What is the Snow Dragon?
What is the Snow Dragon?
The monster inspiring a Deer Falls urban legend
Deer Falls forms a ground zero for otherworldly beings and supernatural events. Monsters, witches, vampires, demons, and ghosts have all taken turns terrorizing residents in the small Colorado town.
Snow Dragon will explore a new chapter in the Deer Falls' supernatural lore. My serialized novella includes two characters who also feature Pandora Reborn, but it functions well as a standalone tale.
The first episode of Snow Dragon is scheduled to publish in late July. I plan to release a new episode to paid subscribers every Sunday until the 10-episode novella concludes at the end of September.
Dealing with tendinitis for two months forced me to alter my original publishing schedule. My ailing wrist wrecked my initial plan to release Snow Dragon as a lead-in to a Pandora Reborn sequel in October. Thankfully, I’ve squeezed that specific lemon into lemonade.
As we draw closer to the launch of my upcoming serialized novella, I want to take a closer look at the titular monster.
The Snow Dragon Legend
All monsters are shrouded in dark legends. Snow dragons are no exception. This reptilian creature hails from a time before recorded history and the surrounding myths inspire terror among several Deer Falls residents.
One legend designates snow dragons as guardians and protectors of an underground humanoid race called the mist dwellers. This subterranean race is distrustful of humans living on the surface. When mining or drilling threatens their caves and caverns, they will shake the ground with earthquakes, causing cracks and fissures to open along fault lines. A snow dragon is then released through a fissure to cleanse the surface and restore peace to the subterranean lands.
A different legend claims that mist dwellers will abduct people who enter their caves uninvited and haul them off to snow dragon lairs. Their victims are fed to the giant creatures. This helps the snow dragons maintain their strength during periods where they stay below the surface.
Snow Dragon Sightings
The first reported attack by a snow dragon in Colorado occurred in the mid-1800s. Three British monks journeyed to the valley where Deer Falls was later built and concealed a chest containing an ancient, disembodied witch in a cavern. After burying the chest, a snow dragon sprang forth and attacked the monks. One monk was ripped apart. The other two only narrowly escaped death after repelling the monster with a powerful incantation.
People who claimed to have encountered a snow dragon typically describe it as resembling a giant lizard-like creature. Snow dragons are said to possess snake-like heads and long lithe scaly bodies. Each one has long clawed limbs that aid in tunneling through rocky soil. The creature has rows of razor-sharp teeth that help it chew through bones and sinews of humans and large animals.
Snow dragons are believed to be warm-blooded animals unlike a typical reptile since they dwell deep below ground. Legends also state these creatures are photosensitive and seek to avoid contact with direct sunlight. Surface attacks always occur on cloudy days or at night.
Handmade signs made by local residents who believe the legends are posted at caves and caverns said to be inhabited by mist dwellers and their snow dragons. These signs warn away all visitors, advising them to turn back and proclaiming they will perish if they go inside.
