Poisonous Rage

Chapter Two

"I've missed you so much," Willow murmured, embracing Sundew.

The LeafWing leaned into Willow's hug, smiling. "Me too," Sundew responded. She pulled away and twined her tail with Willow's.

"I worried about what happened - like HiveWings had invaded and destroyed your village without realizing we existed, or you'd fallen in love with another dragon, or you'd been mind-controlled like the HiveWings," Willow responded.

Sundew laughed. "None of those. And I would never fall in love with another dragon, especially without saying anything to you."

Willow did her crinkle-smile, and warmth spread throughout Sundew's body. "You should prove it by saying stuff like, 'Oh, Willow, I love you so much, you're my forever dragon who fills my day with sunshine and clears the clouds out of the sky." Willow joked.

"If I said that, even I would think I was being mind-controlled," Sundew answered.

Willow laughed, a light and airy sound that Sundew imagined whenever she was feeling down. "So, why were you actually gone?" the pale green dragon asked. Sundew hesitated. Willow's brow furrowed. "What's wrong? What happened?"

Sundew opened and closed her mouth before finally speaking. "You know how the HiveWings had the Book of Clearsight to tell them what was going to happen in the future?" she asked cautiously.

Willow stared at her with a nervous expression. "Yes," she answered.

"Well... we figured we could never do anything against them as long as they knew what was going to happen. So, we made a plan to steal it."

Willow's eyes widened. "You stole the Book?"

Sundew nodded. "It was all a lie. The Tree Wars, the queens bowing to Wasp, none of it was predicted. Clearsight's visions ended hundreds of years ago."

Willow stared at Sundew like she'd just revealed she was secretly a HiveWing in disguise.

"Anyways, then we came back," Sundew finished.

"So no one saw you?" Willow asked.

"Well..."

Willow gasped. "You were seen? By who? A SilkWing? A HiveWing? It might be fine. No one will believe them. They probably have crazy dragons saying they saw LeafWings all the time."

"It's a bit more complicated than that."

"What happened, Sundew? Did more than one dragon see you? How many?"

"...All the HiveWings?" Sundew responded nervously. Willow stared at her. "Oh, wait, no! You're going to be so relieved. Only the HiveWings in Wasp Hive. Possessed by Queen Wasp. So, like, only one-ninth of them."

"So, to sum up, by now pretty much every Hive knows by now that LeafWings are alive, the queen is probably in a murderous frenzy after you stole her way to control everyone, a war is probably about to start, and this time the HiveWings will make sure we're all gone and burn the forest to the ground," Willow worried.

"No! No, Willow. This time it will be different. We're going to win. We've been training for years. The jungle is much easier to defend. It'll stop the HiveWings. They've become lazy and weak. We have me. We won't lose. I won't let us lose. The worse the fight gets, the more the anger grows, the more powerful I become." Sundew grabbed Willow's talons and pressed them against her chest.

"No! Sundew, you can't let your anger get the best of you. That's not what makes you strong. There are better ways to access your Leafspeak," Willow advised.

"I'd hate to interrupt what sounds like a vital and heartfelt conversation, but it seems as though some serious matters have been kept from me by your dear old mother," a deep voice murmured from the forest.

Sundew spun around, spreading her wings out in front of Willow and snarling. "Who's there? Show yourself!"

A huge old dragon slipped from behind a tree. She was a dark green color, with scars all along her body. Her tail dragged behind her. She was missing an ear and half of one of her horns.

She held herself in the same way Belladonna did, with a posture that said, 'I'm the boss'.

Willow bowed deep, and suddenly Sundew understood. She folded her wings and settled back, but she didn't lower her guard. "Hello, Your Majesty."

"The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, eh?" the queen smiled at Sundew. "Your mother would be proud. But I have a feeling you're different from her. We have the same goal, you know, but your mother doesn't see it that way."

"Not to be rude, but from what I see, the SapWings think hiding and letting the injustices of the HiveWings continue unpunished is the best course of action," Sundew answered.

The queen studied her for a long moment. Then she laughed once, a rich, booming sound. "Your mother should have brought you to more meetings. You're rather convincing. You remind me of myself when I was young. I had the same fire in my eyes, the same reckless determination. But that is not my goal, little sapling. What do you think will happen to us? Do you think it's likely we can win this war when they have overwhelming numbers, unwavering devotion to their cause, and absolute coordination? I wish the best for my subjects, and that means I can't go throwing away their lives in a blaze of glory. But it seems like Belladonna has chosen for me. You must come back to our village. We must prepare for war."