It was the night of the Harvest Moon, the first full moon of Autumn. Cherries had already been harvested about two months ago. This was the middle of the apple harvest. Tornado season has passed. Now there were the first signs of Autumn, a slight crispness in the air. Leaves on the trees were not quite such a vivid green, and some trees had already adopted their fall colors. Local farmers were busy preparing for the busy harvest season.

Viridian flew among the clouds. Behind her, a corn field flamed and smoked. That feat of knavery had come too easily; she yearned for greater challenges. Oooh, what’s this? She spotted a cherry orchard far below. It was too late in the year for a fire to ruin the crop, but she could delight in destroying the trees. [What’s this ‘delight’? Her pleasure came from lighting things, not from de-light!] Yes, those trees will burn brightly, with a pleasant aroma.

The scaled mischief maker had a busy night. Grain and hay fields burned easily. She ignited two barns which had been painted green instead of the traditional red. An apple orchard, where the fruit was not yet harvested, now smelled like a hundred apple pies which had burned when they were left too long in the oven.

Now she came across a large field of bizarre apparitions. Giant white birds, each standing on one leg, flapping their three massive wings. The birds must still be asleep, for they took no notice of Viridian. How could they so casually flap their wings and yet not sing to welcome the approaching Dawn? The only sound was a quiet whispering.

Viridian wanted to talk to one of the avian giants. She flew down to the height of the white body and called out loudly as she circled it and dodged the ponderous wings. The bird did not respond, but stood there silently, beating the air as if it wanted to fly.

No dragon would tolerate being ignored. She gave a mighty cry and launched a fireball at one wing, hitting it near the shoulder. There was a satisfying cracking sound; part of the wing flew off into the darkness. The injured wing shuddered, broke at the wound, and then fell to the ground. The bird’s body and leg trembled and quickly collapsed with a crashing sound which Viridian found quite copacetic.

The reptilian rascal continued her flight. This had certainly been an enjoyable night. Now she was hungry. Hmmm! She overflew a pasture where some well-fed Guernsey cattle grazed. Yum! Viridian swooped down and captured an especially sleek cow. She then returned to her lair for dinner and a long sleep.