Summer's Turn

CHAPTER ONE
Summer’s metamorphosis was in one day, she worried about it nonstop. What if she got lost trying to find her job? What if she couldn't figure out how to fly? She already knew what her job was gonna be, a servant for a rich hivewing named Termite. Summer lay in her silk hammock watching the lights of yellow jacket hive move around and she slowly drifted to sleep, dreaming about what her wings would look like. 
“Summer! Time for breakfast!” her mother, moth called. Summer wobbled out of the hammock feeling woozy and bit into a mango. 
“Have a good day sweetie” Moth kissed her forehead and flew off to her work. Summer hopped from web to web toward her friend Morpho’s web, it was his metamorphosis day too and their mothers had arranged a request for them to work for the same hivewing so that they could do it together. Luckily Lady Yellowjacket approved and they would both be assigned to Termite. 
“Wake up snoozy snout!” Summer shock Morpho out of his hammock and dumped him on the web. 
“ Owch! Why did ya do that?” Morpho yelled at her making the other silkwings close to them look at them.
“Because today is the day we get to fly!” Summer sang.
“ We won't fly today, we just go into metamorphosis today,” he said.
“ Party pooper. Come on let's go to sweet treats! Morpho grumbled but followed her into yellowjacket hive. 
They walked through the hive tunnels occasionally stopping to look at the posters of bloody leafwings. Finally, they arrived at the market, Summer and Morpho squeezed through the crowd and entered the store. sweet treats were the only silkwing friendly shop that severed honey drops. A dull yellow hivewing with black wings sat at the counter looking bored,
“Hello, one box of honey drops please,” Summer said politely to the hivewing behind the glass counter. The hivewing plopped a light blue box on the glass and said 
“ two scales'' Summer bobbed her head and took two scales out of her pouch she kept around her neck 
“Here you go,” She said placing two smooth scales on the counter and picking up the box.
“ Thank you,” Morpho said and they left. “Where do you wanna go?” Morpho asked Summer, 
“Top-level” She suggested. They climbed to the very top of the hive where it was open to the sky, other than the silkwings and hivewings flying past they were alone. Morpho and Summer sucked on the honey drops and gazed out at the savannah below. Summer noticed her and Morphos silk glands were glowing slightly, she rubbed her wrists nervously. 
“I think we better get to the cocoon,” Spring told Morpho. 
“Yeah” he responded. They rushed down the stairs to the cocoon where Silkwings did their metamorphosis.
“Band,” the guard in front of the cocoon entrance said in a bored tone. Morpho showed his and then she did the same. Summer chose a spot near a corner and Morpho chose one close to her. Summer looked up and saw her family and Morpho’s family watching her from the glass viewer’s spot.
Then she felt silk pouring out of her wrists and her talons unconsciously weaving the silk into a cocoon, Spring looked to her left and saw Morpho beginning to do the same. Summer closed her eyes and let herself go into the cocoon.
CHAPTER TWO
Summer pushed the cocoon walls, her instincts told her it was time. She pushed harder until she heard a satisfying split as the cocoon opened and she tumbled out to the treestuff floor.
She took a moment to breathe and remember everything, then turned to look at Morpho’s cocoon. Summer could see his deep blue scales through his cocoon, pushing it with his back legs until it split and he waddled out. 
“We did it” she whispered to him. Morpho nods his head too tired to speak and unfurls four beautiful azure wings. Oh, right I have wings! Summer realized and swiveled her head around to see four pale blue and pearl green wings. She couldn’t help smiling. 
The guards led us up to a sunny platform at the top of the cocoon to dry our wings. A pale orange Silkwing is laying there, her wings spread wide letting them dry. Summer lay down and spread her wings in the sunlight letting them dry and Morpho lay down next to her. They relaxed for at least an hour and their wings are completely dry. 
“Let's go to the board and see where Termite lives,” Morpho said. So they flew down to the board right outside the cocoon where the guard’s post where the new silkwings jobs are. Summer gasped, 
“Morpho it says Termite lives in jewel hive and we will be escorted there in an hour.” 
“Oh, I thought Termite lived in this hive,” Morpho said. 
“Well, we better get our things ready and say bye to our Family’s” Summer said. Why couldn't she stay with her mom and sister in this hive? She could write letters to Moth but would she ever see her again? Summer couldn’t do anything about it though and at least she would have Morpho. 
She didn’t own much so Summer wove a silk sack and put in the few things she owned, Three books, a blanket her mother made for her, and a simple silver necklace with a single quartz rock on it. One hour later, after she said goodbye to her older sister and her mom, 
Summer and Morpho were waiting by the board for their esquarts to arrive two hivewings flew down toward them one with peachy yellow scales 
with black splotches and the other had black scales with orange dots on her feet and tail. 
