Jungle of Silk

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an au story where the silkwings never join the hivewings in the tree wars and instead form their own group, in which the leafwings are drove to near extinction by the hivewings (they hide in the poison jungle like they do in canon), and the silkwings and hivewings fight for their lives. (not all the forests have been destroyed like in canon, there are still some but the hivewings are too busy fighting the silkwings to cut them down)

## Protagonists

Prologue: Alocasia (LeafWing)

Chapters: Catagramma (SilkWing)

Epilogue: undecided (hivewing? maybe?)

## Prologue

The thick vegetation of the jungle was strewn with moonlight, rain on the edges of leaves. The ground was muddy, damp, and cold, and a slightly cool breeze swept through the trees.

"Those lie-spitting, talon-stabbing, leaf-snorting HiveWings! I hope every single one of them dies a painful death! When I get my talons on their claw-clicking queen, so help me, I will tear each of her talons out one by one and stab her in the eyes with them!" A dark green LeafWing with light green and brown splotches hissed while crouching in an overgrown area. "I hate them! For hurting my friends, destroying our homes... I hope they all suff—"

"Alocasia! Don't be so loud! I understand your anger, but these HiveWings could be patrolling this jungle, trying to find us! So shush, and maybe head back inside. I think Queen Soap made some tea for all of us." A LeafWing who was with Alocasia whispered.

"Fine! But I don't like most tea. Why couldn't she make sugared snails with mango juice or something!" Alocasia growled, turning around to go to the LeafWing base. Her tail whacked the other LeafWing, Ixora, in the wing. He bared his teeth at her and then followed.

The overgrown plants rustled as Alocasia tripped over a tree root. *Panthers and pansy!* She got back up and kept creeping towards the base. She felt a mist from the trees blow over her, and she hissed. Ixora leapt over the tree root and then took flight, as the base was closer now.

Alocasia followed him, ducking under tree vines and looking out for dangerous plants, which the LeafWings were recently notified of by Queen Soap. Then, Ixora landed near the entrance of the base, and Alocasia ducked under a tree branch and then landed near him.

The base was a large building built from jungle tree wood with vines and ivy growing on the wood to hide it from above. A slab of stone was used as a doormat near the base entrance. Four large trees surrounded the base. The trees had entrances and windows and the thick branches were used as balconies. Vines wrapped around the trees and there were dimly lit lanterns near the entrance of them. Guards stood inside the base and stood near the inside of the entrance.

As the two LeafWings stepped inside the base, the two guards blocked them off with long, wooden spears with a sharp stone on the ends that were rumored to have poison on the tips. Around the stone there were many small but sharp thorns.

"Say the phrase..." one of the guards growled, sounding bored. Their whole body was covered in armor, but Alocasia could still see their dark green wings and unusually bright brown eyes.

"The thorned leaves will fly again and strike the wasp down." Alocasia and Ixora said at the same time.

The two guards lifted their spears and let them in the base, and the two walked forward.

The base's interior was lit with lanterns and small huts made of different trees and plants stood. Most were made from jungle wood and plants, and some were made from more expensive wood like maple, willow, and hazel. In the back of the base building, there stood a huge structure that looked like a castle. Two huge, beautiful carved and painted sundews were near the entrance, and a small label near the bottom of both statues said "Carved by the graceful talons of Princess Hedera". Queen Soap and some other royals lived in the castle, and every once in a while Queen Soap would hold tea parties or other events for the whole tribe, which is why they were here in the first place. The trees were homes for guards who would keep watch for any enemies. They switched every week.

"C'mon, or we'll be late to the party," Ixora said, running to the castle-like structure. Alocasia sighed and bounded after him. Alocasia's wing brushed against one of the sundew statues.

When they got there, there were two more guards in front of the entrance. Ivy hung from the doorframe of the castle, and a door made from willow tree wood blocked their way in the castle. The castle had plants growing all around it and balconies had potted flowers near the rails, made from long, tough thorns that were dulled.

"Here for the tea party?" A guard asked, looking at their thorned spear which was a bit different from the ones the guards had at the entrance of the base. It had the sharp stone and thorns, but 4 slighty large blade-sharp thorns were near the sharpened stone, and they were black at the tips.

"Yes," Alocasia nodded. "where is it, anyways?"

