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In all of Suumberia, in the wondrous Land of Gem'mel, there was no dragon more shy than little Razzlehaaf.

Razzlehaaf lived in a cave. It lay just beyond the vast Forest of Chuumburrow, outside the tiny Village of Gelnn.

He loved to spend his days roaming the forests and fields and caves. He searched for rocks and gems of different shapes and colors for his collection.

When he was hungry, Razzlehaaf ate his fill of Chuumberries, which grew in abundance all throughout the forest. He also gathered Hurn nuts and Kallow seeds from the trees, and he saved them for snacks.

When he was thirsty, Razzlehaaf drank fresh spring water that fell into a small pool at the side of his cozy cave.

Now, Razzlehaaf was a shy dragon. Whenever he came upon another creature, he would always hide. And, although this made him somewhat lonely, Razzlehaaf was just too shy to make friends.

One day, a young boy-child from the Village of Gelnn lost himself in the great Forest of Chuumburrow. His name was Tannor.

Tannor thought he knew his way back home. Instead, he came out on the other side of the forest, near Razzlehaaf's cave.

Razzlehaaf had never met a Human child before, and to be sure, Tannor had never met a dragon before. So, when they bumped into each other at the entrance of Razzlehaaf's cave, they both screamed and ran in opposite directions!

Tannor dashed behind a large tree at the edge of the forest. Razzlehaaf whirled around and went to hide himself inside his cave.

At first, neither of them knew if it were safe to come out. Then, when they decided to look, they looked right at each other.

"You're hiding, too?" asked Tannor, somewhat surprised. "Are you afraid of me like I'm afraid of you?"

Razzlehaaf didn't say anything at first, because he was surprised that a boychild was talking to him. Then, he mustered up a little courage and came out from his cave.

"I'm just a bit shy," he answered in a quiet voice. "I've never met any Humans before."

"Humans?" repeated Tannor, somewhat puzzled. "My name is Tannor. I'm just a boy --and you're a dragon! I didn't think dragons were afraid of anything!" Tannor took a few more steps toward Razzlehaaf.

Razzlehaaf wasn't feeling quite so scared anymore. After all, the boy seemed rather nice. Razzlehaaf stepped right up to meet him.

"Dragons are sometimes afraid too," he said. "I'm Razzlehaaf. Pleased to meet you."

Razzlehaaf and Tannor talked all afternoon, sharing many stories with each other. Finally, when it was getting late, Tannor asked Razzlehaaf to help him find his way home.

"That's easy," chimed Razzlehaaf. "There's a path further East which runs through the forest. It leads right to your village."

"Please, won't you come with me?" Tannor pleaded. "I may get lost again--and what would I do if I run into a mean troll or a nasty robber?"

Razzlehaaf was actually more afraid of going to the village than of running into robbers and trolls. He was worried that everyone would be afraid of him. He was afraid they might even try to hurt him!

"I can't," he answered. "Humans sometimes hurt creatures they don't understand."

"Don't worry," said Tannor. "You can protect me from trolls and robbers, and I'll protect you from the villagers! You'll see. They'll all love you!"

Along the way, there were no mean trolls and no nasty robbers. Tannor and Razzlehaaf laughed and had lots of fun. And they didn't get lost.

Once they neared the village, though, Razzlehaaf became a bit nervous. He didn't know how everyone would react when they saw a dragon. Then Tannor took his hand and smiled at him to reassure him.

At the Village of Gelnn, everyone stopped what they were doing. They stared in awe at the boy with the little dragon. Razzlehaaf and Tannor could hear them whispering.

Tannor took Razzlehaaf right to his home where his mother and father were waiting for him. They were worried that he had gotten lost, or worse! Despite seeing their son with a dragon, though, they ran up to him and hugged him and kissed him.

"This is my new friend, Razzlehaaf," Tannor told his parents. "He helped me find my way home and protected me from trolls and robbers!"

"Thank you Razzlehaaf," they both said. Then they invited him to supper!

Now, Razzlehaaf didn't feel quite so shy anymore. He had made a new friend that day, and then his friend introduced him to lots of very, nice Humans. From that day on, Razzlehaaf met many friendly creatures wherever he went.

All it took was a little courage and some help from a friend.