“You two Morpho and Summer right?” the peach hivewing asked gruffly. 
“Yes sir,” Morpho and Summer said at the same time, 
“Come along,” he said.
CHAPTER THREE
At last, after flying all through the night Summer finally touched down on Jewel hive with numb talons.
“Your new master lives on the third level, a giant mansion with a red roof,” The black Hivewing said and turned away to fly back to Yellowjacket hive. The other guard stomped on her tail so Summer had to jump away and hide a yelp, whether she meant to do it or not the Hivewing didn’t seem to care and followed the other. 
“I hate Hivewings,” Morpho said glaring after the guards, 
“Same, now let's find this mansion,” Summer said to him. The hive was much more active at night than Yellowjacket hive, dragons flying from one party to another, it was gonna take some time to get used to the schedule.
At last, they found the mansion the soldiers described, there was a party going on in the front yard, lots of Hivewings enjoying punch and things dipped in honey and a bowl of dried caribou sat on a long table. On the stage, Silkwings were playing instruments, and Silkwing servants were refilling the drinks and cleaning up a platter of smoked fish a dark red Hivewing spilled.
A Bright sunset orange Hivewing with black speckles on his wings came out of the party toward them and said “You there, are you, my new servants?”
”Y-yes sir” Summer said timidly
“I don’t care for your names. I am Termite but you will call me master, blah blah blah, that weird Silkwing over there will fill you in.” and then he turned away. Summer and Morpho walked to the pale yellow Silkwing with a smaller back wing than normal Termite pointed to. She was nervously fidgeting with her talons and flinching every time a Hivewing walked past. 
“Hello we’re the new servants for Termite, uhh... he said that you could show us the ropes or something, I’m Morpho and this is Summer we just got here from Yellowjacket hive,” Morpho said to the pale yellow Silkwing,
“Oh hi, I’m Tau come on me and Cinnabar can show you the servant quarters” so they followed Tau and Cinnabar into the mansion, on the main level, they took a left where stairs led to the basement where a single gray room was, with ragged carpets that served as beds and a pipe with a lever that pumped out water. A small basket of rotting cherries that looked like leftovers from a party two weeks ago. 
“I recommend eating as little as possible, master Termite only gives us what is leftover from his parties,” Cinnabar told them.
“Here in Jewelhive there party's almost every night and most get up at noon” Tau informed them.”
“Alright, so what do we do now?” Morpho asked her, “ell the party is ending now so we have to clean it up” Tau answered him. They all walked upstairs to the party, the Hivewings were leaving to go to bed and the yard was a mess.
Cinnabar showed her where the cleaning supplies were and they started cleaning, Morpho was polishing the bowls and pans, Tau was moving the table aside, Cinnabar and herself were watering the garden. Summer was feeling very hungry so she picked one of the strawberries out of the leftover punch and ate it quickly before anyone could notice. Then she remembered that the Hivewings here were late sleepers and the sun was rising, so she nudged Morpho, Tau, and Cinnabar and they stuffed their pouches with the fruits to eat later.
CHAPTER FOUR
Summer was laying in her “bed” trying to sleep when she heard a bell ring,
DING!
“Come on Summer that's the breakfast bell!” said Cinnabar, shaking her out of bed. All four silkwings rushed up the stairs to the fancy kitchen. 
“Hurry master Termite wants dried fish and honeydew in two minutes now!” Tau yelled. They rushed around the kitchen, 
“Hurry Morpho get me a plate!” Summer shouted, Morpho grabbed a light blue plate and pratically threw it next to the stove where the fish was burning, 
“Oh no! Not the fish” Cinnabar yelped. 
“It will have to do, we don’t have time to make more, where’s the honeydew!?” Morpho yelled, 
“I have it!” Tau screamed, putting it on the plate, Summer grabbed it and ran upstairs into the dining room where Termite was with an impatient expression. 
“H-here you are,” Summer said nervously placing the food on the table, 
“The fish is burnt” Termite hissed, “do you know what happens when you fail” he hissed, Termite didn't wait for her to answer. “You get punished” and he scratched Summer on her snout, deep enough for her to bleed, She yelped and jumped back touching her snout.
”Get out now” He growled at her and whacked her with his tail. Summer bolted out of the dining room back to the kitchen. Tau gasped 
“Oh no, did he scratch you!?” Summer nodded wordlessly. 
“We have to get her to the hospital fast, his claws have poison,” Cinnabar said urgently. 
