Cricket

"Too many questions, Cricket! Don't you know what happens to nosy little HiveWings? They lose those noses! Which is silly; I've never seen a dragonet without a nose and I'm sure I can't be the first with this many questions."

— Cricket

Template:Charbox Cricket is a female HiveWing who appears in The Lost Continent. She is interested in the study of science and invention, and cannot be mind-controlled by Queen Wasp, although the reason behind it is currently unknown. She may have feelings for Blue, a young SilkWing that she met in the beginning of The Lost Continent.

She is also Book Twelve's confirmed protagonist.

Appearance

Cricket has orange-gold scales speckled here and there with black scales that looked like tiny inkblots, golden-yellow talons, and warm, dark brown eyes. She is smaller than Blue and has small and sharp claws like a leopard’s, as well as an open and curious face. She wears gold-rimmed spectacles and a bag tied sideways across her chest, and she is said to smell like books and apples.

Biography

The Lost Continent

Cricket first appeared when Blue met her in the shed of a HiveWing school courtyard while the mind-controlled HiveWings were chasing him. Blue mistook her for a SilkWing at first because every other HiveWing was under Queen Wasp's control at the moment, but he realized her true tribal identity after spotting her black ink blot scales. Cricket helped him escape down a tunnel from the shed's entrance, which led to a low-level library. Cricket explains that the queen can't mind-control her, and Blue confesses that his sister Luna and maybe even himself have the ability of flamesilk. After Blue starts to feel woozy, Cricket removes his band by using a flamesilk lamp to burn it off, explaining that there were probably venom injections that were meant to make him easier to catch.

Hearing approaching search parties, the two dragons hide in the tunnels until the HiveWings have left. Upon emerging, they begin talking, and it becomes clear that Cricket regards flamesilk as a common commodity, and is surprised that Blue doesn't know about it. She decides to help him find Luna and unearths a flamesilk order form that points them to Wasp Hive. She declares that she will help him save Luna, and agrees to rescue Swordtail from Misbehaver's Way.

To gather supplies, Cricket leads Blue through the school, explaining that it is an agriculture-track school, and so all the students have terrariums to practice. She points hers out (the most unruly by far), and is delighted when a Blue notices the tree in the center right away, mentioning that most dragons don't. She gathers supplies from the chemistry lab, and take Blue to the art room to paint him different colors, as a disguise. This accomplished, they make their way towards Misbehaver's Way.

When they arrive at Misbehaver's Way, Cricket is horrified at how the prisoners are kept and tells Blue that she had never actually visited Misbehaver's Way. She confides that she had thought that dragons there would be sleeping or unconscious, and had prepared her chemicals accordingly. Nevertheless, she does her best and uses a stimulant on Swordtail. It not only unfreezes him but makes him stronger and much more reckless, to the point of throwing rocks at the walls of the hive to break through it. Swordtail scoops up Blue and flies off, and Cricket accompanies them.

As dawn approaches, and they approach the Wasp Hive, they look for a place to hide. Blue spots a hole in the ground, and Cricket agrees to hide there. At the bottom, she discovers a passage, which leads to a lake, and, eventually, a cave with a monkey-like creature in it, that has a stick and a book (it can be inferred that this is a scavenger). The creature is scared away by them, and the group rests for the day inside the cave, as the hunting parties continue above them.

When night falls, the group returns to the hole and discovers that without the stimulant (which they have no more of) Swordtail can't lift Blue. Cricket suggests that Blue climb out of the hole instead, and finds a cave for him to hide in near the top. With his friends' help, Blue climbs the hole, though it takes him all night, and the sun is rising by the time he gets to the cave at the top. Although Swordtail returns to the cave from the day before to hide, Cricket offers to stay with Blue, and he gratefully accepts.

The next night, Swordtail flies ahead, and Blue and Cricket walk together towards Wasp Hive. The two talk and Cricket reveals a possible connection to Lady Scarab but doesn't elaborate. Upon arriving at the Hive, the group discovers some greenhouses, and decide to stay in one of the overgrown ones for the day. As they explore, Cricket suddenly cries out and is quickly silenced. Rushing to the spot, Blue is also trussed up and discovers that their captors are LeafWings. The LeafWings agree to help them get Luna back... if they will steal the Book of Clearsight. Given some time to think over their choice, Cricket wrestles with the decision but ends up suggesting to Blue through writing that they agree to steal the book, then escape from the LeafWings. However, their captors- Belladona, Hemlock, and Sundew- refuse to let them all go alone, and in the end, Swordtail stays with Belladona and Hemlock while Sundew accompanies Cricket and Blue to steal the book.

They enter the Hive by knocking out some guards. Sundew defaces a door with the face of the queen, and Cricket protests that it was unnecessary but Sundew only responds with "wait until I get to her actual face." After ascending to the temple, the thieves manage to get to the inner temple, thanks to Sundew's blowdarts. Once in the interior chamber, however, they are confronted by the Librarian, who's veil is removed to reveal that she is being controlled by Queen Wasp. Sundew fights that Librarian, temporarily freeing her from the queen's control, and Blue removes the Book of Clearsight from its case, but they discover that all of the HiveWings In Wasp Hive have been mind controlled and sent to stop them as they leave the Temple. Blue convinces them to leave through the skylight, but proves too heavy for Cricket to lift effectively, especially as Queen Wasp repossesses the Librarian. Blue, deciding it's the only way, throws the book, and Cricket instinctively catches it, dropping him in the process.

