SilkWings

SilkWings are one of the three tribes that reside on Pantala, the other two tribes being HiveWings and LeafWings. The last SilkWing queen was Queen Monarch at the time of the Tree Wars, and the tribe was ruled by Queen Wasp after the Tree Wars until the epilogue of The Flames of Hope, where a group known as the SilkWing Assembly took control. They currently reside within the LeafSilk Kingdom which they share with the LeafWings and some HiveWings. They are descended from the BeetleWings.

Description

Blue with wingbuds before his Metamorphosis from How to Draw, by Brianna C. Walsh (edited by WillowCharlotte1234)

SilkWings have scales like sliced gems and small spines running down their back to the tip of their tails. Their scales appear to be somewhat iridescent, similar to NightWing scales. Like RainWings, they have slim bodies and curved horns that are almost identical in shape, but much longer and thinner. They have a pair of long, furling antennae on the brow above the eyes. A ridge above their eyes runs over their horns, giving SilkWings a plated appearance.

SilkWings hatch without any wings. When they turn six years old, they undergo a Metamorphosis where they spin a cocoon and come out five days later with their wings. When they do this, they enter a trance-like state shortly before creating their cocoon. SilkWings have two pairs of wings, one pair smaller than the other, with membranes that have rounded edges. SilkWings have butterfly-like wings, which appear similar to butterfly or moth wings in shape. Their wings also can have spots and other patterns on them. The bigger pair of wings appear to have four digits that the membrane is stretched between. The smaller pair of wings are attached slightly below the larger pair and have two digits. According to Tui on the Wings of Fire Forums, SilkWing wings are just as strong as any dragon's wings, rather than weak like an insect's wings. In some cases, as shown on the back cover of The Lost Continent, SilkWings can have the "tail-streamers" that swallowtail butterflies do on their lower, smaller wings.

SilkWings can be any color under the sun except black, such as olive green, aquamarine, lavender, indigo, amber, orange, dark purple, peach, gray, and red. They sometimes have darker accent colors on their scales. The wing's membranes appear to be different colors too, as well as certain segments between the digits being a different color than the rest of the wings. Their eyes can be any color.

Diet

Honey drops from A Guide to the Dragon World, by Joy Ang

SilkWings are vegetarians. Their diet includes yams, okra, garbanzo beans, kale, kumquats, fruits, honey, and persimmons. They also enjoy honey drops, nectar, chocolate, and various candies.

Abilities

A tapestry made with silk from A Guide to the Dragon World, by Joy Ang

SilkWings can use their antennae to sense vibrations in the air, and are able to predict the weather and sense danger. At six years old, SilkWings undergo Metamorphosis. They enter a cocoon for about five days, emerging with two pairs of wings and silk glands in their wrists. Metamorphosis is preceded by aching wing buds, experiencing a nervous and fuzzy feeling, and itchy or painful silk glands. Swordtail notes that SilkWings are great climbers. They have a precise internal clock to keep their days on schedule and warn them when the rainy season is coming. This clock needs a little while to adjust when a SilkWing travels a long distance.

Luna using flamesilk on the cover of The Flames of Hope, by Joy Ang

Some SilkWings have the ability to produce flamesilk. Flamesilk is used by the HiveWings to create glass and illuminate inside of the hives, though different types can be made for different purposes, including a type that emits heat and does not burn the holder. Flamesilk dragons cannot be burned by flamesilk, but they are not immune to regular fire. This ability is genetic, and if one parent is a flamesilk, their offspring have a fifty percent chance of being flamesilk as well. Cricket notes that flamesilk is expensive, and that a single strand can last a whole moon cycle.

According to Luna, there are five types of flamesilk.

1. Gold Silk: Gold Silk is just like regular silk, only it shimmers with a golden color. It does not glow or burn.
2. Firefly Silk: Firefly Silk gives off a little bit of light, "like holding a firefly in your talons", but it does not burn.
3. Glow Silk: Glow Silk feels a little warm and glows brighter, closer to normal fire, but it does not hurt.
4. Blaze Silk: Blaze Silk can burn and hurt non-flamesilk dragons. Luna thinks that blaze silk is the kind found in most lanterns.
5. Sun Silk: It is extremely bright and so hot it can burn through stone. Luna says to put it out, you must drown it in water. Luna can only make a little bit at a time. It will also burn non-flamesilks.