“I will get the doctors,” Morpho said and rushed out the door. Tau and Cinnabar moved Summer to a couch, 
“That scratch is pretty deep” Cinnabar said to Tau “Do you think she’ll make it?” “I don’t know...Teal didn't,” Tau answered. Summer felt herself drift into unconsciousness.
CHAPTER FIVE
Summer jolted awake and found herself in a hospital bed with Morpho standing next to her, 
“Summer! You're awake!” Morpho cried and hugged her,
“Oof ouch, of course, I’m ok you beetle brain,” Summer said to him, Summer realized she had some kind of paste over her wound. Tau and Cinnabar walked in the room and their worried expressions changed to relief when they saw her, 
“Lady Jewel has banned Termite from having Silkwing servants so we are getting a new master” Tau informed Summer. “Yes and that is me,” said a Hivewing with bright golden scales and thin lines of black. “Lady Jewel” Summer whispered, not knowing if she should bow. 
“Follow me Silkwings,” Lady Jewel said, Summer and the others followed her to a mansion even bigger than Termite’s. “The silkwing quarters are in this room, You don’t have any work today so just use today to get settled,” Lady Jewel said, flicking her tail at a door and then walking away. I had no idea a Hivewing could be so nice. And that’s how I became Lady Jewel’s top chef, week after week I got used to the schedule, wake up make whatever Jewel wanted for her breakfast, and I can do almost anything I want until lunch and then I make Lady Jewel dinner and then sleep. I spend most of my time in the library, something about the sent of books calm me, right now it is a little after noon and Summer was in the library turning the paper pages of a book about how to weave beautiful silk creations. Summer was so wrapped up in her book that she didn’t hear the talon steps coming toward her, “Summer...what do you think about the Hivewings being in charge and stuff?” Morpho asked. Summer jumped, startled,” Why did ya do that! You scared me!” She yelped. Morpho rolled his eyes. ”What did you say?” Summer said half listening half reading again. “ Have you heard of the chrysalis?” Morpho whispered so the guards outside couldn’t hear. “ You mean the group of Silkwings who might start rebelling against the Hivewings? Yeah, I heard” Summer whispered back. “ Do you wanna join?” Morpho asked nervously. “ absolutely!” Summer whisper-shouted, “Their meeting here tonight at midnight, Tau, Cinnabar, and I are going, wanna come?” “YES!” Summer accidentally shouted making a few Silkwings also in the library shoot them a curious glance, and the guards shot them a sleepy glare. Ok so let’s skip ahead to dinner...Woooooooop ding! Time-traveling and...here we are, ready, and...action!
CHAPTER SIX
 Summer grabbed the sliced beef and set it on the pan, then grabbed a jar labeled “Flamesilk” and carefully picked up the flame silk with the tweezers and slowly brushed it along the meat till it was an even brown. Then Summer seasoned it with a pinch of garlic and added a leaf of parley, for looks. She handed the tray to Tau, who set it down in front of lady Jewel. “Thank you, Tau,” Jewel said politely to Tau. Summer sighed with relief and began to wash the dishes. Summer peaked out the window, sunset. Once lady Jewel had gone into her bedroom, Summer, Morpho, Tau, and Cinnabar, walked to the big library. She knew they were early, but the doors would be locked in 30 minutes so, the plan was to go in at sunset, find a place to hide, and wait till midnight. Now that she thought about it, she wondered how the chrysalis got in. She would have to remember to ask them that when they came. Luckily for Summer and her friends, the doors were not locked, they slipped in without anyone noticing. She inhaled the scent of books and treestuff.  A young Silkwing, palish yellow and still wingless, was curled up in a corner, reading a book titled “Creatures of the Savanna”. The pale yellow dragonet glanced up at them with an expression that said “I am bored out of my mind right now”. Summer turned her gaze away from the dragonet and surveyed the library for hiding spaces. Morpho gestured to the level above them, Summer nodded and motioned Cinnabar and Tau to follow. She climbed the ladder rather than flying to make less noise. She doubted there were any Hivewings, let alone any guards near the library, but it never hurt to be safe. The group of Silkwings tiptoed to the darkest corner of the library, and divided, Cinnabar and Summer climbed up on top of a tall bookcase and huddled in the tight space, ducking their heads so they wouldn’t scrape the ceiling. Morpho and Tau were covering each other with black and gray blankets not far from them. Ruffly twenty minutes later, Summer saw the Silkwing dragonet scramble out of the library, and soon after she left she heard two sets of talons and the creak of the expensive wood door. “Libray is closed, locking the door.” said a voice with authority. Summer guessed it was the Hivewing guards.  She heard the hivewings walked out grumbling about how dumb their job was and locked the door behind them. Summer drifted into sleep. She woke up a little after midnight to Cinnabar shaking her awake. “Shhhhh” Cinnabar whispered, Follow me. They silently climbed down, she could hear the muffled snoring coming from the lump of blankets. Summer bent her head down and nudged Morpho’s snout with her own. “Huh? Wha?” Morpho mumbled. “It’s time” Summer whispered, Morpho stood up and bumped Tau awake. As She followed Cinnabar and Tau she started to hear hushed voices. Finally, Tau turned a corner made up of bookcases and, there was the source of the voices. Four Silkwings sitting in a circle stared at them. “Tau, Cinnabar, who did you bring?” said a white and pearl green silkwing, who was lying down on a blue blanket. “Do they want to join? More members are always welcome.” said the purple/gray Silkwing, with a friendly tone. The other two Silkwing stayed quiet, one was a tangerine orange and the other was turquoise. “These two want to join,” Tau said to the white and green Silkwing. “I’m Morpho and that’s Summer” Morpho introduced themselves. “Hi, I Morpho and Summer, I’m Temora and that’s Catapiller and the two over there are Argus and Glasswing.” Said the dull purple one. 
