Wings Of Fire: Thorns And Roses

"Fire"

"Ugh, what now you stupid queen?" Radiant said, making sure nobody was around to hear. She flew over to where Locust was and walked onto the balcony. 

The smell of smoke and the fumes of treestuff burning was present right there. Radiant plugged her nose and flew out of the smoke and above Hornet Hive to see a Hive far off in the distance, Bloodworm Hive, on fire.

"What on Pantala— What's going on?" she questioned. She saw HiveWings from other Hives autonomously fly over to Bloodworm Hive, trying to put out the fire, or that's what Radiant assumed they were doing.

She felt a sick sense of enjoyment watched the Hive burn; the very thought of all of the evil HiveWings burning in their Hive made her both happy and sick to her stomach. She meditated making a prayer to Clearsight to protect Locust, but instead flew back to the house and waited for him to return. 

She closed the doors, waved out some smoke, and sat alone in the house. Something about being lonely triggered something with Radiant. A cold feeling of familiar dread washed over her scales as she shifted around alone in the house.

No, you're safe. You're not with them anymore, Radiant thought to herself, but just thinking about her parents and much worse teachers made her feel less safe. She grabbed a piece of cabbage from the box and dug into it, stressing about recurring memories and attempting to relieve herself. 

The smell of fire and burning got worse the longer time went on and Radiant decided to try and get some sleep while she's waiting. She curled up on the couch and covered herself in a blanket, then after counting a near impossible amount of rolling yams, went to sleep.

"Wake up, SilkWing," a soft, yet cold and distant voice said. Radiant shot awake, realizing what the echo of the voice was. In front of her stood Locust, but his eyes were still blotched out. Wasp was still controlling him. Radiant had gotten used to seeing HiveWings being controlled, but this time seeing Locust unlike himself was a bit uneasy.

"What do you want?" Radiant snarled.

"That's no way to talk to a HiveWing, SilkWing," Locust and the echo sneered. "I've come because my main source of income has been having some questions."

"Like what?"

"What the family business is. I don't wanna break it to you but it's nothing you should worry about, SilkWing. Just ignore everything about this HiveWing's work and stay out of it. Look pretty and do your work, NOW!" Locust screamed, the echo more apparent now. Locust's eyes then rolled back to normal as he fell to the ground.

"First time?" Radiant questioned.

"Clearsight alive what WAS THAT?" Locust questioned. His legs failed to stand him back up a few times before Radiant, hesitantly, helped him up.

"The queen does it, I think." she shrugged.

"Now I can see why nobody wants to make her mad—"

"You seriously never questioned why nobody rebels?" Radiant wanted to add 'I'd love to tear her throne down' but was weary in case Wasp wasn't fully gone yet.

"She was rude to you."

"Eh'... It's nothing much." Radiant shrugged. "What did you do?"

"I don't really know... I was just forced to fly to Bloodworm Hive and to put out the fires. There was... So many bodies just lying, charred and scarred."

"So you don't know why the fire was caused."

"Oh, I do think I know. I heard Wasp's voice and she said something about it being a terror attack, probably from the LeafWings."

"Aren't LeafWings extinct?" Radiant knew this was a stupid question since nobody really explored the Poison Jungle, but still.

"I'm not sure. There've been more posters being put up attacking LeafWings and such."

"How can you tell?"

"I go outside, unlike you," Locust joked.

"Oh, shut up. It's not my fault the stupid sun hates me."

"Why does it hate you?"

"It— It doesn't— It doesn't hate me it's just—" Radiant didn't know how to exactly react to such a question. It seemed so stupid, yet she wanted to give a straight answer. "It's just something with the past..." she admitted.

"You know, I don't need to know anything you don't feel comfortable sharing—"

"No, no... You should at least know since we would eventually have this conversation." Locust nodded and sat down on the couch beside Radiant.

"If you say so," he sat down and looked at Radiant, wide eyed and full of interest.

"Okay so, back when my teachers wanted to teach me a lesson. Misbehaviors Way clearly wasn't working and they wanted to try and put it into my head that I needed to 'know my place'. I remember this one piece of work taking me by the tail and tossing me out of the Hive. So, I'm stuck out of Wasp Hive, alone. I don't have wings and no way to get back into the Hive as orders from the teachers until I 'learn'. I'm just there, starving. I'm left to the elements-- and not only that but it's the DRY SEASON. Clearsight, that was probably the worst time of my life."

"How long were you out there for?" asked Locust, clearly disturbed from the story.

"Don't know. I stopped counting after the sun had fallen for the second time."

"You were out there for TWO days?" Locust reached out his talons to try and comfort Radiant but she nudged away, remembering why she hated HiveWings in the first place. Radiant grabbed her scales where her stomach was, remembering the feelings of intense hunger and dehydration.

"So, yeah... That's why I don't like the sun. I think I had heat-stroke out there since I felt so tired and my scales were almost getting darker."

"Poor you... How did you even get back?" Locust said, folding his wings around himself, almost as if he couldn't comprehend how terrible a dragon could be and was trying to shield himself from these experiences.

"I walked for a day away from the Hive, trying to get to Yellow Jacket Hive, then back when I realized I couldn't make it there. By the time I got back I was almost beginning to think I was in the wrong for hating Wasp so getting in wasn't a problem."

"'Almost'?" Locust questioned, hanging onto that one word. Radiant felt as though she had been hit with a bat. Terrible thoughts of Wasp still hiding and observing Locust plagued her, yet she was already found.

Radiant nodded. "Yes, almost."

"Do you— do you still hate her to this day?"

Radiant paused.

"Yes. After everything her and the HiveWings have done to me, how could I not? What I told you barely scrapes the surface! The constant belittlement, the lack of fresh food and clean water, the amount of bruises and scratches, getting threatened to be publicly executed, all of it! That's why-- that's why I hate your tribe." Radiant felt as though daggers were coming up her throat with each word. She felt bad for hating Locust's tribe, but she wanted him to know how she felt. Radiant looked away, feeling guilty for hating Locust's tribe. After a few moments she felt claws resting on her back.

"I'm not like them, though. I don't hurt you, I don't make you suffer. At least, I think."

"No, you don't," Radiant said, wiping a tear from her eye and cracking a small smile.

"Good, that's— that's nice to hear. If you want I can go get a bowl of honey drops to make you feel better. You're not at Wasp Hive anymore, you're safe and I'll make sure nothing EVER hurts you like them again," Locust said, reaching out his talons for a hug. Radiant rolled her eyes through the tears and returned the hug.

"Thank you," Radiant whispered to Locust.

"It's no biggie. You deserve to feel good about yourself."

"Mh... You know what would make me feel even better?"

"What?"

"A bowl of honey drops."

"I'm getting it, I'm getting it," Locust sighed playfully and got up to get the honey drops.