HellBeds

The life of a cartographer sounded like it would be full of adventure and excitement, exploration and mystery! HellBeds would bravely journey to the ends of the known world, personally drawing the very maps that other, less intrepid adventurers would later clutch tightly as they followed in his illustrious footsteps. His would be the first ears to hear the wind whistle through a newly cut canyon, to hear waves crashing on an unknown shore. His would be the first eyes to catch sight of fantastical new beasts and the first nose to breathe in the enticing scent of exotic jungle flowers.

Reality, however, proved far more mundane than he had thought possible. Who knew that walking straight off the edge of the map and recording what lay beyond the furthest reaches known to dragonkind could be so monotonous, so boring! Up one hill and down another, and stretching into the distance ahead as far as the eye could see, yet more identical hills. Striking off in a different direction might yield a normal regular forest interspersed with patches of standard meadow, followed by... (oh joy!) more of the exact same.

And where were the strange beasts said to populate the undiscovered corners of the world? As a hatchling he had spent many an hour contemplating what wonders might lurk within the unfinished regions of his clan's maps, enigmatically labeled "Here There be Humans" in fancy swirling script, and featuring small drawings of fleshy two-legged monsters. He had considered at length what it would be like when he finally met one. Could it be trained as a pet? Did they taste good when eaten? He would bring home proof of having discovered them and have a whole species named after himself even!.