CHAPTER SEVEN
It was official, both she and Morpho were now finally part of the chrysalis. Summer sat up in her bed and yawned and shook out her green speckled pink wings. Summer stumbled out of her bed, which was much more comfortable than the mat she had slept on when Termite was her master. She was the first to wake up so she walked over to the kitchen to grab breakfast. She picked out a loaf of raisin bread and nibbled on it while she opened the curtains and stepped outside on the balcony. Summer breathed in the fresh morning air. A sparrow was perched on the window sill was chirpy cheerfully. It seemed like nothing could break this morning’s calmness. She went back inside and saw Cinnabar and Tau eating a slice cantaloupe. “Morning” Tau said through a mouthful of fruit. 
“Hi Tau, wheres Morpho?” Summer asked.
“Still sleeping” Cinnabar answered.
“I’m gonna get Jewel’s order.” Summer said as she made her way up the marble stairs. Summer rapped on the bedroom door 
“What is it?” Said a very sleepy Lady Jewel. 
“I need your breakfast order please,” Summer said as polity as she could muster. 
“Honey toast and bacon.” Lady Jewel grunted. Summer walked downstairs trying not to slip on the polished stairs and hurried to the kitchen.
“She wants Toast with honey and bacon” Summer announced to her friends who were sharing slices of mango. 
“Yuck meat, I don’t know how the Hivewings and stomach that stuff.” Morpho said while wrinkling his nose, 
“Neither do I” said Tau. 
“Come on guys stop stalling, we got work to do!” Cinnabar interrupted. Tau rolled her eyes and took out a loaf of bread from the pantry. Summer got the flame silk jar out and a pan while Morpho got out the raw bacon.
Breakfast was made just in time Lady Jewel forgot to thank them but she looked stressed about something. None of my concern Summer thought to herself, not every problem has to be mine. She didn’t have anything else to do so she invited Morpho, Tau, and Cinnabar to the library, and was a bit hurt when she got her answer. 
“Sorry Summer me Tau and Cinnabar got to-” Morpho was interrupted by Cinnabar stomping on his tail.
“Were a bit busy today, maybe later.” Cinnabar said quickly, avoiding eye contact. Summer tried not to react, but she could feel her mouth sinking to a frown. “Al-Alright then.” Summer said not succeeding in hiding her disappointment. She hurried out of the kitchen with only one thing on her mind. What are my friends up to?
CHAPTER EIGHT 
Tick tock, tick tock, the clock chimed. Summer lay in her bed, face buried in her pillow. She had just prepared Lady Jewel’s lunch and was on free time. She had made lunch alone cause her...Friends? Had still not returned. She heard the door to the main room creak and light talon steps coming to the servant quarters. Summer sat up quickly in bed and her eyes locked on the door, the door swayed open and Morpho was there. 
“Oh uhh...Hi Summer I was wondering if we could go to the umm… library, now.” Morpho stammered. 
