don’t like to think about killing animals if I can help it.  My favourite food is pineapple; I just can’t get enough of that particular fruit!”

Does your world have magic? If so how is it viewed in your world? “Yes, we have magic.  There are Witches; like my friend, Paige.  Only witches have magic though, and people come to them for healing.  That isn’t all they can do though.  I spoke to Paige about her magic once – out of curiosity – and she told me witches control the five elements: Earth, Air, Fire, Water and Spirit.  Using these five elements a witch can do just about anything: heal, throw fire balls, create storms, or – Paige’s favourite trick – ride the wind to travel faster than almost anything else in our world.  Only a dragon stands any chance of keeping up with a witch who’s riding the wind.  As for how it’s viewed… People seek out witches when they need them, but they’re also a little afraid of witches.  That’s why witches tend to live in cottages among the trees rather than in the town; it makes the rest of the humans more comfortable to have some distance between them and the witches.”

What is the technology level for your world/place of residence? What item would you not be able to live without? “We don’t really have any technology in my world.  Cooking is done on fires, homes are lit with candles and lamps, and if you’re cold you sit near the fire with a blanket wrapped around you.  We don’t have telephones either, so if you want to tell someone something then you have to either go and see them or send a messenger.  There’s not really anything I couldn’t live without.  I’m glad to be able to provide blankets and fires to keep Luke warm, and we need food, of course, but other than each other there’s not really anything more that Luke and I feel we need.”

Does your world have any supernatural/mystical beings? Please tell us about some. “Other than humans and the kinds of animals you’re familiar with, my world contains witches and dragons.  Witches are mostly kind and willing to use their ability to harness the power of the elements to help people, dragons are generally evil creatures who use their enhanced senses to prey on the weak; including humans.  Of course, there are exceptions to both these rules, like myself and Zoey.  Generally it’s older witches people come to for help though, but Paige’s skills set her apart so that people learned of her skill while she was still just a child.  Read ‘Witchlet’ to know more about Paige’s story, and ‘A Magical Storm’ to learn about Zoey.”

Within your civilisation what do you think is the most important discovery/invention? “I think fire is the most important discovery.  So many humans died in Winter before they learned to make fire, which is a sad thing to think about.  Winters can still kill people – especially if they’re harsh Winters – but fewer people die in Winter now that humans have fire to keep them warm.”

 

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Author notes:

Book(s) in which this character appears plus links:

The Magical Chapters Trilogy, book 1: Witchlet – http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/167766

The Magical Chapters Trilogy, book 2: The Pineapple Loving Dragon – http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/260695

The Magical Chapters Trilogy, book 3: A Magical Storm – http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/303746

Author name: Victoria Zigler

Website/Blog/Author pages etc:

Website: http://www.zigler.co.uk

Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/toriz

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/toriz

Blog: http://ziglernews.blogspot.com

Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Victoria-Zigler/424999294215717

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/victoriazigler