Click here for a list of all known flamesilks.

Society

Pre-Tree Wars

Before the Tree Wars, SilkWings were tree dwellers who lived in the forests of Pantala. It was common for SilkWings fresh out of the cocoon to take time off of school to explore the continent and decide on a job they wanted to do. Flamesilks lived like normal dragons and traded their flamesilk, as it was very valuable to the Pantalan dragons who did not have fire.

SilkWings queens used to pick their successors from their daughters. The queen would meet with the HiveWing and LeafWing queens every few moons to smooth out disputes.

Post-Tree Wars

When Wasp took control of the tribe, SilkWings were separated from the HiveWings. They did not have a voice in the Hives' government system, and under Wasp's rule, SilkWings were second class citizens and servants who have almost no rights compared to HiveWings. They had strict rules they had to follow and their school curriculum was used to try and make them feel inferior, scare them away from leaving the Hives, and teach them things that were essential to their limited option of future professions. They also practiced emergency drills to protect themselves in case a web was falling, if there was a LeafWing attack, or if they had to get to a Hive quickly for safety. They also learned about silk weaving, web structure, the history of the Tree Wars, and especially following directions.

SilkWings had no control over the job that was assigned to them as they were picked by the HiveWings because they thought that the SilkWings were "overly sensitive" and "prone to fits of fancy." Common professions included construction worker, web worker, spinners, weavers, servant workers, performers, and other low-ranked jobs like stall owner. It has been mentioned that the most disobedient SilkWings were typically assigned construction work given that it is considered to be very unpleasant. In some Hives, dragonets may be assigned to work as well.

SilkWings were not allowed to divorce unless with Queen Wasp's approval, and were assigned partners by Wasp and her sisters, rather than having an ability to choose their own. Partners were assigned to SilkWings soon after their metamorphosis.

SilkWings were branded on their right palm at a very young age. The SilkWing's initial on their palm is a big letter, while their parent's initials are smaller letters, forming a triangle shape. The SilkWing's initial is at the top, while the parents' are at the right and left bottom corners.

SilkWings were also cuffed at a young age. These bronze wrist cuffs had their school and other personal information inscribed on it so they could be identified at checkpoints. All cuffs could inject toxin into the wrist to make dragons lose consciousness in case of betrayal. Bands could be cut off by using flamesilk.

After the events of The Flames of Hope, the SilkWings allied with the LeafWings to create the LeafSilk Kingdom. This kingdom is ruled by the SilkWing Assembly, a council of two hundred dragons.

Names

SilkWings are named after different species of butterfly, such as Blue or Swordtail, or different species of moth, such as Luna or Io.

Click here for a list of known SilkWings.

Trivia

• According to the Pantalan Dragon Guide, SilkWings are stereotyped as being beautiful, passive, and gentle.
• It was hinted that the LeafWings and SilkWings who fled from Pantala were not the first to arrive on Pyrrhia, as half of a SilkWing's wing was displayed in the Weirdling Tower.
• After the events of The Flames of Hope, the SilkWings are the only tribe in both Pyrrhia and Pantala that are not ruled by any queen, but rather a governing body of multiple SilkWings.
• Due to their vegetarianism, SilkWings have no difficulty accepting that creatures like humans are clever and should not be eaten. They feel similarly about other animals such as zebras, wildebeests, lobsters, and meerkats.
• Cricket explained that there was an ongoing competition in Jewel Hive where HiveWings attempted to hire the prettiest SilkWing to "sit there and look pretty."

Gallery

• 
  A typical SilkWing (colored), by Joy Ang
• 
  A typical SilkWing (lineart), by Joy Ang
• 
  A typical SilkWing (transparent), by Joy Ang

References

de:Seidenflügler fr:Ailes de Soie pl:Gładkoskrzydłe ru:Шелкопряды