“Ok, weres Cinnabar and Tau?” `She asked, narrowing her eyes at him. “Oh, they’re still working, come on let’s get to the library.” He said, rushing ahead. Summer followed him slowly, then she noticed something that wasn’t normally there, a wanted poster, On it was Three pictures of three different dragons. The first was a Silkwing, he had azure blue scales with hints of purple. The next was also a Silkwing, a royal blue with orange splotches, kind of like rust. The last one was a Hivewing, Honey yellow scales with black markings that looked a bit like inkblots. Under the picture said, 
“Wanted alive by the queen, report to a Hivewing authority if seen, you will be rewarded.” Morpho turned around to get her and they had arrived at the library. She glanced at the statue of Clearsight, carved from wood. Morpho pulled open the large doors and they stepped inside, The place was well lit by the flame silk lanterns hanging from the ceiling. A group of Hivewing dragonets were giggling in a corner, in a pillow fort, and a Silkwing without his wings was doing his homework on a table. Summer Found herself drifting to the fantasy section, where her favorite series was, called “Cave explorations” Summer was fascinated by it and she often wondered whether the dragon who wrote it was from a mental hospital. She selected the sixth book titled “Travels of the Caverns” and curled up on a pile of cushions. Morpho lay down next to her with his own book called “The Leafwing Threat” Summer rolled her eyes, was that what her friends had snuck off to do? She sunk deeper into the pillows and got lost in her maze of books.
CHAPTER NINE ( Cringe warning)
The sun was drifting down and dusk was upon them, they were ushered out of the library by the librarian, and she realized that she hadn’t made Lady Jewel dinner yet! “Morpho! We forgot to make Lady Jewel dinner! She’ll kill us!” Summer exclaimed. 
“Don’t worry about that Summer, Cinnabar and Tau made it,” Morpho told her. They walked the rest of the way in silence. She Yawned and opened the door to Lady Jewel’s mansion 
“I’m gonna go to bed Morpho” She said. Morpho looked a bit alarmed, 
“Already? How about you stay up a bit later?”. “No, I…” She trailed off when she walked into the kitchen. 
“Happy hatching day!” Tau and Cinnabar jumped out of the corners. On the main table, sat a cake, it didn’t look too pretty but she could tell they tried. It was decorated with blobby smudges made of icing, and it had fifteen candles on it. (She is fifteen in dragon years, in human years she is eight) A wide smile appeared on her face and She hugged them. After they had dug into the cake, the rest of the night followed by playing rounds of Two Trusts and a Lie. They finally went to bed at one in the morning and accidentally overslept, But that was ok, because Lady Jewel went out and had brunch with some of her friends at a cafe. Summer opened the front door the get the mail and set it down on a countertop. Tau walked over and picked up the daily newspaper. On the front page read “Three dragons disobeying Wasp have escaped and stolen the book of Clearsight. See the photos below for the wanted dragons. The Queen will reward anyone who has information regarding their whereabouts.”. “I bet Wasp will have them in her claws by next week,” Summer said. 
“Yeah, I doubt they can stay hidden much longer.” Tau agreed. Summer turned her head when she heard the main door slide open, Lady Jewel had returned with another Hivewing. The other Hivewing looked elderly and had lemon yellow scales and black stripes on her wings, red freckles dotted her snout and she wore glasses. She looked similar to Jewel. “That blue rug clashes horribly with the curtains, you must get new flowers for that vase, they’re withering. These pans have rust are you gonna get more or just wait to get a disease?” The grouchy elder Hivewing complained. “Mother, please could you just once say something positive?” Jewel said,” I will have my Silkwings fix that but I would like it if you don’t point things like that out,”. The Hivewings went to the garden in the back and there was silence once again.
CHAPTER TEN
“Good Bye mother” Lady Jewel called to Scarab. 
“You’d better have those things fixed those things for my next visit.” Scarab reminded her. Jewel sighed and shut the door, then walked to the study room, sat down at the desk, and requested Cinnabar to make her some coffee. Summer lay down in bed and started to read "Cave Explorations" she had borrowed from the library.  After a few hours, she got up to make Lady Jewel bean and beef stew.  When she served Jewel, she said 
“I need you and your friends to get these from the market, if there are extra scales left after you can buy yourself something.” she said while giving her a note. 
“Got it.” Summer replied and trotted out the entrance door. Tau was tending to the front garden, pulling up the weeds. Summer tapped on her shoulder, 
“Huh? What is Summer?” Tau asked. 
“Lady Jewel wants us to get some things from the market,” she said. 
“Thank goodness, I hate weeding,” Tau said, brushing off dirt from her scales. They trotted down the semi-crowded streets to find Morpho and Cinnabar. They decided to check the library first. Tau opened the wood door, they could see right away Morpho’s blue wing sticking out from a blanket. Summer crept over, and then tugged his wing playfully. 
"Oi! What! Who-Oh its you, what do you need from me that is SOOO important?" He whined. Tau poked her head from around a book case to stare at them.
Category:Fanfictions
Category:Fanfictions (Incomplete)