Cricket next appears when someone grabs Blue's talon as he reaches through a hole in the flamesilk cave. It turns out to be her, as she escaped the HiveWings, and she is accompanied by Sundew and Swordtail. They agree to flee that night, and Cricket, along with the rest of the gang, escape through the LeafWing tunnel. When it ends at the sea, she is ecstatic, and begins to express hope at finding the Distant Kingdoms (the Pantalan name for Pyrrhia). Afterward, she shows the others what is written in the Book of Clearsight, and that the last vision recorded took place over a thousand years before.

Luna and Swordltail decide to go for a flight, and Cricket stays with Blue, discussing his metamorphosis, and assuring him that it will be fine. Luna and Swordtail are discovered by some HiveWing soldiers, and a fight starts. As Sundew rushes to help, Cricket is left with Blue, about to start his metamorphasis. She guides him to a cave she found for him to hide in while he changes, and stays with him while he begins to spin his cocoon, promising him that she will be right there "the whole time", and will be next to him when he wakes up. As he weaves his cocoon, Blue reflects that he is in love with her.

Personality

Cricket is enormously excited about anything relating to science, new things, or adventure. She was shown in The Lost Continent to be optimistic, curious, and empathetic, as she helped Blue against the wishes of her own tribe's authority and helped him to find and rescue his sister, Luna, and his friend Swordtail. She carries none of the usual HiveWing authority that most of her tribe possesses, and has shown to be kind, although not easily pushed around. She is also considered very nosy and curious to most dragons, always asking questions, which tends to get her in trouble, along with her refusal to conform. She is constantly trying to do things her own, different way, which led to her getting banned from art class and results in Cricket getting told off a lot.

Quotes

"Oh dear, I'm sorry, I bet you've heard that one before."-Making a joke about Blue's name

"That is reassuring. Thoroughly utterly reassuring, execpt for how it's exactly what a dangerous criminal would say."-Response to Blue saying he's harmless.

"I don't know. I guess I'll have to ask all my dangerous criminal friends."

"Why would the least dangerous dragon in the world be running away from HiveWing guards?"

"Oh, beautiful dragon, don't you know how much trouble you're already in?"

"I hope that's a good sign. Do you think you could smile and stand up at the same time? I would love to let you sleep more, but I think we really need to move."

"Everything interesting is off limits. Why can't we study our own evolution?"

"She doesn't know what it feels like for me to have to hide from her."-About Katydid being mind controlled.

"We're not barbarians, Blue. The queen's a little scary, but she's not a murderer."-About what Queen Wasp does with flamesilks

Relationships

Katydid

Cricket is shown to have a close relationship with her sister, who unlike her isn’t immune to Queen Wasp’s mind control. Before she met Blue, Katydid was the only other dragon to know of Cricket’s mind control immunity. Cricket also states that though she often goes missing during and after the periods of time in which Queen Wasp takes control of the other HiveWings, Katydid always covers for her.

Bombardier

While Bombardier believes Cricket is in love with him, the HiveWing never had any feelings for him. She describes him as awful and arrogant, and also comments that there isn’t much difference between his normal self and his “brain-dead”, mind-controlled self. Cricket does say that if she had the power to save the HiveWings from Queen Wasp’s mind control, she would save Bombardier, but perhaps last, after all the others.

Blue

Cricket and Blue became close, fast friends throughout The Lost Continent. She and Blue say they are best friends, with Cricket saying she would be Blue's best friend even if she knew every dragon on Pantala. Blue values her friendship and is also in love with her. It is unknown if she in turn harbors romantic feelings toward Blue or if she regards him as only a friend.

Lady Scarab

Lady Scarab comes up in conversation between Blue and Cricket. We don't know much about this relationship, but it is implied that Cricket is closer/knows more about Lady Scarab than she says.

Family Tree

Cadelle

Unnamed

Katydid

Malachite

Cricket

Trivia

• Cricket is one of three dragons known to wear glasses or spectacles, the other two being Thoughtful and Lady Scarab.
• Though trees no longer are widespread on Pantala, Cricket somehow managed to grow a small tree in her terrarium in her botany class, having found the seed on a gathering trip, and not having known what it was until it started growing.
• Cricket is the third dragon seen in the books with scientific aspirations, the other two being Winter and Mastermind.
• Like Winter, Cricket has expressed interest in studying, and learning more about scavengers, which she calls "reading monkeys."
• Cricket is the second character in the series to be depicted on two book covers (Book 12), the first being Turtle.

Gallery

• 
  A typical HiveWing, by Joy Ang
• Reference by Platypus the SeaWing
  Reference by Platypus the SeaWing
• 
  HiveWing Sigil by Platypus the SeaWing
• Colored by Miraculouslazulitheseawing
  Colored by Miraculouslazulitheseawing
• Cricket by Biohazardia/Pseudodragon
  Cricket by Biohazardia/Pseudodragon
• A cricket
  A cricket
• 
  Cricket as depicted by Joy Ang on the cover of The Lost Continent
• Cricket by Constellation of the NightWings
  Cricket by Constellation of the NightWings

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