These are the writings of the most feared, the most magnificent dragon ever to have spread his wings and cast his awe-inspiring shadow across the world.

Because his wing spreading magnificence cannot write, I have suggested he keep to the facts and keep them brief. It will save my patience and my ink.

My very first memory is of looking at a cave wall. With carvings and pictures on it. No wait, that is my second memory. My first memory was seeing my feet and realising how magnificent they were. Then I saw the cave wall.

I have tiny bits of memories of living in the cave. There was no one else there, no other dragons. I remember barrels of food and casks of water and the cave wall with the carvings. Nothing else.

My second memory is being in a small cage.

No. Dragon has another memory before that. He told me about it once. He remembers being under the sea, and being very scared and very cold. I think he must have fallen while learning to fly. He avoids flying low over the sea now.

I was kept in a cage by the captain of a trading ship. It was very undignified but I made the most of it. He fed be and kept my claws filed and so I behaved well enough. Until the stupid parrot came.

For months I had quietly listened to the shortlives. I learnt their language but I kept my mouth shut. Then this parrot arrived. He never learnt the language but he would NOT keep his beak shut. He kept saying that he wanted a cracker, and that he was a pretty boy. He was lying on both accounts. First, he was the ugliest bird this side of a dead chicken. And second, he hated crackers.

I went to the trouble of letting myself out of my cage, stealing a cracker from the galley and pushing it in through the bars of mister ugly's cage. Did he thank me and eat the cracker? No. He screamed and squawked and threw himself about. Feathers everywhere! He stopped talking after that. He sulked and kept his face turned away from me, which was a relief.

I left the ship at the next port. And that's where my next adventure began.

I have suggested to Dragon that we carry on with his journal another day. It is getting late and we need to get out for our evening patrol. I will begin a fresh page very soon.

And now he is sulking. Big surprise.