There is so much popular culture wrapped around dragons. Everywhere you look, you hear about dragons. There are the more worm-looking dragons of the Chinese that you see in their festivals. Then there are the massive dragons you see in games, literature, and television. Everyone knows dragons, and everyone loves dragons. At least, they should. However, I have noticed a problem. There is very little known about wyverns.
I first noticed it a long time ago, and wrote a bit of a paranormal romance book titled, ‘Undiscovered Origins’. But, recently, I wanted to dig into it again. When I ask people about wyverns, very few people know what I’m talking about. And, to make matters worse, popular television is getting people confused by portraying dragons wrong. Some of you who know more about what wyverns are may have already picked this up, but the most recent culprit of this is Game of Thrones. Now, I enjoy watching Game of Thrones, but when I’m watching, I can’t help but to notice that the “Dragons” are actually wyverns.
So, what is the difference between a dragon and a wyvern? Well, they’re similar in many ways. They’re both large reptilian creatures with wings that can fly and usually breathe fire, if not some other kind of element. However, they’re much different as well. The most noticeable difference is their appendages. Dragons have four legs and two wings. Wyverns, however, have only two legs and two wings. They’re more like birds compared to lizards with wings. Another thing typical for wyverns is they’re much smaller than dragons. An adult dragon is massive. Think of the size of a barn. A wyvern, however, may be more around the size of an elephant.
So, here’s the million dollar question I wanted to answer with my book. Who would win, an army of dragon riders, or an army of wyvern riders? It’s a tough question, because they’re both such beautiful creatures. Dragons are tough, but wyverns are quick and would have better air maneuverability. What happens when you change a few variables. Like, what if the wyverns outnumber the dragons? And, what if they can use different elements from each other. Think of an army of horse riders versus an army of elephant riders. The elephants are much stronger, but with enough horse riders, their speed and manueverbility could be no match for the elephants if their general used them right.
So, what do you think? What team are you on? #TeamDragon or #TeamWyvern ?
Check out my new series, Dragonia Empire, starting with, Dragonia: Rise of the Wyverns, to see my take on the question of wyverns versus dragons.
Dragonia: Rise of the Wyverns
Dragonia Empire
Book One
Craig A. Price Jr.
Dragonia Empire
Book One
Craig A. Price Jr.
Genre: Epic/High Fantasy
Publisher: Claymore Publishing
Date of Publication: 8/14/2018
ISBN: 1946968048
ASIN: B07DH6K38N
Number of pages: 268
Word Count: 56,000
Cover Artist: Mariah Sinclair
Tagline: Who would win, Dragon Riders or Wyvern Riders?
Book Description:
The Resistance struggles to find a way to defeat the Dragonia Empire; all hope seems lost against the dragon riders, until they discover an island full of wyverns.
Devarius has lost everything. His parents murdered, his sister kidnapped, and the new village he called home: destroyed. The Dragonia Empire has gotten out of control, destroying anything and everything in its path searching for the Resistance.
Devarius is left with little choice but to find the Resistance, join them, and hope he can help them defeat the Dragonia Empire once and for all to bring peace to the land of Kaeldroga.
Excerpt:
Devarius craned
his neck as he studied the inside of the wyvern’s throat. It was hard for him to
see clearly, but he was curious about the anatomy of the wyverns. Both suns
were in the sky that morning, the orange one barely larger than a moon now, but
the inside of the wyvern’s throat was still dark. He wished he could use a
torch, but if what he suspected was true, using a torch inside of a possible
fire wyvern’s mouth would be suicide.
“Devarius!”
Aquila whispered through clenched teeth.
Devarius moved
his head out of the wyvern’s outstretched jaw and smiled at Aquila as she ran
toward him. “Good morning.”
“What in the
name of the Creator are you doing?”
“Researching.”
“Are you mad?”
“Possibly?” he
said.
Devarius
shrugged and stuck his head back into the wyvern’s mouth.
“Devarius! Get
your head out of that creature’s mouth.”
He turned his
head around. “I assure you, Aquila, I’m safe.”
“How do you know
that?”
“Ayla told me.”
She glanced to
the small wyvern, who nodded enthusiastically. Aquila clenched her eyes shut,
her hands shaking as she watched Devarius turn back to inspect the inside of
the wyvern’s throat.
