HiveWings
HiveWings are one of the three tribes that reside on Pantala. Prior to the ending of The Flames of Hope, HiveWings were the dominating tribe on Pantala; they enslaved the SilkWings and almost exterminated the LeafWings during the Tree Wars.
They are currently ruled by Queen Jewel. HiveWings are descended from BeetleWings, with a small amount of NightWing genes from Clearsight, who is the common ancestor of all HiveWings.
Description
HiveWings have slender, strong, sharp and muscular bodies. They have four thin, clear, and segmented wings that resemble those of wasps, dragonflies, and other insects. They have a slightly compact face, with a small axe-like ridge on the tip of their snout, and a second, larger curved ridge on the middle of their snout. They have a pair of long, curved, smooth-looking horns. Some HiveWings hatch with stingers in their wrists or tails that have the ability to inject venom.
They are primarily based on wasps, but suggested to be inspired by bees, and some other varieties of beetles and insects.[citation needed] According to A Guide to the Dragons of Pantala, HiveWing scales can be red, yellow and/or orange.[1] They always have at least a few black scales mixed in inherited from their shared ancestor, Clearsight.[2] Some are almost completely black in color, such as Hawker[2] and Bombardier.[3] Some may also have green scales, such as Treehopper.[4] Some HiveWings, such as Katydid, Sandfly, and Scarab, have freckle-like scales, or splashes/splotches of scales like Cricket. HiveWing eye colors include black,[5] dark orange,[6] brown,[7] red,[8] yellow-gold,[9] and green.[10]
Blue once mentioned that HiveWing eyes have a "green-yellow-orange glow".[11] Wasp was noted to have dark green blood,[12] but this may be unique to her as she was in connection with the othermind for about 50 years.
Diet
HiveWings are omnivorous and eat animals that live on the savanna,[13] such as zebras,[14] wildebeest, gazelle,[15] lions,[5] and antelope.[16] HiveWings also eat confections, like honey drops and nectar,[17] as well as vegetables grown in the Hive greenhouses.[13] Sliced avocados were jokingly mentioned by Cricket.[18]
Cricket stated that HiveWings do not like to eat most reptiles, such as lizards or snakes, because they believe they may be related.[19] They also drink tea[18] and coffee.[20] The Hive on the cover for The Hive Queen shows a shop selling whole sharks, implying that sharks or other marine life may also be part of the HiveWing diet. Another shop on the cover appears to be selling mounds of herbs in baskets.
Cricket has been mentioned to smell like cinnamon,[21] and to have have breath that smelled like apples.[22] In The Hive Queen, Cricket recalled a drink that tasted like lime,[23] and one that smelled like coconut.[24]
Abilities
According to the Pantalan dragon guide, the HiveWings' powers vary from dragon to dragon, but many do not have any powers.[25] These abilities are genetic and can be passed down.[26] HiveWing powers include deadly stingers extending from their wrists, venom in their teeth or claws, a paralyzing toxin known as nerve poison[27] that can immobilize targets in their claws or tail stinger, spraying boiling acid from a stinger on their tails, and emitting a horrible stench said to smell like dead rotting things pickled in sulfur.[28]
Swordtail described the HiveWings' paralyzing toxin as "fire burning every nerve in your body", and as "all you want to do is run or fly or even blink, but you cannot move a single muscle until the toxin wears off" once it wears off.[29] A dragon paralyzed by HiveWing venom can be "unparalyzed" when given a strong stimulant.[30] Some guards were assumed by Blue to be able to shoot poisonous darts from their tails.[31] Similar to SilkWings, HiveWings have a precise internal clock which was described to keep their days on schedule and warn them when the rainy season is coming.[32]
Wasp, former Queen of the HiveWings, could control the mind of any HiveWing whom she had injected with the breath of evil. This plant was kept in her off-limits, personal greenhouse garden.[33] HiveWings are said to have pure white eyes[34] when under the mind-control and moved in eerie unison.[35] Katydid describes the feeling as having an unstoppable urge to do what the Queen commands them to do, similar to being hypnotized.[36]
Society
HiveWings were once first-class citizens in their society. They formerly lived in Hives ruled by Queen Wasp and her female relatives. Unlike other dragon tribes in both Pantala and Pyrrhia, Wasp's relatives who ruled the other Hives were not titled as Princess, but Lady. However, the Queen still outranked the Ladies. Despite this, she still allowed others to rule the Hives, so they felt like they had some power.
