SilkWings

SilkWings are the first confirmed dragon tribe out of the three that live on Pantala. SilkWings, alongside HiveWings and LeafWings were introduced as the three Pantalan dragon tribes. The dragon that appears on the cover of The Lost Continent is a SilkWing named Blue.

Description

SilkWings have two pairs of wings, one pair smaller than the other, with membranes that have rounded edges. While Pyrrhian dragons have bat-like wings, SilkWings have more insect-like wings, with rounded edges, which can be compared to butterfly wings in design and shape as well as appearing to be partially transparent, they have spots on the insides of their wings as well. The bigger pair of wings appears to have four or five digits that the membrane is stretched between. The smaller pair of wings attach in front of the larger pair, in the armpit area, and have two or three digits. According to Tui on the Wings of Fire Forums, SilkWings' wings are just as strong as any dragon's wings. http://wingsoffire.scholastic.com/forums/topics/328664 SilkWings appear to have plated scales and have small spines running down their back, to the tip of their tail. Their scales appear to be somewhat iridescent, similar to NightWing scales. They have long and slim bodies, similar to RainWings. Their horns are curved, almost RainWing-like in shape, but much thinner. A second pair of even thinner horns/antennae is situated on the brow, just above the eyes. The ridge above their eyes runs over their horns, giving it a plated appearance.

SilkWings can be any color, such as olive green, aquamarine, lavender, indigo, amber, orange, and red, with the exception of black or any other black-related color such as gray. The wing membranes appear to be different colors too, as well as certain segments between the digits being a different color than the rest of the wing. The wings seem to resemble certain species of butterfly, as Blue's wings look like a blue morpho butterfly. Tui has said that the SilkWings could be named after different species of butterflies, and this has since been confirmed.

They start their first period of life without wings, then spin into cocoons, and come out with wings. This is known as their 'metamorphosis'. They are also capable of spinning silk. 

Abilities

SilkWings above the age of 6 can fly and shoot silk from their wrists. They can also use their antenna to sense vibrations in the air. A rare subset of the latter power is "flamesilk."  It is a condition similar to firescales. The SilkWing can shoot solid fire, almost in silk form, from their wrists in the same way other normal SilkWings shoot silk. Luna, Admiral, Blue, 6 other females and 3 other male SilkWings have this ability.

Gallery

To see the gallery, click here.

Names

SilkWings are named after different species of butterfly and moth.

Known SilkWings

• Admiral
• Blue
• Burnet
• Danaid
• Fritillary
• Luna
• Queen Monarch
• Pierid
• Silverspot
• Sunstreak
• Swordtail
• Tussock
• Xenica

Trivia

• SilkWings were first revealed to be a Lost Continent tribe by Tui in the Scholastic Forums.
• SilkWings will be one of the three new tribes that will be introduced in the eleventh book. The second one, HiveWings, will also be found in the book, and the third, LeafWings, are believed to be extinct.
• SilkWings having two pairs of wings may be a reference to Pantala's name coming from a genus of dragonflies.
• In an interview, Tui stated that SilkWing names will follow moth and butterfly types.
• Burn was said to have half of a purple and gray wing in her morbid collection, most likely from one of the Pantala tribes. This could very well have been a SilkWing's wing.
• The Lost Continent (Book) is the first point of view with a SilkWing.
• Modern SilkWings seem to live in what they call a "cell," which mirrors how actual bees live in hives. This is likely to be because SilkWings live under the HiveWings' rule.
• SilkWings are shown to go into a silk spinning "trance" when going through their metamorphosis
• Each dragon has an internal "clock" that tells them when it is time to go into metamorphosis.
• SilkWings do not have voice, or their own form of government, which shows how passive and agreeable they are against the HiveWings rule.