“What are you
looking for?”
“It’s
interesting. This creature has a uvula like we do, but there’s a small hole at
the bottom of it. At the tip of the hole, I see a dab of fluid … like it’s
about to fall down onto its tongue.”
“Why is that important?”
Aquila asked through clenched teeth.
Devarius turned
around and grabbed a small wooden bowl. “Ayla, can you ask the wyvern if it’ll
let me touch and … possibly squeeze its uvula gently?”
“You want to
what?” Aquila demanded.
“Ayla?”
Ayla cocked her
head to the side, then looked from the wyvern to Devarius. Her mouth opened and
a vibration came out, but no sound. After a moment, Ayla glanced back to
Devarius, paused, then nodded.
“Excellent,”
Devarius said.
“Devarius, so
help me, if you stick your head back in that wyvern’s mouth and squeeze its
uvula, I’ll … I’ll ...”
“Don’t stress so
much,” he said. “I’ll be fine.”
He winked at her
before reaching his hand inside the wyvern’s mouth and squeezing its uvula
gently. A thick translucent orange liquid dripped. Devarius wrinkled his nose
as he watched small droplets of the liquid fall into the wooden bowl. He
squeezed a little harder. The wyvern grunted, and its jaw shivered. Devarius
watched as the drips turned into a small stream. He let go of the uvula and
carefully exited the mouth of the wyvern.
Aquila stared at
him wide-eyed. She exhaled a long breath like she’d been holding it since he
began.
Devarius grinned
at her as he showed her the small bowl of translucent orange liquid.
“You can close your
mouth now,” Devarius said.
Ayla translated
for him, and the wyvern shut its mouth. It looked down at Devarius and sniffed
the bowl in his hand. Ayla bounced over and sniffed the liquid as well. Her
head fell to the side, as if questioning what it was.
“I don’t know,
but I hope to find out,” Devarius whispered to Ayla.
He sat on the
ground and grabbed a few glass vials from his sash to study the liquid inside
them. Aquila sat next to him.
“What is it?”
she asked.
“I’m not sure.”
He used a small metal scalpel to scrape a line of the liquid onto the ground.
“What are you
doing?” Aquila asked.
Devarius didn’t
turn away from the ground as he withdrew his flint and steel from his bag. With
one swipe, sparks flew onto the ground. When the sparks hit the liquid, it
burst into flame immediately. Unlike a natural fire, these flames rose over ten
feet high. Devarius leapt back, diving over Aquila and pinning her to the
ground. He placed his body over her, shielding her from the fire.
While holding
her down, he turned around to stare at the flames. After a few seconds, they
died down, but were still at least three feet tall. He got to his feet and
helped Aquila up.
A perfect line
where he’d poured the liquid burned furiously. The two of them stared in awe.
Even the wyvern watched the flames curiously, its head to the side. Ayla
nuzzled against him.
“What just
happened?” Aquila asked.
“I think I
discovered how a red wyvern breathes fire.”
“The liquid?”
“Oil. I felt it
with my fingers. It’s oily. Whatever it is, it’s extremely flammable.”
“How does it
catch the oil on fire? Can it create a spark?”
“I don’t think
so,” Devarius said. “Remember how hot its breath is?”
“Yes.”
“If it’s hot
enough, it’ll instantly ignite the oil.”
“That’s
incredible.”
“I wonder if the
other wyverns have similar oil. I wonder if it’s different.”
Aquila touched
Devarius’s shoulder. “Don’t you put your head in any more wyverns, Devarius. I
mean it.”
He smiled at
her. “I won’t … today.”
“That’s not
funny.”
Devarius
forehead creased.
“Are you trying
to raise your eyebrows?” she asked.
The crinkles on
his forehead changed. “Yeah … why?”
She smiled at
him. “Because you no longer have eyebrows.”
His eyes widened
as he reached up and touched the soft, hairless skin above his eyes.
About the Author:
Craig A. Price Jr. is a USA Today Bestselling Author. His novel, The Crimson Claymore, an Epic Fantasy Adventure novel that has garnered millions of reads, was featured in fantasy, had more than 17,000 votes, and more than 1,000 comments/reviews on the social networking platform for readers and writers, Wattpad.
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