The Bureau of Small Adventures
Field notes from the Thistlewood

Feature  •  July 14, 2026  •  1 minute read

The Dragons Are Hoarding Again

Not gold, we're relieved to report. Something far softer.
A dragon among the ferns

Origins

It began, as these things do, with a rumour. Something soft was living beneath the old oak, and it was humming. We dispatched a correspondent at once, and found Malachy Dragon — green as a spring hedge, gentle as a Sunday, and entirely uninterested in being interviewed.

Observations

It is, apparently, the season for hoarding. Down by the gorge, Duskrise Dragon had amassed a small hill of pinecones; Heart Dragon was hoarding, of all things, other people's hugs; and Dexter Dragon simply hoarded warmth, being the sort who runs hot.

The things being hoarded, we can confirm, are not jewels. They are cuddles. Occasionally a biscuit. The Thistlewood remains entirely un-menaced, and a good deal cosier than before.

A dragon with a heart of gold? Not quite. Something far softer — and, we'd wager, far more valuable.

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