You walk slowly through the meadow, a sweet breeze rippling through your hair, the scent of flowers in your nose. A bird chirps somewhere far away, and a rabbit hops through a patch of flowers several feet away from the path. The path itself looks like merely trampled grass, but it is very defined and winds in a generally straight path through the meadow.
Soon, you begin to see a brown speck ahead. As you get closer, you see that it is a medium-sized wooden cabin, surrounded by a small thicket of trees. It's a picturesque scene -- a bird is perched on the roof, and a deer and fawn stand by the door. Sensing your presence, they all scurry away.
Soon, you reach the door. There is a small wooden sign posted by it, that reads:
Welcome to DRACOGREX
You cannot fathom what Dracogrex might be, but you decide that it is worth your time to find out. An hour ago, when you first arrived here through that strange, bottomless hole in the sidewalk, you would rather die than enter this cabin. Now, however, you have no choice. Well...you could go on being lost and confused, but that sounds extremely unappealing.
You slowly push open the door.
You are greeted by a massive waiting room. There are rows of cushioney, comfy-looking chairs, most of which are filled with the strangest array of people you've ever seen. Some look like normal human beings, but most of the other ones look like bizzare creatures crafted with only a slight view of a human in mind. Some are different colors and patterns, while others look more like animals than humans. However, they all seem to be able to converse together, and, as you walk past, mixed bits of conversation flicker past you.
Soon, you reach a desk. It is quieter over in this area, and the woman typing away at the computer seems human enough for your tastes.
"Hello...?" you ask nervously, getting the woman's attention. Her vibrant gold eyes focus on you. "I was wondering if you could tell me, ah, where...exactly --"
"Dracogrex," the woman says in a crisp, business-like voice. "Home of Amaryllis Estyre's adoptees." You stare blankly at the woman, and she opens her mouth to explain further, but she is interrupted.
"Allow me," a new voice says. You look behind you and there, standing in a nearby doorway, is one of the strangest and most beautiful girls you have ever seen.
"Greetings, traveler," the girl says, shaking strands of silver hair out of her ghostly white face. "My name is Amaryllis Estyre. Welcome to Dracogrex."
Unable to help yourself, you groan. "Will someone tell me what's going on here? First of all, how on earth did I show up here?"
Amaryllis smiles softly. "How indeed?" she says. "If I'm not mistaken, you arrived here because you, well, were in need of...a break."
"A break?"
"Well," Amaryllis replies, still smiling that mysterious smile, "I've been known to bring people here that find themselves not appreciating their life. Were you having a bit of a bad day this morning?"
You nod, remembering your hectic morning, first being fired because of company budget cuts, and then missing the bus home.
"Indeed," Amaryllis says. "So, what is Dracogrex, you ask? It is a long and rather complicated story, so why don't you sit down?"
Amaryllis gestures through the doorway, where you see several chairs surrounding a desk. You go in, and sit down. Amaryllis sits down across from you, and begins to tell her tale.
"When I first came to this world --"
"When you were born?" you ask.
"No," Amaryllis says, "when I arrived from Lesthpoldia --"
"What?"
"Lesthpoldia." Amaryllis says, frowning. "It's a planet in a neighboring galaxy." (She says this as if you could ask a random person on the street what Lesthpoldia was and they would know.) "Anyway, when I came here, from Lesthpoldia, I was shocked by the treatment of your animals. On my planet, animals were revered and respected. They were almost held higher than the people. However, I saw the abuse that took place here, and I did not like it.
"Many Lesthpoldian animals, mainly our Dragons -- yes, Dragons, human -- were brought to earth on our voyage. I did not want to see them be abused like your creatures, and, while I could not save all of Earth's animals, I could save ours. I created Dracogrex, or 'Dragon Herd' in our language (similar to your Latin), in order to house all of our creatures. They were safe from abuse while they remained with me.
"Soon, others began to hear about my organization. Many were interested, and I soon learned about a network of other concerned people that were working together to take care of the galaxy's creatures. I joined in, and Dracogrex soon grew into a huge group of a hodgepodge of creatures.
"I knew that I could not keep going like I was. All of my creatures had different needs as to their environment, and I was forced to have them all live in a meadow together. So, thinking quickly, I expanded my land, using portals to link to other planets with different environments. I allowed each creature to decide where it wanted to go, and I made sure that each one was safe in its new home. I called these places Realms, and each one is very, very different.
"Soon, however, keeping all of my creatures (and the population was steadily growing) became too expensive. However, I decided that the best way to get more money was to open up the Realms to the public, for tours. Each tour goes through a section of the Realm that is open to any creature that wishes to go there and see the tourists. That way, no creature is forced to tolerate company, but most creatures enjoy the experience. I also allow the braver venturers, with the proper protection, to go into the Realms on their own, and explore. Some sections, such as breeding grounds, are off limits, of course, but the treks usually turn out to be very exciting."
Amaryllis stops talking, letting all of that information wash over you. It's a pretty impressive story, and you are becoming very intrigued by these Realms.
"Amaryllis," you begin, "do you think I could --"
"Do you want to take the group tour, because I have one coming up soon?" Pausing, she gestures to the waiting room, which is full of eager tourists. Continuing, she asks, "or, would you like to trek out on your own?"
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