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 insect-like wings, with rounded edges, which can be compared to butterfly wings in design and shape as well as appearing to be translucent. Their wings also have spots on their inner membranes. 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. 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. There is also a set of antennae on the brow, just above the eyes. The ridge above their eyes runs over their horns, giving SilkWings a plated appearance.

SilkWings can be any color except black, such as olive green, aquamarine, lavender, indigo, amber, orange, dark purple, and red. 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 6 years 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, which they use to make their cocoons. They have an internal "clock" that tells them when to start their metamorphosis and go through a silk spinning trance during their metamorphosis.

Abilities

SilkWings above the age of 6 can fly and shoot silk from their wrists. They can also use their antennae to sense vibrations in the air and, like the HiveWings, can predict the weather. A rare subset of the former power is "flamesilk."  The SilkWing can shoot different types of fiery silk from their wrists in the same way other normal SilkWings shoot silk. Luna, Admiral, Blue, and 3 other females and 6 other male SilkWings have this ability. There names are: Danaid, Fritillary, Xenica, Pierid, Festoon, Clubtail, Whitespeck, and Heliconian.

Names

SilkWings are named after different species of butterfly and moth. They can also be named after colors. Jewel might be named after her beauty.

Known SilkWings

• Admiral
• Blue
• Burnet
• Clubtail
• Commodore (Also half NightWing)
• Danaid
• Festoon
• Fritillary
• Heliconian
• Io
• Jewel (Also half NightWing)
• Luna
• Queen Monarch
• Orange (Also half NightWing)
• Pierid
• Silverspot
• Sunstreak
• Swordtail
• Tortoiseshell (Also half NightWing)
• Tussock
• Whitespeck
• Xenica

Trivia

• Burn was said to have half of a purple and gray wing in her morbid collection, which is from one of the Pantala tribes. This is most likely a SilkWing's wing, because neither HiveWings nor LeafWings have purple or gray wings.
• 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 do not have a voice, or their own form of government, which shows how passive and agreeable most of them are against the HiveWings rule.
• SilkWings are the second tribe known to be vegetarians. (The first, RainWings.) Part of their diet is yams, okra, and honey drops (as a treat).
• SilkWings can predict upcoming weather through a "precise internal clock."

Gallery

To see the gallery, click here.