"As soon as you walk in, turn left and follow the banners." The other guard told them, their golden eyes glimmering in authority.

"Alright, thanks." Ixora thanked them. The guards pushed open the door, and the two LeafWings walked through. The door slammed behind them and they heard the guards talking to another LeafWing outside.

They turned left and then saw a glimmering green banner with gold at the edges. It said "Tea Party" and an arrow pointing down a hallway to the right. The two LeafWings went down the narrow hallway. Dim lanterns lit up the path, and Ixora's pink-red eyes shone in the light.

*Princess Hedera better be here or I'd consider this tea party a disappointment,* Alocasia thought as they walked down the hallway. Another banner was at the end of the hallway; green with glimmering gold edges like the last one. An arrow on it pointed right.

Alocasia turned right and ran faster, seeing a door ahead in the dim light.

"Wait up!" Ixora yelled, his voice echoing through the hallway. His fern-green scales and darker wings were lit by the lanterns, and Alocasia knocked on the door and waited, hoping she looked her best.

Ixora caught up to her as the door was opened. Alocasia saw Queen Soap in front of her. Queen Soap's laurel-green scales shown in the bright lantern light of the room and her pink-red scattered scales were glossy in the light. Her sharp bright red eyes seemed to be glowing, and a crown made from blossoms and thorns and flowers sat ontop her head. She was tall and had a long tail with a bright red leaf tip. Her huge wings were the same color as her scattered scales, and she wore large earrings with rose gold blossom shapes on them.

"Oh, welcome Alocasia and... Ixora. Come right in! And you arrived early, don't worry." Queen Soap told them, letting them in. Alocasia suspected she didn't like Ixora, based on her voice changing from happy and sweet to more slithering and bitter when she said his name.

Ixora had done some questionable things when they were still fighting. Like offering some healing remedies to a young HiveWing. Or killing a HiveWing and throwing them in a pile of leaves which was hiding supplies for the queen.

*I guess nobody forgave him after that*, Alocasia thought. *Oh well, sucks to be him.*

Alocasia walked and saw Princess Hedera and nearly screamed her name in happiness. She ran over to her after Ixora walked inside and went to get some tea. Princess Hedera saw Alocasia as well and her eyes lit up like a glimmering star. They ran up to each other and Hedera grabbed Alocasia's talons.

"Hey, friend," Princess Hedera greeted her happily. "What's up?"

"Bored. And a bit nervous." Alocasia responded. "But I'm glad I have you."

Princess Hedera smiled and then looked at the tea table. "Wanna go get some tea?"

Alocasia thought for a moment. "What kind of tea do they even have?"

Princess Hedera's purplish-black eyes glittered in the light. "How about we go look? I can't remember, but there's a lot."

Both of them walked over to the tea table and Alocasia looked for the only kind of tea she liked: peppermint tea. She saw some candied grasshoppers, mangoes with sugar on them, and other miscellaneous treats at the end of the table, and the tablecloth was white with flower patterns.

She saw a few cups of tea near a flower vase, with a label nearby saying "Peppermint Tea". She quickly took a cup and then took a plate made from wood, but Alocasia didn't know what type of wood it was. She then picked out some mangoes and took a candied grasshopper and put them on her plate. Alocasia saw Hedera walk back to where they were before, so she followed Hedera and sat down next to her.

"What did you get?" Princess Hedera asked Alocasia, looking at a pile of beetles with chocolate glaze on another LeafWing's plate.

"Peppermint tea. And some mangoes." Alocasia responded, taking a sip of her tea. She loved it.

"I got some black tea. Too little cups of that there, hmph. And some chocolate-dipped apples. They're really good." Hedera said, picking up one of the apple slices and dipping it in her tea.

"So anyways, how is everything doing in the castle?" Alocasia asked, taking a bite out of the sugared mangoes.

"Awful. Very, very bad," Hedera responded quickly, sounding a bit worried. "I mean, it's better than it was before, but, um, still bad."

Alocasia held Princess Hedera's talons. "It's okay. What's going on?"

