Wings of Fire: A Dragon of Hive and Silk

Chapter Two

A LeafWing. 

Pollen couldn't believe her eyes. "You-your-" She sputtered. 

"Oh, great, now we've been spotted," muttered the dragon next to the one pinning Pollen down. Her scales were like a mix of summer and autumn leaves. "All because you decided to kill every HiveWing we see. I'm surprised this one was so far from the Hives."

"You're a LeafWing!" Pollen blurted. "That's not--"

The green dragon nodded. "You cannot tell anyone, HiveWing."  She snorted. "Pink HiveWing."

Pollen shook her head. "I'm not a full HiveWing. I'm half SilkWing." She tried to show the LeafWings (LeafWings!) her oddly shaped wings, which were somewhere in the middle of SilkWing and HiveWing. 

The LeafWing squinted. "We were told Queen Wasp didn't allow hybrids."

"She doesn't," Pollen admitted. "That's why she killed my sister."

"How do we know you're not lying?"

"Zamia," said the other. "Leave her be."

"Pyracantha! If she's half HiveWing, one of her parents is a full HiveWing!" She turned to Pollen. "Ignore her." She pointed at Pyracantha. "How have you not been found? Queen Wasp can see you through your HiveWing parent's eyes, can she not?" 

Pollen shook her head. "He's immune to the Hive Mind. That's how my parents met. They were hiding from HiveWings during a full Hive Mind." She frowned. "How are you alive? Didn't she..." Pollen hesitated, not wanting to step on hostile ground.

Zamia growled. "Because," she said, "we were smart, unlike those fluffy little SilkWings." Pollen tried not to take offense.

"Pyracantha!" A male voice shouted. "Zamia!"

Alarm bells were going off in her head. She was breaking so many rules right now. Talking to strangers. Letting strangers stay in the house. She stupidly though, Not to mention Wasp's rules. But then again, I'm a living piece of a broken rule.

The other one, Pyracantha, sighed. "Zamia, you need to put restraints on him, or we'll get caught by Elder Khaya." She cracked a grin. "Or I might murder him in his sleep."

Zamia dragged another LeafWing in through the window. He yelped and squirmed, trying to get out of her grip. "You fool," she hissed. "You're going to get us killed!"

"But you weren't there," he said. "You're gonna miss the whole Summer Festival."

Zamia rolled her eyes. "Ginkgo, I don't care." 

"But you missed Elder Khaya's address. She may have noticed."

Pyracantha jumped. "I knew it! I knew I was forgetting something! Oh, Oak will kill me if I miss their speech!"

"Oh, I'm sure they'll be fine," Zamia said. "But what about the hybrid?"

"My name is Pollen," Pollen said.

"Whatever," said Zamia. "Come on, we'll take you with us."

"No!" Pollen yelled. "How do I know you won't hurt me?" Ouch. That sounded pathetic. You are FOUR YEARS OLD, she chided herself. So ACT LIKE IT!

Pyracantha walked over to her. "Pollen, you need to come with us. No one can know our secret. You'll love the Leaf Kingdom. It's near Beetle Lake." She hesitated. "And you may be able to help with the crazy prisoner." This sounded like an kind way of saying We leave no witnesses.

"The what?" 

Ginkgo laughed. "C'mon, It'll be fun!"

Pyracantha smiled. "I'm sorry, Pollen, was it? Please, the LeafWings can't afford the secret getting out."

Pollen took a breath in and looked around the room. "Okay. I'll follow you."  She agreed for two reasons. One, she was really desperate for friends. Two, she didn't think she had a choice.

Zamia took off to the sky, followed by Ginkgo. Pyracantha stayed in the back with Pollen.

"So," Pollen said. "Who's the crazy prisoner?" She felt the exhilaration of flying, of the wind on her stomach, of the giddiness that came with the fact that she was leaving her cave. She was free.

"I don't know how to describe him," Pyracantha said. "One moment he thinks he's one tribe, the next, another. We don't know his tribe. He has curiose bat-shaped wings." 

"Bat-shaped wings? How is that possible on a dragon? Is he green like you guys?"

"Kind of. More of a bluish-green, not our forest color," Pyracantha said. "It's best you wait and see." 

They flew faster to catch up to Zamia and Ginkgo, who were shoving each other around. "Ginkgo, you're going to get us all killed, flying out of the forest like that. I might tell Mother." So they were siblings.

"Not funny, Zamia," Ginkgo said. "You know she'll kill me."

"Shh!" Pyracantha said. "The Hives are nearby!" 

As they flew, Pollen studied the strange dragons. Zamia had dark green scales freckled in gold flecks. Pyracantha was a beautiful dragon, with light green and red scales, like summer and autumn leaves. Gold speckled her red scales, and her body was small but slender. Ginkgo had a collection of light and dark green scales, and no gold. 

They flew for hours. Pollen's wings were cramped and felt soar from lack of exercise.

They flew past Vinegaroon Hive, heading to a small forest on the horizon. So Queen Wasp didn't destroy them all, Pollen thought. They have still thrived, no matter how much she pretends. 

She wondered if Queen Wasp could be killed. If the LeafWing survived, could Wasp be extinguished? 

Okay, maybe it won't be longer. Don't worry, the chapters get longer as they progress.

-FlameWing