It was difficult for HiveWings to get a divorce because they needed permission from the queen in order to do so.[37] If the queen allowed a HiveWing couple to get divorced, they had to go through a whole separation request process that was difficult.[37] It was also considered strongly forbidden for a HiveWing and a SilkWing to be together.[4]
HiveWings utilized SilkWings as servants, and used them for personal gain in many ways, using them as cooks, butlers, and for other purposes. Servants followed their mistress.[38] HiveWings from Jewel Hive owned SilkWing servants as an accessory, often striving to make them look more extravagant than the others. They often made them stand in windows just looking pretty, or parade them around.[39]
Names
HiveWings are named after a variety of insects, such as different species of bees, wasps, ants, beetles, weevils, crickets, and mantids. They may also be named after annelids, such as Earthworm, or after insect larvae, such as Bloodworm. HiveWings may also be named after arachnid species, in the case of Vinegaroon.
Click here for a list of known HiveWings.
Trivia
- Blue wondered if some HiveWings "don't have to blink" when he saw HiveWing guards staring down through the glass ceiling in the flamesilk factory.[40] It has not been confirmed if HiveWings possess this ability.
- It was mentioned by Swordtail that HiveWings have poor night vision,[41] but it may have been a derogatory statement as he also described them as "lazy" and "arrogant" in the same sentence.
- Some HiveWings, including the Librarian and Malachite, were almost always kept under Wasp's mind control until Luna destroyed the othermind. Almost all of them came to seek refuge in the LeafSilk Kingdom after this.[42]
- According to the records, no HiveWing has ever had prophecy powers.[43]
- HiveWing eggs are white.[44]
- Cricket once found some old biology books that stated that HiveWings used to have antennae.[45]
Gallery
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A typical HiveWing (colored), by Joy Ang -
A typical HiveWing (lineart), by Joy Ang -
A typical HiveWing (transparent), by Joy Ang
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References
- ↑ Dragon guides
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 The Lost Continent, page 13
- ↑ The Lost Continent, page 80
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 The Hive Queen, page 235
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 The Lost Continent, page 6
- ↑ The Lost Continent, page 217
- ↑ The Lost Continent, page 66
- ↑ The Hive Queen, page 180
- ↑ The Poison Jungle, page 182
- ↑ The Hive Queen, page 217
- ↑ The Lost Continent, page 233
- ↑ The Flames of Hope, page 219
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 A Guide to the Dragon World, page 197
- ↑ The Lost Continent, page 81
- ↑ The Lost Continent, page 21
- ↑ The Dangerous Gift, page 119
- ↑ The Lost Continent, page 190
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 The Lost Continent, page 153
- ↑ The Lost Continent, page 142
- ↑ The Hive Queen, page 193
- ↑ The Lost Continent, page 104
- ↑ The Lost Continent, page 78
- ↑ The Hive Queen, page 63
- ↑ The Hive Queen, page 170
- ↑ The Hive Queen, page 144
- ↑ The Hive Queen, page 208
- ↑ The Lost Continent, page 112
- ↑ The Hive Queen, page 173
- ↑ The Lost Continent, page 113
- ↑ The Lost Continent, page 115–118
- ↑ The Lost Continent, page 37
- ↑ The Lost Continent, page 41
- ↑ The Hive Queen, page 263
- ↑ The Lost Continent, page 57
- ↑ The Lost Continent, page 58
- ↑ The Lost Continent, page 69
- ↑ 37.0 37.1 The Hive Queen, page 56
- ↑ The Lost Continent, page 111
- ↑ The Hive Queen, page 76
- ↑ The Lost Continent, page 267
- ↑ The Lost Continent, page 145
- ↑ The Flames of Hope, epilogue
- ↑ The Hive Queen, page 184
- ↑ The Hive Queen, page 249
- ↑ The Lost Continent, page 83
| HiveWings | |
|---|---|
| Queens | |
| Royalty |
Bloodworm • Cicada • Hornet • Mantis • Scarab • Tsetse • Vinegaroon • Yellowjacket |
| Other Dragons |
Aphid • Bombardier • Bumblebee • Cadelle • Carabid • Chafer • Cricket • Dragonfly • Earthworm • Earwig • Inchworm • Grasshopper • Hawker • Glowworm • Katydid • Librarian • Lubber • Malachite • Midge • Pinacate • Rootworm • Sandfly • Treehopper • Weevil |
| Kingdom |
Bloodworm Hive • Cicada Hive • Hornet Hive • Jewel Hive • Mantis Hive • Tsetse Hive • Vinegaroon Hive • Wasp Hive • Yellowjacket Hive |
| Society | |