Princess Hedera pulled Alocasia into a corner. "Mom—Wait, um, I mean, Queen Soap is stressed, she's trying to make a hospital for all the wounded LeafWings but she doesn't know where to put it. My brother is planning to attack all the HiveWings and murder them. Soap stopped him for now, but his rage is a bit too extreme. I hate the HiveWings too, but he never shuts up about the multiple ways he'll make them all suffer. And Soap is trying to get used to the jungle, but it's a bit less of a problem now. She doesn't let anyone wander too far because she doesn't want anyone to get hur—nevermind, I think you already know that. Am I talking too fast?"

Alocasia took a moment to process what she had been told and then shook her head. "No, you're fine. You can continue."

"There's a whole other bunch of problems like what will they do about the SilkWings and stuff, but that would take too long to explain. But at least we're all safe here. The Poison Jungle might not be the best place to live, but it's better than living out in the open as if we were begging to be attacked. Y'know?" Princess Hedera took a sip of her tea.

"Yeah, I understand," Alocasia said, leaning against Hedera. "you don't need to tell me everything."

"I know, but there's nobody else I can really talk to about this stuff. It's not really a matter of trust, but that I don't know if they'll understand." Hedera sighed, looking away.

Alocasia took a bite out of one of her mangoes and nodded. She felt really nervous. Concerned about the LeafWings and Hedera. And herself.

"I just want to get back to carving and making things. I want this war to end and for everyone to be safe. I want to not worry about the future. I want to go back to the forests. I want to be near you more. But this whole war and situation makes me stressed and angry!" Hedera sounded like she was about to cry.

Alocasia put her plate and tea down and hugged Hedera. "It's gonna be okay, alright? I'm gonna make sure the HiveWing's queen is gone and the HiveWings will never start a war ever again."

Hedera placed her plate down and hugged her back. "That's what everyone says. But... I don't know if they're being truthful or just saying that to make us feel 'better'. Just a temporary bandage to our worry."

Alocasia sighed. "I would never lie to you. I will make sure they learn to never mess with us again. I promise, okay? I'm trying my hardest."

"I'm not saying you're lying, I know you would never lie. Just... some just say that and I never see them doing anything except saying the same things over and over." Hedera told her, sounding a bit nervous.

Alocasia sighed and picked up her plate, both of them letting go of each other. Princess Hedera finished the rest of her tea and placed the cup down.

"Just know I would never lie to you. I'm fighting for us to stay alive. We will come out of this war fine. I promise..." Alocasia whispered.

"And I'm gonna make sure you're safe." Hedera responded, smiling a bit. "Because you're the best dragon I've ever met in my life, ever."

## Part 1: The Tree Wars

### Chapter 1

A SilkWing was shaking. Their wings were folded, and their dark brown scales—so dark they looked black—were covered by a blanket that was orange with white flower patterns. The SilkWing had a fearful expression, and they couldn't sleep.

"Cat," another SilkWing whispered, looking at the other SilkWing. "Are you okay? You've been nervous the entire night."

The SilkWing shook their head. "No. Deudorix. Last night's battle was..." The SilkWing's eyes started to well with tears.

Deudorix shuffled closer to the other SilkWing. "Catagramma, I understand. But something else seems to be troubling you."

*A lot of things are bothering me. I know I have to get a good rest, just in case another battle is caused tomorrow. But that's probably not going to happen. The HiveWings need time to replenish their resoirces... right?* Catagramma sighed.

"This whole war is troubling," Catagramma responded, resting his head down. He felt a bit less nervous, as he had someone to open up to. Someone he could trust with his emotions. "I'm not just worried about us. I'm worried about the L—"

"Go to sleep!" A hiss interrupted him.

Catagramma hid under his blanket, embarassed. A talon tapped his shoulder.

"I understand, Cat," Deudorix responded, moving the blanket off of Catagramma's head. It looked like an orange cape. "Don't listen to that other SilkWing."

Catagramma moved the blanket to the side. "I just need something calming. I won't be calm forever, haha, but I need something to just let me sleep for once."

Deudorix reached for a small bag and took a bundle of mint leaves in a small bottle. It had some sort of water with the leaves, and some other sort of herb Catagramma couldn't recognize, but he knew it calmed him.

"You think the magic mint bottle can help you?" Deudorix grinned, laughing a bit too loudly. He grabbed his snout and shook his head. "Oh gosh why—"

Catagramma covered his mouth with his talons to prevent him from laughing incredibly loudly. "No, no, it's fine. We haven't laughed like that for a while." He took the bottle and took off the cap. He could feel himself become a bit more calm, the scent of the mint and honey and other miscellaneous herbs rising into the air.

