My Interview with Prince Ara

[The following interview was posted under the authority of Prince Ara of the Predatory Union and by his faithful servant, Nestor.]

Buddy Tippet: I am here now with the famed prince of the Predatory Union, that being Prince Ara. He is quite the site to behold. A beautiful white scaled body adorned with gold and silver jewelry. I have been very excited about this interview for a long time. Thank you so much, Your Highness, for letting me visit you at the fabulous Salmon Bluff resort.

Prince Ara: My pleasure, Buddy. I am only sorry my lovely wife Fuscia could not make it here for this.

BT: That is quite all right, Prince. I have been fascinated by dragons for a long time. I can't even remember when it started. Why, my last book The Nom Nom Chronicles had dragons all over the place. I might have gone a little overboard, but I regret nothing.

PA: [He chuckles.] I am well aware of your love for our kind. I wish I could say the same about humans.

BT: Don't like humans very much?

PA: They are average at best. I don't mind them. I understand that they are capable of holding certain elite positions, but I would never consider them to be anything close to alpha predator.

BT: I know the dragons consider themselves to be the very height of all things predatory. There are none above you, and all are below you. Am I correct in this?

PA: You are correct in so much as we are what we say we are. It is not so much a consideration as it is an acceptance of truth. We are better than all others. We are the true alpha predator, which gives us rights to rule the Union as we see fit.

BT: Where I come from originally, humans have written stories about slaying dragons. Some of us believe them to be true.

PA: [He made a confusing chuckle-like sound. I had difficulty interpreting it.] Humans are known for having a great ego and nothing more. If they want to write about the slaying of dragons, in an effort to make them feel great, then let them. But I would gladly face down a human in armed or even unarmed combat. They would pose little threat to me.

BT: Are dragons often trained in the art of combat?

PA: We are trained in the art of naked combat. Dragons are dangerous in all forms. We have claws that can easily tear flesh. We have jaws that can crush skulls. And we enjoy eating live and even sentient prey. Such things are both easy and enjoyable to us. Any dragon who falls short of this deserves to die, or at the very least, be made a slave like the many prey we keep stock of within the Union.

BT: Naked, huh?

PA: [He grinned at me.] You sound pleased. Perhaps in a perverted way.

BT: Maybe a bit. I really do like dragons. I would love to see a dragon fight in the nude.

PA; It is only to prove that we are extremely dangerous even without the armor and arms. But I understand how you must feel that way.

BT: Tell me about the Predatory Union.

PA: It is a closed society broken down into nine provinces. Each province is controlled by a different Dragon Lord. The Dragon Lords all answer to me, but it is not as impersonal as it sounds. We are all good friends and get along well. Very rarely will you find two dragons who get into an untenable argument. We are a fairly united race.

The provinces manage prey species and sub predator species in class-based tiers. The prey have their own tiers. Mice and rabbits are usually at the very bottom. You may have higher prey, such as elk, ranging closer to the sub-preds.

BT: What are sub-preds?

PA: Small predators such as weasels or foxes.

BT: Oh.

PA: They are meat eaters that still fall under the control of higher and alpha predators. They are still technically our slaves. All citizens of the Predatory Union are given housing to live in and provided with a comfortable life. But if they are called to serve their government, they are expected to give their lives for it... as a slave... for sex... for food.

BT: And they never rebel?

PA: Not really. Perhaps in a very wishy-washy sort of way. Activism. That sort of things. You know how those things are, I suppose.

BT: I know something of activism. I mean... Activism can have some power. It can make things happen.

PA: [He shakes his head.] The only power the activists have is the power we give them. At the end of the day, they still belong to us.

BT: I'm wondering where a human would fall within the Predatory Union. Are we sub-predators? We are meat eaters.

PA: [Said with some disgust.] Omnivores.

BT: What's wrong with omnivores?

PA: You're nothing but rats. Prolific and apt at survival, but ultimately very easy to manage as long as we give you what you want. Humans will never garner much respect from me. The only reason I agreed to this interview was as a favor for Miss Silky. She thinks much of you as this city's leading freelance journalist. I can respect you for your elite status, but that has nothing to do with you being a human.

BT: Believe it or not, I understand your perspective.

PA: It isn't a perspective. It's the world, and you're living in it.

BT: I don't have any other way of explaining it. I just get it. I don't really mind how the Predatory Union functions. It has proven itself within the world powers perfectly well. Not everybody likes that you keep slaves, but nobody is really willing to stop you. And besides, Scritch City has always supported your slave owning rights. We do a tiny bit of it ourselves. Usually sex slaves.

PA: Those who are less than you ought to serve you.

BT: Right. I am a fan.

PA: You know, Buddy, I have read your books. I follow this blog of yours as well.

BT: Thank you. I... I assume you read b.t. as well?

PA: Yes, we need to talk about that. Would you like both a comment and a criticism?

BT: Always.

PA: Your short story The Law of Dragons was extremely good. It may possibly the best thing you have ever written. You obviously did a lot of dragon and Union research before you wrote it.

BT: Thank you, and I did. I was actually inspired by a little role play exercise I was into at the time, unfinished by the way. That was when I began researching for the Predatory Union. I loved the whole concept so much that I ended up changing a few of the characters to better suit the country. I poured my heart into that story.

PA: Was this before or after your alleged stint in the fabled placed known as Railroad Towers?

BT: Um. I don't know. Actually, now I'm a little confused.

PA: Either way, it is your best story. Now, we should talk about your other story within b.t. called... Getting Scent-imental.

BT: I was afraid this was coming up.

PA: How could I avoid it? In this story, you show an alpha-type dragon demeaned and degraded into a hapless, cock-sucking faggot. True?

BT: I thought it was kinky.

PA: Ah, yes. And there we have a problem. I'm not really fond of this sort of slander against our kind. In fact, it rather ruined what I thought of you after reading The Law of Dragons. I was rather disgusted by it.

BT: I'm sorry.

PA: Sorry isn't good enough. I'm sorry to say this, but I've had a talk with a number of Dragon Lords about this. We all felt that you needed to be reprimanded for publishing this.

BT: Well, too bad. I belong to Miss Silky. If you touch me, you'll be causing an international incident. Either way, I am still sorry it upset you. I was only writing it for my own libido.

PA: A very stupid and ill-honed libido, Mister Tippet. Now, listen very carefully. I have already spoken to Miss Silky. She has granted me permission to effect a punishment on you. I'm sorry to say, but I cannot let you leave the resort after this interview is over.

BT: What the actual fuck?!

PA: You will be removed from your blog for a period. My loyal servant Nestor, who you see over there, will be taking over your blog and promoting your books until you are returned to your position. Although b.t. will be omitted during this time for its slander.

BT: This is bullshit! This is my blog! I'm the only one who can post on it!

PA: You should be more worried about what you are about to suffer. This isn't going to be a nice thing, Buddy. The dragons have perfected our means of torture over many centuries. You're going to suffer more than you ever have in your life, and when it's all over and you are able to see the light of day again, you'll perhaps have a new perspective on the world and the dragons who live within that world.

BT: Fuck you! I'm calling Miss Silky!

PA: Drexil, could you please subdue him? [Buddy Tippet was beaten until unconscious at this point in the interview.] Thank you.

Now if you would, Nestor, type out a promotion for one of his books and submit it to the blog. Miss Silky has provided me with his sign-in information.

-----

Buddy Tippet's new book The Nom Nom Chronicles is out for sale. Please check the price guide and link below for more information. Thank you for visiting this blog. ~Nestor

15.99 - Paperback Edition
5.99 - Kindle Edition

Click here to see the Amazon.com listing of all of my books.