He then closed it and passed it back to Deudorix. "That helped a bit, thanks."

Deudorix nodded and shoved it back into the bag, closing the bag and pulling it closer to him. Deudorix then moved closer to Catagramma, basically right up against him. Deudorix lay down and stretched his wings. Catagramma flicked his tail and closed his eyes. He felt exhausted.

"Wanna go pick some herbs tomorrow?" Deudorix whispered.

"Sure, why not. We'd be helping the healers anyways. If we give the herbs to them anyways." Catagramma responded, his flaming orange eyes opening slightly.

"We can hoard it, it doesn't matter." Deudorix whispered back, his pale green antennae folding back. He grinned slyly, and stretched his arms.

"Okay. Good night." Catagramma whispered, closing his eyes.

"Niiight." Deudorix whispered back tiredly.

As the SilkWings became silent, the whole cave was only filled with the sounds of crickets chirping.

"Wake up everyone, it's time for breakfast." One of the queen's messengers announced.

Catagramma and Deudorix were already awake and theorizing about where the LeafWings went, before they heard the messenger.

"Well, let's see what they have this time. Last time it was horrible." Deudorix yawned and got up.

Catagramma got up and started walking with him to the meal room. *Yesterday morning they had sliced apples and cinnamon toast. It sounded good, but the bread was too burnt for their liking. And Deudorix's apples were molded.*

As they entered the room, there were so many SilkWings—Catagramma estimated more than 100—and the queen was on her throne, as always.

Catagramma and Deudorix took their seats, and then they continued talking about LeafWings.

"What if they were living underground?" Catagramma asked.

"Don't they need sunlight to stay energized?" Deudorix flicked his tail.

"I don't know. They probably invented energy drinks or something." Catagramma joked, taking a sip of his water.

Deudorix shrugged and then looked around, and then at the queen. He glared at her, but not enough for anyone to notice.

She was mainly gray-blue, with lighter underscales and light blue wings that faded to a brown, with light brown on the edges of the brown color at the end. Her wings were dappled with some white. Her silver eyes were hidden by clouded glasses, but behind those eyes there was a mysterious personality, never displayed to anyone. Deudorix never saw the queen do anything else other than make threatening announcements and sit on her throne at breakfast and dinnertime, staring at the other dragons. One of her messengers put a crown on her head, which was glimmering gold with what seemed to be sapphires and a small diamond in the middle. Imagine all the work put into that crown, given to a queen who did nothing but make dragons do the other work for her while she sat around wasting her time and never interacting with anyone.

And her name was Queen Polyommatinae.

### Chapter 2

"Welcome, everyone," one of the queen's messengers announced. "This morning's meal was prepared by the tribe's cooks, so silently thank them."

Catagramma didn't thank them. This happened all the time, and he just wanted breakfast to be over with. *Everything food-related is made by the cooks, why bother saying it every day?*

"Today's breakfast is oatmeal and a slice of toast, served with milk." The messenger said. As soon as they finished, a bunch of other SilkWings came out of a door and started serving the other SilkWings.

*Sounds decent enough...*

Catagramma and Deudorix got their plates, and Catagramma sighed. The toast looked well-toasted, and he then he slid the rest of his food to Deudorix, tired.

Catagramma and Deudorix were walking out of the dining room.

"I just wanna hang out today. I don't feel like training." Deudorix sighed.

Catagramma sighed and nodded. He felt tired in the sunlight.

"Before you go, remember to grab your weapons and your wristband, just in case there's any trouble. Training is in 1 hour." a messenger announced.

The wristband could be slammed against a tree or stone or something in case someone was getting attacked, which would send a bunch of soldiers to your location, and it would also alert the other SilkWings. But usually it would always set off false alarms if a SilkWing fell weirdly. Catagramma never paid attention.

Catagramma and Deudorix grabbed their weapons and wristbands, and quickly flew out into the woods. The then dived under the shade of a large tree and ran into a dimly lit cave with plants draped over the entrance. This was their "hangout place", where they would always go when they had free time.

"I'm so bored," Deudorix flicked his tail. "imagine going to training. Couldn't be us."

Catagramma laid down. "I just want to sit here. And talk about... stuff."